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Tidus chose to sit, but he didn’t look happy about it. ”Who says I’m bragging?” he said, crossing his arms irritably. ”I was introducing myself since you just shouted me down in the street. I still don’t even know your name!” He leaned back in the same haughty manner that Faris had done only minutes ago before inexplicably brightening and leaning forward.

”Look, you told me a little about your story so I told you about mine. So c’mon, first question is what’s your name?” Faris gave him a cautious look, but the boy kept on blabbering like his mouth was run by an airship’s engine. He mentioned his friend again, how tough they both were, and how they’d both love to help before finally asking, ”So what’s the dangerous mission all about?” like it came as an afterthought.

”It’s all going out the other ear,” Faris muttered again. No matter how many times he said it, no matter how he told the boy to listen, Tidus hadn’t taken a single thing he had to say to heart. No matter what the boy said, Faris had never seen anyone who needed “the lecture to go with it” more. ”I didn’t go after you to ask for help, and you never said one word as to who I was. But have it your way.” Faris looked up to meet Tidus’ gaze, eyes still as sharp as ever. ”It’s Faris. Captain Faris Scherwiz if a name be so important to you.” He tossed his hair over his shoulder, eying the fire moodily. ”One of these days, you’ll be throwing your bets behind the wrong man and he’ll use you for it, but that’s none of my business. If you want to help then so be it. I won’t stop you from throwing yourself into the fire.”

Faris let out a breath and blew his bangs from his eyes. He hadn’t thought this might be an option, but he supposed he’d lived through weirder. There was that business with the monk in the forest, for instance, or every time he’d run into that dragoon woman. In many ways, this world was even more unpredictable than his last. As long as Tidus didn’t end up a liability, he guessed there was no harm in letting him help.

”You’ve likely seen the dragons lurking about, causing trouble and scaring the people stiff. If you’ve been around long enough, you’ll know they weren’t always there, but you’ll not know why.” Faris’ hands clenched at the thought of that night – the one he’d spent with the Warrior. He’d never seen a man so broken. ”A friend of mine was there. Aye, he took part in it, but not because he wanted to. A devilish sorcerer fed his head with lies and led him into a trap. When the night was done, the fiend had unleashed a horde of dragons without a care for what kind of danger he’d wrought. He left my friend – a knight, the noblest man you’ve ever met! – for dead. He lived, but he’s gone his own way now. The guilt’s too heavy for him, I suppose. But he’s certain the madman won’t stop at that, and I’ll not let the devil get away with it!”

Faris was shouting now, the crystal burning hot with his passion. He didn’t know if he’d drawn attention, but he didn’t care – not now that he’d gotten it off his chest. His cheeks warmed with color, and for not the first time of the day, Faris longed for a drink. ”The knight, he told me the fiend got away on the back of a dragon and an odd one too – silver. He said he’s clad in royal colors and dressed like a woman with hair like moonlight and eyes like a snake. Someone like that can’t be hard to find.” Faris glanced towards the bar and wondered if they’d serve him. He couldn’t remember if he’d been banned from this one or not.

”And that’s my tale. I’ll find him and I’ll put an end to him, even if I have to do it myself.” Faris glanced between the bar and the boy before tilting his head decisively. ”How about a drink? It’s been as tense as a sail in a monsoon in here, and it doesn’t feel right without a pint in my hand.”

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