ACT II: CALM BEFORE THE STORM

Chapter Eleven

Ceres heard that the Kilika Beasts would be leaving in a few weeks to participate in the Blitzball Tournament in Luca. Not needing stronger sign, Ceres made up her mind. She went back to the shop and told her plan to Elida that very night. She didn't know what she'd do once she got to Luca, but she knew she had to be there. The shopkeeper was more than disheartened by the news, hoping the girl would begin a life there. But she was an outsider; one day she would've moved on.

But while Elida was handling her news with maturity and understanding, her son was not. Apparently, the thought of Ceres leaving had never crossed his mind. When she delivered the news, it was like he hadn't heard her.

Denial.

But Ceres knew he'd heard because of how suspiciously irritating he'd been as of late. He was suddenly super pro-Kilika and covertly tried to tie her down by throwing her to the village. Sure, Ceres can help watch the kids…Ceres is good with math, maybe she can keep your books…Of course Ceres wants to escort the tourists to the temple. Maybe she'll build us that radio…It'll take a few weeks for the parts to get here but…

Did she agree to do most of these things? Yes, but she had nothing better to do and used the time to learn more about the island and Spira. The children were definitely the best teachers she could ask for-aside from books, of course.

With a renewed goal in mind, Ceres developed a daily schedule. If she was going to travel in this world, she needed to now how to survive Spira (and to better understand what Spira was in the first place).

She woke up early when the sun was peeping and tried to catch herself some dinner. Though she was always disappointed. No matter how much practice, she found fishing to be a difficult task. She was too impatient and jumpy. But she found herself going with a book from Elisa's shop, transforming her frustratingly quiet fishing session into an enthralling reading session. She alternated between a book on Al Bhed and last year's almanac published, obviously published before the Calm was over.

Then as the village began to wake, she'd step behind the Elida's counter and worked the desk a bit. The shop had gotten busy with incoming merchandise and surge of tourists as the 'summer' season rolled in. Elida always joked about how lucky she was Ceres drifted in; she was taking on a more active role in mentoring the young Kilikan girls with dress robes and sowing together garments, and didn't always have time to be hospitality so she wasn't around much.

But this worked in Ceres' favor.

She took to hoarding a small shipment of books with the promise of returning them when she was done. Moving day seemed to be fast approaching, and she still felt out of her depths.

Some of the most relevant books were on Spiran geography. She'd learned there were faraway lands of hot deserts and oases, plains of rolling hills where giant turkeys called Chokabo ran free... ish. A forest of rainbow colors and a crater that somehow storms all the time.

She decided that Spira was...dramatic. And even more so, strange. And it wasn't just the places that were strange, but the people. Or if that was the most politically correct way to say that.

Some were large with blue fur, or small with leathery snouts. But a few were stranger than even that. With people-faces, sharp ears no other creature she knew possessed, lithe figures with long arms, eccentric skin and hair colorings of red, blue, green, yellow.

The Guado were like ethereal angels. Her eyes were glued to these creatures. This was the allure of science. In all their strangeness, she wanted to know more.

Oh, God. She hoped she didn't have some weird fetish.

Aside from that book- which she kept for science, of course- she surprisingly enjoyed ones on magic. Magic was a concept that still eluded her understanding, but information was information. It definitely went beyond the explanation of Mr. Jieb, whom only knew the one water spell because he grew up on the water.

To say she was disappointed was an understatement.

So she fell further into the books. They held ideas of black magic and white magic, used for offense and defense, to harm and heal.

On a fundamental level, she did not believe it was real. That was the engineer inside her. But she felt she had no choice: some huge fucking monster had fallen out of the sky, obliterated her world, and dropped her into some backwards Middle Earth.

And now she was on this island without a lab or electricity, so her only option now was to learn.

"Dammit!" she heaved through gritted teeth, ducking behind a large rock. The gravel bit into her hands as she gripped it in panic. Her foot tried to slide from under her so she gripped the rock tighter for balance.

The floating yellow thing shook in anger as it turned toward the wet boulder the human had ducked behind. Ceres lifted a hand, giving away her position but stayed behind the rock.

"Please! I just need to see how you're doing that!"

It flared up with white energy again, steering a bolt of lightning towards the rock. Feeling the shift in the air, she quickly pulled back her hand and rolled backwards away from the boulder. Sharp heat coated her face as a current was sent directly in front of her.

Now in view, the fiend pushed forward, its floating runes dragging behind it. It pursued the running girl. Ceres' sandals slid in the ground, causing her to slip again. Hearing the fiend charge up again brought on panic again. She rushed towards it, hoping to throw it off.

That didn't work.

Instantly, she felt her whole body seize up violently as a burning heart rippled throughout her body. Like hundreds of explosion occurred all at once.

Before the pain could set in, she suddenly felt a wave of calm come over her and erase the burn away. She could still move her fingers this time.

Opening her eyes, she briefly saw water fly at the fiend who failed to dodge it. It screeched uncomfortably, pausing. A hand rudely snapped in front of her face. Once her senses started working again, she saw that it was Quilua. He was still holding a now-empty bottle of potion before it disappeared.

What was he doing here?

"What are you doing all the way out here? Trying to get yourself killed?" he asked, seething.

She felt like she'd gotten caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. Which, she was.

When she didn't answer, he released air from his nose as if really put out. "There's a reason we don't come out here during bad seasons."

The air tasted saltier than usual and apparently the sky had gone dark quickly.

Huh, she hadn't noticed.

A particularly loud thunder rumbled in the clouds, vibrating against the ground.

Quilua turned to the floating fiend, not before shooting a dark look at Ceres. He bowed his head as the rain began to pour, reaching his hands out to the sky. The monster flinched, droplets of water growing heavier and heavier by the second. Shivering, it seemed to assess the two humans before disassembling, scattering pieces of its runes into the forest to hide.

Ceres was still standing there, soaked and in awe of how quickly that fiend had run.

"Wow, that was... amazing-"

"That wasn't me, dumbass," he replied, flicking some of his wet and falling hair from his face. "The storm is upon us. I just made it think it was me."

She didn't want to acknowledge the insult so she didn't say anything. Her tank top and shorts were quickly soaked, the dirt under her sandals now mud. As Quilua picked up one of her dropped fans, the rain sped up. Heavier, Ceres quickly found that she could hardly see.

"Come on," yelled the pissed off man. "We can still get to shelter!"

The walk to the temple was a strenuous and awkward one. While the two could hardly see or walk straight, Qiluah used his staff to anchor them in the mud as water levels rose significantly. Dirt water to their calves, she sometimes felt the bite of a branch.

This worried Ceres. Because this meant the port was—

"We gotta keep heading to high ground! The temple should be close!

Ceres reluctantly held onto the thick band of Qiluah's belt, her hands occasionally brushing against his skirt or bare waist. Weird times like this always reminded her of her late fiancé and his attempts to woo the woman who hated his guts, finding excuses to have her in close proximity. But she knew this wasn't the same. If she let go of Qiluah's waist, she might be separated and whisked off to the ocean.

Though she supposed it was nice to know Qiluah didn't hate her guts as much as she thought. He offered to keep her close and hadn't turned around to glare at her in awhile... which may be due to the fact that they were stuck in a flood and could die if he didn't stay focused. But she'd take it.

When the stone steps came into view, Ceres almost cried. She was tired and exhausted. She could see the lapels of someone's robe at the top and she sighed. Qiluah released her from his waist and gripped her arm instead. He used his staff to feel around for these first few steps before stepping out of the water.

One of the temple caretakers was waiting for them at the top. "Oh, there's two more!" he yelled, reaching out to take Quilua's hand. They were above the water now so he didn't have to, but it somehow helped them. Another caretaker rushed over. He led them to the temple where a small group was huddled near the entrance. After knocking, the front doors opened and they were welcomed in.

Away from the constant water, Ceres was instantly warmer upon stepping inside. Two people stepped forward with fresh towels and a few supplies.

"Are you two alright?"

When Ceres once again did not answer, Qiluah did so for them, humming.

"Good. You can clean up in the communal area if you'd like. There's should be fresh robes available there as well."

"Thank you, Iniya. Has anyone else come here?"

"Not necessarily. Aside from me, no one else got caught in the storm near here. Most everyone else here was already visiting or working here. I'd say everyone is fairing it in the village. Oh!—and here's a potion. You seem fatigued. "

The man handed this to Ceres, whose eyes were heavy. Quilua took it for her. "Thank you. We'd like to get cleaned up."

"Of course, " the volunteer nodded.

Quilua pulls them through several corridors, passing a few priests. They simply nodded, seeing the flood on them. Quilua shoved the potion to Ceres, ordering her to drink it. Without much thought she obeyed, feeling some energy return to her. Her lower legs weren't as scratched as before.

Quickly, they came to a small open area with steps on either side. There was exactly one low faucet over a drain, which required squatting. Against the other wall was a hot pool in the ground. Baskets of vials and towels were around the room.

Ceres cringed upon realizing this was a small communal bath, which the volunteer had ambiguously described.

Unbothered, Quilua slid the sliding door to the room shut before dropping his things in a corner. Ceres could see he was probably more exhausted than even her but was trying not to show it. When his skirt dropped, Ceres quickly attempted to avert her eyes…but curiosity got the best of her as she stood awkwardly.

Standing from this angle, it was like looking at a piece of art.

She couldn't help watching as he sat in the corner massaging his neck, water still drooping down from everywhere. The warrior's muscles were more than noticeable, somehow more than usual as his chest was usually just as bare. The drenched garment underneath his skirt barely hung on his waist, revealing a prominent V line.

Suddenly feeling invasive Ceres remembered to breathe again, sharply inhaled and turned away. She dropped her miscellaneous items in a pile near a bath that had a curtain. She couldn't hear what he was doing behind her but tried to ignore him, not wanting to know if she got caught staring. She approached the pool, pulling the curtain surrounding it shut so she could get out of the wet clothes.

As she entered the pool, she didn't hear him say anything so she didn't either. She instantly sighed, her body finally relaxing into the hot water. She was startled to find that her hair was completely soaked and probably a mess. Deciding to ignore that for now, she grabbed one of the vials on a low shelf near the pool; smelling it, she worked some into her hands and began to lather up.

Abruptly the curtain is pulled back. She gasps, grasping her breasts and sinking into the water. She instantly regrets turning around.

Quilua was bare and stepping into the pool, all of his naked glory on display for her to see. All she could do was stare wide-eyed in bewilderment as she watched all of him step into the pool. His hair was completely loose and pooled around him in the water.

"What are you doing?!"

Looking up to grab a vial of soap, his tired eyes caught the surprise on her face and he paused.

"... Oh, I wondered where you went."

His response was 'oh'?

With his eyes shut, he began to relax into the water and sighed. "Let's just pretend the other isn't here and mind ourselves like adults, 'kay?"

Ceres was appalled. This jerkish man was naked and sharing the same water as her, as if this would ever be an appropriate situation. An unmarried man and woman sharing…she was not that type of girl!

Sensing her hissy fit, he cracked open and eye and spied her cowering against the round wall on the opposite side of the pool. The steam from the vents partially hid anything scandalous.

Before she could even make a sound, "I'm not leaving."

That shut her mouth. Since she wasn't planning on leaving either.

Drifting until her back hit the wall, Ceres one arm cupped around her breasts. As she reached for the bottle of…whatever again, she watched Quilua from the corner of her eye. As if the man would deceive her and sneak a peak at her unmentionables.

After lathering, she looked over again and saw him staring into the water.

She couldn't help herself.

"What are you trying to do, ask Hell for your soul back?"

He didn't laugh, not that it was funny. But he smirked. "Why, need me to ask for yours?"

She gasped dramatically before turning further away. She supposed she deserved that, but it still hurt.

"So you do still hate me? Great."

It was quiet for a moment, only the sound of water rippling around their soft movements. Quilua slowly shut his eyes after handling one of the bottles. Then he began to rub it in his hair. Now that his eyes were shut, she quickly took advantage and began to hurriedly wash her body.

"I don't actually hate you, you know."

Ceres stopped, confused by the confession. This was certainly the calmest his been with her but she was in disbelief. He does hate her, after all.

Eyes still shut, he continued, "I think you're a dumbass who's gonna get herself killed one day, but I don't hate you."

Dropping her arms at his words, she turned to face him.

"Oh, well it sure is hard to tell."

He sighed, suddenly regretting the confession. She was gonna turn this into a whole 'thing'. He figured some truth would be most appropriate at the moment.

"I'm an orphan…Like you, I washed up on this island alone." He could feel that she was alert now. He had her attention. "I was still a child then, and had a hard time adjusting. It made me…mean-spirited. And bitter. To think about where I could have come from…Then there's you.

"You show up all mysterious and green-cheeked. You had no problems jumping right into the fray. And the village…likes you, even as you insult their 'simple' way of life."

While she raised her voice, he did not. "I do not insult them!"

"Not outright. You do it with pretty words."

"Well, I'm sorry if my dialect is a bit advanced for this place."

When Quilua huffed, Ceres felt a blush rush to her cheeks. "Sure," was all he said, not up for the argument. Ceres sank lower into the water, suddenly more exposed. Was it like he said?

"Well, I'm not gonna wait for things to be handed to me." Quilua stopped what he was doing to peer at her. "That's not fair! I can't help that their such nice people!"

He just arched a brow then dipped his head lower to wash out his hair.

Ceres silently watched him, her wash mostly over but unsatisfied. She didn't know if it was the fact that he was the only villager that didn't like her or that she wanted to have something up on him. For him to know their stories were not the same and he should like her for how much adversity she'd overcome. Plus, this was the most this man had ever spoken to her. And if she was leaving, what was the harm?

So she told him.

About how a samurai practically threw her into a monster's mouth as it swallowed her world and spit her out into the Spiran ocean to be picked up by steam punk pirates, swallowed again, then drift to this slice of life that was Kilika. Twice, she'd been half-drowned, but was still alive. And as Quilua couldn't remember where we came from, Ceres couldn't remember the details of how she actually got to Spira. It was all unclear.

He was silent throughout, not even asking follow up questions. Both had pruned long ago, too caught up in her tale. He leaned back against his wall with his arms resting on the coping behind him, his chest peaking out. She rested in the hot pool, water to her chin and watched the water ripple around her as she spoke.

But there was one connection from her world to this one. And it was in Luca.

"So you're going to Luca…Then what?"

"'Then what'? Then…I go to Luca."

"You already said that. What's the rest of the plan?"

"What do you mean? That's the plan!"

"What's the plan, again?"

She signed, pinching her forehead. "Just listen the first time."

"Hmm."

"The Kilika Beasts leave in a couple days for the blitzball tournament in Luca—"

"Uh huh."

"I'm going to leave with them—"

"Right—"

"And go to Luca."

The calm and nonchalant Quilua she'd spent the last half hour talking to seemed to turn back to normal. He had his mean face on again, squinting like he couldn't see her.

"…That's the whole plan?"

"That's the whole plan!" she seethed back, rolling her eyes. He was so irritating. "W-What else can I do? …Stay and live here?"

He gave her a dirty look as if she were stupid. "Yes, that actually makes the most sense…Of all the nonsense you just told me."

His statement almost made her stand in place. She growled under her breath, frustrated with the turn of this conversation. "No, you don't understand! You don't even believe me. Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have told you. I just knew—"

"You think I don't understand? To suddenly wake up drenched in sea water? At least you have your name." She sucked her insult back down at that as he swallowed. "I know what it's like to not feel like you belong."

She felt like crap now.

She could see the pain behind his stony gaze. She was always just running her mouth. She felt sorry enough to avert her eyes, but not enough to apologize.

"Luca is the only chance I've got," she spoke quieter.

"But chance of what? Didn't sound like you liked your life before."

She…hadn't liked her life before…But what about all those people?

Realizing that was the end of their only-productive conversation, the warrior stood up to leave. This broke Ceres from her brooding thoughts as she gasped, throwing up her hands.

"Quilua, oh my god!"

Readers, Happy New Year!

I figured I'd wrap-up part 2 in this one. Wanted some time to develop Ceres away from the group, and I did just that! We've got some things in store for our heiress, namely her and Tidus' reunion! And by the way, there is no pairing at the moment. I have something in mind, but anything romantic will have to take a backseat to our girl's story.