"It always like that?" Wakka asked once they were outside and safely away from Jyscal.
"Actually, Seymour and Jyscal are usually throwing things at each other."
"Spells?" Lulu asked.
"More like furniture and punches," Yuna said. "The guards had to break up a fight a few days ago."
"Yuna, you didn’t stop a disaster, you married one," Wakka said.
"Why weren’t we contacted about the murder?" Auron asked.
"I only knew it happened yesterday and we were locked in a new room just after it. I’ve been locked in a room since I got married."
"He what?" Paine said.
"What did you want me to do, Paine?" Yuna asked. "Seymour’s already started a fight every time someone opens the door. I’m trying to keep them from killing each other, not finish them off myself."
"It seems easier stopping two wars at once," Lulu said,
"We’re having similar problems," Rikku said sympathetically.
"Chappu left. He had the Al Behd take him somewhere. Apparently, one of Jyscal’s scouts asked them to bring us here because there was an ‘emergency.’"
"Emergency or not, I do not want that woman around," Auron said. "She is a hindrance. She is going to get herself in trouble. Taking her somewhere else is going to make things complicated and worse."
"Yeah, but we leave her hear, Yuna’s in-law ain’t gonna be too happy with us," Wakka said. "And it keeps them attacking right where Yuna is."
"He’s right. Even if she got into trouble, we’d be there to stop it, not someone who’d kill his own son."
"Who killed him," Paine said. "Why are we babysitting these people? Yuna did this to stop some bastard from taking the farplane. She should be getting a divorce soon."
"Paine!" Yuna exclaimed. "Don’t you understand why I did any of this? Why I’m still here?"
"No. We don’t, Yunie."
"Paine, what’s wrong with you?" Rikku shouted.
"What, you gonna throw fruit at me?" Paine shouted back.
"We are not risking anything for that dimwitted woman!" Auron said.
"You heard him, Seymour’s going to get himself killed over her," Wakka said. "Kimahri’s gone back to Mt, Gagazet."
"Wakka’s right. Without someone frightening her, she’s not going to try and run away."
"She cannot defend herself," Auron protested.
"All the better she comes with us. Apparently the only one who can defend themselves here is Yuna," Wakka yelled.
"GUYS!" Yuna yelled. "What is wrong with everybody? All anyone ever does is fight! Will you please calm down? Seymour and Jyscal are bad enough, they’ve already broken—" There was a crash of a window breaking. "Please, just let that be a chair."
"Chair?" Rikku asked. "That was a window!"
"Jyscal already broke a chair trying to open a door," Yuna said.
There was a scream from just around the other corner of the palace and Anzi ran past, clinging to the nearest person she ran into.
"Hey, watch the goods, ya." Wakka said.
"Yuna, whatever’s going on, you have to stop it!" Anzi cried. "First Lord Jyscal’s telling me I’m leaving, and then there was a crash out the window and I don’t know what’s going on or how he got out or—"
"Whatever," Yuna said and ran off in the direction of the noise, not bothering to wait for Anzi to make sense.
"Yunie!" Rikku said, running after her.
"Not without me!" Paine said and ran after Yuna, trying to outrun Rikku.
"I remember when at least two people could get along," Lulu said.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
"Would you stop trying to get up?" Jyscal scolded Seymour, who was more bloodied up than when Kinoc had shot him. "You have three broken ribs, stop moving."
"Jyscal, what did you do to him?" he heard Yuna shout at him.
He turned his head to see all three Gullwings angry with him.
"You’re accusing me of this?" Jyscal said, still crouching by Seymour. "I left to hunt down his cowardly friend to tell her to prepare to leave. What I want to know is what the hell he thought he was doing."
"I… told you… I didn’t do it," Seymour managed before falling unconscious.
"Damnit, not again!" Paine said.
"I know that!" Jyscal said, standing up and kicking Seymour slightly.
"Well then why didn’t’ you tell him that?" Yuna asked. "He told me you thought he was going to kill you again!"
"He can think whatever he likes. I’m the one who has to make the important decisions around here. He’s not responsible enough for me to bother telling him."
"Well, he sure as hell knows someone’s out to get him now," Paine said.
"Would one of you little harlots heal him?" Jyscal asked. "If you are so concerned for him, then why are you standing there gawking at me and telling me how to run a country when people’s lives are at stake."
"Why bother?" Yuna asked. "So you can kill him yourself? Your not helping, you’re just punishing him! You have no right to keep people in the dark like this!"
"I am Lord here. You have no power here. I’ll keep people in the damn basement if I feel like it."
"Paine, move!"
"You move!"
"Give me some room at least!"
"I was here first!"
"And to think these are what I’m entrusting Anzi to!" Jyscal said. "Why are you complaining about how I run things when those two fight like sinspawn over casting cure spells? What do you want from me?"
"I want both of you to stop acting this way. I want both of you to stop lying, stop keeping secrets and stop trying to hurt each other.
"He was pushed out a window! He fell! There are assassins in your palace and you two are the biggest threat to anyone’s’ life around here! Can’t you be nice? Can’t you be the nice ruler I heard about to your own son?"
"What do you want, his legs broken gently?"
"WHAT?" all three girls shouted.
"Okay, it’s definitely an emergency now," Wakka said, as he and the others caught up to the Gullwings. Anzi was still clinging to him.
"We thought you were having a battle, considering the noise," Lulu said.
"They almost were," Rikku said, pointing at Jyscal and Yuna.
"We almost are," Paine said, going Dark Knight.
"Paine!" Rikku protested.
"I’m not going to let him hurt Yuna. He’s already ordered Seymour’s legs broken, what’s he going to do to her?"
"He knew the consequences for sneaking out again!" Jyscal said. "I warned him!"
"You gotta be bluffing!" Wakka said.
"He’s not," Anzi squeaked.
"I’m not killing him!" Jyscal said. "This is the only way to keep him from running off. He will stay in one place where he can be guarded and watched. I would not be going to such drastic measures if he were not so disobedient and untrustworthy."
"Are you going to treat Yuna the same way?" Lulu asked.
"She has stayed in her room as ordered and, despite her threats and outbursts, has yet to strike me. She will not be harmed. Whether or not you decided to protect Anzi for me."
"We can’t leave her here, that’s for sure," Wakka said.
"I agree."
"I do not," Auron said. "She does nothing but cower and blather about Jyscal and Seymour and I’ve had enough of the both of them already."
"We can’t leave her here," Rikku said.
"Damn straight we can’t," Paine said.
"You have my thanks," Jyscal said. "Not just of you, but of all Beseid.
"Where is Kinoc?" Auron asked. "I want to know if I can trust Yuna with you."
"You are mistaken if you think I had him killed. I demanded that Djose depose him and I decried him as an enemy of this nation. I told him he had one day to leave Guaodosalam and not return. That is all I know and all I care about him."
"I hate this woman," Auron muttered.
"I cannot offer you much hospitality in exchange, as you can see. Your staying here would put your own lives in danger."
Everyone backed away.
"I thought only Seymour did that," Wakka said, suddenly a lot more apprehensive at the sudden moodswing and calmness in Jyscal’s voice.
"These people are creepy,"
"I don’t like Beseid," Anzi whimpered.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
"Well," Auron said, glaring at Anzi through his dark glasses. "We’re at Beseid, get off the airship."
"I don’t like Beseid," She said.
"We are not taking you back to Guadosalam," Auron said.
"Rao myto," one of the al behd said. "Oui lyh ryja yht cdyo rana fedr ic." (Hey lady. You can stay here and have some fun with me.)
"Brother!" Rikku yelled. "Cra’c mega vundo. Yht Jyscal fuimt gemm ic!" (She’s like forty! And Jyscal would kill us!)
"Fryd y fyo du ku." (What a way to go)
"Brother!"
"Gettehk, gettehk." (Kidding, kidding)
"I don’t think I like Al Behd either," Anzi said, tentatively stepping out of the airship.
"You don’t like a lot of things," Auron commented.
"Or you," Anzi said.
Auron scowled and walked away.
"He does that," Rikku said. "My names Rikku."
"You’re Al Behd," Anzi said.
"E’s Al Behd duu!" (I’m Al Behd too!)
"Uh, I think you should ignore him," Rikku said.
"What’s he saying?"
"You don’t really want to know," Rikku said.
"Oayr cra tuac." (Yeah she does)
"Uh, let’s get to the village," Rikku said, leading the way.
"Cbuemcbund." (Spoilsport)
"Come on, you’ll love it here," Rikku said, thankful Brother was out of earshot to reply.
"I miss Seymour," Anzi said. "I’m worried about him."
"Uh… Me too. So, uh… you like spheres?"
"I hate spheres."
"Oh… I, uh, hunt spheres."
"Why?" Anzi asked. "They don’t put up much of a fight."
"I go looking for them," Rikku said. "You’re funny."
"I could get you some spheres," Anzi said. "Just don’t tell anyone where you got them."
"Um, I kinda salvage more than steal them," Rikku said. "Here we are." She waved at the village in all its… quaint…glory. "There’s um, huts, and… there’s a temple that used to have—right, this is where we sometimes have bonfires," Rikku said, quickly changing the subject, seeing Anzi wince at the temple. "Um, I’m sorry. You want anything to eat?"
"Not spiders," Anzi said.
"Right… not spiders. And not cabbage."
"Wasn’t there a ronso around here?"
"Oh, he left."
"Left?" Anzi asked. "He said he lived here."
"No, he lived here as in he lived here. Used to live here. Lived here, but doesn’t now. He was just visiting. Dang, he can make grammar confusing."
Anzi said nothing.
"How about that food, huh? I’ll be right back."
"Can I go with you? Everyone’s looking at me funny."