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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.
Some was, indeed, wrong.
Celes stood behind Caius, waiting with her arms crossed. She hadn’t expected to be needed -- least of all when the door opened to an eldery woman that looked like a stiff breeze could have knocked her over. Still, it wasn’t hard to figure out where Caius was going with this, and she glanced at him in surprise as soon as he made his intentions clear.
The woman didn’t know her own son’s name. Well that was a twist.
As they walked away together, Caius’ amiable expression melted like ice before a dragon’s breath. ’We’re going to the inn.’ Celes glanced to him and nodded.
”She could just be old,” she said. ”Forgetting letters. Forgetting names. It happens.” But it didn’t sit quite right with her either. There were as many answers as there were questions, but it wasn’t necessarily anything to make a fuss over. ”Unless they’re possessed by ghosts, I can’t think of anything else. You saw her, and the people here know her too. She’s probably senile.”
But if Caius wanted to stay…
She sighed. ”We’ll have to spend the night anyway if they let us. The sun’s almost set. If you want to scope this place out while we’re here, you might as well.” And she’d help him obviously. That didn’t need to be said.
They asked around and while there wasn’t an inn per say, there was an old house with a spare room that a family rented to the occasional visitor that might come stumbling through. The thought of intruding made her palm itch, but there wasn’t much else to do unless Caius had a tent packed away somewhere she couldn’t see. The house in question was a weathered two-story that looked more like that haunted manor than a family home. This far into the forest, the people here had next to nothing to their names.
She knocked and waited nervously, finger tapping at her thigh, until the door opened with a shudder. A portly man stood in the door frame. A confused look crossed him before he let out a short, “Oh.” Celes smiled at him awkwardly.
”We heard we could rent a room here?”
”Right, right. That’d be two hundred gil. We’re hoping to give this place a nice new coat of paint once we can manage! I hope it’s not too much of a bother.”
”Oh no, it’s fine.” Celes glanced to Caius. ”Can we come in or…?”
”Come in, come in! I’ll make the two of you some tea! We never get visitors!” He stepped back, and Celes started forward before she paused. She didn’t like this. It made her feel like eyes were trained on her back, and she’d have kicked herself before accepting this kind of hospitality a year ago. Still, the two of them were so well-armed that what could go wrong, really? So long as they didn’t drink his tea.
”It’ll only be a moment!” The man skittered off into a dingy kitchen to the side, leaving them to wander through the door and wait without any real direction. The room smelled of dust. It had settled into every fabric, every crack, every cramped corner of a room shoved full to bursting. One wall was devoted to a threadbare couch with the stuffing peeking through. A crooked bookshelf overtook the other, and on the final wall sat an ornately carved curio cabinet. Celes peered into it, but couldn’t see a thing through the clouded glass.
”What do you think?” She kept her voice low as she turned to Caius. She refused to take more than a few steps away from him. ”We could always chance the forest.”
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Caius was worried. Celes could tell no matter how he tried to write it off as natural, and the thought made her want to curl up on the forest floor. She was fine. Really. It didn’t matter that her throat was tight or that she had to ball her fists to keep them from shaking. Caius probably couldn’t sense that anyway so why did he keep asking?
’You’re going to be a danger to yourself.’ ‘You aren’t in a state to fight.’ ‘I refuse to leave you here.’ What did any of it matter? She was just some silly girl who couldn’t even ride a dragon without needing saving. Why wouldn’t he insist on protecting her? He’d finally seen just how weak she really was.
With our new arrangements? Why didn’t he just say what he meant? Because of her. Because of her, they wouldn’t arrive until evening. He’d have done better by himself.
”I can handle myself,” she said. ”Don’t worry about me.”
She wasn’t worth the effort.
They went on for hours and neither of them said a word about what had happened. The silence made Celes’ palms itch. She knew what he was thinking. Or at least, she thought she knew and that uncertainty drove her mad. ’Say something.’ She didn’t know whether she meant it of him or herself. ’You’re both thinking it. Just say something.’ But neither of them did and part of her was glad for it. The other part wanted to scream.
By the time that they reached the village, Celes could only sigh in relief. The place was still standing. She didn’t even care that this had all been a colossal waste of time if it meant something else to worry about. Still, Caius looked less than convinced.
”They’re staring at us.”
Celes glanced to him dryer than she would have liked. ”There isn’t even a road that comes through here. Of course they are.” She’d known her fair share of isolated villages, and she knew that strangers weren’t exactly common. ”They’re used to bandit raids and who knows what else. They don’t know who we are.”
Still, Caius seemed less than reassured. Maybe it was his instincts or maybe some kind of paranoia. The village was thriving, there wasn’t a hint of danger, and if the people were on edge it was only because she and Caius had interrupted them. ”We might as well,” Celes said as she followed him anyway. They’d been sent to check up on someone’s family, and the job wouldn’t be done until they had. She supposed caution wasn’t a terrible idea either -- now or ever.
”I don’t suppose you know where it is?” she asked before shaking her head. ”Of course not. It’s not like you’ve been here before.” With that, she started towards a woman tanning leather on the side of the road. Her watery eyes turned wary as Celes’ approach, and Celes tried not to wrinkle her nose at the sour smell. ”Excuse me. We’re here looking for someone. Do you know where we can find…?” She glanced back at Caius. ”What was the name?”
This was way short, but I didn't see much else to add without padding it
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Yuna looked like a different person.
Since they’d met, Yuna had seemed nervous and meek. Out of her element, Celes supposed, and that was something she could understand. Hadn't she felt the same? But there was something different between them now. Warmer though she couldn't have said why. Maybe they'd finally come to an understanding. Maybe Yuna simply felt like smiling.
”Anything you can do?” Celes asked. What was it Yuna could do? Teach her magic to start with though they’d already agreed to that. Really, Celes couldn’t think of anything. Not here and not now.
”I’ll let you know,” Celes said before she reached into her pouch and frowned at the gil there. She had enough. Barely. She’d have to restock herself later. She’d write it off as a business expense. Caius would never know the difference.
She paid and looked back to Yuna. ”Well, it’s done,” she said. ”That’s something you can do for me. Don’t waste the gil. I’ll teach you how to use it whenever you come back. Which means you have to come back in the first place.” Whatever it was, Celes was still certain that Yuna was hiding something. She wouldn’t ask what Yuna wouldn’t answer, but she had a feeling it was dangerous.
”Are you sure you don’t need someone to go with you?” Celes asked. ”Someone else can handle things here for a while. The road to Provo isn’t easy.” Not to mention whatever came next. She’d never trusted instincts, really, but that didn’t mean she had to have evidence for everything, and for some reason she felt like she shouldn't leave Yuna alone.
First time she'd thought fondly of her past for a while
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Caius touched her.
Celes stiffened, tension already rising in her throat, but it ended just as quickly as it had come. A brief pressure turned her in step with him. ’Oh.’ He must have known the right direction then. How was another question she had no interest in answering. They were in the middle of nowhere, weren’t they? They must have steered off course, but she was just glad that they hadn’t. Once again, Caius proved his skills over hers. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
”Are you sure you’re ready?”
Celes felt a heat rise to her cheeks. Was she sure? Well, what else could she be? She had no intention of sitting around some forest feeling sorry for herself, and the longer he looked at her, the more she wished he would go on ahead, leave her to find her own way, and do whatever it was they’d come for. She knew full well what she was doing. Or did she? She wanted to scream.
”I’m fine,” she said. ’Don’t push it,’ she added so loud that she hoped it would somehow break from her thoughts into the space between them. ’Don’t say another word.’ Did she expect it? Not really. Locke would have taken her by the shoulders, forced her aside, and looked straight into her eyes. Edgar would given her a look of concern and noted that they’d talk later. And Setzer, well, who knew how he’d have dealt with it. None of it mattered. She was here now. Here and away never to see them again.
Yet she could almost feel their eyes on her. She’d never told them her weakness -- the fall, the island, the cliff. None of them had ever spoken of those first few months in the ruins of what they’d once called home. It was a silent understanding between them.
One that Caius would never understand. ”The missing village.”That’s what they’d come for, wasn’t it?”How long do we have? Walking, I mean.”
I'm getting some vibes from this and I don't know how to feel about it.
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
A shoulder pushed into her side and Celes shifted back only to close in on a boy who shot her an affronted look. The marketplace was crowded. Too crowded. Celes had adjusted to the cities and the bustle and the people that most certainly was not glancing over their shoulders fearing the whims of a mad god. But she couldn’t get used to the crowds. Something about them made her skin crawl, and as she pushed past them after Yuna, she couldn’t help but touch at her sword.
Would all these people attract the wrong attention? No. No, of course not. That was impossible.
Yuna stopped at a weapon’s stall and Celes stopped beside her, nail scratching into her palm. The blades were familiar at least. Short, long, curved. Her eyes lingered on the daggers and so did Yuna’s. Yuna looked uncertainly at them all before casting Celes a desperate glance.
Where did she think she should start? Celes had no idea, but that wouldn’t do anything for either of them so she crossed her arms, tilted her head thoughtfully, and scanned over their options.
Yuna would want something light and unimposing. Hadn’t she liked Celes’ earrings? Celes hummed before her attention caught on a glint of silver. There, crowded in the back of it all, was a gilded dagger inset with scattered blue gems. With all the styles and the carvings, it was almost more jewelry than weapon. Wouldn’t Yuna look nice with it? Celes certainly thought so.
She pointed towards it and asked the merchant to look it over. Its weight fell into her hand, and she was glad to say that it wasn’t all decoration. She spun it between her fingers and laughed at the sensation. It was charmed. Of course it was with a look like that. Her magic sung with it.
She held out the hilt for Yuna to take. ”What do you think?” Celes smiled. Now that she saw it in front of her, she knew it was perfect. Celes didn’t know much about women, but she knew weapons, and this one highlighted the glint of Yuna eyes. Yuna had a certain delicate beauty when she held a blade. Strong with soft edges.
”I think it's good for you,” Celes said. ”It’s pretty.” What was she talking about? She paused before shaking her head. ”Not that I know anything about that.” There she was, talking before she could think again. Could she really only appreciate something if it could draw blood?
She looked back to the merchant. ”How much is it?” she asked and then balked at the answer. The gems were real, the magic was real, and the blade was sharp but still, she hadn’t expected a simple dagger to cost so much. Still, she couldn’t deny the fit. Wasn’t this official Dragonblade business? She gave Yuna an apologetic look. ”Don’t worry about the gil if you like it,” she said. ”I’ll help cover it. Or Caius will anyway.” She smirked at her teasingly. ”I think he owes us. For, oh, what did he say to you again? Helping him come to terms with his past?”
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Celes grasped tightly at her knees and tried to slow her staggered breath. She knew better than this. She knew that everything she’d feared was long in the past, and yet here she was, floored again in some forest or another. The frustration tightened her grasp just as much as the tension. Stupid. She was being so stupid. Why couldn’t she get back to her feet?
Celes felt heat rise to her cheeks. Caius was there. He’d seen it all and he was still watching. What must he have thought of her curled up on the ground with tears in her eyes? Fainting at heights? Having to be saved from the fall? She was weak, she knew. She hadn’t wanted him to know too.
For a long time, Celes said nothing. Even when her thoughts slowed, she couldn’t find the words. She wanted to sink into the mud. She wanted to sink down and down and down and never face him again. She couldn’t even ride a dragon without melting. She hadn’t known what it would do to her.
Finally when she could wait no more, Celes rose unsteadily to her feet. She didn’t look at him. Her thoughts were dulled -- the woods nothing more than shapes and colors. It didn’t matter.
”Let’s go then.” Where were they going again? She couldn’t remember, but it was somewhere important. Another mission. They’d likely steered off course and the road was nowhere to be seen. She started walking anyway.
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Something was wrong.
She knew it as her hands tingle and the blood rushed to her cheeks. She knew it as her eyes unfocused and hands seized her in their grasp. Heat seared past in blinding flashes of light. There were cries of alarm, hurried footsteps, and she staggered reaching for Locke and a hand that didn’t come. Then falling, falling, falling.
She gasped as her eyes shot open and she thrust herself upright. A cry escaped her throat, her head spun, and then she twisted herself to gag into the ground. She could still taste the ash on her tongue and then the burn of seawater. Her fingers dug into soft earth.
Soft. Birds cooed above her. The smell of damp leaves. She swallowed hard. This was…
A shadow moved beside her. A man. Celes started and scrambled to the side. ”Stay away!” Her heart was pounding. She gulped for air. This wasn’t right. She couldn’t focus. Not with that rising pressure in her chest or her spinning head or the noise pushing at the back of her teeth. Her back hit the bark of a tree and she wrapped her arms tightly around herself, closing her eyes and listening.
Everything was too close and too loud. She wanted space. To breathe. To feel. To let out all the pressure inside of her. She knew where she was and she knew the man beside her but she didn’t want his touch or his words. She wanted him to leave her alone so her nails could dig tight and she could grasp at her hair.
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Yuna was surprised by the scarcity of her magic. Of course she was -- hadn’t that always been the case? That more than anything made Celes feel out of place. What kind of bizarre reality could see her as normal? All of them, apparently, except for her own. If she’d been born in any of them then none of her struggle would have been necessary. A waste. What had her entire life really meant?
The smile faded from Yuna’s eyes. Celes’ question usually did that. It’s strange, isn’t it? It wasn’t something that really need to be asked. They already knew the answer.
It was what she said next that gave her pause. Yuna actually liked it here. Celes hadn’t heard that from anyone but herself and Caius, and that told her a lot. People could built cities here. They didn’t have to live in fear. It’s what Yuna wanted to make her home, and that struck hard. For a moment, Celes could almost see the desolate wastes that she’d once considered normal. The cracked earth, the whistle of wind, the smell of decay. Then they flickered out of sight like a sputtering flame.
Don’t think about it. Not now.
”I don’t want to go back, honestly.” Maybe Celes should have felt uneasy saying such a thing to a near-stranger, but she didn’t. Instead she just felt her nails digging into her palms. ”There’s not much left to go back to.”
Did she want to continue on the topic? Maybe. Maybe not, but there was relief in leaving it behind. If they started into the past then Celes wouldn't have done much anything else. It really was better this way.
”If it’s a few days we might as well start. Not that I’d expect much.” Or expect anything at all. Nothing was learned without time. ”Maybe we’ll start with a knife -- self-defense, you know. No one would expect it, and if someone tried to grab you…” Celes gave her a serious look. ”They won’t do it twice.”
That was as good a place to start as any. In fact, it was better. Celes knew the way of the world, and she knew that it wasn’t forgiving. Anyone could tell at a glance that Yuna was defenseless. It was better they be wrong than right.
”Oh.” Celes paused as she peered into the crowded streets of one of Torensten’s marketplaces. Had she come here on purpose? She didn’t think so, but maybe…
She glanced over at her. ”I could buy you something here to start with.” She paused. ”And they have all kinds of charmed armor. Little trinkets and such. I have earrings that help my magic.” Celes felt a strange heat rise to her cheeks as she pushed back her hair to show them off. They were sparkling, dangling things that she never thought had quite matched her. Still, they did their jobs.
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Celes knew the theory more or less. She’d had enough experience on chocobos to grasp the basics, but she wasn't really paying attention. No, her head was already spinning with thoughts of the ground far below her and the bucking of a dragon she still didn’t trust. Vordun calmed when Caius muttered to him. Good. Maybe having someone who knew something about animals would help. They’d always hated her, afte rall, or maybe they just sensed her unease. Certainly this would be just-
Vordun dashed forward.
”Eek!” Celes thrust herself forward, grasping onto Caius with everything she had as the dragon started off on all fours, back bucking with every pace of its paws. This was nothing like a chocobo. No, this was wild and fast and unsteady and why had she agreed to do this? Why had she been so eager and maybe she should call it off right now? But she could barely get the words out before Caius shot her a warning and the dragon’s wings extended
Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh-!
The dragon leaped into the air and left all of Celes’ dignity behind.
She attached herself to Caius in a tightened death grip, squeaking something unintelligible as the dragon ascended and threatened to throw her off with every flap. She dug her knees into Caius. She pulled herself forward until she was flat against him and then she pulled some more. He glanced back to check if she was okay, and no oh no she was not. But as the ground fell away and the trees faded to nothing but green grass below them, the only thing she could imagine as worse was tilting forward, sliding into him, watching the ground rise below her as-
As the skies turned red and the earth shuddered below.
She felt the color drain from her cheeks. No, no, no, not now! Bile rose in her throat. Her stomach turned as her nails dug into Caius’ jacket and her vision swam before her. Why couldn’t she breathe? She knew it wasn’t the same. She knew it was careless, but there was nothing she could do against the cracking of wood, the shatter of debris, the smell of sulfur and ash. Then she was falling, falling, falling…
Her grip loosened.
She didn’t feel herself go slack. She felt only a cold chill, her wavering balance, and then her sight went black. Why did her ankles hurt? They twisted on something and then knocked themselves out of place. Her stomach rushed to meet her as gravity fell away.
Post by Celes Chere on Sept 8, 2019 7:23:44 GMT -6
[attr="class","oneword1"]
[attr="class","fromyou1"]@caius
SHE IS TRYING
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
She’d expected him to fire back. Of course he would -- he was Caius. Which meant that he was stubborn and settled and would never back down from his beliefs. But he didn’t say a word. Instead he waited until she’d finished, sighed, and then turned to the dragon with a quiet affirmation that she had been right.
Somehow, that was far worse.
Celes frowned. ”Caius,” she started, but didn’t quite know how to finish. Had she been too hard on him? Something churned within her as she frowned at his turned back. He hadn’t known. How could he have? He hadn’t seen the dragons with his own eyes -- only the aftermath and the egg he’d found after the fact. He was good willed, optimistic, and trying to live his best life. His dragon had done wonders for him.
Had she been too hard on him? Celes bit her lip.
”You can still bring him everywhere else,” she said, but that wasn’t really an apology, was it? It felt like every time they spoke, she turned on him with a hard edge and a sharp tongue. Caius had been the first person to want to stay with her. She knew she cared for him, and yet…
And yet she kept hurting him. It wasn’t fair.
Caius busied himself with the dragon as though nothing had happened. A flying mount? Celes blinked at him, not entirely sure what he meant until he’d finished and realization dawned upon her in a slow horror. He wanted to fly. With her. On its back. She stared at him, eyes wide and mouth agape. Just thinking about it made her heart race, but after everything she’d said…
”No, no! I can do it!” Her voice was higher than usual. ”You’re right! This is faster! And your dragon, if you’ve been working with it, I know it’ll be fine!”Lies. She trusted that dragon about as far as she could throw it -- that was to say, not at all. But she needed this. Caius needed this, and she would be supportive of him no matter what it took.
Even if it meant balancing herself on a monster in the sky.
As soon as he was done securing the saddle, she thrust herself on top of it before she could she had time to think. It’s just like a chocobo, she told herself. Nothing but a chocobo. Just hold tight and-
And then she’d wrap herself around Caius until every inch was pressed together. Heat rose to her cheeks.
