Sofya quietly snuck past the burly man on her couch and tip-toed to the front door, being careful not to wake him up. She opened the door a crack and slipped out, delicately clicking it back shut, and released her held breath as the cool night air tickled her skin. Sofya looked at the moon, full and bright, and sent a silent prayer up to the heavens. This was a daily ritual for her, going out to the beach and tending Talya's grave. That was what she was going to do earlier in the day, when she found Auron lying unconscious on the shore, his body soaked and freezing. As long as there were no more bodies washed ashore, Sofya would be safe to chat with Talya. She retraced the path she and Auron took that day, making sure to avoid any fiends that became active at night.
The wet gravel crunched and squished under Sofya's boots as she walked to shore, and the dull roar of the ocean echoed in the dark.
"Hi, Talya…" She said, standing over a crude little tombstone she made shortly after Talya's death a few months back. To anyone else, it just looked like an odd rock on the beach, and no one gave it a second thought if they noticed it, but to Sofya, it was something that she could use to feel close to Talya. "I'm back again."
Sofya knelt down to the rock and placed a pink lily at its base.
"They were your favorite. You said it was because they reminded you of me." She gave a small reflective laugh, remembering the day she and Talya first saw the pink flowers blooming in a field near their house. The memory only caused Sofya pain now, and through the nostalgia, a sudden sadness washed over her. She sobbed, head in her hands, and felt her hot tears drip through her fingers and onto the ground, mixing with the waves of the ocean. "I'm so sorry, Talya. I'm so, so sorry. Because of me, you…" Another sob cut Sofya off, and she just knelt there for a minute, crying over her best friend's grave.
"Stand up." A deep voice came from behind, startling Sofya. Auron was there, walking to her. Sofya did as she was told and wiped her eyes.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, sniffling.
"You're wasting your time." Auron gave a curt reply, looking intently at the young woman in front of him.
"Huh?" Sofya looked back at him, eyes as puffy and red as his coat.
"Saying sorry to the dead. Crying because they're gone. It's a waste of time."
Sofya felt anger at this man's cynical words. What did he know?! He had no right to come here and disrespect the dead. "How can you say that?!"
"Instead of apologizing, why don't you do something? The dead can't hear you, so all we can do is honor their memory." Auron walked closer to the shore and stopped when the waves lapped at his black boots. "Don't just wallow in your own guilt and tears like a fool. I'm sure Talya wouldn't want that."
Sofya gazed at Auron's sizeable back, thinking on his words. Perhaps there was more to this man than met the eye. What seemed like a rude and cynical speech had turned out to be some insightful advice. Sofya walked forward, stopping just behind Auron. She reached her arm out, then hesitated, wondering if it was okay to touch the gruff and stoic man before her. Deciding it was, she wrapped her arms around his stomach and rested her head on his back, reveling in the warmth that the embrace gave her in this cold and stagnant night.
"You're right…" Sofya whispered. "All I've been is a fool."
"So what are you going to do about it?" Auron asked, the vibrations of his deep voice tickling Sofya's cheek. She thought for a moment, feeling safe and warm in the back of the man in red. It was a feeling she didn't want to leave behind, a feeling she hadn't felt since Talya was still with her. For months, Sofya had been miserable and alone, barely getting by with what little she was left in the wake of her best friend's death. She finally felt okay again, holding Auron in her arms like this.
"Can I come with you?" She asked meekly, preparing for a determined 'no' and a shove to the side. She could feel Auron's already hard abdominal muscles tense up under her palms, and she suddenly felt the urge to cry again. Instead, she didn't believe what she heard.
"As you wish." Auron said, his voice calm and sure as ever.
"Really?" Sofya released Auron from her hug, ushering a sigh of relief from the brusque man.
"Just don't forget to follow the leader." He joked.
As if making a point of this statement, Auron turned around and walked past Sofya, toward the road that led to Rumald. His heavy footsteps crunched loudly under the night sky, and Sofya watched him walk away one last time, vowing to follow him wherever he'd take her.
The next day, Auron and Sofya started their day long trek to Faldrin Village. They departed from the east gate of the town, onto a dirt road that stretched through a vast forest-like landscape similar to the Kilika Woods, only more open and wild.
As they walked through the thick of the forest, the two travelers ran into a group of three Wasps, who attacked as soon as they sensed people. Auron stepped in front of Sofya, his sword unsheated, and slashed at one of them, visibly stunning it. The other two charged forward, readying their sharp stingers as they closed in on Auron and Sofya. One of them zoomed past Auron, flying straight for the small pink haired girl. To his surprise, however, she seemed unfazed. Auron watched as she pulled out a pair of cestuses from her pouch and slipped them over her hands. Just as the wasp was about to sting her, Sofya stepped out of the way and countered from behind, landing a hard jab to the insect's midsection. It fell back, and Sofya took that chance to finish it off, swinging her fist down on the wasp's head, crushing it. The enemy burst into pyreflies, and Sofya turned around, proudly sticking out her chest.
"How do you like that?" She said, entering her battle pose. Auron nodded and readied his sword again, chopping the wasp that still had all of its health in two. Through its comrade's pyreflies came the third wasp, catching the red-clad man off guard. He took a hit and stumbled back a bit, seeing a flash of pink hair and white clothes beat the flying pest down. Sofya turned to Auron and examined his wound.
"Does it hurt?" She asked, pulling a potion from her bag.
"A bit. I'm fine." He took the potion and poured it over the scratch on his arm, wincing at the initial sting. After a second, the sting turned to a pleasant warmth, which eventually dissipated as the wound closed up. He drank the rest of the bottlesnd replenished his energy. "Let's continue on. We've got a long road ahead of us."
The trek through the forest was long and arduous, and when Sofya finally saw the mass of trees thin out into a clearing, her face grew into a serene grin. Finally, they were out of the woods and could feel unobstructed sunlight on their faces. The smell of dirt and leaves was also replaced by a fresh, grassy smell and the path before them was far clearer, growing from a dirt footpath to an actual paved road.
"We're almost to Delmar. I can't wait! That place has all the best restaurants and shops! It even has its own blitzball stadium! My parents used to take me there on business trips when they were still alive… I wonder if it's changed much…" Sofya gazed out to the horizon, her hand shielding her eyes from the sun, which was already starting to set. Auron figured it must have been late afternoon, and watched Sofya as she reminisced about her parents. He thought of the way she was last night, crying and vulnerable. It was a far throw from her current state, and Auron wondered if the girl was trying too hard to hide her emotions. Braska was the same way back then, never letting his guardians know he was anguished over leaving his wife and daughter to defeat Sin, knowing he'd never return to them.
Auron remembered the way Sofya had embraced him, remembered her small hands wrapped around his torso and the warmth of her breath on his back. Auron didn't usually like physical contact from others, but the girl seemed so pitiful. He didn't have the heart to refuse her. Besides that, he knew that nothing was worse than the guilt over a friend's death, and wanted to do whatever he could to distract Sofya from it.
"Enough rest. It's time to go," Auron commanded. Sofya nodded and returned to Auron's side, waving at the baby chocobo she had been feeding. As it scurried off with a 'kweh', she and Auron marched on down the road ahead of them.
Delmar was a trading town with large gates leading outside in the north, northeast, west, south, and southeast districts. Most of the homes were stucco or some other kind of stonemasonry, and the ground was cobblestone. There were merchants every which way Auron looked, and the hustle and bustle of a busy town was evident as he and Sofya passed through the shopping districs. Auron had to pull Sofya away from many of the accessory and clothing shops, saying that they simply didn't have time to waste on petty jewelry or fashion, which warranted a good number of whines and coaxing from the young girl.
"Aww, come on, Auron, I never get to come here!" She said, pouting and looking at him with big puppy dog eyes. Sighing, Auron gave in, and he accompanied Sofya to a few shops before getting tired of it and telling her to just meet him at the inn when she was done. He would never understand these types of women who enjoyed shopping so much that they'd go to dozens of stores before they got tired.
When he arrived at the inn, Auron was impressed by what he saw. In contrast to the loud, excited bar scene back in Rumald, the first floor housed a classy restaurant, complete with soft music and dim lighting. Auron felt his stomach growl and realized he hadn't eaten a thing since he and Sofya left Rumald, and wondered what was taking the girl so long. As if on cue, the pink haired girl turned the corner with several bags in her hands and a smile on her face.
"Sorry, did you wait long?" She asked, following Auron into the building.
"It's fine," He said, then asked the man at the counter for a table in the restaurant. The host gave Auron two menus, led him and Sofya to a table near the entrance, then took their orders and sauntered off toward the kitchen.
After eating, Auron decided that since they had already stopped and wouldn't get to Faldrin by nightfall, he'd get a room at the inn. Sofya seemed happy about this, said something about her feet being tired, then hurried upstairs to the designated chambers, where she immediately crawled into the bed on the left of the room. Auron took the remaining one, and after listening to Sofya talk on and on about her shopping adventure today, closed his eyes and let sleep take over.
This chapter was just sort of backstory for Sofya and helped to lay down the grounds of her and Auron's relationship. I'm still debating whether to pair them up romantically or not.. We'll see where it goes! Also, a cestus is a sort of fighting glove. You see thee a lot in FF. I really didn't want Sofya to be a generic girl class like white or black mage, so I gave her some fighting skills. As always, review/fav/follow and thanks for reading!