closed ⚡🪶 and forevermore, i'll be chasing the storm we had.

[garudas]

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.

ice skating, hot springs ♨️
volcano, egis 🔥
the price of freedom 🧵

Comments

[garudas]

[LISTEN... SHE JUST WANTS IT BACK

And she continues to eye the sprite like a hawk awaiting the perfect moment to strike, wings twitching to move. It continues to stare at the coin with a big, pleading gaze, before it very slowly sets down the bracelet on the ground next to it.

And it takes every single ounce of control in her to not lunge at it and take it back, waiting for the rest of the trade to happen. Or for Cid to get to it first.]

[ramuhs]

[Patience.......Patience..........

Once the bracelet is on the ground, Cid will quickly reach out to grab it before something else happens, wincing only slightly when he feels how hot the chain has become, hot enough to almost burn through the leather. But a quick glance shows that it's otherwise unharmed, and despite the heat, he holds tight to it while also handing over the coin as promised.]

Thank you, kindly. And here is your coin, which I'm sure will be much better for you than this. Just don't throw it into the lava or it'll melt.

[At the very least it'll be more durable... Assuming it doesn't chuck it into lava as he warned.]

[garudas]

[She doesn't realize how much tension she'd been holding in her shoulders until Cid has the bracelet back in her hands and she lets it all loose with a frustrated sigh, and a hand comes up to swipe some of that sweat that's formed along her temple, dabbing it away with the back of it before she's crossing over to him. With the coin in its hand, the sprite only barely winces when Benedikta passes it, moving to Cid so she can take it back.

Not until it's on her wrist will she consider it safe, and she'll hold it out for him to hook it back around while she stares daggers down at the sprite.]

You have your shiny little trinket, so I suggest you scurry on back to where you came from.

[At that, it stops fiddling with it and stares up at them with, once again, large, pleading eyes, and it looks like it's about to cry. Again.]

[ramuhs]

[...Oh boy.

At least by now the bracelet has cooled a bit, if still warm. At least safe for her to wear, so he'll clasp it around her wrist without question.

Though he does find it a little amusing that she automatically made him do so.]

And not steal from anyone else. Next person might not be so kind.

[Oh, even the man is shooing him away?

MORE WIBBLES.]

[garudas]

[This sprite is lucky that Cid was here, or else Benedikta would have found a way to snuff it out. Literally. No more fire, no more sprite, as long as she got her bracelet back.

And with that now out of the way, she ignores that look that it's giving them and grabs Cid by the wrist to drag him onward.]

Come. We've a relic to find still.

[Goodbye little sprite.

...

....

As soon as she turns to pull him along, there's the sound of a crackling fire that follows behind them—]

[ramuhs]

[While he's a bit more willing to let it live since it just seems to be mischievous rather than dangerous, he's also ready to move on before it tries to steal something else. So he lets her lead him...

...

Until a few steps more and he's glancing back.]

Looks like we have a little follower.

[garudas]

Ignore it. It will leave us eventually.

[She's picking up the pace anyway. She has no idea where they are going besides deeper, further, into another winding tunnel.

...

....

Except it's still following them, the little sobs now growing louder.]

[ramuhs]

Easier said than done...

[A low mutter under his breath before—

"N-No, not that way!! S...Scary pony...."]

Eh?

[garudas]

You are too soft, Cidolfus, do you know—

[But the sprite's voice so close behind them, practically on Cid's heel, interrupts that thought.]

What scary pony?

[She stops, turns around, and if looks could kill—

"Th-the fiery pony... it's so big and...and... scary! And looks after the big rock thing!"]

[ramuhs]

[A slight frown as he squeezes Benedikta's hand to try and have her calm down as the little sprite flinches.]

Big rock thing? Where?

[garudas]

[She growls low under her breath when she feels that squeeze of her fingers, but once again, it's him who has the patience to take the reins on this one.

The sprite lifts its hand and points down the corridor, embers flying off as its fingers shake and it clutches the coin tighter, almost protectively.

"D-down there..."

And it begins to shrink in size.

"You shouldn't go there... It's so angry..."

Benedikta scoffs quietly, and looks back down the hall where it's pointing.]

All the more reason to.

[ramuhs]

[A slight apologetic smile as the spirit squeaks and protests.]

Sorry, lad, but we're actually searching for it so best you be heading back to where you came from. But don't worry.

[A slight glance at Benedikta.]

We're strong enough.

[garudas]

[She preens a little when he glances at her, her hand giving his a confident little squeeze.]

I said run along.

[She turns to the sprite and makes a little shooing motion with her hand before bringing it up to swipe away another drop of sweat along her brow.]

Go find someone else to steal from.

[The sprite cowers a little under her stare, the flames it's made up of visibly shrinking. It blinks, its eyes beady, its lip quivers, but it does very slowly turn around and starts to walk away from them, still clutching that coin like it's a lifeline.

With that out of the way... Founders, that took forever to get rid of it... Benedikta turns to Cid.]

You think this might be what we are looking for?

[ramuhs]

[He'll watch it sulk away for a few moments, idly wondering what exactly that little creature is before he looks back at Benedikta.]

It's certainly more of a clue than the nothing we had been going on. And if there is some creature guarding a "big rock" I reckon it must be of some importance.

Can't hurt to check, at least.

[garudas]

[Yeah, that sure was... bizarre. She'd have a lot more questions if she weren't so eager to get to this "fiery horse"... whatever that means for them. At any rate, she'll continue leading them down the hallway, noting how it does get a little hotter the further they go. And while it is harder to see it, she can feel them descending.]

At the very least, we know what we are in for.

[And they can be prepared for it when they get there. She still hasn't grown to like surprises in her time here.

As they walk, though, Benedikta huffs a laugh out loud beside him.]

... It's been a long time since we've done this.

[ramuhs]

[Cid had been contemplating what they would find, both for the horse and the "big rock," and his thoughts are broken upon Benedikta's words.

It takes him a moment before he grins a bit.]

Aye, it has been quite a while, hasn't it? We didn't even go out on too many, either.

[garudas]

And nothing quite on the scale as this.

[Venturing into the depths of a volcano? She cannot say in all her time traveling across Valisthea, she has never done something quite so dangerous. Or thrilling.]

At least I know you haven't lost your prowess. I might have left you to babysit the little...fireling in that case.

[What do they even call that...]

[ramuhs]

[A laugh at that.]

Babysit? Thought you wanted it gone.

[Just an amused grin because he knows that's not what she means but he's teasing her, anyway.]

[garudas]

I do.

[Her shoulders rise and fall with a shrug, catching on that he's simply teasing her. Whether she's serious about her next comment, however—]

But you never know. It might find something just as valuable on someone else that we could take. Might make good coin in Nogard.

[She is.]

[ramuhs]

[A high rise of his brow.]

Are you actually thinking of using it?

[garudas]

Only if you are the one scurrying after it.

[Another shrug, another grin.]

But it's gone now. [And she has her bracelet back, her hand unconsciously moving to wrap around her wrist to touch it.] Perhaps if we stumble upon its little lair on the way out, we'll find something.

[ramuhs]

[Just a shake of his head. For that little "fireling"'s sake, he hopes it stays away.

But not long after that, they come across a number of different tunnels, and Cid stops near the center of all the entrances.]

Number of ways to go, but no lead in which would take us where we want.

[garudas]

[Benedikta also pauses at the fork in the road, grumbling nothing in particular under her breath as she leans against the wall, wiping away more of that sweat. Her eyes, flaring with frustration, look between the four... no, five different directions that they could take.]

And how do you propose we do this? [A pause, and she glances back at him when an idea strikes.] ... I could summon my sisters, but that will only cover two of the five.

[ramuhs]

That's an idea. Not sure I like the idea of us splitting up even for the other two. Would make it difficult if one of us encounters our fiery steed.

Suppose we could just let those two go off and we pick one of the remaining three.

[garudas]

And then still leave it up to chance.

[Benedikta tosses her head back with a sigh and a light grumble under her breath.]

... Would that you could summon an egi or two. Then we wouldn't have to worry about it. [She pauses, arches a brow at him.] Why is it that you can't?

[Considering that he's taught her everything she knows now, her sisters were the one thing that Benedikta managed all on her own, and by complete chance, too.]