closed 🪶⚡ i'll be the light to lead you home

[garudas]

Who: Cidolfus Telamon & Benedikta Harman.
Status: Closed.
Where: The Roost, The Farplane.
What: Cid and Benedikta move to a new house in the Roost. Event stuff later.
Warnings: The usual. :)

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[garudas]

[He does not need to say anything. Just his voice, his warmth, his mere presence is enough to soothe her rattled heart, and though that fear sticks to her relentlessly, her breaths start to come a little easier. It's enough to shake the thoughts of what if he had not been there—something that she doesn't wish to think about or imagine either.

They sit there like that for some time, with her holding onto him like she may never let go, and she simply breathes him in in any way she can in this form, reminding herself that he is just as much here as he would be were they on the surface. She lets her frightened tears fall, lets herself sob quietly into his chest, and tries to push past it.

Only when her breathing has evened out some is when she lifts her head, looking at him for several beats before she glances around them.]

... Where are we?

[ramuhs]

[He lets her take as long as she needs, waiting it out as it gives him time to finally calm as well. He does keep his wits about him, too, keeping an eye out for anything that might approach, but perhaps the explosion of lightning was enough to keep things at bay for now.

So when she finally seems to calm and move, he releases a low breath.]

Honestly, I am not sure. Somewhere deep in the Uncharted I can only assume, but this place looks worse than the blight.

[It could be what they were warned about, areas corrupted by malignant energy and that blackwater business.]

Regardless, we shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's just use the talismans to return.

[garudas]

[She nods slowly, looking around them again, before her hand goes to her jacket, to the front where she was keeping her talisman...

...

Her hand scrambles a bit when she doesn't feel it there and she finally remembers—]

It dropped. I tried to use it, and it fell out of my hand.

[Her gaze moves up, searching for where they had fallen from, but she had been dragged far enough by now that she can no longer see the coloured corals and instead sees only black.]

[ramuhs]

[His eyes widen at that before he swears under his breath.]

And I don't know if these things work for more than one...damn.

[Though he's not angry at her, more at the ghosts that caused all this. One "good" thing about his mad dashing is he can still see the signs of where his lightning charred the ground, so his eyes look back to where they've come from.]

We'll just have to try and head back on our own.

[garudas]

[She tries to lift herself up, groaning when a new sort of exhaustion hits. She'd used up more of her aether than she thought, and she doesn't even know how much of it she had in the first place in this particular form...]

No... we might as well finish what we came here to do...

[They are down here, aren't they? And she hates that she feels so goddamn helpless right now.]

[ramuhs]

Are you sure?

[He's quick to support her, his arm still fast around her.]

There's no need to push yourself, we can come back again later.

[garudas]

No, I will be fine. I just... need a moment to catch my breath.

[She leans her weight against him as she tries again, this time managing with a bit of a stumble.]

We need to get rid of these fucking ghosts and these cracks...

[ramuhs]

[He can only look at her concerned before he lets out a breath and helps her up.]

...All right. At least it shouldn't be too hard to find in this place.

[garudas]

[She still holds onto him even as they stand, groaning at the pressure building in her back and shoulders. Could it be that these sorts of things have carried over...? But once she's standing, she can at least get a better look at their surroundings, all of which leave much to be desired.]

What exactly are we looking for? Something that will perhaps lead us there...

[ramuhs]

If it's one of those cracks, I hear they're quite noticeable, like a tear in the sky or on the ground. There are likely a lot of ghosts gathering around it, too, so that's another tell.

[garudas]

[She looks at him, her lips pressing into an uncertain, uneasy line.]

...You mean like the ghosts that just tried to snatch me...

[ramuhs]

The very same.

[His arm around her squeezes her a little in reassurance.]

But also the best way to get revenge, eh?

[garudas]

[Her brow twitches, her expression crumpling into a frown.]

I'd rather not have to do it at all, but...

[The idea seems to work in firing her up again, albeit slowly. She falters a little before she rights herself again and starts to move forward.]

Shall we just follow this path?

[ramuhs]

[If there's one thing he knows that can help get her spirits moving, is getting payback. But he also won't push her too hard, either, still wary about her condition, both physically and mentally.

Looking down the path, it looks to cut deeper into the darkness, but he can see in the far distance some movement. Large, shadowy creatures as well as smaller ones that flit over the blackened landscape.]

Looks about as good as any. Just stay close.

[garudas]

[Just as they are about to move, her first step halts partway and she turns to look at him with every bit of worry that she has, everything else still slowly sinking in from what had happened.]

... You—are you alright? You are not hurt?

[ramuhs]

[He looks at her in some surprise before he gives her a reassuring smile.]

Aye, I'm fine. Had a few tumbles but nothing I can't walk off from.

[garudas]

[She looks him over, her hand caressing his cheek.]

But you were semi-primed. Your aether, that did not do anything to you?

[Her stomach sinks, because how many times has he put himself at risk for her?]

[ramuhs]

[...Ah so she noticed. He just gives her a light smile.]

I only used it to move faster and then for that one attack at the end. So not too much.

[Relatively. He did cough a little and felt some strain, but compared to what he had to use against Ultima, it really wasn't much and within a reasonable amount.]

[garudas]

... Alright. But I would very much like this needing to save each other thing to end.

[It does little to ease the worry, and her eyes continue to search his face even in the dim light, like she will find the answers there that he refuses to give her. There are some black stains on his clothes, similar to the ones that stick to hers, and she carefully tries to brush it away with her sleeve.]

What is this?

[ramuhs]

Can't argue there.

[He also would like this cycle to end. But at her question, he glances down and furrows his brows.]

My guess is that blackwater stuff they were warning us about. Doesn't look like we got too much on us, but best be careful.

[garudas]

[Her brow scrunches with distaste, as she tries to wipe more of it from his clothes to no avail. All it does is spread it further, and she's not sure that it's much better that way.]

A shame there is nowhere to wash it off down here.

[That is not a risk she is willing to take.

She leans in to press a quick but grateful kiss to his lips in thanks for what he did earlier. She will be certain to thank him properly for it later, once they are out of here.]

But if you are sure you are feeling alright, then... we can be on our way.

[ramuhs]

[He smiles a little into the kiss, his own eyes still filled with worry over her before he nods and takes her hand to lead the way.

The path before them is dark and treacherous indeed. As they continue onward toward the blackened ground, they'll be able to feel that malignant energy oozing up and around them, larger pools of that blackwater appearing more prevalent in this area. Somewhere in the far distance they'll hear the occasional clash and see bursts of white light, perhaps either others like them who have ventured this far or the guardians trying to cleans this blighted area. At the very least, it gives some reassurance that should something go awry, there could be help to call on, even if they are a considerable distance away.

But they continue forward, the occasional ghoul or corrupted creature appearing in their way but easily taken down with them now together and more alert, ready to deal with them. And after they reach a small rocky outcrop, Cid pulls Benedikta back down again, hand raised in warning a his lowers his voice.]

Think we're close... If you look just over the ledge, there will be what looks like one of those cracks in the air, with quite the gathering around it.

[garudas]

[It is a vicious cycle that they will never escape—worrying about the other while not wanting to worry the other. Even if that kiss did help a bit, she still feels that concern, her eyes always lingering on him as they start to move again.

She walks at his side through their journey across the Uncharted. So much of it is just black, all of the colour gone, like it's a world completely separate from the one above it. If she did not know any better, she would not have believed they were the same place, held within the same Leviathan. Not to mention that malignant energy that surrounds them, and at some point, her hand goes to her chest, wondering if Garuda can feel it, too. It leaves behind a twinge of worry and perhaps fear that she could, and this would only stir her further.

But with her hand in his, her grip tight, she focuses on that, squeezing his as he tugs her down, ducking them both behind the rocks. She peers out from around it, squinting. A small sound leaves her when she sees that gathering of spirits.]

And do you suppose our magic is enough to get rid of them?

[ramuhs]

It'll have to.

[He does look a little pensive seeing how many they are... But then as he looks closer, he cants his head slightly.]

...Is it just me, or do all those ghosts look similar?

[garudas]

[She looks between him and the ghosts, lifting herself up just a little to try and get a better look.]

Hm?

[Her eyes narrow, but then her brows shoot up at the realization upon seeing all the robes that they wear, exactly the same as one another.]

Oh. I think we may have stumbled upon our little cult friends.