sphere 01 ᘓ video

[endsorrow]

[Well, someone has embraced this tin foil hat thing a little too enthusiastically. That hat is probably the first thing everyone notices about this broadcast. Goddamn, look at that thing. As if he didn't already look ridiculous enough in those robes.

The person who's wearing it -- a man, with a long, well-aged face -- is smiling, all warm and serene and welcoming.]

Greetings. I am Braska, a... mage hailing from the world of Spira. [He almost said summoner. Whoops. That's not the important part of his announcement, here. And, besides. Technically, he used to be a summoner. But all that ended... a while ago.] I am offering my services as a healer to Blackstaff. While it is true that I am an experienced White Mage, I am also skilled in the way of natural remedies -- that is to say, the creation and use of herbal cures. So, if you are not comfortable with magic, then there is an alternative for us to use instead.

I accept many forms of payment, so if you are low on gi -- [gil] money, then, fear not, we may trade instead. "Trade" is a... loose term. I do not speak merely of goods; I'm willing to even accept deeds, such as helping me gather the herbs I need for my remedies. [♥]

That said, this is more than an advertisement. [Braska laughs.] As I said, I am offering my services. Should you feel the need, you may come to me for help with your neuralflu. As you can see, I am well-prepared, [he adjusts his hat, grin widening,] and I would appreciate the opportunity to get a better look at the illness myself. The better acquainted I am with ailments, the better I can aid in easing their symptoms, if not curing them altogether. [He holds up his hands, bowing his head placatingly.] No experimentation needed, if you are uncomfortable with the idea; I merely need to watch, and to study.

Ah, and one last thing. [... and then, right at the end, his professionalism drops, and his smile becomes -- goofy.] Does anyone happen to know where I might purchase some grubs from that advertisement?

Comments

[endsorrow]

You're right. There was a way to defeat Sin for good. Sin's armor had to be penetrated so that the core might be found, and the fayth being controlled, freed. But these truths had to be found by someone willing to break the cycle. Willing, and capable.

And... [Braska smiles. Because this is something to smile for. He is so, so proud of Yuna. Of Tidus. Of Auron, of Jecht. He is so, so proud of them. ... even if he regrets that he was not the one to end it for them.] It was done. Spira is now living in an Eternal Calm.

But you can imagine the reaction of the people when they found out just what the church had done, the secrets it had kept, the cost that Spira paid. Yevon has, for the most part, been cast aside in its entirety.

[timesbureaucrat]

Gallifrey threw off its own religious shackles many millennia ago and is much the better for it.

Of course, the old religion didn't even pretend to be benign. The Pythia was a tyrant, pure and simple.

It must put you in a somewhat awkward position, however, being a priest of the discredited religion.

[endsorrow]

I... [Braska exhales more than he sighs.] I do have faith that Spira will, in the end, be better for it. The people are free from Sin, at long last. Free to live without so much fear. Free to embrace machina and all those Yevon condemned.

... but.

[And there it is. But. Braska spreads his free hand, more than a little helplessly, but he smiles anyway.]

I know that I would just be called "old-fashioned" for saying so, but I truly believe that there is still value in the teachings. Certainly, there are those that need to be cast aside, but even so, not everything Yevon taught was corrupt. This is something I have always believed, even after my excommunication.

[timesbureaucrat]

Morality, you mean? Ethics? [Narvin shrugs.] You don't need religion to have a moral code, or indeed to teach a moral code.

[endsorrow]

[Braska shakes his head.] No, this, I know. My wife's people, the Al Bhed, did not follow Yevon. They didn't need the teachings.

But just because this is true, I don't see the use in throwing out the good with the bad. Even in the face everything Yevon did, we should not turn a blind eye to the good it had done, too. It brought communities together. Provided aide and guidance to those who needed it most. Encouraged personal growth.

[timesbureaucrat]

It did all those on the foundation of a deception, a deception that left the citizenry in danger. You say that Sin was finally defeated for good, how much sooner might that have happened if the people hadn't been fed lies of hope for generations upon generations?

[endsorrow]

I know. [Braska smiles, but it's strained. He has known that questions like this would come, and with this insistence. That doesn't make it any easier. He tries to tell himself that at least he isn't having this conversation with another from Spira. It would be much, much harder, then.] And Yevon should not be forgiven for it. The good it has done does not excuse what was done. And I will not do my daughter the dishon...

[... he almost slipped. He grimaces somewhat.] No, I will not do Spira the dishonor of defending their actions. But I simply mean to say that...

[He pauses for a moment to organize his thoughts.]

Even in the face of the truth, I myself cannot simply cast aside the good that has been done for me in Yevon's name, that I have done for others under the guidance of the teachings. And I don't know if it would be best for others to do so.

[timesbureaucrat]

[Narvin is observant, and catching that slip.]

Daughter? What has she got to do with this/

[endsorrow]

[Damn.]

She... [... yeah, how does he want to go about this. Aka, what avenue of trying to dance around this topic does he want to take? Should he take it?... I will not do my daughter the dishonor, he had intended to say. And, honestly, that applies here, as well.

So Braska gathers himself up, straightening his back and his shoulders.] My daughter, Yuna, is the one who uncovered Yevon's lies. She is responsible for defeating Sin and bringing the Eternal Calm to the people of Spira. [He softens again at the edges.] She did not do it alone, of course... But it was her pilgrimage that ended Spira's suffering.