Path of a Summoner

Twill was surprisingly uninterested in coming above deck to see the water as the ship powered across the sea. The little ferry was still run on chocobo power, a rarity for larger ships now, but passage between the islands wasn’t a long journey, and the ferries still used chocobos to run the ships. Wren was excited to be aboard, and loved travel, but she took to the lower deck to see her companion, leaving Merris to his own devices.

They were alone in the common area for the passengers and their luggage, so Wren sat across from them on the floor, crossing her legs.

“Seasick?” she asked quietly.

“A little,” they replied. “I don’t travel by boat often, but I can manage it. I simply don’t like crowds.”

“I get it. I saw how you were in Luca,” said Wren.

Twill nodded, but said nothing for a few moments, looking idly at the floor. Their eyes were unfocused, but they finally looked back to Wren. “There is something you must know about me if we are to make this journey. Besaid is just the first step, am I correct? Traveling across all of Spira is not a short time together.”

Wren tilted her head, watching as Twill freed their hands from the cloak they wore. “Oh, you don’t have to...”

Twill shook their head. “No, these theatrics of mine aren’t as important as it is that we are all completely open with each other. We must trust each other.”

Wren nodded, watching with curiosity as Twill’s appropriately large, almost clawed hands lowered the hood of their cloak, and then pulled the scarves away from their face. She noticed the markings on their skin, a dusty pink color the same as their hair, which was gnarled and curled like the roots of a tree, and stood in four segments on their head.

“You’re a Guado,” she said plainly, nodding. “I think I understand. I’m not that surprised, actually. I noticed how tall you are, of course... Is that bad?”

Twill fiddled with their hair for a moment, smoothing coiled wefts into place. “No, don’t worry. I know my concealed identity makes people uncomfortable at times. To me, the only thing that matters is that I not be associated any longer with my homeland. They may make whatever accusations they like beyond that point.”

“Oh,” said Wren, frowning. “Did, um... something happen? I mean, I know about Guadosalam and the Guado moving back in after exiling themselves, but... can I ask why you do this?”

Twill shrugged just a little. “I was once a guardian of the Farplane, or... royal guard, whatever you might call it. We alternated shifts, and served the same purpose. I became fed up and frightened after Seymour Guado came into power. We knew what had happened to Lord Jyscal before him, about his murder. I left, knowing I couldn’t serve him, and I’ve never been back.”

“Oh.”

“I don’t feel responsible for his actions, and I don’t want to be held accountable for them,” they continued. “He isn’t with us anymore, but it still hangs over us. I’ve hidden my face since the Eternal Calm began and what we did became public information.”

“I’m sorry,” said Wren, folding her hands together. “I don’t know what to say.”

“No, don’t worry yourself about it. I just needed you to know. I appreciate you lending me an ear,” they said.

“It’s no problem,” said Wren, shaking her head. "I appreciate you telling me all of this. I feel like I understand you a bit better."

Twill slowly began to reapply their scarves, then pulled the good back over their head. "I know I shouldn't be prying either, but do you have anything of a similar nature to open up about? Anything integral to yourself or this journey?"

Wren felt a little surprised that it had been turned on her, but she should have expected as much after being told that they shouldn't keep secrets from each other. She had to think for a couple of moments. "I... don't think so. There's not that much to know about me. You know what I do for a living, and why we're out here... There's not much more to me that's important right now."

"No family secrets?" asked Twill, this time teasing just a little.

"Hmm, no," answered Wren. "Oh, but... now that you mention it, I guess I could say that I've been living on my own for.... six or seven years now? My dad died a long time ago, so I don't really remember him, but I used to travel a bit with my mom, who... Used to work in Bevelle. She died a few years ago."

Twill nodded understandingly. "...Sin?" they asked.

"Yeah," said Wren, folding her arms. She leaned her head to the side, frowning a little bit. "It's not a big deal anymore, but I still think about her. I know I shouldn't be upset, back then we all had to consider that Sin might come at any moment, but... I don't know. I don't feel like I've really let her go, even though I've accepted her death."

"You could always visit the Farplane, on our way," said Twill, actually twiddling their thumbs. "...We will be passing through Guadosalam, won't we?"

"We will. It's the only way to get to Macalania. The temple might have sunken, but I can still ask around... see the lake, I guess," she said. "But... yeah, I've never been to the Farplane before. Visitors are allowed again, right? They've gotten it back under control?"

Twill shrugged. "So I've heard, anyway."

"I have to go there anyway," said Wren, smiling a little. "I might have an expert on the Farplane right here, but I want a firsthand account of what it's like."

She got to her feet again slowly, stretching. “I think you’re right. There shouldn’t be any secrets between us. I won’t force anyone to talk, but I can open myself up to the two of you.”

Twill got to their feet as well, but leaned against the wall comfortably, looking towards Wren. “I may go above deck, if you intend to return. But I wanted to say something else first.”

“What is it?”

“You lack a conduit with which to perform magic,” they said. “If you plan to use magic to defend yourself without one, your magic will be weaker and more difficult to control. Guado are more in tune with the spiritual aspect of the world, and skilled mages may not need a conduit, but even I use my spear at times to channel it.”

“Oh,” said Wren. She had clearly not expected that answer.

“I will purchase something for you in Kilika, if you come with me to the market,” they added. “Think of it as a gift, or a handout, but one way or another you must be able to protect yourself.”

“No, I understand. Thanks for the advice,” she said, turning to the door. “I haven’t had real training, so I had no idea that’s why my spells were basically not suited for anything besides lighting a campfire.”

Twill stepped forward, fully hidden once again, and looked up the stairs to the deck. Their steps were uncertain, but they were standing. “Again, don’t worry yourself. I know you’ll have plenty of time to put it to good use.”

“Thank you,” said Wren, dipping her head appreciatively.

Twill seemed ready to best the stairs at their own leisure, so Wren went above deck once more to find the Al Bhed man who had joined them at the port.

He was nowhere to be seen on the main deck, but... once she looked up at the topmost area of the ship’s decks, above the cabins and the wheel room, she spotted him sitting against the wall, looking up at the sky.

When he turned his head to look at her, she got a better look at his face now that they weren’t being herded through a crowd. His face was a bit babyish, she noticed, with large eyes and round cheeks, and he might look a bit younger if not for his beard, which made it fairly obvious that he wasn’t a child. The pale blue bell that he wore for an earring tinkled softly, though it was muffled by the tails of his bandana, which were now draped over his shoulder.

“You’re Merris, right? I’m Wren,” she said, sitting beside him on the deck.

“Yeah, I know, I saw the announcement you put out on the news,” said Merris, nodding. “We didn’t really get to talk much before boarding.”

"Sorry about that. Are you already prepared for a journey like this?” she asked.

“Pretty much,” he said. “I’ve got the basics, anyway. I was planning on stocking up on anything I’m missing in Kilika after we land, if you’ve got the time.”

“We have to stop by the marketplace anyway,” she offered. “If you need supplies you can get it then.”

She looked up at the sky as he had done, smiling softly. “So... do you have any questions for me? You joined up in a hurry, you know.”

He started to shake his head, but paused, thinking. “Yeah, I guess I had better ask what this trip is all about. I decided to join for my own reasons, but I probably should know what I’m getting into.”

“Probably a good idea,” agreed Wren, laughing. “Alright, well... I’m a sphere recorder at Luca stadium. I’m one of the people that helps film the games and other events that happen there, but I’ve always had an interest in the former summoners and their lives.”

“I want to make a movie sphere about the history of the summoners, and their pilgrimage across Spira,” she said. “So I’m retracing their steps, making stops at temples to speak to priests and former summoners... Research, mostly.”

“So we’re headed for the temple in Kilika first?” he asked.

“Right. I’m not going in a specific order on purpose, but the end goal is Zanarkand, of course, and to start...” she trailed off for a moment, smiling softly. “I wanna meet Lady Yuna. I mean, I’m going to interview her, of course, but she really is a hero of mine. I’ve always admired the dedication of the summoners, to the people of Spira and to Yevon, even though the corruption of Yevon was made public after Lady Yuna brought the Eternal Calm.”

“Oh?” he asked, this time looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

“I think it’s very brave, that’s all... The sacrifice they endured and those who gave their lives,” she said. “It’s so selfless. Now Lady Yuna brought us a Calm that will stay forever.”

Merris seemed slightly put off by her praise of the summoners, grimacing for a moment. “I’m not that critical of the core beliefs of the Yevonites, but everyone says this, ‘Eternal Calm.’ How do you know? What makes this Calm eternal? It’s been years since Sin was defeated, and it hasn’t returned, longer than ever before, right? But how do we know it won’t come back?”

Wren shrugged just a little, frowning. “You know... I don’t know. I’ve wondered that too. But that’s part of what this is about: learning all that I can about Spira’s past, and sharing it with everyone else. I’m going to show my sphere at the Luca theatre when it’s finally finished.”

Merris nodded a bit, but didn’t seem to have anymore questions of that nature.

Wren frowned. “Just to be clear, I’m not with Yevon anymore. I used to be, you know, when everyone was, but I kinda fell out of it, and when word came out about corrupt officials... Maester Seymour’s crimes, and Mika’s willingness to overlook it, and so on... I gave up. I didn’t join any of those groups opposing New Yevon, or anything, I just kind of felt... hurt.”

“Yevon has always had its problems,” he said, trying to be reassuring. “They changed their story to suit whatever politics they believed... Accusing the Al Bhed of heresy. How can we be heretics if we never believed in the first place? All Yevon did was condemn us. It’s wrong, but Yevon had its followers fooled for years.”

“Because of the Machina War,” said Wren, nodding. “Sin came, and ended the war before everyone destroyed each other, but... It’s hard to believe that anyone could hold a grudge for that long. And hard to believe an entire group of people would be condemned just for not following the teachings.”

“Not that hard,” he said, shaking his head. “Yevon’s word is still pretty powerful even today, even now that it’s so divided.”

“You’re right,” said Wren. “I’m sorry.”

She sighed, and wrapped her arms around her knees, still watching him. She didn’t know what else to say about it. She should have known Yevon would be a touchy subject, but even so Merris didn’t seem that bothered. Maybe he was used to it. She didn’t think that forgave the church, by any means.

Wren tilted her head at him. “Can I ask you about something else? Why did you decide to come along without knowing what we were doing?”

“Oh, that,” he said, snorting. “I’m looking for someone. As long as we’re traveling across Spira, I thought I might try to catch up with them.”

“I expect most of our time will be spent traveling or doing research, but if you need time, maybe we’ll find what you’re looking for,” she said, trying to be helpful. “Will you stay after you find them?”

“Well... truth be told, I don’t know. I plan to, I agreed to this on my own, after all,” he said. “Let me put it this way, I’m more likely to stay than not. I mean, I know the person I’m looking for isn’t in any danger, but when I find them, I might be given a reason to stay with them. If that happens, then I won’t be able to travel with you anymore.”

Wren nodded understandingly. “If you think you have to. Twill and I can take care of ourselves, I think. We’ll help you until then.”

“Thanks,” he said, smiling a little. He flicked the little bell with his finger, the glass tinkling gently once more. “I don’t like to go back on my word. So you can be sure that if I decide to leave, I’ll have a reason. And if I do, I’ll let you know. I’ll do all I can for you until I know.”

“I appreciate it,” said Wren.

She felt like she understood him a little better.

"Do you mind if I stay here for a little bit?" she asked. "I want to rest up a bit before we get to Kilika Port, but I don't want to sit by myself."

Merris nodded a little. "You're fine. You can doze off for a bit if you want to. Kilika is a day's journey away, but you might as well get some shuteye while you can. If anyone tries to bug you I'll be right here."

"Thanks," she said, smiling softly.

He nodded his head, then went back to taking in the environment as he had been doing when she showed up. Wren tried it too.

The sun was beating down overhead, but the wind kept them cool. She could smell the strong scent of the ocean, though she couldn't see the waves from where she was sitting on the floor. She could almost feel them, she imagined, the way the ship rocked so gently over the waves as it cut through them. Leaning her head against her shoulder for a few moments, she closed her eyes. Whether or not she drifted off, she was going to relax while she had nothing better to do, and she was already beginning to feel sleepy.

It was unlike her to take a midday nap, but she felt satisfied with herself and her companions, feeling safe next to Merris while she slept.