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]

Might be hard, especially since others will have come through first. Which means we should probably aim for the less obvious spots...

[He'll walk around the perimeter, noting the odd markings and damage that's already been done. But there is also some odd coloring on the floor, what looks like a pattern of sorts...]

[garudas]

[She's still feeling incredibly wary of the horse, and before they get to snooping around, she flicks her wrist and puts up a wall of wind at the room's entrance. It won't last long nor will it do much to keep it out in the end, but it's just an extra measure to be sure.

And she will waste no time striding right in like she owns the place.]

Less obvious spots being what? The rubble?

[There are old shelves that line the room with tattered books, most of their pages torn or burned away, and she unceremoniously starts tossing them out of her way.]

[ramuhs]

Perhaps.

[He's eying those shelves before he steps closer to her.]

Or perhaps even behind those shelves.

[garudas]

[She looks at a dusty old tome, turning it over in her hands before she tosses that one to the ground too. They have no time to sift through books!]

I am trying to see if there is some contraption. A hidden door or compartment.

[ramuhs]

Surprised you haven't taken your wind to it.

[He studies the floor and the base of the shelves before he quickly pats her arm to direct her attention to another shelf that looks to already have been picked through.]

But forget the books, check this shelf over here. Base is clearly scuffed but no recent marks to indicate movement. Bet this is the door but the mechanism must be something else.

[With books already scattered it can't be that, so maybe on the wall? That's where he'll be poking.

But if Benedikta looks closely, there will be soemthing else at the base of the shelf, like a small switch of some kind.]

[garudas]

[Hawk-like eyes follow his down to the base of the shelf, and while he pokes around near the wall of it, she looks downward, kneeling slightly to see if there's anything close to the floor. Or on the floor, even. Uneven rocks make for good hiding places. But her gaze sharpens when she sees something... a switch?]

Do you mean something like this?

[—she gives the small mechanism a kick with her boot, and there's a little rumbling and scraping sound, but beyond that, nothing happens.]

Stuck, you think?

[ramuhs]

[He stops what he's doing and comes around, and hearing the sound... Hm.]

Wouldn't be surprised given the age and conditions of the room. Could try shoving the shelf after it's activated, see if it might loosen it some.

[garudas]

Or...

[Here it comes.]

Why don't we just try blasting through it together?

[ramuhs]

[He just looks at her before laughing.]

Suppose that's also one way to do it. Not like there's a point in keeping it hidden anymore.

On three then?

[garudas]

[When in doubt, make it explode. Did he really expect anything else from her?]

On three.

[She takes his elbow and pulls him back several paces, and then checks over her shoulder to ensure that the windstorm at the door is still churning. It's weakened a bit, but it should hold, so she turns her attention back to the shelf, focusing all of her aether into her fingertips as she begins their countdown—]

...three!

[The wind that she fires off is strong, and no doubt paired with his lightning will shatter the wood.]

[ramuhs]

[Oh she's going right to it— But he expected that. So as soon as he feels her aether charging, he launches his own blast of lightning, the stream piercing and cracking through the wood to shatter it apart along with her winds to blow it even further away.

And yet...]

Bollocks.

[It's clear they also did damage to the secret wall to the back, large cracks from where pieces of it fall away, but it's still there.]

Another round?

[garudas]

[She chuckles low beside him.]

Lost your touch have you, old man?

[But she's already charging up her winds, the breeze billowing their hair all out of sorts as it grows.]

Your turn.

[ramuhs]

Maybe you need to pull more of your weight.

[A quip in return as he flexes his wrist before gathering more of his aether, the charge up louder than before.]

Ready? Three!

[And another blast, this one more powerful than the last.]

[garudas]

[She should have seen that coming, but she snaps her annoyed gaze at him as she fires off the wind half a second later, but her ire is washed away quickly by her amusement. Cheeky bastard, he is.

Besides, it's done the trick this time, their wind and lightning swirling together in a crackling boom, and what's left of the bookshelf goes flying about in her winds and his lightning breaks through the wall to reveal another room beyond.

Her hand slaps his back as she walks past him over the rubble.]

It's alright. You did better that time.

[ramuhs]

[He just looks at her with some disbelief before he follows her.]

Me? At least your winds were more than that tickling breeze earlier.

[And as they enter with Cid flicking his wrist to create some light with his lightning, they will find it....




Empty.]

[garudas]

[She's about to make a quip right back at him, but when she steps into the room and finds it completely empty...

...

She can't help that bubble of ire that forms in her chest.]

Why create a secret door only to have it lead to nowhere!?

[It looks like there had once been things in here, but more like it had been completely swept out, which doesn't make it any better.]

[ramuhs]

Unfortunately it looks like someone got to here first... That or it was emptied out before whoever was here left.

Though given all the blood and some of those bones I saw earlier by the altar, wondering if that happened, either.

[garudas]

[She steps further into the room, her eyes only just now adjusting and her nose wrinkles.]

I'll be sure to personally thank whoever emptied it out for us.

[And maybe it's the way that her voice echoes so goddamn loud that reminds her that this is just another dead end, but it makes that frustration bubble over into a boil, and with a frustrated scream—]

Fuck!

[—she blasts the entire room with wind.]

[ramuhs]

[He had a feeling that would happen, so he just braces himself for the blast. However...

"Eep!!"

There's a sudden cry from behind them that makes Cid instantly turn around—]

...You again?

[Lo, it's the little fire spriteling thing whatever.]

[garudas]

[The sound of a voice from behind has Benedikta whirling to face it, more wind at the ready when she sees the little fire sprite from earlier, but she lowers her hand when she sees it cowering.]

Come to try stealing from under our noses, have you?

[The sprite quivers, its flames receding a little under her angry stare.

"N-no, windy lady. I still have the coin." And with its big beady eyes, it lifts the coin that Cid had given it earlier.]

[ramuhs]

[Well fancy that.]

Then what brings you all the way out here?

[Hearing Cid's voice, there's a bit more relief as it edges towards him, the coin clutched tight in its...hands?

"I...I was worried and...and I can help!!"]

[garudas]

[She relaxes, though only a bit, that ire of hers still burning bigger than that little fire sprite could ever hope to be.]

Help how?

[It's so... small... And made up of fire just like everything else in this volcano.

But it's already moving along the walls, stopping on the other side from where she stands.

"I know a secret way!" And it points to the little hole in the wall near the floor.

Brows arch, but she glances at Cid expectantly.]

[ramuhs]

[Cid will also exchange a glance with Benedikta, walking over to crouch down and inspect said hole.

He sends out a small spark inside, and judging from the shadows from the brief illumination, it is a room in there.]

Bit small... But I think another strong blast should do the trick.

[garudas]

[Benedikta moves right up beside him, gently nudging Cid away.]

Step aside.

[All of that anger needs someplace to go, and right into her fingertips it does. She doesn't even wait for the fire sprite to realize what's going on and skitter out of the way before she's loosing her magick, the winds mixed with her aether strong and violent enough to weather through the toughest of rocks.

The sprite yelps and holds onto the top of its head as if clinging to the flames like they are a hat or clothes, but everything dies away just as fast as they had come, revealing another small, dark corridor.]

[ramuhs]

[Benedikta might not wait, but Cid will try to shield the poor thing with his leg, not wanting it to be snuffed out by her winds, so it at least won't feel the brunt of it.

But once it's clear, the little sprite will peek around his boot before skittering forward.

"T-This way!!"]

Wee thing is like a treasure magnet.

[A little amused, Cid will follow after, the sprite actually making its flames larger to provide enough light so he doesn't have to.]