Overboard
Silver finally got his ball and smiled widely, looking back at the boat and getting a glimpse of Besaid far, far away. "Damn you..." he growled and started the long swim back. That's when he saw Serenity falling. "DAMN!" He instantly began swimming a lot faster, and since he didn't know how she was he threw his ball towards her, hoping she would use it as something to hold on to. "Wait there!"
…
As Lucine was looking over the edge, she saw, out of the corner of her eye, Serenity falling into the water. "Jeez..." Lucine mumbled as she tried to hold onto Serenity. But her grip wasn't strong enough and Serenity slipped, falling into the ocean.
But by this point, she could see Silver making his way back to the ship. He was doing perfectly fine in the water. And she bet he was strong enough to carry Serenity back as well. "Silver!" She called, waving her hands. "Serenity! She's fallen in the water! Do you think you can rescue her?"
…
Lhinx stepped toward the boat that had just come from Luca, noting a man standing next to the plank headed up to the boat. The man noticed her as well and shivered a bit out of surprise.
"May I help you?" He asked.
"I wish to go to Luca." Lhinx said.
"Have you any Gil?"
Lhinx pulled out a leather pouch, then she noticed the Al Bhed girl talking to someone who was in the water.
(What the devil?) Lhinx wondered.
…
Silver was already swimming back at full speed, even using his tail to go faster. He suddenly went underwater, where he would be able to swim faster without the waves slowing him down. Not much later he got a grip of Serenity's waist and held her on his shoulder, kicking the ball again so it would land on the beach. Once with the girl he made on last effort, the weight of his gunblade and the girl mixed almost pulling him down. "My scarf!" he yelled at Lucine, not wanting to forget it for it was as precious to him as his ball was.
…
(That girl needs help...)
Lhinx jumped past the man she had just spoken to and landed on the deck.
"What wrong?" Lhinx asked as she came to the Al Bhed girl's side quickly.
…
Serenity had swallowed some water in the first few seconds of being in the water, and she flung her arms wildly as she bobbed underwater and back up to the surface. She had only had a few swimming lessons from the resident blitzball team back on Besaid—after all, she was still working on holding her breath underwater. While she managed to stay afloat for a while, she felt water splash towards her, and saw a blitzball had been thrown at her.
"Wait there!" Silver's voice called at her. Serenity looked at the blitzball, and reached for it, though the water's currents were not helping. Trying to keep above water and reaching for the ball proved to be a bit much in Serenity's panicked state, and she took in a huge breath of air before she went underwater again, not resurfacing. But before long she felt arms grip her around the waist, and she was pulled back up. Serenity coughed roughly, and found herself being held on Silver's shoulder. But it seemed like they went at a slow pace. 'Am I…slowing him down?' "Silver! You can't…make it! Let me go!"
"Like I'm really going to let go of you!" He replied, holding the girl a little tighter so she won't try to get away. "Hold your breath!" He called and suddenly dove underwater. He went faster, almost reaching the shore already. The got to a spot where he could stand with his head out of the water, but since he was taller than Serenity he didn't let go of her until they on the beach. "Are you ok?" He sounded worried, swimming near a ship in movement wasn't really safe, and the currents were strong.
…
" You may not have meant it, but you said it. I suggest you mind your manners and watch your words. You never know what might get you killed these days," Calix stated then turned from furious to shy and questioning, like he truly was around pretty women. "Why are you and your friends here any way?" He asked almost soundlessly.
…
(Good they're safe...) Lhinx thought calmly.
"Ronso." Lhinx turned around and faced a very angry looking captain. "You have to pay money to ride ships. And I heard about the fight you had on the Zanarkand Ferry."
(Oh no...)
…
Zephyr blinked and looked to the water. " . . . Serenity?" she said softly, hardly realizing she'd said it. "What the hell did I miss?" she cried before dashing back onto the ship and leaning over the railing, eyes wide behind her glasses and wild hair. She noticed that Lhinx was helping Silver and Serenity, which was good. The Ronso wasn't hurt too badly, and she was helping her comrades up.
. . . Hm. What was Lord Seymour thinking, destroying a lot of such useful creatures . . .?
…
As Lucine was watching her two friends struggle in the water, a tall, female Ronso was at her side, asking if she could help. But serenity and Silver had already reached dry land.
She turned around to thank the Ronso, but she was already on the other side of the ship talking to the captain. So she ran over to see if she could help, and heard what the captain had said. "Hey, Ronso, I could pay for your trip across."
"It's not that simple. I'm not gonna let a dangerous Ronso on my ship." The captain said.
"Lhinx defending self. Not kill any people on Ferry."
…
"We're on a manhunt," Zephyr cried to the Al Bhed on the docks as she ran off the boat. She stopped for a moment to talk to him as she passed. "Or rather, a womanhunt. It's kind of weird, listen, I'll tell you more about us once we're sure that Serenity and Silver are alright . . ." With that, she dashed off for the shore, but the place where the pair had washed up was somewhat inaccessible . . . it'd take a little while to get there.
…
"Excuse me, Sir," Lucine said, getting up in the Captain's face, and poking him. "This Ronso looks trustworthy to me. And if you still won't let her on, then I'm willing to pay double for her passage."
"...." Lhinx looked at the girl(What a nice girl...won't make much difference though.)
"I don't care. I lose my job if I put those who ride on my ship in any danger." The captain said.
"I not hurt any unless they try hurt me." Lhinx snapped back, the hair on the back of her neck raising.
The captain looked the Ronso over, a bit of fear noted in his eyes.
"Hey, hey." She said to the Ronso female. "Don't waste your time on the jerk." Then she pulled the Ronso aside, away from the Captain's hearing. "Hey, if you'd like, you can come with me. We'll only be on the island for another day. Then you can ride back with me. I'm sure the Captain won't give you any trouble then."
…
Serenity nodded but then grabbed her head; the nodding and sudden movement of her head made it hurt. "I…think so." Serenity looked at him, and smiled weakly. "Maybe I should be asking you that." Serenity looked around, and found they had washed up on the hidden cove part of the beach. She let out an exasperated sigh; she wasn't sure if she was ready to start climbing out, walking through the bushes up on the cliff above, or go back into the water to swim around.
…
(What have I got to lose? I guess it would be good to rest.)
Lhinx nodded.
"I not start fight on boat or be trouble." Lhinx said.
(Plus she might know something about Lady Yuna.)
…
"Let's go back to the others," Silver said, smiling at her and kneeling, giving his back to her. "Up you go. It will be a lot faster if we climb it by jumping... that is if you trust me."
…
"Right, righty." Lucine said, hoping off the boat. "Then lets go see if Silver and Serenity are alright." As she walked along, she wondered what Zephyr was up to...
…
Zephyr stopped her run when she reached a dense thicket, which blocked her way to the secluded beach where Serenity and Silver had landed. She peered beyond it and saw a steep, rocky slope before she would finally reach the cove. They were already getting up and beginning to return to the group. Oh well . . . that pair would probably need some help climbing through this bloody obstacle course in any case.
With this in mind, Zephyr began pushing her way through the Besaid jungle and ruins to the cove.
…
Calix was completely dumbfounded as to what to do, so he stayed on the dock where he stood and shifted his sight from one group to another. Where the Ronso was talking to another Al Bhed, and the rest of the people were rushing to help others. He didn't really cared about the others, now that they were on dry land.
…
Lhinx followed the girl.
"What reason for coming to Besaid?" Lhinx asked.
(Might as well try and strike up a conversation I guess.) Lhinx thought.
…
As Zephyr emerged from the dense undergrowth, she tripped on a shard of a long-lost temple and proceeded to somersault through the air, quite ungracefully, to the cove below, where she landed flat on her face.
"Pffft!" The half-Guado spit sand out of her mouth as she sat, then stood up. "I'm really not on top of my game today . . ." she muttered, brushing herself off. She glanced up at the waterlogged pair. "It's gonna be a pain in the ass to climb up that thing," she pointed out. "I thought I'd help you out, since you might be a little tired out from the swim."
…
"Well, if you can keep a secret," Lucine said, teasingly, "We're here to find out about the High Summoner Yuna." She walked along the beach, kicking at random stones. "We thought Wakka and Lulu might know something about her." Soon they were approaching Zephyr who was walking through some shrubs.
(You're kidding me....) Lhinx thought.
"I here for same reason." Lhinx said.
(Wakka! That's his name!)
Lhinx then saw Zephyr.
(Oh no, not her again...)
"Really?" Lucine said, looking up at the Ronso. "Wow, that's a coincidence! And by the way, my name's Lucine, what's yours?"
"Lhinx Ronso." Lhinx said.
(What luck! Maybe I can pull this off after all!)
"Ooo...Lhinxie!" Lucine said laughing. "I'm betting you're from Mt. Gagazet, right? You don't see many Ronso wondering about these days."
As they got closer to the outside of the secret cove, Lucine saw Zephyr disappear over the top. "Oh, great! Is she trying to kill herself?" Lucine ran over towards the cliff and could hear voices from the other side.
…
Serenity smiled at Silver warmly, and went onto his back, clutching him lightly around the neck. "You don't even need to ask," she said to him, before looking at Zephyr, who had landed quite harshly on her face. "Are you…okay? Maybe you need the help," Serenity offered, referring to Silver's help.
…
What odd people, Calix thought sparingly. Why the hell is there this many people in a group, coming to Besaid of all places… "This place is a hallow barren sea of wild life and...Nothing, not since Yuna and her friends disappeared..." Calix whispered to himself as the wind grew stronger and stronger in very little amount of time. Now there was not time at all for his hair or coat to slack off, even his chain had began to lift with the wind.
…
(Lhinxie...?)
"Yes, Lhinx from Mt. Gagazet." Lhinx then noted her last statement. "You know Guado?"
…
" . . . Could be," Zephyr admitted begrudgingly. "The Lady isn't smiling on me this afternoon, it's true. In any case . . . just be careful," she said as she started up the rocky precipice. Zephyr had had just about enough being serious for one day. All of the thinking about her mission or Lord Seymour or whatever was starting to hurt her brain.
A party sounded damn good right now. Getting totally blasted, then sleeping for twelve hours. Well . . . if she could pull it off somehow, anyway.
…
Silver kind of felt a little tired from the swimming but knew he could carry both of them on his back, he was strong enough to carry a huge-sized Ronso. "C'mon," he said, smiling a little.
…
"Yeah, I know the Guado…" Lucine said, confused. "You don't know her, do you?"
…
"I'm fine," Zephyr insisted, and continued up the cliff. She wasn't making particularly good time, but she also had no desire whatsoever to be swept off her feet. Zephyr found the "guy carrying girl" stereotype demeaning, and wanted, just once, to haul a 200-pound man out of trouble.
…
(Oh...this is just peachy...)
Lhinx did not wish to recount such a humiliating defeat, but knew that somehow the Guado and the Al Bhed were connected, so the tale was inevitably going to be heard.
"Lhinx and Guado not exactly friends." Lhinx said.
…
"Ok," Silver sighed and clutched to make one big jump, landing on a rock, then another some meters above, and then finally got up. "Stay here, I'm helping our Guado girl" He said to Serenity and laughed and jumped down, holding himself with his tail. "Need some help?"
"Thanks, Silver, but I'm really okay," Zephyr said, giving him a weak smile. She paused for a moment to put her hair back into its sloppy bun, and the odd winds almost immediately let up. "If you really want to carry me up the damn cliff, knock yourself out, but I think I kind of deserve a nice, long struggle to think about how much sand I swallowed just now."
…
Lhinx looked up and saw three figures emerging from...well...somewhere.
(What's going on now?) Lhinx wondered.
…
Silver smiled and grabbed Zephyr's hand and pulled her with all his strength, making her fly high in the air. He jumped to the cliff again and caught the Guado girl before she hit the ground. "There you go."
…
Serenity laughed and nodded as Silver went back down. She wondered why Zephyr had refused the help. 'Probably a independent girl thing,' Serenity thought. She hoped no one thought she was a dependent little girl. She felt really light-headed…and was glad that chivalry wasn't dead. 'Oh, but he seemed so tired, too, I hope it was okay…' Serenity knew she was going to be finding ways to pay Silver back at this rate, the way she was thinking. She shook her highlighted hair of all the sand, though with her wet hair, it didn't seem to work, causing her earrings to clang together and make noise. Her eyes then glanced around at the other people who stood around there.
…
Zephyr smirked and raised an eyebrow as she landed in Silver's arms. "You really get off on being chivalrous, don't you," she remarked, more of a statement than a question. "Could you put me down, Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome? I'd be quite appreciative if you would," she added in a more serious tone.
…
(...Wish some of the males were that nice on Gagazet...) Lhinx thought as she witnessed the figure catching the Guado girl.
(Awe well...)
…
Silver laughed and dropped the girl, still smiling. "Let's go then," he said, starting to walk as steady as he could, not wanting to show his weariness. His legs ache a little, and he was suddenly aware that he had barely sleep in weeks, since he left Kilika for Zanarkand and back to Luca.
…
(Wait...is that a tail?) Lhinx wondered, watching the three on the cliff like structure. (But his frame and size say he's human. Awe well, looks normal to me. Can't tell some of those humans apart if I wanted to…)
…
Zephyr trudged heavily through the brush, and emerged on the other side face to face with the Ronso. She blinked, somewhat surprised, then smiled. Her fight was gone for today.
"Well, fancy meeting you here," she said casually. "I don't think I ever got your name . . .?"