Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[Here's the link to the photoset this belongs to, which provides additional context for this.]

Arielle nodded, and she briefly glanced around at their surroundings before checking over her bow and arrows. Thancred, meanwhile, took to keeping a lookout for their suspect. He had to admit, given what he knew of her rather friendly chocobo Mina, he half expected the bird to show up. She was very keen on following her owner anywhere she went, but at least she knew when to stay put. Begrudgingly.

I imagine she must be feeling restless back at Camp Drybone, he thought.

A small glint caught his eye, and he looked to the silver necklace Arielle wore. Aside from her lovely fairness both inside and out, it was one of the first things he noticed upon their meeting. It didn’t take an expert to know it was of excellent craftsmanship. The necklace was quite elegant, most notably the pendant. Not to mention it appeared very well taken care of. It was also much too expensive-looking and stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Might I suggest tucking that lovely necklace of yours away?” Thancred asked politely. “It doesn’t quite pair with our ensemble.”

“Oh! Yes, of course.” Carefully Arielle hid it from view. “Thank you.”

He nodded in reply. “If you don’t mind my asking, however did you acquire such a fine piece?”

“It was a gift from my uncle when I was a child. For good luck.”

“Well, then it seems to be working.”

She hummed a brief laugh, but it quickly vanished once her sharp eyes caught movement. “Someone’s coming.”

Thancred nodded. “Excellent. Now let’s see how our priest will deign to help us.”

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[Associated photoset link here!]

"So you're from Gridania," Papalymo began.

"Yes," Arielle replied.

"And you say you're allergic to pollen."

"Yes."

"That must be really difficult to deal with. Especially here," Yda said. "But you're not sneezing now, so that's a good thing."

"It is. It's actually quite the relief."

"Hmm. Maybe your Echo makes you immune to pollen.”

Arielle frowned. "It most certainly does not."

"Not that you know, at least."

Papalymo sighed. "The Echo does not function in that way. That’s ridiculous!”

Mina chirped pointedly.

"Even Mina seems to agree."

Arielle cleared her throat. "Perhaps we should return our attention to the sylphs."

"Indeed we should. Come along, Yda.”

Yda placed her hands on her hips as Papalymo walked off. “I was only joking, you know. But it still might be a possibility. The Echo is a strange thing to have, after all.”

“But it is very unique,” Arielle added.

“Very very unique.”

“Yda!” Papalymo called, sounding impatient.

“All right, all right!” Yda replied. “We’ll meet you back here, Ari!”

Arielle nodded and watched Yda off. I suppose I should enjoy this relief while it lasts. It’ll only be a matter of time before it disappears. . . . Arielle frowned. I’ll worry about that when it happens. For now, the sylphs come first.

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[Associated photoset link for additional context here!]

"You seem worn."

"Worn? Whatever do you mean?"

"The energy you usually have seems diminished."

"Ah. Well, as I've said, you needn't concern yourself with my welfare. But I do very much appreciate the attention, nonetheless."

Arielle frowned. "If you say so. Just make sure you don't overtax yourself."

"Of course."

She nodded before rising to her feet. "I'll be off, then." As she turned to leave, her eyes caught something dark on his person. Odd. . . . "I don't recall you having another band around your neck aside from your white one."

"So you've noticed." Thancred sat himself up as he crossed his ankles. "It’s a small trinket that happened to pique my interest during one of my investigations. The ladies have seemed to find it eye-catching, so I'm quite pleased it's managed to capture your attention as well."

Arielle placed her hands on her hips. "Ever the charmer, I see." She brushed a stray hair away from her face. "All right, well, I will leave you to your investigation. I hope it goes smoothly."

"As do I." She gave him a brief smile, and he watched her take her leave before returning to his thoughts. Now, how to best proceed with my “current investigation. . . .”

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Arielle studied him with folded arms and a frown. Beside her, Mina chirped as she watched the young lad pretend that the cold didn't bother him. "Are you absolutely sure that you don't want a coat?"

Alphinaud sighed, and the urge to give his rather insistent ally an eye roll was very tempting. "I am quite capable of managing without one. As I have doubtlessly mentioned before."

She merely gave him a look. "You are aware that you can catch a cold, aren't you?"

"I’m aware, Arielle. But I can assure you that I will not fall ill. And may I remind you that we have more pressing matters to attend to? We still have yet to locate Cid's airship, after all."

"I'm very well aware. But you must admit that we have made some progress."

Alphinaud paused, if only briefly. "I suppose I could." Another shiver passed over him. But nonetheless, he collected himself and stood a little straighter. "Come, Arielle. We've no time to waste."

Arielle and Mina watched him head off, and the duo shared a look before following after him.

"If I hear one more comment about the cold, I am finding a coat for you," Arielle stated. "And no amount of protesting from you will persuade me otherwise."

This time, Alphinaud gave in to the urge to roll his eyes.

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[Associated photoset link for additional context here!]

"I was relieved to see Mina safe and sound," Y'shtola began, "although she seemed rather anxious before we met."

"Of course she would be!" Yda replied. "She cares an awful lot about us, you know. So she’s bound to worry.”

"Seems like she takes after you," Cid quipped, glancing at Arielle.

Arielle briefly hummed with a soft smile. "I suppose she does. Sometimes I don't realize how much." She paused. "She didn't try to come inside, did she?"

Alphinaud snorted. "I wouldn't doubt it. That bird is notorious for conniving her way into places she shouldn't be in."

Y'shtola simply smirked. "Well, as a matter of fact. . . ."

- - - -

Mina fidgeted in place as she cast yet another anxious glance at the doors of the Waking Sands. Arielle and her friends had been inside for too long. When were they going to come back out? Were there other people inside, like those "Garleans" and "Ascians" Arielle had told her about? Mina didn't like those people. They were much too mean and caused a lot of harm. But she knew her rider was very strong, and Alphinaud would be safe with her. And she supposed "Cid" would be okay, too. He did look pretty strong.

Even so, her rider always told her that anything could happen.

Maybe if she took one quick peek inside. . . .

Mina shook her head. No. She promised she would be a good girl and stay outside. Besides, she could hear if something bad was happening. But stone was very thick, making it hard to hear certain things behind them. She would know. Eavesdropping was very hard to do when stone was in her way.

She kweh'd impatiently. She couldn't wait any longer. She had been a good girl for long enough.

Bracing herself, Mina marched right up to the doors, and she was about to nose her way inside when a familiar voice reached her.

"And just what do you think you're doing?"

"Kweh?" Mina stood straight up and whirled around in the direction of the voice, and she was met with a white-haired Miqo'te with her arms crossed. Immediately, she perked up. She definitely knew her! "Kweh!"

"Arielle told you to stay outside, did she not?"

Mina looked down at her feet. "Kweh. . . ." And she knew how serious Y'shtola was.

The woman simply sighed, but an amused smile tugged at her. "You truly are as persistent as your rider. But at least your being here means Arielle is well."

The chocobo nodded twice.

"Rest assured that she will be safe and sound. Yda will be with them."

"Kweh?"

"Yes."

Mina kweh'd happily. Yda was a very good friend to have. And she had a lot of energy.

"This does not mean that you are allowed inside, however."

Visibly the chocobo deflated. "Kwehhh." Foiled again. But she supposed she had nothing to worry about if Yda and Y'shtola were inside. There was safety in numbers, after all.

- - - -

"See? She is worried about everyone," Yda pointed out. "Once we think of a plan, I'm going to march right outside and let her know that everyone's going to be just fine."

"I might have to join you," Arielle added. "I know recent events have had her on edge. I wouldn't want her to be anxious for too long."

"The sooner we get to work, the sooner we'll all be at ease," Cid said. "Mina included."

Alphinaud nodded. "The dawn won't fade away yet."