The Civilian

XXVI

"I would like for the two of us to speak privately, if you wouldn't mind Lady [Name]." Lenne's voice spoke volumes based upon the way that Shuyin and Lady Yunalesca stared at Yu Yevon's second daughter.

On one hand you didn't mind with the fact that Lenne walked to talk with it just being the two of you. However it was easy to notice the discomfort that Shuyin was feeling with the idea of Lenne not being comfortable with him there. On the other hand Lenne's sister didn't appear to care with the idea of speaking alone.

Instead you only stared between Lenne and Lady Yunalesca, paying attention to the fact that neither of them looked similar to another. You knew how they could be sisters, but it would seem odd of Yu Yevon to have two daughters from separate women, or at least separate marriages. They looked almost close in age.

Shuyin could only nod his head deciding on using this time to escort Lady Yunalesca back over the bridge.  Instead you turned your attention back to the garden in the middle of this.. hole.  It was beautiful with vibrant greens and different types of flowers growing wildly. Never had you seen such beautiful and vibrant colours in a garden.

Lenne softly smiled and reached out to gently touch the flowers reaching for the skies in search of sunlight. "Lady Yunalesca's mother started this garden, it was a place of comfort for her when she grew sick." That explained it. "My mother would help her with the garden, Yunalesca and I would attempt to summon Leviathan even though neither of us could around the age of eight."

Sighing Lenne took a seat on the root of the single tree growing tall. You had seen this type of tree in textbooks, it looked similar to a tree grown in Wutai. A sakura blossom tree. The beautiful pink blossoms swallowed the entire tree, it's leaves no where in sight.

"Yunalesca and I are cousins, her mother and my mother were in-laws." Lenne smiled weakly wringing her hands together looking up at you, "Yunalesca's mother passed from an illness, my father had passed by the time I was born. We moved in and Yu Yevon decided to wed my mother that way the Council couldn't say anything about us."

Silently you moved and took a seat beside Lenne, you could feel the emotions that she was displaying. On the surface it apepared as if Lenne had everything together especially with having a 'sister' like Lady Yunalesca and Yu Yevon as a father figure.

But here, you could feel the pain and the ache that she must've been carrying for years. Pain that only Shuyin probably knew. "Lenne.. I'm sorry that you've had to go through this." Without thinking twice you took her hands into yours giving them a gentle squeeze. Lenne smiled weakly as she laced her fingers with yours.

"I've heard a lot about you, oh er, well your  father." Lenne sheepishly smiled causing the worry in your heart to melt away. Shaking your head, you waved a hand in the air. "Good stories I hope." You watched Lenne's eyes light up and a grin spread across her face. "Of course! Ser Auron.. he went against his home and gave himself to save us from losing more people, and he saved you too."

That was the first time that you had ever heard someone call your father that. "Ser Auron?"

With a smile growing on her face Lenne just dived into it. "There are a lot of Spirains that respect your father, for everything that he's done. Men and women who aspire to be like him."

Just hearing that and knowing what happened to Spira all those years ago, to hear that there are genuine people who love your father and everything that he fought for, even though he was going against his home country.

It brought tears to your eyes.

"Oh [Name]! P-Please don't cry." You couldn't help but laugh and smile with Lenne, she hadn't meant to make you feel teary. "I didn't think our conversation would go like this." The two of you shared a laugh together.