The island was busier than usual and had been for just over a week; with Tidus’ return and Spira’s safety ensured a second time, the Gullwings extended their stay, thus gaining a few temporary occupants in the process. It was truly something to celebrate and she was positively elated to be sharing it with her closest friends—after all, none of it would have been possible otherwise.
Nestled comfortably at his side, the pair had been quietly talking among themselves and stargazing, all smiles and laughs as it’d been every night since their fateful reunion. And she would have been content to stay there until sleep had become so relentless that she couldn’t hold her eyes open...if it weren’t for the slight movement that caught in her peripheral vision; a certain Gullwing who wasn’t as inconspicuous as she thought herself to be.
It didn’t initially concern her until she noticed Paine slipping out of the village. Their time was coming to a close after all, but surely she wasn’t trying to depart without at least saying good bye first, right?
The shift in her demeanor wasn’t lost by Tidus who was quick to question her actions, and once she was clued him in, that was all that needed to be said; he understood, reassuring her that he’d still be here when she returned—acutely aware she’d wanted to follow.
And...so began the silent ‘chase’.
Slipping quietly behind and at a comfortable distance in case Paine had just wanted some privacy, their destination ended up back to where it all began: the cove along Besaid’s shores. Peeking around the bend, simply watching and waiting, bi-colored eyes never left the warrior; she looked somewhat calm and yet...contemplative...as if there was something weighing heavy on her shoulders.
She knew that look, had seen it too many times on their journeys together.
A sigh filtered through her nose while a light smile decorated her lips, pulling herself from the place she’d been hiding. Bare feet sinking into the still warm sand, small strides taken to bring herself closer to the other, stopping just a few feet shy and gently tapping Paine on the shoulder with a chuckle.
“And what are you doing out here so late by yourself?”
❝ ———- i think i started hating you yesterday, ❞ she will say this with the utmost seriousness gathered in a single individual, but there is a ninety-nine percent chance paine will a. ignore her, b. not give a single damn fuck about what she is mumbling about ( the two option often intersect and still paine would have every reason to do both, let’s admit this ); still, she pouts. hard.
“So you think there could be a connection?” Paine’s hand was on her chin as she pondered the question out loud. “Between the merchandise that O’aka’s selling and the raids, that is.” Her hand went back down to her side as she turned her attention more towards the other. She’d hadn’t heard of anything like this happening before but she wasn’t exactly an expert on the area.
“How have you gathered this information? Not illegally, I hope.” There was a faint tone of sarcasm in her voice, but the general curiosity outweighed it.
“Illegally,” Rei parroted, brows rising high on his forehead. He’d have taken offense had she said it in any other way -- more like an accusation and less than a simple want to know. And he couldn’t blame her, either. Of all the fellow merchants Rei had the pleasure of dealing with (or perhaps displeasure), O’aka was one of the more... odd ones. A big name for a man constantly out of money. Rei had his suspicions. These raids she was referring to didn't do much to quiet them.
Hopping down from the ledge he’d perched himself upon, he shook his head. “It’s a rumor. And you know how those work, right? Parts of them are always right.” He gave a shrug. “It’s none of my business, but it doesn’t feel right to keep quiet. It’s only a matter of time until these rumors reach everyone, anyhow.” He marked a brief pause, eyes scanning her head to toe, before he asked, "How much do you know about these raids?"
❝ What the-? ❞ A small figure quickly flies past her in almost a blur. Aqua, inquisitive about what it was... decided to follow behind it. She could have sworn that it looked like a person but... smaller? Ah... but it seems she’s already lost track of it. Perhaps they were further down the path?
ϟ ❝ Am I always back at one, after all I’ve done? ❞ It was more a personal reflection than words directed at the woman beside her; the frustration in her tone was evident, and Lightning silently cursed the gods of her world for having swiped her happy ending -- her reunion with her sister -- out from under her feet. It was a cruel twist of the knife and she’d yet to figure out its purpose ( aside, perhaps, from punishment for defying the fate the fal’Cie had branded into her skin ). Arms folded across her chest, and the former soldier leaned back against a rock face, head shaking in disbelief -- that she and her companions had saved the world, and here she was, in unfamiliar territory with nary a hint as to why. ❝ I’ve burned all of my bridges, and learned every last lesson. How can I start new? ❞
can you enlighten us with your thoughts on Yuna and Baralai as a ship? And maybe Seyuna as well? I'm intrigued.
Hello sweets !! ♡
Aaaah, I honestly have so much to say about this topic but I’m honestly not sure if my thoughts will make any kind of sense ? So you have to forgive me if I sound confusing !!
Okay, let’s start with Yuna and Baralai ─ I never liked the idea of them together. I started to write as Yuna some years ago and I remember that back then, this was a rather popular ship among the various people in the fandom. The reason was that Yuna represented the old Yevon, the many beliefs and hopes and even sins that had characterized not only the sudden appearance of Sin but all of its reincarnations until the very end, which also involved the cycle of death and the suffering of people and the many lies that continued to be fed to the poor believers who had no choice but that of standing on their knees ; on the other hand, Baralai represented the new Yevon, a new wave with new beliefs and hopefully, a more positive influence to Spira. It’s easy to see why people would believe that their union would have been positive for the entire populace of the planet, since they hypothetically incarnated the history itself, but… I don’t think it ever made much sense, to me at least ? Yuna has consciously and willingly distanced herself from everything that Yevon represented and even in this new era, we’re oftentimes reminded that New Yevon is yes, less horrifying and corrupted than the old one, but it still has its own flaws and mistakes, things that she would never accept or forgive or even condone ; truthfully, I don’t see why she would ever decide to turn back on her steps to engage in a kind of romance that might be noxious not only for her as a person, but for many more people, too. WITH THIS BEING SAID, I don’t think that Baralai is a bad or negative character and I liked him a lot throughout the game, but… I just don’t think that the two of them could ever harbor genuine feelings for each other. Yes, they could become friends and they could share their experience and even work together for the sake of the ones they want to protect, but I don’t think they would ever fall for each other. I believe that any kind of close companionship between them would mostly be connected to WHO and WHAT they are, to the weight that they carry upon their shoulders and to their common desire to rebuild Spira. “Together we’re stronger”, something along those lines.
NOW, ONTO THE SECOND QUESTION ! Yuna has always admired Seymour and I always thought ( or better, headcanoned ) that she did have a very infantile platonic crush on him: he was powerful, good looking and he was believed to be some kind of savior that would have eventually led Spira towards a brighter future. However, we all know what kind of person Seymour actually is and I doubt that he could ever experience genuine love towards someone else: the only reason why he almost forced Yuna to marry him is because he desired her power, what she was capable of ; there were no feelings involved, aside from his hunger for power and destruction. She eventually discovers this and any kind of admiration that she felt for him disappeared instantly ( and for good reason ) , so I don’t think that she could ever change her mind towards someone as wicked and twisted as he is. As for the shipping… Imagine that she decided to marry him. Imagine that she thought that marrying him would have helped Spira, would have saved Spira in the long run ─ Do you think that they could have fallen in love ? I highly doubt it. Seymour would have probably turned her into a breathing doll, an object that he wants and needs and can’t be without, while Yuna would have probably lost all her will and strength to fight in order to silently stand for a cause that she believed to be just ; giving up on her independence, she would have probably become the empty shell of what she once used to be. This is why I say that I don’t see any kind of healthy relationship blooming between them, unless we count this possibility in which the canon verse is replaced by a sort of a AU and the marriage actually takes place ( and even then, this would be a really ruinous relationship ) . In any case, it would be a rather bad ending for Yuna, as she would never be happy or in love and would probably be sacrificed by Seymour in the end without a second thought: while he’s utterly unable to experience love, she would be stripped of the possibility to do such.
DOES THIS MAKE SENSE ?? I doubt it,,, But this is what I think about these two ships !! Of course, everything can happen in roleplay and this is the beauty of writing, but if we start from the canon material that we have, I don’t see Yuna with neither of them ; both ships have their own reasons that I understand, especially since both of them seem to depend on Yuna’s desire to help and save others, while sacrificing her heart in the progress. With this being said, I love both Seymour and Baralai and I would never be against exploring the dark shades of their connections with Yuna.I hope this made sense !! And if you have any question, please, let me know !! We can totally exchange ideas and opinions in IMs ! :)
