Welcome to Gaia! ::

Cursing in a mutter, Calaman snaked around Aer. He wrapped his hand around a rising anchor chain and wheeled up onto the deck, coming to rest on the deck with a feral cast of his eyes about the ship. Coming to a tense halt near the summoner, he kept a wary gaze about for the black mage.

The mage didn't wait long. The moment Calaman came to rest, the unmistakable blue-and-yellow combination of garments rose above the edge of the ship, propelled by a spout of water, obviously magical. The mage grounded himself on the deck - stumbling a little, Calaman noted with grim satisfaction - and strode, as if affronted, toward them.

"Now to find lodging," Aer said, as if nothing had happened.

((Is me to be husband?))

Aer bowed deeply, with an elegant, "As you wish, Summoner Eddora," and strode off to find the master of the ship.

Calaman listened to the explanation, trying to discern whether there was a hidden message in her words. From what he knew of nobles, much of their talk contained more than one meaning. Try as he might, though, he couldn't dig out a second meaning in what she said. He wondered whether he was trying too hard.

"Just be glad you're not a summoner, Cal," she finished with a grim smile.

Calaman nodded solemnly, but didn't say anything. He was still puzzling over why Aer insisted on harassing the Lady, and when Maryllis approached, he almost interposed himself between the women, but stopped himself when he recognized the woman for a summoner. Instead of open aggression, then, he placed himself behind and beside the Lady, in a position where he could keep an eye on both of them. He regarded Maryllis with respect--respect, and the ever-present wariness of an effective guardian. He kept his mouth shut, and his eyes and ears wide open.

~

Luseik closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of dirt. The rock wall grated lightly against his forehead, but he stayed where he was.

"My Lord Kusefora," Satiyen said quietly.

"I know," Luseik whispered roughly. "I know. It's..."

"I, too, know," Satiyen replied, still not raising his voice. That, in itself - Satiyen's respect for the summoner's pain - was comforting enough that Luseik pushed himself off the rock wall and turned. he gazed out across the Calm Lands, at his two guardians, at the blue sky.

"It's strong here," he murmured. "We should go."

Satiyen nodded. Keskes was as jumpy as ever, and repeated Satiyen's gesture, though with much more enthusiasm. Luseik gave Satiyen a gratified smile, Keskes a patient pat on the shoulder, and then walked silently past the two of them.

"We have a long journey ahead of us yet," he sighed. "I shall have to pick up the pace, if I hope to do any good in this world while there is still time. Come, Keskes, Satiyen."

Both guardians followed the summoner out of the Calm Lands.

((I will probably do a few of these glimpses of Luseik's group, just for the sake of moving them along, as well as developing them a bit.))

((I thought I had posted, but I guess not... Odd... O.o ))

Calaman gave Maryllis a quick, but deep, bow, and followed his summoner. He found himself slightly confused by the proceedings, but reminded himself that his duty was to serve and protect his summoner. Still, it would be easier to protect her if he knew what was going on... Ah, well.

Aer appeared around a corner, and bowed to Eddora - Calaman still could not think of the Lady as 'Aer's summoner' - with an elaborate flourish.

"My Lady," Aer said, savoring the taste of the words, "I have garnered us a room near the aft, on the port side of the ship. At my expense, of course. It is a lovely suite with two beds." The look the black mage gave Calaman made it clear that he intended one of them to be sleeping on the floor - as well as which one it would be.

Calaman bristled, but reminded himself that while he served Eddora first, Aer was also a noble. He briefly considered purchasing a room of his own - he could probably afford one - but rejected the notion out of hand. As a guardian, especially on a crowded ship, it was his responsibility to sleep in the same room as his summoner. If he had to sleep on the floor, so be it. As an afterthought, it occured to him that sleeping on the floor would probably enable him to wake up faster. With that thought, he waited for Eddora's response.

((I'm thinking I'll have Calaman save Aer's life at some point, and siubsequently, Aer will grow respect for Calaman... Feh, maybe.))

The blue-white lights of the Macalania Woods glittered and flowed in the air around Luseik and his guardians. The beauty could not prod a word out of Luseik, though his guardians trailed behind, discussing.

"I knew we should have gone around Bevelle," Keskes said, wringing his hands. "I knew we shouldn't have let Luseik go there. I knew it would do this to him."

Satiyen grunted. "A summoner must face his demons," he said. "If we pull him away from everything that worries him or shadows his face, we will destroy him as surely as if we were the ones that slit his throat. Guardians guard their summoners, keskes; they do not coddle them."

Keskes shook his head. "But if we... Do you see him? Bevelle is such a horrible place for him. Everywhere he looks, he sees..."

"I know," Satiyen rumbled quietly.

"Then why don't you understand, Satiyen?"

Satiyen gave Keskes a level look. "I think it is you that does not understand," he said. "I have explained. I will not repeat myself."

Keskes grabbed at a shock of his own black hair and tugged agitatedly.

"Come," Luseik said loudly from up ahead. "We are losing ground to the others. If we don't hurry, we will never complete this pilgrimage."

Silently, sullenly, Keskes picked up his pace to walk a few paces behind Luseik. Satiyen moved up ahead, brooding on his summoner.

Luseik is a good man, Satiyen thought to himself, but that may not be enough for this task. If the darkness inside Luseik overwhelms him... He shook his head, and deliberately turned his thoughts toward his duties as a guardian.

And they marched on.

((Oh, I forgot to mention, I finished Dune about a week or so ago. Fantastic book. I think my favorite thing about Dune is that Herbert avoids the two predictable outcomes: 1, that Paul turns out to be exactly what the prophecies say he will be, i.e., Jesus; and 2, that Paul turns out to be totally not what the prophecies say, i.e., total fraud. I like the aura of mystery around the whole thing. And the plotline is deep enough to drown in. smile ))

Calaman immediately did a cursory examination fo the area around the door. He coupled that with the glimpse of the room that he'd gotten before the door closed - a window, and a door that he presumed opened on wardrobe of closet - and assured himself that the window was the only other exit. He turned to Aer.

"Do you want to watch the window or the door?" he said flatly.

Aer blinked. "Excuse me?"

"If you wish to be a guardian, you should start thinking like one. There are two ways into that room. This door, and a window on the far side. There are two of us, so it is logical that each of us should watch a different entrance. You can use magic," he continued thoughtfully, "and therefore, I assume you can use ranged attacks?"

"What?"

"Attacks that..." Calaman paused. "...can hit enemies from a distance. Like a bow and arrow."

"Oh," Aer said. He looked very out of his element. Perhaps, Calaman thought with a guilty smugness, he was reconsidering his insistence on following the Lady? "Yes, I can do that."

"Then I think you might be better suited to watch the window."

"How can I do that?" Aer demanded.

"The deck," Calaman replied. "I can throw daggers, even if it isn't my specialty, so maybe we can take shifts." His mind ran through the typical considerations, and he shot them off one by one. "Actually, as a black mage, you have ranged attacks, but you are also, I assume, somewhat vulnerable in close quarters. So it would probably be better for you to position yourself somewhere where you can see your enemies from a distance before they get too close. That would be here, in a hallway, where no one can really sneak up on you, since they can only approach from two directions." He frowned. "In that sense, you have an advantage and a disadvantage whether you are here or up on deck. Realistically, I think my abilities are about equal whether up on deck or down here, but I'm not very good with throwing daggers, so if I spotted someone just as they climbed through the window, I wouldn't be able to do much, save cry warning."

Aer made a skeptical face. "Do you really think anyone is going to be trying to climb through the - "

"No," Calaman said flatly, "but as a guardian, I would be a fool not to consider it." He considered checking his tongue, since Aer was, after all, a noble; but if Aer was to be a guardian, he could not lord his birth over his companions. Not only would in make him unbearable, but it would make working together inefficient.

Calaman nodded. "Very well, then. We will take it in shifts to watch the window and door." He glanced around to make sure there were no unwelcome listeners, and then lowered his voice anyway. "You should spend more time on deck, since you will be more effective with your magic against an assailant at the window. We won't make the shifts regular, however - that would make us predictable, and open opportunities for attack. At every switch, we will agree on a time for the next switch." He frowned, trying to think of an effective way to make the switch without leaving either the window or the door unguarded, but decided that would have to wait.

"Right, then," he said to himself, and watched Aer expectantly. "Well?"

After a moment, Aer scowled. "Well, what?"

"When shall the next shift be?"

Aer muttered under his breath. "An hour."

"Too regular," Calaman said, shaking his head. "Can you tell time by the stars?"

Aer shrugged. "Forgive me, but no."

Calaman suppressed a smirk, and fumbled in his pack for a tallow candle. He examined it, made a mark in the side with his thumbnail, examined for a few more seconds, and made another mark, slightly higher.

"It will burn for an hour before reaching that mark," he said, pointing to the lower mark, "and about three-quarters of an hour to this one." He touched the higher mark. "Light the candle and check it every once in a while. When the first mark is reached, that will be time for the switch. Until then, keep a sharp eye on the window and the deck of the ship. I think, if you hurry, you can be here, and I can be in your place, faster than anyone can get out of a hiding place and into the window. Still, this must be done carefully." He nodded, and patched up the parts of the plan that Aer might not have grasped. "The door is more obvious, but the window is more difficult to reach. I think it is safe to leave the window unguarded - for a short time. If we leave it for more than a minute or so, though, we invite disaster. And yes," he added a little more sharply than he'd intended, "I am aware that it is unlikely anyone will try to climb through the window. However, discretion is the better part of valor." He waved Aer off. "Light the candle. I will wait for you. Three-quarters of an hour."

He would know the time; he had long ago learned to tell the time without references. If Aer didn't return at the specified time...

...It would probably only mean that the noble fool had forgotten how to work any practical magic that would light the candle for him.

Calaman shook his head, leaned against the doorframe, and began to watch the hallway.

His last thoughts ran something like this:

Damn and blast, but I am exhausted. If I am not to sleep in the same room as the Lady, but I am still to protect her, I think the only way to accomplish that would be to ask her to shut up the windows tightly to stop up that entrance, and then Aer and I can take it in shifts to...

After that point, his thoughts trailed off into slumber.

Of course, since he remained standing in virtually the same position, anyone else would be hard-pressed to discern the fact that he was actually asleep.

((Had more, but my friend wants his computer back, so I'll post later. razz ))

Calaman blinked the sleep out of his eyes, and realized he had drawn his short sword, and was holding it to the summoner's throat. He choked when he realized that the man was a summoner, and then hastily sheathed the sword, knelt, and performed the gesture of prayer.

"Your pardon, Summoner," he said hastily, his speech still a little slurred by sleep. Automatically, he ran his eyes across the two and appraised them as fighters. The summoner didn't look too formidable, but then, he was a summoner, and with magic, it could be difficult to tell. The guardian, though, was obviously a trained warrior, with a look as if he had been chiseled out of stone. At first, all of the ornamentation (metaphorically speaking, of course; the beard, the ponytail, the grizzled look) made Calaman think the man might be barely his equal in skill (or less), but he also had an air about him that Calaman had come to recognize in extremely well-trained and seasoned warriors. If that was any indication, this man was a powerful one. Calaman would have to make sure he didn't get on the man's bad side.

"It was my failing," he said. His voice was much clearer now that he was fully awake. "I should not have been sleeping here. It was not my intention. I apologize, Summoner." Then, and only then, he rose to see the summoner's reaction.

In the back of his mind, he was also fretting about the time. Of course, surely Aer would have woken him if that much time had passed.

Still engulfed in horror at his conduct, it took Calaman a moment to recall his name. He straightened from his prayer gesture during the intervening silence.

"Guardian Calaman, Summoner Yalan." At the entreaty to forgive Kenan, he felt clumsily obligated to add, "I took no offense, Summoner." He was tempted to press his own apology, if only out of guilt-ridden masochism, but he realized it would probably irritate the warrior, if not the summoner.

So, "An honor, my lord," he said, and stepped aside to allow the pair to continue on their way.

He was careful not to yield to temptation and straighten his posture to meet the warrior's eye. On the off chance that he should have to face the man in battle, he would rather have the man remember Calaman as a self-effacing, sniveling child. That way, he might be over-confident - and in battle, over-confident men did not last long.

But such thoughts were counterproductive, especially in the present time. More important was the matter of how long he had slept. He reminded itself that it could not have been past the appointed time. Moreover, he was well-attuned to his own body's rhythms, and by his estimation of when he had last eaten, he expected his stomach would begin to protest about the time the candle burned to the mark, and that he'd be able to feel the hunger building until then. Right now, though, he felt no such protestation.

Even so, another concern occured. What if Aer fell asleep? Even now, the candle could be melting across the deck, while Aer slumbered against a railing. Or, Calaman thought with a rush of unjustified anger, in a more comfortable place, should the man have chosen to shirk his duties entirely.

No, no, such thoughts were not only counterproductive, but also completely... well, mostly unfounded.

((I've written out a scene which should begin the chain of events that lead to Aer and Calaman having a reconciliation. Unfortunately, it necessarily takes place in the future. All that is required is that the trio (Eddora, Aer, and Calaman) be on a forest path. Or, I suppose, any terrain which would allow for relatively easy concealment. I seem to remember Kilika having forests. A shame I won't be able to include the reconciliation before Kilika. Of course, it wouldn't be any fun if the two made buddy-buddy before they even visited the first cloister, eh?

I just bought Dune Messiah, but I will be unable to read it for some time, as I have simultaneously checked out rather a lot of large novels from the library. Of course, I'll have to read the library books before the one that I own, lest they become overdue before I have a chance to read them. Ah, oh well, oh well. At least they are interesting.

And my English class is doing a bunch of Shakespeare. We've just started Hamlet, and I have to say, it's the first Shakespeare play that I've really enjoyed. We've done Macbeth and Taming of the Shrew, but I didn't really get into either. Hamlet, though, I like. It's so quotable!

"Oh, that this too too sallied flesh would melt,
Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,
Or that the Everlasting had not fixed
His canon 'gainst self-slaughter. O God, God,
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world."

And that's from memory, too. I'm so proud of myself! blaugh ))

((I'll make a post, but may I suggest a time skip? If not till Besaid, then at least until the morning, when there will be more characters present and conscious.))

Calaman had thought to make a response, but before he opened his mouth, the haughty black mage presented himself, looking pale, tired - and almost murderous.

"It's your turn," Aer growled, "and don't think I'll take another shift on deck for that long."

Calaman snorted, and didn't wait for Aer to complain further. "Then enjoy yourself," he said, and started for the deck. "But," he added, stopping, "don't fall asleep. It's more tempting than you might expect, especially as tired as you look." He continued out of the corridor and onto the deck before Aer could reply.

Aer grumbled something under his breath and settled, leaning back against the door. It was cold on deck, and everything seemed wet - even the air itself seemed heavy with salt water.

Hopefully, after taking a deck shift of his own, Calaman would rethink his fool plan. What was the boy afraid of, anyway? No one would try to climb into a summoners' window to slit her throat. Guardians were a summoner's sword, but that sword was meant to be turned on fiends and demons and bandits, not brandished against imaginary threats.

Following this, Aer had a few minutes of disjointed half-dreams about food, and then, silence.

Aer sat up suddenly, and blinked as he tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. "What in the name of Yev - " he broke off as he watched his summoner receding down the hallway. He was half-tempted to get up and follow her. Hadn't she said soemthing about food? But as uncomfortable as the floor was, he was certainly loathe to get up. After all, he was tired. He'd been asleep - what, ten minutes? Hardly enough rest for a man like himself. So, mumbling, he fell back onto his side and retreated back into sleep.

~

As Eddora neared the exit onto the deck, the door opened, letting in a stream of light as well as a human silhouette. Calaman immediately stepped aside, holdign the door open.

"My Lady," he said.

"My, my," came a deep, deep voice from behind Eddora. Calaman tensed, and was somehow beside the summoner, bristling, before the voice could continue. The door slammed itself shut, blanketing them in temporary darkness before their eyes once more adjusted to the lamplight.

The man that stepped around Eddora to regard her and her guardian was tall, with lightly tanned skin and black hair that fell straight to his shoulders. His eyes were a deep golden-yellow, and his robes, though unusually dark - they were comprised mostly of black, navy blue, and a red that was precisely the colour of dried blood - were clearly summoner's robes.

"I'm jealous, my Lady," the man said, inclining his head with scripted politeness to Eddora. He had a heavy accent, not quite identifiable, though it didn't interfere with his communication. It might have had touches of Al Bhed in it, but if it did, there was something else as well. Kilika? Besaid? "I've never seen such a... well-behaved guardian. Reminds me of my son's friend, Bekkel. Such fierce determination and loyalty in his eyes."

"I am... honored, my Lord," Calaman said, only a little tightly.

"Bekkel is a dog," the man said with a small smirk, and turned to Eddora. He swept a bow that, while graceful and proper, was also - mocking? Nothing in it was obvious; nothing she could call him out on, anyway, but the feeling remained. Soemthing in this man's demeanor made it quite obvious that he had nothing but contempt for Eddora and her guardian. Nevertheless, he behaved with perfect civility. Apart, of course, for that last comment.

"The Summoner Oebr, my Lady," he intoned majestically as he rose once more to a standing position. "Only recently arrived from Kilika to receive the blessings of Yevon to begin my pilgrimage."

The door to the deck once again opened, this time to admit two silver-haired youths, a male and a female, obviously related, and possibly twins.

"My Lord," said the boy, and the girl picked up the sentence for him.
"...a storm..."
"...is brewing..."
"...in the south," the girl finished.

Oebr smiled. "My own guardians, Yachesen and Yachesa," he said. "Wonderful little darlings, and very useful, too. Tell me, my guardians, will this storm delay our progress toward Besaid?"

"Indubitably," the boy replied.
"The storm..."
"...lies directly..."
"...in our path."
"We will either..."
"...sail around it..."
"...and lose..."
"...three days..."
"...or more..."
"...or we will..."
"...sail through it..."
"...and risk..."
"...the ship." As the boy finished speaking, he showed little to no interest in what he was saying. He spoke in a monotonous voice, moreso than the girl. She was brisk, businesslike in her manner - he was mindless, proficient and automatic.

Oebr pursed his lips thoughtfully. "And the lives of its passengers, no doubt," he said, as if to himself.

"My Lord," the girl said, just as thoughtfully.
"We three," the boy began, and the strange exchange continued.
"...could best..."
"...the storm..."
"...and make..."
"...good time..."
"...to Besaid."
"It is..."
"...within..."
"...our power..."
"...to make...
"...the captain..."
"...stay the course."
"Do you..."
"...wish it?" The girl spoke softly, and her eyes glittered with something like eagerness.

Oebr's eyes moved only briefly to Eddora and Calaman, but the movement was barely perceptible.

"No," he said slowly. "No, we'd better skirt the storm. Such things are dangerous, often fatal, and..." His eyes moved over Eddora in a manner that might have been insulting, if it hadn't been so subtle, "...and human life is so... precious. I wish to look on the ocean for a time. Yachesa, I would like some breakfast, if you please. Yachesen, kindly continue to look ahead, and warn me of any new danger in our course.

"Yes, my Lord," the children both said simultaneously, and vanished up the stairs and onto the deck.

With a bow to Eddora, Oebr also absented himself onto the deck.

Calaman stared after them, too dumbfounded to say anything. Just as well; he probably would have offended his summoner with anything that might have come out of his mouth at just that moment.

((Not much of a conclusion, but a great character introduction, if I do say so myself. Oebr is a summoner, and while he may not end up being very significant, I like to think he will. He has a connection to two other characters, only one of which has been introduced thus far. I've written up some background for three more characters (who will all be instrumental in the mysterious future 'reconciliation' between Aer and Calaman), as well as one more who is connected to one of those three. All of which is probably completely confusing and meaningless. smile In any case, I've got four characters that I can't wait to introduce, even though 2-3 of them probably won't be very significant at all.

Oh, and you might be glad to know that I'm finally coming close to figuring out (er, that is, 'revealing' ( *cough* )) just why Luseik is so persistently depressed.))