Saix had always been an early riser, at least by Axel's standards. He remembered, long in the past, all the times he'd gone to visit Lea, and been met by Lea's mother, and the news that his friend was still in bed. Saix got up in the morning, not in the early afternoon
( ... )
Axel didn't look amused at that suggestion. Being subjected to a naked Xigbar first thing when you wake up was tantamount to torture. Axel was secretly convinced that if anybody from Spira captured him, they'd forego experimenting on him and make a brand new myth to scare small children into tidying their rooms out of him. He shuddered
( ... )
At least getting their chocobos was a quick process. Two, already fully tacked up and waiting, were pointed at. Saix wasn't a natural rider, and didn't like them, and for the most part, chocobos didn't appear to like him, either. They stank like a chicken coop, their gait was uncomfortable to ride for several hours, and they often seemed to resist letting him mount them in the first place.
Like now, when the chocobo he was attempting to climb up onto decided to swing itself around and out of mounting range. Saix scowled, and yanked on the reins. His second attempt was more successful.
Once he was seated, he looked over at Axel. "Cooking them may be the only solution."
His own chocobo warked with alarm and unhappiness as he said it.
Axel laughed and pulled himself up onto his own, without much issue. He wasn't a natural rider, but he'd learned during his travels to the desert and had gotten quite good. He grinned over at his friend with a cocky 'hah hah, I'm better at this than you' expression on his face. Of course, Sod's Law came into play and quickly wiped the look away when the bird tossed it's head, clawed the ground and made a brief but concerted effort to throw him. Clearly, it was too early for the chocobo, too.
He sulked after that.
"Wonder what they taste like?" He asked, settling into the saddle and gripping the reins in two hands. "Probably icky, but in a desperate situation... you think you would?"
He gave it's flank a kick, urging it on at walking pace. He'd speed it up once they reached the boundaries of the village, but tearing through that early on a heavy mount could probably be considered rude.
He dug his heel in, and his chocobo walked on at its steady, if bobbing, pace. Saix was already saddle sore from the last couple of days of riding; he'd be glad to ditch the chocobos for a good few weeks, once they finished the job and went back home.
"It would make an acceptable change to riding the things," he commented, after a few more seconds. He hadn't vocally complained much on the journey so far, taking the discomforts, and the absence of his husband with as much dignity as he could muster.
But it was early, even for him, he still ached from yesterday, and he longed for a thorough soak in the shower. He could be excused a quiet grumble, under those circumstances.
Axel laughed and spurred the chocobo into action once they were outside of the village gates and away from anybody that the thudding footsteps could wake up.
They were travelling light. While they were armed with their weapons, potions and a few other small medicinal supplies, the owner of the Inn had packed them up some food to take with them since it was too early for breakfast. It was just a lunchpack of some simple sandwiches, a piece of fruit and a flask of something to drink, but it would be enough to tide them over until the evening, at least.
If not, dreamhares were more than edible.
Axel liked the Calm Lands. Sure, so it looked like the scarred landscape of a battleground from years gone by, but it was free, rolling and, other than the occasional hill, you could see for miles around, especially from the back of a mount.
Axel pulled his chocobo to a halt just ahead of Saix and stood up in the stirrups to look around. He switched the rein-loop to one hand and used the other to shield his eyes from the bright morning light. Despite his earlier hopes that the mist would Go Away, he had somewhat changed his mind. Sun wasn't very good for visibility either, especially when it was shining directly into your eyes
( ... )
"Any creature bearing something which identifies it position from a distance," Saix said, giving Axel a significant look, "would not survive long enough to become big enough to be a mark." There was a note in his voice that suggested he was teasing, it was difficult to discern, but it was there
( ... )
Axel snorted a little and shook his head. There was something funny about Saix's statement regarding scent, really.
"Is there any such thing as 'downwind' of a chocobo?" He asked, not knowing how monsters with a keener sense of smell couldn't catch a waft of these things for miles regardless of direction.
Still, he agreed with Saix and followed him. He wasn't much of a hunter, so he didn't think like the animals they were tracking. He just wanted to smash them and get paid. Saix, however, seemed to be well-versed in this type of hunting, so he got to take point and Axel was content to follow behind.
Of course, any comments made about Saix's animalistic nature would be met with casual innuendo about Saix's sex life, and, ultimately, agreement. He knew it would be sufficient revenge, and would stop any such smart aleck-y comments being made again in a hurry.
"On the bright side," he said, as he guided his chocobo to a fresh vantage point, "their smell may help to mask ours." Provided their mark didn't discern between wild chocobos and domesticated ones. To Saix, they smelled much the same.
They searched for a while, roving slowly and methodically through the plains. The fog had lifted entirely, leaving no trace of morning behind it when they spotted something on the horizon, just far enough off to make out the species. There had been a couple of previous raised hopes, and subsequent disappointments with much more normal Tyrant beasts, so Saix didn't get excited, but he pointed it out and led them to investigate.
As they got closer to the monster in the distance, Axel noticed that his chocobo was beginning to fret. It warked nervously and pulled to a stop without his instruction and, even with urging, refused to go any further. For a creature usually undaunted by Fiends and Beasts, that sort of acting out could only mean trouble. Trouble of the 'Full Of Teeth' kind
( ... )
Saix began having similar difficulty with his own chocobo, but only after Axel's had stopped. It danced, giving an unhappy wark and trying to step backwards before Saix gave the reins a sharp pull
( ... )
Axel smirked as he dismounted, reassuring his Chocobo with a pet to the wing.
"Good chocobo. Stay." He said, pointing at it in time with the command. When he was satisfied that it wasn't going to bolt, he looked back at the Pylraster. Needless to say, the Tyrant looked even bigger now he wasn't sitting on the back of a giant bird.
With his hands now free, he pulled his pair of weapons free and looked at Saix, looking more than up for the battle ahead of them. His eyes looked alive, there was no trace of falseness or anything forced in his grin and he took a moment to loosen up before holding his arms out straight and igniting the wheels in his hands.
Saix smiled, bright and cruel, the wolfish expression of a predator that intends to enjoy the prey. He hefted his claymore, swinging it behind him, and took off.
He didn't intend on going berserk just yet. Not this early into the fight. He preferred to see what the Pylraster was capable of. Going berserk wasn't always the best plan, it was simply Saix's preferred one.
With an enemy this size, standing on only two legs, there was an obvious enough place to club. Saix made damn sure to stay out of teeth range as he headed or the creatures legs, the spikes unleashing from his weapon with audible sharpness before he hit. He kept one eye out for what Axel was doing, and what the beast was doing, as he went to work.
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Like now, when the chocobo he was attempting to climb up onto decided to swing itself around and out of mounting range. Saix scowled, and yanked on the reins. His second attempt was more successful.
Once he was seated, he looked over at Axel. "Cooking them may be the only solution."
His own chocobo warked with alarm and unhappiness as he said it.
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He sulked after that.
"Wonder what they taste like?" He asked, settling into the saddle and gripping the reins in two hands. "Probably icky, but in a desperate situation... you think you would?"
He gave it's flank a kick, urging it on at walking pace. He'd speed it up once they reached the boundaries of the village, but tearing through that early on a heavy mount could probably be considered rude.
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He dug his heel in, and his chocobo walked on at its steady, if bobbing, pace. Saix was already saddle sore from the last couple of days of riding; he'd be glad to ditch the chocobos for a good few weeks, once they finished the job and went back home.
"It would make an acceptable change to riding the things," he commented, after a few more seconds. He hadn't vocally complained much on the journey so far, taking the discomforts, and the absence of his husband with as much dignity as he could muster.
But it was early, even for him, he still ached from yesterday, and he longed for a thorough soak in the shower. He could be excused a quiet grumble, under those circumstances.
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They were travelling light. While they were armed with their weapons, potions and a few other small medicinal supplies, the owner of the Inn had packed them up some food to take with them since it was too early for breakfast. It was just a lunchpack of some simple sandwiches, a piece of fruit and a flask of something to drink, but it would be enough to tide them over until the evening, at least.
If not, dreamhares were more than edible.
Axel liked the Calm Lands. Sure, so it looked like the scarred landscape of a battleground from years gone by, but it was free, rolling and, other than the occasional hill, you could see for miles around, especially from the back of a mount.
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"Is there any such thing as 'downwind' of a chocobo?" He asked, not knowing how monsters with a keener sense of smell couldn't catch a waft of these things for miles regardless of direction.
Still, he agreed with Saix and followed him. He wasn't much of a hunter, so he didn't think like the animals they were tracking. He just wanted to smash them and get paid. Saix, however, seemed to be well-versed in this type of hunting, so he got to take point and Axel was content to follow behind.
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"On the bright side," he said, as he guided his chocobo to a fresh vantage point, "their smell may help to mask ours." Provided their mark didn't discern between wild chocobos and domesticated ones. To Saix, they smelled much the same.
They searched for a while, roving slowly and methodically through the plains. The fog had lifted entirely, leaving no trace of morning behind it when they spotted something on the horizon, just far enough off to make out the species. There had been a couple of previous raised hopes, and subsequent disappointments with much more normal Tyrant beasts, so Saix didn't get excited, but he pointed it out and led them to investigate.
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"Good chocobo. Stay." He said, pointing at it in time with the command. When he was satisfied that it wasn't going to bolt, he looked back at the Pylraster. Needless to say, the Tyrant looked even bigger now he wasn't sitting on the back of a giant bird.
With his hands now free, he pulled his pair of weapons free and looked at Saix, looking more than up for the battle ahead of them. His eyes looked alive, there was no trace of falseness or anything forced in his grin and he took a moment to loosen up before holding his arms out straight and igniting the wheels in his hands.
"Let's dance!"
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He didn't intend on going berserk just yet. Not this early into the fight. He preferred to see what the Pylraster was capable of. Going berserk wasn't always the best plan, it was simply Saix's preferred one.
With an enemy this size, standing on only two legs, there was an obvious enough place to club. Saix made damn sure to stay out of teeth range as he headed or the creatures legs, the spikes unleashing from his weapon with audible sharpness before he hit. He kept one eye out for what Axel was doing, and what the beast was doing, as he went to work.
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