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Aer grunted, but Calaman just looked confused, and none too pleased about it.

"Now you're both doing it," he complained. "What are we supposed to protect you from? That sailor?"

Aer rolled his eyes. "We'll tell you when you're older," he said simply, and started back toward the boat.

Calaman turned back to Eddora. "What...? Oh, never mind. I suppose we're taking the offer, then? We'd better get going, then, before another summoner notices that there's a way off this island." He glanced back up at the temple, suddenly feeling guilty about the way he'd phrased that. "They've rebuilt so many times, haven't they? They can handle it. Right?"

((Bwa ha ha ha!



Unfortunately, the network seized on that idea faster than a pack of hyenas on a rotting corpse (bad metaphor? Probably!) and decided to see whether they could market The Path to Sin: The Sitcom! (Oh, gawd...)



We'll make millions. twisted ))

Calaman pursed his lips and nodded to Eddora's remarks about Kilika. She was right, of course. They could hardly justify staying here and helping, not when Sin might return and undo the work at any moment.

That made him stop and think, in dangerous veins for a guardian to be thinking. Sin would come back anyway. It always did... so why bother rebuilding? If Sin couldn't be eradicated completely...

But what about the Eternal Calm? People whispered about it, told fanciful stories about the day when it would come, but... Was it really possible? If it was, then shouldn't that be what they were striving for? Why were they wasting their time on the pilgrimage when they could be figuring out how to get rid of Sin?

He brooded over this for a while, and paid only enough attention to his surroundings to stay near Eddora; Aer went directly to the cluster of trees and sat with his back to one, eyes on the sky.

((Starring:

Keira Knightley as Eddora!
Christian Bale as Aer! (Perhaps.)
Hayden Christensen as Calaman! (So he's almost 30. Your point?)

Also featuring:

Tim Curry as Oebr! (No compromising on this one. Curry or no deal.)
Erika and Dane Christensen as Yachesa and Yachesen!
Cameron Diaz as Maryllis!
Henry Ian Cusick as Kenan!
Robin Brockway as Yalan! (Maybe.)
Jensen Ackles as Luseik!
Kevin Grevioux as Satiyen! (Oh yeah. That's right.)

And I have no idea who to cast for the kids, including Keskes. confused I don't follow child actors, so I wouldn't know. stare

You have no idea how long that took me. Yeah, I got bored. But casting roles for movies that will never be is fun. razz Me and my friends sometimes get bored and do it for books we like. And sometimes we even cast better roles for movies that we think needed better actors. xd

That reminds me, I have a theory that every movie in existence would be made better by the presence of Tim Curry. Prove me wrong. There is not a Tim Curry-less film that Tim Curry could not improve. xd ))

Calaman blinked a few times, staring at Eddora before he remembered what she had said. "Oh - I'm just thinking." He paused, then laughed. "A rare occurrence, I know. I'm just thinking about... Sin. About the..." He trailed off, and figured there was no harm in saying it, "...Eternal Calm."

(( rofl Dude, the funniest part of that post was that it was almost entirely your casting ideas xd And the thought of Kiera Knightley as Eddora is infinitely hilarious. I can just imagine her stomping around yelling, "Let's drink some more sake, guys!" rofl ))

"The Eternal Calm, huh?" Ed sighed and looked to the horizon. For a moment, she felt the weight of a thousand years of death on her shoulders, the immense responsibility that every summoner undertook. And she felt incredibly old. By the age of fourteen, she had seen more than anyone would wish to see in a lifetime. But she was not alone; Spira was full of people like her. Children old beyond their years, taking up these responsibilities that no one person should have to bear.

Calaman was one of those children, she knew. She could see it in his eyes, in his face - so smooth and youthful, yet so solemn at the same time. He should be trying to win the heart of some girlfriend or something, she thought sadly. Not protecting a woman twice his age and having to witness death over and over. But that was the way life was in Spira.

And that was why they had to get rid of Sin in the first place.

"Do you think the Eternal Calm is possible?" she murmured. "Do you think there will be a day when this spiral of death will end?"

As if to punctuate her words, villagers began to unearth bodies amongst the rubble and lay them side by side on the beach. Ed could see Yalan and Kenan speaking with an old village elder, and she could tell that they were making arrangements to perform the Sending. She was glad she would be leaving soon, even if that did make her a coward.

((Woah. My post ended up being a lot more introspective than I was anticipating, but whatever. Now I'm gonna go research those actors you listed and imagine The Path to Sin: The Movie!))

((Eventually. ninja ))

((Lulz. If you didn't say anything, I wouldn't have noticed about your delay in posting, because I've been gone for a week (or so). I have three words for you: Anime Festival Wichita 3nodding My first anime con, yay! And since I'm still reeling from the awesomeness of it, I couldn't be angry with you if I tried xd

Anyway, here's some of my casting:
Robert Pattinson as Aer!
Jason Isaacs as Oebr! (lol, I know you said there was no compromising on Oebr, but Isaacs is my favorite for slippery evil types. He'd probably make a good Seymour, actually.)
Freddie Highmore as Keskes! (or Mulogo; I hate Freddie Highmore with a passion, so I had to put him on the list. Incidentally, I hate Kiera Knightley too xd )
Josh Hutcherson as Jalisat!
Abigail Breslin as Marceil!
Jeremy Irons as Kenan! (Irons would also make an awesome Auron.)
Renee Zellweger as Venez!

aaand...Johnny Depp as Rogan! rofl (you know I had to)

Okay, humor aside now. (That was so unbelievably fun, though!) Conflict between fayth, Oebr, and Luseik, huh? I'm curious, though I'd rather be surprised, so I won't ask anything. Should prove interesting, though!))

Eddora shook herself, wrenching her eyes away from the chilling sight of the bodies. "You're right," she murmured, chiding herself for harboring such thoughts. She had to stay focused, for Spira's sake.

Ed took a calming breath and started walking along the planks to the trees where Aer still sat. She was within hailing distance when she noticed a familiar form walking in the opposite direction. It was Venez, walking wearily with her shoulders slumped. She fumbled with something at her belt, then drew it out and revealed it to be a small dark bottle. At first Ed thought it was sake, and she was about to ask for a taste when she saw the word printed on the side of the bottle: 'Ether'. Venez drained the bottle and pocketed it, though it didn't make her look any less weary.

"Hey!" Ed cried as a sudden thought hit her. "You're a white mage, right?"

Venez looked up in surprise. "Um...yeah?"

Grinning triumphantly around at her guardians, Ed said, "That's exactly what we need in this entourage; I've never had much skill with white magic, and neither do Cal or Aer. Why don't you join us?"

Venez looked astonished, though Ed couldn't see why; her logic was perfectly sound! "B-But...the village! My work here!"

Ed waved those worries aside. "Bah! You'll be doing them all a lot more good on a pilgrimage! Come on!" Paying no heed to Venez's continued protests, Ed grabbed her by the arm with an unyielding grip and steered her over to the ship.

Or, more accurately, the boat. Rogan stood on the deck of what seemed to be a souped-up fishing boat, with one slender mast, patched sails, and a tiny cabin. It didn't even look like there was much of a hold. The only part of the boat that wasn't covered with years of grime was the figurehead beneath the bowsprit. Most of the figureheads Eddora had seen depicted sea birds or beautiful ladies, but this one looked like a serpent coiled around the bowsprit, its mouth opened wide to reveal long, pointed fangs. Painted messily along the side of the boat was the name, 'Fayth'. This is what we're sailing to Luca in? Ed thought incredulously.

"All aboard!" Rogan called out cheerfully. "You might want to hurry if you want to leave before the tide's out, Milady."

"Can't you at least let me say goodbye first?" Venez asked tentatively.

That snapped Ed out of her incredulous inspection of the Fayth. "No!" she said briskly. "You heard the man! Onto the boat!"

((<_< Tim Curry HAS to be in this movie. Although having Malfoy in it would be awesome... Still, I think our audience would LOL if Curry appeared as the wry and cunning antagonist-summoner. How about Isaacs for... Um... An as-of-yet not introduced villain! >_>

Short post for the guardians, but that's because I focused so much on the promised-drama post.))

This is what we're sailing to Luca in? Calaman thought incredulously upon seeing the boat. He waited for the others to board before climbing in, and quickly found a place to sit near the stern, unwilling to trust his legs on such a small craft.

~

This is what we're sailing to Luca in? Aer thought incredulously. But he followed Venez and Eddora into the boat, Calaman close behind. Aer moved to the prow and stared out ahead. "To Luca!"

~

As the presence of Sin became apparent, Oebr took advantage of the confusion to slip inside the Cloister unnoticed. Kusefora and his lackeys had just left, and Oebr was inclined to think he had heard the roar of an Aeon charging out of the cloister; Luseik, then, utilizing his new Aeon to get to the conflict quickly. Oebr snorted to himself and entered the inner sanctum.

The sudden darkness blinded him, and he cursed under his breath while he waited for his vision to adjust. But just as he thought he could make out dim shapes, something flared to life before him. A sphere, it seemed, on a pedestal. He reached out to grasp the flaming gem...

~

Yachesa trailed slightly behind her usual position at Oebr's right shoulder, but a casual observer wouldn't have noticed; she was only a few inches behind her typical spot, in any case. She knew that such inches could cost valuable seconds in a battle, but she wasn't worried. After all, Sin was out there. What could be in here that was worse than sin?

The darkness was sudden, but her eyes adjusted quickly. They always did. One of the benefits of the connection shared between her and her brother was that they each drew strength from the other - without diminishing the other's strength. Both of the Nehkriludrian siblings had increased stamina, strength, and more, thanks to that connection. But when the sphere in the pedestal flared to life, it caught her off guard.

Something was wrong, she realized of a sudden, and cursed herself for trailing behind. Oebr stepped forward to grasp the sphere... and the moment he touched it, its light extinguished.

Oebr cursed again in the dark. Yachesa squinted. It was even darker than before. She could vaguely make out her summoner and brother, but aside from that, she was blind.

A light appeared in the darkness, held in Yachesen's hand. White and steady, Yachesa didn't know exactly what spell he was using, but it illuminated the room in a hazy glow.

Yachesa, he said softly. I don't trust this place. With Sin outside and the Fayth full of unrest, it can't be safe... Why don't we go back to Macalania? It was so peaceful. Back when we were children. Back when we were separate...

He raised a hand to stop her from speaking. Yachesa. You love me, don't you? It's why you did what you did, to save me.

Yachesa nodded, the old emotions welling up inside her again. How she loved feeling these emotions, painful as they were. It was so rare that she felt anything anymore. But she knew it was worse for Yachesen... Emotion was a memory for him, nothing more. That was why she was sworn to protect him with her life, to take care of him... She'd already failed him once, by allowing him to contract that disease, whatever it was, that had eaten away at his mind. She would not fail him again. She would fail Oebr before she would let her brother down.

Yes, we are loyal to each other, aren't we? Oebr is just an interloper. He means nothing to us. Why did we ever throw our lot in with him?

Yachesa shook her head. "I don't know," she whispered.

"What?" Oebr turned his head. "What was that, Yachesa?"

Let's get rid of him. Here, in the dark. You can dispose of the body with your magic. No one need ever know. And then everything can be the way it was.

Yachesa nodded. The dagger at her waist fit into her hand as if it had been made for her. The blade lifted into the air behind Oebr, and then began its slow arc downward...

A pair of glittering golden eyes appeared in the darkness ahead, and Yachesa froze, terrified. No...

The plume of flame that spouted from the darkness was all that was needed to announce the presence of Ifrit. Yachesa lowered her dagger, bared her teeth in hatred and rage, and threw herself at the Aeon before the others even knew what was happening.

((I'll continue that later; I think I know how it will pan out, but I'd like to take a break and think it over before finishing the scene. Luseik will be there, no worries. ;D And of course, Yachesa will be filled with remorse over what the Fayth almost made her do.))