ACT II: CALM BEFORE THE STORM
Chapter Eight
Ceres felt out of her depth.
She was outside in the yellow heat, barefoot and wearing just a short white tank top and purple knee-length shorts with yellow and orange ties around. The material was comfortable but she felt utterly naked. She'd tried wearing the clothes Rikku gave her, but it was just too hot out here.
In Kilika.
A port, not the vacation island.
These last few days have really effed up her brain. It was becoming harder to differentiate reality from dream. Or was it dream from reality?
"Okay, now hold it steady."
Bergho was currently teaching her how to fish on the docks, despite the fact that there was plenty of fish waiting for her at-
Literally. every. fucking. house.
He felt that with her "memory loss," as she was calling it, she would have to gain some practical survival skills in case something else happened. With her recent luck...yeah.
"I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry. Keep holding it steady."
Ceres had quickly learned Bergho didn't care much for her whining. He was a hard working man with a caring heart that believed everyone had a role to play and should contribute. Ceres was not against this notion of course, but she really didn't think this was the way. A city girl fishing for bass on an island. Nah.
"I didn't catch anything yesterday or the day before. We should just move on."
"No, you're gonna give up so easily? What are you, someone's princess? Gonna order your servants to do that for you?" he joked.
Hah. Hah.
She looked up and noted that the sun was more present. "Actually, I have to meet someone." She straightened her back and gently handed the fishing pole back to the man.
"Meet someone?"
"I was talking to your mom and mentioned my fighting skills. She suggested one of the men take me hunting in the forest near the temple so I can train and still do my part."
Bergho fished for the forgotten bait in the water then scratched his head.
"She was okay with that?"
True, Kilika did not have any female warriors but Ceres was not one of them, and she carried a dangerous weapon. She also realized Ceres was prone to island boredom with the lack of extensive reading materials and activities to d
"Well, who's taking you?"
Just a few days from waking, Ceres realized how protective Bergho was, even to her, a stranger. It was a dynamic many Kilikans shared.
"Did you want to come along?" she asked, turning to walk back to the shop.
"Oh, most definitely not. I don't know how much help I'll be to you when I've only basic skills. But I still need to know whom with and when you'll be back," as a matter of fact.
"Your mom set it up, it's no big deal."
"What is this man's name?"
She sighed as they entered the hut, returning the pole to storage. They greeted Elida, whom seemed busy balancing books. Elida discretely side-eyed Ceres' empty hands and chuckled to herself and shook her head, City girl.
"Elida, will you explain to your son that I am a strong, independent woman with conviction and a good head on her shoulders?"
"... She's got a nice light stick."
Ceres guffawed. "Elida!"
The woman waved her off. "It's true. " She turned to Bergho. "Son, she'll be fine. Hgefer will be with her the whole time and she seems familiar with her weapon."
Yes! Now leave her alone, already.
Elida continued, smirking. "And we both know she can't fish to save her life, so we'll see how this goes."
The girl almost protested but considered what she said, and it was completely true. Bergho crossed his arms and huffed. "I guess there's nothing I can do to stop you so...be safe." And he stalks out of the hut.
Ceres places her hands on the counter, watching him retreat. Elisa laughs.
"He's just a sensitive man. You know, I never gave him any siblings so he kind of sees you as the younger sister he has to protect. It's cute." The woman found it amusing. "In any case, he's getting some good practice for when he has his own family.
"Anyway dear, I replenished your potions and threw in a snack," she hands her the small pouch she arrived with. "Be safe and have fun, I guess."
Ceres tied on a pair of long-strapped sandals, courtesy of Elida, and set out. Her sandals barked against the pier. She walked along the edge, marveling at her reflection.
Since coming upon this island, her cheeks were stained with an emerald green, stretching toward her matched eyes. Days ago, she was screeching and demanding foundation to mask it. But nothing worked. Elida thought it was from the sickness she had but the markings were still there. She seemed to know what it meant but told Ceres little of them. Almost like it was "sacred". Back home, they never really had sacred things.
Ceres shook her head and marched forward, a slight pep in her step. She shouldn't worry about that now. She was finally going to learn how to fight the creatures of this world.
She recalled that...dream where Sin destroyed her home. There were all sorts of monsters ejecting from the being. All weak against lightning. But Kilika was different. Despite being surrounded by water, "fiends" as they call them came exclusively from the woods around the temple and they weren't vulnerable in the same way. If she wanted to survive, she's gonna have to learn.
She was grateful her mechanical tessen fans had survived all that she'd been through. Though the pair had an electrical short, deactivating the surge she'd installed. This was another reason she wanted to train. She could no longer rely on electricity to do the heavy lifting. Plus, Kilika hadn't any parts that would help her fix it.
And from the sounds of it, the monsters weren't anything like what she'd experienced. There were beasts, goblins, elementals, dragons, to name a few.
Yikes.
The fact that she would have to learn these creatures made her a little nervous. They didn't have this sort of thing back home in Zanarkand. She just hoped her self defense training was enough.
She finally crossed the bridge, coming upon the mainland. It was a stark difference from the place of her birth. The warm earth felt soft and firm all at the same time underneath her sandals. And the ground was uneven. As she hiked up to the entrance of the forest, she felt a slight pull in her calf muscles.
Work out, it is.
Waiting for her was a man. He was about half a foot taller than her, the same as Bergho. His skin was richly tanned and a little weathered, maybe from age. His hair a dark shade of brown, flowing down his back in a single low ponytail with a luscious beard to match. He wore a thick red and blue loin cloth, a golden sash across his muscled chest, gold bands and rings all down his large arms and hands, and sandals all villagers wore. A heavy sword was strapped to his back as he stood proudly with his hands on his hips, stance wide apart, and puffed out chest. He seemed much older but also had a youthful energy to him.
"Our last addition," he bellowed, a friendly grin on his face. "Welcome!"
Ceres panicked as eyes zeroed in on her. They watched her breathe heavily, arched over with her hands on her knees. She quickly tried to straighten up, crossing her arms awkwardly as she tried catching her breath quieter. There's no way she fooled anyone.
"I am Hgefer, Chief Protector of Kilika. And these are some of the warriors:
"Jieb," he pointed to a much older man with silver hair and a noticeably missing arm.
He was the most covered male she'd seen as of late with a green canvas tank top, khaki shorts and sandals. His permenant look was a grimace, but obviously not by choice. "He's the old timer around here."
He smiled from one side of his face. So maybe one side was weaker.
"Dowot," to Jieb's left, "is really nice."
This was a tall and lean warrior possibly in his middle ages. His hair was cut short but curled. He was dressed similarly to Hgefer but wore red and green and didn't have all the jewelry. He seemed easy going but still looked lethal with the dagger axe hanging on his hip. He waved.
"And Qiluah."
This man was almost glaring at her, but ultimately held no expression on his face. He was younger, possibly just a bit older than her and wasn't bad looking. He had high cheek bones and almost had a pretty look to him. His hair flew down his back freely and was also pretty. He just had on a green and yellow skirt and sandals, his fine chest on display as the others. A sort of gold breastplate rested on his shoulders, maybe in an effort to act as armor (not that any of these men had clothes on). He held his spear like a staff in the ground and just looked at her.
Hgefer seemed to ponder how to describe the man, then just nonchalantly said, "He's not nice, but he'll protect you."
Such a severe pretty boy.
The lack of acknowledgement made her uneasy but the leader seemed to anticipate this, moving along.
"Why don't ya introduce yourself?"
They all looked at her like the new kid in class.
She felt even more self conscious in her tank top and shorts. Spira seemed to have an obsession with exposed torsos.
"Uh, I'm Ceres and...I got too close to sins toxins," she replied, dryly not knowing what else to say about herself. The others seemed surprised and concerned for her lack of emotion. Quite frankly, she was tired of using the excuse.
Dowot walked over and clapped a hand on her shoulder. He was much taller than she realized. "Sin has affected all of our lives. I feel you, sistah."
Ceres was surprised at the warmth and nodded. "Thanks."
Hgefer clapped, "Let's get this show on the road," and began a slow trek through the woods with the others following.
1) Pronounciations:
Hgefer = heh-guh-fur
Jieb = jeeb
Dowot = dough-watt
Qiluah = Killua (lol)
These are my made up chatacters, though I really like the name 'Killua' for that severe pretty boy.
2) Won't be long before our heroes are reunited again.
