FourtyTwo
Eisenhorn
Zoie Hart
AwesomeZero5
Whoami
High Moon
TaintedMushroom
TokyoPewPew
Deadlyrose9641
SillyGalahad Caradoc
A busy night brought a busy morning, as the remaining members of Team Kirin saddled up, with chocobos courtesy of the Castle- and Leonhart by extension. Having learned from their prior experience, Galahad spent the night resting in his armor- or at least part of it. The plates still came off, but at least for the foreseeable future, it appeared that Galahad would be living in his dragon-leather under armor. It was lucky then, that he had two sets of the leather armor, though its original purpose was to have a spare set if one was damaged, not to be nightwear.
While the rest of the remaining Kirin members mounted up on their new Chocobos, Galahad was greeted by his ever-present companion, Korin. Like many of the chocobos afforded to nobility and Leonhart’s warriors, Korin was a bird of the silver-gray variety, a crest of patchy grey and black, and its slightly more soft feathers noting it as a creature born of Edren’s north instead of its southern heart lands. Like Galahad, Korin bore plates of blued steel on its head and chest- though this was more for display than actual protection. Korin, while brave and steadfast in its own right, was no fighting mount.
The roads eventually gave way to a familiar sea of tall emerald grass, the mountains of his home bordering the edges of the earthen sea. Galahad breathed out a sigh of relief, almost glad to be back on the road again. As much as he loved his cousin, visits to Balmung were always a bit exhausting. Far too busy for his liking- ironic because Midgar was often louder and just as bustling with activity.
As both the newly appointed leader of their little expedition- and most familiar with the path back home, Galahad found himself at the head of their party, occasionally glancing back at the others. Their number had dropped from its original ten, which was both a curse and a blessing. A small group moved faster and more quietly, and was easier to maneuver both into and out of trouble, but now they had considerably fewer blades and resources at their disposal. Still, they’d have to make do with what they had- at the very least they hadn’t been beset by disgruntled members of the Unicorn party as soon as they left the gates. Not yet anyway.
Galahad looked down at his mount as the bird began coasting off to the side, a bit concerned at Korin’s sudden lack of focus, but relaxed as he saw what the bird was doing. The large chocobo was apparently curious about one of his new traveling companions, or maybe he smelled something- as the creature began poking its beak at one of the saddlebags of their resident White Mage.
”Korin.” Galahad chided the chocobo, ”Stop being nosy.”
To Neve, Galahad offered a small chuckle. ”I think he likes you. Or maybe he's hungry.”
”How are you holding up?” Galahad asked, frowning slightly. It wasn't hard to see the concern on his face, the white mage seemed tired- understandably so. ”Last night was busy, wasn't it? ”
Neve pulled her gaze away from the scenery in front of her and towards the armored chocobo that had strafed near hers. She blinked as the bird prodded its smooth beak against her saddlebag, a motion that had drawn a strained giggle from her lips as she reached forward to stroke its head. For some reason, his feathers felt abnormally soft beneath her fingers, at least, compared to her own chocobo. She wondered why that was so.
A more hearty chuckle left her as she reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a small clump of greens. ”Sharp little chocobo.” Neve smiled at Korin and held out the bushel of gysahl greens towards him. Of course he was hungry. He had been walking for a while, after all.
Galahad’s words made her jump a little; she didn’t expect to be spoken to. Nevertheless, her smile became more warm in the face of the dragoon’s presence. ”I’m alright… last night was busy, but it isn’t something I’m not used to.” She glanced away, her smile fading for just a moment, before she returned her gaze to him. ”How are you faring? Well, I hope.”
”Well, we’ll doubtlessly be relying on you a lot as we move along.” Galahad replied, pulling off his helmet to get some air. ”Healing artes are incredible, my brother had a knack for magic, myself well- not so much, so I just stick with this big stick here.”
Galahad chuckled lightly, sighing a bit as he looked out at the emerald green grasses ahead of them. It shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise that the mage had seen her fair share of hardship- he’d expect not much else from a group of individuals brave- or foolhardy enough to embark on a journey far from home to fight an enemy they didn’t know the nature of. There was a short silence for a moment, as Galahad took a glance back at the rest of their party.
”I’m a little anxious, to be honest with you, the responsibility of a half dozen disparate personalities weighs heavy.” Reaching beneath the armored cap on the top of Korin’s head, Galahad scratched at the top of the large bird’s headfeathers. ”It's easier to coordinate folk when they all do what I do. Nowadays, I’m more used to just telling Korin what to do- at least the bird always listens to me.”
Neve nodded solemnly at his first statement. She was an invaluable asset merely because of her ability to use white magic. People told her that nearly her entire life. When he mentioned his brother, she perked up a little. His brother knew magic? She wondered what kind of spells he knew. Perhaps he was even a mage– or even a white mage like her. What would the odds be? She bit her tongue when he continued speaking and announced his anxiety over his position. That was right… they had assigned him as a sort of faux leader for the time being. That was what she remembered.
”I don’t blame you. Responsibility such as yours would weigh heavy on anyone’s shoulders.” She gave him a more genuine smile as she continued with a light-hearted voice. ”Just don’t let it get to your head too much, lest you get yourself sick with worry. If that were to happen, I’d have to shoulder your burdens, and it’ll be quite a messy situation.”
She tipped her head at him as she pondered what he had said before. ”Your brother knows magic?”
Galahad chuckled a bit at Neve's comment, nodding in good humored agreement, though he grew quieter as the white mage brought up his brother. It was less an upset quiet and more a wistful one, as Galahad shifted in his seat.
”Yes, my younger brother, Gerant, was part of the Edren Hospitalier Corps- heavily armored medical troops. He was a bright one, a bit eccentric.” Galahad grimaced a bit. ”I never really appreciated him or his abilities when we were younger. Now he's gone. He was lost in the fighting with Osprey.”
Her face immediately fell at his words. ”O-oh, I’m… I’m so sorry,” Neve murmured as she turned to face ahead of her. Already, she could feel her face grow hot as she swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. War really was a cruel thing. For a moment, she wanted to tell Galahad that he should take comfort that his brother was at peace and rest within the lifestream, but she remembered that most people didn’t take solace in such a fact. ”I didn’t know.”
Galahad offered Neve a warm smile, even if it had hints of sadness behind it. ”I know. That's why I told you.” Galahad chuckled reassuringly. ”I miss him, but then I meet kind hearted folk like you and Arton, and I start thinking he never really left. I think Gerant would've liked this party- mostly.”
His kind words were enough to allow her to settle down. Neve softened her grip on her chocobo’s reigns and her knuckles ached in gratitude. ”Such kind words…” Neve’s smile returned, albeit much more muted than before. She kept her vision on the horizon, not daring to look back at him as of yet. ”I’m… glad you appreciate my company. The last thing I want is to be a bother.”
”No bother at all, I'm glad to have been able to catch your ear while things are still calm. Better than trying to find you while I'm hurt.” Galahad replied honestly. Spurring Korin slightly faster, slowly bringing him back to the lead of the party. He turned to glance back at the young white mage, a faint, soft smile on his face, helmet held above his long head of hair, ”Don't be afraid to call out if you require assistance in the future. I'm but a leap away.”
Galahad snorted lightly, obviously entertained by his own pun as he slipped on his helmet. Tuning into the conversations of the others in time to hear them mentioning Midgar as a next step. While it felt weird returning home so soon, it was a good place to gather up information on Valheim held Osprey in relative safety. They wouldn't have to worry about the locals being unwilling to aid them either- his family had lorded over the town for generations now. Incidentally, Galahad made no adjustments to his course. He may have been subconsciously leading them towards Osprey by way of Midgar already.
