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]

[Even she glances at him, surprised at how fast that name had come to him.]

Ixion?

[The egi gives a little whinny. It certainly is an interesting name. Suiting, though.]

Any reason for that?

[ramuhs]

...No, it just came to me.

[As he rubs his chin in thought, he feels that odd yet familiar little stir deep within and chuckles.]

Perhaps it was from Ramuh himself.

[garudas]

Hm.

[She laughs quietly at that because that was how Suparna and Chirada came to her, too. She wondered if there was any significance to the names, but she never thought to ask. And she certainly is not about to rouse her right now to do so.]

Wouldn't put it past the old man. It is a good name.

[ramuhs]

I know, wish he'd have help me with some other things.

[A rueful grin as the now named little Ixion continues to trot ahead in the air, leaving a spark of levin in its wake as if to leave them a trail.]

Was it the same for yours?

[garudas]

It was. Or so I think.

[She reaches out to touch the lightning that it leaves behind, running her fingers through it to feel that familiar buzz of his aether against her own.]

Just like you, the name occurred to me as if Garuda had stepped in and done it herself. I'm not sure what the meaning is, but it felt right at the time. [A pause, and she laughs.] And they were not much bigger than Ixion.

[ramuhs]

Really? [A slight nudge of his elbow against her.] And here you are ribbing me about mine.

[garudas]

Yes, and? They were still slightly bigger.

[Hey? She nudges back?? Not without a grin.]

All I said was it was a bit small, and that I expect it to be full size by the end of the week. That is plenty of time.

[ramuhs]

Did it take you that long to get them to where they are now?

[garudas]

No.

[She whips her head to face the other way when she feels her cheeks going red again.]

I was so determined to show you what I'd done when you got back that I spent the whole week before you returned practicing.

[ramuhs]

[Her words do nothing to save her when she hides from him, and he just chuckles.]

Well then, I suppose I should take a page from your book and have that same determination.

[garudas]

[She preens a little at that.]

What? So desperate for my approval?

[Just like she had been so often back then, always excited to show him the next big thing that she learned how to do. Looking back, it was silly of her. Even the smallest spells and tricks, the tiniest bit of aether that she could dance between her fingertips would send her running for him, wherever he was.]

[ramuhs]

Maybe. It's been a while since I really heard someone praise me.

[Said a little cheekily as they now step out of the narrow tunnel and out to what looks to be an open plain of lava, a few other tunnel exits visible.]

[garudas]

What, was my singing loud praises of you well into last night not enough?

[Yeah. She went there.

But her grin fades a touch when they finally step out of the tunnel and into an open room where the heat almost sucks all the air out of her lungs. And it's no wonder, considering they now stand near the edge of a very large pool of lava.

With a small groan of discomfort, she swipes her hand across her brow and looks around for a sign of either Chirada or Suparna.]

Is this what he found? There is nothing here.

[Except she misses that small entrance on the other side, as the little Ixion starts to stomp its feet in the air restlessly.]

[ramuhs]

[That actually gets a snort of laughter out of him, but before he can offer a quip back, they are in this area and he has to look around. Phew.]

...Ah, there's still more it seems. Down that way.

[And he'll start to walk towards where Ixion is trotting off to, not noticing some ominous bubbling happening in the center of that lava pool.]

[garudas]

[Benedikta looks between him and the lava pool, taking a very wide step away from it before following, but she is the one who only gets a few paces away before she notices the sound.]

Cidolfus, look.

[She grabs hold of his jacket and pulls him back, but before she can so much as point out the bubbling, there's a large blast of both wind and heat that meet in the center. The lava erupts from the center, spraying every which way, and the winds blast it back as both Chirada and Suparna come barreling in through the tunnels behind them to take the brunt of the blow.]

What the—

[Fuck.

From the pool emerges the head of a black horse, its mane made of flames.]

[ramuhs]

[There's a sharp whinny as Ixion flies back, Cid pulling Benedikta back even further and behind him as her egis fly in to shield them both. He would have to thank them later, but for now he's hand is at the hilt of his sword.]

Thought it was going a bit too easy. We could try to run, but we'd worse off if caught in the tunnel.

[garudas]

[She's already drawing her sword as the rest of the horse's massive body crawls out of the water and stares at them through bright orange eyes that look as though they, too, are made of fire. It beats its hoof on the ground, steam flying out of its flared nostrils, and it looks angry.

Meanwhile, Benedikta recovers quickly, the sound of her steel dragging out of its hilt at her hip as she grins, as to goad the beast on.]

No, I think this is exactly what we were meant to find.

[She remembers the sprite talking about the big scary horse, and she runs her fingers along her blade eagerly.]

And where there is a horse, there could be relics.

[ramuhs]

[Just a half laugh and shake of his head as he fully draws his sword now.]

Just don't get too heated now.

[Yes he punned.

And now the horse charges at them, forcing them to split up before Cid pivots on his heel to bring up his blade as its hooves aim at him.]

[garudas]

[And Benedikta follows the same maneuver, only she falls to the opposite side, splitting off from him like a perfect mirror image. Even the pivot on her heel is the same.]

I should be reminding you that.

[She cocks her lip with a laugh seeing him opposite her.]

Been a while since we've done this properly, isn't it?

[The dolphins and the flower do not count. This feels more like what they had done in the past with their quarries, with the few-day-long hunts that they would often go on together once she had honed the sword and Garuda.

The horse charges at Cid, which leaves Benedikta the opening that she needs. Just as it twists to kick him with its back legs, a wind sweeps beneath its hooves to knock it off kilter so that her sisters can sweep in and shove it back, buying them some much-needed distance.]

[ramuhs]

Should try to do it more often!

[Said after an appreciative smile with her winds as he takes that opportunity distance himself further before he's releasing a wave of lightning to strike the horse before it fully recovers.]

[garudas]

Then you only need to ask.

[If she's honest, she's kind of missed this.

She hits it from the other side with the wind, the combination of the two creating a brief storm in the center when they collide, but it only serves to knock the horse down momentarily rather than take it out, which is surprising... or perhaps not so much given its sheer size.]

However, I can't say that I have fought a flaming horse before.

[In a sweep of wind, she's brought to his side.]

Any ideas on how to actually beat this thing?

[ramuhs]

Next date then.

[Even now He does not miss an opportunity.

But as he stares at it momentarily distracted by her egis while she moves back to his side, he just shakes his head.]

Brute force is all I can think. One keeps it occupied, other continues to press, and then switch so not overwhelmed. So long as we can keep it pinned we might have a shot.

[garudas]

[Stop! Calling! Them! Dates!!!

Chirada and Suparna do a fine job of keeping it distracted, but it's as if they have understood Cid's every word because they turn to him at the same time that Benedikta does.]

Keep it pinned, hm?

[They both seem to get the hint, and with their feathered claws, one grabs a back leg while the other takes a front leg, and they drag it as close to the pool of lava as possible, holding it down as best as they can.]

Now, then! Let's see if your plan works.

[ramuhs]

[Well that's one way— STAGGER TIME]

Together then!

[Time to unleash their storm. He'll lunge in first, his blade crackling with his levin as he jumps and twists in the air to create more momentum for a more devastating blow as he brings down his blade, the lightning radiating out as it strikes the downed horse.]

[garudas]

I thought you would never ask.

[She laughs before she follows after him. Wind whips at her feet and curls around her blade, her own movements smooth as she twirls and uses the momentum to slice upwards with it, sending the wind crashing right into the lightning. There's a thick burst of aether, the static churning until the combination forms a thick, dark cloud. Their own small, localized storm.

Chirada and Suparna's shrieks echo out from the other side as the horse flails under the strikes of lightning, its free legs kicking and sending Suparna across into the pool of lava where her form burns away in a trickle of aether.]

And where is yours in all this?

[As she takes Suparna's place, firing off another blast of wind that locks on and keeps the pressure up on its legs.]