Rydia : (28) : Land of Summoned Monsters
Title: Free
Theme + Number: (28) Land of Summoned Monsters
Claim: Rydia (character; challenge)
Characters/Pairings included: Rosa
Rating: K
Warnings: n/a
Notes: this Rosa somewhat spurred by a discussion with lassarina, who is bad for my productivity at work.
Summary: Rydia and Rosa discuss freedom.
"So what was it like?"
Rydia looks up, weary. She's so tired she isn't even sure what Rosa is talking about: the Giant of Bab-Il is wearing them all out, one by one.
"The Land of Summons," Rosa adds, pulling up the sides of her long mage's cape and sitting down beside her.
Rydia smiles involuntarily. "It was - it was a good place to be," she replies, shifting to make a little more room for Rosa on the slab of metal. "Monsters are different than people, but the Summon Monsters are a lot different than wild monsters, and they did the best that they could."
"Was it hard?"
The Caller bends her head a little in thought. "It was hard, at first, just because it wasn't Mist," Rydia says. "I wanted my mother and baked apple pie and the safety of my own room, and I didn't have any of that."
Rosa giggles a little bit - "Monsters don't eat pie?" she teases, and Rydia can't help but laugh herself, her familiar cackle.
"Monsters don't eat much of anything, actually," she answers with a crooked grin. "It was mostly meat, and once I was old enough to learn how to put it in stew, that's pretty much what I did. They didn't have much to cook with, either. It was like camping -" a brief memory of her mother, allowing her spry greenhaired daughter to sleep in the backyard with her best friend, watching over the two of them through the peace of night; "except for years."
"Where did you live?"
Rydia sighs. "Everywhere. The monsters have houses, but it's not like they belong to one specific monster; and Asura and Leviathan had a castle, but it was open. Monster-life is so different - they're free to wander all the time, go wherever they like, and since there's no day and night, they just sleep when they get tired, wherever they are."
Rosa's eyes are a little wide now and Rydia sees the explanation for her strange sleeping habits written across her friend's face. "There's no day or night?"
Rydia shrugs. "It's underground; there's no sun."
"I guess that makes sense," Rosa admits with an embarassed giggle. "But you didn't have - a house? A room of your own?"
"Nah." Rydia shrugs again. "Initially it was sad, because I wanted it to feel like Mist - like people. But eventually ...well, I grew out of it, I guess. It's nice, in a way, to feel so free - I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted." She grins her crooked grin again. "There aren't really any possessions down there - everything's shared, at least within the community. It wasn't like I'd had anything to keep in a room anyway."
"You weren't scared to sleep by yourself?"
Her mouth quirks in memory. "I slept with Asura at first because I was scared. Somehow, sleeping with a monster was better than sleeping alone." Her hands clasp before her. "I think I grew up faster there than I would have in Mist." Rydia chuckles to herself. "Whether that's good or bad, I don't know. Eventually I was sleeping out in the wild with the other monsters, or by myself. It's a very safe place, and they all looked out for me."
Rosa is looking into the fire with an almost wistful look on her face, and Rydia leans over, surprised. "What's wrong?"
Rosa shrugs, very delicately, as delicate Rosa does most anything. "I'm almost ...jealous," she says, although she smiles after it, Rosa's smooth graceful smile which is nothing like Rydia's crooked grin.
"Why?" Rydia asks, thoroughly confused, and Rosa giggles at her again and reaches out a hand to trace her face.
"Oh, Rydia, you never learned to lie either, did you?" She does not appear to want an answer, so Rydia stays silent, letting Rosa run light fingers over her cheeks, then bring her hand back to her own mouth as if in surprise. "Everything you think is written right across your face."
"What are you jealous about?" Rydia asks, both genuinely curious and almost insulted: it wasn't as if her life was easy, or really great, or anything for Rosa to be jealous of. Rosa still has her mother and her hometown and a house which is hers and in which she is always welcome: although Rydia would never take back a day of her life in the Land of Summons, she has no idea what else Rosa could possibly want.
"It sounds so ...wild," Rosa says, softly and smoothly and almost ashamed. "So much freedom." And in her eyes Rydia sees the shadow of a life, a father missing in battle and a protective mother pushing her daughter towards safety, towards White Wizardry and shelter and the protection of a Baronian Knight, and a warrior's spirit quenched.
And Rydia looks at her friend, her once-mother, admiring Rosa's courtly posture and womanly grace, and wonders whether one always wants what one sees in others and does not have.
For: mount_ordeals, FFIV
XP: brokenprism
Theme + Number: (28) Land of Summoned Monsters
Claim: Rydia (character; challenge)
Characters/Pairings included: Rosa
Rating: K
Warnings: n/a
Notes: this Rosa somewhat spurred by a discussion with lassarina, who is bad for my productivity at work.
Summary: Rydia and Rosa discuss freedom.
"So what was it like?"
Rydia looks up, weary. She's so tired she isn't even sure what Rosa is talking about: the Giant of Bab-Il is wearing them all out, one by one.
"The Land of Summons," Rosa adds, pulling up the sides of her long mage's cape and sitting down beside her.
Rydia smiles involuntarily. "It was - it was a good place to be," she replies, shifting to make a little more room for Rosa on the slab of metal. "Monsters are different than people, but the Summon Monsters are a lot different than wild monsters, and they did the best that they could."
"Was it hard?"
The Caller bends her head a little in thought. "It was hard, at first, just because it wasn't Mist," Rydia says. "I wanted my mother and baked apple pie and the safety of my own room, and I didn't have any of that."
Rosa giggles a little bit - "Monsters don't eat pie?" she teases, and Rydia can't help but laugh herself, her familiar cackle.
"Monsters don't eat much of anything, actually," she answers with a crooked grin. "It was mostly meat, and once I was old enough to learn how to put it in stew, that's pretty much what I did. They didn't have much to cook with, either. It was like camping -" a brief memory of her mother, allowing her spry greenhaired daughter to sleep in the backyard with her best friend, watching over the two of them through the peace of night; "except for years."
"Where did you live?"
Rydia sighs. "Everywhere. The monsters have houses, but it's not like they belong to one specific monster; and Asura and Leviathan had a castle, but it was open. Monster-life is so different - they're free to wander all the time, go wherever they like, and since there's no day and night, they just sleep when they get tired, wherever they are."
Rosa's eyes are a little wide now and Rydia sees the explanation for her strange sleeping habits written across her friend's face. "There's no day or night?"
Rydia shrugs. "It's underground; there's no sun."
"I guess that makes sense," Rosa admits with an embarassed giggle. "But you didn't have - a house? A room of your own?"
"Nah." Rydia shrugs again. "Initially it was sad, because I wanted it to feel like Mist - like people. But eventually ...well, I grew out of it, I guess. It's nice, in a way, to feel so free - I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted." She grins her crooked grin again. "There aren't really any possessions down there - everything's shared, at least within the community. It wasn't like I'd had anything to keep in a room anyway."
"You weren't scared to sleep by yourself?"
Her mouth quirks in memory. "I slept with Asura at first because I was scared. Somehow, sleeping with a monster was better than sleeping alone." Her hands clasp before her. "I think I grew up faster there than I would have in Mist." Rydia chuckles to herself. "Whether that's good or bad, I don't know. Eventually I was sleeping out in the wild with the other monsters, or by myself. It's a very safe place, and they all looked out for me."
Rosa is looking into the fire with an almost wistful look on her face, and Rydia leans over, surprised. "What's wrong?"
Rosa shrugs, very delicately, as delicate Rosa does most anything. "I'm almost ...jealous," she says, although she smiles after it, Rosa's smooth graceful smile which is nothing like Rydia's crooked grin.
"Why?" Rydia asks, thoroughly confused, and Rosa giggles at her again and reaches out a hand to trace her face.
"Oh, Rydia, you never learned to lie either, did you?" She does not appear to want an answer, so Rydia stays silent, letting Rosa run light fingers over her cheeks, then bring her hand back to her own mouth as if in surprise. "Everything you think is written right across your face."
"What are you jealous about?" Rydia asks, both genuinely curious and almost insulted: it wasn't as if her life was easy, or really great, or anything for Rosa to be jealous of. Rosa still has her mother and her hometown and a house which is hers and in which she is always welcome: although Rydia would never take back a day of her life in the Land of Summons, she has no idea what else Rosa could possibly want.
"It sounds so ...wild," Rosa says, softly and smoothly and almost ashamed. "So much freedom." And in her eyes Rydia sees the shadow of a life, a father missing in battle and a protective mother pushing her daughter towards safety, towards White Wizardry and shelter and the protection of a Baronian Knight, and a warrior's spirit quenched.
And Rydia looks at her friend, her once-mother, admiring Rosa's courtly posture and womanly grace, and wonders whether one always wants what one sees in others and does not have.
For: mount_ordeals, FFIV
XP: brokenprism