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

[She stares at him on the ground through the horror in her eyes, and she is about to call out to him, to rush to him, but what happens next roots her feet to the ground, stilling her. It's hard to tell as the wind picks up again in response where Garuda's screams in her head end and the ghoul's begin, but they are ghastly. Something so inhuman that it makes her skin crawl as the figure tries to claw her way back into Cid's body, the other part of her being drawn out—or perhaps pushed out—by their aether.

She shrieks, and Benedikta watches, her own face twisting with her growing rage. With a snarl under her breath, she storms through the walls of wind, crossing the distance between them. She does not know what she will do or how she will stop this, but her body is moving all on its own, her exhaustion be damned. She has had quite enough of this, and although it is difficult to breathe and every bone and muscle in her aches, she makes it there quickly. Quick enough that, distorted as it is, she can see the surprise on the ghost's face when she stops within arms reach.

They stare at one another for a moment, the wind howling in her ears, before she reaches out and grabs the ghost by the hair, twisting it around a fist and pulling as hard as she can—]

I said... get out!

[—and she yanks the shrieking woman to the ground, slamming her head against it. She flips her over and presses her boot to the woman's sternum, crushing it until she is the one struggling for air. She watches her for a moment, frowning through her tears and gritting teeth.]

Pathetic.

["Stop... STOP... STOOOO—"

There's a loud snapping sound beneath her scream as Benedikta pulls on the hair again, and her boot slams against her neck, and it's followed by an even louder CRACK before everything goes silent. Can this kill a soul? Is she dead? Well, just to be sure...]

And stay down.

[She pushes out one last storm, those same wind blades forming around her before they duplicate, again and again. In a single motion, they rain down over the body, cutting into her in a thousand different places until, with one last horrific scream, she dissolves into nothing.

Only for Benedikta to fall to her knees at Cid's side once she's sure that she is gone, nearly collapsing herself.]

Cidolfus...!?

[Throughout it all, Cid doesn't stir at all, and even once Benedikta has finished destroy that godforsaken soul, his body remains still, skin pale—paler than it already was in this form. The only signs of "life" is the very subtle rise and fall of his chest.]

[She shifts him as carefully as she can so that he is resting on her lap, cradled in her arms as she tries to get a good look at him, blinking away the tears and trying to clear her vision.]

Cidolfus?

[The slow and subtle movement of his chest is not enough to stem the flow of panic that surges throughout her, making her hands tremble like mad as she touches him. Caresses his face, tries to shake him awake with a tight grip on his jacket.]

Cidolfus...

[His blood covers her fingers and she is back on that beach—their beach—as he lay almost lifeless in her arms. And all because of her...]

Wake up.

[A warmth washes over them both, though it is brief, as she attempts to heal him, but she's used up everything that she had on that final burst of magic to push out the ghost. It fades just as quickly as she had been able to conjure it.]

Wake up, damn it...

[Even as she moves him, he doesn't stir. Only the strands of his hair shift with the movement of the wind before they once again fall still, little to no change visible in his complexion.]

[She tries again and fails. And again. And again... each time her winds that brush over him becoming weaker. Each time it breaks her a little further into more violent sobs.]

I cannot carry you back like this... so fucking wake up.

[She shakes him, presses her hands to his face, clutches him, does whatever she can to try and get a little bit of life jolted back into him, but nothing that she does seems to work.

Perhaps Ultima was right.

Perhaps she truly does break everything that she touches, all of it slipping through her fingers like desert sand sweeps in the wind. She cannot love because all she ever does is destroy, just like the wind does to everything it touches over time. She had been afraid to hurt him, and even in saving him, did she truly save him? As she looks down at him now, barely breathing, she thinks not. She was afraid, and she still hurt him. Every single time... It's always her claws that dig into him. And she cannot even tell how badly she had because she is now too terrified to move him, lest it worsen his wounds any further.

What is she supposed to do now? With her own body weakened, barely able to hold him up on her lap, she cannot take him all the way back, and there is not a soul to be seen anywhere. Not even the guardians have come to help. She cannot do this on her own, and the one person who she could lean on in moments like this is lying nearly dead in her arms, covered in his own blood, and now hers.]

Cidolfus, I cannot do this...! Wake up.

[She pleads with him, lowering her head until it rests against his, her body no longer able to hold itself up.

And she does not just mean carrying him back or figuring out what to do.

Those words carry a weight to them that she cannot shoulder on her own. Her mind is a tangled mess, her wayward thoughts racing to all sorts of horrible outcomes, the panic in her like a rising tide that has come to sweep her away and drown her. How is she supposed to keep her head up above ground if the one person who can pull her out of its depths is not there to reach his hand out for her to take!?

She breaks with a sob, everything shattering around her at the thought of it and the realization that if she cannot get him out of here quickly, it will only become worse. A fear grips her—if they do not get back and out of this place before it's too late, will they be stuck here forever? Will their souls be locked in the Farplane?

She tries to push herself to her feet and bring him with her, but she collapses on top of him with another violent sob—one that shakes through her whole body and ends in her fingers as they grip him mercilessly.]

What am I supposed to do? I cannot... I cannot do this...

[She can barely even stand at this rate or speak. Or breathe. Every last bit of her strength gone with his shallow breaths.]

We cannot stay here, do you hear me!?

[Yet she tries to do all of those things anyway, failing when her breaths leave her in uneven sobs.]

We have to leave... We have to go home... Our home...

[Another push of her aether outward, but she doesn't even feel it this time, and she grits her teeth so hard and bites back a swear she fears they might shatter.]

There is so much left for us to do... and we have only barely started...

[They have only just begun their lives together in their new home, and she cannot imagine returning to it without him.]

You owe me all those stupid dates, and I owe you those cakes... Those stupid fucking cakes that you love so much. I don't know why—

[She pounds her fist against his shoulder, ignoring the pain that shoots up her arm. Magic trickles out, but it does nothing. Her eyes desperately search around for someone to call out for help to, but she is only met with emptiness and an eerie silence that rings in her ears.]

And... [She sobs again, harder this time, her forehead pressed firmly to the side of his face before she yells at him through her tears.] We promised each other that we would one day...

[Her words and her voice falter.]

A family, Cidolfus... We promised. [She swallows into another violent sob, her heart twisting at the memories that rush through her thoughts.] You've yet to propose to me again, you foolish old man, so that I can say yes...!

...

So get up!

Edited 2024-12-02 20:08 (UTC)

[Silence only answers her each time, with not even a twitch of a finger or change in breath. Silence and wind.

Silence—]

So—

[—that is broken with a rough, worn voice, heavy with fatigue yet somehow still brimming with a playful lilt.]

Will you marry me now?

[The sound of his voice at all startles her from her sobs, and she lifts her head with a gasp to stare down at him in disbelief, waiting with bated breath for him to finish, frozen on the spot like the tiniest little movement will break this illusion.

She is only sure that it is not because he says that.

Her heart squeezes, and there are several heartbeats where he is also met with silence...]

You...!

[And then her hand slaps weakly against his chest, tears welling in her eyes. She hits him once more, and then a third time for good luck before she leans over and captures his lips in a fierce kiss with little regard for either of them in pain. He'll feel the wetness of her tears on his cheeks, and the quiver of her lips over his, her whole body trembling from this tide of relief.]

You awaken and that is the first thing—you stupid old man!

Edited 2024-12-02 22:37 (UTC)

[At first it's a weak laugh and then a slight grimace since although her hits were weak he was still feeling quite tender. All of which is taken away by that kiss, one that he returns in kind as his first initial response. A kiss that also holds regret and guilt for putting her through this yet again.

Slowly a hand reaches up to thread through her hair, cradling the back of her head as he continues the kiss, moving from her lips to her cheek to the tops of her eyes, tasting those tears. How many times has he done this to her, really? How many times has he brought her to tears, crushing her with the anguish and torment of fear of losing him.

And even though this time wasn't even his fault, he wasn't able to take care of it on his own. He had struggled, far more than he expected, to the point that the words from Ultima had started to haunt and weaken him before he was finally able to gather the strength needed. Yet even then it was not enough.

How is he supposed to help her, protect her, save her if he can't even save himself...?]

I'm sorry.

[The words come out in a hoarse whisper as his lips brush over her lashes with a sigh.]

You should be...

[It's a weak murmur as she closes her eyes, allowing his lips to brush over them, to kiss away every ache and every hurt that she feels, if only for the time that this lasts. She wraps herself up in his arms, her own sliding around his shoulders as she rests over him, not caring where they are or that they are lying in the middle of all this debris and dust. She is just grateful that he is alive and awake...

Fingers clutching his jacket, she pulls him closer, her face burying into his neck where she sobs quietly.]

Making me worry like that!

[Making her fear for his life, and all at her hand, too. It was neither of their faults and she knows this, but that does not take away the guilt that she feels regardless for not finding a better way to overcome it.]

I know.

[Another low voice filled with that guilt and regret as he just hugs her closer with what he strength he has. Yet through all this, there is something he needs to make sure is said, that is made clear to her.]

But you did it, love.

[His hand gently strokes the back of her hair as a faint smile can be felt.]

Without you I would be gone for good.

[She hiccups another sob into his neck before burrowing her face even deeper. Even in this form, she can breathe in his scent, reminding herself that this is real.]

... But I hesitated. I could barely save you.

And I don't blame you, I know what you were going through.

[How could he not? After what she told him of her experience with Ultima, of her nightmares and fears, he knows very well he is her greatest weakness just as she is hers.]

But now you know I'll be all right.

Will you?

[She lifts her head to look at him, her hands reaching for his face so that she can hold it in place, palms cool against his cheeks. Her eyes search his, both for answers and to be sure that there are no blue flecks that remain. Never mind that he is a bloody mess...]

Those hits that you took were not so soft. [Her brow furrows with worry.] Do not do that thing where you pretend everything is alright so that I do not fret over you.

[...Ah ha...

There is some look of chagrin there.]

Suppose it would be pointless to say I came out "unharmed."

[A wince as he feels those aches.]

But most of these wounds are self-inflicted, and with your winds, I could feel the difference. It did hurt some, aye, but I've been on the receiving end of when you did want to kill me. They were nothing like that.

[She lets out a small, sharp exhale of relief, but it's not enough. Her brow still pinches tighter, and tears still well up in her eyes as her hands continue to caress his cheeks.]

Self-inflicted or not, you were still hurt...

[Her head falls to press against his, noses brushing, and she slams her eyes shut.]

... I am sorry. Had I been able to do something sooner, you would not have had to do that.

It's all right.

[And then a low sigh of his eyes as his nose brushes against hers.]

...Had I been able to deal with it on my own, you wouldn't have had to suffer so much.

[She hushes him with a kiss, pressing her lips softly to his to stop the guilt from flowing out of them both. She knows that this is going to eat away at them later, and that no amount of reassurance is going to help them right now, but she can at least do this much... Tell him in ways other than words that he need not blame himself.]

Shh.

[A soft, quiet whisper before she pulls back far enough to look down at him.]

... Can you even walk? We cannot stay here.

[He knows what she's doing with that kiss, and really it only makes him feel worse because of it. How she's trying to comfort him...though he's also doing the same to her, so should he really be feeling any worse?

But at her question, he grimaces.]

Think I can manage.

[And then he's trying to sit up which is a lot more difficult than he expected as he grunts and groans.]

[She helps him as much as she can, but even she has to bite back the urge to groan under the pain that pulses through every limb. She is equally as spent, and she collapses before she can even get up. A helpless sound escapes her that sounds very much like a sob.]

You don't suppose our rings would work here, do you...

[Again, she tries to push herself up.]

I could try to find some help.

Afraid not, we don't even have them.

[Another grimace as he tries to keep himself upright, his voice wavering as if he's about to cough but manages not to.]

But don't push yourself too much. Just need a few moments to catch my breath and I should be able to walk...

[And then the cough. Damn.]

And I should be saying the same to you.

[She does not mean for her voice to be so scornful or sharp, but he is in far worse shape than she is. So she tries to soften her voice, pleading with him.]

I should not have to go far. [Maybe. She doesn't really know because she didn't see anyone or anything...] Just wait here and do not move.

But what if something else appears?

[Even now he still worries about her more than himself.]

And how is this any better?

[They are going to be at this for hours if they let this argument get any further, so she is going to force herself to her feet, her body be damned. She grits her teeth, hard, against every muscle that protests the movement, but it truly is better than him dragging his feet all the way back up. And they've a long way to go still.

At least she can walk. Somewhat.]

Wait here.

[But just as she's about to turn and limp away up the path, she sees something moving towards them. It's small—too small for her to make out what it is, but not small enough that it's invisible.]

Shit—something is coming.

[And she's immediately on her guard, hand going to her sword even if she knows she likely cannot wield it.]

[Hearing that, he moves to push himself up more, swearing under his breath as he feels the strain and pain shooting up through everything. But just as he's about to try and gather his aether, they'll hear a familiar voice.

"Heeeeey!!! You!! What happened!!!!"]

...Is that...?

[She squints at the oncoming shape, and the closer it becomes, so too does it become clear that it's a small little thing. She recognizes that voice, too.]

The tapir from earlier.

[Has it come to blow on them again? She remains on her guard, even as it approaches.

"Are you two alright!? What are you still doing down here?"]

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