songerein | fifteenth shot ⊗ closed log

[He steps over next to her to cross his arms over the railing, leaning over with a more relaxed posture.]

Not necessarily... It's the only island that is mostly covered in water and the closest to an ocean with beaches we have. Most of it is contained, but some of the water will run over the island's edges. It also has a warm climate and abundant in resources, so because of this many people come to visit. This is how businesses to service them began and now there are many different kinds of resorts and festivals there.

[Tifa draws a little checkmark in the air.]

Another place to add to the date spot list.

[Soon, they'll have too many date spots that they'll be spending most of them in dreams rather than in Reverein. Not that it's a problem, of course... she's enjoying herself far too much right now for it to be. Their options are limitless here, and she figured this wouldn't be the last time they would visit this world again or fly through the skies on the deck of the Grandcypher.

For now, she's more interested in these oceans that spill out over the edges of the island.]

Sounds like something almost out of a fairy tale... And when we come back again, maybe we'll visit the town itself. See one of those festivals?

[Hah, they really do have a number lined up, don't they? And it's a bit strange to think what's normal for him seems fantastical to her. Perhaps he'll feel the same when he sees her places from her world.

A world with the skies... Even Songerein is still strange to him at times to not think of it as one giant island.]

During the summer would be fitting... They have quite a few then.

Well, good thing we've got plenty to keep us busy until then.

[The one she promised to show him of Midgar, the Gold Saucer, back to that special, secret spot of his... There's no shortage of places to go. And who knows, maybe they can bring Lyria along for some of them too, and together they can share some of their favourite places in their world with Tifa.

As she fixes her eyes forward again, she can see something through the clouds in the not-so-far-off distance, and her foot hooks over the first notch of rails to point it out.]

Ah—! Eustace! Is that it?

Yes—but be careful.

[He knows she can keep her balance well, but the winds can sometimes be strong...]

[She smiles reassuringly at him.]

I'll be fine. I've been in scarier places before.

[Like sliding down pipes or walking across narrow ledges over the city below. Though not quite as high up, but this is all just a dream, right...?]

Think we can fly over the ocean? Maybe swoop back around to get a look at the town after?

[He's still going to be a little concerned...but he just inches a little closer.]

We can do a sweep.

[And the airship continues its steady clip through the air, the island coming into full view as they approach. It'll be difficult at first, but as they get closer, the sound of the roaring water rushing over the edge of the island can be heard over the sound of the engines.]

[Tifa's other foot hooks onto the railings now, while the one that had been there before climbs up another wrung. But she's holding on tight and carefully as they make their approach. And as the sound of the water tumbling over the edge fills her ears, she can feel a cool mist reach them as it's carried on the wind.

And as the ship carries them up over the water, close enough that she can see it but not so close that the propellers and the hum of the airship disturb it too much, she leans over to look down at it in complete awe to the ocean hundreds of feet below.]

It's so clear, and so blue...! And so much bigger than I imagined in my head.

[Don't make your husband worry, wife...!]

I never really visited all too often—not too much of a fan of the heat...and the noise. But I can see and appreciate why it's a popular destination.

The wildlife, however, can be...unpredictable. Strangely, every year there's usually some issue that arises... It almost ruined the tourist industry if I recall.

[Don't worry about her! She has almost impeccable balance—!

She giggles quietly to herself at his huffing about the noise and the heat, and she puts that away as some information for her later... whenever they decide to come back here for that "date".]

Well, good thing this is just a dream. Shouldn't run into any problems here, yeah?

[As she slowly reaches for his hand and places it gently at her waist to steady her when she hikes her boot up a little more...]

Supposedly. But one never knows what the subconscious might do...!

[As if to curse him, there's a strong gust of wind the blows past them right as Tifa is moving.]

Whoops—!

[The gust of wind interrupts whatever thought she might have had, and she falls towards Eustace, catching herself with her arms around his shoulders before she can lose her balance too much, and that breeze is gone as quickly as it had come, and she shoots him a playfully scolding glance.]

Like that?

[With a giggle, she straightens herself, but keeps Eustace's hands firmly in her grip.]

Here... Grab on for a sec...

[Now, she can start to feel some of the mist of the water being carried up in the breeze, and she closes her eyes...]

[He can only give a slight sigh.]

Tifa...what are you even trying to do?

[He's holding onto her because dream or not he doesn't want his wife to fall off the ship???]

[Tifa looks over at him and lets her eyes flutter open with the gentlest smile.]

... I don't know. I've just... never done this before.

[Any of this. Being on an airship zipping through the skies above a vast blue ocean, feeling the wind whip at her hair, the cool mist splashing against her face, and the sun beating down on them. There's so much to see, smell, and feel, and she just wants a moment closer to it all.

It's an experience she may never get in her own world, so she wants to snatch the opportunity here. Almost like something in her is compelling her to reach out and touch the clouds or the water below, but she can't quite reach them yet.

Her fingers curl tight around the rails.]

... Just for a second?

[He still worries—how could he not?—but after seeing her expression he relents a little.]

...All right, just don't go any higher.

[He shifts so that he's directly behind her so he can hold onto her waist.]

[She beams with appreciation at him. She understands his worries and they are well-placed, but she's confident that he's got her, and even more confident that if something did happen to her, that she would still be safe in his dream. Her trust in him is immense, deep, and boundless, and she knows that he will take care of her...

With that comfort in mind, Tifa closes her eyes and looks ahead, and feeling Eustace's firm grip on her waist, she lets her hands leave the rails. Not for very long, but long enough for her to feel like she's flying... Long enough for all of her fears to wash away from her. If this were any other time, she might have been terrified of the heights, and thought back to when she had supposedly fallen from the mountain, the memory still spotty.

But not here. Not with him. With Eustace, there's so very little room for her to feel afraid of anything.

And as they soar through the air and the misty water speckles her face, her joy in the feeling makes her burst out into a fit of giggles.]

Eustace, have you really never tried this?

[She opens her eyes again to look back at him, cheeks flushed in exhilaration.]

Feels like I'm flying...

[The only thing that feels like flying is his heart as it races seeing her standing so precariously on the railing. His grip tightens a fraction as he watches her release the railing, a flash of fear naturally passing through. But he also tries to not let it take over, again reminding himself that he's the one in control of this dream and one slip really could spell disaster.

Maybe he's made her too confident around him—

At the same, glimpsing up at her face reveals the pure exhilaration and joy she has, and that allows the sun to seem to shine brighter and the surface of the water seem to sparkle beneath them. An expression she can only wear because of that trust she has in him.

So he's unable to answer, too focused on watching her instead.]

[She doesn't mind his silence, and instead only smiles back before she's focusing ahead again. She can see the rest of the island growing bigger as they approach, but there's still so much water between them that she feels like they might just fly forever...

And they do... for a while.

Tifa remains that way for some time, taking in the way the wind feels against her face and hair. Not even the highest peak of Mount Nibel could make her feel this way. The air is, once again, so fresh and clean, and she breathes it in before exhaling with more soft laughter.

Everything is fine and well as they sweep over the water, and she's about ready to climb back down...]

This is amazing...ah—!

[But just as she leans forward to put her hands back on the railings for extra support, they reach a small pocket of friction in the air that jerks the ship violently enough that it could easily knock them both off balance. Tifa certainly loses hers, and she feels her knees tap against the rails before she's tumbling forward over them—

Tumbling forward and as her hand reaches out to grab hold of something, she misses by just an inch...

And drops towards the water.]

[As time passes, he considers coaxing Tifa back down again. Surely she's had enough? But just as he's about to, the ship rocks violently and he staggers, losing his grip on her as he's forced backwards. And that forces him to watch helplessly in horror as she tumbles over.]

Tifa—!!

[There are no real thoughts running through his mind as he screams after her, his body moving on its own. And before he realizes it, he's already vaulting over the railing after her, free falling headfirst as he desperately tries to reach her.

He can't lose her.

It's all a dream, a part of him knows that, but that doesn't stop the sheer abject terror that engulfs him. No matter if it's dream, he still can't lose her. He needs to reach her, catch her, save her—

In that moment his mind finally reaches clarity, and there's a flash of white light before a gust of snow flurries and white petals encircle her. And in the next moment, rather than Eustace, a silvery gray white lindworm bursts through the clouds, flying around her before diving underneath to catch her right before she hits the water, water splashing upward from the force as he continues to fly over.]

[It all happens so fast. Fearless as she is, there is still that sinking feeling of dread in her stomach, and her chest feels like it's constricting. The air is thin as she falls through the clouds and tumbles to the water far below, so thin that she forgets to breathe for a moment. Forgets that she's in a dream, and with Eustace... and it's almost like she's back on Mount Nibel, or rather... falling from it, and when she dares open her eyes for even a second, it's not filled with blue skies but dark mountain walls, and a seemingly endless pit of darkness below.

But then... her fall stops, and something is catching her.

Something large and covered in hundreds of familiar scales... First, they feel hot to the touch on her skin, and she's taken aback suddenly by it. There's a very real panic that sets in—one more vivid than the fear of falling into the ocean—and the scar on her chest burns as her nails dig into the scales on the creature's back as she screws her eyes shut, tears erupting in their corners. The last time she had felt them was...

This isn't a nightmare, she reminds herself. This isn't a nightmare. This is all just a dream, a good dream with Eustace. They were on the airship, not on a war-torn battlefield, or in that icy cave. That version of him is gone—has been since they worked through all of that together.

So why did she feel so afraid?

...

But it's the scent of flowers, the splash of water, and the bite of frost on her skin that yanks her free from that brief torment. It had only been a matter of seconds, but in her head, it felt like forever. And when she opens her eyes, it's not the large black-scaled lindworm that she had feared seeing. Beneath her, as she clings to its back, is a silver lindworm, its scales shimmering brilliantly under the sun as it glides right over the water.

Holding onto him tight, Tifa lifts her head, and her voice is laced with confusion.]

... Eustace? Is that... you?

[After all this time, he can still take on this form?]

[There's a moment of silence before she'll hear his voice, dry and slightly exasperated, rumbling beneath her.]

Listen to your husband next time.

[Yes, it is him. It had taken him a bit to calm his heart even after he caught her, but it was only after he felt her nails dig into his scales was be able to start to relax.

As he continues to skim over the water's surface, his pace slows so it's a more casual glide.]

...Are you all right?

[It's been a lot, he's certain. Not only the fall, but this form... It was the first thing he thought of, but he still knows it's a bit of a tender spot for the both of them. But if he could save her with it this time then...]

[She should have expected it, but his voice rumbling through the air and in her head startles her a bit. It is a lot, and the wounds still feel fresh when they're touched again, but as soon as she's sure it's him and not some nightmarish version of the lindworm, he'll feel her relax on his back, the nails that dug into his scales replaced with the warm, soothing caress of her fingertips.

His scolding is earned, and she accepts it with a nod he may be able to sense, but the softest, quietest laugh escapes her as she leans her head against the cool, metallic scales.]

I am.

[Now. Now she's all right. In those few seconds of panic, she hadn't been, but everything is okay now. She knew that he would find a way.

After a brief respite to catch her breath and composure again, she lifts herself up to see that they are gliding smoothly over the water, slow enough that she feels safe riding on his back, and her hand runs a light, affectionate circle over one of his scales.]

I didn't know you could still do this.

[He soon feels her relax and he briefly closes his eyes before he continues to fly them gently over the water. He should find a place for them to land...but they just so happened to be at the outer edge of the widest part of the ocean so it will take a bit.]

I haven't really tried lately, but it didn't matter. I had to catch you no matter form I took.

And you did. Thank you...

[What would she do without him...

She leans down to touch a brief, gentle kiss to his scales, but her attention is soon pulled towards the water that splashes at her as his tail grazes the surface, and the loud tumbling of it as it falls over the edge of the island.]

Think I like the view from here better, though...

Oh?

...Do you want me to fly around?

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