Melody No. 9 ~ The Dragon King comes to town. (Backdated to Saturday)

[thelittlecanary]

[There's no doubt about it - she's incredibly wary of the package when the postman first hands it to her with a tip of the hat and a saucy wink. After her ordeal in his office downtown, she's half convinced to take it out with the rest of the garbage and forget it was ever delivered. She leaves the box, which is hardly bigger than her fist,

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[child_abuser]

"Bahamut, huh? Town really went for the gold this time. Braska had that one too. I'll be right over."

[And a little while later, there's Jecht knocking on Garnet's door.]

[thelittlecanary]

[Garnet wastes no time in answering the door, her bright expression making the joy she feels screamingly obvious.] Come, let us be on our way! [And she tugs on Jecht's arm, pulling him in the direction of the park.]

[child_abuser]

[Jecht chuckles, letting himself get pulled along. He's actually pretty excited about this too - he hasn't seen a real honest-to-goodness summoning since before he came to Mayfield. It might not be exactly the same, but it's like a little piece of home for him.]

"Guess you're pretty excited, huh?"

[thelittlecanary]

[She half runs, half skips along, pulling Jecht in her wake as they approach the park. Once they arrive, Garnet releases his arm, walking out into a clearing alone. She turns her head to cast a glance at him over her shoulder, and in that moment, the ordinary becomes ethereal

[child_abuser]

[Jecht stands tall and proud, happy to be calling himself a Guardian again here in Mayfield. Sure, it isn't exactly the same, and he's protecting a different Summoner now, but the whole Guardian gig was definitely something that had been missing from his life before Garnet walked into it.

And so he grins widely as he watches Garnet summoning Bahamut, and the interactions the two have with one another once the mighty dragon king descends from the skies. It's no less personal than he was used to seeing with Braska, but Garnet seems more openly affectionate whereas Braska seemed to regard his summons as old friends.

All the same, Jecht steps forward as he's introduced, unable and unwilling to hide the grin that's been spreading across his face the whole time. Perhaps out of habit, he makes the customary gesture of religious respect used among the faithful of Yevon back in Spira, bowing his head as he does so.]

"Bahamut, huh? You look a little different where I'm from, but you're just as impressive here."

[Flashes a smile at

[thelittlecanary]

[Bahamut's massive breaths ruffle Garnet's hair in a steady rhythm, and she can smell the magic on each exhalation. Her entire demeanor has changed from one minute to the next. Not only is there a king before Jecht, but a queen too, one now fully capable of standing her own ground, who only appears to be weak. The restoration of her summoning magic has washed away her insecurities; she feels complete with Bahamut beside her

[child_abuser]

[The unflappable Jecht just smiles in the presence of the great dragon king, until he mentions 'he' and 'his gratitude.' That statement seems to knock him for an almost visible loop, as he raises an eyebrow in confusion.]

"Whoa, whoa, back up. 'He?' You know Braska?"

[thelittlecanary]

[Garnet turns back questioningly to Bahamut, and though she says no words and the only sound the Dragon King makes is a soft, deep crooning, there's no doubt that they're somehow communicating. After a time, she nods, then turns back to Jecht, eyes soft.]

Yes. And he knows you, and an Auron too, because your Lord Braska could also summon Bahamut. He took part in your journey until its end in a city called Zanarkand... [Garnet leans her head against the dragon with a nearly inaudible sigh, and the rest of what he tells her, no doubt the conclusion to their story, is something she isn't strong enough to voice.] ...At any rate, Bahamut was a companion of your summoner on his journey...and so he can vouch for him personally. Lord Braska truly cherished you as his guardian.

[She gives Jecht time to absorb this before going on.] Bahamut would also like to thank you for looking after me when he and my other Eidolons could not.

[child_abuser]

[Jecht's posture slumps a little when Garnet mentions Zanarkand. He's sure she's just heard how the journey ends when he finally goes to fight Sin along with Braska. Of course he'd been planning to tell her that the Summoner and the Final Aeon sacrifice themselves to beat Sin, but he didn't really know how. Too late now. It's something he'll have to talk with her about later. For now, he just scratches at the back of his head for a moment, nodding back to the dragon.]

"Braska was a hell of a guy. Auron too. I'd do the whole thing over again if I had to, no question."

[Glances to Garnet again, mustering a smile.]

"And you can be damn sure I'm gonna keep protecting Garnet as long as I'm here, too."

[thelittlecanary]

...I understand. [Garnet still seems shaken by what she has learned. From the looks of it, she's going to need that talk soon, because she still can't reconcile the fact that Jecht is essentially doomed and beyond her abilities to save. Still, now that she has Bahamut back, she stands strong against the sorrow that recedes to the corners of her mind

[child_abuser]

[Jecht uncomfortably averts his eyes from Garnet as the great dragon king ascends into the skies, his gaze lingering there as he thinks about what he's going to say to her later. When she takes his arm, he very nearly flinches away, but instead he gently places his hand over her own, nodding and taking a deep breath.]

"...Okay. The first time I met Braska, I was rottin' away in a prison cell. I'd run into Sin while I was out at sea training for blitz, and I got shipwrecked somewhere I'd never seen before. When I mentioned I was from Zanarkand, people thought I was crazy, and I started a fight with a priest. I, uh... I was probably a little drunk at the time."

[thelittlecanary]

[Garnet feels a twinge of unease when Jecht seems to tense at her touch. His typical reaction to anything that displeases him is anger; she's never seen anything faze him like this. Keeping her touch gentle, she coaxes her guardian down onto the grassy knoll where they are standing, sitting beside him with her legs folded beneath her.

Her expression is unreadable as she listens to his story, though one of her hands strays from her lap and tangles itself in the grass sprouting beside her. All at once, she's feeling a potent mess of admiration and grief, but she keeps a brave face, even hinting at a smile when he mentions he engaged a priest in a drunken brawl.] Why did nobody believe you when you told them that you were from Zanarkand?

[child_abuser]

[Laughs, shaking his head and shrugging.]

"At the time, I had no idea. They all said Zanarkand had been destroyed in the Summoner War a thousand years ago. I told 'em all that was impossible, 'cause I'd just been there playin' blitzball the day before! They thought I was crazy. That's right around when I started that fight and got tossed in jail."

[thelittlecanary]

[Garnet has to admit that his story would sound rather far-fetched to a stranger, but she would never doubt him.] But then...were they telling the truth? Had Zanarkand been destroyed a millennium before?...

[child_abuser]

[Leans back to relax on the grass, hands folded behind his head as he stares up at the sky.]

"Nope, they were right. I dunno how, and I didn't find out 'till the end of the Pilgrimage, but Zanarkand was a total shithole by the time we got there. Nothing but rubble. We walked through the ruins of the same blitzball stadium I played in back home."

[Cuts off the next question before Garnet gets to ask it, because he knows it's coming.]

"...Don't ask me how. I still don't know. Dunno if it was time travel or magic or what. But I knew as soon as I saw that place that I could never go back home."

[thelittlecanary]

[Though she feels that she shouldn't (regardless of the fact that she knows the grass will be back perfectly manicured and green by tomorrow morning), Garnet has begun to tear up the blades of grass caught between her fingers. She has a decent-sized mound going by the time he mentions the blitzball stadium, and she purses her lips with a raise eyebrow when he intercepts what was going to be her next question.] So you never saw your son again...I'm sorry.