While Celes made her jokes and he did smile for a moment, his expression did get serious when he decided to explain the more practical reasons for his taking it himself, and asking for her.

"The client lost contact with home. And anyone else from his village he tried to contact" Caius spoke up. "Villages don't just disappear. It's possible that the people he tried to contact fell ill, or don't have the supplies right now to write back. But I'd rather not risk a trainee, which is why I decided to go myself. And going alone into possible danger with no idea of what amount is utterly foolish. I need someone with a good head on their shoulders in case the danger is far more than projected. If we're lucky, we'll just need to verify the safety of his family, and that will be the end of it. But I'd rather take precautions, if that's alright with you."

Though his expression clicked into a small grin. "And I might have missed you anyway. Just a little" He teased. Caius was getting a little better at being open with Celes, after their day in the field with Vordun a little while ago. But he really had missed her. He was a little nostalgic for the days it was just them, if he was being honest. He understood that it was for the best they had grown this way, and it was true that their mission was all the closer to becoming a reality. But he felt most comfortable with Celes at his side. It was difficult to explain, but he didn't worry as much with her around. And battles always went more smoothly with her as his partner. He was able to have a little more confidence and enjoy the ride a bit more.

Caius couldn't help but laugh, a hearty laugh that he was still getting used to bellowing, when Celes noticed Vordun and showed surprise at how massive he had gotten. The large lizard leaned down to sniff at Celes, before seeming to recognize her and attempting to attack her with his tongue, which made Caius laugh so hard he clutched at his stomach.

Celes brought up though that Vordun shouldn't be allowed into the city walls anymore, and asked if he had actually been doing so. Caius scratched his head. "Weirdly enough... Nobody seems to really mind it in Torensten and Provo. They're just... Used to it. I think we've underestimated how often we've been to and operated in those cities" Caius admitted. "Sonora, I tricked the guards into thinking he was some kind of experimental horse from Provo, and they're too blind to what's actually going on in Provo to know I'm lying. Citizens are... Still getting used to him, but it helps that he never left my side when he was smaller in past visits. So anyone that's seen me at least knows he's the same creature, just bigger."

He let out a sigh. "Not that I haven't run into issues, obviously. But I knew that was inevitable. I generally send Vordun out to hunt when I visit Sonora, to lessen that a bit. And just in general, if I'm going to a building he can't follow me into. It gives him something to do. And less risk of his temper flaring in the wrong place if I get into trouble I can handle myself. He doesn't usually go far, so I established an SOS protocol for if I need him" He revealed, summoning his gunblade and pointing it into the air. "I had bullets custom made to be incredibly loud and flash with colour that I fire into the air if it's an emergency. I've been teaching Vordun to recognize them."

---

Caius frowned when Celes made it very clear that Vordun should not be in the cities. What Caius had thought for people being used to his presence, Celes insisted was actually fear of calling out the man with the dragon, not to mention the fact that Caius couldn't use that logic for everybody. It was a large city, after all. But she even went so far as to ask for Caius not to bring Vordun into the city anymore.

Caius hadn't been there when the dragons had attacked, and while he had heard bits and bobs about a dragon attack somewhere, Caius had only just arrived in this world at the time and was still finding his way around. So the depth of the attack was completely new to him until Celes began to detail it. The expression on his face made it clear that he hadn't known. And as much as he hated to say it, as much as he wanted to tell her to buzz off with that talk, he knew she was right. It wasn't fair to Vordun whatsoever, but these cities would take a long time to heal their impressions of something like Vordun. Caius had hoped that he had been able to heal that impression just a little, and maybe they could continue to do that over time. But it would take time.

Caius thought back on that flower girl being terrified of Vordun. Was she from Torensten as well? Not that it mattered, she was still a jerk in his eyes for completely ignoring how friendly Vordun had been when shown and still attacking anyway. But it was something to consider that for others, even the kinder ones, they would be scared of Vordun if they didn't know. And Caius couldn't just show everyone at once how friendly Vordun was. There was just too many people.

Caius let out a sigh as he slowly nodded his head, not able to look her in the eyes. "Understood" He spoke quietly, his expression taking that grim, stone-faced visage once more before he turned to begin to adjust Vordun's saddle for takeoff. He preferred Celes didn't see that he was upset over it, even if he knew she was right. So instead he tried to distract himself by busying himself over something practical, and changing the subject.

"Would you be comfortable with the use of a flying mount?" He asked Celes while he got to work. "It's safe. Yuna has been coaching us, and we've had plenty of time to test it, both alone and with passengers. Vordun has been absolutely vital for rescue missions" He remarked. "I understand if you want to go on foot, of course. But this is faster, if speed would be of your preference."

---

"You can still bring him everywhere else" she had said, and he blinked a few times at that. Of course he could, why wouldn't he be able to? Where else could Vordun go? He couldn't just be locked in a cave or something for the rest of his life. What an odd thing to say. But when her voice heightened by a fair amount, his head darted back to face her in concern, very nearly materializing his sword with the thought something had hurt her. But instead, she was responding to what he had said about utilizing Vordun to get them to the village. The heightened voice, and the look on her face, Caius knew full well she was lying. She didn't trust this one bit, that was clear and he squinted as he stared at her, wondering why she would do that. Celes was generally very, very blunt about what was on her mind by what he knew, yet ironically, also very sharp about it. What reason had she to change that?

Wait... That and what she'd said before, was she trying to make him feel better? Caius wasn't used to that sort of behavior, and didn't even know how he knew she was. Perhaps it was old, repressed memories slowly resurfacing from a long, long time ago. He didn't know. But that was what it seemed to be. He supposed he was a little touched, though he didn't know how to express that.

But what was clear to him was that Celes was uncomfortable with the idea of utilizing Vordun as a mount for this. She didn't trust it. He supposed he should have seen this coming after what she had been saying, to be honest. Caius' expression took a stern sort of turn as he tried to address it.

"Celes-"

He had been about to say that she didn't have to lie for his sake, and if she wasn't comfortable they could just take chocobos there and Vordun could fly alongside them. It wouldn't be as quick, but he preferred Celes be comfortable. That was what he was -about- to say, but Celes had surprised him by immediately leaping onto the saddle. Caius knew then that there was no stopping her. The mercenary let out an exasperated sigh as he placed a gentle hand on Vordun's head. Vordun seemed to recognize the intent and lowered himself down for Caius to safely hop onto the front part of the saddle.

Once Caius was aboard, he turned himself around to face Celes. He silently showed her each securing part of the saddle before snapping it in around her, with the intention of helping her recognize how to secure herself in future. He was taking it slowly this time around, wanting to at least ease Celes in and calm her nerves with all of this, if this was what she insisted on doing. That, and it was a custom made saddle and not one that Celes would have been able to recognize anyway. So it couldn't hurt to show her the ropes of it. He gingerly grasped her leg and brought it down to the fashions to secure her foot. "Right leg here, I'll let you do the other leg. Let me know if you need help" Caius instructed calmly, as he finished snapping her in. Once that was done, he turned himself back around and secured himself in quickly, with an ease and quickness that verified how much practice he'd had doing this. It had taken some time to make it work, and a lot of sloppy attempts. The initial flights had been a complete, utter disaster. Yuna could probably tell her plenty about that. But as Celes already knew, Caius was terribly stubborn. He wasn't going to stop until he got it, and that was exactly what he had done.

Caius took a deep breath, steadying himself before he leaned down to whisper into Vordun's ear. The tactic to follow would be a little unusual, but with Celes' case, Caius hoped it would work. Instead of flying, Vordun took off at a run, which then turned into a gallop. Rocketing away from Torensten and down the field, Caius and Vordun gave Celes some time to adjust and settle herself before they took off.

"Alright, hold on tight" Caius spoke toward Celes, her warning that they were about to take off. With that, Caius signaled to Vordun by pulling down on the rope and the dragon took that as the initiative to extend his wings and take off into the sky. "Slow, Vordun" Caius told the dragon, who obliged and slowed the ascent a little. It took a little longer to get to where they needed to be, but once they were high up enough, Vordun steadied himself and began to move more forward. It was there that Vordun took the speed that Caius had grown used to.

Caius looked back to Celes then, quirking his head as if asking if she was doing alright. He had done his best to apply every lesson he'd learned to help adjust himself to flying with Vordun -- into helping Celes adjust too. From letting her get a feel for being on the saddle, to the slowed ascent, the latter of which was something he'd needed to do for himself initially. He hoped it would work.

---

Perhaps if Caius had more experience, he would have felt how tight she had been pushing herself on him, or the sounds she had made. But he was so focused on what was in front of him and ensuring they were going the right way, that nothing around him was seen or heard until he turned his head to check on Celes. What he found was a woman that was clearly not well, perhaps not even there at all. Her expression told him enough there.

But then she slumped over.

Luckily Caius’ prior bad experience with falling off the saddle had meant that this time, the restraints were done right and the saddle had been designed to keep you in the saddle, but that didn’t mean she was safe either.

“Celes?”

He had felt her breath against him slow to almost nothing, as she’d slumped over. Perhaps if she hadn’t been hanging on so tightly and pushing so hard against his back, he wouldn’t have realized so soon, but he knew very quickly that something was very wrong.

“Celes, hey!” He called to her, fright starting to envelop his tone as the realization of the severity of her situation washed over him. She was out cold. He didn't know how long the restraints would hold with how hard she was slumped over either, if her neck didn't just snap outright with the way Vordun was moving. Panic began to set in, and he grit his teeth as he quickly started to undo his own restraints. Vordun voiced a cry in protest, but Caius kept going. "Keep us steady" He commanded to Vordun, doing his best to keep calm despite the situation.

Fear. It was something he still wasn't used to. But it was there, and it was very real. It wasn't the threat of falling that he was scared of. He'd faced down hundreds of beasts, daemons and monsters. Not even an immortal being staring him dead in the face made him feel anything even resembling fear. Caius didn't care about any of that. No monster or threat scared him.

Yet it was the idea that he might lose Celes that scared him more than anything he could possibly imagine.

Caius quickly turned around when he undid the restraints and inched his way to Celes. "Vordun, take us down!" Caius called to Vordun as a quick decision he'd just made, his breath hitching as he couldn't hold the panic in his voice even as he tried to keep his calm. Vordun voiced what sounded like a complaint, and Caius shook his head. "Smoothly, if you can. I know it'll take longer but just do it, please."

Caius didn't know if Vordun understood the word smoothly, but the dragon had proven to be more intelligent than originally thought so far. Whether because he understood or because of the urgency from Caius no longer being in a safe position though, Vordun obeyed precisely as asked. But it still didn't make Caius feel any less like he might fall if he wasn't careful. As Vordun began to dive downward, trying to keep the velocity as delayed as possible, Caius managed to get to Celes and undid the restraints on her legs. Quickly placing his own legs in their place so he could keep himself steady, he wrapped his arms around Celes to ensure she didn't fall off. His main priority was to keep her neck steady, as Vordun rocketed downward. Caius held on for dear life, knowing he was nowhere near secure properly, but if he fell off then so would Celes. And that kept him hanging on tightly, stubbornly refusing to let go and keeping himself planted on the saddle no matter how much the velocity threatened to throw them off.

While Vordun did try to land as smoothly as he could, inexperience threw Caius and Celes off when he landed. Acting on instinct in a move that might be nostalgic in hindsight, Caius immediately tightened his grip on Celes and used his own body to shield her from the impact. This time though, Caius threw up a barrier to shield himself as well, managing to negate some of the damage as well as keep him from sliding too much across the ground.

The moment they stopped, Caius uncurled himself and immediately moved to Celes' side, placing an ear to her chest to check for a pulse. "Come on, come on, stay with me, you can't leave me now..." He muttered in a panic until he let out a heavy exhale when he could hear a pulse. Vordun bumbled to his side and let out a concerned whimper. Caius had been reckless - again - and Caius supposed he couldn't fault the dragon for being worried. He reached over to stroke Vordun's head to calm him down, and Vordun plopped down at his side. Getting an idea, Caius managed to heave Celes up and place her on Vordun's side, resting her head on the saddle for comfort and to keep her head and neck up properly. Examining her a moment, he didn't find any wounds that wouldn't have come from the impact. Nothing that would have caused her to black out like that. While he couldn't discern the cause, at the least it didn't seem that anything was physically wrong with her.

"You're going to be the death of me" Caius muttered, slumping against Vordun and deciding to just let her wake up on her own. If she didn't anytime soon, he'd act, but for now he supposed they could wait. While he wanted to get to the village sooner rather than later, they'd made some progress atop Vordun, and it would be quicker the rest of the way than if they had done the whole thing on foot. They had at the least cleared a few miles, if not more.

---