Interspecies Cooperation (chapter 34 of 49, 5164 words)
As the event at Jyscal's mansion continues, Auron attempts to reconnect with the Guado archivist, while Jecht finds that he and Jyscal have different attitudes towards parenting.
Read here on praze.net or here on archiveofourown.org, or read the whole fic so far as a PDF or an EPUB.
This and the previous chapter were originally the same one, but my rule at a certain stage of drafting was that if they got over 10k I would split them in two, so this one starts roughly at the halfway point. I'm kind of surprised "the Jyscal's mansion scene" ended up so long, but I suppose there are a lot of conversations to get through.
I can't resist drawing attention to the Guado's massive hands at every possible moment.
I guess Jyscal was informed that Braska was passing through when he and his guardians arrived, which can't have been that long before the dinner started. I suppose he must have dispatched his servants to all his posh friends' houses immediately to invite them, and reserved Tromell for the task of going to the inn to find Braska and his guardians themselves. He may be the kind of guy who turns his own son evil, but at least he's efficient!
Somehow he managed to get Braska to talk about the pilgrimage instead of just about Girl, which is actually also commendable. I think Jyscal is probably being tactful when he says Braska speaks of both his guardians highly, though … I'm sure Braska was very keen to tell him about how Auron is so helpful and so special and so nice to kiss, probably at the expense of saying very much about Jecht.
"It'll be your last chance to relax for a while, I'm sure."
This is almost certainly true, although what Byelas doesn't know is that Auron is pretty unfamiliar with the concept of relaxing.
"They're the same picture" meme but it's the Guado sphere archive and a hobbit hole, for some reason.
I think Seymour doesn't know what happens at Zanarkand, right, so if we take the fact that he "has human blood" as a reason for his not having viewed the spheres (beyond just "he was too young"), that could work … although his mother clearly knew. But maybe Jyscal told her, I suppose. I don't know whether the truth is known generally among the Guado – maybe it's just Jyscal and his advisors who are aware of it. They were probably all placing bets during the dinner on which of Braska's guardians would be the one to, um, put himself forward, although it may have seemed obvious once Auron went out to comfort him after his hope-induced breakdown. Little do they know!
The Guado speak in an even more formal way than Braska does and I'm so here for it.
"I'm not desperate," he said.
Auron … really …
So while Jyscal was sending everyone around Guadosalam to try and get a quorum together for dinner, Byelas was frantically looking through the newspapers to find out about Auron, I guess?
It's a good thing Jecht's been able to use magic to help get over the alcoholism, because this kind of occasion would probably be quite difficult for him to deal with otherwise.
So Jyscal cornered Jecht because he wanted to vent to him about his bad decisions … wow he really is like Braska. Amazing.
Jecht's barge/Baaj confusion is a wee callback to "what's a summer-ner, anyway". More fuel for my "Yevonites are British" theory (ok, more of a stylistic decision than a theory).
Love how everyone in Spira has these wacky fantasy names (except Lulu, maybe?) and then there's … Seymour.
Braska, of course, gets even more physical when he's drunk.
There's a pleasing symmetry in the fact that Guadosalam is where Jecht reached his drunkest point earlier in the journey, and now it's Braska's turn. Pleasing for me, but not for the apparently sober Auron having to deal with it, I suppose.
A kiss on the lips meant as little as one on the cheek,
Auron … please …
Jecht is of course delighted by Auron's increasing sexual frustration … all the more likely that he'll soon get what he wants.