open 🪶 the world owes me a debt, and i've come to collect.
Status: Open.
Where: All around.
What: Oops, all MANTA stuff. And a not-date with Cid.
Warnings: FFXVI spoilers, foul language, suggestive content. The usual.
🗡️ i. bite-sized blessings
Fool her once, shame on her. Fool her twice—]
You little brat!
[—it's managed to grab at her hair, and it pulls, before swooping away from her grappling hands with a chirp, as if it thinks this is some sort of game!?
Someone please help this woman. Or this dragon. She has yet to hear all about how this thing is meant to be returned to Elah, so if you are looking for said pink dragon, here it is.]
🗡️ ii. a steamy winter heist
[It was the exorbitant prices that drew Benedikta to the job first. The black market was always open, and she was always willing. Call it doing someone else's dirty work, if it put a good sack of coin into her pocket, then who is she to complain? Besides, it's not as if stealing something off a ship in the dead of night was difficult—she's done it dozens of times before.
The fact that it was a special sort of tea was only a bonus, so of course she would pocket some for herself... Maybe a handful. Or maybe a whole crate if she could get away with it.
Now, that is the question, isn't it?]
She has her pipe between her teeth as she almost always does before a job like this, letting the smoke swirl on her tongue before letting it billow outward.]
So, that there is the ship? [She scoffs.] She is certainly impressive.
[As large as a rich, black-market-selling merchant's ship should be. Which is why she's agreed to a "two-person" job.]
༄ b. caught red-handed. [Or, maybe she wasn't feeling so charitable.
As if being caught matters all that much to her. She's in the middle of making off with a whole crate—and the last one, too; people have been busy—of these tea bags (there must be hundreds of them in here) when she hears footsteps coming. She hardly flinches, if at all, and stands there with it tucked haphazardly under her arm while she stares the other person down with a smile before she tosses her head back.
Yep. You saw right. A whole box.]
Sorry. As they say, the early bird and all. A shame you came all this way only to come out empty-handed, but try again another night.
[There may have been a threat underlining her voice somewhere.]
🗡️ iii. poke 'n prance
[Well, at the very least, being paired up with Benedikta for a challenge like this cannot get any better... or worse than this, depending on who you ask. Having a history of torturing others means that she knows exactly where to put the sword and how much pain it will inflict. After all, when fishing for information, it is best to poke and prod it out of someone, and you can't very well gain much from a dead person, now can you?
Which is why she walks up with her own sword in her hand with all the confidence and arrogance of a pretty peacock, her fingers caressing the sharp edge of her blade, from hilt all the way to its jagged tip.]
Now, pay close attention to where I stick you because we can only do this once. Perhaps twice, if you can withstand it.
[She smiles, so sweet and saccharine and sarcastic.]
So, consider this a valuable lesson.
🗡️ iv. coins of the crescent
[Well. What she thought would be a nice, peaceful ride out to this island to fetch some coins turned out to be... well, everything but. It had been fine for the most part, but as the island came into view through the fog, things had started to tip and tip and tip until everything went fucking tits up.
Not only did the crew start to howl and turn rabid, much like those stupid wolves she can hear in the distance, but so did the captain, and now the ship is wayward on the seas at the behest of the waves. Fortunately, she can use the winds to guide them true, but it will take a little more concentration than what she can afford as she drives her sword into the shoulder of one infected crew that lunges at her with what could only be thought of as a kitten's claws.
Don't worry, that won't kill him, but it will send him reeling to the ground wailing in pain, and she kicks him in the gut to quiet him.
Whoever might be standing near her, she will shout at them with no shortage of rage in her voice as she gives her sword a brandish, the blood spraying from her blade.]
Might anyone spare a moment to take care of them while I attempt to not crash this fucking ship!?
[Must she do everything!?]
🗡️ v. untitled goose bounty 2
[Well, this is certainly not what she was expecting to see when she arrived on Eltrut, or tried to. She'd heard sounds from above across the ship's deck first—the worried shouts of the crew and riftfarers alike. Benedikta had been enjoying the peaceful ride in her cabin aboard the Stormbringer, and had half a mind to ignore the noise and go right back to sleep...
...
Until she hears something else.
The loud, low, rumbling sound of a... honk?
Something visceral shatters through Benedikta's whole body then, forcing her to sit up when the flashbacks of those eight-headed geese attacked her not even a month ago. She rushes to her feet and then out the door, shoving people out of her way as she storms up to the deck where she beholds—]
You've got to be fucking kidding me.
[—an eight-headed(?) goose large enough that it could peck out Eltrut's eye.
Much, much larger than she recalls it being.
And she is pulled out of her reverie only by the sounds of magitech cannons being blasted off.]
I see it's come back for another taste.
🗡️ vi. wildcard
bite-sized blessings 🐉
Hey, looks like someone likes you.
[Zack quirks an eyebrow as he comes upon Benedikta there just as that little baby dragon flies up into the air to avoid her grappling hands.]
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Who she might not have minded seeing if it weren't for the dragon that scoops up her hair in its claw and pulls it before it swoops out of her reach once more.]
Well, I do not like it!
[She shoots Zack the grumpiest stare she can muster.]
Are you going to grab it or not!?
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Alright, alright. Hold still for a second.
[He has no idea how to handle baby dragons but he comes up to her and tries to reach out for the thing to gently scoop it out of her hair?? The little thing is going to grip its little claws into her hair though-]
Shit- Hold on...! Don't move!
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[She says, moving, whipping her head about and groaning out loud when she feels it pull.
Wow, isn't it wonderful to see her again, Zack?
But when he tries to reach for it, the dragon squeaks and stretches its neck to bite his finger before he can try to grab it.
And then off it goes, pulling on Benedikta's hair in one claw while it flies over to Zack to observe his own hair, dragging her along until she crashes into him, tilting its head back and forth in both confusion and curiosity before it tries to land on it.]
1/2
Damn- This squirmy little guy- Ow?!
[These things bite?! Zack yowls and the next thing he knows Benedikta's head is crashing against him. And Zack has to grab her so she doesn't fall over while also trying to grab the little thing without hurting it too much?! It's so damn wiggly!?]
Grr?!
2/2
What the?! No-! Damn it, damn it!!
[Now he's the one trying to get the creature out of his clothing?! He's smacking and swatting his chest!!! This isn't good.]
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That is... until she opens them to see Zack swatting at the little lump that's squirming around under his shirt.]
This damn little thing—
[And she's just going to unceremoniously shove her hand up the bottom of his shirt to grab at it—]
Stay still!
[She manages to grab hold of its tail, but its head pokes up from the neckline and... it almost looks like the dragon is grinning at him from there.]
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[Well, this wasn't how he expected to get a lady's hands on him. Usually, he would be pretty jazzed about something like that happening but this isn't exactly how he envisioned it at all.
It's hard for Zack to stay still because the little creature is still squirming like a worm in his grasp. The little dragon baby looks so smug and wild that it dares even to wiggle back into his shirt while Benedikta tries to yank her out.
Zack does put his hands up as if that might help by giving Benedikta full reign over his chest but... As soon as he does? The wormy dragon suddenly chomps her fangs right into Zack's nipple...........]
Yeeowwww?!!?
[And Zack HOWLS in pain and jerks backwards with a jolt.]
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[Benedikta pulls on her tail, not realizing that her little teeth have grabbed him, but when she doesn't let go...]
You want to do this, do you?
[She lifts Zack's shirt all the way up to his neck and grabs her with her whole hand right around her waist and squeezes the dragon gently, making her pop off his—Founders, did she chomp down on his nipple!? The dragon chirps and wiggles, clearly more pleased with herself than anything as she holds her in the air between them.]
I'm half tempted to throw you into the ocean right now. [Benedikta eyes Zack a moment.] I understand he looks delectable, but you cannot do that.
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Damn it!!
[He yowls again but as soon as Benedikta gets that little brat off his nipple he recoils with a hand over the very tender spot and tries not to let his eyes water. He knows that the little dragon bite mark is going to leave a pretty telling bite mark on his nipple now. Great.]
That thing really bit me?!
[He frowns...]
Thanks for the compliment but I'm done with being nibbled at today. Get it away from me. Toss it back into the wild or something.
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Meanwhile, Benedikta wrestles to get a grip on her as she squirms before stopping, and just... hangs there in her hands, glaring at him.]
Where did she come from anyway?
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No idea. But it's probably a good idea to take her to Elah's conservatory or something before she causes more problems.
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So. That's how this is going to go.
But Benedikta eyes him at the mention of Elah, and then an arch of her brow at "conservatory"...]
As keen as I am to get rid of this thing... I'm not so keen on handing her over to the Paladins to take care of.
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And what makes you think that?
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Watch out for your nipples.
[Yeah, she went there. Just a quiet warning (and definitely teasing) before she gives a nonchalant answer to his question.]
But when have the Paladins proven they can take care of anything?
[Yeah. She's still incredibly sour about the whole ordeal with the gallows.
She knows that he is one, and while she doesn't mean all Paladins, rather the general populace, he is free to take that however he wants.]
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I mean, the paladins have that whole conservatory for a reason. There are a ton of magical creatures living there.
[Look, he's not a fan of what happened at the gallows either. So he figures that she's got a pointed view, too.]
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[The dragon burps in her hands and coughs up a little cloud of smoke right into Zack's face while she still holds it at arm's length.]
—I don't suppose you know the people that are taking care of these winged creatures? Besides that, she should not be kept in a cage.
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No, maybe you're right. You can keep that stinky thing.
[He's only joking...]
It really bothers you that much? The conservatory?
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[With the dragon now squirming—in amusement? Protest? She can't tell—she brings it close to her body, wrapping an arm tight around it to keep it still, like it's an unruly cat and not a small dragon. It tries to nip at her ear, and with a quiet curse under her breath, she presses her other palm over its muzzle and holds it shut.
Annoying little thing, stay still!!!]
How much freedom does any bird or dragon have in a place like that?
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The glass ceilings are pretty high. And there's all sorts of caretakers around to watch them if anything goes wrong.
[But they are ceilings none the less. And when she points it out like it's so obvious it does make Zack think twice. Look at that little feisty bird-thing in her arms.
He sighs.]
You seriously think she'll be happier out in the wild alone were something bigger could eat her?
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Well, she seemed to do just fine defending herself.
[—then back up to him with an arched brow.]
If you were a dragon, I'm sure you'd grow tired of being cooped up.
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Fine, we'll go with your idea.
[He can't really argue with her when she makes a point like that. Free open skies...
Zack then winces slightly and puts his hands back down.]
I'll leave it to you to get her there then. I should probably get to a healer for this bite ... Just in case.
push to a wrap? 💚
She'll tuck the dragon under her arm now like she's a small sack of potatoes... much to the little one's dismay, but her fighting and squirming does nothing.]
Be sure to tell them it was a dragon. Wouldn't want them making assumptions, now would we?
🎀
He sighs!!]
I don't know what's going to be more believable, that I let a baby dragon down my shirt or something else.
[He laughs dejectedly but then waves his goodbye. While suppressing another wince.]
See you around, Benedikta. Take care of her.