escordvi | closed 🌠⚡ you and me, living in symphony

[...Maybe not that many—

In the middle of digging a wide path on his side, he looks up and over at her question.]

Hm?

[...But there's nothing that he can see.

Instead, from Tifa's point she'll be able to see another wriggle. On another nest.]

[Her head snaps in that direction, just a few feet away at another unattended nest altogether, and her eyes go wide.]

Not again...

[And out pops a little head from the sand, and its mouth yawns wiiiide open.]

Eustace!

[It still takes him a moment, but now he sees the little head... Already???]

Over here, too.

[The other nest has two popping out...and of course, the nest they picked out is still quiet as a mouse.]

Should we keep trying or just let it go?

We should at least try, shouldn't we?

[She's already swerving around to start digging in that direction.]

Then we can't say that we didn't. I'll take care of these ones for now while you finish up there. Think we've got a little bit of time before they start moving.

[He looks at her worriedly, but nods.]

I'll try to get through quick, but shout if you need help.

[With that, he immediately digs deep and hard into the sand, scooping and scraping as much as he can from the original nest down towards the closest point he can branch off near Tifa. As he works he continues to glance at the nest, hoping there won't be movement until he gets closer to Tifa.

Fortunately for Tifa, the turtles are having some difficulty getting out as they smack against each other while trying to dig out of the sand. So she has some more time...

But around the time Eustace is three-fourths of the way there, he hears the flutter of wings and notices some shadows passing overhead.

Dammit.]

Tifa, seagulls! Keep an eye out for them!

Are you kidding me...?

[Can't they just have one normal day? Then again, there is nothing "normal" about being on a giant snapping turtle's back, but she supposes that's not the craziest thing that's happened around here. Others seem to have noticed the presence of these predators as well and are working to shoo them off, some with magic, others by throwing rocks at them.

When one seagull swoops down, she arches her fist upward, throwing up a thin wall of flames that dissipates, but it's enough to send the bird flying away with singed tailfeathers, and it rears around to bother Eustace instead, her only warning a cry of his name before it flaps at his ears.]

[Fortunately Eustace had been keeping an eye on things, and at the right moment he flings out some lightning bullets at the bird. They fly right past the gull on purpose, and the electricity adds to the burned feathers. With an angry SQUAWK, it flies off...

...

But he stares at with a slight frown.]

Just one... There's bound to be more.

[He looks at Tifa.]

How are the turtles so far? Any moving yet?

[She peers at the nest and deflates slightly with a sigh of relief when she sees the turtle that had popped out retreat back at the sight of the bird, its mouth snapping at the air from under the sand.]

Think the seagull scared it off... But I can see more movement.

[Which means more are hatching, and they'll inevitably start to push each other out.]

[He's eying the skies warily.]

Should have made tunnels...but too late now. Let's keep moving, and I'll try to keep anymore birds at bay if they show up.

[He looks so cute when he's in Mission Mode... and Tifa can't help but smile a little at him before she's going back to digging.

But as she's doing that, she remembers—]

Oh, what about the shells!? We were supposed to decorate the nest...

[...Dammit.]

...Should I just clear out the birds first...

[That's said in an ominous voice as if he would actually go out and hunt the birds so that his girlfriend can decorate turtle nests in peace—]

[His answer might come when one of them swoops down to try and steal a shell, to which Tifa responds by rushing at it with her driftwood piece, swinging it to scare it away before it can snatch the pretty conch shell that he had picked out for her—]

Go away! That one's mine!

[HER BOYFRIEND PICKED OUT THAT SHELL FOR HER!!]

[...

Yeah, okay that seals his decision.

After she swings the bird away, it's going to suddenly fall to the ground twitching with a distinct burning small, smoke rising from its charred feet. It's actually not dead, just stunned by the lightning that suddenly struck it down, but maybe they could have friend seagull later.]

Stay by the nests... I'll be right back.

[And he's already grabbed his gun and is moving towards where a larger flock of seagulls have started to form..........]

[The bird suddenly falling to the ground in a twitching, burning heap startles her, and she leans over it to double check that it's not... dead???]

Wait, Eustace—? Where are you going?

[She looks down at the bird, then back at him, then at the bird as it gives a little squaaawk. She pokes its leg with the end of the driftwood.]

Taking care of it.

["It" being their bird problem, and already Flamek is crackling, either eager to be used or responding to the storm gathering around Eustace as he continues to walk off.]

What do you—

[But he's already walking off.

Tifa is just going to... pick up the bird and move it out of the path, setting aside in the sand and giving it a little pat with an apology before going to the pile of shells that Eustace left behind as a few more birds start to circle over it. She shoots a glare up at them and picks up a shell to bring over to the nest where the turtles had gone back in to hide.]

It's okay...

[She puts on her softest, most reassuring voice as she sets it down.]

He's "taking care of it"... whatever that means.

[A answer that will soon be revealed by a sudden eruption of lightning that fills the skies, spreading out like a web as the shrieks of birds follow soon after. A powerful gust of wind will bluster through, as if pushing everything in the air away from the area. There's one more large crackle and explosion of lightning, other people shouting in surprise and awe before the flocks of seagulls that had started to form are now quickly either dropping to the ground or flying off.

Soon the stormy clouds clear and as the sun returns, Eustace is seen walking calmly back, Flamek over his shoulder with smoke still rising from the end of the barrel.]

It's done.

[Even Tifa shouts with surprise at the very abrupt lightning over her head, and she instinctively shields herself from the oncoming crackling of electricity before she realizes who it is that's doing that, and all she can do is mutter a quiet oh my god under her breath. While that will definitely take care of the gulls, she worries that it will scare the turtles as well, and so she leans her body over the nest as if to shield them from it as well when that wind blows through.

...

As a bird falls and lands right next to her, the end of its feathers smoking as it twitches helplessly in the sand, earning another startled shriek from her.

She lifts her head just in time to see Eustace striding back as if it were nothing at all.]

... Well, that's one way, I guess.

They won't be back for a while.

[He'll just roughly push the fallen seagull with his foot some distance away before putting Flamek back with their things.

He had considered the impact on the turtles... But it would have been no different than a (very severe) storm and this the quickest and most effective way to guarantee safety from the seagulls who are known to be stubborn and persistent. Plus—]

Should have time to finish the paths and the decorating you wanted.

[... He didn't do that so that she could, right?

She smiles at him sheepishly, masking the wince that she makes when she watches that seagull limply slide a few feet out of his way.]

I guess I can, yeah. Hopefully it'll make the turtles feel a little safer.

[As she sets down another colourful shell beside the first one, biting down on her lip.]

Grab a few more for me? Pick out the ones you like.

[He definitely did.

But he'll nod and pick out a few shells that had caught his eye before and brings them over.]

Are you just putting them around the nest?

[Since where he left off in his digging was near here, he just starts from there and backtracks.]

[She stops partway through setting down a shell and stares down at the nest like she's unsure now.]

... Well, I was, but now I'm starting to think I should be scattering them.

What do you mean?

Well, should I start putting them along the paths we made, too? You think the turtles will like it?

[As she stares down at one of the shells she's picked up, pearly and blue.]

...Hard to say...

[He looks at the nest where a few little heads have started poking out now that the air seems calmer.]

They do seem a little interested... Maybe it would better along the path. If it's by the nest, they may stay around them instead of moving to the water.

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