closed 🪶 try to stop me, throw me in chains...

[garudas]

Who: Benedikta Harman & others.
Status: Mostly closed. (there's a general open prompt for Hideaway crew members & close CR)
Where: Eltrut, The Roost, Elah Prison.
What: Benedikta gets arrested right after her honeymoon lol.
Warnings: She's feeling stabby.

If you would like a thread, please feel free to poke me via PM, on the game discord, or @ crystariums and we can plot something!

🗡️ it's a general mingle prompt (post-honeymoon); open to crewmates and close cr

[Well, it was certainly no secret that Cid and Benedikta had disappeared for a full two weeks after Dragon's Gale, leaving Mid in charge in their absence, and she can only hope that the crew did not leave the Roost in a disarray for when they got back. Not that she would be the one sorting out the problems, but she is inclined to force Cid to rest a little more often now that they have returned.

And while much has remained the same about her, there is also something different about her. Is that a skip in her step? Or perhaps a smile where she would not otherwise wear one? She seems lighter than usual, like many weights have been lifted off her shoulders at last...

But the most obvious thing—or maybe not so obvious, for those not paying attention— is that she now wears two rings on her finger. Yes, it is a wedding ring.

There was no announcement about their wedding, and she prefers it that way. For all her preening, Benedikta does not enjoy that sort of attention, which is why she is subtle about it, hiding in the Roost's libraries or chocobo stables, maybe even in the secretly tending to some herbs, or up in the cliffs with the gryphons when she is not tucked away at home.]

🗡️ omg another general mingle prompt (post-arrest); open to crewmates and close cr

[Word of Benedikta's sudden arrest on Eltrut spread quickly through the Roost. When Cid had received word from Alfyn, who likely got himself into a spot of trouble simply by association, it was as if a storm had rolled through. It would take a couple of days to find her with Cid heading to the prison on Elah to break her out and bring her home... and then another couple of days before she manages to find her way back out into the world again.

And while she can be found at all her usual spots, she will clearly be more on edge, pacing or tapping her fingers impatiently, a slight scowl or tight expression on her face. She never sits still for long, her irritation making her agitated, and quite honestly? If someone were to invite her out to hunt a bounty or take on a job, she would gladly take them up on that offer. Anything to keep her mind and body busy when they are otherwise itching to plunge her sword through something.]

( ooc note: these are just general prompts for hideaway crew members/close cr to hit her up if they wish to, so feel free to find her at any of these locations around the crew island. It's not limited to these places, but they are the most likely areas to find her! I'm also open to doing some quests/bounties with crewmates as well, if anyone wants to take her on one! She could totally use the distraction. )

Comments

🍃🔨 closed to midadol.

[garudas]

[It will not be for a couple of days after their return until Benedikta deigns to step outside. It is later into the night, closer to sunset, and much of the Roost has already gone in. Honestly, a part of her wonders if any of the crew even knows that she and Cid have returned from their holiday... hence the sneaking about. That, and she thought she might surprise the girl with a visit, along with a small box in her hands that has her cheeks just a little bit flushed as she finally knocks on Mid's door.

She can only hope that she is still awake. No, surely she would be. She doesn't seem the type to be in bed by nine?]

[midifications]

[Even as Benedikta approaches, she'll be able to hear the telltale sound of Mid tinkering away on something; something she's likely acquainted with just from Cid being Cid. Like father, like daughter.

When Benedikta knocks, there's a little crash, a very colourful exclamation following, before the sounds of her going to the door to open it... not really annoyed, just flustered, but Mid lights up when she sees Benna at her door.]

Enna! [Just a little grin, she knows what happened.] Didn't think you an' dad were back yet. I'd invite ye in, but it's... a little messy right now.

[garudas]

[It is indeed a sound that she has grown used to, so at least she knows that the girl is awake. And even if she didn't hear the tinkering, that crash tells her everything that she needs to know. And she cannot help but snort softly under her breath, which is why she's trying to pull back her smile when Mid finally opens the door.]

We had only just arrived back yesterday.

[And then proceeded to hide in their home for most of the day.

Benedikta tries to peek past Mid inside.]

As if a little mess bothered me. Your father is much worse. And I am not inclined to find someplace else to meet at this hour.

[That is to say... let her in.]

[midifications]

So not that long! Figured you'd had been back a while and were just quiet, but glad to have ye drop by!

[...ah. Well. She's got things involved here so letting her in might be... hmm. Mid glances back a little but keeps a grin as best she can when she looks back at Benedikta.]

Well... give me just a moment then. Wouldn't do to have you climbin' over things and no place t' sit, right?

[Benna doesn't really get a chance to respond because with a quick "one moment!" Mid will shut the door quickly. It really doesn't take long, a minute or so perhaps, as promised, and the sound of things being shuffled elsewhere can be heard, most definitely hurried, before Mid swings the door open, much wider this time.]

There we are, better! So you don't have to try to just do an awkward standin' 'round when I can sit on me bed or whatever. [It's not too messy, still some things left but no blueprints or whatever else she might have out otherwise, but she does motion for Benna to come on in before shutting the door after her.] I told dad when he told me I still wanted to make it official for you two, too... if you don't mind. Just, y'know, for me. You already were, but I didn't get to see.

🍃🌿 closed to alfyn.

[garudas]

[After some discussions and exchanges had been made about the auctioned treasure map pieces, and more specifically, the one that Cid had obtained, Benedikta took it upon herself to do a little bit of digging herself. Intel was her bread and butter, and she prided herself on her skills, but if there was one thing that she did not enjoy, it was hunting through books.

Fortunately, today is her lucky day. And maybe it is Alfyn's unlucky day... who's to say. But after running into him on Eltrut near the library, she'd convinced (read: dragged) him to join her on a little mission, perhaps with the promise of some tea after, as one of the few people whose presence she could fully tolerate... When he was not calling her ma'am.

But first—]

I am looking for information on this world's islands.

[As they walk through the doors of the library, and she does not bother to hush her voice as she continues to speak, earning an irritated look from the librarian at the front.]

Particularly mountainous ones. [And then a dry look, and an even dryer voice.] Surrounded by water.

[Because that makes it so much easier to narrow it down. She's still annoyed about it.]

[apothecarry]

[Alfyn raises his hands toward the librarian, placating, mouthing "sorry!" in a highly exaggerated manner as he hurries to keep up with Benedikta on her way to the front desk. Nosing through a library for specific information is by far more of a Professor Cyrus activity, but Alfyn won't refuse a request for help - especially from a friend.]

Uh- but- [The librarian, in a huff, has retreated to between-some-shelves and Alfyn is sort of grimacing, sort of grinning.] All islands're surrounded by water. Right? That's kinda...the thing makin' 'em islands, I reckon.

[Even an expert in this specific library might have a time finding any specific book for them about this.

Alfyn puts his hand to his chin, in imitation of Cyrus himself, and frowns at the floor.]

You'll have to forgive me for askin' like this, but...d'you have anything else at all to go on?

[garudas]

[Hence the very dry look she had given when she had said so. She's well aware of the irony of that.]

Not much. These pieces of the map were those that were auctioned off... so naturally, there are parts of it missing still.

[She comes to an abrupt stop right in front of him.]

I suppose our first step would be trying to find what we can of those ones first.

[Digging into her pocket, she pulls out a photo of said map parts that she had taken from the gathering.]

post-honeymoon

[indispensable]

[Truth be told, it wasn't too hard to figure out what happened the moment both Cid and Benedikta decided to abscond from the Roost without so much as a word. Though their brief sojourn might not affect him and Kaveh as much since they do tend to be on their own outside of the crew, it is still nonetheless something to be noted. And maybe said figuring out did require a few assumptions on his end, but based on the circumstances and other evidence Alhaitham doesn't see any reason to believe otherwise.

Regardless, when the two of them finally do return its easy enough to confirm those suspicions, and once that's done it's not too long after for Alhaitham to come meandering in during one fine day, at a time he's fairly certain he will be able to find Benedikta there.

Just like almost every other time Alhaitham does not bother with announcing his presence or any sort of those usual pleasantries; he simply steps in, heads over to where the woman is after seeing her there, and holds out two items for her to take: a book, and what looks to be a handmade and very well-crafted coffee pot.]

Congratulations. [He says after a beat, just to make it clear enough what the gifts are meant to be for.]

[garudas]

[It will be her usual hiding place—some corner of their library—where he will find her once again. It had been a quiet morning, early enough that most of the Roost hasn't stirred much just yet, so she wasn't expecting to find anyone there. She'd been standing at a shelf, so engrossed in a book that she doesn't notice him coming. Or she does and doesn't bother to look up from what she's reading.

That is, until he holds out two items, and she blinks up from her book as if broken out of a sleep. She stares at them, and then at him, and then back down.

Little does she realize that her face has started to turn a bit pink.]

... For what?

[A narrow of her eyes. Yes, she's going to play that card first.]

[indispensable]

[...Alhaitham doesn't know why Benedikta is even bothering with this sort of pretense; its not as if her relationship with Cid was ever a secret in any measure, at least within the crew.]

Since you're trying to be obtuse about it, I'm not going to spell it out. [As ridiculous as that is he does at least respect the desire for privacy. Mostly, anyway.] Kaveh also sends his well wishes to the both of you. In lieu of the lack of a ceremony for us to attend, the gifts should suffice.

[He gives the items in his hands a shake, as if what he said alone wasn't enough to make it clear. Come on Benedikta, just take the presents. Kaveh will be sad otherwise and nobody wants that.]

Post-Arrest | Cuddlefish

[empyrean_mirror]

[Well. It wasn't like it was a secret what had happened. Kaveh has decided to take a page out of Alhaitham's book and be direct in his approach to a solution.

That's why he's got a hooded cloak ready (though he hasn't put his hood up yet) when he tracks Benedikta down at the Roost. For once, he kind of hopes a rather besotted griffin is present, that might make this faster.]

Do you have plans this afternoon?

[He doesn't think she has plans other than being Justifiably Angry all day but it's best to confirm first.]

[garudas]

[She certainly does not have plans besides being Angry, which is why he finds her sharpening her sword at the docks, the sound of the water somehow soothing enough that it's stopped her from restlessly moving about. Though it's not enough to drown out the sound of a whetstone against steel echoing into the main atrium of the Roost's caves. She might be trying to cause a bit of a ruckus...

Her answer doesn't come immediately, and for a moment, it's as if she doesn't even notice Kaveh's presence at all. She does, but she gives her sword another scrape before she responds.]

Besides finding the people who sold me out? [She presses the end of the sword into her finger, testing its sharpness.] Not really.

[empyrean_mirror]

Good, then you've got time to come to Nogard with me, then.

[Kaveh is aware being so blunt about this is tempting fate. He's also aware that being overly polite when Benedikta's in a bad mood is also unhelpful, so might as well not be a coward about it.

The worst she can do is stab him, right? Wait, no, stabbing hurts, that's not a great outcome...but he's pretty sure that's not on the table. Maybe getting socked in the jaw but eh, he's had worse than that in academic debates, it'll be fine if Alhaitham never finds out!

This is important enough to do anyway.]

Post-Arrest

[netherese]

[Gale would not call his relationship to Benedikta close by any means, but there is an understanding between them, a shared experience that neither of them is likely to forget any time soon, even if their talk of it has been sparing. Establishing that there was no animosity between them following their skyward skirmish had been his primary concern at the time, though even now, all this time later, there were still consequences of that encounter that clung to him.

At the time, he had been swift to assure her and anyone else who knew enough about their encounter to question that it had simply been an anomaly, wizard business, the result of two very different kinds of magic coming into contact with one another, and while that had not been precisely wrong, it wasn't all there was to it, either.

These thoughts and the weight of all he had obscured had come to weigh on him more heavily as of late, thanks to his deteriorating health, but it was not precisely why he sought out Benedikta this afternoon. Given that understanding between them, he had been quite invested in her well-being for some time, and having heard that she had returned safely to The Roost, it felt prudent to look in and see how she fared, beyond being understandably furious.

He finds her in the dining area, though she looks agitated and out of sorts when he does— to be expected, he thinks, all things considered, and he clears his throat softly to announce himself before he speaks, interrupting her pacing.]

Pardon the interruption, but I thought I might see if you're interested in some tea. I've some apple tarts that could use taste-testing, if you're amenable.

[garudas]

[It would seem that she has discovered the art of stress-eating because she'd been shamefully stuffing a muffin into her mouth when she hears Gale's voice behind her. She turns, one cheek puffed out with her bite and some crumbs on her lips, which she quickly swipes away with the back of her hand and a clearing of her throat. It isn't like her to get so agitated—not like this, anyway—so she is all out of sorts, and so she stares at him blankly for a moment before the words finally register what he's said.

And she forgets to swallow before speaking.]

... Tea.

[That is all she says, a frown drawing her brows together as she flicks the crumbs from her fingers and swallows her food. Ugh, so dry.]

How long have you been there?

[netherese]

[Far be it from him to ever begrudge another person a bit of stress-eating— the simple comforts are oft the most effective. He offers her a reserved but genuine smile, giving a faint shake of his head.]

Not long, I assure you.

[Long enough to see that she's quite agitated, but he doesn't think the muffin needs commenting on.]

A few moments, at best. Are you at all hungry?

post-honeymoon

[afflatusexarch]

Someone appears to be in quite high spirits.

[ Don't think he hasn't noticed Benedikta's good mood. She practically seems to be walking on the clouds when one compares this do her usual demeanor. G'raha is glad to see it. People deserve the happiness that they are able to obtain.

Though he is rather curious as to what the circumstances are. That's why he's intercepted her while working on herbs. ]

[garudas]

[She nearly rips out a leaf from its stem when his voice comes behind her. She whips around, dirt scattering with the movement of her hands, and the pot almost falls from the counter. She was just trying to plant some rosemary, G'raha!!!]

Well, I was, until you nearly made me destroy this plant.

[afflatusexarch]

My most sincere apologies.

[ He places a hand to his chest and takes a bow. Of course there is a grin on G'raha's face as he does so. Playful. ]

I would never truly wish to disturb your recreation time.

🍃🔥 closed to joshua.

[garudas]

[It's a day as normal as any other. She has the house to herself for this one, with Cid having gone back to that vine-covered island for further exploration. She'd had her fill after dealing with those damned beetles and koroks and told him to enjoy himself as she saw him off. She spent much of her morning lounging about with a book, not bothering to do much to get herself out of bed at her usual time.

And then it was lunch, and then off to the chocobo stables today to check on their birds. It had been a while, and the stable hands are perfectly fine at tending to them, but she prefers to do it herself once in a while.

Of course, whenever someone needs to come and find her, she won't be difficult to locate as she's in one of the few places she goes to when she leaves the house, and she's tending to Aster, straightening her feathers as the bird kwehs softly at her, when a certain bit of news will eventually reach Benedikta...]

[phoenixdominant]

[Whereas it had been a very peaceful start to the day for the both of them (joshua and cid had gone to do some innocent fishing!) it hasn't been so peaceful for Joshua in the end. The day stretches and they are later to return to the island than usual.

... Or ... It is only Joshua that returns.

In a flurry of fiery feathers, Joshua will be seen from the sky in his phoenix form. His flying is staggered and jagged, flying in haphazard lines rather than a straight forward one. Something is dreadfully wrong.

Soaring down, he lands on the ground where the birds are with a messy thump, fire and ashes bursting into the air and giving the chocobos a terrible fright. They kick and flap away from the scene. And Joshua's magic fades away to reveal him back on the ground in a weakened heap.]

My... My lady...!

[garudas]

[It was the warking and flapping of the chocobos that drew Benedikta's focus elsewhere. She has no idea why at first, but after a moment of concentration, she is able to at least discern "giant fire bird!" from one of them before the chocobos start to scatter. Aster rears back before she, too, rushes away just in time as a red-headed and red-feathered fire bird basically crashes to the ground, scattering hay and grass every which way.]

Joshua?

[She can only stand there in shock for a moment, wondering to herself what it is that has him so...?]

What in the—a flight gone bad?

🍃🩸 closed to arlecchino.

[garudas]

[Rage. Unbidden, unfiltered rage. That would be the best way to describe what Benedikta is feeling right now. First her own arrest, and then Cid's abduction... And then finding out that it had all been planned—that this had been the work of the people they had put behind bars in the first place? Needless to say, Benedikta had spent a good long while making sure that her sword and her knife were as sharp as they could be before she went off in search of these people.

But she knew that they would not be where she thought they would, and so she'd invited one of the few women who she thought might be able to help her sniff out these rats.

Might as well check their shop first, she figures, so as she stands in the middle of said perfume shop that has already been emptied out, she sets her hands on her hips, one resting atop her sword.]

I should have known... but perhaps there is a clue somewhere as to where they'd gone.

[balemoonrise]

Agreed. I highly doubt they cleared out of here without some rushed feeling, which means something is still there.

[Oh, she was certainly drawn into this mess much more firmly with the incident that caused Freminet to be taken. Alrecchino already found a few threads that led to the auction house from what she had been digging into; even if it was simply a passing connection or something more—

All of this lately had just drawn her attention more than what already had fallen there. Why she was walking the edges of the shop, scanning over every inch as if looking for something.

Anything out of place, where it wouldn't normally be unless altered.]

Even a slip of paper fallen between the cracks.

[garudas]

A good point.

[And this is why she likes having Arlecchino around. Where Benedikta's anger is chaotic and makes it difficult for her to keep her head on straight even on a good day, Arlecchino keeps her a little more grounded. Hones in her focus where it should be. She wonders if the woman realizes as much because today is a very bad day.

As she starts to search, moving bits of smashed glass around with the end of her sword, she glances her way.]

I owe you my gratitude... for coming to help me search.