Keepsake - Final Fantasy V
Title: Keepsake
Fandom: Final Fantasy V
Characters: Faris Scherwiz
Rating: G
Summary: A young Faris suddenly remembers a piece of treasure.
Author's Note: None.
Faris stopped abruptly as he felt something small and cold slide down his stomach towards his belt. He clung to the ratlines, not daring to breathe, much less keep climbing. "What's the matter, boy?!" roared a man from below. "Taken fright, have yer?"
"No!" He nearly forgot to pitch his voice lower. He could feel it moving inside his shirt, shifting jerkily along his waist as the ship pitched and rolled. It was going to fall out. It was going to fall out onto the deck and he'd have to explain it and one of the men would decide to keep it and he wasn't big enough to fight them--he could scrap with the other lads just fine, but what if the captain picked it up? He couldn't. It'd be gone. And if the captain got it they might find out his secret, want to know if Faris had any other pretty little baubles stashed away....
Or worse, it would fall into the sea. And then he'd never find out what it was or why he had it.
A gust of wind brought him back into the moment. Seeing no better option, Faris scrambled up the rigging as quick as he could, praying desperately as he felt it bounce around don't fall out don't fall out. "About time!" said one of his mates when Faris swung onto the mizzenmast. "What's the matter with ya?" Faris was fishing around in his shirt like a man trying to find where he was wounded.
Faris' hand closed on the object. "Just a mad itch come on me," he said as relief washed over him. He managed to palm the thing as he stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets. "Gimme the spyglass and get down there, since you're so eager to go."
It was a terribly long two hours Faris spent up there, hand going in and out of his pocket, hoping that no hole would magically open up and lose it for good. He clambered down quick as a rat when his watch was over and then tried very hard to look nonchalant as he stuffed his hands back in his pockets and hurried belowdecks. He managed to find himself an out-of-the-way corner in the sailmaker's workshop; the man was drinking with his mates and singing too loudly for Faris to worry about being walked in on.
He pulled the amulet out of his pocket, turning it this way and that to see its shape in the dim light. He'd forgotten it was there up 'till then. Now he took a good look for the first time in years. A silver dragon wrapped around a green... not emerald, what was the word? Peridot. A dragon and a peridot. Faris shut his eyes, trying to call up the fuzzy memories of his--her--time before the pirates. A man with a beard... a deep voice, no words, but kindliness, the warmth and strength of his arms. Or was she imagining that part herself? She couldn't quite tell anymore; it'd been at least seven years since then.
And... pink. Little. Someone little with pink hair. Wasn't that fanciful? More likely it was blue hair in a strange light she was truly thinking of. And the same with the stone walls. It was too fuzzy, and she'd spent too long trying to pretend that the pirates were the only life she'd ever known.
Faris bit his lip as he felt the warning signs of tears--tightness up in the nose, prickling eyes. Boys didn't cry. Pirates especially. He found himself a spool of leather cord and cut off a length, looping the amulet onto it and tying the knot tight. Let that try to break! He stuffed the remnants of the fine chain in his pocket. It'd have to go over the side later--he didn't like it, but it was too risky to keep it around and anyway, what was the point of a broken chain? Even if it was from whoever had given him the amulet in the first place.
He took one last look at the amulet, sniffed, and stuffed it back inside his shirt.
Fandom: Final Fantasy V
Characters: Faris Scherwiz
Rating: G
Summary: A young Faris suddenly remembers a piece of treasure.
Author's Note: None.
Faris stopped abruptly as he felt something small and cold slide down his stomach towards his belt. He clung to the ratlines, not daring to breathe, much less keep climbing. "What's the matter, boy?!" roared a man from below. "Taken fright, have yer?"
"No!" He nearly forgot to pitch his voice lower. He could feel it moving inside his shirt, shifting jerkily along his waist as the ship pitched and rolled. It was going to fall out. It was going to fall out onto the deck and he'd have to explain it and one of the men would decide to keep it and he wasn't big enough to fight them--he could scrap with the other lads just fine, but what if the captain picked it up? He couldn't. It'd be gone. And if the captain got it they might find out his secret, want to know if Faris had any other pretty little baubles stashed away....
Or worse, it would fall into the sea. And then he'd never find out what it was or why he had it.
A gust of wind brought him back into the moment. Seeing no better option, Faris scrambled up the rigging as quick as he could, praying desperately as he felt it bounce around don't fall out don't fall out. "About time!" said one of his mates when Faris swung onto the mizzenmast. "What's the matter with ya?" Faris was fishing around in his shirt like a man trying to find where he was wounded.
Faris' hand closed on the object. "Just a mad itch come on me," he said as relief washed over him. He managed to palm the thing as he stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets. "Gimme the spyglass and get down there, since you're so eager to go."
It was a terribly long two hours Faris spent up there, hand going in and out of his pocket, hoping that no hole would magically open up and lose it for good. He clambered down quick as a rat when his watch was over and then tried very hard to look nonchalant as he stuffed his hands back in his pockets and hurried belowdecks. He managed to find himself an out-of-the-way corner in the sailmaker's workshop; the man was drinking with his mates and singing too loudly for Faris to worry about being walked in on.
He pulled the amulet out of his pocket, turning it this way and that to see its shape in the dim light. He'd forgotten it was there up 'till then. Now he took a good look for the first time in years. A silver dragon wrapped around a green... not emerald, what was the word? Peridot. A dragon and a peridot. Faris shut his eyes, trying to call up the fuzzy memories of his--her--time before the pirates. A man with a beard... a deep voice, no words, but kindliness, the warmth and strength of his arms. Or was she imagining that part herself? She couldn't quite tell anymore; it'd been at least seven years since then.
And... pink. Little. Someone little with pink hair. Wasn't that fanciful? More likely it was blue hair in a strange light she was truly thinking of. And the same with the stone walls. It was too fuzzy, and she'd spent too long trying to pretend that the pirates were the only life she'd ever known.
Faris bit his lip as he felt the warning signs of tears--tightness up in the nose, prickling eyes. Boys didn't cry. Pirates especially. He found himself a spool of leather cord and cut off a length, looping the amulet onto it and tying the knot tight. Let that try to break! He stuffed the remnants of the fine chain in his pocket. It'd have to go over the side later--he didn't like it, but it was too risky to keep it around and anyway, what was the point of a broken chain? Even if it was from whoever had given him the amulet in the first place.
He took one last look at the amulet, sniffed, and stuffed it back inside his shirt.