40th Sphere (backdated to Saturday morning after the event)

[got_blitzed]

[Jecht wakes up with a gasp safe and sound in his own bed - well, the one he's been calling his own for the past couple of months, at least.  For some reason, Yuugi isn't there passed out drunk next to him like she usually is, but that isn't the first thing on his mind.  Growling and rubbing at where he'd been stabbed in the neck the night previous, he throws off the covers and storms downstairs to use the phone.]

"Banika Conchita.  Dunno who the hell she is, but she fuckin' stabbed me in the goddamn throat and killed me in that stupid hotel last night.  Figured the rest of you'd wanna know there's one more psycho murdering bitch runnin' around this town.  And if you're listenin' too - you're dead next time I see you.  Eye for an eye.  I'm sick of this bullshit."

[Jecht slams down the phone, wandering toward the door.  He's intercepted by Yuugi's drone, who is already awake and cheerfully fixing breakfast.  Grumbling angrily, he picks the phone back up and dials out again.]

"Oh yeah.  Yuugi's droned too, for anyone who gives a shit about that.  Anybody needs me, I'll be on the beach."

[He doesn't wait for responses to the second call, heading straight outside to swim and relax on his makeshift beach.  It's Labor Day weekend, after all, so it's more or less getting to be his last chance to do stuff like this before the weather starts to get cold again.  After a short time, the postman comes by to drop off a package, tipping his hat and grinning.  Jecht doesn't trust it, but he figures everything else that's arrived this way has been fine, so he eventually decides to just open it.  Out of the long and bulky package, he draws a pretty badass looking greatsword.  After grinning and taking a few practice swings, he plunges it into the sand next to his lawn chair.]

"Well, 'least I got somethin' back for my trouble."

((OOC: Please let me know whether you're responding to the phone stuff or the action stuff when you reply.  For anyone who wants to talk to him about Yuugi, they can respond in person at the action part since he hung up right away after announcing that.))

Comments

[child-abuser.livejournal.com]

So how's that your problem?

[thelittlecanary.livejournal.com]

[Can't fight back a smile when she speaks. You can thank Zidane for this gem, Jecht.] You don't need a reason to help people.

[child-abuser.livejournal.com]

[Jecht frowns deeply - less so out of worry this time and more because that sounds like the kind of stuff he'd say to Braska and Auron while they were traveling along on the Pilgrimage. Sure, it would have been easier to let certain things go, but at the cost of human lives? No way. It's something Jecht would never abide by, and he always dragged the others along for the ride. As much as he hates to admit it, Garnet's got him backed against the wall with this one.]

"...Fine. Go ahead and try. But if you get even the tiniest feeling that he's about to pull some shit, you run, okay? Don't try to talk, don't try to fight back. Just run. 'Cause that's where your job ends and your Guardian's job begins."

[Stares directly into her eyes, speaking every word slowly and seriously so there's no mistake about any of it. He is not joking around here.]

"You clear on that?"

[thelittlecanary.livejournal.com]

[Garnet's smile fades at his frown, and she remains silent, gauging his expression and his lack of a response as a sign that, although he isn't on board completely, he hasn't shot her idea down, and she's grateful that he's that considerate so far.

But then comes his actual reaction, and it's her turn to be stunned. She had nearly expected him to shun her entirely, the way he had the day she sacrificed her arm. Her good intentions made her reckless, that much she understood, but for her there was no resisting the call to help others. She's grateful that he'll be good on his oath to protect her, even though she's walking into the lion's den again.

The slightest smile quirks the corners of her lips, and she nods once to show that she agrees to his terms, throwing her arms around his shoulders in a gentle hug.] Thank you for understanding, Jecht.

[child-abuser.livejournal.com]

[Hugs her back tightly, the way a father would hug his precious only daughter.]

"Don't make me regret it."

[thelittlecanary.livejournal.com]

[Surprised by the strength of his hug, since Jecht is hardly an affectionate man.] I promise I'll be careful.

[child-abuser.livejournal.com]

[Nods slowly, sighing.]

"Good. I'll hold you to that."

[thelittlecanary.livejournal.com]

[Tries to reassure him with a chipper response.] I'm tougher than I look, you know.

[child-abuser.livejournal.com]

I'm countin' on it.

[thelittlecanary.livejournal.com]

And if I wind up in trouble, I'll come running.

[child-abuser.livejournal.com]

I won't be far away.

[thelittlecanary.livejournal.com]

[Spots the greatsword planted in the sand beside Jecht and arches her brows in surprise. It was impossible to miss as she approached him, but she had decided not to comment on it until now.] ...Oh, that Mukuro won't lay a hand on me if he knows what's good for him.

[child-abuser.livejournal.com]

[Jecht just grins. It's a very predatory grin, like a lion reveling in the kill.]

"Damn right."

[thelittlecanary.livejournal.com]

[Laughs quietly and sits back, pulling a towel out from a beach bag slung over her shoulder. She lays it out beside her guardian and proceeds to slip her dress off.

Don't worry, she's got a bathing suit (http://myhandsmadeit.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/bathingsuit.jpg) on underneath.

Once she's better-suited for the sand, she sprawls out on her towel with a contented little sigh.] This beach was a wonderful idea, you know.

[child-abuser.livejournal.com]

[Grins proudly.]

"Couldn't have done it without the Major General. She helped me put it all together."

[thelittlecanary.livejournal.com]

[Her eyebrows rise at the mention of a Major General, and she can't help thinking of Beatrix, though she knows it couldn't be her.] Who do you mean?

[child-abuser.livejournal.com]

Olivier Armstrong. Real good friend of mine. It was her idea to put metal along the fences and add more sand 'till it looked like a real beach.

[thelittlecanary.livejournal.com]

That was very ingenious. [Pauses pensively, nibbling on her lower lip.] Why a beach, though?

[child-abuser.livejournal.com]

"'Cause it's not summer without a beach."

[He says it very simply and matter-of-factly, as if that sentence alone is sufficient as the entire explanation.]

[thelittlecanary.livejournal.com]

Summer's ending soon, isn't it? [Goes back to lounging with a sigh, staring up at the blank blue sky.] ...I wish it would rain. [And after a lull, her voice gains a somber, gentle edge as she begins to talk about her homeworld.] There was a place in my world where it never stopped raining...a great kingdom called Burmecia... [Thanks to her mother, it lay in ruins.]

[child-abuser.livejournal.com]

Rain all the time? That'd drive me crazy. But yeah, once in a while is nice.

[thelittlecanary.livejournal.com]

It was a beautiful place...before my mother ordered it destroyed.

[child-abuser.livejournal.com]

Your mother... the queen, huh?

[thelittlecanary.livejournal.com]

Yes. She...became obsessed with waging war after my father passed on. Her grief turned to greed, and it ended up consuming her. [She's hesitant to mention the little detail about her mother forcefully extracting her Eidolons and sentencing her to death when she outlived her usefulness.]

[child-abuser.livejournal.com]

[Just sort of nods slowly, thoughtfully.]

"...Losin' people is tough."