#OHHHH LIVIN' ON A PRAAAAYEERRR

[sparrowwritings]

Final Fantasy Writing Challenge Day Sixteen: Salt

Day Fifteen -- Masterpost -- Day Seventeen

“You mean to tell me that part of what helped you guys secure a whole country from the empire is...a place that makes salt.” Gwyneth tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “That sounds fake.”

“No for real, we really had to secure the Saltery to help with Ala Mhigo!” Roger exclaimed with not a small amount of arm waving. He could see a couple of Crystarium field workers who gave him an odd look, but once they realized who he was they shrugged and moved on. 

Being known as an associate of the Crystal Exarch had its benefits. Like being able to talk to “thin air” without people asking too many questions.

“But why?” Gwyn went on while he was distracted. “Salt’s good for preserving food and such, yeah, but why would having a hold of it help stabilize a war torn country?” A part of her long brown hair got in her face and she tucked it behind an ear automatically. 

Roger shrugged. “I dunno, it was something Nanamo and Lolorito talked a lot about. Political stuff, I guess.” 

Not for the first time in this conversation, she groaned. “I wish you’d have paid more attention. Or that you’d at least skip to the good parts like fighting that Zenos guy.”

He shuddered. “That...no part of fighting Zenos was ever ‘good.’ He’s a real monster…”

“Well yeah, since he beat you and Lara pretty handily that first time you met him.”

“No, well not just that but--ugh.” Roger ran a hand over his face. “How do I...okay, you and your friends fought a lot of things here before you came to the Source, right?”

“Right.” Gwyn tilted her head again, this time with an eyebrow raised.

“So picture the hardest, meanest thing you ever thought.” He waited until she had her eyes closed to keep going. “Something so big and bad that even mentioning the name would make the people suffering under it change the subject for fear of it showing up.” Gwyneth’s brow furrowed with her imagining. “Now picture that beast or monster as a person.” Roger’s eyes lowered to his hands as they clenched with memory. “Someone who could look and act like anyone else, but is instead...doesn’t care about the pain he causes. All he cares about is his own pleasure, and he only takes pleasure in fighting.” 

He looked up in time to watch a shiver run up her spine and cause her to duck her head in. The sudden movement had caused her hair to fall entirely in her face. If the subject wasn’t so serious, Roger would find it kind of funny. “No wonder you don’t like talking about him…” Gwyn muttered. 

“You wanna know the worst part of all that?”

She looked at him more warily than she’d ever done before. “...what’s the worst part.”

“He’s Emet-Selch’s great-grandson.”

If she was able to interact with anything physically, a fly definitely would have been able to make a landing in her throat. “...You’re kidding.”

“It’s the full truth. Lara explained it to me when he first showed up here. Emet-Selch was Solus zos Galvus. His grandson, Varis zos Galvus is the current emperor and his son is Zenos.” 

“Seven hells.”

“Right?!” 

“So one of the monsters that keeps tampering with everything is also directly blood related to the monster that you and Lara had to fight to save two countries.” 

“Yeah!”

Gwyneth rubbed at her temples. “Hey, remember when we tried to see who had the most messed up things happen in their lives?”

Roger nodded. “We had to stop because Lara said it was too depressing.”

“I think you win.”

“I dunno, I haven’t even gotten into how actually weird he is…” He made a disgusted face.

“I don’t think I *want* to know going by that look.”

“Honestly I really don’t want to go over that anyway.”

“Good.” She paused and pondered what to ask next. “So you secured the Saltery...what happened next?”

“Oh! Well not long after that…”

The two conversed until Roger was called away. He always found it weird that Ardbert liked to disappear on Lara so often. Gwyneth tended to stick around until they’d had a full conversation.

He wondered if it would ever be okay for him to ask her about her brother like that.