"Yuna, let go of me, I can walk," Seymour said, opening the door, for her.

"Al ready?" Cid asked.

"I didn’t know someone could be early for their execution."

"You’ve been mostly unconscious for two weeks; you had at least another to rest up after your injuries. And you shouldn’t be walking on that, yet."

"Yes, I’m a bit of an idiot that way," Seymour said. "I always have been."

"Well, thanks to her you didn’t suffer any brain damage. You have a skull of iron or something."

"I’ll take that as a compliment," Seymour said. "Despite the fact that it seems strange coming from you… after every other stupid thing I’ve done, although I appreciate the efforts you have gone to for peacekeeping here."

"First, I just wanted to punch you in the face," Cid said. "Second, letting the royal family, whatever it is exactly, fall into more chaos than it’s already in wouldn’t be too good. Especially when you’re the people who have a bit of power when it comes to the farplane. Third, let’s ditch this pretentious shit and do some actual talking."

"You start," Seymour said. "I’ve been out for two weeks and I never knew what this was about in the first place."

"Dead or alive, my people aren’t too happy with you or your people," Cid said. Seymour remembered his lessons as Maester and didn’t correct the man on the grammar of his second language. At least it was easier then dealing with the ronsos. "You’re obviously inventive, so if you can come up with a less cynical arrangement than usual, I think they’ll forget, whether they like it or not."

"What exactly is it you want me to arrange? Flowers?"

"No one was too damn happy about having blow up our home on Bikanel Island and we’ve only had two years to rebuild it," Cid said.

"I’m not much of a carpenter," Seymour said.

"Let me finish!" Cid yelled. "There’s no point in that. Everything we’ve rebuilt has been destroyed and I need to find somewhere safe for my people. The world may accept machina now, but that doesn’t mean every place is open to a mass immigration. Especially not now."

"Why a mass immigration?" Seymour asked.

"Remember Macalania and the trouble there?" Cid asked.

"Yes, I never did figure out how to deal with that."

"Well, it finished off Macalania and it’s on my island and took half my people. And considering what everyone says it is, I want you as far away from dealing with it as possible."

"What happened to Macalania?" Yuna asked.

Seymour and Cid looked at her and exchanged glances, neither wanting to explain.

After a long pause, Seymour found that it was up to him to either answer her or ignore her. "…That… was why I had such difficulty," Seymour said to Cid, deicing ignoring her as the better answer. It had world with his father… sometimes. "I couldn’t do anything anyone would see as covert, and I couldn’t think of anything in the first place, so that much was moot. I guess people will have to have new maps drawn now."

"That your idea of an answer to this?" Cid asked.

"No, that’s my idea of a joke," Seymour said. "If you want my idea of an answer, my father’s going to kill me for having more freeloaders around here… his words, not mine."

"Your father can’t. Anzi’s sticking around to keep him out of trouble and Yuna’s end of the bargain is to keep you out of it."

"So it’s finally a bad thing for someone to try and kill me?" Seymour asked.

"If making jokes is your idea of—"

"I thought I told you. My father would have to approve of you moving in here. If that thing is what survivors say it is, guadosalam is the safest place from it… unless it gets too big… or dangerous."

"What exactly—" Yuna asked.

"What?" Cid asked. "Al Behd in Guadosalam?"

"We already have several humans, and one—two half Al-Behds, although one wasn’t really the most pleasant of company. We’ve suffered our own losses. Not just from the farplaness troubles, but after everything I caused, people hated the guado… more than they used to. It seems and appropriate trade, however. You lost your home, so you can stay in ours."

"I guess you’d have at least a few of us wanting to stay here, what with you and Yuna," Cid said, though not happily.

"The guado wont’ be happy with it," Seymour said. "Not initially. They weren’t with me and I was the con of their lord."

"You also killed him."

"That was years later," Seymour said. "And rather complicated."

"Not to be offensive, but one of you got a thing for that broad?"

Seymour chuckled. "Not in the slightest. And you don’t know the half of it. Trust me, neither I nor my father could ever be her type. And you may want to inform your son that he will never be her type either."

"Getting back to the subject," Cid said. "I’m the leader of my people and I’m not going to give that up without a fight."

"Then don’t," Seymour said. "You can still be in charge, under my father. You’d certainly have a role in making decisions concerning the people and you’d afford us at least some defense if it ever came here. Personally, if I were you, I’d worry about fitting in. You’ll have to follow the guado traditions, at least of a little while for people to get used to you."

"I thought you said your people didn’t like other races," Cid said.

"They don’t, but they’re perfectly willing to ignore, or even trade with those that prove they aren’t a threat. My mother followed our traditions almost more than my father and the people loved her. It was me they had a problem with. For your information, I am proof traditions are important."

"And proof to keep sharp objects away from anyone around here," Cid said.

"I think keeping anything dangerous away from anyone in charge of anything is a good idea," Yuna said.

"Tysh cdnyekrd" (Damn straight).

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Seymour, don’t go so fast," Yuna said, walking at his side. "You’re going to hurt—see?" she said as his knee buckled.

"I told him he should be in bed for another week," Cid said. The whole trip outside had been for him to see what he thought of the city, and if there was a quiet little corner of it big enough for the Al Behd to keep to themselves during the inevitable culture clash.

"I’m fine," Seymour said, standing back up and regaining his balance.

"You’re injured!" Yuna said.

"I’m not useless!"

"Of course you’re not," she said. "You beat up Auron when you could barely walk. I’m pretty sure you could take him out now."

"Let’s not test that theory, shall we?" Auron asked.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" Lulu asked. "If something happens I can carry him."

"Good, because I’m not," Auron said.

"I don’t need to be carried," Seymour complained. "Yuna, I said—"

"I’m trying to help you, you’re practically drunk the way you’re walking!"

"I’m fine, get off—" he said, before they both landed on the ground.

"Well, you’re not anymore," Paine said, offering him her hand. He refused to take it and—with a lot of effort and two tries—picked himself back up.

"Why do you keep doing this?" Yuna asked. "I’m just tying—"

Lulu put her hand on Yuna’s shoulder and interrupted her. "Yuna, he’s male. They do this."

"But… why?"

"Weren’t you listening?" Lulu asked. "Because he’s male."

"Lulu, have you heard anything about Macalania?" Yuna asked.

"No, she hasn’t," Seymour said. "I may be injured, but my hearing works fine."

"You legs don’t," Paine said, catching him as he tripped.

"Nonetheless, she is not going anywhere near Macalania, and she is not going to get the information about it out of me."

"Sorry, but I’m not talking either, Yuna," Cid said.

"Good luck with my father," Seymour said. "Treaty or not, he doesn’t want you getting involved with it either."

"Why not?"

"Nice try," Seymour said. "That trick won’t work on me. Remember the last time I accidentally let something slip?"

"Well, your father can’t try and kill you anymore."

"You will know when I think it’s time for you to know."

"You mean like your plans for Sin?"

"Excuse me for being dead," Seymour said. "That was your decision, not mine, as I recall."

"Look, just tell me," Yuna said.

"No."

"Lovely," Auron said as the two started bickering.

"I’ve seen worse," Cid said. "And not from them."

"I think they like each other," Rikku said.

"I’d give it a month," Paine said. "Three is he’s good in bed."

"Paine!" Lulu scolded her.

"What?" she asked. "Last I heard, it kept you and Wakka together.

"Hey lady!" a child yelled at Rikku, preventing further bickering. "Why’s your hair look funny?"

"Dummy!" the kid’s equally young companion said, shoving them. "You’re not s’posed to talk to weird people!"

"But that’s the nice lay that gave mommy money for the burnt thingy!"

"Mommy said not to talk to her customers!"

"Stupid! Girls aren’t customers!"

"Leave her alone, she looks weird."

"You leave!"

"I’m not going!

"You’re scared!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Great," Auron said. "Do these things ever leave us alone?"

"Just like the newlyweds," Paine said.

By now Seymour and Yuna had finished arguing, neither having won anything and he’d fallen down twice. "We’ve been married two months," Yuna said.

"Hey lady!" he first kid yelled at Rikku as she stopped paying attention to her. The kid started bouncing up and down. "What are those funny things in your hair?"

"You mean the beads?" Rikku asked.

"No, the funny things they’re on."

"She’s got ‘em too! Only bigger!" the second kid yelled, pointing at Lulu.

"Hey!" Lulu yelled, only to realize they were talking about he hair, not her chest.

"They’re called braids," Rikku said. "They’re fun."

"Speak for yourself," Lulu said.

"I want braids!"

"You can’t have braids! That’s for weird people!"

"Nuh uh."

"Yuh huh."

"Are not."

"Are too!"

Are not!"

"Are too!"

"And I thought Seymour was annoying at this age," Auron said. "Good thing we didn’t’ have to deal with him when he was young."

"Hey lady!" the second kid yelled at Rikku, proving how short his attention span was.

"Yeah?" Rikku asked cheerfully, expecting another comment on how cool and pretty she was.

"I can see your underwear!" he yelled and ran off.

"Hey!" Rikku yelled and ran after him.

"You got in trouble!" his sister yelled, pointing. "I’m telling mommy."

"Yuna," Seymour said. "I don’t want kids."

"You are a kid," Lulu said.

"You’re the one with the dolls," he said.

"I don’t want him to have kids either," Auron said.

"I’m the one having them!" Yuna said.

"But I don’t want kids!" Seymour complained.

"Well you’re gonna whether you like it or not!"

"You can’t make me!"

"I can too!"

"Not here!"

"Yup, they’re married," Paine said.

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