open 🪶 the world owes me a debt, and i've come to collect.

[garudas]

Who: Benedikta Harman & you.
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

[Apparently, Benedikta's ears are looking quite delectable to one small, pink dragon today. This is why she hates Eltrut—half the time she comes here, no, a majority of the times she comes here, there is always something. A goose, a conning healer who sends her out to do his grocery shopping... Today, it is a small pink dragon that has bitten her ear and tries to do it again. She's attempted to swat it away, walk it off, but no matter how fast she moves, it follows her and nips at her, or finds joy in playing with her hair.

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?]

༄ a. getting to the ship. [Perhaps it is your lucky night and Benedikta is feeling somewhat charitable. Charitable enough that she is willing to use anyone she finds as a decoy while she sneaks in to steal the goods. Of course, she isn't about to say as much, as she stands on the docks and stares out to the merchant ship coming into the shore, its lights blinking against the darkening sky.

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

[None of these prompts work for you? Want to do something that isn't from the MANTA board? Feel free to hit up my plotting comment, or via plurk @ crystariums! I'm also around on the game discord, and PM works, too! Also open to texts/bottled messages!]

Comments

[garudas]

... Yes.

[She's not even going to pretend otherwise. Not anymore. Perhaps once, she would have, but given everything that they have been through in such a short amount of time, she knows he would figure her out within seconds. Hell, he already has and she didn't even have to say a word about it.

She doesn't want to share his attention, least of all when they are together. Not even with the waiter or the bartender or the eyes of any other woman who might have followed him tonight... and certainly not with those people he's been spending more of his time with. And not just those from their own world, but from others, too.

Does she have a right to it? One could argue that no, she does not. Not after everything... not after their pasts, not after the resentment she bears for him, not through the complicated feelings she has now. Not when she remains so uncertain of her standing, and of his, or when she refuses to give any of this a name. Not when she asks him to go slow...

She might agree, in part. There may be a small part of her that thinks that he doesn't deserve her, and that she has no right to him anymore. Yet, they are still drawn together like this anyway, and maybe it is because of all their time spent apart that her possessiveness spills through her fingertips as her hand shifts beneath his, turning so that her palm is up and her nails graze lightly over the inside of his.

Still, she avoids his gaze, her other hand poking absently with a fork at the steak before she takes the bite.]

I don't like to share. And I know there are others who seek it.

[ramuhs]

[...Well. Her answer actually surprises him a little. Not so much the answer itself but the depth of the meaning behind it. It makes his eyes widen a touch, and he can't help but study her a little more, feeling the touch of her fingertips against his palm.

And he sits there for a moment, waiting for her to finish that bite, finish those words before his hand suddenly latches over hers, the other rising to grab her chin and turn her abruptly toward him to kiss her roughly on the lips. He can taste the wine the steak, everything, but more than that he can taste her and that's what he wants the most right now.]

Then you know how I feel.

[A low voice against her mouth before he takes it again.

How he felt, once. How he had to endure and eventually give up. And now how he feels again. How it sparked back to life after seeing her again and especially on the night of the masquerade.

Rationally he knew he had no right then, so he was able to repress those feelings for a while. Now? Certainly not. But he can handle it better, his own selfish desires countered by the sincere desire for her to get out and expand her world. Let her have others she can trust and go to. Let her shine and have the people admire her for who she is. Still, at the end of the day, there is still that possessiveness of his own. If he has to share her in some places, then he will take everything else.

And perhaps it's because he had lost her once, had others stealing her away from him that this repressed feeling has grown in ways he himself didn't realize until that night.

Of course, he should be dissuading her from feeling that way, especially since he is more of the type to be with others. Assure her that at the end of the day she could have him if she chose it. But...well, he can at least soothe her a little first.]

[garudas]

[It's her turn to be surprised at his response, and it certainly is one. She is expecting some cheeky quip, an arrogant comeback to tease her or to scold her for it when she should learn to share, and she had an answer ready for both. What she was not prepared for is for him to tighten his hold on her hand, tip her head to him, and steal her lips into a rough, passionate, and very sudden kiss.

He only allows her one breath before he captures her again, Benedikta keening and melting into the second kiss, her hand dropping the fork with a clatter to the plate so that she can grab him by his jacket instead, taking a fistful of his collar to draw him closer, all while cursing the table for coming between them.

Cursing everything that has and will come between them.

She pulls back only a little, her lips lingering on his, her lashes tickling his cheeks when her eyes flutter open to meet his.]

... And what is that?

[Maybe she is being a little selfish. But maybe she just wants to hear him say it again. To know for certain that she is his, and he is hers... even after everything.]

[ramuhs]

[A low chuckle as he takes her lower lip between his teeth, nibbling it not too hard but not too gentle, either.]

Only me.

[Words that echo of that red moon filled night.]

Flutter around all you want, at the end of the day I'm the one you will come back to.

[The hand at her chin slowly moves, calloused fingertips brimming with that heat she loves so much. That quiet jolt that travels as he slides down her neck to stop at the pendant resting at her collarbone.]

You are mine, Benedikta.

[No one else.]

[garudas]

[She tilts her head near his, faces and lips so goddamn close that she can taste the wine on his breath as he repeats those words—the exact ones that she wanted to hear.

She is his. Only him...

For all the freedom he wants her to have, there are times like these ones when she wishes that he would bind her to him instead. That he would love her, want her, covet her so much that he would tighten those chains around her heart. It was a wish that she had buried a long time ago when he fled Waloed, and thus, she found someone else to bind her wings to when in reality, her heart was still locked to him.

It had gone with him, far away, across the oceans and blighted lands, and stayed with him.

Even when fate would say otherwise, even when she would loathe herself for it, and by the fucking gods does she ever, he was still the one that she went back to. Goes back to now.

Her lips fall open with a small sigh bordering on something darker when that levin and his fingertips dance across her throat, but when he stops at the pendant...

...

She feels her heart skip those several beats in her chest, and she reaches up to grab hold of his hand. And though she does not pull back and instead, leans in to brush her lips over his, she does give him a light shove with something of a grin, putting a feather's width of distance between them.]

... Too bad it isn't the end of the day yet, Cidolfus. The night is still young.

[ramuhs]

[How he so wants to make it "the end of the day" right now. Truly he loses his sense of self and reason when it comes to her, but given the situation hardly anyone would blame him. So there is a notable stretch of silence as his eyes remain on hers, that desire for otherwise clearly reflected in those darkened greens before his lips finally quirk up into a smile.]

A shame indeed.

[It doesn't stop him from stealing one last kiss before he pulls back farther, eyes still on her as are his hands.]

But perhaps gives us a little something to look forward to later.

[garudas]

[She can see that heat—the very same one in her eyes being reflected back at her in his, and her smile becomes that much more obvious as he steals one more kiss from her and she chases him before she sets him free. Her hand remains in his, her thumb tracing a line between his knuckles, and her eyes locked on his, wishing the same.]

You'll have to keep my attention until then if you want a later.

[Until then, they have their steaks to finish, and she intends to eat every bite. So, it's after a lingering stare that she pulls her hand back, slowly wipes away her smudged lipstick with her thumb—yes, she does mean to do it as seductively as she does, picks up her knife, and continues to cut through the meat as if none of that had happened.]

[ramuhs]

Shouldn't be so hard.

[He says with a light smirk as he finally leans back to properly sit in his chair to first pick up his glass of wine to take a sip.

Since you seem to want my attention.

[And if she thought he would just let what she said go—she'd be wrong.]

Didn't think you were paying so much attention to my activities.

[garudas]

[Fortunately, she can hide her embarrassment with her food... She hopes. Though, he somehow has been reading her like she's a book spread wide open on his lap right now that the other part of her doubts that very much.]

You are not exactly subtle or quiet about what you get up to.

[That smile of hers very quickly turns into a slight frown and roll of her eyes around her potato.]

That ship you've acquired, and the crew that you have begun to amass for yourself...

[To name a couple.

Is she jealous still? Yes. Very. Though, not because he is the one with the crew and the ship.]

[ramuhs]

You're still welcome to join...

[He starts with a grin before he starts to cut the last few pieces of his steak. It's more of a tease than a serious offer at this point, knowing she won't. But he also doesn't mind it so much since he also wants her to do her own thing first.

Doesn't mean he wouldn't welcome her, regardless.]

...But you shouldn't be so surprised. I've always had a knack for finding talent and picking up people.

[garudas]

I'm not.

[Oh, she thinks she's making it perfectly clear that she is anything but surprised about it.

She casts a grin across at him—]

You found me, didn't you?

[—that quickly fades behind another bite. And some more (slightly bitter) jealousy.]

And who, besides that loyal dog, has cast their lot with you? Do they know what they are in for?

[ramuhs]

That I did.

[And to this day, she is his best find—with Mid a very close second. Really they share that top spot, and thinking about it he can't help but smile a little before he looks back down at his plate to shovel another forkful.]

Funny enough, I've got a few Paladins on my side. But they have their uses.

[A wry arch of the brow.]

Including my little summoner.

[garudas]

[She arches a brow at the mention of Paladins and tries to imagine those assholes trying to work with a man like him. Several headaches, she thinks, for everyone.]

What was her name again? Yuffie?

[She hasn't forgotten, nor has she forgotten that she'd thought about stealing said materia when the time came. That plan hasn't changed.]

What in the world do you want with a bunch of Paladins? And who would even agree to this?

[All the ones that she knows are far too self-righteous to be associated with a man like him.]

[ramuhs]

[He can read that expression clearly, and honestly he can't blame her.]

Aye, Yuffie. Thought it only made sense to be together at least until we figure out the whole summoning thing.

As for the others, Kaveh is something of an inventor like me—and extremely intelligent. The other is Sorey, a lad with a good heart and likes research. Both have considerable talents and would get along with everyone else well.

Sorey also knows Eizen, who I also recruited.

[garudas]

[Jeeze, Cid. Save some people for the rest of us—]

Well. At least you have one capable person on board.

[She means Eizen. The only name that she actually recognizes and gives a shit about because he helped her find some of those valuable relics that she has stored in her apartment.

All the rest just sound like more annoying versions of Cid.]

I should like to meet them sometime.

[ramuhs]

You should.

[Not going to stop her and instead thinks it would be good for her to branch out. Although—]

Unless you plan on interrogating or testing them or something.

[garudas]

You should know better than to question me.

[A pause as she takes another bite.

But yes, that is absolutely what she plans on doing. She knows that she has no place in that crew of his, and while there is the bitterest taste on her tongue, she washes it down with a sip of wine.]

I simply wish to see who it is you're dealing with. Ensure that they could be trusted.

[And that they do not cause trouble for him. Only she is allowed to do that—]

[ramuhs]

[She may think she doesn't have a place, but there will be a special spot with her name on it. Right next to him—]

So you're worried about me.

[Nevermind that he already has extensive experience in how to judge people, but he knows she'll think otherwise no matter and this is kind of cute of her.]

[garudas]

[She huffs and pops a steamed vegetable in her mouth.]

Did I say I was worried about you?

[She did not, thank you. Wherever did he get that idea from?]

[ramuhs]

You don't have to say it for the message to get across.

[Just a light, amused grin.]

Otherwise, why would you be checking to see if they can be trusted?

[Oooh he's going to keep pushing until he can't, and he's taking a bite of that steak with relish.]

[garudas]

[Ignoring that first comment as she chews aggressively on these stringy green beans.]

Because you are too soft. Too trusting.

[Too goddamn nice for his own good.]

And who else is going to do this for you?

[ramuhs]

Think I've done pretty well for myself so far.

[Still amused.]

[garudas]

[Yeah, well. She isn't!]

You hardly know half of these people that well, do you?

[AND NO SHE'S STILL NOT WORRIED FOR HIM]

[ramuhs]

Ah, but that's the beauty of meeting new people. Learn about them over time, figure out who they really are when put to certain situations.

Worked for the Hideaway.

[Wine sip.

Even back in Waleod. Sure he had some misses, but his hits were far more.]

[garudas]

And if you end up not liking who they are in certain situations?

[Benedikta flashes him a pointed look before hiding it behind her glass of wine.]

The people here are different. Them being part of your day to day life? Living so close?

[Knowing the things he is getting up to? Helping him, only to turn their back on him later... Yes, this is her way of showing her concern without actually saying it.

...

But there may be some more bitter feelings in there somewhere, but she tries to tamp them down by shoveling the last bite of her steak into her mouth.]

I'd have thought you'd know better by now than to trust everyone who so much as greets you.