Memoria, Part 2

[waterblade.livejournal.com]

Characters: Faris, Mjrn, and Tidus
Progress: Ongoing
Summary: Second part of Memoria - Dearest Wish
Location: ...EVERYWHERE AND NOWHERE
Date: Feb 2/3-4/5, 1804
Warnings: Odds are none? We'll see.

Getting out turned out to be nowhere near as easy as it should have been. The door they'd found led only to another blank room - not the open space they were hoping for. Tidus gritted his teeth at their luck, then turned and actually punched the door that had closed behind him. "Damnit!" He didn't do any permanent damage to himself, but he was getting frustrated. More than frustrated.

But that punch seemed to awaken the room - much as the other one had, it spawned scenery, quickly. Another familiar place - the arena of the Final Aeon, where they'd battled Jecht, and Jecht as Braska's Final Aeon. Floating, burning Abes symbol and all.

Tidus almost went pale under his tan. Was whatever this was going to make him relive killing his own father?

He looked down to find Brotherhood in his hand - and as it vanished into thin air, at that moment, the memoria snapped around him, and his eyes glazed over, just like before.

Jecht was picking himself up in front of him, that giant sword being used as a crutch, in a way. He stuck it in the ground, giving his son a smirk.

"So, are you ready to move on?"

"What?"

"I think you had so much on your mind that you couldn't even take your next step."

Comments

[dewdrop-pebbles.livejournal.com]

Not knowing what else to do, Mjrn of course followed Tidus into the next area, pausing once scenery began to form around them. It would never fail to unnerve her, no matter how many times it happened. To see their memories out on display was the worst breach of privacy that she could imagine. If only there was a way to end them....

She turned to Tidus, about to ask if he recognized the area, when she saw his eyes glaze over. Too late. Instead of fruitlessly trying to get his attention again, the Viera hung back, watching the scene unfold with concern and confusion.

[waterblade.livejournal.com]

"That's not..."

Tidus was trapped by the memory just as thoroughly as ever. This time, though, instead of jumping around, he only stood there, arguing and yet not arguing with someone in front of him. He seemed discomfited, a little uneasy and a little resentful.

"You're pathetic. Can't even get one thing right without me, can you?"

His hand balled into a fist and took a step towards his father. "I just-"

Jecht smirked again - his son was predictable. "Well, if you don't understand it, try just accepting it."

Any forward movement was stopped by that confusing statement. "Huh?"

"Accept that you are weak. Accept the path you've taken. Accept that nothing makes sense in this whole damn world!" Jecht just stood there, watching his son, waiting to see if this finally got through to him. "Once you accept everything, then you can choose your next path - the one path you really want to take."

And for a moment, Tidus didn't know how to respond. "You came here... just to tell me that?"

"Gonna cry again?"

He couldn't stop a small laugh at that. Those days were behind him, pretty much - but Dad'd probably tease him about it forever. "Shut up."

[dewdrop-pebbles.livejournal.com]

Tidus interacting with one Mjrn could not see was just bizarre to watch, just as much as it had been the last time. His obvious discomfort drew her sympathy, and she wished it was possible to shake him out of the dream. Mjrn tried to follow what she could from his end, since there wasn't much to do but wait until it was over. Yet, he wasn't the one carrying the conversation and so the Viera was left puzzled and a little frustrated.

She crossed her arms and waited to see if more would be explained before the vision ended.

[waterblade.livejournal.com]

Not much, unfortunately.

Jecht laughed briefly at that, looking amused. Tidus also looked happier, possibly - almost - on the verge of a smile. Even with that jab at his tendency to cry when he was younger. "There. That's my boy. Now, don't make me come out here again, you hear?"

"Not for a million gil." And that smile started very slow, both relieved and happy.

Jecht turned away, taking that blasted sword with him, and started to walk off. "See ya."

He'd only gotten a few steps before Tidus abruptly spoke up again. "Hey Dad..." There was a moment as Jecht turned back to glance at him, still walking - and Tidus finally smiled for real, relieved and... finally accepting of something he'd never really understood before. "Thanks, huh?"

"It was fun." The pyreflies began to appear, swirling around his body and obscuring any sight of him. As he walked, he started fading away, piece by piece. "Being your dad and all."

After Jecht was gone, Tidus hung his head briefly, trying to get a grip on what'd just happened. "Don't worry," he said, speaking to empty air, then looking up - after his father. "I'll save the tears until everything's over." He stayed there for another minute, then turned to face left - off to the side was a small crowd of people, waiting for him. Firion was smiling proudly at him, Cecil as well, Cloud giving him a brief nod - his friends were waiting. They had a job to do.

He started to run over to them - only to have the memory snap around him, throwing him back into his real mentality abruptly, and he stumbled in shock as that crowd faded from sight. "What the- What was that?!"

[dewdrop-pebbles.livejournal.com]

Mjrn, who was hardly qualified to explain, shook her head. "Another vision I could not see, and therefore my understanding is limited. I would not choose to intrude more than I have done, however."

She heistated, uncertain if he wanted to speak about what had happened or just move onward.

[royalpiracy.livejournal.com]

Faris was never so quiet, but something about this place had her lingering frequently in silence. The level of 'weird' rivaled things she'd seen in the space between worlds, and at the edge of existence. What was this place, to play with their minds, pull things from within them like so much history text, and replay them -- apparently for their eyes only.

Still once thing about this latest vision had Faris' attention.

"You said... 'Dad'?" Crossing arms, eying him strangely. Apparently, the pirate captain didn't have the same reservations as Mjrn. "Ya didn't say it in a way you'd normally hear a lad talkin' to his father."

[waterblade.livejournal.com]

For one second, it looked like Tidus was about to stubborn out and not explain - he got that frown on his face, at least, the one that practically screamed that he didn't have to tell them anything. But he looked off to where Jecht had disappeared again, confused as hell and slowly shaking his head.

"Dad and me, we never got along... He always said I couldn't do anything, that I was pathetic. Disappeared when I was seven, went out training one day and just... didn't come back. I thought I hated him for a long time, but then I... He started to get better, stopped drinking and started thinking, I found out where he'd gone... I realized I just wanted to make him proud.

"But that's not how that happened!"

No, the one he remembered was much sadder - much less hopeful. This was... how it should have happened. What he'd wanted to happen.

"He said it was fun..."

And there was only one explanation. In a big hurry, Tidus pulled out his Sky Phone and checked to see if it worked. Finding that it did, partially, he started to make a phone call (http://community.livejournal.com/mooglenet/178949.html)...

[dewdrop-pebbles.livejournal.com]

Mjrn, already confused by something Tidus had said, was only more so as he pulled out the Sky Phone. Would that even work, in a place like this? She stared, puzzled.

"If that is not what truly occurred, then...this realm, it creates more than memories?" She frowned, unsettled. Her normal curiosity was diminished somewhat, motivated only by the desire to depart as soon as possible...if that was possible.