34th Sphere

[child_abuser]

[For the past couple of days, anyone on the blitzball team would notice that Jecht's been calling practice after exactly one hour each day.  He's still pushing everyone as hard as he usually does, but he seems unusually concerned about the time.  And as soon as practice is over, he runs off to some undisclosed location.  If anyone asks if they can

Comments

My muse is ridiculous and doesn't listen when I ask to do things in chronological order. Also, yay!

[thelittlecanary]

[Life becomes almost monotonous after the incident with Splendid and her subsequent rescuing. She's still fuzzy on a lot of the details, having been in a decent state of shock until she was given proper medical attention, but she knows one thing for sure: she is incredibly indebted to Jecht

[child_abuser]

[For a change, Jecht is actually dressed in a shirt, pants, and shoes - the hospital employees wouldn't let him in the way he's usually dressed. But comfort was a small price to pay to be able to check up on his favorite new little summoner. He's also sporting a new bouquet of flowers.]

"It's orchids this time. Hope you like 'em."

[Smiles, setting the flowers down next to her bed with the other ones. He drags a chair over from the other side of the room so he can sit down close to Garnet, taking her hand like he did before when she was in surgery.]

"How ya feelin'?"

[thelittlecanary]

[His attire does not go unnoticed by the queen, and she smiles to herself, moved by his little sacrifice to conform in order to come see her. Truth be told, she's starved for company. The evenings and nights are the worst, being so immobile and alone. It isn't worth mentioning, though. It's just another thing she'll have to endure until she's released.] They're lovely, thank you. I'll have them placed in water when they bring me dinner later.

[As always, she gives his hand, which is so large, tan, and calloused in comparison to hers a squeeze. The intravenous drip that had been taped to the back of her hand had been removed the day before, replaced by a slight, purple bruise.] Better. [And she wiggles the fingers of her casted arm with a quiet laugh.] They say I'm lucky my arm did not become infected. I am in your debt, Sir Jecht.

[child_abuser]

[Jecht smiles warmly as she squeezes his hand, moving his other one to rest gently atop her own. He's usually not too good at this affection thing, but some combination of Garnet's vulnerability and summoner status is really setting off some strong protective instincts deep inside him.]

"Good. I don't really know much about flowers. I, uh... just kinda bought whatever looked colorful. Figured it'd be nice to look at a color other than these off-white walls they got here."

[Smirks, nodding his head at the eggshell white paint on the hospital walls. So sterile and impersonal. He figures if he can give her a little splash of color and happiness while she's here, so much the better. He laughs a little, glancing up at the ceiling for a moment at the 'Sir Jecht' remark.]

"Heh... Sir Jecht. Some people back home used to call me that, y'know."

[thelittlecanary]

I love them. This is all very thoughtful of you; both the flowers and visiting...I really appreciate it. [And she means every word she says. Apart from Zidane, who could still be droned, and hasn't so much as called, Jecht is who she is closest to, and at the moment she's very reliant on his companionship.

When Jecht points out that this is what he was called back in his world, Garnet looks perplexed, and then contrite. The impulse to call him 'Sir' had come from half whim, half instinct. Had she known...]

I'm sorry, I didn't know. I understand if you don't want me to address you in that way again. [The last thing Jecht needed was yet another reminder of the home he could not return to. It was a title from another time and place, currently inaccessible. Why rub salt in the wound?]

[child_abuser]

[Jecht, of course, also has no idea how to take genuine appreciation and thankfulness, so he just sort of brushes it off in his own casual way.]

"It's no big deal. I know I'd be goin' crazy in a place like this."

[Raises an eyebrow at her apologetic look. He's honestly confused as to why she'd be sorry for calling him that. Most of the memories it brought back were actually good ones. Chuckling, he waves a hand.]

"Don't worry about it. You can call me whatever you want, but just 'Jecht' is fine too. Never really got used to the whole 'sir' thing anyway. People started callin' me that when Braska started gettin' close to the end of his Pilgrimage."

[thelittlecanary]

It is a little frustrating to be stuck in bed all day...I suppose I'm just tired of feeling so useless. [She cuts herself off, lapsing into silence, before launching on a self-depreciating rant about how once more, everyone must take care of her because she has none of her magic or her Eidolons. She is a queen, for Ifrit's sake, not an invalid, and the lack of responsibilities left her feeling like she was neglecting to do something. This town was horribly imposing. Being cut off from her summons feels unnatural, and reminds her of the time Zorn and Thorn forcibly extracted them from her.

At any rate, she's relieved that calling him 'Sir' didn't strike a nerve, and she's very eager to pry another story out of him.] Alright, then. But what exactly is a pilgrimage, Jecht?

[child_abuser]

"Don't worry. Couple of days, you'll be as good as new. Check yourself outta here whenever you can get up and walk around, and I'll help you find a healer. I've heard there's people with magic like that in town, so I'll find you one."

[Smiles sort of wistfully as she asks about his past. This is a story he both likes to tell and is sort of tired of telling, but he feels pretty comfortable opening up to her.]

"It's a journey Summoners from my world have to take to save the world."

[thelittlecanary]

I was told that I have to be released into the custody of an adult, because I am a minor. [There is the slightest hint of annoyance in her tone; Garnet is clearly not used to being treated like a child.]

They have to?...But what does your world need to be saved from?

[child_abuser]

"Eh, don't worry about that. I'll sign you out if you need me to. I scared those guys at the desk pretty good the other day, so I bet they'll listen."

[Chuckles, looking proud of himself before getting back to his story.]

"...Sin. It's this big, impossibly huge monster that just floats around destroyin' cities and killin' anyone who builds machines or gets too close to the sea. It's like a... big flyin' whale. Gigantic, with heavy armored plates, and energy bullets it fires from its mouth. Only the Summoners can beat it."

[thelittlecanary]

[A slightly mischievous smile curves her lips when he mentions having scared the drones working the front desk of the hospital. She can vaguely remember how he raised his voice at the staff, but the night is wreathed in fog.] My memories of that night are hazy...what happened after we arrived to the hospital? I just remember you had changed somehow. [And her brow furrows quizzically, as if she's about ready to dismiss that thought and attribute it to the anesthesia.]

That sounds terrible. And after all this time it hasn't been defeated?... [And something he said in a previous conversation clicks with the present one, and she gasps, sitting up and wincing, her ribs still tender.] You were going to fight Sin!

[child_abuser]

"Yeah... guess you looked, huh? What you saw was called the Final Aeon. It's the last thing the Summoners get on the Pilgrimage. One of the Guardians has to volunteer to receive that power, which is strong enough to beat Sin."

[Sighs a moment before continuing.]

"I came here just as the battle was starting. Sin's been beaten before, but it's so strong that it rebuilds itself and comes back every time. Summoners kind of fight a losing battle, but it's worth it for the couple years of Calm it brings while Sin's reviving."

[thelittlecanary]

I only saw a glimpse, really... [Then her mouth hangs slightly open in shock, breath catching in her throat. When she speaks again, her voice is humbled and filled with awe.] So then, Sir Jecht...you are like an Eidolon? But that means... [If there's one thing she does know, it's that if these Aeons are summonable creatures of the ether, they are not mortal or living.]

You had to die?... [The price for a few years of prosperity, perhaps a decade or less, when people did not have to constantly perish, is heartbreakingly steep, especially when she knows what Jecht must leave behind.]

[child_abuser]

[Jecht is completely silent for a few long moments. He was planning on keeping quiet about the whole 'the Summoner and the Guardian have to die to defeat Sin' thing for Garnet's sake, but apparently she's already guessed at that part. He's quite literally stunned into silence at her deduction, but he does his best to recover, smiling back.]

"...Hey. Don't worry about it. It's just somethin' I gotta do when I get home."

[Reaches for her uninjured hand, placing it over his heart for just a moment before letting go.]

"Important thing is, I'm alive right now. I'm a Guardian, and you're a Summoner. So I'll protect you too while we're both here. That's all that counts."

[thelittlecanary]

[Garnet stares at Jecht wordlessly, doe eyes wide and filled with a confused sorrow. It's like she can't reconcile these two Jechts: one strong and tangible and alive, the other a sacrificial offering to appease a monster. She expects him to vanish just for admitting it out loud. Her throat grows tight, eyes water slightly.

She wants different for him, a better option, but what's done is done and that's probably the worst part of the situation. If he ever returns to his world, he goes back to being an Aeon. He goes back to being dead.] I don't want... [And she falls against him in an awkward slump that probably stings her ribs, wrapping her good arm around his broad shoulders and burying her face against his unfamiliar shirt.] It isn't fair.

[child_abuser]

[Cradles her head gently against his chest, making soft 'ssshhh' noises in an attempt to get her to calm down.]

"H-hey, c'mon now... you don't need to cry over me. It's not fair, but life ain't fair. I knew what I was gettin' myself into."

[Frowning, he realizes that he doesn't really have the words she probably wants to hear. He's best at tough love, but he knows on some level that sort of thing isn't going to help Garnet right now. So instead he just shuts up for once, quietly holding the little Summoner in his arms.]