[Open] First Sending: Fayth Run Amok

[testoffayth]

Who: testoffayth & You
When: Throughout Event 30
Where: All over Cerealia
What: Summoner Yuna's Aeons are being interfered with by some outside force, and are causing a ruckus on their own. Also, Yuna talks to a cute invisible goat/shares memories
Rating/Warning: Possible mentions of Death, Sacrifice, and Jecht.



Part I: Stop That Aeon!

[Early on, Yuna certainly has no idea what's going on, save for some minor hiccups with her summoning. Sometimes it's hard to call up the Aeons, other times she'll call for one and get another. Those are irritating little difficulties, but none are quite so troublesome as when an Aeon simply won't go...back...when it's task is completed.

And that brings us to her current predicament: A runaway Ixion. The unicorn like creature had been called to work as per normal but when Yuna had tried to send it away, it wouldn't go. And that's when a train came along, of course, which prompted the Aeon to take flight. The skittish creature bounded away down the street, whipping in between cars and bikes with alarming speed and leaving it's summoner in the dust.

So, perhaps you'll spot it stampeding down the sidewalk. Or perhaps you're minding your own business eating an apple and then find yourself face to muzzle with a thunderhorse. Or you've run across Yuna, eyes wide and desperately looking around for something.

Part II: Monsters on the Street Corner

[This time, when Yuna's powers go awry, it's not Ixion but Ifrit that ends up called forth. A district away. It appears that instead of dropping the Aeon right next to her, the whims of fate have decided to drop the beast off in the middle of the Shopping District.

It snorts, paws the ground, and looks around in confusion. Heat rolls off it, and the sidewalk cracks under it's claws as the fiery minotaur starts looking around for something familiar. A scent, or a face, either one will do. If you've talked to Yuna, it'll recognize you, and it will approach...staring right at you.

What do?]

Part III: Little Sad Goat

[Today's a nice day. Totally perfect, with great weather as always...and that gets Yuna outdoors to relax a little. She's sitting by a pool of water, kicking her feet, and watching something that's completely invisible...seemingly talking to herself.]

Oh, come on. You can't not have anything to say, little one. Don't be like that...

Comments

III

[pseudonyms]

[Considering Rise's had to explain why she's talking to herself to no less than three people over the last couple of days, she's a little less suspicious when she comes across Yuna. She recognizes the way the girl appears to be looking elsewhere and also how at ease she is. It's all the more reason for Rise to stop her walk and approach, her own goat limping behind her. The poor thing could probably use a rest anyway.]

Yuna, right? [Chipper smile? Chipper smile! After everything that's happened since their first meeting it's always nice to check in again.]

[testoffayth]

[Yuna’s head perks up at the sound of her name and she kips up, bowing twice in rapid succession.  She remembers the girl from the meeting, and…]

That’s right.  And you’re…Rise?  Yes?  [She sounds so hopeful when she asks, her voice trembling.]  Sorry.  I was…ah…talking to Chappu.  Who…I guess you can’t see, huh?

[pseudonyms]

Yeah. [Aw Yuna...her smile brightens enough to hopefully put her at ease that she's correct and Rise's happy to see her. She can't help but look mildly confused though and she tilts her head. Behind her, the goat mimics the stance. Well that's weird. But the goat definitely sees another goat...probably the first one its seen since this all started.]

Depends. Is Chappu some type of animal? [She sounds a little embarrassed, but she's started to figure this all out.]

[testoffayth]

[Yuna's smile perks up a little and she nods, gesturing towards the goat.]

That's right. It's the goat that started following me around. I know other people have some different kinds, but...I named mine Chappu, because he's a little stubborn.

[Just like the human Chappu, Wakka's dead brother.]

What kind do you have?

[pseudonyms]

[At Yuna's description she can't help but smile before she moves to take a seat next to the other girl. The goat follows after her, though it's more interested in Chappu instead.]

Mine's a goat, too. Nobody else I know has had one. [She sounds mildly awed about that.] From what I can tell people have birds, foxes, and cats, too. Did he just appear out of nowhere too?

[testoffayth]

[That gets a nod, because Yuna's had just...poof! Appeared! and there it was.

Chappu starts looking at the other goat. Or at it's general direction, anyway, walking around in a slow circle. What on earth are you!]

My roommate has a bird. And I've heard about the foxes, but this is just...weird. Have you ever heard about something like this before?

[pseudonyms]

Most of my roommates have foxes, but Yosuke-senpai has a bird, too. Everyone else I've asked hasn't experienced anything like this before either. There's no real explanation besides "CERES being CERES." [She sounds a little pouty about that, enough that she's not paying attention to the stray farm animals.] And I bet if we ask we wouldn't get answers either.

[testoffayth]

Oh of course not. CERES isn’t going to give a straight answer about anything. That’s how they maintain power over us. By restricting our knowledge. [And it’s burdensome, but she’s learning to accept that.

She is not, however, paying much attention to her goat…and it’s starting to swim towards Rise’s hand. If she moves at all, she’ll touch it.]

But foxes and birds. I heard some people have cats too.

[pseudonyms]

They've given us some answers but they're usually incomplete or totally wrong ones. Don't they get that people are going to look for answers on their own?! [And her hands flail in her discontent, absolutely passing right through the goat. Sorry, Chappu. It's a good thing you aren't real or that may have hurt.

She was about to continue to say that Rock Lee has a cat, but no. No, she doesn't get the chance because she touched the goat. What happens now?]

You asked for space whales!

[testoffayth]

[Yuna realizes just a second too late, her hand flying out to try and seize control over the goat but a wave of nausea hits her hard.

The accompanying memory is not at all a pleasant one. It's a vision beginning with feelings of uncertainty and skepticism that slowly shifts into revulsion and absolute horror at the events unfolding before her eyes. It's the sort of thing that just stays with you, terrible and mesmerizing, like a trainwreck in progress. Operation Mii'hen is the word that floats to mind, and what Yuna's brain has categorized it as.

And when it's over, Yuna's already doubled over, holding her stomach.]

What...what did you see?

sorry for the delay!

[pseudonyms]

That can wait a sec! [And it can because Rise needs time to process what the hell all of that was, what that monster was, how all of those people seemingly disappeared before her eyes. But she's leaning in closer to put a hand on Yuna's back to hopefully stabilize her a bit.]

Are you going to be okay? I know these things can make you feel miserable when other people see your memories.

Not forgiven! Never!

[testoffayth]

[Yuna nods, staggering just a little and looking around for a place to lay down. And…once she spots some grass, she just sort of flops forward gracelessly and rolls onto her back. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate the help from Rise, more…she just liked laying out, it always seemed to help. Nausea wasn’t new. It came every time she communed with one of the Fayth, and when she’d learned to summon. Plus she’d bumped into other people, already.] I’ll be fine. I just need to lay here. It’ll settle in a minute or two.

[pseudonyms]

[Well...if Yuna's on the grass, Rise and her goat will follow and sit down next to her. She doesn't quite believe it, but she'll just have to let Yuna do as Yuna wishes to do. She think about what she saw, tilting her head a bit.]

It looked like some huge fight...a really big monster in the water. Is that normal where you're from? [Let's...let's just start there.]

[testoffayth]

[Staring up at the sky, Yuna manages to nod.] Yes. It's called Sin. It's our punishment, I guess you could say, for the arrogance of past civilizations. It's not commonly seen, but Sin defines Spira. It's...everyone knows about it.

[pseudonyms]

[Well what an appropriate name.] But why do you have to take the punishment for something someone else did? That doesn't make any sense when you didn't do anything wrong.

[testoffayth]

[Yuna shakes her head sadly, propping herself up on her elbows.] Because the people of the past nearly destroyed the world with their Machina. Machines. They fought constantly, with magic and machines that cracked the world and split it, defied the laws of nature and invited imbalance. The teachings of Yevon say that we must endure Sin, and when we have atoned, we'll be free of it forever.

That's just how Spira is. I...don't really disagree with you, and that's why I'm on a pilgrimage. So that I can fight Sin and destroy it, and...if it doesn't come back? Then we've atoned.

[But it always comes back.

[pseudonyms]

It sounds pretty complicated. [And scary, and unfair. All of those are absolutely words she'd use to describe that.] But who decides when you guys have atoned? [...ah.] And how can you destroy Sin?

[testoffayth]

[Yuna's eyes become more distant, out of focus, and her voice takes on a much more dreamlike quality, but there's conviction in her words. She believes this, really and truly, to be the only answer. She just...isn't going to say what happens after she does it.]

I'm going to learn to summon the Final Aeon. Each temple teaches me to summon an Aeon, a kind of spiritual being that can fight beside me, to prepare me to summon the most powerful one. With that, I can defeat Sin. Like...like my father did.

[pseudonyms]

Your father already did this once? [Sin must be really powerful if it came back again, she thinks. But she seems to understand a little of how the Aeons work and she nods, perking up just slightly.] The Aeons sort of sound similar to our Personas. They helped us fight back home whenever we needed to summon them and beat down the Shadows. How do you summon them?

[testoffayth]

Personas? What's...that? [She leans forward a bit, still nursing her stomach but not violently ill anymore.]

If you want to know how I summon, I...mostly dance? It's magic. I can show you, if you let me rest a moment.

[pseudonyms]

[She's not going to press her at least, though she's very curious.]

While you're resting, I can show you what a Persona is. They're a part of us...we don't summon them by dancing or anything but it's kind of like magic. [A beat.] I mean I think this goes without saying but...don't freak out, okay?

[testoffayth]

A part of you. [Yuna nods, and then breaks into a laugh. An honest to goodness laugh.]

Believe me, I don't think there's anything you an show me that would freak me out. You saw my memory, didn't you? [And let's be honest, an Aeon is just as weird.]

[pseudonyms]

[There's a smile.] That's a good point. Okay. [And she's up and stepping away to allow room, closing her eyes to focus...]

Persona. [And there's the standard flash of light fancy summoning bs before Kanzeon floats behind Rise, red visor in her hands and Rise opens her eyes to look at Yuna.]

It's something like that.

[testoffayth]

[And Yuna stops. Blinks. And then waves to Kanzeon.]

That's...a little bit like an Aeon, yes. I mean, I can tell it isn't one, but it looks like one that I know.

How'd you learn to summon it?

[pseudonyms]

[She suddenly looks a little sheepish.]

Um...do you want the long version or the short version of the story? They're both a little complicated.