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Entry tags:
closed ⚡🪶 and forevermore, i'll be chasing the storm we had.
Who: Benedikta Harman & Cidolfus Telamon.
Status: Closed.
Where: Cid's workshop, Avaleci.
What: Cid is sad about his daughter being gone and Benedikta is horrible at being comforting. Also adventures later!
Warnings: it's cid and benna 🙂 also ffxvi spoilers, if you can find them.
Status: Closed.
Where: Cid's workshop, Avaleci.
What: Cid is sad about his daughter being gone and Benedikta is horrible at being comforting. Also adventures later!
Warnings: it's cid and benna 🙂 also ffxvi spoilers, if you can find them.
ice skating, hot springs ♨️
volcano, egis 🔥
the price of freedom 🧵
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Those fucking rifts...
One of them was going to find a way to close them, and if it were Benedikta, she'd see to it that they were closed permanently.
The worst part of is that she had been on Eltrut in the middle of a job when she got it. He will get no response from her, but that isn't anything new, so it isn't until a couple days later when all of the Leviathans have docked near some volcanic island that she sets out to find him on Nogard. The moment that she could.
He might not have given it away, nor did she ever ask, but she thinks she knows where to find him, and that twinge along the back of her neck all but confirms it as she lands in front of the door of his workshop.
Why? Why the fuck does she do anything anymore?
Because she has a feeling that he has holed himself up here for several days feeling pity for himself, moping around, likely into a bottle or three of ale or whatever his choice of drink is to drown his sorrows, and she will not have him turn into some sorry sack of a man.
But there is that pull, too. That ever-present draw to him that strings her along, dragging her to wherever he is, almost as if her wings think all on their own, guided by her heart and not her mind that screams at her to stay away. It had been some time since they saw one another—after that trip out on the boat, they had fallen into a strange habit of giving each other some space save for the occasional messages he sent her. She isn't sure how she felt about it, but she never was one to say anything to him.
Odd, though, that after that message about Midadol, he never reached out to her again. Never bothered her in that annoying, incessant way that he does to join him at these hot springs that supposedly populate this island or drag her out to the snowy hills that she had flown over to reach Nogard.
It makes her stomach sink just a bit, hesitation holding her hand back before she forces herself to rap her knuckles on the door.]
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In some ways, he should be relieved. She's not in some strange, unknown world and back in theirs. On the other hand, given the current state of things, is it really that much better? More than that...
He always knew this arrangement could never last long, that this exact situation could and would happen. Either he disappears or she does, maybe she will return, maybe not. But regardless, this would be their only place to ever see each other again. The only place he could catch even a glimpse of her growth and try to be a father to her once last time.
He knew all that, made sure they were able to spend as much time together as possible, and enjoy and treasure those moments. But what he didn't expect was how hard it ended up hitting him. Perhaps...because once again, he couldn't give her a proper goodbye.
Thus after contacting everyone to let them know of her departure and return to their original world, Cid buried himself in his work. At first it was just a way to distract himself and set himself back on track, but when he kept finding Mid's notes or plans she had developed while here, he'd end up sitting there staring at them, marveling and feeling both joy in his pride and regret in that loss before once again focusing on his work.
Many a cigar burned, but at the very least Benedikta's fear of him wallowing in alcohol did not come true. Okay, he might have had a bottle or two, but it was not to get himself drunk and more out of reminiscing before continuing on.
But he will be in the middle wiring one of his (many) new projects when he hears that rap on the door and feel that familiar twinge at the back of his neck. Honestly, it surprises him. He's already met the others who came to check on him, and he knew Benedikta wasn't really the type of go out of her way to do the same. Not that he is bothered by it, either. If anything he wondered how she was taking it, but he wasn't sure how much time the two spent together.
So there's a bit of a delay as he just stares at the door in surprise, a bit slower to process than he should before he stands up and approaches the door to open it. Mostly because it's locked so he couldn't just call her to come in. He's still wondering why she dropped by, wondering if she was...actually concerned about him or not, but he just smiles at her when he opens the door all the same.]
Well this is a pleasant surprise.
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Still, it won't stop the brief furrow of worry in her brow, or her scrutinizing stare from looking him over once, twice, before she decides that he looks... okay. But she would be lying if she said that he wasn't still worse for wear. If she said that she didn't see the heaviness that's settled into every old bone in his body, and into his shoulders. And especially his eyes.
...
It reminds her a little of another time in their distant past together. The nights leading up to his betrayal...]
Is it? [No, she knows that it's... well, a surprise. Whether it's a pleasant one remains to be seen.] I didn't think you'd be surprised at all.
[She looks past him over his shoulders to the inside of the workshop, trying to glean what he might have been up to, but it's hard to tell from here. So, she invites herself in, trotting through the door and past him.
Her nose crinkles.]
Have you been holed up in here since then?
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Just had a few projects I've been working on, that's all.
[Neither admitting nor denying that question.]
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[The words repeat slowly as her eyes take in the rest of the workshop, at the papers and books all over. She's not sure she ever saw his desk in such a state at any point even back in Waloed...
She almost pities him, but Benedikta was never good at that sort of thing, either.]
So, you have.
[If he's not going to answer, she's just going to come to a conclusion on her own. He has left plenty of evidence behind. Especially as she turns around to get a better look at him, and once more, there's something softer, more pensive lurking under her frown as she tries to reconcile with what she should say.]
You look like shit, Cidolfus.
[Yeah. Definitely not great at this.]
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I can't look that bad. I've showered at least.
[.....................Briefly. Washed up. It was enough.
But he knows he's been pulling all nighters, and he doesn't even sleep in. Instead, he'd still wake up in the morning and it's back to work. Maybe go out to grab a quick bite of a sandwich, but he has a coffee maker here.
...
Okay, yeah, he probably looks like shit but he's going to pretend anyway.]
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Hardly.
[He might catch that slight tenderness in her stare when she meets his eyes, that worry that deepens them and sets another wrinkle between her brows.]
I don't like this on you.
[Not just the longer, messier beard (though she absolutely hates that, too), but the rest of it. That heaviness that he wears in his shoulders, that forced smile, the pretending that everything is fine when she knows damn well that's a lie. She has grown far too used to the easy-going mannerisms, that annoyingly smug smile of his, the chuckle that can irk her sometimes.
She understands why, but that doesn't mean she has to like it.]
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I just haven't had a proper time to shave. It takes time and care, you know.
[Though this does remind him of when he joked about growing out his beard back when he was that toy form of Ramuh, so he can't help but grin a little in amusement at her fussing at him.]
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You haven't had the proper time to clean up, but...
[She motions to the messy desk behind him with a slight toss of her head.]
You've had time to work on all this?
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🔥🌋
What started as her awkward attempts to comfort him after the news of his daughter turned into a full-blown... word that shall not be said. A full day that involved ice skating, a harem of penguins, the hot springs, and then back to the room that they were finally able to rent with its own private pool in the back. A pool that they did, indeed, take advantage of well into the night before they moved inside.
And then...
The hundreds of things that are now on her mind—the things that they spent some time talking about while in the pools. The words that they exchanged. The promises that he sealed to her once again. It left her with plenty to think about—something she is not keen on having to do now, or ever—and she wishes that she could be angrier with him about it. Angrier because not only is he tormented by all these deeper thoughts, but now so is she.
...
He made a promise to her, and he says he intends to keep it.
To stay in this world with her. For her. To never leave her behind again.
And as much as she wants to believe it, there is still that small part of her that refuses to. While one side of her wants to fight for it—for them and, more importantly, for herself—there still exists that blackened piece of her heart that tells her not to trust it and that it will only end in hurt, just like it had last time. Everyone she loves always leaves her eventually. Her parents left her, he left her once, Barnabas left her...
There is that side that wants to take on the task of ensuring that no one can enter or leave into her own hands. To have full control of the rifts to do as she pleases, and what she wants is to destroy them completely. At least then, she could be sure...
At least then, she wouldn't be hurt or abandoned again.
Is it selfish? Very. But when has she ever cared about that?
...
Well. Those little twinges of guilt that she feels when she remembers how Cid had looked all of yesterday would say otherwise.
As if things were not complicated or messy enough, this has only made it worse. She doesn't know what to think or believe anymore. All she knows is that she needs to get out of this tiny little room (that, yes, could have been a little bigger), and start looking. She's antsy and restless, like a caged bird whose wings itch to fly. These emotions need someplace to go.
Which brings them to the entrance of one of the many tunnels into the volcano. It's stiflingly hot, and she fucking hates the heat, but it's better than being cooped up.]
Rumour has it that there are relics within these caves.
[Just a seemingly random thought that she throws out there as they walk inside, her face already twisting with discomfort at the heat that greets them.
Convenient, considering that they are looking for one said relic, and she wonders if he understands her reasons for coming here. If he knows exactly what it is she's thinking and why she so desperately wants it beyond just "not going back". Why she wants to be the one to have it, and not him...
Whether it's hidden in this volcano, however, is another matter, but she'd rather know for certain if it is or isn't than have someone else besides them get their grubby hands on it first. If it's not, then perhaps they'll come out with a few treasures to sell instead... and she'd call that a small victory.]
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But he keeps stalling, waiting, thinking it would be better for her to hear it after she's become more confident and sure of herself... But even he knows that's just a poor excuse. Because he knows it will blow up almost everything they've managed so far and he's not ready to deal with it just yet.
He just needs...to find the right time.
Which is not now.
He knows she had already grown a but anxious because of everything else that transpired between them, that they once again hit that threshold that makes her nervous and ready to fly off. Really it's a positive sign that she hasn't already, so he was agreeable in going out to investigate those relic sightings. He also has the same interest, so might as well.]
Going to take a bit of searching. Try not to melt.
[Just a teasing quip with one of his usual easygoing, laidback grins.]
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Benedikta looks at him just in time to catch that smile of his only to regret it moments later.
Well, at least he's not moping like he was yesterday, that was a sight far worse for her to see than the one that makes her heart flutter like a hummingbird's wings.
Which is why she sticks to complaining. Not that there isn't plenty to complain about, as she hooks a finger around the collar of her shirt and billows it as best as she can to allow some of the air in, or the heat out.]
It's worse than the fucking Velkroy.
[A cant of her head as she looks up absently at the ceiling.]
Though, I suppose there is merit to hiding something valuable within a volcano. Only fools would wander in here of their own accord.
[Yes. Even them.]
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Though if we're not careful, we could get lost and trapped in these tunnels.
[So there's a sharp buzz as he sends out a small spark of levin to carve into the nearby wall with an "X" and arrow indicating which direction they're going.]
This should help us—and any other "fool" who may wander through.
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Good call.
[She lifts a brow at the marking and presses onward.]
If it comes to needing an escape route, just blast a few holes in the walls and I will fly us out.
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You realize we could risk a cave in like that.
[But she would try to blast her way through.]
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And? If we're out of here before then with our treasure, what difference does it make?
[Not her fault if other people came down here and got caught up in the blast, is it? They should find their own ways out. She can only carry one.]
I can count on you to get us out though?
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Aye, leave it to me. Not the first time I've ran around through tunnels.
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🧵✨
Fabrics and an animal, perhaps? She didn't ask the scouts any further questions, and even when Cid had, the information that they did have was scarce. Mostly details about the ship, the Paladins that manned it, and the fabrics in question.
It's well past the stroke of midnight when she and Cid board the Paladin's ship. The darkness and the clouds over the moon do them plenty of favours tonight as they pull up to the side of the vessel on his little boat, her wind being what propels them silently over the water towards it, and her wings are what carry them onto it. She uses winds to mask the sound of a shattering window, the entire crew on the deck above confused at the sudden gust that whips at their sails, but they think nothing of it. They are, after all, in the middle of the ocean, and the winds out here can be as unpredictable as ever.
Benedikta shoves Cid through the window first and follows after, her semi-primed form disappearing in a trickle of aether as she slides in after him, her feet landing silently on the floor. It's pitch-black, and she hisses at him for a light.]
I've no idea where they might be keeping the goods on this massive ship, but if they are as valuable as they say, then likely a well-guarded place. So stay sharp.
[As if she needs to tell him, but his wariness from the get-go has kept her a bit on edge.
She's already making her way for the door in that prideful, arrogant way. She is prepared to get this over with in the fastest way possible.]
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Once on the ship, he'll just roll his eyes at her hiss before conjuring a few threads of lightning that branch out and flicker above them, illuminating the room.]
Usually it would be further in, where less likely to have unwanted crewmen loitering around.
[It may be a Paladin ship, but that doesn't mean all the people manning the ship are Paladins themselves. It's not unusual for there to be outsourced hands, so he wouldn't be surprised if they took that extra precaution.]
But Benedikta—[He gently but firmly grabs her arm.] Remember what I warned you.
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I haven't forgotten. You've made sure of that.
[Not when he makes it so very clear that she needs to proceed with caution, but caution is rarely her forte unless it's a covert mission, and this is anything but. Let the Paladins or whomever is guarding this ship find her for all she cares, she has a score to settle with them anyway.
Really, all she's after is the reward.
She gently pulls her arm free from his hand and motions for him to pass her and lead the way out into the corridor with his light.]
You think there are others who might not know what they are transporting?
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I wouldn't be surprised if the Paladins kept more tight lipped about it, especially if this is all as valuable as claimed. The Paladins being involved at all already makes it seem so.
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Then the lower decks would be the first place to look. Harder to reach from the outside, and from the top.
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Maybe I should learn to turn him into a small spark.
[Although he stays on alert, his demeanor is casual and nonchalant as always.]
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[She mirrors his demeanour, her hand coming to rest on the pommel of her sword.]
You're not worried of a few Paladins getting in our way, are you?
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[Well he doesn't really want to kill anyone in this instance, either, especially when he's still suspicious about all this. It's one thing if there is cause or self defense, that's just a fact of life. But dubious intentions... Not that he hasn't before, but he still prefers to keep unnecessary casualties to a minimum.]
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>>> later that night, at cid's apartment
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