open 🪶 cut me deep, the secrets & lies

[garudas]

Who: Benedikta Harman & you.
Status: Open log.
Where: Around the Roost, Atnam, and Eltrut.
What: Benedikta is still bitter about the truth, but she has finally come out of hiding after the event with Garuda, and she's trying to re-integrate back into her old life, as well as looking into the pearls.
Warnings: Probably FFXVI spoilers.



🗡️ i. at the roost; closed to the hideaway crew + visitors/close friends

[It had taken a few extra days, perhaps more, for Benedikta to finally come out of hiding from within the confines of hers and Cid's home on the island. Those who have come and gone in that time may have noticed things being a touch more discreet around there, with extra food and supplies—more than what one person would need—being left at the door, as well as no one being allowed inside. And even after those few days have passed, Benedikta herself remains quite inconspicuous, and those who pay close attention will notice that Cid has not only been staying in later in the mornings, but he has been more chipper. When asked, he simply answers with a wink, and something like "our little bird has returned to roost" before carrying on with a smile and no further explanation. (Everyone be sure to thank Kaveh for sound-proofing their house!)

Eventually, however, she will need to leave for one reason or another, mostly to stretch and a need for fresh air, and while she will not seek anyone out on her own and is very sneaky about leaving, she can be found around the island in a number of places throughout the month:

In the high-up gryphons nests, trying to make amends with them, likely cleaning, stringing up some feather decorations or bickering with the younger ones. In the gardens where she (tries to) tend to the vegetables, though without much of a green thumb, she's failing miserably, grumbling curses to herself and at the tomatoes in her frustration. At one of the many beaches on the island taking a lone dip. The library, searching for a book or in the middle of reading one. For those feeling more daring to climb the higher cliffs, she can also be found up there, quiet and contemplative as she lets the winds brush over her and her feet dangle over the edge. Sometimes, she might even have a small owl with her—the very same one that's been around the Roost for several months now. Those lucky enough might even find her up there teaching that owl how to fly. And when not at the edge, she might be in one of the flower fields overlooking the ocean, and while she is typically not one to pick them, she could very well be spotted weaving some stems together to craft something...

While these are the most likely places to find her, it is certainly not limited to just these!]

( OOC Note: There was no announcement made by anyone about Benedikta coming back to the Roost, but people are free to either have deciphered the news of her return from Cid, noticed on their own through piecing things together, or can be surprised to find her! Whatever floats your boat. )

🗡️ ii. special investigations on atnam; ota

༄ a. archives. [Several weeks later after her return, she embarks back out to ATNAM this time. She has a highly vested interest in the search for the pearls and the Ancient Leviathans, namely the relic that can control the rifts, so it's no surprise that she can be found in their Archives, searching. As much as she does enjoy a good book, it is not often that she can be found hunched over one for research purposes—it was never really her forte despite being the Intelligencers' Commander for many years. She had men who would do that while she led them. Her skills lay in subterfuge more than anything else, so needless to say, she finds all this a bit frustrating already as she flings yet another book across the room with a bit of wind and no consideration for anyone who might be nearby.]

Is there not one book in here that has information that does not read like fiction!?

[Though, not all of her books are about the leviathans, but should anyone glance at them, they may spot others about this world's magic, and curses...]

༄ b. guarding the pearls. [She'd have gone down to the underwater ruins if she could have, but even she is not stubborn or stupid enough to do so in her current condition, and her injuries are still very much on the mend. While very grumpy about it, she has instead taken up watch when she has grown tired of pouring through books upon books, and at least here, she feels much more in her element here, with her sword strapped to her hip. Not that anything interesting is happening as she and whomever has been stationed with her walks the perimeter of ATNAM, but she keeps her senses trained and keen on any shifts in the wind.]

I'd have thought there would be more activity, what with these valuable pearls...

[Help, she's already bored and restless as all hell, and as her fingers twitch around the pommel of her sword, she feels that itch to just drive it through something.]

🗡️ iii. looking around eltrut; ota

[It has been some time since she's been on Eltrut. Well over a month now, given how things had gone down with Garuda. She wonders if the leviathan knows anything about who or what it was that attacked it and that she was back here, but so far, she's run into no trouble. She's been keeping herself fairly inconspicuous, not talking to anyone unless absolutely necessary, as she walks through the streets, looking things over. While the cleanup seems to be mostly complete, she notices some differences—places that look changed from before, likely rebuilt after the damage that had been done, and the piers are looking sturdier than ever.

It doesn't make those feelings of guilt any easier to handle. If anything, seeing it all only makes her angrier, the sights dredging up the horrible memories of that day. Those black, lifeless eyes that stared into her soul, and that sense of dread that overcame her. It was a rage that she'd never quite known or felt before, and an in effort to stem that riptide, she sets off to do that other thing that she came out here to do.

When she is not at the lookout by the pier with her pipe in her hand, staring out to the sea with nothing short of contemplation all over her expression, she will be found in numerous different shops. Cidolfus had urged her to try and find something to do to help pass the time while she recovers—a new hobby, a new passion... It's certainly not something that she would have thought of herself. But if she's to get past this and move on, if she is to learn how to stand on her own feet again... He might be right, and she hates it.

It could be in a crafts shop, where she stands there holding knitting needles in her hands, staring at them like they are the most foreign things to her. She knows how to sew, thanks to her "upbringing", but that would be all. Perhaps one of the greenhouses, staring at the the dozens of flowers for gardening or variations of cacti with a look of disdain, and she asks what the fuck a succulent is. Maybe it is at a hardware shop (what? Yes, she's confused about how she wound up here, too) looking at the different types of wood or paints that she can buy, mumbling something about birdhouses. If not there, then at one of the many clothing or jewelry shops, simply shopping around. Maybe even looking for a new dress...

And when she's grown tired of her search, she'll end it in her favourite bookshop, very likely in the middle of flipping through the pages of a book in the magic section with her brows drawn together...]

🗡️ iv. wildcard

[None of these options work? Hit up my plotting comment up over here if you want to plot something more specific, and we can hash out the details! Or you can hit me up in the game discord, via DW PM, or over at crystariums! I'd prefer to plot something out this month since she's being a bit guarded, and likely won't be doing a ton of MANTA stuff either, but I would be happy to figure out something else!

I'd also just like to note that while I don't mind it, Benedikta will likely not be too open to talking about Garuda stuff to people outside of the crew/those who fought her, so bringing it up will definitely be a sore topic and it's likely she will either deflect or bite back. Also want to mention that unless they are part of the Hideaway crew or she has directly told them that she is Garuda's Dominant and what that means, that information is not available to characters. That includes knowing that the beast that attacked Eltrut is Garuda, as only certain people should be privy to that information. If you're unsure, then please feel free to reach out!]

Comments

iv. wildcard

[tilfrosset]

[Having a soft heart should be criminal. After all, Benedikta has been nothing less than a thorn in Jill's side in one way or another, even before the rifts brought them all here. Yet the woman is important to Cid and Cid, in turn, is important to Jill. The least she can do is try and understand why Benedikta is the way she is, what events molded the woman, thought she's not truly anticipating a straight answer. One doesn't become an intelligencer by disclosing every bit of information to everyone.

Not only that, something has been nipping at Jill's thoughts since hell broke loose. Benedikta primed. Full on primed. That's something Jill hasn't been able to do since she arrived, though she still feels Shiva creeping around the edges of her inner thoughts. The ability might be gone, but the ice queen remains. Which, with as much though as Jill has given this, means that perhaps the ability isn't truly impossible to call upon. If Garuda's sudden appearance was anything like Jill's first experience with Shiva, something had to happen to bring about that power. What it was remains to be seen. She certainly won't squeeze it out of Cid. Might as well go to the source.

But those are thoughts that remain unspoken in Jill's mind as she carries a tray to the door of Benedikta and Cid's little abode, knocking lightly. On it is variety of dried fruits and meats, a hearty loaf of bread, and a bowl of piping hot stew from Jill's own kitchen. Not to mention two hefty mugs filled with ale, one for each of the women to sip on, along with a bottle that contains more. Because if anything, while she suspects Benedikta might turn down the food, nothing helps soothe ruffled feathers like a strong drink or two. Maybe three.]

[garudas]

[The knock is surprising—Benedikta had not been expecting any visitors, which is why she has not dressed up for anyone, simply remaining in her usual cotton loungewear rather than her black leathers, not expecting to be seen. With Cid out for the day, she'd planned to take most of it to herself. Being back at the Roost was... strange, to put it lightly, and she finds herself still unable to wander out into the thick of things without second-guessing herself.

But it's because Cid is gone that she has to answer the door, else she might have sent him, and when she finally does open it...

There's just a touch of roundness in her eyes as surprise strikes her first at the sight of Jill Warrick standing there with a tray loaded with all sorts of foods and snacks. Not to mention the mugs of ale.

She pauses in shaking her little jar of dark green nailpolish to look her over, and it's without any malice or even ire in her gaze but rather, exhaustion, that she sighs.]

Cidolfus is not here.

special investigations on atnam

[vermilloci]

[ Rem hasn't been on the Roost, being preoccupied with other matters. So of all the places to find out that Benedikta is back--


Rem's head pokes out from the end of the bookshelf, directly where the tome had just struck the wall. Normally she'd tell others to be kinder to the books, but...!

This is a big exception. ]

Benedikta?

[garudas]

[There may be a few more books that clatter to the floor from the impact, but that's not what draws Benedikta's attention up. It's the voice that has her heart twisting at the immediate sound of it, like a soft call that wraps a string around it and tugs. Her gaze meets Rem's, only for a moment, before it drops away, elsewhere, anywhere but on her as she clears her throat.]

I did not expect to see you here.

[Honestly, she didn't expect to see anyone here when, really, she should have. That still does nothing to dull that edge of surprise...]

i. gardens

[apothecarry]

[Alfyn has actually been off The Roost for a couple days. He stopped worrying that some of the crew would just keel over in the middle of the room a while ago; after that he spent some time making and stocking really basic medicines, just in case.

And then he took a break. He'd have come back right away, of course, if someone called. When no one did...well, he figured he could go about his business.

The business: getting together more seeds and supplies for his little corner of the garden, generously offered to him by Cid and miraculously untouched by any of the wind and storm. So far it's mainly rows of dirt - a few little seedlings are poking out their first leaves, though, and seeing that always makes him smile - but he hopes that soon enough there'll be herbs here for the picking.

He has his arms full (rake, bucket of water, bag of fertilizer he bought on Eltrut, a different bag with his lunch) and his mind on the plants as he's walking through the gardens; he doesn't run into Benedikta but he does startle a little bit when an unfamiliar woman just seems to pop up in front of him between the rows.]

Ah- whoops! Sorry, ma'am. [He can't exactly bow and he has no hat to tip, so he settles for a sheepish smile.] Just passin' through, though if you need to borrow any of what I'm carryin', I'm happy to oblige.

[He has absolutely no idea who this actually is.]

[garudas]

[She has one (1) slightly still-green tomato held in her hand that she looks quite confused by when she runs into Alfyn, his surprise startling her some when they come across each other. And while he may not recognize her, Benedikta has certainly seen him around before she took off in a flurry of wind and feathers. Wherever Cid is, she is sure to follow, and so there is some flicker of familiarity in her gaze as it flits down to all of the supplies in his hands, and then back to him.

She'd offer to help (not really), but... tomato.]

You are that apothecary. Alfyn.

[She would not be a very good Intelligencer if she didn't know her names and faces, and she is quite good at remembering both.

As she just casually disregards everything else he's said about the tools.]

iii. looking around eltrut 🐉

[activatingcombatmode]

[It's been a good handful of weeks now. It seems like life goes on even on Eltrut, just like everywhere else. Repairs are slowly made, people work to put their lives together and ... The storm calms.

While she is on the pier that day she might hear the sound of little scratches against the wooden planks. A tiny (or now a big house cat-sized) pink-coloured dragon youngling is tip-tapping towards her only to slide up against her leg like a cat would...

This little one is supposed to be staying on Nogard, isn't she? Well... She wants to say hello, it seems. She must have escaped to do just that.

There is a paladin nearby that might spot her soon. But until then... She squeaks gently at the woman.]

[garudas]

[She'd been so caught up in her own thoughts, hardly smoking the pipe held precariously between her fingers, that she hadn't even notice the scratching noises. Or, if she had, she thought nothing of them. There were always stray cats around this overlook that it wouldn't surprise her if there was another searching for anyone that might give it food.

So when she feels something brush up against her leg—]

For the love of... I don't have any food for—

[She stops just short when she looks down and finds not a fluffy little cat blinking up at her, but a small, scaly, pink dragon.]

You—!?

[Benedikta staggers back a step, the ash from her pipe billowing out and onto the ground, because WHAT IS A DRAGON DOING HERE.]

i. in the flower fields

[empyrean_mirror]

[It probably isn't surprising to find Kaveh here. It shouldn't be, anyway--when he comes and checks on the repairwork and the progress of the housing and the sanctuary, he usually winds his way up to the flower fields for a bit. He'd been picking a few, winding them into a little crown, and today, at his heels, are three ostensibly wild foxes.

It's the foxes who notice Benna, and yip in warning--they're wild and wary (unless she's got snacks), and Kaveh looks up to assure them, to see...]

...Benedikta.

[Well. This is awkward.]

[garudas]

[It is surprising, and awkward, indeed, for a couple of reasons.

The first being that she is holding a few flowers in her hands already by the time she manages to make it up there, the stems weaved together at the start of something, and upon spotting Kaveh and the foxes, she hides them behind her back.

The second being... well, the more obvious.

Although the foxes are, indeed, a curious sight too, and after lingering on them for just a moment, she snaps her gaze away.]

I was not expecting to find anyone here so early.

iii

[moremystyle]

[Faris is frequenting the craft shop himself. A good sailor always needs a well-stocked sewing kit and he's running low on thread after having to patch up his wardrobe thanks to a certain incident last month.

And when he looks up from the skeins on offer, he stops cold.

It's shocking to see her looking... normal. A human again, just like before. How the hell did that happen, Faris wonders. How do you transform into that and then back again.]

Hey. Haven't seen you about in a minute.

[It's not the place to have the conversation. But it's apparently the place to start it.]

[garudas]

[This being not the place to have any conversation is what makes it the perfect place.

As she stands there with the two knitting needles clutched in her hands and an instruction book torn open in front of her on the shelf, she nearly starts at the sound of a familiar voice. She'd noticed someone there, but never bothered to look up to see who it might have been. And upon seeing Faris, she hastily closes the book and lets it fall to the ground, acting as if she wasn't just caught reading about how to fucking knit.]

I have been busy.

[She eyes Faris with a sense of wariness. It's not as if she's forgotten what happened, and she very much doubts that Faris has either.

So, what exactly did he want? That is what she is trying to get a read on.]

What are you doing all the way out here?

[In a craft store.]

library time!

[gruffier]

[ The shift in Cid's mood was a tall-tell sign of Benedikta's recovery, despite not having seen her since the entire event took place. Her messages did help to ease most of his worries though, and even though it was a simple thumbs up here or there, knowing that the two of them were going to make it out on the other side was comforting for him. He had taken that sentiment to heart through her absence, and had focused his attention almost entirely on Joshua and the curse that still befell him.

It was through that concern that had brought Clive to the library. He was no Harpocrates or bookly scholar by any means, but he could pick up a book and read. Any knowledge that he could gain about this world and its relic could lead to a sign he's been looking for. He just had to find it.

Who would have guessed that during another trip to the library that the man noticed a familiar face among its shelves. He blinked at first, unsure whether it was his eyes playing tricks on him or that it was truly the same blond bobbed hair he had seen before. But as realization seeped in his muscles began to relax as he approached. ]

A rare sight. [ He notes while plucking one of the books off and into his arms. ] Good to see you're alright.

[garudas]

[It's certainly a voice that she had not expected to hear, and it is one that, even after all these months, still draws every last bit of tension in her body right up into her shoulders. Cidolfus has been more of a saving grace for the two of them, to be sure, so it's with just a tired sigh that Benedikta reacts to his presence as she slams yet another book shut between her fingers.]

About as alright as I can be.

[She gives the book a wave before shoving it back haphazardly onto the shelf in front of her.]

You have managed to leave your brother's side long enough to come all the way here?

[There's just the slightest pull of her lip before it disappears.]

I trust he is doing better.

iii

[pinksidekicking]

[ Nimona doesn't really go to any of those shops on her own, so she finds Benedikta at the lookout, staring into the water. The not-teen doesn't hesitate to climb up there with all the ease of an agile creature and plop herself down on the railing next to the woman. ]

Are you looking for something out there?

[ She doesn't ask what, doesn't ask for details... Nimona knows what that sort of look means when it's on her own face. ]

[garudas]

[When once she might have balked at the girl for suddenly hopping up on the rails when the ground is at least a hundred yalms below, she remains perfectly calm, hardly batting an eye. She takes a long drag of her pipe, glancing at Nimona through the corner of her eye, and then exhales the smoke with a sigh before she responds pensively.]

Answers, perhaps? Is there much else to look for out there?

iii!

[unliminal]

[ Even if there's a lot more trouble to be had on Eltrut than Gojo is used to from his time relaxing in a space hotel, he still finds himself with more downtime than he was used to in his day-to-day back home. With all there is to do and see, not every day is gonna be a day for an excusion. Somedays are just for whatever whimsical bullshit spirits his thoughts away.

Today, that penchant for causing a scene anywhere he goes brings him to the crafts shop as well. Has he ever sewn in his life before? No, but that's besides the point. With his knack for picking up new skills, it's only a matter of time before he masters it, he's sure. Once he actually...puts a needle to fabric.

But before he can even reach that point, he has to assemble his materials. Deliberating between two different shades of baby blue fabric in his hands, he huffs a moment later — and then another moment later again after that, when it's clear that it didn't get the attention of the woman browsing nearby the first time.

Impatience wins out then, as he approaches Benedikta outright, holding up both bolts of fabric on either side of his face. ]

Oi. Need you to answer me something. [ He sounds very serious?? ] Which of these is closer to the color of my eyes?

[ ...Yes, very serious indeed. ]

[garudas]

[Oh, he had gotten her attention at some point. The huffing is... grating, to say the least, and while she does hear it, she pays him no mind (she is trying to lay low, after all) as she continues to browse the different colours of yarn because why the hell does there need to be so many?

And she's just about to grumble that thought aloud when she's suddenly approached—how in the world? She doesn't even look approachable with that deep grimace on her face, and it only deepens further when he has the steel balls to demand for her opinion outright. Not even with a please!?

She looks at him, almost offended, before she regards and scrutinizes his choice of fabrics.]

What is it for?

i at the roost 🦃

[phoenixdominant]

[As they say... Birds of a feather flock together...

While Joshua shouldn't be up here at the moment there's nothing stopping Joshua from sneaking out of his room to get fresh air when he wants it. His room has become stifling and the smell of Alfyn's balms, while he's thankful for, have started to itch his nose a bit too much. That is why when he's given even a moment's peace... Joshua makes his way up to the gryphons nests.

Perhaps a part of him wondered that if he came this way that he would sooner or later see Benedikta. And now, as he wanders up the rocky path once again and he catches sight of her... The relief that floods him is immeasurable.

It's almost a perfect copy of the last time they were up here together. Aside from Joshua's body plagued with icky bandages...]

Lady Benedikta...

[garudas]

[Even with her aether dwindled somewhat, there is no mistaking the twinge that the presence another Dominant brings as it prickles the back of her neck. It really is almost identical to the last time they met, and while Benedikta has since shed her bandages herself, there are plenty of unseen wounds that still linger. Ones that draw her shoulders together with sore tension that has her hissing through her teeth at the sound of Joshua's voice.

Though, unlike so many others at the Roost, it is not surprise or hesitation that she hears in his voice but rather, something like relief... and she can at least appreciate that much. She's grown quite weary of the pitied stares, having come to prefer the terrified ones over them, and it's only been a couple of days since she's come out of hiding.]

I am, admittedly, astounded you made it all the way up here.

[She is sitting on the ground with a couple of gryphons lounging around her, and she's busied herself tying feathers onto a long garland when she only just barely glances up at him.]

i. higher cliffs.

[verboaten]

[some might not expect eizen to enjoy high places all too much. bad things happening too far in the air and all. but so what? bad things CAN happen that far up, sure, but they can damn well happen anywhere. besides, what's more homely to an earth malak than a mountain? mountains bring back those halcyon memories with edna. it's bittersweet, in all honesty, but still nice.

although the cliffs may be a far cry from a mountain, it's still reminiscent of them enough. it's also a nice place to just sit and get away from things for a bit. what eizen didn't expect is to find someone else all the way here. all the more surprising is who said person happens to be. well, maybe not that surprising. he'd heard bits and pieces that she may be back. that said, seeing her up here takes him off guard for just a second.

eizen shoves his hands in his pockets as he casually approaches.]

The climb up might be a pain in the ass, but the view is worth it every time.

[he'll stop when he's standing beside her.]

[garudas]

[She hears someone coming, but she doesn't dare look back over her shoulder to see who it is. She's expecting a voice of surprise, another "Benedikta?" laced with trepidation, as if she were a ghost or unrecognizable to those she's met a dozen times before. Hell, she even considers getting up and leaving, giving up this spot to whoever has come up here to seek refuge from the world—a rare thought because she'd usually tell them to bugger off and find somewhere else. Another idea that occurs to her... until she hears that voice.

While she keeps her gaze forward, familiarity sets into her shoulders as he stops beside her, and she kicks her foot against the steep edge of the cliffside.]

It is. I am quite fond of the winds up here, too.

[Eizen. She knew that there was a reason she appreciated him, and right now, it is that he speaks to her as if everything were normal, even when it isn't.]

gryphons nests

[afflatusexarch]

I wondered where I might find you.

[ G'raha himself looks a little rumpled. Like he has been looking for her for a while. Because he, clearly, has. His concern for Benedikta has only grown in her absence. G'raha had been looking for an opportunity to catch her, to see how she is doing. Yet she has been up here, but for how long?

Of course part of his state likely has something to do with him climbing up all this way. Not that it had been too much for G'raha, oh no. But she could have made it a little easier.

Or so he thinks, until he starts to really take in what Benedikta is doing here. ]

Oh. Cleaning up, are we?

[garudas]

[When has anything ever been easy with her? Just ask Cid—

Benedikta was in the middle of sweeping up some dried leaves... and a whole tree... that had blown in here during the windstorm a month ago, supervised by the large brown matriarch gryphon who lifts her head from where she had been resting nearby at the new guest. The only reason it hadn't been cleaned up was because a majority of the crew was on the mend, and... Benedikta figured it would be best if she were the one to do it. Wind magic and all...]

Someone must.

[She mumbles it under a breath as she keeps her back mostly turned to him, all of the tension rising to rest right between her shoulders, that ache pulsing there making her bite back a wince.]

What are you doing here?

[On the island.]

library at the roost \o/

[indispensable]

[Libraries have always been one of Alhaitham's favorite places to be, and that hasn't changed much even in all the time he's been in this world. Kaveh's insistence on building one on the Roost does not go unappreciated, especially when his senior has taken great pains to ensure that it is a place that fulfils all of Alhaitham's more specific requirements, outside of the general ones that the crew needs.

So needless to say, Alhaitham is a common enough sight, and on this particular instance where Benedikta arrives for her own reasons the man himself is already present, having claimed his usual spot to read. Though his earpieces are firmly in place, he does notice her presence nonetheless judging from the way he looks up from the book he's reading to see her.

Should she desire to make eye contact with him, all he does is to incline his head in acknowledgement of her presence before returning to his book. If she doesn't, he takes no offence to it whatsoever and goes back to reading his book anyway. Regardless of anything, it doesn't seem like he's bothered about her presence in the slightest despite of what has happened between them.]

[garudas]

[She had not expected, and even dared to hope that she would not find anyone here at this hour. Or any of the hours that she might come. She was simply going to take a book and bring it back with her, so when she sees Alhaitham already sitting, immersed in the pages of one, she nearly freezes completely. She sees him incline his head, and she tries her best to stifle the confused crinkle of her nose and her brow. Yet another person who is acting as if nothing had happened... As if she has just been here this whole time and...

...

She wanders off for a bit, searching for a book, but she finds herself so distracted by his presence that she can't go on ignoring it forever. She's hardly even noticing the titles on the spines, her eyes just glazing over the words as she reads the premise before she sets it back.

Eventually, she will speak to him from where she stands at the shelf, her back to him, but with the two of them being the only ones here, there's no one else that she could be addressing.]

... I got word about your arm.

i, library (finally)

[netherese]

[Though no announcement has been made, it's the little things that Gale observes that tip him off to Benedikta's return before Cid confirms it. Even then, he waits some time to seek her out— not too long, given the nature of what he has to say; there is some time-sensitivity to be considered in disclosing what she may have felt from him during their encounter, but that's not the only thing he wishes to speak to her about. It seems equally as important that they touch on what he had felt from her.

Though he does intend to reach out to her deliberately, it's by chance that he finds her when he does— though given his personal fondness for the Roost's library (or any library, for that matter), it was only a matter of time before he crossed paths with each and every crewmember in this place. She's in the middle of reading when he arrives, but upon seeing her, he pushes his plans of browsing aisles aside and gently announces his presence by clearing his throat as he approaches, offering her a small, reserved smile as he does so.]

Benedikta. Welcome back— you look well.

opens my arms!! 💚

[garudas]

[Even when she is not so engrossed in a book, Benedikta has made it a habit of not looking up from the pages when someone enters the library. Should someone wish to speak to her, they will address her and otherwise, she had no interest in playing the Getting to Know You game for much longer, and it has barely been a week since she's come out of hiding. She's grown weary of the stares, of the cautious tiptoeing around her, of the whispers from those who don't know any better... Best to just ignore it until someone is brave enough to address her.

Only this time, she is absorbed by the book in her hands, and she looks quite relaxed with her feet thrown up on the ottoman, one leg crossed over the other. The cover is not one that is found here in the library but rather, one of her own books that she brought with her and sought out someplace quiet while Cid was out doing work. Being cooped up in a house in a cave is not exactly the place for a bird, even when its wings are clipped.

The voice that calls out her name draws her attention away from the words, though she does finish the sentence that she is reading before she finally looks up, and there's a very noticeable and instant shift in her demeanour, going from relaxed to a stifled stiffness in a single hitched breath. She tries to keep herself in check, but of all the encounters, this is the one that Benedikta remembers the clearest...

And even then, it's still a bit foggy at best.

She shifts a little in her seat, though she doesn't lower her legs.]

Well, a month at sea tends to be quite healing when one wants it to be...