Sounsyy hummed to herself, alone in the dark, as the minutes passed alone. She could feel the tautness of the rope between her fingers bounce and tug against the dark like she was fishing at night. Ryanti was bobbing somewhere in the dark waters ahead. The humming took her mind off the dark. She found that it made little difference whether her eyes were closed or open now, and that bothered her. With a soft hiss that made Sounsyy's hair suddenly stand on end, the linkpearl in her ears sizzled to life and Ryanti's voice flowed into her ear as if he were speaking in her head.
<I’m a Lieutenant Quartermaster… for the Flames,> she heard him say in the dark. Ryanti could probably hear her groan in disappointment. "Ehh yer a Flame," she said before quickly adding, "Not that... I mean, I've fought beside Flames." As if that hid the almost teasing way she groaned at his affiliation. "So you followed in yer father's footsteps," she added almost as an after thought.
Though Ryanti was far out of sight and far too busy trying not to topple to his death, Sounsyy smirked at him. It wasn't that she hated the Flames, she hated Ul'dah, and more often than not she believed maintaining the facade of allies between the Grand Companies was an extraordinary waste of time when each nation, especially Ul'dah, coveted its own interests first and foremost. But she said none of this. It likely would've irked Ryanti, she thought. Though he already seemed quite perturbed, even if it seemed to be vented more at himself than at her quip. His rant seemed invasively personal to her, sudden, childish. She wondered how scared he must be feeling alone in the dark to make him talk this way.
"Ryanti, are ye- gods!"
She muffled her exclamation when she heard the loud slip and slap of his foot from the other room. Her knuckles were white as they clenched the rope, but she felt no weight. He had not fallen. Sounsyy sighed in relief.
"Keep yer focus, okay, yeh must almost be there."
She could almost feel him breathing in her ear. She could feel his fear and it pervaded her own senses like a bad odor, seeping in slowly and again all at once. Then his breathing abated and she heard his voice crackle across the cold cermet.
<As for my home...> He said almost naturally. <...it’s as quiet as a mouse.>
It made Sounsyy laugh softly into the darkness. Maybe it sounded as muted as a mouse scampering through the massive Allagan ship. She wondered if Ryanti could've heard her if not for the linkpearl connecting them.
"Yeh've seen where I sleep, Ryanti." Her voice sounded soft, almost amused. "I 'ave meh chair and meh keepsakes. Privacy where I want it. I had a small home before the Calamity. In Vylbrand, small little island called Tiger Helm. Ain't there no more. Waters washed it away. But before, I lived there with a close friend and her husband. We had soirees, if yeh can imagine that, friends would come and we'd build a bonfire by the shore and lay out 'til morning."
Sounsyy almost seemed to glow through the pearl, her voice tinted with nostalgia for times long gone. "We even..." She began but a great rumble from all about her drowned out her voice like some great Allagan beast coming to life and then the hum of lifeblood beating through its aged veins. Then her hair stood on end as electricity tingled across her fingertips and into her suit. There was a bright flash and she gave a loud cry as she jerked her hands away from the cord.
That is when she felt the tug. Ryanti slip beneath the dark surface of her fishing pond. It happened before her body could react and Sounsyy was thrust forward into the wall she had crouched behind, driving her knees hard into the cermet wall and her chest hard into her knees, knocking the wind from her and laying her flat on her back. She could not remember her left hand taking hold of the rope, only that it was there, hugging the cord drunkenly when she felt her hips slowly rise off the ground towards the open window. Her body was splayed out across the floor in a bewildered fashion, her hair was falling out from her loose braid and slithering behind her as her shoulder blades and head lolled against the floor.
She pulled against the upward tug of the rope and eased her hips back down to the ground, before using the rope to pull herself back up into a seated position. Through the opened window she could see an eerie, glowing light of the Allagan elevator, come to life. It was almost beautiful, even if it was a little haunting. It was light, Sounsyy thought. Honest to gods light in what had been nothing but darkness.
It took her a moment to come fully back into the sudden awarenss of her situation. "Ryanti?" she said into the linkpearl, but did not even hear the static noise of an unanswered line or his steady breathing in her ear. She was alone.
"Sounsyy!" she suddenly heard Ryanti's voice call from the distance, echoing up the shaft. Again he shouted, but this time the sound was muffled by renewed humming as the elevator drew nearer. She pieced together what had happened only moments before Ryanti's paniked cry bellowed from somewhere below her. Her eyes going wide, bathed in the Allagan glow, she took up the rope in both hands and began pulling it towards her end over end as fast as she could lift the Miqo'te. He was so heavy, she knew she couldn't do it fast enough, so she kicked off away from the wall with her feet and slid on her rear across the floor away from the window, pushing backwards one bent leg at a time in near perfect sync with each length of rope she pulled arm over arm.
"Get up!" she screamed through clenched teeth, nearly drowned beneath the crushing hum of the elevator's descent. She had backed up several yalms into the hallway by now, pushing herself back now with both legs as her muscles protested every ilm gained. She felt her rope suddenly jolt and with a panicked yelp she grabbed the rope with both hands and yanked it as violently as she could just as the elevator descended into view, ringed with the faint red lights of the Allagan.
Sounsyy sat there alone in the reddened hallway, surrounded by rope. She thought she should be breathing heavier, but she couldn't hear anything escape her parted lips. So she sat there staring speechless at the window, unaware of the specter which hovered overhead.
<I’m a Lieutenant Quartermaster… for the Flames,> she heard him say in the dark. Ryanti could probably hear her groan in disappointment. "Ehh yer a Flame," she said before quickly adding, "Not that... I mean, I've fought beside Flames." As if that hid the almost teasing way she groaned at his affiliation. "So you followed in yer father's footsteps," she added almost as an after thought.
Though Ryanti was far out of sight and far too busy trying not to topple to his death, Sounsyy smirked at him. It wasn't that she hated the Flames, she hated Ul'dah, and more often than not she believed maintaining the facade of allies between the Grand Companies was an extraordinary waste of time when each nation, especially Ul'dah, coveted its own interests first and foremost. But she said none of this. It likely would've irked Ryanti, she thought. Though he already seemed quite perturbed, even if it seemed to be vented more at himself than at her quip. His rant seemed invasively personal to her, sudden, childish. She wondered how scared he must be feeling alone in the dark to make him talk this way.
"Ryanti, are ye- gods!"
She muffled her exclamation when she heard the loud slip and slap of his foot from the other room. Her knuckles were white as they clenched the rope, but she felt no weight. He had not fallen. Sounsyy sighed in relief.
"Keep yer focus, okay, yeh must almost be there."
She could almost feel him breathing in her ear. She could feel his fear and it pervaded her own senses like a bad odor, seeping in slowly and again all at once. Then his breathing abated and she heard his voice crackle across the cold cermet.
<As for my home...> He said almost naturally. <...it’s as quiet as a mouse.>
It made Sounsyy laugh softly into the darkness. Maybe it sounded as muted as a mouse scampering through the massive Allagan ship. She wondered if Ryanti could've heard her if not for the linkpearl connecting them.
"Yeh've seen where I sleep, Ryanti." Her voice sounded soft, almost amused. "I 'ave meh chair and meh keepsakes. Privacy where I want it. I had a small home before the Calamity. In Vylbrand, small little island called Tiger Helm. Ain't there no more. Waters washed it away. But before, I lived there with a close friend and her husband. We had soirees, if yeh can imagine that, friends would come and we'd build a bonfire by the shore and lay out 'til morning."
Sounsyy almost seemed to glow through the pearl, her voice tinted with nostalgia for times long gone. "We even..." She began but a great rumble from all about her drowned out her voice like some great Allagan beast coming to life and then the hum of lifeblood beating through its aged veins. Then her hair stood on end as electricity tingled across her fingertips and into her suit. There was a bright flash and she gave a loud cry as she jerked her hands away from the cord.
That is when she felt the tug. Ryanti slip beneath the dark surface of her fishing pond. It happened before her body could react and Sounsyy was thrust forward into the wall she had crouched behind, driving her knees hard into the cermet wall and her chest hard into her knees, knocking the wind from her and laying her flat on her back. She could not remember her left hand taking hold of the rope, only that it was there, hugging the cord drunkenly when she felt her hips slowly rise off the ground towards the open window. Her body was splayed out across the floor in a bewildered fashion, her hair was falling out from her loose braid and slithering behind her as her shoulder blades and head lolled against the floor.
She pulled against the upward tug of the rope and eased her hips back down to the ground, before using the rope to pull herself back up into a seated position. Through the opened window she could see an eerie, glowing light of the Allagan elevator, come to life. It was almost beautiful, even if it was a little haunting. It was light, Sounsyy thought. Honest to gods light in what had been nothing but darkness.
It took her a moment to come fully back into the sudden awarenss of her situation. "Ryanti?" she said into the linkpearl, but did not even hear the static noise of an unanswered line or his steady breathing in her ear. She was alone.
"Sounsyy!" she suddenly heard Ryanti's voice call from the distance, echoing up the shaft. Again he shouted, but this time the sound was muffled by renewed humming as the elevator drew nearer. She pieced together what had happened only moments before Ryanti's paniked cry bellowed from somewhere below her. Her eyes going wide, bathed in the Allagan glow, she took up the rope in both hands and began pulling it towards her end over end as fast as she could lift the Miqo'te. He was so heavy, she knew she couldn't do it fast enough, so she kicked off away from the wall with her feet and slid on her rear across the floor away from the window, pushing backwards one bent leg at a time in near perfect sync with each length of rope she pulled arm over arm.
"Get up!" she screamed through clenched teeth, nearly drowned beneath the crushing hum of the elevator's descent. She had backed up several yalms into the hallway by now, pushing herself back now with both legs as her muscles protested every ilm gained. She felt her rope suddenly jolt and with a panicked yelp she grabbed the rope with both hands and yanked it as violently as she could just as the elevator descended into view, ringed with the faint red lights of the Allagan.
Sounsyy sat there alone in the reddened hallway, surrounded by rope. She thought she should be breathing heavier, but she couldn't hear anything escape her parted lips. So she sat there staring speechless at the window, unaware of the specter which hovered overhead.