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]

[Cid is watching, and while a brow does raise at the first penguin... A very noticeable chuckle can be heard when a second appears...]

Here comes another.

[And now a third waddles towards them—or her.]

[garudas]

Are. You. Lost?

[She talks down at the penguins with a bit of a shout, slowly like she isn't sure it understands what she's saying, and that only draws more attention to her as a fourth comes along.]

Go back over there.

[She motions with a hand to the rest of the flock, and tries to pull Cid around the one in front of her, but it opens its wings wide and flaps them, blocking her as it starts to do the same little dance the others are doing. The others cry out at it and follow suit.]

I said go back. Get out of my way.

[What the fuck is going on!!!]

[ramuhs]

[Cid lets himself be pulled around with a bit of a stumble, arms raising slightly when the penguin starts flapping its wings.

But then as they continue to flap and croon, even undulating their necks as they do while all focused on Benna...

....

Nope.

He can't hold it back anymore.

He snorts and what first starts a chortle turns into full blown laughter as he turns to face her.]

Seems they find you to be quite the catch, love.

[garudas]

What? What do you mean, a catch? And why are you laughing!?

[Nothing about this is FUNNY? She whips around to stare at him, but that only seems to encourage the penguins more, and one of them comes up from behind her and bumps her with its head for her attention, sending her stumbling into Cid.]

Cut that out! Or I will teach you the proper pecking order around here.

[Don't test her, penguin! She will throw down with you!!!

You too, Cidolfus!!!]

[ramuhs]

[Should he tell her?

He should tell her.

But rip to these penguins once he does...

As he's contemplating, one of the penguins that was trying to croon at Benedikta looks him over and starts making angry squawking sounds, puffing out its chest and flap its wings at him instead. It's a much more aggressive stance compared to what it was doing to Benedikta, one that he can readily understand.]

Oh, wrong move, mate, she's not going to like that.

[garudas]

[She whirls around again, this time to the penguin threatening Cid, and she steps between him and it with a stubborn stance.]

I will blast you all the way to the Naughtilust if you do not move.

[That is the very last threat that she utters before she's grabbing Cid by the hand and pulling him along or trying to... because there is a new penguin who's come over and she is now being blocked by four penguins on one side, and one very angry one on the other. She sidesteps, but they sidestep too, still squawking and tapping their feet. She sidesteps the other way, and they follow.]

Cidolfus, what is—ow!

[One of them hops up to her and pokes her in the belly with its beak.]

[ramuhs]

[Okay, this had been fairly amusing at first, but—]

Oi, that's a step too far.

[—pecking her in the belly????

NOT ALLOWED.

It will be Cid's turn to pull Benedikta behind him, all traces of humor and amusement gone with that hardened frown.]

They're trying to woo you with their mating dances, that's what.

[garudas]

[How many of them are there now, she wonders, as another one comes running over, its loud cries joining in the choir of them as they all close in around her, and she steps up close to him.]

No they're not...

[First stage: denial.]

Do they think I'm one of them?

[She'll make another shooing motion with her hand when that newest one waddles right up to her and squawks.]

[ramuhs]

Well you do make for a pretty bird. Can't quite blame them for that.

[But this is definitely....... Getting a bit much.]

But she's clearly taken.

[So he's going to raise his hand and there's just a small snap outward, sparking a thin ribbon of lightning that zips and crackles around the birds to scare them off.]

Now git.

[garudas]

[Now is not the time for compliments or this sexy possessiveness of his that makes her heart flutter. However, the lightning does little to deter the birds, and it only makes them cry out louder, making more heads turn.

At this point, however, she does huff with a small laugh, arching a brow at him.]

Don't tell me you are jealous, Cidolfus...

[ramuhs]

[Wow, they aren't affected by that? Maybe he should up the charge—]

Jealous? No. Doesn't mean I can't make a statement, however.

[A wry grin before he clicks his tongue.]

But this is getting a bit much and I don't actually want to charbroil them. Mind making us a path, love?

[garudas]

I don't.

[She's just going to eye him for a moment longer before she waves her arms at them.]

Move! [The penguins stop what they're doing and stare at her.] I said move!

[...

....

Alright. So they want to do this the hard way.

A harsh wind cuts through them, blowing them all aside, even knocking a couple of the penguins off their feet so that they roll, and she wastes no time in grabbing Cid's hand and pulling him along.]

Shit.

[...only for the penguins to chase after.]

[ramuhs]

[Oh boy. TIME TO RUN??]

I think these penguins are gluttons for punishment!

[garudas]

[The terrain isn't exactly the best for running, but she thinks it might be time to at least pick up the pace, which is exactly what she will do. Except the faster that she walks, the faster that they walk, some even running to catch up.]

I'm not sure where they got the idea from that I am one of them—

[She has to shout over their cries and shouts now, and she looks back over her shoulder and tries again.]

Go away!

[Only to turn back to find a penguin right in front of them, forcing her to stop. This one, however, doesn't squawk like all the others, and instead—]

I'm not interested.

[—it stares up at Cid.]

[ramuhs]

[He's second guessing his initial notion of not frying these birds because wow.]

Well you do have the whole bird theme going.

[Eikon, personality, interests—

But now they're stopped by a penguin who is... Why does he feel like those eyes are on him??

And that's soon going to be proven true when it suddenly squawks and preens itself before hopping towards him with something like a...croon??]

...Oh no.

[garudas]

Is that one—?

[She isn't sure if she's more offended that it chose Cid or that it chose Cid. She immediately steps between them when it starts hopping towards Cid, and the penguin screeches at her, her aura as threatening as it has ever been.]

I suggest you waddle on off in the other direction.

[NOW she is really ready to throw down!!]

[ramuhs]

[He probably shouldn't be finding this so amusing, but he is.]

Now who's the jealous one?

[And of course the other penguins have caught up.]

[garudas]

[Excuse you!? —is what her expression says when she looks at him. Don't you go turning your back on her now, too!]

I'm not jealous! She's—

[The penguin waddles around Benedikta, and she follows.]

Is she expecting you to do their little dance? She's harassing you.

[She hasn't done anything but walk and croon at him.]

[ramuhs]

[Well she hasn't pecked at him so there's that.]

Maybe we should do our own dance together, show them that we're already "mating."

[A snort as he tries to step around the penguin, only for the female to keep following him, flapping her wings and even wiggling her tail.

Should he feel disturbed or flattered? Still amused—]

[garudas]

Cidolfus!

[She almost shrieks his name, as if he's just said something that the penguins should not be hearing. But more importantly, she is not going to do a little "mating dance" with him. The only dance she is interested in is behind closed doors and not when she has a harem of penguins following her no matter where she moves!

She's going to start pulling him along back towards the inn, which is still a way's away from here since they took the longer, scenic route, and of course they are all following, that one penguin locked on Cid quite adamant about her pursuit, going so far as to cut him off.]

He's taken. You do not stand a chance. [She turns to him.] Aren't you going to tell her to leave!?

[Meanwhile, Benedikta's harem of five? Six? penguins is right on her tail.]

[ramuhs]

[He bursts out laughing at her outburst before he waves at the little penguin, who seems to only grow more excited.]

Will it even work? You've tried that on your little admirers and they still pursue.

[garudas]

Don't encourage it.

[Benedikta grabs his wrist and drags it down, holding it firmly in her own while never once breaking eye contact with that penguin.]

Men tend to be more stubborn as it is. [She rolls her eyes and turns to her pursuers.] Look, there is a perfectly fine lady penguin right here. Why not try to woo her?

[But as soon as Benedikta dares to look back at them, they all come waddling in to swarm her and shove Cid away.]

[ramuhs]

[Maybe he's deliberately inciting Benedikta's jealousy—

But when he's shoved a bit by one of the penguins, the female screeches and starts angrily flapping and pecking at the male.

Oh boy.]

This could get ugly fast... Well, nothing for it then.

[And just going to pick Benedikta up into his arms.]

[garudas]

[There is no doubt going to be a fight among them with the way the female aggressively starts to peck at the male nearest her, and he pecks back.

Benedikta, for her part, is no less surprised when Cid scoops her up into his arms.]

What are you doing? I said I'm not doing the stupid dance for them...!

[And now the other males are coming for him! How dare you!!! Put the lady down!!!!!]

[ramuhs]

[Just a laugh.]

Surely you should be getting used to this by now.

[Just a grin and wink down at her before she'll feel that surge of levin around them before he dashes forward, flash stepping through a small gap of the crowd to get them past it before taking another dash for good measure, leaving the surprised penguins behind and squawking before setting her down.

They're further up the beach, so—]

Now, I would suggest we run.