MOVED @ lunuanaki!

█░     HIGH SUMMONER ( 大召喚士 )

It took him a moment, Chuami’s own shifting, to realize that they had stopped. He should have known, of course. The lack of wind in his face was only one of many clues. His fierce focus on keeping his food down, his breathing measured and his grip tight around her, however, had kept his busy, so busy that it was only after she seemed to peel herself from him that he followed, half-falling off the hover behind her.

He kept up well, considering he walked in a bit of a daze, nausea still gripping him like an old friend waving hello from across the ruin. This wasn’t a ruin, though, he knew. This was their home. The Al Bhed were ever clever; they wasted nothing. He admired them for that.

Few paid attention to him and that was fine. Once his focus moved from himself, it settled pointedly on her, his guide, Chuami.

If there had ever been a chance at her being Auron’s daughter, it showed itself now. She stood poised, so certain, leading him on in a way that almost felt too familiar as he stumbled slowly behind. She coaxed him forward with a strange sort of encouragement and he found he huffed a laugh as he came to her side, his head lowering as he fidgeted with his clothes.

     “ Will they be alright? ”

The first thing that came to mind might have sounded odd, coming from him. But, he was concerned. Sand storms, so far as he remembered, were not to be trifled with. He doubted that had changed in twelve or so years. He doubted it ever would.

It took him a moment, but he realized that she hadn’t told him this to garner his concern. His head shook and a winded sort of laugh left him.

     “ Of course. ”, he said, sounding strangely relieved. “ That’ll be just fine. ”

He meant it, too. A hand reached up and found her shoulder. The gesture, on her, was gentle. But, it’s nature was the same, a reminder of a time now long, long ago. He grinned.

     “ So long as they don’t make me eat. I… I think I’ll pass on that for a few hours more. ”

  “Huh? Oh...! Yeah, of course.” she grinned. “The reason I can tell you they won’t be back tonight is there’re shelters out there. They’ll stay in one of those. It’s pretty common, but still annoying...”

  The question had taken her by surprise, but now that she thought about it, she wasn’t sure why. Casting a glance at the hover over her shoulder, she bit her lip, hiding a laugh, and her hand laid itself over his.

  “Don’t worry,” she said, “We’ll sort ourselves out tonight.”

  Then she was digging her bags out of the pile that still remained by the hover and gesturing for him to follow. Past that large, squat building to their right, past the tangled mess of partly rusted metal behind it that might have been some kind of generator. Past a few houses on their left that faced them, showing odd signs of life, like desert plants in pots by the doors, out of place pieces of decoration that seemed almost comical given their condition. She stopped at the last house in that row and moved a worn out “mat” with the toe of her boot. A key sat under it, and she swiped it up and unlocked the door that might have fallen in with a strong enough breeze anyway.

  She paused just inside the door. Then her hesitation passed and she moved inside, dropping her things on the floor.   Inside, the air was at least slightly cooler, and it was dark compared to the blinding sunlight outside. On the left of the room they stood in was a questionable looking stove and a few cupboards and center-left, a table with four chairs around it. There wasn’t space for much else; but there was another chair, bigger and clearly more well-used than the others, in the right corner by the door. 

  Chuami moved past all this, past a tiny bathroom that seemed to have been added as an afterthought and cut awkwardly into what might have been a much bigger living space before. Beyond it were three bedrooms that might once have been two.    “Huumm... I’ll put you in my old room. You’ve lived too good a life to deserve Sasha’s. I’ll take it.”

  The third option, the bigger one on the right hand side, went completely ignored as she pointed to her left. None of the three of them showed much sign of ever having been inhabited; though Chuami’s still had a few pictures stuck to the walls, so faded that their subjects could barely be made out.

  “This is it, I’m afraid. Ahh...”

█░     HIGH SUMMONER ( 大召喚士 )

How long had it been? Hours? He wondered, his face still neatly buried against her, arms wrapped around her tightly. He was doing his best to keep his eyes closed. Whenever they opened, he felt as though his very soul might leave his body via his mouth. He didn’t know what to call it, the strangeness he felt in the pit of his stomach, now creeping up into his chest. But, it was certainly an illness. He blamed it on his nerves first and, then, the heat.

He did not answer her properly. Instead, he nodded, his head tilting in an affirmative motion against her so she would know. He doubted she’d believe him, though, as foolish as he was, latched onto her for dear life, trying his best to stay still. He’d ridden a hover before. Maybe twice. But, never far. And it had certainly never felt like this. He swallowed and then opened his eyes. The world rushed by and he felt faint. He distracted himself with the sound of his own voice, far too quiet against the sound of running machinery. He hoped she would hear.

     “ H-how… much farther? ”, he asked, raising his head only to speak.

It, quickly, shot back down and he seemed to shift closer to her than before. Realizing how silly he likely appeared, he huffed a laugh at himself. Keep it together. He’d need to be able to walk, after all, once the thing stopped. He didn’t want to embarrass her already. The thought drew another subtle laugh, at her back. Then, mumbling, he added,

     “ I’m regretting that decision to eat earlier. ” Surely, she was feeling it too.      “ Are you… alright? ”

  “Not far now!”  

  She heard his laugh and was pleased he’d managed that much. Judging by the way he was holding onto her, this wasn’t the most pleasant journey he’d been on; but there was little she could do to help, really, so she concentrated on making sure she didn’t move, so he wouldn’t panic and think he’d slip. She didn’t answer his question about eating for the sake of his pride. She felt fine, personally, but she was used to this. 

  It really wasn’t much farther, but Braska could be forgiven for not realising they were almost there. The tiny town they approached was nothing at all like Home. No high towers or bright paint announced its presence. They shot past a kind of border guard sitting by a dead camp fire who only raised a hand to them in a cheery wave, hardly seeing who it was he waved to; then they began to slow as they passed structures that barely deserved the title of “building”. All of them were thrown together from scraps, it seemed. As much as possible was wood, but some of the tiny houses’ walls were patchwork with metal pieces filling in gaps. They stopped in the centre of town, and people began to hop off before the hover had completely stilled. On one side of them, one long, wide building sat, and on the other were more of those little houses sitting in scattered rows with odd, uneven spaces between them. Their driver stared into the distance, distracted; then he beckoned Chuami over. 

  She returned to Braska after a quick exchange, fidgeting with her fingers, eyes fixed to the sand at their feet.

  “Sooo... good news is, you get to take a break after that... restful journey... bad news is...”

  She pointed in the direction the driver had been looking. Barely visible in the distance, a cloud of sand broke the perfectly flat horizon.

█░     HIGH SUMMONER ( 大召喚士 )

He found that he was groggy as they departed the boat. The nap, though, he felt had done them both some good. A yawn carried him, drifting behind her lazily as they moved. And at her words, her directions, he huffed a gentle laugh. When someone else’s voice spoke to them, his attention, at last, seemed to spark and he wrenched himself from his sleepy haze, blinking.

Before stood Chuami and before her what looked to be a team of workers. They knew her, he noted. And at that, he found he smiled. For the most part, he was ignored. And that was fine. The people he saw seemed tired and he understood that. It was best, he decided, not to press. She would engaged him when he was needed.

And so, he followed suit, behind her as ever, pausing only as she lifted herself onto the crowded hover. He looked up at her, confused. They were meant to share? He looked almost horrified. Almost. He wouldn’t fall off, surely. Surely. He huffed a nervous laugh as he followed after her.

He clung a bit too tightly as they moved, as she spoke. His face seemed to be buried behind her as he answered.

     “ I— ”, he began, half-mumbling. “ I see. So, h-how long is this trip? ”

And at the question, he clung tighter.

  Her mouth twitched slightly as she held back a smile at his obvious discomfort. It’d be fine. How many times had she made this trip on this same dumb old beat up piece of crap? And how many times had it overturned? Twice, that’s all. 

  Probably best not to mention that...

  “Long enough.” she replied, with a glance over her shoulder and an unreadable look of something like amusement. 

  Perhaps it was her way of being merciful. Truthfully, they were on the wrong side of the island; even if there had been somewhere for the ship to dock on the east side, it wouldn’t be worth it for the captain. Not enough money in it. Everyone who came to Bikanel headed straight for Home; only these few went elsewhere.

  So the hover shot across the desert at speeds that put a chocobo to shame, and it didn’t seem to bother Chuami much. She leaned back on her hands as if she were sitting on the kitchen table at home, and she even managed to pass the odd comment with some of her fellow passengers. The place she’d chosen faced backward, and she seemed content to watch the sand expanding into the distance.   With no landmarks to indicate how far they’d gone, there was no solid way of knowing how much further was left; Chuami was only guessing when she turned around and told him they were almost there.

█░     HIGH SUMMONER ( 大召喚士 )

He was hardly surprised by her quick remark. No. Of course that was her answer and he snickered to himself at the word, his lips curling into a grin. He’d get her somewhere cozy one of these days, though, despite her refusal. He was almost certain of it.

The quietness that followed, however, was somewhat unexpected. He found that he titled himself, shifted to try and look at her, curious— and worried, too— just as she began again. Her tone had changed this time. But still, there was an air of teasing about her, however fragile it seemed. And he would certainly take it. Her frown was welcome and he found he put on a show of feigned ignorance at her words and her expression. She? Not like cold? Plan? He followed her thoughts, of course. But, it was more fun this way.

He had glanced away, down, guilty. But, at the kiss at his cheek, he relaxed, leaning into her. And as soon as she made to draw away, he turned, shifted to face her and pulled her back, near. He knew she was serious. But, the slight humor in her voice and her closeness made it impossible to truly think about the journey ahead. He only hoped she might, looking at him, begin to feel that way too. That her nerves would fade… He teased.

     “ I take it you’re driving, then? ”, he asked, grinning at her as his face drew close.      “ I won’t hold on too tightly. I promise. But, don’t you need a nap… ?”

And at that, he grinned and leaned in to kiss her cheek. It was quick, the expression. But, it was enough. At least, he hoped. His hands found hers and he pulled at her, led her to rest. They’d both need their strength from the sound of it. They might as well enjoy the gentleness of the ocean underneath while they could. The dunes, he gathered, would not be so kind.

  She’d given no answer when he asked her about the hover, and perhaps that was for the best. Blinking, shaking her head clear after her sleep, Chuami led Braska past all the obvious places they might have taken the connecting hover from, away from the dock completely. 

  “They’re usually around here somewhere...”

  Beyond the stacked up crates there to be loaded onto the ship for its return journey, tucked behind a storage shed where they were kept beforehand, a group stood chatting idly in the shade. Somewhere among them, a sphere player rattled out a quiet, tinny-sounding song. The hover, if you could call it that, was decent enough in size, but questionable in condition; whatever paintwork it had was blasted off by sand, and the driver seemed to be having trouble starting it already. He glanced up and waved as he saw her approach, his frustration clearing some with his smile.

  “Chuami! There you are... you’re the last one. Oh? Ones. Hurry up, I wanna get home in time to see my kids grow up...”

  For a moment, he had seemed to want to question Braska’s presence; but he hopped up into his seat without another word, laughing to himself at his own joke, and the others took his cue and climbed up onto whatever spot they could. 

  Chuami followed, pulling herself up onto the back of it, leaving a space for Braska. The look on her face seemed half nervous, half pitying.

█░     HIGH SUMMONER ( 大召喚士 )

Is that all? He huffed at her question, her words a gentle tease. He was, as earlier, grateful to hear it, her swift response. He was accustomed to her wittiness, after all, her eagerness to mess with him. Anything less, he would miss dearly. And so, he looked to her just as she stuffed a bit of food into her mouth. Really… He eyed her a moment and then grinned, his head shaking, an eyebrow raised. His eyes trained on her all the time she chewed, watchful. And when at last she finished and made to speak again, his grin was wide. He laughter mirrored her own.

     “ We’ll see. ”, he repeated, quickly, a teasing tone to his voice.

He smiled at her, listening. He made certain not to interrupt her again. But, he found her words curious. She was worried about the trip itself, he decided. More than this boat. It went deeper than he thought. His smile faltered for only a moment. But, a huff of a laughter easily retrieved it. His head shook. Then, looking back to her, eyeing her, he replied properly. His words, as ever, were a tease.

It was all he could, after all. For now.

     “ Oh? ”, he asked, looking as though he were surprised by her words. He grinned.      “ Planning another trip already? Let me guess… somewhere cold this time? ”

  “No.” she replied with a soft smile despite her vaguely petulant tone, still distracted by something she wasn’t willing - or wasn’t able - to tell him about.

  Either she had missed his attempt to tease her, or she hadn’t the energy to respond. Whichever it was, her thoughts were quickly turned away from the cold. 

  “... What makes you think I’m planning anything, anyway?” she said, breaking the silence she’d let fall between them. She looked at him, frowning slightly, eyes suspicious. “Do I seem like a planner to you all of a sudden...?”

  Though, in some ways, out of the two of them... 

  Boosting herself up on her hand, she kissed his cheek then fell back to her original place. 

█░     HIGH SUMMONER ( 大召喚士 )

He said nothing to her apology. He wanted, of course, to correct her. She had no need to apologize. Travel in and of itself was often stressful. She’d been roused from her sleep rather unceremoniously only hours ago. And of course, family was involved. And that was an element to any outing that— no matter how much they were loved— was always an added concern, exhaustion in the making to a certain degree. He understood. Really. And so, there was no need to apologize. She’d done nothing wrong.

But, somehow, the idea of speaking, interrupting the strangely peaceful silence that came between them after she quieted… it seemed almost a shame. And so, he had opted to say nothing. Instead, he simply drew a breath, shifted to better support her as she leaned. And then, he casually took a bite off of the plate she held and popped it into his mouth just as she spoke again.

He huffed a gentle laugh, mouth closed as he chewed. Then, a moment later, he sighed, shifting again into, careful humor in his voice.

     “ Scared? No. Nervous… ? ”, he began, tilting his head to try and look at her.      “ A little, I suppose. It’s always a little nerve-wracking, meeting someone new. ”

He paused, then, taking another breath and reaching around her to grab another small bite from her plate. He ate it, quickly, and then continue, thoughtful this time though pointedly happy.

     “ But, you know, we’ve never taken a trip together like this. I think I’m more… excited. ”

  Her hand raised slightly to make it easier for him to pick at the plate, but her eyes stayed fixed on the opposite wall. Her silence wasn’t as weighted as it was before; it was more of a comfortable pause, a space to gather her thoughts.

  Feeling him shift, she turned to look at him as he spoke, and her response came a little too swiftly;

  “Meeting someone new... is that all?”

  But not wanting to elaborate, she distracted herself with food and made sure she couldn’t be questioned through a mouthful of it. Part of her wanted to ask; most of her didn’t want to know.

  “Uhhh... we’ll see.” she laughed. “Usually, you can get away from me if you need to... if you’re still happy about it by the time we leave, we’ll talk.”

█░     HIGH SUMMONER ( 大召喚士 )

Her laughter was a gift. He was worried about her. And he was still, in truth. But, hearing her breath even a sigh of relief at his gentle tease eased his nerves considerably, even if her tone still felt off. It would be fine, he knew. Once the trip was over, they would settle in on their vacation. Then, at last, he hoped, she might relax.

He half-snorted a laugh at her when she continued. Then, eyeing her, he spoke.

     “ Well, we could always bring it back here… ? ”, he proposed, tone purposely jovial.      “ We could enjoy it in peace. Perhaps a good idea if it is to be our last meal… ”

A hand moved to his chin, an attempt to look thoughtful. The expression, however, could not hold. And he let out a sigh and then a laugh, proper. Looking at her, he smiled softly, awaiting her answer proper. Then, taking a step forward, he reached out and ruffled her hair with a grin, leading the way toward the door. It was a real suggestion, though. If the sight of the sea bothered her, he understood. And of course, they wouldn’t be alone for some time to come. Perhaps they’d need it, peace and quiet.

He certainly wouldn’t complain.

  The distraction did something for her mindset, lifting her thoughts out of the hole they seemed to be stuck in. He was worried about her; she guessed that easily enough. Feeding her seemed to be his instinctive solution to the kind of background sadness she felt now; not enough for him to ask, what’s wrong? but enough for him to feel that there was something, enough for him to want to help. 

  Besides that, it was reassuring to do something so mindlessly normal, something they did every day without thinking about it. It was hard to think about anything all that serious when you were trying to find napkins.

  “... Sorry.” she said, once they were back, hidden below deck. “I’m kind of out of it, aren’t I?”

  Leaning on his shoulder, she chewed thoughtfully for a minute or two.

█░     HIGH SUMMONER ( 大召喚士 )

She helped him silently, her work thorough, undistracted. It was, in a way, unusual for her. And as she aided him, he thought back over her words, her tone. You’re right. Her voice had been too soft somehow. She hadn’t made a point to pinch him yet either or anything of the sort. He frowned slightly, worry briefly crossing his face. She didn’t seem to notice, however. And for that, he was grateful.

She was nervous, undoubtedly. But, he wasn’t certain what he could do about it. When they arrived, he imagined, things would calm. She’d be fine. He’d be an easy enough traveling companion, hardly disappointed in anything they came across, he knew. And he didn’t look so out of place as he had imagined he would. She should have been pleased. Perhaps it was the boat? He frowned again. Then, realizing that she had begun speaking again, he shifted at her fingertips and drew a huff of a laugh, only half-forced.

     “ I’ll be very glad if they don’t. ”, he answered her, a huff of breath with his words.      “ Although… I will admit that, if I saw that, I might. ”

As the words left him, she had finished her work and he shifted in response, turned to face her, a soft smile on his face. His head dipped, a nod to her, appreciative. Then, looking over her for a brief moment, he noted her nerves once more. It was the ship, he’d decided. And he empathized. And so, reaching out, he took a piece of her hair and twirled it, doing his best to grin as he spoke.

     “ Well, now that we’re ready… are you hungry? We’ve got plenty of time to eat. ”

  Honestly? No, not really. Less so, the longer she stood there, her previous train of thought threatening to drag her back in. It was a tiny thing, his picking out that strand of her hair; but it broke the tension in her and made her laugh, the sound coming out more like a sigh of relief. She didn’t realise how awkwardly she had been holding herself until she relaxed.

  “I mean, I could stay here.” she replied, voice somewhat quiet.

  It wasn't a joke, that much was obvious from her tone. What she meant was, she didn’t know if she was ready to come out of this tiny room, that felt oddly comforting. If she went back out there, her thoughts would mix with the sounds of other people and the sea and the birds and she didn’t know if she was ready for that. If she stayed here with him, if she just never came out at all, she wouldn’t have to find out the answer the question she’d posed herself earlier. 

  How selfish is that? Ugh...

  But, of course, he’d probably think she was referring to the ship; to the fact she could almost forget she was on one, while they were down here.

  “But I should, shouldn’t I? Might be the last time we can eat... half-decently, that is...”

█░     HIGH SUMMONER ( 大召喚士 )

He snorted and he shook his head at her. He might have let go of her hand, taken the lead and pointedly ignored her as they walked; however, she had not allowed him this. And in a way, he was grateful, amused. He cooperated, letting him self be pulled until they reached the corridor and she let go. Then, crossing his arms, he settled and watched her. When she seemed satisfied, he nodded to her, following her in. Then, with a sigh, his eyes fell to the bag she had dropped on the floor.

He seemed to laugh him; there was humor in that breath. She seemed almost nervous. So… He grinned. She was truly trying her best for him, her best to not embarrass him or make him uncomfortable. It was sweet, in an awkward sort of way. And his grin widened at that. He took the pack from her and careful unwrapped it. Sand colored. Everything, just as he remembered, had that tone. It all looked worn, even knew. Nothing, it seemed, had changed since then.

     “ Don’t be. ”, he answered her, glancing her way momentarily to flash her a smile.

Then, he unfolded the garment and did his best not to frown at it. The pants— sand-colored, of course— were baggy. They looked a bit big, but had ties at the waist and ankles. To keep the sand out, he knew. The shirt was decently simple, green. It, also, in a way looked slightly oversized. It, though, looked as though it was meant to be larger, like it would drape over the pants, purposefully long. He was grateful to see there was nothing fanciful for his head. He’d had enough of such things in his time. All that remained were some boots— sand-colored with patches of green— and some gloves, leathery, worn and brown.

He wasted no time and began undressing himself right there. Clumsily, he lost his shirt. Then, carefully folded it before dropping it to the floor next to her bag.

     “ I must say I’m impressed. ”, he noted, sounding upbeat. He grinned at her.      “ I think this will all be just fine. ” Then, softer, “ Thank you. ”

He paused, holding the green shirt up. Then, he glanced back to her, almost sheepish.

     “ You’ll… have to help me button this. ”

  She could have turned away, to preserve his sense of modesty, but she didn’t - and he’d probably expect as much by now. But even as she watched him, her expression didn’t seem as mischievous or as quietly suggestive as it should have. Her heart wasn’t in it, really. There was something about all this that set her on edge, made her anxious. He didn’t look as out of place as she’d expected, and suddenly, it seemed foolish to have expected that at all. Why would he? It wasn’t his first visit to the desert, after all. Even if she hadn’t known that for sure, even if she’d never met him, the ease with which he seemed to accept his temporary appearance - that might have been jarring to anyone else - would have told her as much. 

  Was that why she was still so nervous? Because this whole thing might remind him of something he missed more than he loved her?

  ... Wow. Uh... okay.

  A tiny shiver shot through her and she shook her head. She stood up - a more difficult feat than usual, dressed like this - and renewed her effort to look normal, to add a little sincerity to her responses.

  “Tease.” she grinned. “But... you’re right.”

  Her voice lost its humour and became more thoughtful as she helped (without incident), her eyes following her hands. Not avoiding his face, but not looking either.

█░     HIGH SUMMONER ( 大召喚士 )

     “ It seems you know me well. ”, he replied, lowering his head with a laugh, a sigh.

His head shook and he lowered it further into his hands set in his lap between his legs. He stayed like that, showcasing his defeat, for a long moment. Then, he huffed once, quickly, and then shot back up, back once again straight. He eyed her, pointedly, brows purposefully furrowed. There was still, however, a glint in his eye she would recognize. She did, after all, know him well.

     “ Would you have me change now, then? ”, he asked, eyeing her.      “ You’ll have plenty of time to get out your laughter that way… ”, he added, a tease.

At that, he stood up carefully, dusting off his clothes a moment and then spreading his arms up, wide, to stretch. He sighed once more. Then, looking down at her, his hands on is hips, he finally grinned and held out a hand to help her up.

     “ You’re not going to let me dress myself, are you? ”, he asked, eyeing her once more.      “ I don’t know what you’ve picked. I’ll go through your things and guess. ” He grinned.      “ And that could be dangerous. I might come out looking like you. ”

  She blinked up at him from the steps, watching him, her chin resting on her hand.

  “... You’re asking me to help you?”

  Taking his hand, she pulled herself onto her feet and sighed, a hint of a grin hiding behind it. 

  “I mean, I will, but I can’t guarantee you’ll be wearing anything by the time we arrive...”

  Without giving him time to respond, she held onto his hand and pulled him away, down to the lower deck. She let go then to peek around a few doors; with the weather as passable as it was and the novelty of being on board not quite worn off, the other passengers were still above, leaving these rooms empty. She picked one of the cabins at random, locked it behind them and dropped her bags on the floor. 

  “Uhhh... here. This is yours.”

  From where she sat on the floor, she offered him a package from inside one of her own bags. 

I FUCKIN KNO DIDNT I TELL YA

█░     HIGH SUMMONER ( 大召喚士 )

He laughed at her tease, his head dropping to shake at her words. It was good to see her laugh; it eased his own nerves further. He knew how she felt, being aboard. Anything he might do to take her mind off of it was a plus in his book. Still, it wouldn’t do to overdo it. He needed to simply be himself, natural. He knew that well enough.

At the word Home, he practically snorted. His head shook— no— rather violently. Then, laughing, his gaze returned to her and, pointedly, he eyed her and answered.

     “ No, no, no. I promise I’d rather not. ”, he said, his voice still half-playful.

He was serious, however. He had no desire to go there, no matter how much a part of him tugged at his insides, telling him he should. He owed Cid an apology. And a thank you. Still, there would be time for that later. Right? Perhaps, if he was fortunate, he could simply wait it out and Cid would come looking for his well-deserved thanks himself. That would take care of things and he’d have a right, afterwards, to throw him out.

He grinned at the thought. Then, dipping his head once more, he shifted his attention back to Chuami and let out a half-sigh. He mused.

     “ But, I do get what you mean. ”, he noted, sounding more serious this time.      “ I’ll be fine, I promise. And besides, you’re an expert, aren’t you? I trust you. ”

  His answer came a little too quickly and too surely for her to take it at face value; but it wasn’t surprising that he might feel strange about being so close to that place. He had a lot of history there, after all. 

  The thought made her fall silent for a moment. In all her preoccupation with the invite she’d been sent, she’d hardly stopped to consider how it might affect him to be there. Maybe not in the same area, but Bikanel wasn’t that big. The same island might make him uncomfortable. 

  Or -- or, maybe this was only her overreaction. That was what she’d choose to believe, she decided. After all, he had every chance to stay home if he wanted to, and he hadn’t. And... well, if he was that concerned by painful memories of her, then he shouldn’t be here at all. With me. But he is.

  Chuami let out a sigh, a measured one, meant to gather some of her composure - maybe calm her nerves a little. Catching his eye, she suddenly seemed to cheer up all at once.

  “I don’t know what the wind is like over there...” she said, “...Sorry, but I think you’re gonna have to change before we get there... I know how much you were looking forward to that.”

  She was trying to hold back her amusement, but it was pretty hard. Heavens -- High Summoner Braska, dressed like a -- a heathen?! Whatever would the temples say?!

█░     HIGH SUMMONER ( 大召喚士 )

He sat next to her, quiet. There was no need to say anything, really, he felt… until she spoke. Neither of them had a fondness for the water. His, though, stemmed less for himself and more for others. In other words, he would have been much more nervous had she taken it upon her to travel alone. Being there, useless or otherwise, put him at east. Somewhat. The boat rocked gently as they began to pull away. And an arm reached out, a hand found her, and wrapped around her shoulder.

He made to smile, huffed a polite sort of laugh at her words. Then, his own face mirroring her, downward facing, he took a breath, true, and replied.

     “ Hardly. ”

His thoughts, at first, were on their journey, the ride itself. But, he sensed there was more, laced in her tone. She had been her own brand of nervous energy since he’d so nonchalantly roused her from her slumber. And he doubted all of that was truly from a lack of sleep. She’d slept soundly, after all, so far as he knew. And she had come together with her things in tow rather nicely. They hadn’t even really been pressed for time, aside from his desire for a more impressive breakfast.

     “ It’s been some time since you’ve been home. ”, he noted, turning back to her.      “ I’m… rather excited to see the place. It’s… been a while for me, too. ”

  She leaned in to him a little too easily, as if she’d been waiting for that small reassurance too long already. Her hands found his free one and held onto it, fidgeting with his fingers as she tried to keep the anxiety in.

  The idea of his excitement made her laugh, though. 

  “Oh... it’s been ever for you, babydoll.” she replied, a sympathetic expression on her face as she met his eyes. “I hope you’re not expecting air conditioning and reliable lighting, because it ain’t there. We’re not going Home.”

  Yevon help him if that was what he was picturing; some smaller offshoot of that. Maybe she should try to forewarn him, but what was there to say? None of it seemed all that remarkable to her. How could she know what would seem remarkable to someone else?

  “... It’s more like...” she began, faltering before she’d said even that much, “Well -- okay. The difference between where I live and Home is like the difference between Kilika and Luca. Does... that make sense?”

  It was putting it politely, really - but he’d seen both of those, so hopefully he’d get the general idea of what she was saying. She shivered slightly. 

█░     HIGH SUMMONER ( 大召喚士 )

He practically snorted. Despite her poor aim, he still made certain to be out of her way. His gaze followed the thrown plush toy and, as it fell to the floor and stilled, his head dipped and he laughed. He turned back to face her— the blob of cotton sheets she had become, rather— with a wide grin on his face she could not see. His head tilted, his expression becoming more amused as she mumbled. 

     “ Oh, really? ”, he asked, humor clear in his voice. He relaxed, leaning away from her.

He could picture it, really, if he was honest with himself. It was easy to believe she would do something like that. But, two could play at that game if such a scenario every occurred. And so, with a subtle sort of snort to himself at her words, his head shook and a hand reached out to ruffle the sheets she hid under as he filed her threat away in his mind. He watched her from where he sat, just inches away with a look of amusement as she fidgeted once more. And when he watched her look out, at last, to peek the clock, he froze, waiting.

     “ Exactly. ”, he said, his enjoyment of the situation clear in his tone.      “ You’re not going to wear your pajamas on the boat, are you? ”

At his own words, he grinned. And then, once more, he reached a hand out to ruffle the sheets that still covered her. He teased.

     “ Or… is that customary these days? It’s been a while, after all… ”

  She was halfway out of bed before he even finished his sentence.  

  “TWO.” she yelled from the bathroom as she finished spitting toothpaste out, “TWO ICE GEMS.”

  She made it - just about. It was a weird feeling, actually looking like her own people for a change. The dress she was wearing was old, faded sand-coloured leather with cracked red accents, zipped at the front, just long enough to leave a gap, wider than she would have liked, between its hem and the boots that reached her knees. The amount she was carrying wasn’t an awful lot, but still looked absurd next to the much smaller amount she’d let him bring along. But, most of this wasn’t her stuff. She hadn’t managed to articulate that. He might ask her what it was, and she wasn’t sure she could answer that without a tinge of embarrassment; which would then make her ashamed of herself. He’d see, anyway.

  Boarding the ship was easy enough, but as soon as the reality that it might move hit her, she took herself away, hiding on the steps to the top deck. Her arms folded, her hands squeezed a little too hard and her eyes seemed reluctant to see anything but the wood below her.

█░     HIGH SUMMONER ( 大召喚士 )

It wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to wake up early, even as early as this. This sun was only barely peaking over the horizon, the sky a soft glow, pink. The challenge of such early hours did not lie with him or even the lack of light in the room. No. Really, it was having her awake. He’d taken his time sitting up in bed, waking up, so that when he finally grew brave enough to reach over and rouse her he’d be able to dodge whatever extremity came his way. Even with such preparation, though, there were no guarantees.

          Chu—

He shook her gently but she didn’t move. He was finally forced, it seemed to yank the blanket off of her shoulder. But first— He shifted, turning around enough to reach for the window above the bed. He tapped it once, twice, pushing it open. A rush of cool fall air quickly poured through.

She’d be so displeased. He nearly dreaded it. Nearly.

          Better just do it… quickly.

And with that, he reached back down, settling himself against the headboard and yanked the blanket around her, freeing enough of her— he hoped— to be startled awake by the refreshing morning air. He was grateful, in the moments that followed, that he’d had the sense to have her pack ahead of time. She’d be too ill with him to help this morning.

And as she stirred, he dared to laugh to himself slightly at the thought. 

  His first attempt to wake her only resulted in an unconscious wriggle away - a half hearted one, at that - a sigh, and a slight frown. His second attempt -- 

  She screeched, shot upright and instinctively reached for something to throw in the general direction of his head. Eyes barely open, her aim was completely off - almost half a room off - and her tonberry plush bounced off the wall and landed on the floor with a soft thump. As soon as it was airborne, she’d begun to scrabble for her lost sheets and worm her way back under them, even if that meant lying at an awkward angle halfway down the bed. 

  “Make the most of it, kid,” she glared at him from her screwed up mess of cotton, “One of these days I’ll drop an ice gem down your shirt.”

  Her feet kicked and she tried to gather more sheet around her in the most aggressive display she could manage at such an ungodly hour. With only the top of her head now visible, she let out a sigh.

  “I don’t have to get up yet, the boat doesn’t leave til...”

  Her arm emerged and she pulled enough of her cover away to see the clock.