[Thread; Closed]

[sinsmymaster.livejournal.com]

Characters: Seymour, Eiko, Anima
Progress: Ongoing
Summary: Two summoners go see a fayth.
Location: Madain Sari to the Eidolon Wall
Date: Early June, 1803
Warnings: Seymour being a creep, possible angst later


Seeing Anima again had its ups and downs for Seymour. On the one hand, this was his mother and he would be looking forward to seeing her and finding out if her aeon actually worked here. On the other, they might not have the best rapport due to the circumstances, especially if she somehow knew about the real situation involving Jyscal's death, but it would be difficult to tell until he'd spoken to her. He doubted she would tell anyone else without prompting.

It was just as well.

The trip from Lindblum to Madain Sari had been filled with questions from both parties and Seymour had been as kind and comforting and explanatory as he knew how. Both sides had gotten and given a lot of information, which Seymour was pleased at. Now he knew a little more about this place's method of summoning and what he might expect.

The ship landed and he led the way out and into the deserted ruins, taking great care to wait for the child who would be his guide once more. "Lady Eiko? Where shall we go from here?"

Comments

[lastsummoner.livejournal.com]

Eiko had thoroughly enjoyed the trip back to Madain Sari. This time, there was no trepidation for her, no nervousness about returning to the village she'd deserted. And learning even more about Spira's summons had proven an utter delight for the child. Still, she was in for something of a surprise, as she'd heard the talk of fayths, but had not actually seen one. Anima had only been summoned before her.

"It's this way!" she told Seymour cheerfully, leading the way through the rubble of what had once been a prosperous village. Like the last time, moogles came out in throngs to her call of "I'm home!" There were hugs and pats all around, taking the better part of a quarter of an hour, before the little one explained they were here to pray at the Eidolon Wall.

On the way in, it was utterly impossible to miss the complete devastation all around. Something powerful had leveled the place, save the wall carved into the rock which was their destination. "I need to pray at the Wall, alright?"

[sinsmymaster.livejournal.com]

The village itself held much interest for Seymour, so he didn't really mind the wait as Eiko greeted the moogles she was so obviously fond of. Who was he to cut their reunion short? Besides, it was a good chance to see more of her personality, find out what made her tick, and he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity.

So he examined things, looking very interested to find out what on earth had caused all this devastation. What had brought this place to its knees like this?

Whatever it was... it reminded him forcibly of Sin and he desired its power.

When Eiko mentioned the Wall, Seymour finally turned and walked nearer. "I shall accompany her. You need not worry." It was mostly to reassure the moogles, but if it assured the girl of his loyalties as well, all the better.

[lastsummoner.livejournal.com]

When Seymour mentioned accompanying Eiko to the wall, there was a couple of questioning kupos from the moogles. The little one nodded. "It's okay. He's a summoner too." Just like that, the winged creatures were satisfied and scattered to their daily tasks.

On her arrival at the wall, the sound of the statue singing could be heard. She'd grown accustomed to hearing it when she was here last, painting eidolons with Rydia. It had a soothing, but poignant sound to it, but to Eiko, it enhanced the sacredness of the location. The incense was still burning, courtesy of diligent moogles who tended the location in her absence. "You can go ahead and look around," Eiko informed her guest as she knelt before the fragrant pile to pray.

[sharemypain.livejournal.com]

The moment Seymour had entered the village, she could feel his presence. Anima had felt it from a distance, his life and her bond with him stirred the very second he entered Gaia. It was both, a relief and a heartbreak for her. And yet, she waited, near the back of the Eidolon Wall, encased in stone, hoping and fearing that he would come.

No sooner had the little one closed her eyes in prayer, the fayth came to life, materializing above the statue, and looking for her son. He had come.

[sinsmymaster.livejournal.com]

Seymour watched the little creatures with curiosity for a moment as they seemed to inspect him, smiling just a little more than usual when they appeared to give their approval. It would seem that only summoners were allowed to view the wall. How fitting.

The maester strolled forward, listening to the familiar sound of the hymn, being sung in his mother's well-known voice. As soon as he stepped into the enclosure, he glanced around for her. There was no mistaking the statue, nor the figure above it, and he immediately sank into a Yevon prayer bow. If he was to keep up this facade and do it well, he would need to bring all the formalities of his world into play.

Pretending sincerity. He was good at that by now.

Seymour held the bow for a moment before he looked up and moved closer to the statue and the fayth above it. His steps were slow, measured, as though he didn't want to scare her away.

Skip Eiko this round.

[sharemypain.livejournal.com]

Anima would not chance any confrontation with her son over his obsession with Sin with the child present. Those were matters best left private, and the little one was far too innocent to be exposed to them. The part of her which had lingered with him as his fayth knew everything he had done. How he had killed his father, slaughtered the Ronso, attempted to force Yuna's hand.

On the outside, he was all sincerity. Still, with his taste and growing lust for power, the boy who had been her son was slowly being corrupted into a man she did not know. It broke her heart.

"My son. You have come."

[sinsmymaster.livejournal.com]

And then she spoke to him, her familiar voice echoing through his ears, and he bowed again to show his respect for her. A great deal had happened over the years and he wasn't sure how much she would know of it. Best to still appear formal, particularly in front of this child.

Of course, that also begged the question of time lines. If the people could be taken from different timelines, then would it be too much to assume that the fayth could as well? And if not, then he could easily attempt to fool her into thinking he really hadn't done anything... that his timeline had yet to intersect or bypass her own.

Innocent until proven guilty after all.

"How could I remain away when I heard you were here?" he asked gently, rising from the prayer. "Long has it been since we last met, yet here we both are in a world not our own. Has it been long since you arrived?"

[sharemypain.livejournal.com]

Too long, since they had seen each other. Longer still since she'd last held him in her arms, comforting her weeping child. Not that she had craved his death, but surely it would have been better for him to have defeated Sin and be at peace, than to be so gluttonous for power that he would exterminate an entire race.

Knowing all this, and yet she still loved him. Her precious son.

"I have waited here, half a year. Connected to the Farplane and yet not." Never would she fully admit to loneliness, for she had endured that aplenty in Spira; indeed, loneliness was a familiar companion now. "Are you well?"

[lastsummoner.livejournal.com]

Eiko finished her prayers and started to join her tall companion, when she stopped short. There was a woman there. She hadn't seen that before. As desperately interested as she was in investigating this transparent ghost woman, she decided to hold back. It looked like she was having an important conversation with Seymour and they'd drilled her hard enough about not interrupting adults in Lindblum that she instead moved away.

Not eavesdropping. Not at all. She busied herself with greeting the images of the eidolons painted on the wall, many newly by her own hand, or Rydia's. She paused momentarily at the image of a tiny moogle with a red ribbon on her head, and placed her childish hand on the moogle's paw.

[sinsmymaster.livejournal.com]

Seymour seemed not to notice the child as she finished her prayer. Not that it really mattered to him as nothing they were talking about right now needed to be kept hidden and if they strayed into that territory, he was sure he could put a stop to it.

"So you have yet been here longer than I?" he murmured, filing this information away for later. "I am well, however. The new environment seems to be doing well with my health. Guadosalam is not far from here. I am glad that my people are not as far as the rest of Spira."

Or as far as the ones who hadn't gotten dragged here.

"Tell me, are there other summoners who have come here before me?"

[sharemypain.livejournal.com]

"There have been," she admitted. "Including the young summoner standing at the wall. This place is sacred to the summoners of this world."

Anima's gaze strayed to the little girl walking the perimeter, as she counted off the eidolons depicted on the rock. "She is the last of her kind." It was informative, and a warning. The last thing the fayth wanted to see was this world's final link to summons snuffed out. If her son was aware of how precious the horned summoner was, perhaps his lust for more power would stop him from harming her. It felt wrong to use his weakness against him, but she had no other choice.

[sinsmymaster.livejournal.com]

Seymour's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at that news. If this was true, perhaps the summoners of this world had access to his mother's summon now as well. And if that were true... many of them could be used to help further his cause.

Assuming he chose to pursue it here, which he had yet to decide upon.

His attention was caught by his mother's next words, though, and he looked at her curiously. "Is she?" The woman did know him well. The maester glanced over at the young girl, wondering where the rest of the summoners had gone. "Were they all killed or have they simply abandoned her?"

[sharemypain.livejournal.com]

"They were slaughtered." The fayth spoke firmly, decisively, but not cold or cruel. Again, it was a warning. "They were considered a threat and exterminated." That much she had learned through the other eidolons who had come, curious about their newest companion. Her hope was that he would take heed that his ability could be deemed dangerous to others and prevent him from acting out.

Or it would whet his lust for more power.

"My son, please, this is not Spira, where the sacrifices of summoners are revered. Please do not open yourself or the child to harm."

[sinsmymaster.livejournal.com]

Seymour simply let his gaze wander around the wall, from the child to his mother and back a few times. He understood what she was saying and for now he would agree to comply, seeing no reason not to for now, not unless he found the thing or being that had created such destruction.

"Of course. I could do no less than protect her from harm. She is, as is made obvious by my journey here, a jewel to be treasured."

The maester's talk with her was beginning to get tiresome, but he figured he may as well at least appear as amicable as possible while he was here. There was no telling how long Eiko would want to stay.

"Have you spoken with the child before this? Does she know of our... connection?"

[sharemypain.livejournal.com]

How had it come so that she feared to share what she knew with Seymour? She both loved and feared him, a distressing situation. There was a divide between what she knew to be the truth and still the burning desire she had above all else to protect him and see him loved and accepted in turn.

After a prolonged silence, she finally confirmed, "I have spoken with her. She does not know." But others did, and she was not intending to reveal it. Hopefully, he would never have need or opportunity to know. "Unless you have told her otherwise, she does not know the workings of a fayth. I felt it was too heavy a burden to lay upon an innocent child."

She had laid that burden on a child once, and look what it wrought.

[sinsmymaster.livejournal.com]

Good. There was no need to burden anyone with knowledge of their connection. Seymour nodded his approval. "Of course. I have not told her the details, only that they are help for the summoners."

He was just going to conveniently forget what he had told Eiko about them.

"I do not know how much longer she will wish to remain here, but perhaps we should not linger. It would not do to keep you away more than we need to." He meant it to be 'get some rest' or something of the sort, but it likely wouldn't come out that way to her. "I feel sure we shall meet again." And he gave her the proper Yevon bow again, out of a need to at least seem respectful.

[sharemypain.livejournal.com]

"I would like that," she admitted. The solitude she could bear, as she had for many years already. But the separation from Seymour was difficult for her, though she would not care to admit it. It would trouble him, or at least she hoped he cared enough for it to bother him. Lately, she was not sure.

Her head lowered, to hide the longing that was overwhelming. "Be well, my son," echoed in the air as her transparent form faded, leaving only a singing statue behind.

[sinsmymaster.livejournal.com]

"And you as well," Seymour murmured, watching his mother fade from view again. He was glad to see that she was here. Perhaps he could still call upon her aeon should he feel the need. He bowed once more to the statue before turning to find Eiko. He was done here.