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

[It is, indeed, very charming... and for the moment, she just chalks it up to him trying to be reassuring and not let her fret so much. She does smile gratefully at him, even if her gaze does linger on his eyes for a moment too long, but she isn't given much time to think about it as he pushes her forward, guiding her after the light.]

If you are sure...

[Another glance back at him, and something uneasy sets in her stomach. What, she is not sure, but she reaches around in search of his hand again.]

Not much further, I think. I see light up ahead.

[Her hand will brush against his, and usually he's quick to take it. But there's a moment delay before she'll feel that firm hold of his, a hold that...somehow does not feel as warm as it usually is. Perhaps it's still cold from that sudden frigid blast from earlier, and he is wearing leather gloves...

And soon they are out of the tunnel, though the light is still dim with its dark, red "skies." Cid looks up then, a strange expression on his face as if studying it as he also remains strangely silent.]

[Benedikta peers down at their hands. Even through their gloves, it feels a little odd. The fact that he'd delayed at all was what drew her attention to it, her bared fingers feeling cold in those few seconds that she waited.

She's silent for the rest of their walk, but so is he, which is the stranger part. Usually he tries to say or do something to help, to remind her that he is there, his presence sturdy when she is otherwise feeling uneasy. It is probably nothing, but it is unbearably noticeable until they reach the end and come out the other side back into the dim light of the red "sky".]

It feels even more ominous than before...

[A low mutter to herself before she looks to him, caught off guard by the silent way he's staring up at it.]

... Is everything alright?

[Another moment, another strange delay before he looks after as if noticing her for the first time in a while. And then again a smile forms, one that seems familiar yet distant.]

Of course. Perhaps just feeling a little tired from that fight before.

[He then squeezes her hand, and the odd stiffness fading as a more familiar smile of reassurance forms.]

No need to worry so much, my dear.

[A smile that feels familiar in all the wrong ways, yet she can't quite put her finger on it. She stops, that little light flickering and blinking as if trying to get her attention, but something is not quite right here. There is a strange feeling in her chest that she can't quite shake off.

Especially when he calls her that.]

Cidolfus...?

[Confusion creeps into her voice, and she pulls him closer, trying to draw him into the light even as it moves. Trying to get a better look at him and figure out why she feels so on edge.]

You did not get any more of that black stuff on you while we were in there? We can find a place to sit if you need to rest.

[He lets her pull him closer to the light, and he just seems to look at her curiously.]

Not that I'm aware. I'm just ready to return to our home...away from these oppressive skies.

[And another light smile.]

[Something is not right. There are loud alarm bells going off in Benedikta's head, but she does not know where the alarms are sounding from. The way that he smiles, the way he speaks, it lacks that easiness that it always carries when he is trying to reassure her. That boyish charm.

It lacks a feeling of safety as she stares up at him, eyes flitting madly across his face trying to find the answer.]

Home...

[She wriggles in his grasp, almost like she is about to pull away from him. Something sharp pricks at her mind, and it makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, but she shakes it off.]

... What is so oppressive about these skies?

[A hand will reach up to gently brush against her cheek as he just gives a light grin.]

You can feel it, too, can't you? That heavy atmosphere.

[He then steps in a little closer as his eyes soften, gently tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear as he gazes down at her with that familiar warmth.]

Come now, you should be worrying more about yourself—you're as pale and shaken as a leaf in winter. Once we get back to the Depths we can take a small rest before returning to the ship.

[The sudden brush of his hand on her cheek startles her, the gesture too gentle for a place like this. Yet, abrupt as it is, she can't help but lean into it with a soft exhale, the rough leather of his glove familiar and somehow comforting. She stares up at him for a heartbeat more before her eyes flutter closed.]

... Alright.

[There's a wary strain to her voice, and a tilt of her head as she opens her eyes again to search his face.]

But only a short rest. I do not wish to stay in this place much longer. And I am worried for you, too. You are acting a little...

[She shakes her head, cutting it off. He must just be tired.]

[He just shakes his head with that reassuring smile.]

As I told you, I'm just—

[At that moment he grimaces, a hand going to his head as he seems to suffer some sort of pain before he coughs.]

[Her stomach drops when he starts to cough, her hand wrapping around his wrist as if to keep him steady, the other around his shoulder. Mixed in with her worry is a pointed look.]

And you told me that you were fine after all of that. You are clearly not.

[A stern tone that fades with a sigh.]

Do I need to carry you back up there?

[He gives her a wry smile as he takes a few breaths, hand gripping his shoulder.]

And put you through it? Nah, I can make it. Just had a moment tis all.

[After one last squeeze of his shoulder and a clearing of his throat, he straightens up with a wider smile as if to reassure her. His hand even finds hers to take with a warm squeeze.]

Now c'mon. We'll breathe easier once we're out of here.

[Her eyes go to the hand at his shoulder, and then back to him, a brow raising questioningly, but she doesn't say anything.]

... Alright. But we will take it slow.

[He is in a bit of a hurry, isn't he? She is too, but...]

No sense in tiring ourselves out before we even get up there.

Edited 2024-11-30 23:16 (UTC)

[A quiet chuckle.]

Treating me like some old man? Or are you really feeling worse than you're letting on?

[His arm slides around her waist as they begin walking after the light.]

[She shoots him a look.]

I am not the one who just had another little coughing fit. Every time you have used your powers since Ultima, it has happened.

[Ah ha ha ha.]

That doesn't mean I can't walk. The moment's passed and there is nothing more to worry about.

Mm...

[And now it's a dubious look that he gets because she is worried, though not for the reasons that he might think. Well, yes, those too, but the fact that he is shaking her concern off so quickly like that is...

Again, she shakes her head, trying to brush off that feeling. She must be imagining things.

She doesn't say much else as they make the walk up save for a few times when she scorns him for making her worried or cursing when she is the one who falters a bit. The trek is much longer than she thinks it is, but they make it out of the darker areas of the landscape, and it's when they reach a ridge that has a bit of colour returning to it that she decides to take a break, the soreness in her shoulders growing beyond them alongside her concerns with every step.]

Let us just rest here a moment...

[At least they're out of there.]

[As they start walking, a hardened expression flickers in his eyes, one she won't be able to see or notice due to how subtle it is. It is one filled with a strange mix of malevolence and torment, and it does bring about a strong chill in the air that can be felt before it disappears just as quickly as he smiles whenever she looks at him, as if nothing had happened at all.

Yet he is strangely quiet, any statement or comment he makes always with a smile that seems both familiar yet out of place each time, and whenever she stumbles he is quick to catch her and ask if she's all right, and hand running over her shoulders or her back in a tender gesture...one that sometimes lingers longer than usual.

When they reach that boundary between the Uncharted and the Breathing Depths, Cid takes a breath of the fresher air before glancing back behind them. His gaze will linger, the shadows and his back turned to her again hiding a darker, sharper look in his eyes before he turns back and it all gone again.]

And you were worried about me. [A light teasing grin.] How about over here, beneath this overhang?

[It's only a few steps more and would give them some shelter and shade along with what looks like soft moss to create a nice cozy place to relax. So before she can even answer, he takes her hand to lead her to it.]

[While she misses the hardened look in his eyes, there are other things that she notices. His silence, for one, is particularly felt in times when she is expecting a silly little quip in an attempt to make her smile when she gets frustrated with herself for tripping. The way that his touch lingers for longer, though that isn't so much strange as it is a little surprising.

When she sees him staring back at the shadows of the Uncharted, she watches him, wondering what might be going through his head in that moment. He's seemed rather distant all the way up in spite of his insistent closeness, like his mind was always anywhere but with her.

She doesn't even get the chance to respond to him before he's pulling her by the hand into the shade, and she can only stare at the back of his head with narrowed eyes.]

And I still am worried about you.

And yet I seem to be holding up better than you are, my dear.

[With a teasing grin he sits down, but instead of letting her sit beside him he just sets her right on his lap.]

[There it is again, yet why does it ring so strange in her ears when he says it? A question she—once again—barely has time to ask herself before she's being pulled right down into his lap.]

Cidolfus—?

[She sputters, nearly stumbling before she catches herself with her hands on his shoulders.]

What has gotten into you?

What?

[He just looks at her with some genuine surprise.]

After all we've been through, is it so strange to want to find comfort in your warmth?

It is not that...

[Her hand moves up to caress his face, but there's the slightest twitch of her brow when she feels how cold his cheeks are. More so than usual...]

But everything else.

Hmmm?

[He leans into her hand with that boyish cant of his as he looks into her eyes with a deep, warm smile.]

How so?

[He meets her gaze, but it feels like he doesn't quite make it all the way there. Still, her own eyes bore into his, the weight of them crushing.]

You seem...

[Her hand moves from his cheek to his forehead, pressing her fingers to it as if checking his temperature. A pause, as she tries to consider her choice of words.]

Distant.

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