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

[ramuhs]

[He just watches her for a moment before he looks back down the tunnel and then consider the problem at hand.

Conjuring an egi...

He had read about them back when he was first trying to learn everything he could about being a Dominant, but information was always varied, some records better than others. But there was ample about Ramuh given that the Spine was his original domain. Which does make it interesting how he happened to be the one to "return" to it...

But a feeling of wanting something to help aid him. To help him get what he desired...

Once more his eyes focus on the back of Benedikta's head before he turns to his hand.]

All right, I'll give it a go.

[And soon the sound of his levin and the buzz in the air signifies his channeling of his aether.]

[garudas]

[She'll be very surprised if he gets it on the first go, and she even rolls her eyes a little bit at him as she turns to watch, arms folded across her chest. Always the confident one, he is. She wasn't even sure she could think of this as a lesson, simply an explanation on how it was done, and she was mostly joking about him being able to summon one... but he was never one to just sit back, was he?]

If you get it on the first try... [she says over the levin. Gods, does she love the sound of it.] ... I will let you buy me another dinner.

[She doesn't think he will.]

[ramuhs]

Oh?

[Well that definitely gets him to perk up, a more determined grin forming.]

Looks like I have to be more serious about this then.

[As if he wasn't as serious before— Well he's certainly more serious about doing this in one go at least instead of taking the few tries like he initially planned, and she will feel that surge of his aether, their clothes rippling a little as the purple flashes of his lightning crackles and strikes around him.

He has no idea what kind of form it should take, but just as he's trying to make his aether converge into one "being," he's reminded of his talk with Rem, of how the Ramuh in her world had a staff with a horned horse on it. Why that suddenly comes to mind he has no idea, but—]

Hah!

[With a shout, he releases all the aether he had gathered and a storm of lightning erupts around them, grazing over their skin and striking the ground and walls all around them. At first Cid thinks he might have made a mistake, but—

...

...........?]

Eh?

[He's just...going to stare at the strange little mass of lightning that hovers in the space between them and...prances?

It doesn't seem to have much of a defined form yet, but it mostly seems to be because all the aether is still coalescing into this little bundle that seems no larger than a rabbit.]

[garudas]

[Nope. He's definitely not going to get it. Especially not when his reason for wanting to summon another entity entirely is so flimsy, according to her. Her own had come about in her time of need, her sisters the direct result of her needing another soul that was not Garuda nor her King around her. A soul that was of her own creation... that could not harm her or leave her behind or look at her with disdain when she took too long to obey an order.

Her sisters...

The surge of both aether and lightning surprises Benedikta from her musings, and when she sees that little... thing of lightning dancing between them, her lips part in open surprise.

No fucking way.

Except... Well.

She lifts a finger to almost poke at it.]

What the fuck is it supposed to be?

[NOPE, IT DOESN'T COUNT]

[ramuhs]

[DON'T COUNT IT OUT YET.]

...I have no idea.

[He's going to peer at it a bit mystified before it suddenly "rears" up, more of its form taking shape until there's a loud crackle of lightning and it disappears in a flash.

...

Only for it to appear on top of Benna's head whinnying in all its...tiny equine glory, bolts of levin sparking around its strangely curved horn.

Yeah he's stunned speechless.]

[garudas]

[The sudden movement startles her just a bit, her eyes going wide when it vanishes in that bright and loud hiss of lightning...

...

Only for her to feel something hot on top of her head, her hair standing up on end in reaction to the static that's above her.]

Cidiolfus, this isn't funny!

[Is he doing this on purpose!?!?]

[ramuhs]

It's not me, love!

[Another little whinny and prance of little hooves before the small lightning pony unicorn thing disappears and then reappears again with a zap of lightning in front of her.

It's at this point that Cid slowly steps closer, watching in fascination (and trying not to laugh at her hair).]

Lot smaller than expected.

[garudas]

[Now her little hairs are floating forward, following the little... pony? Horned horse? Thing??? Her eyes go wide as she stares at it, its own form taking shape now.]

Small, yes, but how in the world did you manage this on your first try?

[And with such a flimsy emotional tie, too?]

[ramuhs]

Gave me a bit of motivation.

[A sly wink as he holds out his hand, trying to call it to him.

As it becomes more defined, it prances over to Cid, whinnying and shaking its mane before it runs back to Benedikta, galloping around in mid-air. And knowing what it was that he wanted to use this for...

He can't help but chuckle.]

Could use a bit more refinement, but I'd call this a success.

[garudas]

[She watches it, wide-eyed and blinking in bewilderment, the other part of her annoyed that this was just another thing he was a natural at.

And annoyed that he's going to think this means he can buy her another dinner—

But more importantly...]

Why does it keep—

[She leans back and waves her hand at it, and she finally notices that her hair is full of static and standing on end, her other hand attempting to smooth it out, but it only makes it worse.]

—coming at me?

[ramuhs]

Probably because you're the reason it exists?

[A grin as he will more or less admit its purpose now that it actually worked.]

[garudas]

No, you are. You're the one who made it...

[She hasn't quite caught on yet what his meaning is, as she holds out her hand now, palm up, and wonders if it will perch itself there.]

... Don't you think it's kind of small, though? And why a... horse?

[That's what they're called, right?]

[ramuhs]

[As it prances around before going to her hand, the buzz of levin clearly traces of his own, Cid just chuckles and shakes his head, left arm resting against the hilt of his swords like always.]

Right as I was trying to figure out a form for it, I remembered something Rem told me. Apparently the Ramuh in her world had a staff with a horse with a horn on it. Don't know why that memory came then, but I can only guess that influenced things.

[garudas]

[Ugh, her hair keeps doing that thing...!]

I see.

[She eyes it carefully, that static that tingles her fingertips so very familiar.]

But what are you going to do with something this size? I could very well accidentally step on it and put it out in an instant.

[The little horse whinnies and shakes its head at her, and Benedikta lifts a dubious brow at it.]

What? It's the truth.

[ramuhs]

I'll have to work on it later. But for now, its size may come in handy since its purpose is to go out and scout to find what I want. Squeeze through small spaces.

[Her poor hair indeed, but if he tries to touch it he'll probably make it worse.]

[garudas]

[He had better not touch it!!!]

And how will you be sure that it will come back? It is one thing summoning your egis, but it's another controlling them.

[Just going to ignore that recent memory that surfaces of her sisters being very interested in him.]

[ramuhs]

Hm, that's true...

[He eyes her a moment before he grins.]

But I think if we stick together it won't be a problem for now.

[garudas]

Well, that much was obvious.

[She's not about to let herself get separated from him inside a volcano. She is proud, but not stupid.

Benedikta flicks the horse from her palm and sends it galloping off towards Cid while she takes a step away.]

Stand back.

[It's about to get cramped in here. :)]

[ramuhs]

[Will she ever figure it out—

For now he just holds out his hand and the little lightning horse stops on top of it, shaking its head. It did it's job!!! Yes yes he knows—

But now he'll stand back...

.............]

Your little "sisters" aren't going to do anything funny since I'm here, are they?

[MAY ACTUALLY BE A LITTLE. WARY. AND WONDERING IF HE SHOULD HIDE IN A TUNNEL—]

[garudas]

No.

[That is indeed a pair of daggers in her eyes for bringing up that memory. She was trying to pretend it never happened!]

It was the one time, and it was because of that flower.

[It's said with a tone of finality, as if she's done talking about it because she is!!!

And she will not give him another window to say a word about it as the aether flows from her fingertips, a wind picking up and carrying through all of the tunnels until it centers around the spot between them. And in a burst of a whirlwind, Chirada and Suparna will form. They stare down at Cid, and then at the little horse egi, their heads tilting with curiosity. She does wonder if an egi can sense the presence of another, much like the Dominants can...]

[ramuhs]

[He is not liking how they're staring at him!!!! He preferred his little penguin suitor compared to them—

But now his little lightning horse will rear up and flash step over to them in a bolt of lightning, as if greeting them before it gallops around them in mid-air.]

[garudas]

[Wait, what the hell is going on?]

Off you go. Suparna, to this one, Chirada, to the next.

[But they only look at her over their shoulder before their attention moves back to the little horse that gallops in front of them, and are they... giggling? Suparna reaches up to poke at the fellow egi—carefully—while Chirada chases it around.]

What are you two doing?

[ramuhs]

...I think they're quite taken with my little creation.

[The little horse just whinnies and nudges Suparna's finger with its muzzle, giving her a little buzz of levin before dashing away before Chirada can catch it.]

[garudas]

[And now it's turned into a little game of tag between Chirada and the horse, while Suparna uses a little bit of wind on it to help lift it higher and away from her sister.]

I can see that.

[With the driest look at them all.]

Well, better it than you, I suppose. My guess is they can sense your aether upon it.

[ramuhs]

Not sure I liked how they stared at me earlier, still....

[Watching it with some amusement. It can at least serve as a suitable decoy??]

I imagine if I make it large enough they'll start wanting to ride it.