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year 5, quarter 3
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Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Celes paused with her pen at the edge of its line. Her papers rustled in a light breeze that smelled heavily of sea salt. Celes sighed, spinning her pen in a circle before setting it down entirely. She couldn’t concentrate.
It had been Caius’ idea to leave the city for an afternoon -- or rather, it had been his idea to spend the afternoon training his dragon. Celes had been the one to suggest she come along. Who else would make certain they didn’t burn down the town while they were at it? So she’d gathered her ledgers and taken them on the road. It was a nice day, after all. Why not experience it?
Caius made a motion, and Vordun pranced about him, eyes bright with reptilian glee. After a moment, the dragon stopped, snorting fire. It sniffled. It wrinkled its eyes. And finally, once the pressure had build up too far, it tilted its head up and spewed fire into the sky. Celes cursed and curled over her papers to protect them from the shower of falling embers that drifted on the wind. ”Careful!” She shot Vordun and indignant look before finally unfolding herself and checking the papers for damage. A few singes on the corners. A black smear across the top.
She sighed. It could have been worse. At least the grass was still too damp to catch fire.
It had been a hazy kind of morning thick with drizzling rain, but it hadn’t taken long to pass. Now the sun beamed down in orange shafts that rippled through the leaves. Celes breathed deeply and leaned her head back against the tree behind her. How long had it been since she’d simply...existed? Since she’d closed her eyes and listened to the cawing of coastal birds and breathed in the heavy after-smell of rain? It would have been impossible back in that ruined world scorched by magic. Back in the empire with its metal grating and strict regimens. Yet here she was, breathing, feeling, existing.
It was like a shadow of a dream yet here she was. She sank her nails into the damp earth and shifted it between her fingers. If this wasn’t real then she didn’t know what was.
The dragon barreled clumsily past her, tail swishing behind it as it turned to face Caius excitedly. They must have been playing some kind of game. Celes ran a hand through her hair and looked back to her papers. They’d yet to induct anyone else else like them into the Dragonblades, but that was to be expected she supposed. Even as normal as the new arrivals had become, they weren’t exactly common. Instead, they’d garnered attention from the more local mercenaries, and she couldn’t say she was disappointed in the results. Banding together, they’d already made enough profit to consider renting a permanent headquarters which meant more stringent financial statements -- something that Caius had proved as clueless about as relationships.
Celes made another note to balance their ledger before looking up again. Caius looked so happy with his dragon that it almost made her envious. She could never have gone prancing about with a dragon, and even if she did, she wouldn’t enjoy it. She was too stiff, too careful, too guarded. Yet watching the two of them, her heart ached with something almost like loneliness. She scratched down another number and tried to ignore it.
”Caius? Do you remember how many swords we bought two weeks ago? For the new recruits? I’m counting three, but I don’t know if that’s right.” She tapped her paper thoughtfully, a frown touching at her lips. ”It’s not quite balancing.”
One thing that Caius didn't know was what a "day off" was. It was a concept he was aware of, but it wasn't one he knew how to put into practice. An opportunity to smell the flowers, roam the fields, just... Be. Each day had been only a fight to survive back home, and Caius had been ever the worker bee since he had come here. Even this afternoon to themselves, Caius had decided to spend it training Vordun, while they got some paperwork done as well. Or well... Celes... Doing the paperwork. Caius would help all he could with that, but Celes had already guessed from the beginning that based on what she knew from the world he was from, his knowledge of financial statements was lacking. Budgeting? He could do that. But putting it into writing and all the twists and turns and little potholes along the way, Caius was as clueless as a baby fish. Still, Celes was on top of it and he was grateful to her for that.
Being from two different worlds meant two different sets of strengths and weaknesses... Just like how they were in battle. Caius did a pretty damn good job of keeping them stocked up with food and recruiting while on the road, but he didn't know anything about financial statements, which luckily Celes did. Caius was a sound budget, having come from a post-apocalyptic world where he had spent most of his life, but putting it all together was where Celes finished the job. Not to mention Celes had that certain charm to her that made her a sound recruiter as well. She was a military woman, through and through. She knew how to make that work. While Caius had a... Softer approach, that tended to work better with certain kinds of people.
But Caius knew he could never have done any of this without her.
-
Caius would dart to and fro around the field, daring Vordun to attempt a charging attack. Today was a speed drill, getting Vordun a bit of experience in actual combat with a moving target. While Caius was not attacking, he wasn't making it easy for the lizard either. Vordun would attempt to charge forward and slam into the mercenary with his noggin, but Caius would leap back, flipping through the air before landing. He was trying to teach Vordun to press the attack, and not waiver even when things didn't work out. Vordun stopped suddenly though, and Caius knew what was coming as the dragon began to twitch a bit, before finally sending an explosion of flames into the sky with a loud sneeze. Caius stopped and started laughing loudly, falling onto his back in hysterics.
It was... Really nice, honestly. No worries, not a care in the world. This was impossible where he had come from, to have an afternoon like this. And he knew that for Celes, it was likely the same. No threat of daemons coming out at anytime, no threat to one's life, just... An opportunity to enjoy one's self, take in the air, take in the atmosphere and do as one liked.
It made him wonder a bit if one day, he'd ever settle down and have more days like this.
Celes' call would cause Caius to sit up. "Oh!" He called out in surprised alarm as he realized that what goes up must come down, fire included. The papers seemed to only be minorly damaged, thank the Astrals. Though he was more concerned with Celes' reaction than that. Paperwork it'd just take some time to redo, but Celes being mad could last days. Luckily though, she only seemed minorly annoyed and Caius would let out an exhale in relief.
"Alright Vordun, let's try again" He spoke up. "This time, let's see if we can't get you to harness that fire of yours with more control. With how damp the grass is, this is the perfect opportunity."
He stole a glance toward Celes. "... A little bit further from the papers, though."
As he moved and the overgrown lizard would move in behind him, Caius would look toward Celes again when she would ask her question. Pondering it a moment, he shot her back an answer. "Four" Caius would answer. "Two new recruits, but we decided to double up to prepare ahead for anymore that pass the application process, with how much our rate of applicants has risen as of late" He would remind her. "We need to be prepared to adjust for fluctuations, I suppose. Our applicants will likely rise, and then fall once the initial group of recruits have come in, and then rise again as our reputation rises. Or simply remain stagnant if we don't. On a good week, it'll rise, fall, rise, fall, rise, fall in an order that's viable for us to predict."
He pondered it over a bit further. "We might need to consider investing in more durable weapons once the average rate of job difficulty goes up for our current group. While our weapons don't seem to break, can't say the same for our weapon stock for our recruits. And eventually they're going to be dealing with creatures with-"
He leaned down and tapped on Vordun's scales. "Strong hides, scales, so on and so forth.
But before that, we might need to consider a proper base of operations, somewhere with a more convenient, reliable and roomy area of storage for these things. We don't need anything too expensive yet, but, then again... Just about anything is going to look "too expensive" for us right now."
Backing up from Vordun to resume the drill, he spared her another glance. "But that's just me shooting ideas off the hip. If you think I'm off the mark at all, speak up."
Final Fantasy VI
22
YEARS
Female
Complicated
Heterosexual
429 POSTS
Fin
Use your own eyes and see for yourself whose side I'm on!
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Caius had a lot to say on the subject and a memory that Celes envied though she supposed Caius had been the one to buy it all. She marked the ledgers appropriately to make sure they balanced. They did as far as she could tell, and she sighed, setting her pen in the grass. She was certainly no stranger to the more banal side of running any operation, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. Life had been far more satisfying as a rebel living by her own sword rather than the government’s. Or by the wills of economics, it seemed.
”A base. Now that would be something.” Celes leaned her head back against the tree, sighing. ”There’s that haunted house, but I’m never setting foot in there again if I can help it. And anywhere big enough around here would be completely out of the question.” She glanced at Caius and then Vordun. Her lips twitched in a smirk. ”Somehow I don’t think we’ll get many takers on renting to a dragon tamer.”
Vordun looked to Caius eagerly for another round of play. Though Celes still thought the whole idea was ill-conceived, she couldn’t deny that the dragon made Caius happy. And had perhaps endeared itself to her. Maybe. A little. She looked from the dragon’s gleaming eyes to the sun to her pen before thrusting her papers aside. ”Oh, this is useless! I can’t concentrate!”
She groaned and let herself fall until her back hit solid ground and she was swallowed in the grass. The dew was oddly refreshing paired with the warm touch of the sun at her cheeks, and she sighed its wet, earthy must. This was a world alive -- almost idyllic in its own way. It still felt foreign to her.
”Do you ever think about what’s happened back home?” She opened her eyes and watched the sun until her eyes ached. Its pattern burned a ghostly pattern even as she closed them again. ”It's funny. I thought I had friends worth fighting for, but maybe I just didn’t know better. Even Locke…” Her throat tightened. ”Well. I guess that doesn’t matter much now.”
She took another long breath before pushing herself up on one hand. She looked off across the field to the trees beyond it. It was a peaceful afternoon, quiet but for the distant calls of songbirds. Her heart swelled with something almost painful.
”This feels wrong,” she said. ”Somehow. Like it’s not meant for me.” Only then did she glance at Caius. She felt heat rise to her cheeks as she offered him an unsteady smile. ”Sorry. I don’t know what’s come over me.”
Caius laughed a bit when Celes would admit she wasn't going near that haunted mansion ever again - much less using it as a base. "You and me both, Cel" Caius would respond as he turned his attention to Vordun. "I suppose people aren't used to a dragon tamer being around. I guess you might need to be the face for these kinds of things in the meantime. But I know people will get used to it. Vordun and I are around town enough that people will understand he's harmless eventually" He would remark.
"Come on, Vordun! Fire! Fire!" He encouraged the dragon who would instead rumble up to Caius without actually using any fire. Which got a mix of a "d'aww" and a laugh out of him. Patting Vordun on the head, he would back up a bit more. "Fire, Vordun! Pshew!" He called out, trying to imitate some kind of effects of fire. Vordun would sneeze almost as if on cue, and Caius couldn't hold in a snort. "Yes, like that. Except through your mouth. Like this, pshew! Pshew!" He would continue to encourage as he would hold his hand over his mouth and use a bit of fire magic to bring a fireball into his hands, blowing on it to simulate a small flamethrower. Vordun would watch this a moment before taking a deep breath, and Caius would notice glands in the dragon's mouth under it's tongue beginning to glow. Caius would duck just in time for Vordun to release a steady stream of fire. Letting out a yelp from how close it came to his head, Caius would hit the ground, bursting out into hysterical laughter. "Yes!" He cried, pumping his fists into the air from on his back, wooping in victory.
Caius hadn't realized yet just how stress-free these moments had become for him. It likely wouldn't sink in for a good while. But in these moments, all the worries he'd had, all the stresses, all the thoughts of his desire for revenge, all that Cortez did to him... It was all meaningless in this moment. None of it mattered and for one of those rare times, he actually felt genuine happiness. It was a visible thing as well, as Caius' actual personality began to slowly shine through, powering through the walls he had placed around himself. Something exemplified as he would get up and approach Vordun, scratching behind his ears (Caius was still adjusting to finding the spots between the scales, mind). "That was great, Vordun! Who's a good draggo, huh? Who's a good draggo?" He cooed toward Vordun, who seemed to be absolutely loving the attention and let out a series of cooes of it's own, rubbing their head against his hand. It was a sandpapery sort of feeling, though it was a bit softer between the scales which Caius tried his best to scratch to keep from cutting up his hands. The Kingsglaive uniform's gloves protected his palms at least, to an extent. Vordun in these moments was almost like a dog, Caius noted. A dog with powerful jaws and the ability to breathe fire, that is. Though Vordun was at least capable of being serious when he could sense he needed to be. This was not one of those times.
"Alright" Caius spoke up, getting to his feet and backing up a bit. "Come on, you oversized corgi" He joked. "Let's try again. I'll-"
Celes' cry would catch both of their attention, and Caius would look toward her with concern. When it was clear she was in no immediate danger but did seem to be in a bit of a rut, he took a deep breath and looked toward Vordun. "Break" He spoke up. Vordun was better at understanding the simple, one-worded commands, and would stop his stride as Caius would pull out a slab of meat from the frozen part of his pack and toss it to Vordun. While the dragon was busy tearing it apart, he would move over to Celes and sit down beside her, turning his head to study her expression. When she spoke up, he took a deep breath, before nodding in understanding. "All the time" He would admit, before mimicking her and letting his body flop onto it's back. It hit him then just how unguarded he felt, the lack of tension in his shoulders, his arms, his mind... Anything. The sudden realization alarmed him and just like that, it was all up again - signified by the slight twitch in his shoulders. Though they didn't go all the way up. He knew if something were to attack, he had Celes at his back.
He listened to her words, closing his eyes for a moment and taking another deep breath. The warmth of the sun hit his face, and he realized it for the first time in full just how peaceful it was here. It was such a contrast from the life he had grown up with. He almost didn't know what to do with it. It kind of scared him, just a bit.
"I..." He spoke up, trying to find the words. For a few moments, his mind was blank. He wasn't sure how to answer her. After a few moments more, he gave it another try. "I guess I understand a little bit. Or, well, I'd like to think so anyway. The both of us have lived lives that were... Well, you know. And now we're... Well... Here. Sometimes I still wonder if I'm dreaming. Sometimes I wonder if this is my mind's telling me how much it yearned to return to the simpler life. Not that this is all entirely simple either" He admitted, laughing softly. "But this is just so different from what I've spent most of my life living. I hear you on the idea that it feels wrong. I still get uneasy sometimes when I'm travelling and everything's not a wasteland" He spoke, almost in a whisper. He opened his eyes then, darting a gaze toward Vordun to ensure he hadn't wandered off. "I've begun to accept that I'm not going back. So I worry a lot about back home. Especially now that Noctis isn't there anymore" He admitted. He hadn't had the chance to tell Celes that he'd met Noctis. They'd been so busy that it just hadn't come up. And he didn't think something that personal was worth going out of his way to bring up to Celes, he'd feel like he was just wasting her time. "But... Then I remember that for ten years, they got by without just fine. And the daemons are gone, mostly. I think they'll be okay... Besides, I have a new home to protect, you know? I miss the old one, but it doesn't make this one any less important."
He sat up then, looking toward her again. He didn't know what to say when it came to her thought that she "thought" she had friends worth fighting for. He had thought of it, but Caius just wasn't sure what to say. A lump formed in his throat as he felt a bit helpless in being unable to comfort her there. That damned uncomfortable, helpless feeling. He tried his best to push it aside. He had to focus on what he could do, not what he couldn't. He knew that.
"I'm sure your friends are doing fine" He spoke up with a small smile. "If they're anything like you, they've probably already succeeded in their goal."
Final Fantasy VI
22
YEARS
Female
Complicated
Heterosexual
429 POSTS
Fin
Use your own eyes and see for yourself whose side I'm on!
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Caius sat beside her in the grass. She still couldn’t explain her odd change of mood. Perhaps it was the warmth of the afternoon or her own strange peace in it. It led to thoughts, and those thoughts led to feelings. For once, Celes didn’t feel particularly ashamed of them. For once, Celes could simply be.
Caius empathized like she knew he would. He spoke of his mixed feelings being lost here, of the people and the wasted place he'd left behind. Celes wrapped her arms loosely around her knees and watched the horizon. What a strange place this was. Somewhere quiet and slow and warm. Celes hadn’t known what to do with it at first. She’d always moved forward. Always budgeted her time wisely. Always had a plan or a mission to enact, and she’d never had the luxury of rest. Was this what life was like for civilians? For people like Locke or Relm or Strago? She couldn’t imagine it.
She laughed humorlessly at Caius’ assurances. What goal could they achieve? Killing a god of magic? Reviving a dead world? Or was it simply to survive? No matter which he meant, she had her doubts they’d managed any of it.
”They did fine without me,” she said, shifting her boots in the damp earth. ”For two years. I’m sure they’ve gone back to where I found them. If they didn’t mind losing me once, they won’t mind again.” She smiled wryly. The wind blew hot and humid through her hair.
”The longer I’m here the more I find I just don’t care. About them. About the world I left behind. None of it matters much, and maybe it never did.” She looked at off before pausing and glancing at Caius, sheepish again. ”I don’t know where this is coming from. Something about the quiet, I guess.” Why was she saying this? It was funny what managed to find a way out of her mouth. At least it would have been if she hadn’t been the one to deal with the consequences.
”Well. I guess there’s no point thinking about it. We have the Dragonblades now and your dragon and…” Celes bit her tongue. ”Oh, can we just forget I said anything at all? I’m all wrong-headed.”
Celes didn't seem all that confident that her group would be concerned about her absence, or even miss her - which drew a frown from Caius. Did she think so little of how they likely thought of her? She had implied they thought of her as replaceable, and would get over her being gone. He wasn't so sure... She had described them before as though they were like her family, hadn't she? But he continued to listen as she would admit she had begun to care less. About them, about her old world, or any of it. He wished he knew what to say to comfort her. He wished he knew what to say to make her feel better. He wished that he could make this pain go away. He didn't know where it was coming from, but he hated seeing it only because he felt he could do nothing.
When she finished with noting she had the Dragonblades and Vordun now, he would take a deep breath. Thinking it over a moment, he finally did speak up.
"I'm sure they miss you. I really do" He spoke softly. "But I've been thinking lately about my being here, and the life I've carved out here, and I wonder sometimes about the circumstances that brought me here. I think... I was brought here for a reason. We both were, and maybe that reason was to do what we've been doing, I don't know. It could be that we both finished our assigned jobs there and were brought here to fulfill a new one. But even if all of this was pre-determined... I realized something.
This is the first time, all of this, I mean, where... I've actually felt like I'm carving something out myself. I joined the Kingsglaive because I was lost, I needed a belonging and was inspired by words. It just felt like the next stage, and I followed it aimlessly. This? I feel like we created this because we genuinely wanted to... And genuinely believe in the goals of the Dragonblades. I feel like for the first time in my life, I'm here because I want to be. And... Because of that, I've... Started to feel the same as you in a sense, I guess.
And when I think about that... I realize that if there ever came a time where the offer was there to go back..."
He let out a sigh. This wasn't something he was sure he was ready to admit. But it was there. He stared out at the fields around them as he spoke.
"I don't think I would. At the end of the day, no matter what my past was... I belong here. I'm here because I want to be here. And I have people, a goal... That means more to me than anything else. The Dragonblades, Vordun... And you, obviously. I don't think I could ever give that up. "
Another deep breath. He didn't know why this seemed so hard to say. Should it be hard to say? He was just speaking his mind, after all.
"I have people now that mean too much to me. People I cherish more than I thought I ever could imagine. People I am willing to fight for. And people I'd be willing to lay down my life for if necessity dictates."
He stopped, then, lowering his head.
"Forgive me, I don't know where that came from. I'm just speaking off the top. I was trying to cheer you up, but I got... Sidetracked."
Final Fantasy VI
22
YEARS
Female
Complicated
Heterosexual
429 POSTS
Fin
Use your own eyes and see for yourself whose side I'm on!
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
”I'm sure they miss you. I really do.”
Celes glanced away, smiling wryly. Not long ago, she would have agreed. Once she’d found herself lost here, she’d been frantic to return, wondering as to the others and what they might think. But now? She’d never really known friendship before -- never really known a place to belong. She’d known kindness, she supposed, in its most base form, but not the way she’d experienced with Zack or Caius. These were men who’d cared for her more than just as a general or a fighter or a woman or some stand-in for what had been lost. Perhaps the circumstances had simply been too dire to make such connections. Maybe she’d been too cold to draw herself so close to anyone.
Regardless, the time had given her a new sense of clarity. None of the friends she’d fought so hard for had chosen her path without coercion, and nearly none of them had cared much for her unexpected survival. They had been allies -- hardly anything more. She’d simply been too starved of love to notice.
Caius agreed with her in his own unfiltered way. He’d taken to his previous position purely as a practical matter. He’d made only the most tenuous of friendships, and in the end they’d meant next to nothing. Perhaps that was why she’d connected to him so well. They’d both experienced trauma, both struggled to survive in a world long dead, and now they’d been gifted a chance at life neither had ever known. She wouldn’t give it up for anything.
”Sidetracked. Well I guess there’s time for it now.” She laughed weakly to herself. ”I’m still not used to having it -- time, I mean. I have no idea what to do with myself.”
Maybe that was why she’d turned so introspective now. Without that constant rush of battle and anxiety, she’d finally had time to think. She wasn’t particularly sure that she liked the thoughts.
She glanced to the side. Apparently Vordun had tired of frolicking in the grass and now crept towards them, snout extended curiously. Celes couldn’t help a quiet laugh. Perhaps there wasn’t so much danger in lowering her guard now. Perhaps she didn’t have to fear what she’d inevitably lose.
”Well, if I’m not working, I might as well do something useful while I’m here.” Celes pushed herself to her feet and considered the dragon carefully. ”I guess it wouldn’t be terrible to learn how your dragon works in case you ever have to leave him. I’m willing to learn if you’re willing to teach.”
"Yeah... I guess we do" He spoke softly, as it began to sink in proper. "Astrals know I'm not either. I've spent every day until I came to this world just fighting to survive. Waking up every morning expecting a knife at my throat. Now, here it rarely happens. Here I can relax, rest my head, and just... Be. I don't know whether I like it or not yet. It still feels alien to me."
He didn't know what else he could do aside from emphasize with her. There was no fixing that idea of loneliness, seeming to feel she was expendable and easy to move on from in her own world. Caius didn't say it, but he felt the same. He was just one glaive in a group of expendable glaives. That was it. That was all. They had gotten on without him just fine... And they would now. That was a reality he had grown to begin to accept, as hard as it was. He hoped it didn't haunt Celes for long. He couldn't stand to see her upset, for one reason or another.
After a moment of thought, he lowered his head. Something had been on the tip of his tongue, but he hadn't been sure how to say it. Now, he figured, perhaps it was the time to try.
"I'm... Happy that I found myself here. With you lot... Thank you" He spoke softly then, unable to look at her and he didn't know why he couldn't. "... For helping me find where I belong."
He would get up soon after she did, as Celes seemed to have the idea to learn to work with Vordun herself. She wanted him to teach... Teach what? It was a dragon, how was he to teach her how to work with a dragon?
"Hmm..." He mused as he thought on the matter a moment. "I can try, but I'm honestly unsure of where to start" Caius would admit. Caius had learned much of how to fight, and how to work with Vordun, just through trial, error and practice. Trying to teach someone how to work with Vordun in this matter wasn't going to come natural, most likely.
Beginning to gather up pieces of wood from nearby, Caius would get to work on constructing a makeshift dummy. It was crude and barely even vaguely resembled a person, but the resemblance was there enough. A head, a body, arms and legs, and something to prop it up. It would do. It wasn't pretty, but it would do.
While he worked, he started to just go off on what came to the top of his head. "One thing to do is always know where Vordun is, at all times" He began. "I know it sounds difficult to lose a dragon, but trust me. You can lose a dragon. Especially when they're only this size at the moment" He pointed out with a light chuckle. "I work with Vordun a lot like with how I work with you. Knowing your position, knowing your capabilities, and gauging when and where they compliment" He added, having figured that by using the analogy of how Caius and Celes worked together, it might be easier to help her understand the idea he was trying to get across. The more efficiently this analogy worked, the better off they would be.
Granted, Vordun wouldn't fight exactly like Caius did, just as he didn't fight like Celes. There were temperament differences...
"Temperament-wise, as temperament and mannerisms do matter in battle... I guess the closest thing I could equate him to is a less experienced Relm" Caius decided aloud, finishing the dummy and silently motioning to her that she could coax Vordun to fight with her against the big bad dummy if she wished. "Powerful, dangerous... But doesn't have the same battling experience and maturity as you and I. A bomb in the form of a child, so to speak. He'll need some direction to get the most out of their capabilities in battle" He would explain.
"While also keeping into account that Vordun is a beast. An intelligent beast, mind you, but still a beast with limited ability to communicate in our language. He's learning commands at a steady rate, but you need to recite them to him in a short, clear matter that he'll understand quickly and easily. He can understand some constructed speech, but I'd save it purely for changing positions. Anything you need him to do immediately, go short. One-word if you can."
But then a thought came to him, and the way his face scrunched up made it very clear he'd just hit a realization. "Wait, you said learning how he works in case I have to leave him. Did you mean in combat, or... Did you mean just taking care of him?"
His eyes indicated he felt a bit foolish for not asking for clarification. They were in the middle of a battling drill just before this, so he had assumed... Well, its not like he wasted the time with the dummy. He was going to build it for this session anyway. Thinking it might benefit Celes just hastened the process.
Still, it hammered home the point that Caius just... Was too centered on battle. It was constantly on his mind. It was everything most of his life had been based on. He really didn't know how to just... Be human.
Final Fantasy VI
22
YEARS
Female
Complicated
Heterosexual
429 POSTS
Fin
Use your own eyes and see for yourself whose side I'm on!
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Celes suddenly felt as though she was in training all over again. Running drills, practicing her sword strokes, flushing every time her senior admonished her. It wasn’t a feeling she’d been particularly keen on revisiting, but she’d been the one to ask for it, and hadn’t it all turned out for the better.
Well no, actually. If she’d had the choice, she’d rather have minded her own business and stayed out of Vector entirely, but that was a different matter altogether
”Short and clear.” Celes took a breath and did her best to pretend she wasn’t stiff as a board. She’d never been one for animals, in truth. A trained chocobo was about as far as she went with them, and they’d never really been fond of her either. She didn’t know what it was about them. Their beady eyes? That lack of real understanding? The way they always seemed to want to touch her? She was much far comfortable running a blade through a hostile monster than she was even in petting a cat. A sword she knew how to handle. An animal? Not so much.
So as the dragon watched them with only a beast’s comprehension, she couldn’t help but stare at it. One word commands? But which words? Which commands? Didn’t they have to be trained to specific ones and what happened if she chose wrong? Would it attack or, far worse, nuzzle up to her? She wasn’t sure of anything except that she’d rather be doing anything else.
"Wait, you said learning how he works in case I have to leave him. Did you mean in combat, or... Did you mean just taking care of him?"
”Ah?” Celes bit her tongue. She hadn’t thought that far. ”Well. Both, I guess. You can’t take him everywhere, and someone has to know how to do it. If he’s trained, I want to know how to keep him in line, and if you’re gone for too long…” Her stomach rolled. What would happen if he got hurt or worse? Would the dragon fall to her? The image flashed before her -- a well of grief, denial, her hand over her mouth in horror, and then...the dragon. Watching her. What would she do with it then? She couldn’t let it go -- not when Caius cared for it so much -- but if it wouldn’t leave on its own…
”It’s not a bad idea that I know how to handle him.” Celes glanced towards Vordun and its gleaming black eyes. It looked...happy? Or was that just her mind playing tricks on her? ”I want to learn though I’ll warn you, I’m about as much good with pets as I am at singing opera. I don’t think I could keep a houseplant alive.”
Celes' reaction indicated he had been right originally, and he took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Right, yeah. It just now occurred to me that your wording could have meant something else" Caius admitted, scratching his head. "I seem to have battle on my mind a lot."
That was the reality of his life though, wasn't it? Caius was a war machine, a trained killer meant to carry out the will of the Kingdom of Lucis. And before that he had trained himself only to survive. Fighting was almost all that he knew. So when Celes brought up how to work with Vordun, he had assumed...
Well, it seemed she had thought the same as he, though seemed to also see the value of learning both as well. Which was fine. It was true that Caius couldn't take Vordun everywhere, especially when he got bigger. Having Celes be able to take care of him would be good.
He also noted she seemed to be rather stiff, a bit tense just with the idea of working with Vordun to begin with. Her admitting she wasn't good with pets made it clear as to why, though.
"You sing opera?" Caius would ask though, the remark earlier piquing his interest. The smallest of smirks formed at the corner of his mouth. "You'll have to show me sometime" He joked, suppressing laughter. Yes, he had very much heard her say that she was bad at it, but he couldn't help but tease her just a little. He wasn't sure why he was comfortable with teasing Celes even a bit, considering he didn't usually and it seemed like a bad idea to do it with Celes especially considering her... Temperament. But for whatever reason, he felt comfortable speaking his mind, jokes and all, around her. It made him realize more and more just how off-guard he was with Celes around.
"Right, I'll try and fit in both I guess. For care, a lot of its ensuring he gets fed and isn't just sitting around for too long. I hunt fairly often, so he gets a fairly good portion of meat. Luckily the forests out here are pretty bountiful and as by what you've told me, you come from a world centered in an era where hunting would be more frequent and common, or at least did before the whole destruction thing... You probably won't have any trouble there. If you do, I guess I could always teach you though. He seems okay with people food, though I try not to feed him a terrible too much of it. Kind of like with a dog. He seems to like some people foods though, and I tend to share bits and pieces of my meals with him to keep him placated, but that's just a personal preference and he won't die if you don't. Just stare at you a lot" He continued, pacing around a bit as he tried to jog his memory as to what he knew about taking care of Vordun.
"Exercise... I travel with Vordun a lot, so its not usually a problem either. But he isn't the type to sit still for too long unless he's tired. Granted, this may just be because he's still a hatchling with a lot of energy. If the behavioral patterns of most animals are any indication, he'll probably grow out of that. What I would suggest, is if for whatever reason you feel the need to hunt for yourself or for Vordun, take him with you. I've been teaching him how to hunt, so he'll be of use to you there and it gets him exercise too. Kills two birds with one stone" He suggested. Hopefully it wouldn't be a problem. Odds are if Caius was to leave Vordun with Celes, then he would also leave sizable feeding for him depending on how long Caius was probably going to be gone. But if it did come to it, for whatever reason... It would be good for Celes to have a backup plan, and that backup plan was exactly what Caius was covering here. "At the moment, he mainly knows how to chase a target down and go for either the leg or the throat. For a smaller creature, he knows how to chase them down and finish them himself, but for a creature like a large deer or a buck, I've taught him to go for the legs while he's still small, pinning them so his hunting partner - that would be you in this case - can kill it clean. Obviously when he gets bigger, new tactics will be needed.
Honestly, once he's bigger he might not need me anymore for the hunting part once he's properly taught. But that will be some time yet before I can lead him to a forest and let him hunt on his own, he needs to learn to separate food hunting and battling, so he doesn't burn the forest down."
Caius tapped his fingers on the scarecrow a moment before thinking on a few specifics.
"Throat" will do for a command if you're faced with a hare or a fox. You don't need to do much after that, just keep tabs on him. He's building up speed, so he should be able to catch them. All you have to do is be his eyes if he loses them, and keep him safe if anything out of his league shows up. "Legs" will do for deer, bucks, and other larger animals. You'll need to work with him there. I've sat down with him already with a hunting kill and gotten him to understand what command means what part" He explained. "No bears, ox or other larger, dangerous monsters though. Not yet. Wait until he's bigger. "
"Also watch his mouth... Literally" Caius pointed out, a small smile accompanying an attempt at dry humor. "The flame glands will light up when he opens his mouth if he's about to shoot. If a hunt gets too intense, there's a chance he might get worked up and mistake it for a battle. Just tell him no sternly, he knows to trust me if I say it, and odds are since you've been around a lot, he'll listen to you."
He looked to Vordun a moment, who had been sniffing the dummy he'd made curiously. "He's very curious overall by the way, I'd keep an eye on him if he's with you" Caius pointed out when the subject became relevant. "Having a fire breathing puppy get distracted and wander off probably isn't good for anyone. Speaking of, he does like attention. I don't know if that'll change when he gets older, but he's more or less still a hatchling and will likely act as you'd expect. Giving him that attention he wants is worth it though, as I don't think I could have trained him so thoroughly if he didn't like me. I encourage him a lot, use a great deal of positive reinforcement, and that seems to be working pretty well for him. Might benefit your coordination in battle too, and I've found that coordination has been key to working with him as a combatant."
He let out an exhale, as the long explanation seemed to make it dawn on him just how much work he'd put into raising and training Vordun, and just how much he had winged this whole dragon raising thing without so much as a guidebook to rely on.
"I swear to the Astrals I'm writing a book after this" He joked, shaking his head before he turned to her. "Before I get back to the combat side of things, did you have any questions? Anything I didn't explain well enough or didn't cover?" He asked, opening the floor for Celes to get any specifics he didn't mention. He thought he had done well enough, but... Explaining combat things was easier, he was good at that.
Seriously though, nobody in Zephon had raised a dragon and wrote a book on it before? It could have been useful.
