Inked Eidolon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
inked_eidolon) wrote2013-06-16 08:59 pm
inked_eidolon) wrote2013-06-16 08:59 pm
Sisterhood (Chapter 2) - Final Fantasy V
Title: Sisterhood
Fandom: Final Fantasy V
Characters/Pairings: Lenna, Faris, Bartz, Galuf
Rating: G
Summary: Faris tries to explain things away to himself.
This was ridiculous. If Faris didn't know himself better, he'd say he was actually getting fond of these people. Let that happen, and pretty soon he'd actually be caring about this Light Warrior business--why the Crystals would pick someone like him was a mystery, except that a pirate had a vested interest in making sure wind and water worked properly. He had to admit, getting out of Carwen took an enormous weight off his chest. Sleeping in a town full of crippled ships set his teeth on edge almost as bad as the ship graveyard. Now they were on the move again, he could concentrate on fighting with monsters and arguing with the old geezer instead of thinking how they'd left Syldra for dead in the Torna Canal.
Once they got to the Wind Shrine and found King Tycoon, Faris would have what he set out for. And then he'd leave. Well, he'd leave once they saved the water crystal and put the one for wind back together.
It was hard to convince himself that he'd be that sensible when he was walking beside Lenna, though.
Why does the princess of Tycoon have the same pendant as I do? It was a simple question right up to the point where he tried answering it. Oh sure, it was the symbol of the Tycoon royal family or whatever; for all he knew his pirate father could have stolen it from somewhere else and given it to him. There wasn't a lot he remembered about the early days. And fine, they looked a little alike if you squinted and let your imagination run wild--same eyes, kind of the same voice too if Faris imagined his own without all the sandpaper and cussing in it.
Not to mention the whole princess thing. It had taken her a while to be a good fighter, even as a white mage, 'cause she had this nasty habit of not healing herself unless one of them ordered her to. Although Faris had to admit she was much better now. When she paired a Knight's armor paired with that white magic, Lenna was a force to be reckoned with in battle--a quick study for someone who'd been raised in a castle. Not that Faris was keeping an eye on her. Not that he wanted especially to bash in any monster that got in a hit on her. Not that he had any memories attached to the words "a castle." Memories of books and someone tiny with pink hair and a very tall man with a beard....
Neptune's trident, he'd been away from the sea too long if he was seriously entertaining these thoughts! Best turn his thoughts to what was going on right now, North Mountain. He took a deep breath of the chilly air that flowed from the top of the mountain in spite of the still air around them. The clear, cold weather would be good for an endless trek uphill. And the slopes were obligingly riddled with monsters, providing him ample distraction from his wild fancies.
They took a breather a good chunk of the way up as the slopes leveled out a bit. Faris wiped the sweat from his face with his shawl and traded insults with Galuf as he complained loudly of blisters while Bartz methodically emptied the rocks out of his boots and kept an eye out for ambush. Without warning, Lenna let out a gasp. "Father's helmet!"
Faris followed her pointing finger. Well, look at that, a big pointy helmet just lying on the grass. Had it fallen during flight? Like hell--but before he could say a word she was off, and just like that, a scantily-clad woman leapt from behind a rock and fired a bow.
"Lenna!" That was Bartz. Faris had frozen to the spot, watching Lenna fall to her knees, clutching at the arrow that protruded from her arm. Her skin was taking on the bluish cast that Faris had come to know for poison.
The ground moved before any of them could. They staggered as the earth between them fell away into a chasm, an endless gulf between him and Lenna. "Ohohoho!" the strange woman said as soon as it stilled. Faris felt his blood boil at the appraising look the woman gave Lenna. "I came here after that wind drake, but it seems I've caught something even more valuable."
"Wait... you'd hunt a wind drake?!" Bartz exclaimed. Faris wanted to hit him. Who the hell cared about wind drakes right now?!
"Of course," said the hunter woman. "The horns fetch quite a high price on the black market, ohohoho! And I see I've caught no less than the princess of Tycoon!" The princess of Tycoon was on her hands and knees, face twisted in pain, trying not to faint by the looks of it. "Yes, you'll make a lovely souvenir for my husband."
That unfroze Faris. "Let her go, you addle-pated foul-complexioned scofflaw!" Before he had time to reflect on how ridiculous that had come out he was running to the edge of the cliff. He made the jump easily, but a bark of triumphant laughter strangled as the rock cracked beneath his feet.
Falling. He heard voices yelling above him. A hand reaching, screaming his name, not Faris, everything outsized-- he couldn't make out the words. His hands were too busy scrabbling at the cliff face; the jagged rock made him pay for salvation as stinging pain scored his arms. He turned his face skywards. A tiny head of pink hair. But that was her being far away. What the hell was going on in his head? Then Magissa's head appeared, laughing, gloating over his demise. And the bitch couldn't even come up with a more creative than "oops, he fell." Oops!
I'll show you oops, you rat bastard.
Rage propelled him upwards; his arms and legs had spent too many years running around a ship's rigging in stormy seas to falter on rock. He was hauling himself up, he was back on level ground, he was throwing a rope to Bartz and Galuf. The hunter woman backed away, apparently too shocked to attack or hold a knife to Lenna's throat.
"Lenna, hang on!" Bartz cried as he and Galuf dashed over. Faris unsheathed his sword, knowing they'd have his back as he ran to Lenna's side and yanked an antidote from his pocket. He grinned at the huntress, tasting blood on his teeth from the wild fall as he took Lenna's arm to help her up. He didn't suggest she fall back--she deserved the chance to wipe the mountainside with that harpy's face.
Cripes, though, she was no joke to fight--nor was that husband of hers. What a tower of muscles! Faris had to grudgingly admit that he would be in real trouble if there weren't four of them fighting. Hell's teeth, but it was tough, he thought as they finally pounded the villainous pair into submission. And if he hadn't been quick and lucky back there, he'd be gone and Lenna would be lost, with their questions forever unanswered. No way to find the king... and he supposed the Crystals would have to pick out some other warriors.
Faris shook his head at himself as they toiled up the green slopes. Hah, you'd have thought he was never in a fight for his life before from the way he was fretting over it. The stakes today weren't any higher than they'd been any other time just because he was with three hapless vagabonds instead of his actual crew. He was still trying to convince himself of that when the ground finally leveled out onto a mound of flowers and a dragon.
He drew in his breath with a hiss. Even at this distance, Faris could see how greviously it was wounded. "Hiryu!" Lenna exclaimed, hurrying towards it.
"He's hurt pretty bad..." Faris said, following. He could see the dragon grass in the thick of the mountain's poison flowers. Damn, that wind drake needed some medicine, but how were they to get to it?
Lenna was looking at it too. Faris should have been paying more attention to that. "Hiryu... don't worry. I'll take care of you." And just like that, she was walking into the flowers. Right into them!
"Lenna!" Faris rushed after her. "What--Where're you going?!"
"Don't come any closer!" The steel in her voice stopped Faris in his tracks. "Just... must reach the dragon grass..." Faris shifted restlessly from one foot to the other, forced to watch as the princess struggled forward, plucking the dragon grass and stumbling back. She couldn't even make it all the way. Faris grabbed her and pulled her back from the evil shrubs and found the herb being pushed into her hands. "Give the dragon grass to Hiryu... quickly...." Lenna murmured as she sank to the ground in Faris' arms.
He thought of Syldra vanishing into the whirlpool. Laying Lenna's head down gently, Faris sprinted to the wind drake. "Eat it, eat it," he hissed, holding out the leaves. It seemed to recognize it, nibbling them gently from its hands. The wounds shrank and vanished before its eyes. Color came back into its sickly scales as it threw back its head, letting out a cry so like Syldra's it sent shivers down Faris' spine. Then it turned its eyes towards Lenna. Faris backed away as it reached its long neck towards her--a bright light flashed and suddenly she was on her feet as though she'd never even heard of poison.
Faris heaved a sigh of relief. He found himself giving the wind drake a pat on the neck. Somehow he couldn't find his voice. Probably best, that. He'd probably say something embarrassing... had to let the old man take care of berating her for doing something so "insanely reckless." Just as reckless as trying to dive into a whirlpool, aye, Faris?
It came as a welcome relief to have a laugh at Bartz after that.
Fandom: Final Fantasy V
Characters/Pairings: Lenna, Faris, Bartz, Galuf
Rating: G
Summary: Faris tries to explain things away to himself.
This was ridiculous. If Faris didn't know himself better, he'd say he was actually getting fond of these people. Let that happen, and pretty soon he'd actually be caring about this Light Warrior business--why the Crystals would pick someone like him was a mystery, except that a pirate had a vested interest in making sure wind and water worked properly. He had to admit, getting out of Carwen took an enormous weight off his chest. Sleeping in a town full of crippled ships set his teeth on edge almost as bad as the ship graveyard. Now they were on the move again, he could concentrate on fighting with monsters and arguing with the old geezer instead of thinking how they'd left Syldra for dead in the Torna Canal.
Once they got to the Wind Shrine and found King Tycoon, Faris would have what he set out for. And then he'd leave. Well, he'd leave once they saved the water crystal and put the one for wind back together.
It was hard to convince himself that he'd be that sensible when he was walking beside Lenna, though.
Why does the princess of Tycoon have the same pendant as I do? It was a simple question right up to the point where he tried answering it. Oh sure, it was the symbol of the Tycoon royal family or whatever; for all he knew his pirate father could have stolen it from somewhere else and given it to him. There wasn't a lot he remembered about the early days. And fine, they looked a little alike if you squinted and let your imagination run wild--same eyes, kind of the same voice too if Faris imagined his own without all the sandpaper and cussing in it.
Not to mention the whole princess thing. It had taken her a while to be a good fighter, even as a white mage, 'cause she had this nasty habit of not healing herself unless one of them ordered her to. Although Faris had to admit she was much better now. When she paired a Knight's armor paired with that white magic, Lenna was a force to be reckoned with in battle--a quick study for someone who'd been raised in a castle. Not that Faris was keeping an eye on her. Not that he wanted especially to bash in any monster that got in a hit on her. Not that he had any memories attached to the words "a castle." Memories of books and someone tiny with pink hair and a very tall man with a beard....
Neptune's trident, he'd been away from the sea too long if he was seriously entertaining these thoughts! Best turn his thoughts to what was going on right now, North Mountain. He took a deep breath of the chilly air that flowed from the top of the mountain in spite of the still air around them. The clear, cold weather would be good for an endless trek uphill. And the slopes were obligingly riddled with monsters, providing him ample distraction from his wild fancies.
They took a breather a good chunk of the way up as the slopes leveled out a bit. Faris wiped the sweat from his face with his shawl and traded insults with Galuf as he complained loudly of blisters while Bartz methodically emptied the rocks out of his boots and kept an eye out for ambush. Without warning, Lenna let out a gasp. "Father's helmet!"
Faris followed her pointing finger. Well, look at that, a big pointy helmet just lying on the grass. Had it fallen during flight? Like hell--but before he could say a word she was off, and just like that, a scantily-clad woman leapt from behind a rock and fired a bow.
"Lenna!" That was Bartz. Faris had frozen to the spot, watching Lenna fall to her knees, clutching at the arrow that protruded from her arm. Her skin was taking on the bluish cast that Faris had come to know for poison.
The ground moved before any of them could. They staggered as the earth between them fell away into a chasm, an endless gulf between him and Lenna. "Ohohoho!" the strange woman said as soon as it stilled. Faris felt his blood boil at the appraising look the woman gave Lenna. "I came here after that wind drake, but it seems I've caught something even more valuable."
"Wait... you'd hunt a wind drake?!" Bartz exclaimed. Faris wanted to hit him. Who the hell cared about wind drakes right now?!
"Of course," said the hunter woman. "The horns fetch quite a high price on the black market, ohohoho! And I see I've caught no less than the princess of Tycoon!" The princess of Tycoon was on her hands and knees, face twisted in pain, trying not to faint by the looks of it. "Yes, you'll make a lovely souvenir for my husband."
That unfroze Faris. "Let her go, you addle-pated foul-complexioned scofflaw!" Before he had time to reflect on how ridiculous that had come out he was running to the edge of the cliff. He made the jump easily, but a bark of triumphant laughter strangled as the rock cracked beneath his feet.
Falling. He heard voices yelling above him. A hand reaching, screaming his name, not Faris, everything outsized-- he couldn't make out the words. His hands were too busy scrabbling at the cliff face; the jagged rock made him pay for salvation as stinging pain scored his arms. He turned his face skywards. A tiny head of pink hair. But that was her being far away. What the hell was going on in his head? Then Magissa's head appeared, laughing, gloating over his demise. And the bitch couldn't even come up with a more creative than "oops, he fell." Oops!
I'll show you oops, you rat bastard.
Rage propelled him upwards; his arms and legs had spent too many years running around a ship's rigging in stormy seas to falter on rock. He was hauling himself up, he was back on level ground, he was throwing a rope to Bartz and Galuf. The hunter woman backed away, apparently too shocked to attack or hold a knife to Lenna's throat.
"Lenna, hang on!" Bartz cried as he and Galuf dashed over. Faris unsheathed his sword, knowing they'd have his back as he ran to Lenna's side and yanked an antidote from his pocket. He grinned at the huntress, tasting blood on his teeth from the wild fall as he took Lenna's arm to help her up. He didn't suggest she fall back--she deserved the chance to wipe the mountainside with that harpy's face.
Cripes, though, she was no joke to fight--nor was that husband of hers. What a tower of muscles! Faris had to grudgingly admit that he would be in real trouble if there weren't four of them fighting. Hell's teeth, but it was tough, he thought as they finally pounded the villainous pair into submission. And if he hadn't been quick and lucky back there, he'd be gone and Lenna would be lost, with their questions forever unanswered. No way to find the king... and he supposed the Crystals would have to pick out some other warriors.
Faris shook his head at himself as they toiled up the green slopes. Hah, you'd have thought he was never in a fight for his life before from the way he was fretting over it. The stakes today weren't any higher than they'd been any other time just because he was with three hapless vagabonds instead of his actual crew. He was still trying to convince himself of that when the ground finally leveled out onto a mound of flowers and a dragon.
He drew in his breath with a hiss. Even at this distance, Faris could see how greviously it was wounded. "Hiryu!" Lenna exclaimed, hurrying towards it.
"He's hurt pretty bad..." Faris said, following. He could see the dragon grass in the thick of the mountain's poison flowers. Damn, that wind drake needed some medicine, but how were they to get to it?
Lenna was looking at it too. Faris should have been paying more attention to that. "Hiryu... don't worry. I'll take care of you." And just like that, she was walking into the flowers. Right into them!
"Lenna!" Faris rushed after her. "What--Where're you going?!"
"Don't come any closer!" The steel in her voice stopped Faris in his tracks. "Just... must reach the dragon grass..." Faris shifted restlessly from one foot to the other, forced to watch as the princess struggled forward, plucking the dragon grass and stumbling back. She couldn't even make it all the way. Faris grabbed her and pulled her back from the evil shrubs and found the herb being pushed into her hands. "Give the dragon grass to Hiryu... quickly...." Lenna murmured as she sank to the ground in Faris' arms.
He thought of Syldra vanishing into the whirlpool. Laying Lenna's head down gently, Faris sprinted to the wind drake. "Eat it, eat it," he hissed, holding out the leaves. It seemed to recognize it, nibbling them gently from its hands. The wounds shrank and vanished before its eyes. Color came back into its sickly scales as it threw back its head, letting out a cry so like Syldra's it sent shivers down Faris' spine. Then it turned its eyes towards Lenna. Faris backed away as it reached its long neck towards her--a bright light flashed and suddenly she was on her feet as though she'd never even heard of poison.
Faris heaved a sigh of relief. He found himself giving the wind drake a pat on the neck. Somehow he couldn't find his voice. Probably best, that. He'd probably say something embarrassing... had to let the old man take care of berating her for doing something so "insanely reckless." Just as reckless as trying to dive into a whirlpool, aye, Faris?
It came as a welcome relief to have a laugh at Bartz after that.
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