“Unfortunately, yes. So are the fiends that come from normal cases of unsent souls. That’s what makes them so dangerous.”

Unfortunately. That wasn’t the word he would have used. In fact, it took everything in him not to laugh. A soul with strong enough convictions. That would most certainly be him, and with his natural psychic prowess who was to say how twisted he’d actually become? Gaia had no interest for him now -- not with the story ended and the tragedy revealed. But Spira…

If he could solve the puzzle of their dimensional banishment, perhaps Spira would prove a far better stage.

Yuna suspected nothing of course. In fact, she seemed entertained. ”I think you’d look rather nice performing it,” she said with a hand over her mouth to contain her laughter. ”Your clothes seem to flow well.”

Did she think his fashion was some kind of exotic costume? Kuja touched at his lips, stifling laughter. It wasn’t the first time someone approached him with such assumptions. It wouldn’t be the last either, and he found that he didn’t entirely mind. It was a demeaning assumption, but it meant only one thing. They thought his beauty worthy of performance. All other implications meant nothing to him.

”Better than one would expect.” Kuja lowered his hand, but his smile remained as mysterious as ever. ”Though it is occasionally...restrictive.” Even with his magic, there was only so much he could do for the metal of his armor and pauldrons. A pity. But then, he supposed it was worth the protection.

The trade for covering his skin, however, was not one he was willing to make. His magic would do fine in that case. He wove it about himself in iron threads.

He listened to her lore, religion, and history. They were not eidolons, it seemed. Not guardians of the planet, but human souls in eternal bondage. How macabre. He would certainly have no use for such a thing though linking to them was something else entirely. If he learned the ritual, could he then call upon them at his will? It was certainly easier than extracting them from the summoner herself, but it might take time.

Not that he particularly minded. Patience was something he had in no short supply.

”Sin?” He wanted to laugh. It was such an apt name that it bordered on absurdity. What kind of hack had looked upon the beast and thought to land so squarely on its nose? Still, he kept a somber mask with pinpoint precision. He could ridicule it later. For now, there was only his actor’s facade.

”A thousand years…” He touched upon the number thoughtfully. ”Then it hasn’t worked, I assume.” You know what they say about trying the same thing over and over again. It was a mark of stupidity. ”Have you tried other methods? Perhaps eidolons-...Pardon, aeons aren’t the most effective of tools?”

His head spun with possibilities. If he were to take residence in Spira, that threat would have to be dealt with. He assumed that there were simply no minds sharp enough to dismantle the problem. Gaians had always been shackled by what they thought they knew. Kuja, however, thought to question every angle, fact, and detail. That was the mark of true intellect. Perhaps if he were to study this Sin...

That name was laughable even in thought. He’d make certain never to speak it aloud. His mask might crack.

”But that’s outside my expertise. I’m certain you know more of the situation than I do.” His lips twitched. ”You sought to rid the world of this beast then? You must be quite determined.”

ulla