Chapter Text
Interregnum (noun)
1. The interval of time between the end of a sovereign's reign and the accession of a successor.
2. A period of temporary suspension of the usual functions of government or control.
Aether suffuses the air so thickly it threatens to choke him, yet Joshua presses on through the dark, craggy corridors of the mine beneath Drake's Head. Already he fears he will be too late, that whatever trouble his brother and his new allies are stirring up will have garnered unwanted attention. Be it that of the unlucky souls turned akashic in the aetherflood or that of the malignant entity Joshua has been researching.
Rubble pelts his head as the cavern shudders, an echoing sound like the crack of thunder traveling through the tunnels. With renewed haste, Joshua breaks into a sprint. Further tremors rock the mine but they only serve to quicken his resolve as he moves through the dark.
Until the darkness makes way to a wide cavern almost as bright as day. Crystals lining the far walls - no, forming the walls and the very roots of the Mothercrystal that rises far above his head. Before him stretches the only path to the Mother's heart, flanked on each side by a steep drop to unforgiving crystalline stalagmites lining the cavern floors.
A distraught voice echoes from further inside the sanctuary. He mustn't waste a moment more.
Pushing his long limbs to their limits, Joshua hurries down the lengthy bridge connecting the mine to the Mothercrystal's heart. What he finds when he crests the top of the steps sends his own heart plummeting. Figures surrounding a man in pain, blood pooled beneath him and on his clothing. Joshua barely registers who it is he's finally found after decades of being parted from them, so narrowed is his focus on reaching them in time to provide aid.
Jill is the first to raise her head at the sound of his approach, Torgal beside her following suit. But before she can utter a word she's halted by the appearance of brilliant violet light coursing around the injured man's body. Shifting and flowing from him to the man holding him in his arms.
To Clive.
He'll make a fine leader yet.
It's different than Cid imagined it would feel like, having his eikon taken. In fact, "taken" almost isn't the right word. Not when Cid's giving up his hold on the geezer so freely. Not when he could swear Ramuh clings to his aching corpse with the obstinance befitting a man his age.
He's got to be millennia old by now, right?
Though… Now that he thinks about it, Cid doesn't feel as much like a corpse as he thought he would. There's still a warmth stirring in his rib cage. A warmth that grows and spreads through his limbs as though he were taking a pleasant dip in a Dhalmekian hot spring. Gods, he would've loved to squeeze in one last trip to Dalimil before the end.
It's too late now. Maybe the heavens will have a few handy, or wherever his wretched soul ends up.
"Cid?" That's Clive's voice. Filled with a painful amount of hope. He wants to let the lad down gently but he wagers that of all the hidden talents Clive has, speaking to ghosts isn't one of them.
"M'sorry lad…"
A hand tightens around his forearm, painfully at that. "Cid!"
"Easy, Clive," comes a voice unfamiliar to Cid's ears.
Hold on a minute, he still has ears? Did Clive actually hear him just then? And why the hell can he feel Clive's hand on him? Disbelieving but willing to test a theory, Cid's eyes crack open just enough to peer around him. It takes a second for his vision to sharpen back up, but there they are. Jill and Clive are huddled around him, even Torgal has stepped over to investigate. Plus a new face he's never seen before. Warm waves of honey, an oddly familiar cerulean gaze. Easy on the eyes, too.
"You an angel sent to whisk me away?" Cid asks, wincing at the feeling of blood still rattling in his lungs.
A blush threatens to color Joshua's cheeks. As is, he manages to save face with an easy smile. "More like the one who kept you away from death's gates."
The man - Cid as his brother called him - gives a weak chuckle.
A guttural, otherworldly voice resounds around them, speaking a tongue Joshua cannot place, a sound which sets his nerves alight. As he turns to look about for its source, an ethereal blue flame ignites at the center of the chamber.
"Couldn't just stay dead, could you?" Cid remarks with a groan.
Clive carefully passes Cid into the care of Jill's arms and together the Rosfield brothers stand to face the azure fire that has flared to life. It grows in immensity until the conflagration becomes a wall, rushing forth in a threat to swallow them all. But as Clive moves to shield Jill and Cid from the inferno, Joshua steels his resolve and faces the fire with outstretched hand.
"In ashen grip let ember glow to kindle flames anew." A crimson spark ignites and rises to create a barrier of the Phoenix's flames. Pushing forth against the dark fire until it caves beneath the firebird's might.
Silence descends. Eerie. Untrustworthy. The fiend won't have given in so easily.
"I know you're there, Ultima."
So the lad knows of the bastard too? Must be quite the study. Cid grimaces as he struggles to sit upright on his own.
"Cid…" Jill cautions softly.
"I'll be fine." It feels like a lie, but he'll manage in spite of his aches. "Not like I'm jumping to rejoin the fight. I know when I'm all tapped."
At the far end of the chamber their accoster makes his reappearance in a maelstrom of sickening levin. He regards them curiously, or at least as curiously as it gets with Ultima's lacking desire to emote. "You have learned our name. What else have you learned, Phoenix?"
And the Phoenix - brave lad he is - starts marching right out to meet him. Clive protests this move obviously, grabbing his arm to stop him in his tracks. "Brother, no."
"I know what I'm doing, Clive."
"I am your Shield, Joshua. Don't risk your life when I just got you back." Clive pleads through grit teeth.
But Cid can see the determination in Joshua's eyes. Clive isn't winning this one. "For once, brother, let me be yours."
Behold the power of a younger sibling's sway. Clive's no fan of the idea at all yet slowly, deliberately does he extricate gauntleted fingers from around Joshua's wrist. He holds his younger brother's gaze for as long as he can before Joshua turns to confront Ultima.
"My travels have revealed much of you and your ambitions." Each step Joshua takes towards the fiend echoes off the marble floors, the crystalline walls caging them in. How fitting, considering his plan. As he goes, he cradles in his palm a mote of fire near to his heart.
"I know that it was you who tore me from my brother. And I know that it is his power that you seek." With a flick of his wrist he scatters the mote into a gust of luminous feathers, each settling of their own accord into careful arrangement. Little more than a flare of dramatics to those unaware of their use.
Let it be enough to fool him.
"But know this," Joshua continues, allowing his anger to simmer near the surface, further flames coalescing in his hand. "If you want him, you'll have to go through me."
Ultima's voice is detached. Uninterested. Infuriating. "Very well." Of his multiple pale limbs only one raises to prepare an assault.
With fire brought close to his lips, Joshua breathes his fervor into the spell. "Breath of mine ancestors, fill these lungs that I might dispel the songs of suffering."
Cobalt flames burst forth from the fiend's hand, only to glance off of the barrier that Joshua conjures. If there is surprise within Ultima, it does not show on his face but instead in his words. "A… disturbance."
What happens next leaves the hair on the back of Cid's neck rising for quite a few reasons. His fury growing, Joshua unleashes a volley of fireballs at the bastard, demanding with each salvo unleashed that Ultima stay away from his older brother. And yet it does nothing. The fucker doesn't even flinch. It leaves a pit in Cid's stomach wondering how the hell they can fend off a creature immune to such immense flames and a bloody sword through the neck.
As the smoke dissipates, Cid can just make out Joshua's muttering. "This is getting us nowhere…"
"We agree," notes the pale bastard. "No more games, Phoenix." Another swirl of dark magic surrounds it and in an instant Ultima appears at Joshua's back, his gaze fixated on the figures the lad was protecting. No, not on them. On Clive. "We have come to claim our vessel."
Clive reaches for his sword, leather creaking as his grip tightens and a growl escapes his throat. "You'll do no such thing."
"No, he will not." Joshua states, resolute. Confident. Not even needing to turn and face their foe. Cid realizes why just a beat after a ring of fire ignites around Ultima, what Cid had dismissed as errant decor revealing itself for what it is.
A cage.
Lines of scarlet encircle Ultima and Cid sorely wishes he had the energy to cheer. For now he settles with making eye contact when Joshua turns at last, reveling in a well played ruse with a grin like the cat that got the canary.
Of course the bastard can't leave it at that. Though he makes no moves, Ultima regards his cage passively. "These flames are nothing. You will know what it is to burn."
But Joshua's confidence doesn't waver. "Yours is a fleeting form. I'm not fool enough to think I can harm you. But, to protect my brother, I don't have to."
For perhaps the first time since his unwanted appearance Ultima sounds confused as he presses a palm to the bars of his cage. "These are not flames of destruction."
"Have you forgotten already who I am?" Cid will have to come to terms later with what that tone of voice stirs up inside him. For now he'll latch onto the vindicated satisfaction of watching Joshua best the fucker that's been slowly ruining each of their lives for years.
Vindication that gradually turns to bewilderment as Joshua - as the Phoenix - siphons the fiery prison hovering before them into his body. Painfully by the sound of his shouting. And so with those flames go Ultima.
What are you playing at, lad?
The very moment that Ultima is gone, Clive strides forward to catch Joshua in his arms when he collapses. Frustratingly familiar coughs wrack his body, blood splattering the ground beneath him and parts of Clive's clothes. But his brother pays it no mind save to comfort him with a hand on his back. A rivulet of blood drips from his lips, yet Joshua can think only of this victory.
Just try and get to my brother now.
"Joshua," Clive repeats his name. "What the hell did you do to that- that thing?"
A rumble interrupts Joshua when he tries to answer, stone and crystal alike beginning to fall from the ceiling. It seems the Mothercrystal is collapsing. Surprising that it took so long following the heart's destruction. Had Ultima held it together all this time, that he might claim his "vessel" before it fell?
"There isn't time to explain here. We must go." Joshua leans against his brother to stand, grimacing against the pain in his chest.
Only once Clive is certain Joshua can move on his own does his brother go to help Jill with Cid. The older man groans in protest of the movements and keeps his weight on Clive after his feet are under him. Cid's eyes lift to meet Joshua's. "Hope you have a more elegant plan than hoofing it out the way we came."
Jill frowns beside him. "Clive and I were hoping you had a plan for that."
Clive heaves a sigh. "Suppose we should have known better." His gaze flicks to Joshua. "Well?"
He hesitates before answering. "I've already cleared the main path on my way in. But I imagine when the guards realize what we've done that will be the way by which they come searching."
"You… You took the main gate to get here?" Jill asks in disbelief.
Joshua gives a weak shrug of the shoulders and winces when a piece of rubble lands on his head. "It was simpler. Now if we are done standing about…"
Cid gives a hoarse laugh and urges Clive to help him down the walkway. "I like your brother already, Clive."
Jill takes the lead through the tunnels they used to reach the heart's sanctuary, taking care to freeze a break in the path to make traversing it easier on them. Only once do they need to stop to fend off a handful of unfortunate miners turned akashic. It's surreal for Joshua to fight alongside Clive and Jill after so long with only Jote as his partner. To witness Jill wielding Shiva's ice, to marvel at Clive's use of Garuda's winds almost as naturally as he fights with the Phoenix's Blessing.
There's so much for them all to catch up on. Soon.
The exterior of the mines is a hive of activity, but Jill scouts a path that leads them high above the imperial guards' heads to keep them out of sight. From there, Joshua leads the pack through Oriflamme's streets to a quiet district of the city. The trek proves unsettling without the light of Drake's Head illuminating the skyline, yet he cannot mourn its loss. Upon the unmarked door of a local tailor's shop he knocks a simple pattern and awaits entry. When it opens to reveal Jote inside Joshua ushers the others within, mindful to keep an eye out for untoward attention before following after.
"Your Grace, are you hurt?" Jote flocks to his side at once, already checking him over for injury. Her lips purse when she spies the blood dried on his chin.
"I'm fine, Jote. A bit winded, but fine." Joshua rests a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Have you procured us our means of egress?"
Jote nods. "There is a carriage awaiting us two streets over. But we must hurry if we are to slip away before the imperial guard becomes wary enough to investigate those leaving the city."
From where he's leaned against the wall Cid chuckles low. "Knew a smart man like you would have an exit strategy. Suppose we'll be saving the introductions for the road?"
"Among other things." Clive adds, sparing Joshua a glance.
Nodding, Joshua averts his gaze. "A great many things."
"Joshua…? You're alive??"
"I am… Clive, Jill, I'm so sorry…"
Once Jote has given them the signal for a clear path, each of the Dominants funnels out of the building and down a quiet alley towards a shaded stretch of road where their carriage awaits. Their driver, bearing the unmistakable crest of the Phoenix upon the collar of his cloak, dips his head in greeting to them from his seat before soothing the chocobos in his care with a kind word. Jote alights upon the seat next to him while the others climb inside the safe confines of the carriage.
It's… A snug fit. A vehicle not made for quite so many passengers, but then Joshua hadn't exactly intended on stealing away from the imperial capital with three extra bodies and a wolf. Torgal at least curls up rather contentedly in the floor of the carriage, only whining once when it jostles into movement. After an awkward amount of shuffling and shifting around Clive offers for Jill to rest on his lap, which he does with a pink flush burning high on his cheeks.
With Cid between them, Joshua perks up when the older Dominant leans towards him, his gravelly voice pitched even lower in an attempt to whisper. "I figure she's lucked out on the best seat in the house."
Joshua covers his mouth with his hand, stifling a laugh that cheers Cid's mood right up. If they can just keep in high spirits for long enough to put the city behind them then he reckons they'll be just fine.
Though even his humor can't halt the rising tensions in the carriage as they near Oriflamme's outer gate. A trio of imperial soldiers stand about, one with his gaze still locked upon what was once the location of the now-missing Mothercrystal. Another catches sight of their carriage and halts them with a signal of his hand, stepping up to speak with the driver. Cid can practically feel the collective held breaths between himself and the other passengers.
"Stay a moment. We've been told to warn those departing from the capital to take care on the road to Northreach. There've been unsavory individuals sighted about."
It's the lass who speaks up then, Jote was it? "The warning is appreciated, good sir. We will take great care to protect his lordship from such harm."
For a moment Cid believes they're in the clear, but the soldier turns his gaze back to the carriage's interior and Cid can barely hold back from swearing under his breath. The man steps up to the window to peer inside. His gaze lands on Cid, likely thanks to his seniority, and he offers the soldier a thin-lipped smile. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to have the intended effect. There's a grim set to the man's brows. "I don't know what business would send you out at this hour, but it seems you've picked a fine time for it. Whatever it is that's happened to the Mothercrystal… Things are likely to be chaotic here in the city in the coming days."
"Too right." Cid nods. And of all the complications that threatens to arise, of course now is when he feels another tickle at the back of his throat. At least he's able to cover his mouth before he's wracked by more bloody coughs. "Agh… Sorry you had to see that. That chaos you predict is all the more reason for us to head to the coast now rather than wait. I…" Cid's eyes slide to Joshua. To the dried crimson staining his lips. May as well go all in, eh? "My son and I, we've taken ill you see. Physicker told us the warm air would do us good. Now I figure it'll do just as good for us not to spread it around once people are flooding the streets."
He does his best to fight back the laugh he aches to give when the soldier, unnerved, takes an ample step away from the carriage window. Then another when Joshua feigns another cough and fetches a handkerchief to finally wipe the dried flecks of blood away. "Rightly so… Well, I wish you both good health."
"The same to you." Cid calls as the guard turns to go.
Jill pipes up with a note of humor in her voice once the carriage resumes its pace. "Your son?"
"Eh, he passes for my kin more than you two would." Cid holds out his hand to borrow Joshua's handkerchief, which the lad obliges, and coughs up what he hopes is the last of the blood pooled in his lungs. It's a damn shame that the Phoenix can do nothing to heal the curse claiming his body.
Joshua's hand settles on his arm. "Then as your supposed kin, I would encourage you to rest while we can. We've a long journey ahead of us."
"Plenty of time to catch up on my beauty sleep, aye." Cid briefly sobers, leaning over Joshua to call out the window. "Driver, what's our heading?"
"I was told you would be bound for Lostwing, sir. Though I fear the furthest my birds and I can take you is the fields beyond Northreach."
"Don't worry your head over us." Cid settles back into his seat, murmuring an apology when he jostles Jill on Clive's lap. Hands Joshua his dirtied handkerchief back with an apologetic smile. "I do believe I'll take you up on that advice of yours." With that, Cid rests his head back and lets sleep take him.
Silence hangs in the air.
A chilly hand finds its way into Joshua's and when he meets Jill's gaze he finds her eyes glittering with unshed tears. His hand tightens around hers. "I still can't believe it… It's really you."
Oh how he wishes they were not trapped within this carriage. He wants little more than to pull his family into his arms and never relinquish them. To hold them safe in the chasm of his heart where no one, not even Ultima, can reach them. Joshua blinks the wetness from his eyes and brings her hand to his lips. "I dearly wish that I could have come to you both sooner. To spare you the ache of grief and of the horrible circumstances that you've both lived with these last years…"
Clive gives a shake of his head, dislodging a few of his own tears. "The past is behind us. We're together now, Joshua. That is all that matters."
Joshua raises his eyes to his dear brother's face. Slowly he finds a smile growing on his own. "So it is."
The journey goes smoothly from there. They depart with their carriage driver in a quiet glade beyond Northreach, Clive offering the man a small sum of extra gil in thanks for chauffeuring more individuals than he'd originally bargained for. The trek through the old road leading to Lostwing is a quiet and thankfully peaceful one. Joshua lingers at the rear of the group with Cid, keeping one eye on the elder Dominant on the off chance that he requires aid. Though it seems his attention hasn't gone as unnoticed as he'd thought. Once or twice Cid catches his eye but each time he only gives a soft, amused huff before carrying on.
As they enter the little village tucked in the shadows of the Fallen, Joshua's instincts prickle with unease. This late at night there shouldn't be so much activity, groups of people whispering nervously with each other. Perhaps he could have explained it away as anxiety caused by the news of the Mothercrystal's fall, except that one poor soul sits huddled and weeping while their companion comforts them.
"Something's wrong." Cid states what they're all thinking. He forges ahead towards the inn and they trail behind him, Clive and Jill trading worried glances with each other. Cid stops at a table where two figures commiserate over a bottle of wine and the taller of the two figures stands to face him. "Edgar, Quinten. Mind telling me what's happened to put everyone in such a dour mood?"
Edgar's eyes flick from Cid to each of his companions, his voice quaking when he speaks. "It's the hideaway. Cid, it… It's gone."
Shock as potent as Ramuh's lightning courses through Joshua's veins. He doesn't know the exact location of where his family and Cid have been residing since joining forces, but that on its own only fuels his stupor to hear that it has fallen when even the Undying had yet to locate it.
At his side, Clive steps forward. "What do you mean 'gone'?"
"Dhalmeks invaded the deadlands. We're not sure how they found us, but they did." With head bowed, Edgar's fists clench at his sides. "Damned Men of the Rock. They overwhelmed us. Thank the gods Tarja and Otto were able to get some folk to safety. We might have recovered well enough in time, except Titan himself appeared and sundered the place until naught remained but rubble. I'm sorry, Cid. She's lost to us now."
"It can't be." Jill whispers.
Jote's voice is similarly small, and she turns towards Clive. "What could spur Kupka to do something like this? Could he have learned of your people's actions to aid in freeing Bearers?"
"I don't know." Clive admits. "Maybe. But to go this far? To go to these lengths when he could have simply exposed us? Something doesn't add up."
All the while Cid has been listening in silence, weary eyes closed. Joshua steps closer to Edgar. "Thank you for warning us. The last thing we needed was to stumble into a trap laid by Kupka's men."
A heavy sigh escapes Cid. "Don't apologize for a shattered cave, Edgar. We can mourn the lives lost but a home can be remade… Where have the survivors gone?"
"To Martha's Rest." Edgar gestures to Quinten, the innkeeper hanging his head low. "Otto asked a handful of us to share the news with our associates and warn them in case Kupka continues his crusade. The rest he escorted to Rosaria."
"Smart man." Briefly, Cid eyes the bottle on the table. Quinten raises it in offering but Cid shakes his head. "There'll be time for drink after I've gotten everyone together again. And I doubt I'll need a nightcap after the hell we've been through tonight."
Quinten appraises each of them. "This once I suppose I ought to lend you a room free of charge. One is all I have to spare, anyway."
"Oh," Joshua begins, reaching for the pouch hanging at his belt. "I'd be happy to-"
Cid's hand clamps down on Joshua's arm and he shoots Quinten a smile. "Thank you for your generous hospitality, friend."
Brow raised, Quinten offers no other comment but to show the group to their room. Along the way, Joshua catches Cid leaning closer to him to whisper. "You've a big heart, huh? Noble. But sometimes it's just better to take a gift when you're given one."
"I prefer to reciprocate generosity when it is given. But very well." After all, it isn't as though Cid can stop him from leaving a donation before they depart for Rosaria.
The room proves to be suited for very few inhabitants. A single bed large enough to fit two, maybe three of them if they tried to pack in tight. It's less cramped than the carriage was, at least. Torgal helps himself right away to the rug in the center of the room, curling up with a satisfied yawn. Clive is just as quick to lay out his and Jill's bedrolls on the floor, while Cid settles onto the far side of the bed with a contented sigh. And though Joshua protests it, Jote urges him towards the bed to join Cid.
"Your Grace, you need your rest."
"But Jote-"
"I have managed fine in worse circumstances." Jote insists. "I know that you were forced to use your magic, though I know not the full extent. Please, you must recover your strength."
From down on the flimsy mattress Cid watches them with a chuckle. "You might be able to win an argument against your brother, lad, but you're outvoted here."
Brows furrowing, Joshua turns to him. "Outvoted?"
But it's Clive who is the one to answer. "Indeed you are, by all of us I'd imagine. Go to bed, Joshua."
So Joshua reluctantly lowers himself down beside Cid, unlacing his boots to set aside and shrugging off his robe before allowing his head to grace the pillow that awaits him. Cid, for his part, has already settled in on his back and murmurs his goodnight to them all. Exhaustion finally catches up to Joshua, pulling him beneath the weighty surface of slumber.
Dawn breaks bright the next morning. Cid's limbs feel like lead weights and his eyelids drape just as heavily, as though trying to save him the agony of glimpsing the shaft of sunlight cutting in through the window. When he does manage to pull them apart he notes that Clive is already up and about somewhere, probably speaking with some of the locals. The same goes for the Lady Jote as she's nowhere to be seen either. Jill remains curled up on her bedroll with Torgal at her back. As for Joshua…
The unmistakable warmth of a body shifts against Cid's torso, bright waves tickling his nose. It seems in his sleep the little lord has cozied up to him. Cid brings a weary arm around to gently nudge the lad. "Time to get up now."
And alright, could anyone truly blame him for finding the yawn Joshua gives so endearing? He raises his head just enough to get a bleary-eyed look at Cid. Gradually that sleepy confusion fades, replaced by wide-eyed surprise and a mouth just slightly agape.
"Morning, Your Grace. Breaking fast with flies today?" Cid teases.
"I-" This close to each other Cid can hear the clack of Joshua's teeth when he snaps his mouth shut. He pulls away from Cid, still sluggish from sleep, and a chill flows in where he laid against Cid's chest. Seems harboring the Phoenix has the benefit of his blood running a bit hotter than most. "My apologies if I have made you uncomfortable."
Cid waves off his worry and starts to sit up - an action he's already regretting with the residual ache in his ribs. That damned monstrosity really did do quite the number on him, didn't it? "Far from it. Like having my own bed warming pan. And without the risk of burning myself."
From the corner of his eyes he can tell Joshua's studying him, and the lad gives a quiet chuckle. "We should meet up with the others."
Nodding, Cid reaches for his boots to begin pulling on. He leaves Joshua to wake Jill and heads out to find Clive and Jote conversing with Quinten. Once they've all gathered, a quick meal is shared and plans made. The most direct path through the wilderness towards Martha's Rest won't be easy to traverse, but absolutely none of them are eager to risk the main roads where they might be stopped by imperials. Cid jokingly apologizes for not being able to fit more "proper" accommodations into their travel plans for his lordship, but Joshua dismisses his concerns.
"Jote and I have spent five years wandering the wilds seeking answers." Joshua notes with a wry smile. "I assure you we will manage quite fine."
In the end it's Cid who's the least happy with how long it takes them to progress towards Rosaria, partly because when danger arises in the form of hostile beasts he's suddenly found himself relegated to the sidelines. It's a role he chose for himself, knowing that he can't risk overexertion so soon after nearly dying, but nevertheless it leaves him restless watching the others dispatch their enemies only to return to the monotonous march towards Martha's. Thank the heavens they arrive when they do.
Whispers abound when the people of the Rest spy Cid and his crew making their way through the street. Much as he wants to stop and check in on each of them he has to find Otto. Thankfully the old lug's right where Cid imagined he'd be, hanging about in Martha's Inn with a few familiar faces he's glad to see.
"Cid!" Gav calls out, the first to spot him in spite of the ruddy cloth covering his right eye. Cid tries not to visibly wince when he sees that. "Thank fuck you're all in one piece."
Otto has his hands on his hips. "I take it you got caught up to speed by one of our folks?"
"Yeah. Caught Edgar drinking on the job in Lostwing. Headed straight here after." Otto holds out an arm to clasp with Cid's but- Alright, maybe it's the near death experience turning him sentimental but Cid's not having it. He pulls the man in by his arm for a proper hug. "Never been more glad to see your sorry mug."
Otto sputters a bit at the sudden affection but he mutters out a similar show of gratitude.
Beside them a woman's voice speaks up. One Joshua had thought he'd heard the last of. "Growing soft in your old age, Cidolfus?"
From the moment he'd entered the inn and spotted her figure, hooded yet familiar in some way deep within him, Joshua kept from joining the others in their approach, lingering at the back of the pack with Jote. Now he understands what his instincts were trying to tell him.
For among the refugees and inngoers is none other than Benedikta Harman. Dominant of Garuda and servant of Waloed. The woman who'd taken Jote captive in order to trap him, who'd threatened his dear friend's life to make him cooperate.
He tries to catch Cid's eye but the other Dominant doesn't notice, turning to Benedikta with a huff. "Always happy to see you too, Benna. How'd your scouting go?"
"It was enlightening." Benedikta drawls, folding her arms primly in front of her. "Sanbreque's armies march south instead of crawling northward homebound with their tails twixt their legs."
Cid's brows furrow. "Setting their sights on Dhalmekia?"
"They'd be fools to try it. No, their eyes are elsewhere. From what I saw it seems they've an interest in claiming the Dominion."
Joshua can hold his tongue no longer. "What? But the Crystalline Dominion is neutral ground."
All eyes turn on him, including Benedikta's keen gaze. Surprise shines for but an instant, replaced by a newfound interest and a pinched-lip frown. "What do we have here…? Grown nostalgic for your net, your lordship?"
Jote moves between them, reaching for the dagger at her hip, but she stills when Joshua lays a hand upon her shoulder. Whatever his misgivings for the woman, he is assured by the casual manner in which she's spoken with Cid - along with the fact that Clive hasn't similarly moved to his defense - that they'll find no quarrel with her. "Why is she here?"
The humor has gone from Cid's expression. "Look, lad, I understand if you have your gripes-" Gripes, he says, so forgiving of her misdeeds. "We've all had to learn to get along. She's here now, on our side mind you, of her own will and no one else's. You want to file a formal complaint? You'll just have to wait until I get a replacement office. Until that point we can't afford to squabble." At this he cuts his gaze over to Benedikta.
Joshua turns away, willing his emotions to calm.
Benedikta, for her part, waves away his concern. "I know how to play nice. On to more important matters. Word's already spread about Drake's Head. I'd congratulate you but we'll be waiting many years yet to see the results of your experiment."
"That we will. Gives us time to relocate. Which I am not looking forward to…" Cid heaves a sigh and helps himself to a stool at the bar. Looks from each of his trusted allies to the next feeling the weight of their expectations on him more than ever. Gods, he needs a smoke. "Give me a few hours to wrap my head around the logistics of everything. If any of you think up an idea you be sure to send it my way. I'll be here. Otherwise just… Help out where ya can."
Once the crowd's dispersed Cid feels he can breathe a bit easier. He really does miss the privacy of his office where he could knock his brain against the wall in peace without a dozen pairs of pitiful eyes hanging on him. Nothing to be done for it now but to carry on.
An hour then two passes by. Otto and Martha bring up their various concerns which he delegates to those able and willing to help out. Mostly it's taking a tally of those who remain, distributing food and water, and patching up the folks who still need care. Gav and Clive drop by whilst Cid's busy picking Joshua's brain about ideas on where to set up shop; between the four of them they manage to think up a half decent vision.
The honor mostly belongs to Clive. He and Gav both came to the conclusion that another spot in the deadlands would serve best for all the same reasons they'd chosen the original ruins. The centrality to reach every corner of Storm, the assurance of privacy from most who'd go looking - and damn it, Cid's still kicking himself for how the hell Hugo ever found them in the first place. But it's Clive who, after surveying the crude map of the region Gav draws up, motions to the lake south of their old location. Long ago, Cid had discounted it as little more than a nifty tourist spot on account of the Fallen airships littering the land. The Blight had sapped the life out of the region, taking with it all the fish they might have thought to catch to feed everyone. But he sees it in a new light when Clive paints a picture of taking one of the airships, perhaps a centermost craft, and upon its bleached bones build a new home.
It would be quite the undertaking. No doubt about that. Not to mention the slew of complications to come with carting out the supplies they'll need to build everything, but so too would it slow any approaching army wanting to knock down their doors. Cid's not a fan of its southern location putting them even slightly closer to Dhalmekia's borders - and therefore closer to Titan's lair - but he soothes himself with the knowledge that out on the wide lake they'd certainly see danger coming from far off.
It's only when he's brought Clive's suggestion to the rest of his little informal council that he starts to feel they really will bounce back.
Later that evening Cid gets Clive alone to share the biggest news of all: Cid's impending semi-retirement. Which he's not at all surprised to find Clive balks at the very idea of. He goes on for quite a while about this, that, and the other that Cid's already considered.
But Cid, you're the one who brought them all together. Well now Clive, I trust you'll be able to handle keeping them that way.
Cid, what if I fail? Well Clive, you're a smart man and I don't put this much faith in people lightly.
So you're leaving then? What? Who the hell do you take me for? I'm not going anywhere. Just putting field work behind me. I'm not exactly getting any younger. So I'll be taking a step back, not away.
It helped in the end when Cid assured Clive that he'd still take on most of the administrative work - at least until they've made some proper progress on the new hideaway. Which he notes he'll still be adding on his own personal office alongside the one Clive will be occupying, and that gets a laugh from the poor bloke. After that point Cid intends to run things collaboratively with Clive; let him be the face of their little band from here on while Cid keeps their home secure and afloat.
Over the following weeks, Joshua does all he can to aid in the recovery of the people of Cid's hideaway. He embarks on several missions to join Clive and Jill in the field, though Jote protests his placing himself at risk. Moreover, he pledges the Undying's support to the cause and sends for a small detachment to make the journey from Tabor to Lake Bennumere to meet with the construction crew. With the resources pooled from Cid's allies abroad and the Undying's coffers, they make decent progress in their building. A month on sees the barest bones of what will come to be their new home, only just visible from the lake's shore when he accompanies Jill and Clive to see what headway has been made. Three months on and they're able to walk the airship's decks to survey it up close. Joshua runs a hand along the smooth stonework left by the Fallen, trailing after Cid as he notes to the group which areas will be reserved for what purpose - back there will be the mess hall, here the bar, the space next to it that Charon has claimed for her shop, the area fit for a library at one end of the hall, and at the other end the space Cid's picked out for himself. Clive's room will be adjacent to it but still far enough to give them both privacy, or so Cid hopes.
"We'll just have to see how good the acoustics prove." Cid had noted with a wry smile.
As time wears on, Joshua finds that he is welcomed into the fold as though he'd always belonged with the people of the hideaway. Tarja chastises him about his unwillingness to rest or take his medicine as easily and as often as Jote does, and it warms his heart to see the two women bond as Jote spends more time in the newly built infirmary. Among the Cursebreakers he's teased in a good natured manner to join in their training sessions and help vet their new recruits. After all, anyone who can best the Phoenix can be trusted to defend their people. And on more than one occasion Joshua even humors them; it never hurts to keep up his training. He learns the names and faces of those who have dedicated their lives to this noble cause and only after he's spent half a year in their company does he realize that he's begun to view them as part of his family.
Perhaps the only exception to this is Benedikta.
She keeps to herself mostly, or to Cid's office once it's finished construction. Joshua never exactly gleans a sense of dislike for him from Benedikta, but she certainly has taken the longest to begin warming up to him. Which he tells himself he can live with.
Once the hideaway is at last in mostly working order, Joshua can resume his research in earnest. He knows that his ploy beneath Drake's Head will have only delayed Ultima's machinations, if that, and so he turns his focus towards the many tomes lining the shelves of Loremaster Harpocrates' study. He finds little of use but cherishes the time taken all the same to help broaden his mind.
And in time he finds that the Shelves become a refuge from certain… Distractions.
For in growing closer to the people of Cid's hideaway, he has in turn grown closer to Cid himself. How could he not? The elder Dominant is a brilliant man, even if he would humbly protest such specific wording. Witty as can be, charming enough to bring all these people together, and…
Well, to be entirely frank, possessing rugged features that are impossible to ignore. This Joshua has been keenly aware of since their meeting in the imperial capital.
Try as he might to retain his diligent focus on the dangers lurking in the shadows, each day and each night Joshua has found his thoughts, his gaze, even his own presence drawn towards Cid. Reminiscing on conversations had with the man, watching him from across the ale hall, finding excuses to visit Cid in his office. It's entirely unbecoming. To think him willing to chase after Cid like a lovesick pup while the world spirals towards ruin - or worse, to think it naught but lecherous desire. Oh, how he has been plagued by memories of waking in Cid's arms that morning in Lostwing. Too often have those thoughts twisted the innocent kindness shown by Cid into something headier, into a body rolling on top of him and teeth marking his neck while they move together seeking pleasure from each other.
A frustrated groan escapes Joshua as he tucks himself deeper into the corner of the library. Thank the Founder that it is only Harpocrates present, too deep in his own study to spare him more than a curious glance. He would not want to field a dozen inquisitive questions from the twins just now. Perhaps it would be better to retire until supper, he thinks. Closing his book with care, Joshua replaces it on the shelf to go, offering Harpocrates a parting word.
The ale hall is quiet, though not unnaturally so. Joshua expects there will be plenty of activity once the hideaway's residents begin to feel their appetites waning as daylight does. Yet at the bar he spies two figures he hadn't expected to find: Cid and Benedikta, the pair of them chatting over a round of drinks. At this distance he can't make out what Cid says to his companion, but it must be amusing for it causes Benedikta to laugh aloud. For a moment Joshua almost thinks he sees her gaze flick towards him, but it passes too quickly for him to be sure. She leans closer to Cid, resting a hand on the man's chest to brace herself as she murmurs her reply mere inches from Cid's lips, and all the air escapes Joshua's lungs at once.
He doesn't want to consider what it is he's seeing. He doesn't want to know if he's reading too far into this show of affection, he doesn't want to know if they're involved or not. So he flees to his room tucked deep in the airship's carcass and does his best to put Cid out of his mind. Even if he can only manage it for a time.
Cid's always prided himself on his people skills. They've brought him this far in life and they've not let him down yet. So it doesn't escape his notice when a certain bright-eyed noble has begun to withdraw into himself. Maybe it's because he'd become fond of Joshua's visits and the chances to pick that sharp mind of his, but in any case he recognizes that the young lord has stopped dropping in as often as he used to. Maybe, Cid reasons to himself, he's grown too busy with his work. He knows from experience it can't be easy to find information on Ultima; what little Cid knows is only thanks to the mad ramblings of his former king and the scarce few texts he came across in the royal library before defecting. He wishes now that his younger self had the foresight to spirit those tomes away with himself and Mid, but then how could he have known that all this would happen?
Either way, he unfortunately doesn't have much time to spare in contemplation of what's kept Joshua away. Between each branch of their operations spread across Storm, Cid's buried under a mountain of responsibilities and little reprieve from them. Such is certainly the case when a knock sounds at his door. Cid forces himself to relax his posture for the first time in probably an hour, though he hasn't exactly been keeping track, and he wonders for a moment if perhaps his musings on the lad have magically brought Joshua around again. "Come on in."
But when the door opens it's the hideaway's other fair-haired bird that waltzes inside. Benedikta helps herself to a seat on the edge of his desk, casting her gaze over his pile of reports with only mild interest. "All work and no play again?"
"Oh please, you know as well as I do that the work never ends." Cid settles back in his seat, arms pulled behind his head.
Benedikta gives a thoughtful hum. "How do your contacts in the empire fare? Sleeping easier without His Radiance breathing down their necks, I'd imagine."
"A bit, aye. But just as the problems lighten in Sanbreque, they grow elsewhere. There's no reprieve for me either way."
With a roll of her eyes, Benedikta pushes off from the desk and motions for Cid to stand with her. "On your feet."
Cid looks up at her with brows furrowed, but admittedly his curiosity is piqued. "Whatever for?"
"You're likely to grow roots if you stay in that chair much longer." She teases, smirking when Cid chuckles at her prodding. "Quit being a decrepit old man and take a walk with me."
"Fine, if only to halt your badgering." Cid jokes. He takes her offered hand to climb to his feet, stretching out his limbs a bit before they file out of his office. It's a quiet afternoon all things considered - especially compared to the chaos of recent days. But he's not going to think about those troubles. He's here to take a peaceful walkabout with an old friend.
He can't put to words what a relief it's been that people have begun to… Not exactly befriend the Dominant of Garuda, but they're certainly learning to accept that she's here to stay. It helps that she's been on her best behavior, though with Benna "best" is a loose measurement. Just as very few have taken to liking her, neither does she seem interested in getting chummy with anyone else; especially not with Clive. In fact, he's caught her at least once glaring down good old Torgal. Pettiness runs deep to her core; he can't fault her holding a grudge for what happened at Caer Norvent, but he'd had his hopes. So far it seems the only one she deems worthy of her attention is himself.
And it hasn't been lost on Cid how affectionate she's been with him of late.
Like how she pulls him in by the arm to peer out over the lake, its surface glittering bright and her hand warm where it lingers on his bicep. Her gaze is cast out over the wide expanse of water and he wonders if she's feeling the urge to take wing. An ache settles in his chest knowing how it's troubled her, being unable to call on Garuda's power. Only once has she managed to semi-prime, a short-lived achievement that nearly flattened a forest on the lake's edge in the doing so for how volatile Garuda's winds behaved. At least there's that little bit of hope, even as he worries whether she'll speed along the curse in her attempts to rein in her eikon. Cid's certainly in no hurry himself to test his connection to old Ramuh.
"Do you ever miss it?" She asks, her voice quiet. More vulnerable than she's sounded since the night she chose to follow his lead and abandon the king who would have cast her aside. "Home."
Breathing in deep to let it all out as a sigh, Cid looks sidelong at her. "Here is my home." She gives a huff but he continues on. "Though yeah, sometimes. More in the little things. You know? The food, a few of the people."
She turns then to face him, hazel eyes searching his own. The space between them narrows when she leans closer. "Did you miss me?"
It hits him square in the chest it does, the realization that he's going to have to break her heart. It's already been dashed against the rocks too many times and here he is knowing it'll have to be done at least once more. Cid rests a hand over hers. Traces the bumpy line of her knuckles, his head drifting forward to rest against hers. "Every day. But Benna…"
Sharp as a tack she is, or maybe sensitive as a hare. She knows already what's to come and she recoils from his touch, however slight the motion is. "It can be like the old days."
He shakes his head. "It can't. We aren't the same people we were, Benna, and by and large that's for the better. We're no good for each other." Though she flinches at his touch, Cid cradles her cheek in his hand. "I can't be the man you deserve. Someone who will put you before all else."
It's palpable, the wave of grief that washes over her face, which she quashes beneath anger in an attempt to mask its presence. But Benedikta's voice is frighteningly calm. "I should have known better. Very well, Cidolfus. If such is the case then leave me be. Return to your ceaseless work."
Cid considers whether it would be worth the effort to try convincing her he truly means the best. But it's not likely to get him far with her in this state, so instead he bids her farewell and makes his way back towards his solar. Only he finds himself lingering in the main hall, his gaze drawn towards the Shelves. He's none too eager to return to the silence and monotony of his office following that dreary conversation with Benedikta, and he had been curious about Joshua. But what are the odds the little lord is present there now?
Actually, not so slim the more he thinks about it.
At worst Cid can pop in and have a chat with Tomes. Maybe even entertain Crow and Tett if they're around, as they'll no doubt be eager to seek a reprieve from their studies. Though as it turns out, the twins are already preoccupied by the very man he'd come searching for.
Cid posts up in the doorway to watch the three of them, the twins sat at Joshua's feet with Torgal curled around them, both enthralled by some tale Cid's heard once or twice. He can't blame the kids for being engrossed; Joshua takes to storytelling with a natural dramatic flair, gesticulating as he narrates the climactic battle between a brave monster hunter and a wicked bloodsucking beast. Cid finds himself drawn in, though less for the tale being told and more to take in the sight before him. Bright blue eyes filled with liveliness and a soft face illuminated by the young lord's smile.
Those pretty blues catch on Cid after a time and Joshua briefly falters, probably surprised to find another audience member. So Cid strides forward and motions for him to keep going. "Don't stop on my account-"
"Shhh!" Crow cranes her head around to level a harsh look at him, a finger pressed to her lips.
"I-" Now it's Cid who stumbles over his own words. He meets Joshua's gaze again and gives a huff of laughter as he settles onto a chair. "Sorry…"
Joshua hides his own laugh with a cough before resuming. "And so it was that the hero of our tale prevailed on all accounts. Slayed the beast that had been terrorizing the duchy, protected the Archduchess from a plot on her life, and in reward was bequeathed a fine vineyard that he might tend for the rest of his days. A fitting place, he thought, to at last rest his head for a time and lay down the swords he'd bore for decades."
This time it's Tett who interrupts and receives a shushing from his sister, though he pays her no mind. "He gave up being a hunter? But he was the best of the best, weren't he?"
"Indeed he was," Joshua affirms. "But when one gets to be as old as he was, one starts to consider whether they are willing to continue down that path."
Cid leans back in his seat with a groan. "I know that from experience. You'll see when you get to be my age, kids."
"Well I'm not going to retire when I become a swordsman." Tett proclaims, pounding his puny chest with his fist.
Joshua's smile grows softer. "And I'm certain you will be the finest to walk all of Storm. But our hero found happiness in his new home with friends and family to join him. The last of his adventuring troupe, his dearly beloved daughter, and of course the woman he would one day wed."
Crow, tired of being ignored, tips her chin up. "I think it's a lovely ending."
Grinning, Cid sits forward with an arm draped over his knees. "Lovelier than the version I heard, at any rate. A much bleaker tale, that one, and bawdier. Assuming you left out the saucy bits for the children's sake."
It's hard not to laugh at the sight of Joshua's face turning rosy red. "Of course I did."
On the floor both kids have turned their attention to Cid. "Saucy bits?"
Cid nods. "Oh yes, like the fact that the hero's eventual wife is quite fond of being taken on her stuffed unicorn."
"Cid!"
"Taken where?" Crow asks.
"What's a unicorn?" Tett wonders.
Joshua clears his throat. "Unicorns aren't real, so I wouldn't trouble yourself over it."
"Well hold on." Cid holds up a hand. "The lad's curious. You'd stamp out that curiosity? Listen here, unicorns might be a myth but it's not hard to understand the concept. A unicorn is like a horse except it has a…" A frown twists up his mouth as he realizes his error. Folks from Storm wouldn't have many tales about the strange, extinct species that survives in memory solely by the grace of Odin's pompous steed. "Suppose you wouldn't know what a horse is either. Well, uh…"
Joshua steps in to save him the trouble, motioning for the twins to stand. "If the two of you are truly curious, perhaps you can do some research in the future. For now I think Harpocrates will be fine with my dismissing you for the day. Run along now."
"Alright. Goodbye Joshua." Crow leads the way out of the library, already jabbering with her brother about a game they plan to play in the backyard.
Cid watches them go with a fond smile. When he turns back towards Joshua he's surprised to find the younger Dominant giving a look of disapproval. Well, perhaps not too surprised. "You are a menace."
"Ah, don't be too upset. It's not like I went into detail."
Joshua rolls his eyes but Cid can see the humor glimmering in them. "I hope you at least enjoyed this tamer re-telling of the story."
"But of course. You have a rather lovely voice fit for the telling of it. You'd make a fine orator." Warmth blooms in his chest to see the flush return to Joshua's cheeks. It's a sight he's increasingly happy to see each time he's graced with it. "I'm glad I found you here. You've had me a bit worried, not visiting like you used to."
Blue eyes widen in surprise before Joshua turns his head away. "My apologies. I…"
Cid gives a little shake of his head. "You've nothing to apologize for. I understand the stress you must be under with your research. I only hope you're not overworking yourself in the effort; won't accomplish much of anything if you're burnt down to the wick."
"Of course." Joshua folds his hands in his lap, though he still doesn't look at Cid. "I confess I had hoped you would not mind. You seemed quite busy yourself, with Lady Harman to keep you company at that. And I… I suppose I thought the two of you might prefer more personal time together."
Cid's brows furrow. "That so?"
"I- Yes?" Now Joshua turns his head back. An equally puzzled look colors his face, bright eyes rounded out and his lips parted. "I gathered that the two of you were, ah… Intimately close. Was I wrong in that assessment?"
Seems that even when Cid's trying to put the conversation with Benedikta out of mind it finds a way to return front and center. He sighs, though it bleeds into a tired sort of chuckle. "Afraid so, lad. Benedikta and I… Once upon a time we were. In the olds days when we both stood beneath the same black banner. But even then we weren't quite right for each other. She loved the man I was then, or maybe convinced herself that's what it was. Who's to say but her? I love her still, I do, but it isn't the kind she's after. And besides," He continues with a weary groan as he pushes himself to his feet. "Much as I'd like to prolong the inevitable, who knows how many years I have left in me? She deserves better than I can give her."
There's a pause in their conversation and Cid watches a swirl of emotions flit across Joshua's face in the interim. What he thinks is likely surprise, maybe something close to understanding, potentially even relief but Cid can't be so certain with how briefly each appears. Until at last his expression settles into neutrality. "I fear you give yourself too little credit. But I can see why you would make such a decision. From what I've seen of Benedikta, she would certainly benefit from a period of self-reflection."
It's the most diplomatic manner Cid's ever heard someone describe another as needing a reality check. He can't fight off the crooked smile it summons up. "Too right. Give her a few years and I've no doubt she'll find someone that'll make her happy."
"Perhaps you might even find the same." Joshua notes, and the sincerity in his words - in his pretty smile, in his warm gaze, in the little lord's bleeding heart - steals Cid's breath away.
Fuck.
Gods damn it all.
He can't do this. Not now. He can't let himself want like this when he's just laid Benna's hopes to rest. To say nothing of how wrong it would be. Cid's getting up there in years and Joshua's even younger than Benedikta. Joshua who, he reminds himself, is bound for his father's throne one day, a fate he's heard from the little lord's own lips. This is no fairy tale of knights and heroic hunters. An outlaw is no fit for an Archduke, no matter how one might wish it.
He says none of this, obviously. Just returns that lovely smile with a curt one of his own. "Maybe. Well, I'm off. Duty never rests or however the saying goes."
"Mm. Do try not to overwork yourself." Joshua jokes.
Cid chuckles and nods in concession. Gives a wave as he turns to go.
Unaware that all of Joshua's being remains fixed on his retreating figure, alight not with the flames of the Phoenix but with the light of hope reignited in his yearning heart. For perhaps there is a chance after all. Perhaps, this once, he might be willing to indulge in desire.