melodiesofeternity

The problem with being six-foot-one among a group that were nearly a foot shorter than you was the crowds. Hypello, tourists and more liked to move around the city in the hustle and bustle, moving from one sight to the next or retire to their resort hotels. With a scowl, he braced himself as another group passed right around him, filtering without any form of spacial awareness.

"C'mon, watch where you're freakin'- ...!"

He blinked. Shit, where'd they go? Uendo, Kuja and Naoto were just here. But even if he squinted, he couldn't spy the telltale hair, feathers or hat anywhere.

Maybe it was because he was a split-second thinker, or maybe it was because the heat was getting to be a bit much and he should have known better when they were searching for an ice eidolon's temple that he should have considered an opposites thing that maybe he should have packed the coat away for later.

"A'right, SOUND OFF! Where's my damn tiny team!?" He hollered over the crowds, earning a few stares.

Uendo didn't know his travel companions very well, having only spoken with Naoto before. Still, visiting a big city was a lot less daunting in a group, especially with a big guy like Kanji there to look after them.

And good thing, too. They had hardly been there for five minutes and Uendo had already lost sight of the others among the throngs of people. At Kanji's call, he stood on his tippy-toes and waved a hand as high up as he could reach.

"SIR! Damn Tiny Three, reporting in!" Yes, they had code names now. It was decided. "Damn Tiny One and Damn Tiny Two, do you copy?"

Kuja had, likely, been quite scarce on the trip over, barely even visible; where he'd been hiding was anybody's guess, save an occasional sighting near the cargo hold. He'd all but vanished upon the others disembarking, which might well have put his dedication to this 'exploration mission' in question.

At Kanji's words, however, a shadow passes overhead, the faint impression of massive wings beating the air. There are gasps, and the crowd shies away at once from Kanji and Uendo, clearing an area as, perhaps somewhat alarmingly, a dragon swoops in to land, silver-white with feathered wings, crimson eyes gazing imperiously at the smaller creatures around it. And sitting astride the great beast's back, sliding off with all the grace and poise of a cat, is Kuja, having modified his usual outfit to include actual pants, his bolero exchanged for a longer coat in a similar design, and a scarf; it wouldn't do to freeze to death, after all.
As Kuja adjusts his clothes, he straightens once again, smirking. "Damn Tiny One, present and accounted for."
Those who've met Kuja before might have described him as 'smug'. This goes well beyond smug. Mere smugness could not account for this. No, this is pride, pure and undiluted, a peacock displaying its fan and strutting. One hand reaches up to absently stroke the dragon's head, the creature closing its eyes and arching into the touch.

"Good morning, all. Comfortable flight, I trust?"

"Please choose another name for us, Kanji-kun."

And why had the other two just gone along with it?

Either way, she had snuck her way back through the crowd thanks to Kuja's arrival on his dragon to appear beside Kanji, shaking her head at the display. So wholly unnecessary, but if he brought his dragon, they now had a method in which to soar overhead. They just had to be careful due to air zone restrictions and the airships themselves, but they should be fine.

"The flight was fair. Anyway, I was getting directions to the Temple, but most methods to the center of this city on foot will take almost an hour." No she was not looking at Kuja from the corner of her eye...

Kuja is, plainly, in unnaturally high spirits. That may be why he allowed the nickname without complaint. Now why could that be?
"An hour, on foot? Well, I am in a good mood, this morning; and since I have such an interest in the Eidolons of this world I'm certain Opalescence could be convinced to carry an additional passenger."

Well, there was Uendo, but he was starting to regret talking the way he did, because he had a funny feeling he was being made fun of-

He moved at a start when the shadow passed overhead, but relaxed when the dragon landed without devouring the masses and bore a familiar face at the back. Of course, the guy had to have an entrance, and he could respect that... but did the guy have to look so smug? Kinda ruined the whole thing.

"I'm glad I don't get airsick, at least," he grumbled. God knows how he'd last here if he got green in the gills at higher altitudes.

But his spine was straight as an arrow when Naoto seemed to just appear next to him like she always did. "O-oi... it helped find you guys, didn't it? I mean, I'm open to suggestions... but good call on the directions. An hour ain't a big deal, right?"

Yet Kanji had to brighten up at the suggestion. He could walk no trouble, but if the dragon could carry another, then that'd be one less person potentially lost in the crowds.

"Fair enough. Who wants to ride Opal's Essence?" He'd just heard the name, and yet...

...That was a dragon. An absolutely gorgeous dragon, at that. Uendo stared, mesmerized, as the creature descended and let its rider dismount. No amount of smugness on Kuja's part could have ruined the show, because frankly? Uendo would have been smug too if he had a pet dragon.

And to think his homeworld had nothing like this. So unfair.

"M-May I?" He was trying not to sound too eager, and likely failing miserably at it. "I could inform the priests of our arrival and begin preparations for the summoning ritual while the two of you catch up."

"-Opalescence." The correction comes instantly. He'd just thought of the damn name yesterday, he's not about to let someone say it incorrectly. "And yes, that may be a good idea. I don't think she ought to come inside, but..." He pulls out his Slate, checks the map. "It's not that far, as the crow flies. It would save time, no doubt, just to come back. If nobody minds."
Uendo's eagerness is not lost on him, though. "Beautiful, isn't she? I was so surprised when it was her in the Dreamwidth and not some useless trinket- the only Silver Dragon on Vaikuntha; can't wait to visit the Lady of Bliss, they'll all make themselves sick with envy."

Though Naoto wouldn't oppose seeing Lavode from another height, if Opalescence could only take one extra passenger... and Uendo was completely enthralled. Of all of them, his world was likely the odd one out by way of being normal. And Kanji, though he didn't get airsick, he likely wouldn't be fond of being up that high without any safety nets.

"That sounds like a fair plan. I'll walk with Kanji-kun and Toneido-san will ride with Kuja-san ahead on Opalescence. There's a trial we'll both need to pass before praying to Shiva so don't get too far ahead on that. Perhaps there's other information that could be gathered at the Temple though."

"Go get 'em," he nodded to Uendo. Take the fancy ride and possibly deal with the play-by-play on how Kuja got his hands on the dragon, as it seemed to be an immense point of pride for him. He even wanted to show off to people he knew.

Yeah. Dude's head probably swelled a good three times and Kanji fought not to notice.

"We'll catch up. I'd probably scare off any of the keepers at the temple if I just rolled up first." He hated the thought, but facts were facts. Maybe he was scarier than Shiva.

"Kinda weird that an ice Eidolon is... here. But maybe I shouldn't be surprised."

"She's magnificent!" Uendo bowed with his palms pressed together, flushed with barely contained glee. "Thank you very much -- I won't forget this for as long as I live."

Kuja probably didn't need any more flattery, but come on. They were going to ride on a dragon. Even if it was only for a short distance, Uendo was so glad he had decided to come along.

"Don't worry, Shirogane-san. I won't start the show without you." He looked from her to Kanji and nodded. "You'd think she would like it up in the north, wouldn't you? I suppose we could just ask her ourselves when we get the chance. We'll see you two in a bit, then?"

Edited 2018-09-06 11:04 (UTC)

Kuja shrugs, and the silver dragon raises one foreleg, seemingly as a step up, as the genome lifts himself onto her neck, both legs resting to one side. "Behind me, if you will, Uendo. We'll see what we can find and prepare for your arrival, hm?"

Nodding to Uendo, she raised her head, considering. It was true - it did seem strange for an ice-aligned Eidolon to be among the populous like this, but again, maybe some time ago it was different. Around the Republic of Safer or the Myste Aura Kingdom made more sense, but like her fellow Summoner said, they could just ask once they made contact.

"Alright. Let's proceed. Have a safe flight you two..."

They really shouldn't delay their walk any longer. Looking up at Kanji, she turned and headed off. Hopefully he was quick to follow; otherwise, the crowd would make her vanish again.

He was quick to follow, primarily because he didn't want to test his luck with the role call again and just getting shot in the kneecaps. He opted instead for putting on his game face and making use of his long stride.

...Except he had a scowl that could sour milk, and he was inadvertently clearing a path for them as they went.

"Hoping there ain't another tentacle bastard pretending to be Shiva like the last one..."

Uendo watched how Kuja climbed on the dragon and carefully followed suit, settling on a spot where he hopefully wouldn't hinder her wings.

He was most likely going to spend the entire flight completely starstruck and shrieking on the inside. Don't mind him.

There's a slight lurch as the Silver Dragon takes flight, rising up above the rooftops and soaring towards the north. "I'm going to hazard a guess and say this is your first time encountering a dragon?"
Kuja's enjoying this way too much.

"My thoughts as well... Though, if he does show up here, we have someone who wouldn't mind putting him in his place..."

And seriously, that tentacle... thing needed to stop whatever it was doing. According to the other Summoners, Ultros had been a useless replacement, often attacking their summoner and allies, or not providing any contribution. "... I wonder who was responsible for bringing him here and establishing him in Leviathan's place..."

"Somethin' to put a pin into for later. Maybe Bahamut would like some takoyaki and that's the key to saving this place." A thought out loud, silly as it sounded, but one couldn't be too careful with this place.

"Man, I dunno why he keeps makin' me think about food..."

But even now, looking at menus pinned on restaurant fronts, he could tell that eating here would be too rich for anybody's blood. Though, he wondered what fancy resort food tasted like.

He paused in his speech. The others were moving on ahead, so...

"I know I ask this each time, but: You nervous?" The eidolons were so wildly different from one another. Who the hell knew what Shiva would be like?

The flight to the temple, compared to hoofing it, is blissfully short, though Uendo would probably have preferred it longer. The silver dragon swoops low over the rooftops, steering with ease around taller houses.

It's not long before the temple is in sight, and they're descending once more. "Mm. I doubt very much the temple will be able to accommodate her, and dragons don't do well in cold environs anyway... best to wait outside, I should think."

The sensation of leaving the ground stole Uendo's breath away. It was both terrifying and exhilarating, watching the city grow distant below them, but the dragon's flight was effortless and steady, keeping them securely on her back. Although Uendo had no control over her path, he still felt a rush of freedom he hadn't felt on airships; there was a thrill in knowing that they could go anywhere they wanted, unhindered by silly things like gravity or flight schedules.

It took a lot to leave the usually talkative storyteller speechless, but this certainly did it. He was hardly able to get a word out until they were making their way down to Shiva's temple.

"I... Wow." He laughed, sheepish. "Nothing's ever going to top this. I think I need a moment."

If only the flight had been a little longer... Although he shouldn't really wish that, considering Naoto and Kanji were stuck walking the entire way.

"Food to calm the beast? It's a very novel idea..." She wasn't too sure how Bahamut might feel if he was fed a large octopus monster though. Maybe it wouldn't matter and that food would be food.

"I'm not sure. When was the last time you had takoyaki? It might be a craving..."

But they were also surrounded by food. Restaurants, cafés, the works, but it made sense to be at or near the airship field in order to catch new tourists that might be willing to shell out. Typical of any tourist destination.

Moving forward, she stayed close and considered Kanji's questions.

"As usual, I can't say if it's nervousness or anticipation. Until I actually face her, I can only make mental preparations in the event things go wrong." She doesn't think that readiness counted towards nervousness though.

He couldn't help himself. He'd had breakfast, but his stomach reminded him that he had a long flight to get here and he was nothing short of salivating at the sight of all the different restaurants and cafes. Expensive places just had better food, right? But smaller portions. That was the curse.

Still, he had to swallow. Shiva was first. Food was later.

Kanji's face had grown brim. There was always a possibility of things going wrong. Every eidolon wanted some sort of proof. What the hell could Shiva have up her sleeve...?

"Well, that's where I come in: My Summoner comes out in one piece, with enhanced knowledge." He even gesticulated, puffed his chest and added some fancy vernacular.

The temple was easy enough to spot, even if it took some doing to get there. Upon reaching those ornate steps, feeling that first unusually cool breath of wind from the very building itself, he was brought to pause. He had a funny feeling in his gut about what to expect once inside.

"I see the others. I hope they haven't been waiting up too long, but I bet we'll hear that from Fancy-Pants regardless of how long the walk took."

Kuja just smirks. "It does take one's breath away, doesn't it? I wonder if I should start charging for rides..." He looks up at the temple to Shiva, dismounting and reaching up to stroke the dragon's neck. "Are temples typically guarded by monsters of some variety? I'd assume we're to face a trial."

"Sometimes." Well, he heard that much as he headed on up. He was glad not to hear any sort of lecturing, but it was a good time to go over the ins and outs of trials and eidolons.

"Depends on how the eidolon feels. Most wait in the center of the whole thing, where the Summoner gives prayer and has a little chat. None of 'em just pass themselves over, though. They always want some kinda test, like we saw with Leviathan."

"I doubt we'll be seeing too many monsters this close to a residential area. They're more common when the Eidolon lives out in the wilderness, like Ifrit and Titan."

Uendo waved to Kanji and Naoto as they came up the stairs. The time it had taken them to reach the temple had been long enough for him to regain his composure. Or at least hide his dragon-induced giddiness better.

"And even if the Eidolon likes you, the initial summoning process on its own is pretty rough on the body. I practically conked out for a week after I bonded with Ramuh." He gave Naoto a smile. "You ready for this, Shirogane-san?"

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Sorry for the wait!

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