Closed; Complete.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

Who: Lenne, Maiyah and hordes of soldiers. (With a lulz!cameo from Oaka XXIII!!)
What: Lenne wakes up in Bevelle.
Where: Bevelle Underground, Bevelle temple and Macalania.
When: Morning, not that Lenne exactly knows.
Rating: R -- violence.


His arms felt warm; his grip was tight and protective, yet she did not feel safe. Not with those guns pointed at her. Bevelle. Such a hostile place... and then they shot. Everything felt on fire, every inch of her skin burn as she hit the ground but her eyes sought his face and fear filled her every fibre. The sting of her tear as it rolled down her skin ached and then... blackness...

Gasping sharply, brown eyes snapped open and a her body gave a painful stab. Taking in a sharp breath once again, slender fingers reached out for where he'd been laying. Yet, he wasn't there and she was alone, that tear still there and damp on her flesh. What happened? Where was he? Why wasn't he with her? Had they not reunited thanks to that young Summoner? So... why was she here without him? It was all too much...

Pushing herself from the floor, sitting there in her songstress attire, Lenne pressed her hand over her heart where she'd felt that bullet hit her. Yet, all that remained was a small, pale scar. Odd... Casting her gaze around, she realised where she was. Bevelle. Fear washed over her and she rose to her feet, her brown eyes wide as she looked into the cavernous pit where Vegnagun had stood. The Pyreflies swarmed around her, making her skin tingle and a soft laugh escape her. It felt like a hug. Perhaps it was him.

With a gentle smile, the young summoner stepped towards the edge of the platform, looking down into it. "Shuyin?" Her voice echoed and the Pyreflies danced against her flesh, sweeping through her hair, but nothing came. No voices. With a sigh, Lenne seated herself on the very edge of the platform, looking down into that hole, watching the mist and the Pyreflies mingle and dance.

Comments

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

"There is nobody here by that name," Maiyah said, standing behind the woman on the platform. Her blades were drawn and clutched tightly, blood specking glimmering silver. She had a bitter, angery look about her, "There's nobody here anymore..." She had branded Bevelle a solid enemy. Her parents were gone. Gone. They hadn't been murdered directly by Bevelle soldiers. But they might as well have been. First Kaiyah... then Yuna... herself! Her parents! Everything... She came to the temple the morning after she and Braska reached Bevelle. She snuck into the temple, silenced soldiers that saw her, until she made it to the core of the temple. She would destroy it... she'd destroy everything... Bevelle had dealt her its final lash.

"Who are you," she demanded, voice low and a tad raspy. This woman didn't seem like she would be from this world... almost like Tidus. Almost, but not quite... But waking up in the core of Bevelle wasn't giving her the best impression. She seemed innocent enough, but it could also be a ruse to throw her off. Nor did she seem all that dangerous.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

The woman's voice startled her and Lenne looked over her shoulder, tilting her head slightly. A frown came to her brow and the summoner stood, turning to face the armed woman. Now, this would hardly be a fair fight, if she wasn't a summoner, but Lenne wasn't about to go calling on all the spirits to come and help when she really had no idea whether this woman planned to kill her or not.

"I... my name is Lenne. I am a songstress and summoner from Zanarkand." Zanarkand. She needed to get back home! Shuyin might be there!! Giving a big, friendly, if somewhat nervous smile, the singer took a single step forward. "I do not really know what happened... they were chasing me and I was shot at... but... he was here and now..." The younger girl covered her mouth, silencing her rambling.

After a moment, she took a deep breath and looked firmly at Maiyah. "What do you mean that there is nobody here anymore?" The girl tilted her head, her long, beaded earrings jingling and clicking as she moved. If this woman had plans to kill her, she wasn't about to let it just happen.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

A summoner? From Zanarkand!? Maiyah blinked incredulously, though her expression softened with its fanning of surprise.

Well...

Braska had come back... why should she turn a deaf ear to this woman's words? "You... are from Zanarkand?" she repeated, lowering her blades somewhat. She looked back behind her before looking back at her, eyes narrowed, "...They shot you?" She looked back behind her. There were no Bevelle soldiers around... at least not yet. So... she was right...

She turned to Lenne, "My name is Maiyah. I... If you are who you say you are... then you are not my enemy. You are my friend... and ally. I'm sorry if I have frightened you." She shook her head. "There's nobody here.. but soon there probably will be..." She secured one blade on its corresponding bracer, reaching out to take Lenne's hand.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

"Yes...? Is there something strange about me being from Zanarkand?" She clenched her jaw slightly. "I mean, I understand there is a war between Zanarkand and Bevelle happening but..." she trailed off, not really knowing what she had to say after that but. What could come next? It wasn't right that she was there. She looked like she was infiltrating the place to bring it down. Which, in a way, she was... but Maiyah didn't need to know that.

With a firm nod, she ghosted her fingers over the pale mark on her chest. "Right here... and I fell to the ground but when I awoke... he wasn't here and... the wound was just this..." It still confused her but she knew she'd understand in time.

"Maiyah. It is nice to meet an ally. Then you are from Zanarkand, too? You wish to fight for our side in the war?" A bright smile came to her lips and Lenne bounced on her heels, but suddenly her hand was taken and she flushed bright, squeezing the fingers that grasped hers lightly.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

Maiyah blinked to the woman's questions, "...I..." Hearing a clatter of armored footsteps, Maiyah shook her head, "...I'll explain to you everything... when we get out of here... okay? Just.. follow me." Taking Lenne's hand in hers, Maiyah took her down the hall back into the machina labyrinth of the Bevelle Underground. Soldiers approached them with guns. Letting go of Lenne's hand, Maiyah bolted forward as they got into position to shoot, some bursting in fear birthed from anxiety as those massive steel talons swept over them, slicing through them in quick flashes of light. Blood bathed the cold, dark blue floors. As a few fled, Maiyah growled as she picked up a fallen soldier's magina gun, holding it up and aiming it at those in flight. She shot them down before tossing the gun to the ground.

She turned to Lenne and nodded to her, "Come!" As she advanced further, she slammed her blades over machina stationed in the walls, the electronics dying off with a few live sparks.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

When she was whisked off out, Lenne vaguely noted how ironically similar this situation was to when Shuyin was leading her towards Vegnagun... yet this time they were running towards the soldiers and she was unarmed. Really, this was no place to be summoning, and she was still slightly weakened from the bullet wound. So, with no weapons, she just let Maiyah take the lead.

As those soldiers were cut down, blood flecked at Lenne's face and she grimaced, watching the older woman shoot down the rest. She needed a weapon that was in her hands and able to give Maiyah the backup she deserved. And then weapons were dropped to the floors with loud clatters and Maiyah was cutting the power to the machina. Stooping down, Lenne grabbed a gun, cocking it and giving a firm look to Maiyah.

"Let's get out of here," she murmured, walking with the other woman.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

Maiyah looked up around them as they entered the labyrinth, fighting off Mechs and small numbers of soldiers. Maiyah's speed slowed to a walk, "We'll have to go the way we.. came... So prepare yourself for a lot of ruckus..." With every machina they came across, Maiyah tore up and smashed with her swords, disabling the uses they were programmed for and improvising to get through, helping Lenne carefully from one side to the other.

Things were quiet then, not many soldiers coming to see what was up. "...Lenne," she said, looking to the ancient summoner, "..I must tell you this now, in case we don't get a chance to see each other after this.." She looked down at the floor as they kept moving, "The war between Zanarkand and Bevelle is over..."

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

When Maiyah spoke the first time, Lenne gave a nod, clicking apart the gun to check the rounds. She had six out of ten bullets remaining. Great. Maiyah's help getting through the underground was greatly appreciated. She might've been able to handle most things but having a guardian was always helpful.

As it went quieter and they fell silent, Lenne let out a soft sigh before her name was spoken. Her gaze fixed on Maiyah and she listened to what came next with wide eyes. The war... was over? How? So fast...? Did Shuyin take Vegnagun and end things? "It... is over? How? No... no, that is quite impossible." Lenne shook her head, frowning slightly.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

How could she tell this soldier of a city that had been annihilated a thousand years past that the war between their two cities had been settled by the oncoming of a summon most abominable? She shook her head, stopping herself from speaking, "We.. we must hurry. They might be coming now." In masses, she hoped... She hated killing things one at a time... With another machina in ruins, Maiyah lead Lenne to the security Core. It had been broken through and deciphered already. All that remained here was to make the climb up. Maiyah stood on one end of the outstanding platform, running towards the other edge and leaping up onto the other stage. She looked down at Lenne, "Can you make it?"

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

The fact that Maiyah didn't speak about the war anymore concerned her. Whenever she wasn't allowed to know something or something was too hard to say, Shuyin would do the same thing. Silence before a new subject. If she was honest, that ticked her off.

Swallowing thickly at it, she noted the fact that, sure, she'd gotten in but she'd never attempted getting out of this place before. Sliding the strap on the gun over one shoulder, she took a good few steps back, running towards the next level and making a leap and a grab.

Her jump came up short and Lenne's fingers just caught the edge of the ledge, a scream escaping instinctively as she grabbed on with the fingertips of both hands, a cavernous drop below her. Grunting, she felt her hands slipping and tried desperately to keep a hold.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

"Ah!" Maiyah reached down and grabbed Lenne's arms, pulling her up onto the edge. "Think you can do that a few more times...? I promise to catch you each time," she said, looking at the other woman.

"Did you hear that!?"

"There's someone down here!"

"Activate the towers! Now!"

"Oh no," Maiyah whispered, grabbing Lenne and bringing her back towards the edge of the core, "...We have company..." There were a few loud clicks, whirring sounds of gears within the monstrous machina, and the platform moved, Maiyah grabbing onto Lenne, not only just to keep her safe, but also to keep herself from falling, "Ah..!" It stopped sharply, under the other platforms.

Maiyah looked over to the side, at the thick, ladder-like ledges on either side of the platform over the circumference of the core, "Go, quickly. You must climb."

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

Lenne was relieved Maiyah pulled her up but, then again, she did trust easily. Yet, the voices made her a little worried, especially when Maiyah pulled her to the edge of the core. When it began to move, Lenne grasped onto Maiyah, steading herself and the other woman, frowning.

Then Maiyah told her to climb and Lenne simply obeyed her newfound guardian, clinging onto the ledges as she climbed, pulling herself up as quickly as she could manage. It was hard work for someone without a fair amount of physical strength.

Yet, she did look back, wondering if Maiyah was following. She didn't want to see this woman harmed and, if necessary, she'd summon without a staff and annihillate the place. She had a grudge against Bevelle. One that spanned a thousand years, even if she wasn't wise to that fact.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

Maiyah stayed on the platform, not grabbing onto the edge until the platforms started to retract back into the walls. climbed up to the edge, passing Lenne and getting up to the edge, looking around quickly before leaning down to help her up, "Grab my hand...hurry."

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

Lenne reached up, grasping Maiyah's hand and pulling herself up on her, scrambling onto the edge, realising just how damn awkward all this physical work was in a mini-skirt. Really, she wasn't dressed to be running and scrambling and climbing! In fact... she'd just finished a concert before rushing to Bevelle to stop Shuyin.

Yet, as soon as she was on that ledge, hurried armoured footsteps hurried towards them again and Lenne got to her feet, waiting for her next orders from her guardian.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

"What happened to the other soldiers!?" one shouted as they aimed their guns at them.

"They're off in the Farplane, now... You're a tad too late," Maiyah said cynically, standing in front of Lenne to protect her. From behind the soldiers came a warrior monk, flamethrower in hand and pointed at them, "No one will escape! You will die for your actions, here, today!" Maiyah burst forward, cutting away the soldier's guns and slicing the monk in half, "And you will cry for the living with tears of blood..."

"Lenne! Help me take them out! Let none escape!" Maiyah said as she went after and cut at fleeing soldiers, slaying them with quick swings of her blades.

"Lenne..!?" a soldier gasped before being decapitated.

"Impossible!" another shouted.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

The songstress gave a nod and grasped her gun, firing off the six shots she had left into five different soldiers. It was a little disconcerting how comfortable this woman seemed with killing but Lenne knew Bevellian Soldiers were naught but scum. Not even worthy of a Sending.

As soon as her gun was done with, Lenne tossed it like a spear at one of the soldiers, the bladed tip cutting straight into his face, killing him. Grabbing two guns, Lenne hooked them over her shoulders, picking up a third.

Now it made her slightly amused that they knew who she was. Well, Zanarkand's pride was their Blitzball team, their Summoners and her. The Summoner with a voice that, if used justly, entranced even the strongest willed person.

Following after Maiyah, Lenne shot down as many soldiers as she could, often shaking her long hair from her face to keep her eye on Maiyah.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

When the last of the remaining soldiers have been felled, Maiyah lead Lenne further, at no quicker than a slow trot. "The palace is right up past that platform up there... We'll have to climb the chain..." She pointed, running her finger along the line of thick chain links leading from the security core to the loft above them. "You think you can make it?" she looked over at Lenne.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

Her brown eyes scanned the expanse of the chain and Lenne nodded once. "I made it in the same way; should be able to get out, right?" She gave Maiyah a bright grin, despite the blood spattered on her face, and hooked that third gun over her shoulder. Stepping up onto the ledge, Lenne dove at the chain, grasping hold and coiling her legs around it.

Thankfully, she had strong legs, due to being a dancer, and manged to force herself futher up the chain with her strength laying mainly in her legs; unknowingly, flashing Maiyah her rear end as she climbed.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

Maiyah climbed the chain up behind Lenne, not particularly paying much attention to the other woman's backside in front of her. It was a rather treacherous climb--perhaps Maiyah was getting tired. When they reached the top, Maiyah looked back over the loft at the core. She huffed, upset at not being able to destroy such a deceitful piece of machinery. She looked to Lenne, "It's quiet now... but more people could still be on their way... We're close... but we can make it to the Calm Lands.. and.." She swollowed then, "...I'll... take you.. to Zanarkand..." She would see it eventually. She figured it would be best for her to see it as soon as she could, no matter how painful.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

Lenne bounced on her heels, grinning at Maiyah. "Oh! Thank you! I would've made it this far without you!" Not that there would've been hordes of soldiers after her if it wasn't for Maiyah either... but suddenly Lenne had hugged Maiyah. Briefly and quickly but she had and within the same moment she was walking on, her gun raised in case anyone else came for her. She wasn't prepared to die again and, with Maiyah here, she didn't expect to. She could tell this woman was skilled.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

Maiyah blinked in surprise to the hug, "Erm..." She stayed quiet, allowing Lenne to hug her before pulling away. She watched the other woman silently, still for a brief moment before following her, cutting through any soldier that was unfortunate enough to actually be in the same hallway as they. Eventually, they came to a room with a lift on one side. Fighting through Mechs, they made it to the lift. Maiyah climbed into it and reached out her arms to help Lenne in, "The temple is just above... be ready... We might be in for a big welcoming party..."

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

Grasping onto Maiyah's hands, Lenne hopped up into the lift, smiling softly. "I'm ready." The songstress nodded firmly. As the lift took them up, the younger woman bounced on her heels, humming softly to herself. It could be said that Lenne was strange. She had a unique outlook on life and her way of thinking was different to others' but Lenne was always strong of heart and will, she also tended to look on the bright side of almost every situation. It took a lot to make her cry.

Once the lift reached its destination, Lenne frowned, noticing just how different the Temple looked. It was subtle, but she could see the differences. Why was it so different? She'd only been down there a few hours, right? The first room was empty. No priests were there... and suddenly, though quite predictably, the doors burst open and soldiers began to charge in.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

The hymn of the Fayth had long since been replaced by ...Maiyah didn't know what to call it. Eerie lyrical moaning? Whatever it was, it was stagnant, unable to replace the beauty of the voices of the Fayth.

The soldiers lined up before them, those in front crouching down and aiming their guns at them while those in back simply stood. "This has gone far enough!" a monk in yellow said, holding up a flamethrower, "This massacre ends here!"

"What you people have done has gone far enough. Attacking Zanarkand, warping Spira's past, hiding the truths from everybody, claiming that you of all peoples would hold the secrets and teachings for Spira's salvation! Even the maesters were unsent, allowing summoner after summoner to be murdered by their own friends to cease the spiral of death that you yourselves have brought upon us! And now that Sin is gone...? You do what you did when Sin came into existence a thousand years ago! Will Bevelle ever change?" Maiyah shook her head.

She spread her arms out in gesture, "I am simply returning the favor. None of you know what suffering is."

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

Maiyah's words left Lenne quite startled but, without warning, she stepped forward, her resolve made, for at least this moment. Even if she was 1000 years too late, not that she knew, Lenne was still able to account for almost everything Maiyah said. Though, the words upon maesters being unsents were a little unsettling. Maesters were high up in the Yevon structure and, whilst she wasn't greatly familiar with the workings of the Palace of St Bevelle, Lenne knew that maesters should be alive or dead. Not in between.

"I am the Summoner Lenne of Zanarkand. Bevelle knows not what they have done to destroy my people countless times in in equally unaccountable ways. I do not condone violence but you must be punished for the the things you've done!!" With that, Lenne made the first attack, raising her gun swiftly and shooting a clean shot straight into the skull of the man stood in the center of their group.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

Maiyah rushed as they open-fired, blocking bullets with her swords and taking some for her own, blood running down her legs and arms, but still she pushed forward. She cut through the ranks, one surviving but on the ground, caught by Maiyah's blade.

"B-but...!! Zanarkand...! Was destroyed!" he piped.

Maiyah sliced his head clean off before pushing forward, limping with the bullets in her legs. She shoved past the doors to the outside of Bevelle, within its sanctioned walls but now out underneath the open sky. "Come on," she said as she limped ahead, cutting away soldiers as they came.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

Lenne gave the older woman backup; shooting down any of the soldiers that got in the way or tried to attack Maiyah without the other woman being able to retaliate. Really, it took a lot of work for Lenne to dodge bullets but she wasn't lucky enough to remain unscathed. A bullet in one arm and a few in her legs were the extent of her injuries, mostly because she was a ranged fighter for this battle, leaving her further away from the fray.

When words of Zanarkand being destroyed came, Lenne's eyes widened and she took a moment longer than she would have to follow after Maiyah. Once out in the city, Lenne's eyes grew wider, her breath short as he looked upon everything. This... was not the Bevelle she'd come through. Everything was so much newer and buildings that had not been there before now stood erected and in use. How long was I down there? She frowned, looking to Maiyah as she spoke, following her with her eyes unable to fix on just one thing.

What was going on? Why was everything so different? Why... why did that man say Zanarkand had been destroyed? ...Had it?

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

Maiyah pushed forward, shoving past frightened priests and priestesses as she lead Lenne to the doors that lead out to the Highbridge. "It's not much further," she said, voice ragged from exhaustion and pain. She pushed through the door, leading Lenne through and slicing through guards from behind. "Move!"

"Stop! In the name of New Yevon!" guards stationed further down the highbridge shouted.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

"New Yevon? Maiyah...?" Lenne was thoroughly confused and the pain was horrible. From each bullet wound, blood ran down her skin, drying against her flesh as she ran alongside the older woman. Everything ached and she was tired but she knew if she stopped now they'd be killed and that wasn't something she was willing to let happen.

Raising her gun, Lenne aimed for the guards further down the highbridge. Now, she wasn't a gunner but she had pretty good aim, thanks to Shuyin teaching her a lot of things, so she was on target with a lot of shots but each one jerked at her wounded arm, making pains shoot down to her fingers. With them down, she gestured to Maiyah, running ahead more. "Come on, we're not far from Macalania!"

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

Maiyah cut through remaining soldiers, none ahead of them beyond Bevelle's borders... except two, guarding the junction of roadways between Macalania, Bevelle and the Calm Lands. Running was certainly a challenge. The bullets embedded deep within her thighs also wearing at her and weakening her. When they reached the cooler grounds, she tossed her blade, beheading a soldier but missing the other. The blade struck a tree, the steel embedding deeply within the icy bark. The other soldier, horrified at first, regained his composure and aimed his gun at Maiyah's forehead, "Die, heathen!!"

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

The gun raised to Maiyah's head startled Lenne but, thankfully, she was a little behind the other woman, and tossed away one of her guns - an empty one - raising another and pressing the end of the barrel to the soldier's head. "Lower your weapon," she hissed, her toned actually more vicious than Lenne was used to herself.

The man tensed up, looking at Lenne with wide eyes. "Heathens! Enemies of Bevelle! Die in the name of Yev--!!" Lenne shot, her arm giving a spiteful jerk as she did, watching the man fall.

Breathless, bloodied, Lenne's skin held a sheen of sweat from the running and the pain. She was exhausted and in pain. "Nn... the Calm Lands now?"

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

"Ah!" Maiyah cried out to the sound of the shot, fearing it was the gun to her head. She cracked an eye open, finding the soldier with his head splattered all over the ground. She stood with a painful grunt, "No... We must... go to the Macalania.. Travel Agency... the Al Bhed will help us there..." Not that there wasn't an Al Bhed Travel Agency in the Calm lands, but the one in Macalania was closer.

"Come... We cannot rest..." she said as she trudged forward.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

"Al... Bhed. Right." Lenne gave a slight nod and walked alongside Maiyah, wincing with every move she made. She wanted to ask Maiyah all about everything that had been said and everything she didn't understand but she knew it was time to get themselves fixed up first, before any of those questions were asked. Then they could go to Zanarkand and she could go home.

Lenne stripped herself of the guns hung around her, dropping them on the path before she walked further ahead with the older woman, her jaw clenched at the pain.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

Maiyah grabbed Lenne's arm and hooked it over her neck, leading her into the forest after grabbing her blade again, towards the entrance from the Thunder Plains. The forest was disappearing, slowly but surely, noticeably. The canopy was more open to the sky and the musical wood folk were gone. Thankfully, the crystalline path that cut through the forest was still there. She pulled Lenne along the path, fleeing from fiends that almost constantly tried to attack.

The wind was blowing through the forest as it vanished in a new, snowy clearing. Maiyah lead Lenne into the agency before letting her go and collapsing to her knees.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

The support was welcomed and, by the time they got to the travel agency, Lenne was freezing thanks to the snowy atmosphere. As soon as they were inside and Maiyah collapsed to her knees, Lenne crouched beside her, looking at the people who were inside. A lot of them were guests who were staying at the little inn but none of them seemed eager to help. Mostly because they were both covered in bullet wounds, which meant they'd caused trouble in Bevelle.

"Maiyah..." Looking at the older woman for a moment more, Lenne forced herself to her feet and moved to the desk, pressing the bell quite frantically. As she did, a stout little man with a miserly smirk came to her aid.

"Oaka the XXIII, at your service! 'ow can I be of assistance, ma'am?" His face grew to a grin before his eyes found Maiyah. "Oohhh~ I see! Well, I expect you'll be wantin' a room, and some sundries, hmmmm?? That'll be two hundred gil!"

Lenne frowned, looking at Maiyah for a moment before drawing a pouch from a small pocket inside her skirt. "This is all I have..." It wouldn't be enough but she would work to pay off the rest. "Please, you must help us."

Oaka counted the gil out before giving a nod, handing Lenne a room key. "Awright! You pair go on t'yer room. I'll 'ave my trusty assistant bring y'some medical aids~!" And with that, Lenne pulled Maiyah's arm over her shoulder, helping her to her feet and guiding her to their room.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

Maiyah had seen the shady merchant before, but she never paid attention... or bought anything from him. Maiyah limped to their room with Lenne's help. She stopped after they entered and dropped her blades to the ground with a grunt. She limped to the bed and eased herself down. "Ah..." she groaned softly, "...we.. need something to take these bullets out... Lest we want our wounds to become infected..."

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

With a slight nod, Lenne turned to leave, faced with Oaka's assistant. The man set down potions, ethers, bandages, a bowl filled with warm water and a wash cloth. Lenne watched him turn to leave before stepping forward. "Um... would you have anything to remove bullets?" The man eyed her in rather a leering manner before producing a small knife. "Dig 'em out, princess," he snerked, handing the blade over before leaving. Lenne looked at it before moving towards Maiyah, sitting beside her. "I don't suppose this is going to be painless, hm?"

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

Maiyah took the knife and stared at its long thin blade. Gods... this was going to suck. She took Lenne's arm, wordless as he dug the blade into a bullet wound, pricking it under the shrapnel before flicking it out with a sickening sound. The metal flew from Lenne's arm, coated in blood and landed on the floor with a simple click.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

As Maiyah took her arm and dug the knife in, Lenne's shriek was hideous. A sound a songstress should never make. It hurt so bad!! The instant the bullet was out, she felt a few tears of pain run down her face and she panted, trembling a little. "I was right. Hurts a lot," she breathed out, looking at Maiyah. "Ngh... three more..." she added, looking at the two in her left leg and one in her right.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

"Better you first... I'm sorry. But better now to get it overwith," Maiyah said quietly as she dug the knife in another bullet wound and flicking the shrapnel out of her flesh. She did this over and over until all the bullets were removed from Lenne. She then started to dig the bullets out of her own flesh, not bothering with any sanitary issues, such as Lenne's blood mixing with hers as she tried to remove the bullets from her wounds. "Ah..." Maiyah flinched, gritting her teeth.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

By the time all her wounds were free of bullets, Lenne had screamed a good few times from the pain. It felt worse than actually being shot. As soon as she could, Lenne dipped the wash cloth in the water, wiping away the blood before applying the green, gooey potion to her wounds, feeling relief as they began to close up and heal gradually.

Once Maiyah had removed the bullets from herself, Lenne dipped the wash cloth in the water and began cleaning the older woman's wounds, her hands steady as she did. "...Maiyah. I... thank you for getting me out of Bevelle safely. I do not know your reasons for the... massacre, but I'm not exactly... upset about the peop-- monsters we killed," Lenne spoke, her voice soft and serene. As any Summoner's voice should be.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

Maiyah's own sounds weren't delightful, her will to remain stoic in the removal process broken by the sheer pain. She sighed and breathed deeply to the relief of the potion on her skin. "My reason is rather selfish... Bevelle.. has hurt us all so much... and they refuse to stop... They dealt to me their final blow... They do not understand the pain they've caused everyone... before, during and after the war with Zanarkand..." her voice was quiet.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

"That part still confuses me... I was only underground a few hours and..." Lenne sighed, wrapping Maiyah's worst wounds with bandages that were dipped in ether. It'd slowly strengthen the other woman. "When I woke, Vegnagun was gone, Shuyin was gone and you tell me the war is over. So much happened... and I'm confused..."

Lenne took the cloth again, wiping the blood from her own face before beginning to wrap her thigh, where her worst wound remained, with the ether saturated gauze. "I must return to Zanarkand. I don't... understand what is happening..." she murmured in a soft voice, her eyes on her working hands.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

"Lenne..." Maiyah said quietly as her bandages were wrapped, "...You weren't down there for a few hours... The war between Bevelle and Zanarkand... ended a thousand years ago... It ended when a creature was summoned... and it destroyed Zanarkand..." Though whether it destroyed Bevelle too wasn't to Maiyah's knowledge. If it was, then a good number of people survived--possibly hiding in the Underground--and rebuilt the place.

"...We called it 'Sin'... It was an abominable creature... a being that never died unless a Summoner came... and summoned the Final Aeon... and died for it," Maiyah said, "...It became a tradition... and Bevelle turned itself into the capital of Spira's salvation... the foundation for Spira's hope... They organized false teachings... and taught them to the people... condemned the Al Bhed for using Machina, when they themselves still utilized it, deceiving the people and warping Spira's past... Bevelle blamed Zanarkand for using machina and bringing this terrible creature upon us..."

She looked over at Lenne, a pained look on her face, "...I am not from Zanarkand... I was born in Macalania... And raised in Bevelle..."

She sighed softly and looked down at the carpet, "I'm sorry, Lenne. But the Zanarkand you know is gone... it's now nothing but a Necropolis settled on the edge of the world, guarded by the sacred snowy peaks of Mount Gagazet. I can still take you there... but I must warn you... you will not like what you will see..." At least the tourists were gone. That would have killed Lenne for sure, even more than just seeing her once beloved home now in desolate ruins.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

Then what that man had said was true. Zanarkand had been destroyed. A thousand years ago. One thousand years... It was too much to bear. Lenne's brown eyes shimmered as she looked at Maiyah. How was this even possible? She was... one thousand and twenty one years old?! How was that possible?!?!

Lenne shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. "No..." she whispered, her trembling fingers curling into tight fists. "Bevelle used more Machina than Zanarkand ever did. It's... all wrong! All we had were the Summoners. That was all..." The songstress shook, her breath shallow. "A thousand years," Lenne exhaled, brushing the tears from her cheeks.

After a moment, the young Summoner looked at Maiyah, frowning but able to hold back the rest of her tears. "Zanarkand... is dead?" Her voice cracked slightly and she swallowed sharply to stop herself from crying again. "Sin... killed her? Sin..." Lenne bowed her head again, her lower lip trembling. "I want to see Zanarkand. I wish to know the truth. To see it for myself." And then she fell silent, staring at her lap, trying to take in everything happening.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

"I'm sorry, Lenne..." Maiyah said quietly, "...If it might console you... I ..have met someone who claims he too is from Zanarkand... his father as well..." She would leave the whole Jecht, the father mentioned, being the last Final Aeon used to defeat Sin having come back to life, along with his Summoner out. It wasn't like Lenne really needed to hear such explanations at the moment. "Perhaps meeting him will cheer you up some, hm?" She pulled herself further up on the bed and laid back.

[onwingedsilver.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps," she murmured, drawing her knees to her chest with a little discomfort, resting her chin on said knees with a sigh. "Damn Bevelle..." she whispered, closing her eyes as she did. It was all so strange. Too strange to believe, really, but it was something she felt was true. Clenching her jaw, Lenne sighed again before looking at Maiyah. "Thank you... for telling me the truth. I would not wish such a task upon anyone," she said, her smile returning to her lips for a moment. It was a horrible thing she was facing but Maiyah's help and truths were something she needed and was thankful for.

[falsevengeance.livejournal.com]

"Anytime..." Maiyah said softly. "...We have to leave here as soon as possible... I don't think the Praetor will tolerate us having killed the whole of New Yevon's guards at the temple... Surely he will want some sort of justice... They always do..." She didn't like Baralai. Or Nooj. She didn't mind Gippal so much. But Baralai and Nooj were two men who were just asking for trouble. Or even a war.