Welcome to Adventu, your final fantasy rp haven. adventu focuses on both canon and original characters from different worlds and timelines that have all been pulled to the world of zephon: a familiar final fantasy-styled land where all adventurers will fight, explore, and make new personal connections.
at adventu, we believe that colorful story and plots far outweigh the need for a battle system. rp should be about the writing, the fun, and the creativity. you will see that the only system on our site is the encouragement to create amazing adventures with other members. welcome to adventu... how will you arrive?
year 5, quarter 3
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You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
Yuna yelped as she was dunked underwater, and Faris laughed, watching her. From what he knew, he thought she wouldn’t take it too badly. She was a kind-hearted woman with a good humor and a sense of adventure after all, but as he fell onto his back, floating there in the aftermath, a sudden thought struck him. One he’d forgotten. One that came creeping up below him as though from the depths themselves.
Yuna was scared of the sea.
It was such an obvious point, that thought. So obvious that he could scarcely believe it had slipped his mind. In that moment, he’d thought of nothing more than a bit of good fun, and here he was, grabbing her from below when she’d had a time terrorized by sea monsters. He felt a sudden sense of horror in that long, terrible second before Yuna resurfaced, and then she came up, sputtering and gave him a sharp look, smiling.
Yuna was a brave one, that was for sure. Faris grinned back. ”You’d have knocked me upside the head with it, I’m sure!” he said and laughed. ”I think I could take the blow.”
He liked the way she laughed -- just that light little giggle -- as she splashed him back. She was having fun. It looked like she’d needed that.
A mischievous look touched her eye and she took a deep breath, diving down. It took her about half a second to grab his leg and thrust him underneath with as much force as he’d given her, and could barely gulp in the air before he was dragged under the surface. He tried to keep from laughing underwater. That wouldn’t go well from his experience.
He kicked upwards again, and as she bobbed up beside him, he couldn’t help but admire the way her hair plastered around her cheeks, hanging lightly over her mismatched eyes. The sun shimmered across it in the warm tones of sunset. Her cheeks colored to match.
”Hi,” she said. She smiled at him timidly. ”Should we call it even now?”
Faris laughed again. He was doing that a lot today. ”Aye. That should just about do it.” He shook his head, running a hand back through his hair and flicking it out behind him. His bandanna had been enough to keep it from his eyes, but it was still wild and untamed in the water. He hummed, the taste of salt on his tongue.
”You’re quite the woman,” he said. She was a kind, in fact, that he hadn’t met in some time. The kind to throw herself headfirst into trouble and adventure and anything else that made her heart spin. ”If we were back home, I think the crystals would have taken to you. You’d be a real Warrior of Light!” Now wasn’t that a thought?
Yuna, back in the world of Tycoon and Bal. Yuna, on a ship set to sail the world. He wondered if she’d want that -- a break from the typhoon that had swept her away. He thought she’d deserve it.
He slipped onto his back, floating there as he watched the sky. He liked the feel of the pulsing waves. A cool breeze touched at his skin, and he shivered. ”You know, since I got here, I haven’t had a single stroke of luck.” He felt himself drifting. The clouds drifted with him. ”It’s been a slew of fights and blood and lost friends. It’s like everything I have, it keeps slipping through my fingers.” Faris lifted an arm to look over his hand without interest. There were the callouses from a lifetime of manning the sails. There were the short, rough-edged nails that sprouted from the pruned skin. He glanced over at her.
”I haven’t had a day like this in a while,” he said. ”I wasn’t sure I would again.”
Despite the cool breeze over her wet skin, Yuna felt her cheeks grow a little warmer when Faris said that she was quite the woman. She was nothing special really--particularly here where summoners weren’t known or respected. Without Sin, she was really no different than any other girl in their late teens. Or at least she didn’t think so. Truthfully, the only girls around her own age she’d ever befriended had been Rikku and now Celes. Yuna didn’t think she was nearly as fun as Rikku or as strong as Celes. That made her fairly average, didn’t it?
“How do these crystals choose their warriors of light?” Yuna asked with a laugh. “That’s quite the title! How many of you were there?” It was an interesting idea, traveling to another world with Faris. Would it be anything like Zephon? It certainly didn’t sound anything like Spira. Yuna had a hard time picturing the brash pirate fitting in back on her world, but she did her best to visualize it.
“If we were on Spira, I think you’d like the Crusaders. You’d hate the church and its rules, but the Crusaders bend them all the time. They were recently even excommunicated. They always choose the path that helps them fight Sin and protect people. No matter what anyone else thinks.” Yuna admired them for that, even if their methods weren’t always effective. Operation Mi’ihen had been a great tragedy despite everyone giving their best efforts. Yuna couldn’t stand to think about it too closely.
Faris flopped backwards and laid on his back in the water, his eyes trailing up towards the sky. Yuna wanted to tease him about getting comfortable, but she bit back her words when it became obvious that he was in a more serious mood now.
“Faris…” Yuna didn’t know the pirate well enough yet to know what would make him feel better as he spoke about everything that he’d lost, holding one arm up towards the sky as if he really could see his loved ones slipping through his fingers. The waves were drifting the lavender-haired boy away from her, and Yuna had to lightly kick after him to keep up.
“I haven’t had a day like this in a while. I wasn’t sure I would again.”
Faris’ eyes looked greener than any Al Bhed’s in the fading light, and Yuna felt something flutter in her stomach. “I wasn’t either...” She wasn’t really sure what came over her--whether it was the last glimmer of alcohol in her veins, her desire for Faris to smile again, or just the sudden realization of how lonely she’d been without her guardians--but she reached up and grasped Faris’ still outstretched hand between both of hers.
Water trickled down her bare arms as goosebumps from the cooler air erupted on her skin, but she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze anyway. His hand was warm and calloused and slightly wrinkled from the water. Yuna would have expected nothing else from him.
“I don’t think our story ends like this.” Yuna knew she sounded like Tidus, but she didn’t want to dwell on that thought. It made her too sad. "I think we’ll find out why we’re here someday. Until then...it will be hard. But there will be more days like this one too.”
It was hard to look away from the glow surrounding his wild, wet hair, but after a moment, Yuna realized the significance of the orange haze surrounding them. “Oh.” Her breath caught a little as she glanced behind him towards the western horizon. “It’s sunset…”
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
”I wasn’t either.”
Faris felt something touch his hand. He blinked in surprise as Yuna took it in both of hers, holding it tight. She squeezed it reassuringly. ”I don’t think our story ends like this,” she said. ”I think we’ll find out why we’re here someday. Until then it will be hard. But there will be more days like this one too.”
Faris looked at her like he’d never seen anything like her. It was funny, the way she could so effortlessly comfort a man like him. She took to it like a fish to water, no hesitation, only an unwavering optimism even in the worst of times. Just a few words and he was hooked.
She was still holding his hand.
They looked at each other for a long time -- longer than they should have -- before Yuna’s eyes lit up and she looked past him to the horizon. ”Oh,” she said. ”It’s sunset.”
”What?” Faris took his hand back and righted himself to a straightened wade. Between all the swimming and splashing and laughter, he’d almost forgotten what they’d come for, but there it was -- waiting for no man’s attention. Faris grinned. ”Then we’d best get back to the deck, aye?”
He swam to it and hoisted himself up and over the side, turning and offering her a hand to do the same. It was a skill to keep his balance while he was tossing the boat off its own, but it was one he’d had to learn at sea. Then she was up and out, dripping with sea water that weighted down her skirt and folded top. Like this, he could easily see the black shape of the stringed fabric underneath. He pretended not to.
”It’s a sight, isn’t it?” Faris fell onto the bench at the back of the boat, elbow propped on his knee, and chin propped on his hand. It was already beautiful. No matter how many times he saw it, he would always be struck by the sea at sunset. The endless water, stretching out beyond the earth’s curve as it touched the sky. The orange-pink glow that felt almost like a softened plush. The last arc of a fading sun, glittering orange highlights across the waves.
”Wait for just the right moment, and the whole thing will be lit up like gold.” He couldn’t take his eyes off it, that horizon. ”You’ll see.”
Faris seemed as surprised as Yuna did that the sun was already dipping below the horizon. He pulled his hand back as he sat up in the water, and Yuna wasn’t entirely sure if she was grateful or sad for its absence. That had probably gone on for too long, either way. They had only known each other for a short time, after all. Still, after spending all day with Faris, Yuna suspected that behind his bravado, he’d been as lonely here as she had. Maybe that was one reason they had gravitated together. They could understand that about each other.
Faris suggested that they get back on the boat to watch it properly, and he hoisted himself up over the side without much difficulty. Yuna swam after him and eyed the height of the boat a little dubiously, shooting Faris a grateful smile when he offered her a hand. She could always try to heft herself up, but she suspected that she might make a bit of a fool of herself.
With his help, she managed to right herself on the desk of the boat, a little embarrassed by how much water spilled from the bottom of her skirt across the boards. “Let me just…” Laughing a little, Yuna wrung her skirt out over the side of the boat before letting it drop. Her white camisole was soaked through as well, but there was no helping that. It wasn’t as if she had a change of clothes. At least the black halter top she wore underneath it ensured that her outfit wouldn’t be entirely indecent until it dried.
Seating herself next to Faris in the back, Yuna turned her attention towards the horizon, making an appreciative noise when the pirate explained that the whole scene would be lit up like gold at the right moment. “It sounds beautiful,” she murmured, glancing over at the boy next to her. He looked enraptured by the sight in front of them, and something about the passion in his eyes combined with the way the sunlight glittered off of them made Yuna’s stomach flutter again. Suddenly realizing that she was paying more attention to him than the sunset, Yuna quickly turned back to the horizon.
It really was an unrivaled view. The sunsets from Besaid had been breath-taking, but it was something else entirely to be surrounded by dark waves that looked as if they were on fire from the orange glow reflecting off of them. It made Yuna a little sad to reflect on how this wouldn’t have been possible back on Spira. Sin had taken a lot of small things from her people, in addition to the obvious ones.
“...Thank you. For bringing me. I think I needed this.” Yuna smiled at Faris, before realizing that the fading light combined with the chill of the water drying on her skin had made goosebumps erupt all down her arms. Maybe it had been a little silly for her to suggest swimming after all. Now both of them would be chilly until they dried with nothing else to change into.
Determinedly watching the horizon, Yuna scooted a little closer to Faris. Their legs touched, and she tried to tell herself over the beating of her heart that it was just in case he was cold too. Everything about this was practical, and that was the story that she was sticking to.
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
”It sounds beautiful.”
”Aye.”
Yuna’s voice was airy. Dream-like. He guessed that she’d overcome her fear -- at least for the time being. Faris had wanted to show her the beauty of the sea no matter its darker sides. She knew those well enough, better than him as a matter of fact. No, what she needed in her life was a little beauty. A little happiness. Still, Faris couldn’t deny it.
He was doing this as much for himself as he was for her.
”Thank you. For bringing me. I think I needed this.” There was something soft there, and Faris nodded, looking at her. Her eyes caught his. They were beautiful eyes, really. One blue and one a vivid green. He’d never seen anything like them.
”Glad I could help,” Faris said. ”When you said you’d never seen the sea -- the good side of it, I mean -- well I thought I’d-”
She shifted against him.
”Ah.” Faris looked from her eyes to her hands to their legs all pressed together. Her skirt was sopping wet, and he felt the weight of it on his bare skin. He shivered. ”Are you…?”
He felt heat rising to his cheeks. A blush? Now that wasn’t right.
”N-now lass…” His heart was beating faster. ”You’re a strong woman. And a beautiful one to boot.” He glanced away, pushing loose hair behind his ear. ”I don’t want to give the wrong idea. There’s a whole mess of things you don’t know about me. The kind that would turn you away if you did. I don’t want to reel you in when you’re…”
Did he have the wrong idea? He didn’t feel like he did, but if he was wrong…
”Not that I’m saying you’re after anything!” Blushing. Harder. ”Just if you were…”
Faris was embarrassed. Yuna could see it with the way his cheeks flushed red and the slight stutter of his words as he turned away from her. Yuna’s heart skipped a beat as she slid away from him again, her stomach sinking a little in disappointment. Had she read things wrong? Of course she had. They had only met a few hours ago after all, even if it had been during a dating event. Faris had clearly just been trying to show her a good afternoon on a boat, and Yuna had ruined it. She suddenly wanted to cry, but she did her best to fight back the tears. They would only make everything worse.
“I learned to practice smiling when I’m feeling sad, you know?”
Yuna forced a small smile onto her lips, though she had a hard time meeting the lavender-haired boy’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-..." Didn’t mean to what? One of her hands balled up near her throat, and she wished that she had her necklace to hold onto as her eyes drifted off to the side. “That was impulsive. My apologies.”
Somehow she’d slipped into her summoner tone of voice, and she hated it, but she had no idea how to fix it when she just wanted to shut down. Yuna had been too eager with Tidus as well. She had seen it in everyone’s judgemental eyes on Kilika when she had said she’d wanted the cheerful blond boy nearby. She’d wanted to scream at them then. To ask why it had been so bad to want one thing for herself before the end. But she knew that she’d never say that out loud. Not even to herself.
Yuna let out a slow breath before sitting up straight and smiling at Faris more genuinely. “Well, of course there’s plenty I don’t know about you. We’ve only just met after all.” Turning her attention forward, she watched as the light of the sunset slowly turned the horizon a golden hue. “But we’ve lots of time until we can find a way home.”
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
He’d done it now. The moment was gone, ruined, and the girl was near tears. Faris looked at her in alarm, ready to say just about anything to have her smiling again -- a real smile, not the one she plastered on so he’d feel better about himself.
Stupid. Why had he panicked that way? Now he was swimming in the mess he’d made for himself.
”I didn’t mean...Now, lass…” He was talking over himself. Was there anything he could say to make this right? He didn’t know.
”We’ve only just met,” he said after her, and then sighed, nodding. That was true. No matter how well they got on, he didn’t know the first thing about her either. Or the second thing, at least.
There would be lots of time. The thought made his heart ache. How long would it be until he saw Lenna? Krile? Tycoon? He’d gone through all the effort to save it only to be banished to the far ends of the earth.
”I meant what I said,” he went on without looking at her. ”I might not know you well, but I know you’re one of the most kind-hearted women I’ve met so far. You have a fire in you and an eye for what’s right. I’ve had the best time I’ve seen in a while.”
How long had that been, exactly? He’d lost track.
”I’m glad you came with me,” he said. He looked up and tried for his own smile. He spoke the truth, and he wouldn’t have dreamed otherwise. ”I’d like to see you again if you’d have me. I know I’m a tad less than savory, and I’ve got a bone to pick with your friend Caius, but I’ve been needing a friend for myself.”
He touched at his hair, pushing it back behind his ear. "And if you get to know me, and you're not turned away...Aye. Perhaps we could give it a try then."
Yuna bit her lip when Faris fumbled for a moment. She hadn’t meant to make him feel bad. She’d spent so long pretending that she was fine during her pilgrimage, and yet she was still so bad at faking a smile. It was pathetic when she looked at it that way. Yuna couldn’t stand being a burden to anyone, and Faris had shown her such a wonderful time until now.
“I’m sorry. It’s fine, really. I mean it, I was too impulsive. I would have probably regretted it if well...anything was that sudden.” Yuna tried to apologize again, but her words died on her lips as Faris reasserted his compliments from earlier. Her eyes drifted back towards the sunset on the horizon as a faint flush rose to her cheeks. He didn’t have to think so highly of her, especially after what had just happened.
“You really don’t have to-” she attempted a feeble protest, but ended up going quiet to listen to what Faris had to say. Friends. Yuna supposed that it was a rejection, but it was one that she was glad to receive. A small laugh even escaped her at his mention of Caius.
“I really think if you two just sat and had a drink together, you’d get along better than you think,” she teased before finally looking up to meet his eyes again. “And...I’d like that. I could use more friends here too.”
That was for the best anyway. Even if she had been the one to initiate, getting involved with the lavender-haired pirate likely wasn’t the best idea when she was still pining for a certain blond blitzball player. Still, Yuna had been around the world long enough to know that Tidus wasn’t here, however much she might want him to be. Maybe given enough time, she’d be ready to move on. Getting involved with Faris before that point wasn't fair to him.
Faris’ final words made Yuna avert her eyes again, though she was sure that she had a stupid smile on her face this time as she watched the orange glow over the dark water. “I won’t hold you to that since people can change, but I agree. I’ll leave it to you if you decide you want to bring it up later.” Yuna thought that what she’d said earlier might have been a little too on the nose. They had nothing but time, after all.
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
”Caius? Getting along?” Faris laughed at the suggestion. ”I’ve seen stranger, I suppose, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.” Faris shook his head. ”I’ll take you as a friend any day. Though if it’d be a bother...I suppose I could give it a try.”
If it really was so important to her. This was the second time she’d brought it up. He supposed she was as much a friend to Caius as Faris was to Bartz. He’d have defended his honor against anyone who spoke ill of him. Even if Faris would throw in a few words of his own.
Like air-head. Or dolt. Faris didn’t know when he’d be ready to forgive for the lout for forgetting him.
Faris looked out over the water. It really was beautiful like this, all regal oranges and fiery reds. It was the reason he’d brought her out after all. Though now he was beginning to suspect that he’d had a more selfish motive of his own.
”What do you think?” he asked. ”The sea’s a lot more than its monsters. Do you think you could give it a chance?”
That was the least she deserved. After a life spent in fear -- after too long cowering from the ruin of the waves -- she needed something to bolster her spirits. Whatever had brought them here was a curse, Faris thought, but maybe it would do Yuna some good. She deserved to think of herself for once. She deserved a long rest.
The sun sank over the horizon, slipping into a violet blue. It would be dark soon. The sea might have been less unforgiving than it appeared, but that didn’t mean the night did it any favors. He didn’t want to scare her -- not even a little. Not even if it meant keeping this moment for a time longer.
”We should head back, I suppose,” he said. ”Wouldn’t want to lose our way.”
Faris seemed amused at the idea of getting along with Caius, and Yuna gave him a slight look though her heart wasn’t in it. “I’ve seen stranger people have a heart to heart.” She had never met people at more opposite extremes than Sir Auron and her cousin Rikku, but even they had tolerated each other and gotten along. “I think you just clash in exactly the wrong ways. You both seem a little stubborn and set in your ways.”
That was said with a slightly teasing smile to soften the criticism as she turned her attention back towards the water. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, and the waves were beginning to turn shades of deep purple and soft blue.
“Thank you for this. It was beautiful,” Yuna murmured, clasping her hands in her lap. “I never thought I’d have a day like this.” Without meaning to, her thoughts drifted to Tidus and what he had said about taking her to Zanarkand one day. Her heart ached a little at the memory.
Let’s go to the sea. Before sunrise.
Yuna was suddenly glad that Faris had suggested sunset instead.
Fighting back the flood of sadness that memories of Tidus always seemed to bring, Yuna struggled to focus on the present and smile at the lavender-haired boy next to her instead when he asked if she could give the sea a chance. “You know, I think I could. You were a wonderful guide.”
The incoming darkness made Yuna suddenly aware that she was still cold. Her damp skirt was making her shiver, and she wished once again that she had brought a change of clothing. So while her first experience on a sailboat had been beautiful, she was still grateful when Faris suggested heading back to shore.
“Yes sir, Captain Faris,” she said brightly, scooting over to take up her position at the tiller again so she could steer. She’d wait until they were back at the docks before she pulled on her boots and jewelry. “Thank you. Really. I'm glad we met,” Yuna said again, a little quieter as they departed. She only hoped that she wouldn’t get distracted by the stars beginning to twinkle into view overhead.
