Chapter 4
[Arabian Nights--Part 3: Promise, by Sarah Brightman]
So
Should I return to trace the shadows of my chases
My steps will echo there from sand to stone
I
Will never let my eyelids close on empty spaces
My dreams will fill the void with tales unknown
Know the mighty infinite obscures the far horizon
The whispered road I take will never bend
Alone
And will the wind return my story to its promise
Or will my story chase me to my end
The beauty of Besaid Island intoxicated the two girls as they ran through the ocean onto the beach without words. The misty, sea-salt air caressed their faces and the water's cold and dream-like comfort slapped around their thighs as a few tropical birds sang in the treetops of the palms, which overlooked cliffs that jutted out farther into the sea. Small colored tents and wicker baskets lined up the shore on their left, adjacent to a long, narrow wooden dock.
As the two made their way up the winding path, the wind wafted the scents of wet plants and different kinds of fruit their way. Trees, shrubs, and similar vines intertwined together and made a thick, jungle-like formation that they couldn't see through, their leaves clashing pretty blends of teal, spruce, aqua, and lime colors. An animal's growl came from somewhere and four golden-cream colored coyotes leapt out at Rikku and Paine.
"Fiends," Paine muttered, drawing out a long and impressive black sword with a skull pattern below its handle, which was designed with red dragon-like scales. "I hope you're ready for combat, Rikku."
"Like anything!" Rikku shouted with zeal. She lunged at the coyote closest to her and slashed swiftly using a set of custom-made twin blades. "Come and get me," she snarled playfully at them.
"Don't get bitten," Paine advised her before she charged at another and spun on her heel before striking it hard with her large sword.
"This is going a bit too slow, don't you think?" Rikku raised her arms high in the air and let multi-colored lights encase her. The Al Bhed thief's clothes seemed to vanish and a new outfit formed around her silhouette. She now wore a purple tube top with a hole in its stomach, long matching gloves with fringes and white cuffs on the wrists. A long, yellow and violet half-skirt like Yuna's draped over her left leg. Pink tights with black swirls reached up onto her thighs and were suspended there by a black band with white fringes. Her boots were blue, loose and floppy like her original ones, and were striped with gold across the top and at the toe. Rikku poised herself with a red pistol wrapped in white and yellow cloth strips and a pink band for accuracy around the pistol's end.
"Are you sure you've enough practice with Gun Mage skills?"
Rikku answered that by opening the back of her pistol. "Don't move just yet! Save me some fun; I'm loading in a Silver Bullet."
One of the lupines ran up to Paine and inflicted a few scratches. "Rikku!!"
"Alright, alright!" Rikku hopped impatiently, waiting for her bullet to load, aimed, and popped it carefully into one of the coyotes, causing it to fall to the ground, turn blue, and burst into many different colored pyreflies.
"Took you long enough. My turn." Paine stuck out her sword and let it glow. When it charged up, she approached a lupine and struck it down with a blast of colorful golden light. "Let's finish this."
"Can I do the honors?"
"Sure, whatever."
Rikku loaded a Blue Bullet into the pistol. "Watch this...." She held it down as her gun charged up, then raised it to release an assault upon the two remaining coyotes. "Annihilator," she named it. "How's that?" she said in a cocky way, as the took a victory stance.
"Are you quite through glorifying yourself yet?" Paine said jokingly, making her way up a slope.
"Wait a minute..." Rikku paused, looking about her and focusing on the rusted machina door. More pyreflies flowed out as if in a stream. They danced into the tropical air as if to remain unnoticed. "Paine... have you ever seen these pyreflies before?"
"No," Paine said, approaching the door and shuddering. "In that case we should leave it."
"Why? Someone could have gotten hurt, or into trouble in here!"
"All the more reason to avoid it, don't you think? It could be very dangerous. I say we report it to Yuna first, and let her decide what to do."
"How come you don't trust me with these serious things, huh?"
"Yuna and I can't even trust you to track down a chocobo."
"Well, I'm going in," Rikku said, holding a hand onto her hip and starting to walk inside.
"Rikku, no!" Though after saying this, Paine found herself following Rikku inside, hoping to catch up and drag her out again. Pyreflies danced everywhere, shimmering their light upon the cavern walls and the girls' hair, faces, and outfits. "Don't you remember what happened when we checked out that cave near Mushroom Rock?" she asked, panting and trying to find Rikku in the darkness. "Fine," she added when there was no answer. "If the fiends don't change your mind, the unsent ghost in there will."
"I'm not listening!!" Rikku's voice finally echoed and reached her.
"Rikku, I'm very serious...."
Paine wandered more around the dark cavern, trying to follow where Rikku's voice had been coming from. Maybe if she used the Black Mage sphere on her Garment Grid, a good Fire spell might light up the cave. She almost materialized the plan as she turned around a bend and froze in her tracks.
Rikku's loud, high-pitched scream probably resonated all through Spira, and deafened all those who heard it.
[Arabian Nights--Part 3: Promise, by Sarah Brightman]
So
Should I return to trace the shadows of my chases
My steps will echo there from sand to stone
I
Will never let my eyelids close on empty spaces
My dreams will fill the void with tales unknown
Know the mighty infinite obscures the far horizon
The whispered road I take will never bend
Alone
And will the wind return my story to its promise
Or will my story chase me to my end
The beauty of Besaid Island intoxicated the two girls as they ran through the ocean onto the beach without words. The misty, sea-salt air caressed their faces and the water's cold and dream-like comfort slapped around their thighs as a few tropical birds sang in the treetops of the palms, which overlooked cliffs that jutted out farther into the sea. Small colored tents and wicker baskets lined up the shore on their left, adjacent to a long, narrow wooden dock.
As the two made their way up the winding path, the wind wafted the scents of wet plants and different kinds of fruit their way. Trees, shrubs, and similar vines intertwined together and made a thick, jungle-like formation that they couldn't see through, their leaves clashing pretty blends of teal, spruce, aqua, and lime colors. An animal's growl came from somewhere and four golden-cream colored coyotes leapt out at Rikku and Paine.
"Fiends," Paine muttered, drawing out a long and impressive black sword with a skull pattern below its handle, which was designed with red dragon-like scales. "I hope you're ready for combat, Rikku."
"Like anything!" Rikku shouted with zeal. She lunged at the coyote closest to her and slashed swiftly using a set of custom-made twin blades. "Come and get me," she snarled playfully at them.
"Don't get bitten," Paine advised her before she charged at another and spun on her heel before striking it hard with her large sword.
"This is going a bit too slow, don't you think?" Rikku raised her arms high in the air and let multi-colored lights encase her. The Al Bhed thief's clothes seemed to vanish and a new outfit formed around her silhouette. She now wore a purple tube top with a hole in its stomach, long matching gloves with fringes and white cuffs on the wrists. A long, yellow and violet half-skirt like Yuna's draped over her left leg. Pink tights with black swirls reached up onto her thighs and were suspended there by a black band with white fringes. Her boots were blue, loose and floppy like her original ones, and were striped with gold across the top and at the toe. Rikku poised herself with a red pistol wrapped in white and yellow cloth strips and a pink band for accuracy around the pistol's end.
"Are you sure you've enough practice with Gun Mage skills?"
Rikku answered that by opening the back of her pistol. "Don't move just yet! Save me some fun; I'm loading in a Silver Bullet."
One of the lupines ran up to Paine and inflicted a few scratches. "Rikku!!"
"Alright, alright!" Rikku hopped impatiently, waiting for her bullet to load, aimed, and popped it carefully into one of the coyotes, causing it to fall to the ground, turn blue, and burst into many different colored pyreflies.
"Took you long enough. My turn." Paine stuck out her sword and let it glow. When it charged up, she approached a lupine and struck it down with a blast of colorful golden light. "Let's finish this."
"Can I do the honors?"
"Sure, whatever."
Rikku loaded a Blue Bullet into the pistol. "Watch this...." She held it down as her gun charged up, then raised it to release an assault upon the two remaining coyotes. "Annihilator," she named it. "How's that?" she said in a cocky way, as the took a victory stance.
"Are you quite through glorifying yourself yet?" Paine said jokingly, making her way up a slope.
"Wait a minute..." Rikku paused, looking about her and focusing on the rusted machina door. More pyreflies flowed out as if in a stream. They danced into the tropical air as if to remain unnoticed. "Paine... have you ever seen these pyreflies before?"
"No," Paine said, approaching the door and shuddering. "In that case we should leave it."
"Why? Someone could have gotten hurt, or into trouble in here!"
"All the more reason to avoid it, don't you think? It could be very dangerous. I say we report it to Yuna first, and let her decide what to do."
"How come you don't trust me with these serious things, huh?"
"Yuna and I can't even trust you to track down a chocobo."
"Well, I'm going in," Rikku said, holding a hand onto her hip and starting to walk inside.
"Rikku, no!" Though after saying this, Paine found herself following Rikku inside, hoping to catch up and drag her out again. Pyreflies danced everywhere, shimmering their light upon the cavern walls and the girls' hair, faces, and outfits. "Don't you remember what happened when we checked out that cave near Mushroom Rock?" she asked, panting and trying to find Rikku in the darkness. "Fine," she added when there was no answer. "If the fiends don't change your mind, the unsent ghost in there will."
"I'm not listening!!" Rikku's voice finally echoed and reached her.
"Rikku, I'm very serious...."
Paine wandered more around the dark cavern, trying to follow where Rikku's voice had been coming from. Maybe if she used the Black Mage sphere on her Garment Grid, a good Fire spell might light up the cave. She almost materialized the plan as she turned around a bend and froze in her tracks.
Rikku's loud, high-pitched scream probably resonated all through Spira, and deafened all those who heard it.