Caaliey squealed and ducked behind Qwark, and he squawked in outrage as the water drenched him. Then he shook his head, sending water everywhere, and chased Tyren around in circles. It was all she could do to stay upright as she laughed at the ridiculous sight. Tyren ran past her, his sopping clothes spraying her liberally, and she was sure she saw a smirk on his face as he did so. On a sudden impulse, she'd ridden Qwark straight into the sea, and pushed Tyren off before he realised what was happening. Then he'd come after her. When all three of them had finally emerged from the water, Tyren turned to her.
"What are you going to do with Qwark? We don't even know how long we'll be in Junon for."
"Oh, that's ok, I'll just send him to Fort Condor with a note asking them to take care of him. He knows the way. Chocobos are amazingly intelligent. I'll miss him, though. And I know he's gonna miss me."
Tyren smiled ruefully as he rubbed his hair dry with an old shirt.
"Somehow, I don't think he'll miss me. He didn't seem too happy about the water."
"Don't mind Qwark. He gets like that sometimes. Turn around, will you? And don't peek."
Tyren grinned openly as he turned, and she glared at him, before continuing the conversation.
"You know, you're one of the most determined people I've ever met."
She laughed, with a hint of nostalgia flavouring it.
"My gran always said that it was a recipe for success…"
Caaliey was surprised to note the bitterness in his tone as he responded.
"That's a good one. I've never heard anything more ridiculous."
Her temper flared, and the pitch of her voice rose slightly.
"Are you saying that my gran's a liar? 'Cause if you are…"
"No. I'm just saying that maybe she doesn't know what she's talking about. I'll bet both of you can't even comprehend what failure really is."
"Yeah? Try me. It's not like it's the end of the world, you know. You're just overreacting."
"How could you possibly call it overreacting when the hurt and disgust fill every part of your mind?"
She wasn't sure to whom the contempt in his tone was directed, but decided that a change of topic wouldn't be a bad idea. She was subdued as she draped her damp clothes on Qwark's neck.
"Ok, you can turn around now. I'll write a note to Gel, and send Qwark to Fort Condor. They'll look after him there."
She felt slightly hurt when Tyren refused to face her, keeping his head down as he replied perfunctorily.
"Fine."
She could tell he was embarrassed by what he had just said, and searched desperately for something to say. Unable to come up with anything, she turned to Qwark to say goodbye to him.
"Take care, baby. Don't stop till you get there, ok? And don't go pecking at strange things, it's not good for you."
Past Qwark, she saw Tyren's shoulders shaking, and when he turned to look at them, she saw with surprise that he was laughing. Seeing her quizzical look, he paused to explain.
"My friend and I secretly raised a chocobo when we were kids. One day it went exploring, found a bandersnatch, and jabbed its beak straight up the creature's butt. It went flying through the air and landed metres away. Of course, it came back rather pissed off, but we massacred it."
Caaliey joined in, and their laughter lightened the sombre mood. She found that it seemed to bridge the gap that had appeared between them. Scribbling a quick note, she gave it to Qwark and hugged him tightly around his neck. He pecked at her ear in reply, and she felt a pang of sadness when he headed off for Fort Condor. As she watched him disappear over the horizon, Tyren tapped her on the shoulder, mischief in his eyes.
"I hope you realised that your clothes were still on him when he left. I don't think you'll be seeing them again. I bet they'll have flown off by the time he reaches the fort."
"Oh no! That was my favourite shirt!"
Tyren smiled, beginning to walk towards the sizeable structure in the distance.
"You really shouldn't play with water, then."
rjectkd89: Yeah, it's something like that. They just rub each other the wrong way sometimes, that's all.