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]

[She looks up and down the empty corridor, helping to illuminate it with her own magic at her fingertips.]

Then the lower decks would be the first place to look. Harder to reach from the outside, and from the top.

[ramuhs]

A shame Ixion would attract attention even in his small form. Could help us scout around.

Maybe I should learn to turn him into a small spark.

[Although he stays on alert, his demeanor is casual and nonchalant as always.]

[garudas]

And if he draws attention?

[She mirrors his demeanour, her hand coming to rest on the pommel of her sword.]

You're not worried of a few Paladins getting in our way, are you?

[ramuhs]

Not before finding our mark. Rather not have to deal with a ship full of them and then having a bounty on our heads for their unfortunate departure.

[Well he doesn't really want to kill anyone in this instance, either, especially when he's still suspicious about all this. It's one thing if there is cause or self defense, that's just a fact of life. But dubious intentions... Not that he hasn't before, but he still prefers to keep unnecessary casualties to a minimum.]

[garudas]

Is that not what our arrangement was for?

[Where is the fun in not stabbing one or two Paladins? They probably deserve it for stealing this man's treasures anyway. If it were her own, she would be ripping apart this whole ship just because she had a reason to.]

If it bothers you so much, then let me handle them.

[ramuhs]

[Just a small roll of his eyes.]

I thought you would prefer stealth. Usually that would be preferring to go by unnoticed?

[garudas]

Only when the situation calls for it. And it's not as if this one does.

[She gestures to the empty corridor around them, her gait a little stronger, her boots tapping a little louder on the floor.]

We are on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Besides, these Paladins have it coming.

[ramuhs]

[He opens his mouth to point out the flaws, but he just sighs and shakes his head instead.]

Or we don't waste time fighting and if we do run into anyone, just use one of my devices. Instant knock out, clean, no mess, and we carry on our merry way.

[garudas]

[There's no point in arguing with her. She's already made up her mind.

Though, that does beg the question—]

What devices? Our swords and magic work just fine.

[ramuhs]

You remember my little inventions? Brought some along.

[garudas]

[Ah, right. Those. She rolls her eyes, picking up the pace as they approach a set of stairs leading deeper into the ship.]

Well, you are free to use them as you wish. I'll resort to quicker, more practical methods. I am just here for the coin, not to save lives.

[ramuhs]

[Well, can't say he didn't try. He can only hope they don't run into anyone.

Which unfortunately won't be met because as soon as they reach the bottom of those steps, they will hear the sound of approaching feet.]

[garudas]

[That sound only makes Benedikta bark out with a laugh. How convenient that someone should find them just as they were having this conversation... and she wastes no time drawing her sword and moving forward past Cid to meet them.

A pair of Paladins who look to be on patrol duty, their conversation interrupted when they see the flicker of green light from Benedikta's fingers. They draw their swords, and she grins over her shoulder at Cid.]

What was it you said about no fighting?

[ramuhs]

[A wry look.]

We don't waste time.

[And he'll flick something out from his hand, something the size of a marble rolling out towards the pair before there's a sudden burst of electricity that engulfs them both and shocks them with enough voltage to paralyze and send them to the ground, unconscious.]

You see?

[Cid then strides forward to pick up the marble and wink at her.]

Quick and easy.

[garudas]

[She had been ready for what promised to be an excellent, if quick, fight when purple lightning crackles in front of her. She shuts her eyes, shielding them from the burst of light, opening them just in time to see the two men crumple to the floor before they got another step in.

Her sword drops unceremoniously to her side, and she flashes him a scowl of disappointment before she shoves it back into its sheath.

That was her kill!?!? How rude???]

I could have made quick work of them, you know.

[She stomps right up to them, kneels down, and starts rummaging through their clothes.]

[ramuhs]

My way was quicker.

[And he can only hope those were the only two.

...]

Why are you so keyed up, anyway?

[garudas]

[Ah-ha. There are some keys that jingle when she unhooks them from one of their belts, and then some coins as she snags the satchel tied to it as well.]

Me? I'm not.

[She stands upright and tosses the keys to him to hold onto before continuing on, kicking the other body out of her way before she strides past him this time with a wink.]

My way just ensures that they do not wake up to find us. Or call for backup.

[ramuhs]

[He catches them and just eyes her before he follows.]

If we take more than half an hour it wouldn't matter as either type of body would be found and alerted others by then.

[Dead or unconscious.]

[garudas]

[She just rolls her eyes again and keeps walking down the way that the patrolmen came. Is there really any point in arguing about this?]

And end up with bounties on our heads anyway.

[Yes, apparently there is still merit in bickering about it as she leads them down another very long corridor, though she swears she sees a dim light flickering up ahead, and her eyes narrow.]

Cidolfus...

[She hisses his name and stops, motioning with her head.]

[ramuhs]

[This really is pointless but at least he said his side. Really if this whole thing didn't seem so dubious he'd just let her do whatever, but... Now it seems to be time for focus.

He just nods, and as the lights grow, so will be the distant sound of voices of the guards. Once more Cid will hold up another one of his marble sized stun bombs at her, silently indicating he could just take them out with it.]

[garudas]

[And she's drawing her sword again, giving him and his silly ball a pointed look before storming ahead of him. If this is where the treasure is, best that she just ends this quickly.

That, and he has tapped a bit of a nerve with her, or has he forgotten that she is incredibly skilled at holding grudges against people who have wronged her? That it was one Paladin who made the mistake does nothing to save the rest of them.

Zero time to waste, and she wastes none of it. Around the corner she goes, following the dim light to find two guards waiting outside.

"Who are you!?"

And they immediately draw their weapons without waiting for an answer, one with daggers and the other a sword, and with a single burst of wind, she knocks them both back, sending them thumping against the door behind them.]

[ramuhs]

[Oh for the love of—

He should have expected it and he did but that didn't make it anymore frustrating as he has to be quick to catch up to her and see her blast the guards against the doors. And of course the noise alerts others nearby, the sound of voices from another side of the corridor faintly heard.

But before that, there are sounds of shouts as the door bursts open and three guards from inside burst through, one wielding ice magic as if to try and freeze them in place.]

[garudas]

[Benedikta is nothing if not fleet-footed, the wind carrying her back when that ice flings at the ground and shatters where she was stood. One of the guards charges at her, his daggers raised, and Benedikta rolls her eyes, heeds Cid's words, and drives her sword right into his gut. Don't worry, she didn't hit any extremities and it won't kill him—the old man has gotten inside her head and she is going to have Words for him about it later. For now, she's focused on the guards, this one going down, crumpling to the ground in the pain.

She kicks him aside, giving her room to work as she lifts another off his feet and tosses him against the wall behind her, giving Cid the opportunity to do whatever it is he needs to do to incapacitate him.

She can see inside the room now, lined with crates and all manner of fabrics folded, and she calls back to him.]

I think we've found our goods.

[ramuhs]

[If only he could actually see what she's doing, but even Cid knows that the only way is through the blade. So another guard will receive a nasty gash before Cid slams the hilt of his sword against his sternum and then needing to do a quick punch and kick to the one she blows his way.]

Then better hurry before—augh!

[There was a sudden ripple of cloth and a blurred shadow before he feels a searing pain at his side followed by the clatter of metal on the ground, and when he looks down while pressing his hand against the wound, he'll find the small knife there, his blood coating the tip. Fortunately it wasn't that deep—it did more damage where it first sliced him, the blood already flowing from the cut that started few inches higher.

But before he can even see who stabbed him, the small figure rushes away down the dark corridor.]

[garudas]

[Something fast whips past Benedikta then, and she's forced up against the wall before she's blasting back the guard that is coming at her from inside the room, throwing him against a tower of crates that come crashing down over him, taking him out of the fight. Which just leaves the cloaked figure that had escaped as well as the loud thundering of more guards rushing down, but all thoughts come grinding to a halt the moment she hears Cid groan and metal clatter to the ground.]

Cidolfus!?

[She whirls around and rushes to him, her sword falling to the ground next to the dagger as she looks him over, and seeing the blood in the dim light makes her hands shake with rage.]

Which one of them did this?