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]

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.]

[ramuhs]

[Ah... Fair question.]

Never really thought to, to be honest. Previous Ramuh Dominants weren't really known to have them, either, at least from what I had read.

[garudas]

[Her calculating stare moves between the different entrances again, and she steps down and moves towards the first, trying to see if she can sense a difference in the winds.]

And so you have never tried, based on that.

[Is the conclusion she comes to.]

I seem to recall my sisters being quite the accidental discovery for me.

[ramuhs]

You know me, do all the work myself.

[A wry grin as he watches her, but he does think back on that time.]

I remember—was greeted by then when I returned from one of my expeditions. Do you remember how it happened? What you were thinking or trying to do?

[He has asked once before, so surprised he was by it, but she never gave him much of an answer then. He doesn't expect much of one now, but he asks anyway.]

[garudas]

[She laughs, moving onto the next one with something of a frustrated look when she feels no difference in the air besides just more heat from all of them, but she keeps her back turned to him.]

... It was because you were on your expedition.

[Benedikta remembers that day well. Remembers that crippling loneliness she felt, and how big and empty Stonhyrr felt while he was gone. Overwhelmingly so. It was not long after her eighteenth birthday, after they returned from their first trip to Dhalmekia. After she had already fallen in love with him.]

[ramuhs]

[Cid will also try and see if he can glean anything from the tunnels, sending out a line of lightning to try an illuminate the tunnel a bit for him to see down, but so far not much.

...Maybe Benedikta had a point for him to try and create and egi as a scout. Especially his usual "trusty nose" wasn't here.

But at her words he looks at her.]

What do you mean?

[garudas]

[Next exit, which will bring her one away from his, and she glances up at him, and then away, distracting herself with this very uninteresting and dark tunnel.]

I mean that...

[See, there is a reason that she didn't answer him then. Especially not then, given their circumstances, but why is it so hard even now? When the feelings are requited?

It's all so stupid, and she's cursing herself now for saying anything about her sisters at all. Or asking why he had not tried it himself.]

I was at my lowest then. [This is her way of warning him not to judge her or pity her.] After we returned from Dhalmekia, you had been sent off yet again. And I...

[Fuck.]

... I was alone.

[ramuhs]

[And upon not seeing anything and noticing her countenance, he moves over to the one next to him, bringing him closer to her.]

...I see.

[...She was alone at that time... A time when things were slowly starting to change between them—when he hadn't quite realized anything yet. Looking back, however, he remembers how at least by then he found her appearance whenever she welcomed him back more refreshing and welcoming than before. One of the few things that helped lift his spirits, really, with Mid being the only other. He just never really understood how much Benedikt had been growing in his heart until later...

...When they reached that point of no return.

Those different bursts of memory flashing through his mind, he glances away, his own expression falling a bit with complication, both of his own feelings and upon realizing Benedikta's.]

Didn't realize that's...how you felt.

[Vaguely said so it could mean either the "loneliness" or the other implications behind it.]

[garudas]

[She tries to laugh it off, but the sound comes out heavy and slightly strained.]

The sparring grounds were certainly not the same when you were gone.

[Though, that wasn't even the most of what bothered her. At the time, he had no idea how much she was leaning on him like a crutch, his presence that pillar of strength when she felt like she might falter. She knew what was in store for her with Hugo Kupka—the King made himself plain and very clear about what his plans were for Titan's Dominant, and Benedikta was to be the hook that he would bite so that her King could reel him in. She didn't like it. In fact, she fucking hated it... but she did as she was told.

And Cid being gone during those days were the hardest days she had to live through, second to those after he fled from Waloed.

Her sisters were born as a result of that. When she needed someone and could find no one... Garuda came in to help her.

And she's sure now that he knows. That he can read her like an open book, despite trying to keep herself firmly shut on the matter.

Shaking herself from those thoughts, Benedikta steps right up to him.]

But I doubt that will be what will inspire you, should you ever try.