timeandtides_backup | [Thread] Here Is the Path You're Looking For

Characters: Penelo, Edward and Edge (with later arrivals of Mjrn and Reks?)
Progress: Ongoing
Summary: Penelo meets the Edwards while waiting for friends to arrive.
Location: Zanarkand
Date: March, 1804
Warnings: Nothing comes to mind.

Penelo's dainty arms wrapped around her body as she sat on this ledge overlooking the sea and the ruins. A brisk wind, remnants of winter not yet passed whipped around her, and she was hardly dressed for the chill. She'd make it; she always did. Despite the gloom one would expect to experience while sitting amongst the crumbles of what had been a thriving city, Penelo found it restful and hauntingly beautiful. She'd seen her fair share of ruins, from the Necrohol of Nabudis to the Ruins of Delgantua, and over time had come to see them in a more favorable light than she might once have, like when the fall of Nabradia and Dalmasca were still fresh. They had a touch of melancholy, yet it was comforting to know that something still stood as testament to the lives once lived in these places.

As she sat and waited, she could not help but notice that while the sun appeared to be setting over the waters, it never truly crept any lower in the sky, which was painted in the eternal hues of dusk. Almost as if even the sun conspired to stay frozen in time, as was this ruins, haunted by visible memories. Vaan would be all for trying to find as much treasure as he could, a thought which made Penelo's lips twitch into a smile. I wonder where he is right now and if he's staying out of trouble. Probably not.

Despite Edward's assurance that Vaan and Hurdy would be missing her, she somehow doubted Vaan would until it came time to eat or needing to be bailed out of a jam. He cared about her, all of them, but he'd also be glad to have her off his case. They were friends and partners, and while once she'd had girlish daydreams about something more, it was never going to happen. Vaan was far too enamoured of adventure. Somewhere in the last two years, she'd made her peace with it. She could support Vaan and his dreams and that was enough. And really, sky piracy was just another vocation like minding a shop or performing in the streets. It worked.

So thus, the dancer sat, admiring the twinkling lights that danced in the air and the shimmer of the sun over the water. Rather than let her thoughts meander into the past and delve into old regrets, she tilted her chin up, determined to look ahead. She would find answers and her friends and move on like she'd always done.

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While Penelo wasn't keen on the idea of joining in on the teasing of someone she just met, she did crack a small smile at Edward's jesting. "Is that what's going on? You really can't blame him for being impatient then." She remained quiet on the topic of love, not daring to touch that. The more she thought on it, the more she realized she knew almost nothing. At one point she'd thought herself in love with Vaan, but really it was little more than friendship. Then with Velis, they were close, but he had Mydia...and then he was gone. There was an odd nagging in the back of her mind that there was someone else, but she couldn't identify who or when and dismissed it outright.

Just as she was about to assure Edge that if her friends did not arrive soon, they would move on, an airship soared overhead. "I think that's them!" she announced with excitement.

Impatience took hold and she rushed to where the airship was landed. She could make out the familiar ears of a Viera better than she could Reks, and suddenly she realized she had no idea what to say to him. She paused in her tracks, glancing back to her new companions, with an idle hope one of them might know what she should do.

Edge looked up as the airship appeared overhead. Luckily for Edward, the distraction defused his arrogance. As Penelo rushed off to meet her friends, Edge hung back for just a moment, throwing his arm on Edward's shoulder. "A little jealous, are we?"

He then looked back towards Troia, thinking about Edward's previous comments. While it was true he did fancy a certain green-haired woman, he wasn't sure how ready he was.

"I suppose you cannot fault Edge, even though he thinks of himself as such a dandy." Edward chuckled softly before gazing up at the sky again. Spotting the airship within the distance, the bard began to wonder what sort of company Penelo keeps. Judging by the girl's demeanor, she didn't seem like the kind of girl to keep poor company amongst bandits and such. However, Edward would be shocked to find out that such an elegant young woman is actually a sky pirate by trade.

"So that is them." He muttered to himself just as Edge drew near. Nearly jumping once he felt an arm rest upon his shoulders, Edward glanced over to Edge with such a sour gaze. "Jealous? Are you a mad? Why would I be jealous of Rydia and you?" Shrugging his arm off, Edward stalked ahead to follow Penelo.

“Honestly, you must think poorly of me to think of me as a green-eyed monster.” Maybe the bard is a little jealous but Edward would never admit.

Upon seeing Penelo approach, Mjrn's eyes widened a little. Her friend had changed and it was more apparent than merely staring at her through the sky phone screen. Perhaps it was somewhat less noticeable to other humes, who shared roughly the same lifespan, but the Viera aged much more slowly. Seeing the difference apparent in what might have been a year or two was a little disconcerting. It reminded Mjrn of issues that she tried not to think about.

Nonetheless, this was not the place to confront them. As Penelo drew closer, Mjrn's smile grew. She wanted to cast Viera reserve aside and rush forward to embrace her friend, but instead she glanced to Reks and hung back. Penelo needed him first and that she understood.

Meanwhile, Chit rushed forward. She needed to inspect all these new people. For a moment, she peered up at the blonde woman and cheeped, then moved on to the pair of men hanging back. The little cockatrice circled them, giving them cheerful-sounding cheeps and 'I'm adorable, pet me' looks.

Penelo laughed, a melodious sound, as the fat little cockatrice cheeped at her then went waddling on her way to Edge and Edward. That laugh cut off, however, as her heart leaped up into her throat when Reks said her name. He truly was alive! Something she'd wished for, both for herself and Vaan, the adoptive big brother back among the living. Forgetting or ignoring that anyone else stood about, she flung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "Reks! It really is you!"

She little cared how it was possible, joy taking hold and overriding the practical side which should be questioning the reality of the situation. Not worth consideration was the unusual circumstances which made her a good two years older than him as well. "You look just like I remember you." He'd been strong and kind and full of life. "How are you? Are you okay?" Her blue eyes lit with delight, shining brightly with tears that brimmed up on her unbidden.

Indulging in another hug first, Penelo eventually turned, relinquishing her hold on Reks. "Thank you so much for bringing him here, Mjrn." Her address to the young Viera then shifted to her erstwhile guardians. "Thank you for waiting too. I can't tell you what this means to me."

Just when he was, about to approach a strange bird came waddling in his direction. It was a fat little dear, a chubby bird with dark brown feathers and a curious look upon it's face. Staring down at the cockatrice with mild wonder, Edward shot a glance over towards Edge before glancing back at the bird again. "Well now, who are you?" Edward asked with a slight smile as he leaned down to eye the bird. Hoping that the little cockatrice wouldn't bite him, Edward extended his hand to it in attempt to pet Chit's head.

While he may have been focused on the bird, the bard did keep his ears open to the conversation at hand while he was still some distance away. He could hear a few words and so far, that Reks fellow was someone of great importance to Penelo. He could tell by her demeanor and the jovial tone in her voice. Edward figured that he was the long lost brother-like friend that the spoke of with great admiration and while it was said that Reks passed during a war, the man seemed as alive as Edge and him.

"How wondrous..." Edward muttered to himself as he rose to his feet again. The odd rabbit-eared woman won a look from him but it was a gaze of delayed shock once he realized the ears were real. However, once Penelo spoke; Edward was shaken from his shock.

"N-no worries! It is the least we could do."

Edge stood with Edward as the two followed after Penelo. His jaw about dropped when he saw the Viera for the first time, yet it seemed somehow fitting for this strange creature to have befriended a cockatrice.

As Penelo spoke with this Reks fellow, Edge came to the same conclusion as Edward leaning in a little closer to the man as he murmured, "You may have a chance after all..."

He snapped his attention back to Penelo as she spoke purposefully closing the gap that had existed, "Edge. We were keeping your friend company, until you got here."

Meanwhile, Mjrn nodded at Reks's words, though she still hung back as Penelo embraced him. When Penelo turned to her, she brightened a little and smiled warmly. "How could I not? You have been greatly missed, Penelo."

She glanced over to the two men with Penelo, automatically aligning herself next to Reks as the embrace ended. The two seemed vaguely familiar -had she hear their voices over the sky phone?- and she nodded politely to them both. "You have my thanks, as well. We attempt to arrive as swiftly as we were able, yet I am grateful that she did not have to wait alone." The smile lingered as she watched the cockatrice bump affectionately against Edward in response to the petting. "I see Chit has made a new friend."

Edited 2010-03-12 04:11 (UTC)

Penelo let out a delighted squeal at being spun around, her joy bubbling over into continued laughter. "Oh Reks, we missed you so much..." she breathed out as she finally came up for air. There was no way she was going to ruin this happy moment by telling him that she would have been fine on her own, fine because for years she had to be able to take care of herself. Tears splashed down her cheeks, and she pushed them away with the back of her hands, torn between feeling like she should be polite and speak to everyone and her need to just study Reks, as if he might vanish before her eyes.

[Thread] Here Is the Path You're Looking For

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