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Joy Ride (Borderline NSFW)


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Nihka is woken from slumber as something very large and very slow thumps into the wall near her head. Furniture rattles, “S-sorry!!” A voice yells outside, “Damn… throttle.”

 

 

As the clamor fades, the faint sound of an engine can be heard as a hand raps on the window, “Nihka! Nihka! ...I hope this is the right room…” Upon closer inspection a goggled face can be seen peering inside, something mechanical behind her.

 

 

---

The room is quite dim, but the curtains are drawn and light shines in, angled just perfectly onto a rug in front of a fireplace. She has no bed, just that rug, and Nihka is curled up asleep upon it.

 

 

She uncurls slowly, her tail first as her ears perk up and twist. Hands go to her eyes to rub the sleep from them, and her attention shifts to the window.

 

 

Blink. Blink blink.

 

 

“...Eva…” She tilts her head, a bemused expression on her face.

 

 

---

 

 

Evangeline tries to figure out how to get the window open, hampered by the moving platform under her feet. Something keeps softly thumping into the side out the house, “Nihka! Hurry up!”

 

 

“I thought we talked about this!” Her voice is muffled, “You don’t even look ready!”

 

 

Evangeline’s hands scrabble on the glass, “Gah… why do they always put the latches on the inside…”

 

 

---

 

 

Nihka approaches the window, and as she steps into the light it becomes very clear: she's naked.

 

 

She unlatches the window and opens it, her ears folding down against her head as she peeks out at the airship, and the platform that Eva is on.

 

 

“... Eva… need warn before come! i not ready… not aware plan….”

 

 

---

 

 

The flush that appears on Eva’s cheeks is from more than just the morning chill, and she averts her eyes as Nihka appears from the window.

 

 

The Elezen is indeed standing upon the majestic and inspiring platform of the BreadLoaf, Eorzea’s finest cheapest vessel of the skies.

 

 

Its hull is a soft brown color, topped by a snowy white canopy. Various repairs can be seen on the abused vessel, and the motor coughs angrily every few minutes.

 

 

“Didn’t we…. Didn’t we talk about it? Maybe It was the dream weed again...” She looks over to Nihka, forgetting she was naked for a moment, then looking away as she was quickly reminded of that fact.

 

 

“Can’t you… at least put some clothes on?”

 

 

---

 

 

“...no.. not talk about…”

 

 

Nihka blinks, ears flicking, then nods. She steps away from the window, into the gloomy shadows of her room. There, her silhouette can be seen, pulling garments over her body, her curves emphasized by the dim light of the fire creating almost a halo of light around her while obscuring the rest.

 

 

A thick coat, tiny shorts, leather shin wraps, and a fluffy hat complete with goggles nigh perfect for a trip into the skies (all the latest rage with the recent air pirate fashion trends that found their way to the grounded folk).

 

 

Thus dressed, she returns to the window and leans out again.

 

 

“...and Sehki… I still need find care Sehki… for…” It was only then that she saw the truly abysmal state of the Breadloaf.

 

 

---

 

 

Evangeline isn’t too proud to peek at the woman changing, chastely averting her eyes when she thinks she is being noticed.

 

 

“We didn’t?” She scratches her cheek, “Maybe it was Cinnamon… Or Bree? There are so many of them at our house now I can’t keep track.”

 

 

“Anyway, still, exciting yes? You remember where we were planning to go?” Evangeline taps her cheek, “Oh… I suppose you wouldn’t. That’s fine, life is more exciting when it’s a surprise!”

 

 

Evangeline’s own garb is less exciting, tight denim breeches tucked into calf high black leather boots, red doman gauntlets, and a linen shirt covered in protective leathers.

“Ah yes… Sehki… your child.” Evangeline tilts her head, “Err… does this place have daycare?” The ship rumbles and the sound of something snapping can be heard within, “Gah… not another drive belt!” She pries open a hatch and vanishes, “ONE MOMENT~”

 

 

---

 

 

Smirking a little, Nihka reached up to her ear and murmured into a linkshell. She spoke, back and forth, with whomever was on the other end of the pearl while she moved about her room, gathering supplies, stuffing tools into her satchel and slinging it over her shoulder.

 

 

By the time child care was arranged, she was packed and ready to go. Bare toes gripped the windowsill as she started to climb out, looking warily at the airship.

 

 

“..this… incredible unwise...ah… incredibly…” She looked up and down, for a platform or something she could climb onto or cling to. She… was going to regret this…

 

 

---

 

 

Evangeline crawls out of the decking, sleeves rolled up, face and hands covered in what appears to be oil. “Yes, I am quite wise at times. It’s nice of you to notice.”

 

 

She reclips herself to the deck, then leans over, offering a hand stained black with grease, “Here… let me help you up.” The Elezen tugs the Miqo’te upwards and onto the deck, hugging her close so she does not stumble.

 

 

“We need to get a harness on you.”

 

 

---

 

 

Nihka reaches up to take the hand, not concerned with the grease that stains her gloves. Her light frame is easy to lift and pull into the ship and she squeaks in surprise as she’s pulled up and tight against the woman… her face at approximately chest height. She tries not to end up smooshed into the woman’s chest, leaning back slightly to look up at her.

 

 

“Ah! … um… harness.. Yes… .. … is engine well...function well… drive belt…” Nihka tilts her head.

 

 

---

 

 

Nihka might have ended up smushed against Eva’s chest despite her best efforts, the Elezen’s shirt is half unbuttoned, and her cream skin is warm in the morning chill.

 

 

The Miqo’te can feel something being clipped around her waist, and Evangeline pulls back slightly to cinch at the waist, tugging more straps around Nihka’s thighs, “Tell me if it’s too tight... “

 

 

“As for the engine, I keep on tinkering with the power… sometimes the drive belts can’t keep up.”

 

 

---

 

 

Nihka wriggles, voice a bit muffled as she speaks into the warm, soft, incredibly pleasant cleavage. Way to keep it classy, Eva~

 

 

Her tail flicks and lashes about as she feels the harness tugged on around her; she takes a half step back once released from the cleavage-hug (not that she was necessarily complaining) and looks down to her shorts. The leather straps fit snugly around her thighs to hold her tight.

 

 

“..is.. Um… slight restrict move….” She wriggles her hips, trying to get things to feel comfortable.

 

 

---

 

 

Evangeline loses track of her thoughts as she watches Nihka’s hips and thighs wriggle with the tight leather belts, the warmth of the woman’s breath on chest still evident,  “Err… l-let me loosen them a little.” She bends down and loosens them a bit, tightening other bands to compensate.”

 

 

“How is that?” She hooks a pair of leather cords with carabiners to loops on the belt, “Try to keep at least one of these hooked to a railing at all times.”

 

 

---

 

 

“Ah.. yes.. More comfort…” Nihka nods and stretches a bit to test her freedom of movement. Looks fine, now. Feels fine. So she starts to inspect the cords and carabiners.

 

 

“..um...y-you expect need tie...to ship…” She looks up to the woman, tilting her head. Her tail swishes slowly side to side.

 

 

---

 

 

Evangeline nods, “All it takes is a blown trim motor and this thing will go vertical… even heard of a bird hitting a man in the face once.”

 

 

“He was knocked over from  3000 feet up.” She clips one of Nihka’s carabiners to a metal ring near the pilot’s station, “Don’t worry, you’ll hardly even notice them after a while.”

 

 

Evangeline clips her second cord to a nearby ring, “Better safe than sorry!” This is perhaps the first and only time Evangeline will ever express such a sentiment.

---

 

 

Is this really Eva? Nihka stares for a moment. (If that staring drifts down towards the woman’s chest briefly, can anyone really blame her?) The engine sputters and coughs with a loud crack, causing Nihka’s ears to flick and fold back; yep, it’s Eva.

 

 

“Okay...ah...so…. Plan travel to..” Even hooked on, she looks for something to grip, to hold onto, maybe lean a bit.

 

 

---

 

 

“Ah yes… our travel plan!” Evangeline puts a foot on the pilot’s console, taking a dramatic pose and pointing towards the early morning sky, “We shall venture across the churning seas, to an ancient land, where we shall learn the hidden secrets of the Kobolds!” She clears her throat and steps down off the console, “If they let us of course.”

 

 

Then Evangeline swoops around Nihka, leaning over the woman, chest pressing into the Miqo’tes back, “And I was hoping the beautiful Nihka could be my pilot, whilst I navigate.” Her arms drape over the woman’s shoulders, “I can show you the controls… they might be in different places, but I’m sure you’ll recognize most of them.”

 

 

---

 

 

What an exciting and dashing pose! Nihka can't help but grin, despite the brightness of the sunrise, and the instability of the platform on which she finds herself…. or the sad sounds of the engine… still can't help but grin.

 

 

“.. kobold have secret..” She tilts her head, twisting to try and follow Eva's movement as the woman wraps around her from behind and she finds her own hands on the piloting controls.

 

 

“...ah .. Eva…. not certain want Nihka pilot…. is ah… keeper pilot… daytime….”

 

 

--

 

 

Evangeline laughs triumphantly and Nihka can feel her goggles being tugged from her head, “Ah, Nihka my dear, give your Empress a little credit.”

 

 

She pops the lenses from the goggles, and slides in a new pair of tinted ones, then tugs the goggles back over a certain furry head. “There!”

 

 

“My pair is tinted as well!” She flicks down a second set of lenses, tinting her own goggles a dark red, “The higher you climb, the more the sun can blind you.”

 

 

“Do you feel up for it…?” Evangeline gives Nikha’s ear a playful nibble as she presses into her, “I don’t want to pressure you~” She says, as she pressures her.

 

 

---

 

 

Her goggles were already slightly tinted… but the replacement lenses turn out to be much better suited for a keeper's eyes, Nihka notices as her goggles are slipped back over her eyes.

 

 

She reaches up to adjust said goggles, gasping softly as the woman hugs her from behind, pressing close, nibbling her ear.

 

 

“..e… Eva….a aah” She wriggles and mews softly, as she places her hands on the controls. “Okay will try”

 

 

---

 

 

“Mmm… ok.” Evangline’s voice is muffled as she nibbles on ear, “That’s the yoke, pitch, yaw and roll. Cinna broke the first one… this one should be better.”

 

 

“That lever is for the rudder, sliding left and right on a plane. I want to replace it with foot pedals one day.”

 

 

Her hand is warm as it guides the keeper’s to the various controls, “Throttle, air brakes, trim motors, airspeed, altitude, level, fuel, compass…”

 

 

“Any questions?”

 

 

---

 

 

Nihka mouths the name of each control as she touches it, the tip of her tail curling and twitching. Her footing shifts slightly, enough to place her in position to pilot. Her ear -tries- to twitch, but it’s caught by Eva’s teeth, and it’s impossible not to notice her hips wriggling back, pressing into Eva as she listens to the explanation

 

 

“...fuel gauge…” A hmm. “... altitude… level….”

She murmurs softly, starting to purr, even.

 

 

“Ah.. question…. ♪What heading?♪”

 

 

---

 

Evangeline can think of several things worse than having Nihka’s bottom grinding into her, and she tries to concentrate, “Err… y-yes… heading.”

She turns to a small navigation table to their right, where a map is covered by glass, several instruments tied to it with string. Evangeline pulls out a grease pencil, and begins calculations. A glance would show them heading to Vylbrand.

 

 

“To start with… gain us some altitude. Be gentle on the throttle until it warms up. Once we hit the lighthouse in vesper bay, we’ll want to head 30 degrees counterclockwise of true Northwest.”

 

 

---

 

 

Nihka can think of several things worse than grinding her bottom against Eva. She keeps doing it. Scrunching her nose a bit, she looks over the controls, her ears twisted to listen to the woman’s directions.

 

 

Her palm lightly rests on the throttle; she keeps her fingers open as she very gently nudges it up, feeling the vibrations of the engine through the deck of the ship, slowly whirring up to speed. A slight twist to the rudder to pull away from the building then a tiny tilt back.

 

 

Eva said to be gentle, and so Nihka is gentle. The result being.. The airship moves incredibly slowly as it begins to pull away and lift into the sky.

 

 

---

 

 

A foot taps on the deck, more and more impatiently. Then finally, she reaches over and yanks the throttle to 3/4ths power. The engines shudder, and then roar, the plates of the deck rattling slightly as the ship claws its way upwards.

 

 

The effect is not terribly impressive, the BreadLoaf is no racing clipper, but still it pushes them both back to the limit of their harnesses. Evangeline laughs and takes the chance to hug Nihka to her, nuzzling her face into the woman’s hair, “Wooo! The sky awaits!”

 

 

----

 

 

Nihka squeaks loudly as her hand is shoved against the throttle, pushing it further than she planned. “Evaaa! You say slow!!”

 

 

Leather tugs and the belt grips her hips just as tightly as Eva’s arms hold her body… and a big loaf of’ bread shoots into the sky. Nihka is gasping, tail lashing in panic, while simultaneously laughing as the wind washes over her and they shoot to the sky. She can feel the engine rumble and shudder beneath her feet, and the whole world drops out beneath them.

 

 

Braced against her own tethers, she grips the yoke more tightly and twists, rolling to the side and pulling back, a slight swooping motion as she adjusts precisely thirty degrees (according to the dial).

 

 

---

 

 

Evangline holds Nihka steady as the ship rolls, grinning like a madwoman, “Not that slow love. We want to make it across the sea this year.”

 

 

The ship settles in on its course and speed, the feeling of acceleration fading as the wind whips their hair and clothing back.

 

 

She takes a moment to look over the horizon, tendrils of fiery orange clawing away the ocean fog as the sun rises. They rise slowly, dancing through the puffy clouds, and somehow none of it seems as exciting as the woman in her arms.

 

 

Evangeline leans in slowly, almost nervously, and then attempts to meet the woman’s lips as the ship enters the snowy whiteness of the cloud layer.

 

 

---

 

 

Nihka twists the rudder and does her best to level off. It takes a few adjustments before she fully gets the hang of the controls, but once she does the ship settles in and naught but the clouds and wind seem to move around them, the world shrunk down and moving at a crawl stretched out below.

 

 

Nihka takes a breath, the chill air biting her lungs. Up this high even the heat of the desert fails to oppress, and the cool wind blowing over her body sends goosebumps along her exposed flesh.

 

 

Visibility fades, wispy bits of cloud enveloping the airship and covering it in a light dew.

 

 

“I..i want chance learn con-” She twists back to speak to the woman, starting to murmur some silly excuse for why she wanted to go slow. Before she can manage even a few words, though, Evangeline kisses her. Nihka gasps in surprise, then returns the kiss with vigor, lips parting, lifting up on her toes to press into the warmth of Evangeline’s soft lips.

 

 

---

 

 

Evangeline holds it for a moment, crushing the woman to her as they share warmth in a sky shrouded by fog. Her mouth tastes faintly of metal and smoke, and she is not shy about becoming more adventurous with her kiss. Nihka’s warmth feels intoxicating as the damp clouds flow around them, the Elezen’s hands slipping around to caress soft grey skin through gaps in her furs and leathers.

 

 

She pulls back slightly, eyes gleaming behind her goggles, “Level us off once we’re above the clouds, think of it like we’re sailing on them. It will keep us free of most weather.”

 

 

Then, Evangeline almost looks a little guilty for a moment, “Sorry if that was... “ Her eyes flick to the side,”I got a little caught up in the moment.” She give Nihka a little space, “I shouldn’t assume.”

 

 

---

 

 

Nihka moans softly as they kiss, her tongue pressing into Evangeline’s to taste her. Surrounded by wind and fog, the embrace of the elezen is a comfort. The miqo’te’s skin is flushed and warm to the touch; it’s not hard to find gaps in her coat, and her shorts are small enough that all of her long dark legs are exposed (perhaps not the best choice for high altitude flying).

 

 

As the kiss ends, Nihka gazes up to the woman with half lidded eyes. Unable to speak, she just nods to the direction, placing her hands back on the controls of the airship and preparing to level off. Ears lower and her tail slowly curls; the cool air fills in where Eva used to be.

 

 

“.....a...ah...y-y-y-yes…..” She bites her lip, shifting her stance and starting to twist the yoke gently. “..n..not apology need… I… um… is okay…”

 

 

Above the clouds, she pushes forward and the ship begins to level out, sailing in the sea of clouds that blocks out view of the world below them, now everything a sea of white stretching out in the distance.

 

 

---

 

 

Evangeline watches that tail swish back and forth above a pair of perfectly formed dark legs. Her propriety wrestles with her desires for one brief moment, and the result leaves her propriety browbeaten into submission.

 

 

The Elezen resumes her place at the woman’s rear, wrapping her arms around her waist, hands warming themselves on grey skin. “We’ll keep on this heading for a little over an hour.” Her voice is low, lips almost touching Nihka’s ear, “Then we should see the coast. We’ll adjust course depending on landmarks then.”

 

 

“If you get tired…” Her hands find a particularly warm spot, sliding under the woman’s waistband and holding her hips, fingers almost emerging from the leg holes. “I can take over.”

 

 

---

 

 

It isn’t easy wriggling fingers into Nihka’s shorts; the leather is soft and supple, but also rather tightly fitted. The miqo’te’s soft skin gives way almost as much as her shorts, until Evangeline’s hands are tightly caught pressed into her hips, along the crease of her thighs. She wraps her tail back around Evangeline’s leg, fur brushing against the fabric. Pressed close against the miqo’te, Evangeline can hear the low purr rumbling up from deep within Nihka’s chest.

 

 

Nihka stays like that, pressed back against the elezen, her hands on the controls, her eyes on the horizon. It certainly wasn’t what she expected to wake up to after a short nap, such a sudden and crazy adventure. To fly over the clouds in what might be the most questionable airship she’d ever had the grace to walk aboard. ...is this just a dream…?

 

 

She turns her head, looking left, then right, over the edge of the ship and down to the clouds below.

 

 

“... some…. Some say… Evangeline.. Ah.. say you.. Bad influence on Nihka….”

 

 

---

 

 

Evangeline for her part seems to be lost in the view, the wind, and Nihka’s warmth, “Mmm… a bad influence?”

 

 

She considers this for a moment, hands wriggling to a more comfortable position against her hips, “I wouldn’t disagree. If the world was my friend, I’d have already succeeded at my goals. I think I have more enemies than friends.”

 

 

The engine seems to behaving, though now and then a rumble that only Eva seems to recognize rattles the deck, and she retreats below the deck, or to the churning rotors near the back of the craft. Performing some strange ritual until the engines are back to their usual growl.

 

 

“Do you think I’m a bad influence?”

 

 

---

 

 

Nihka keeps the ship steady as Evangeline goes about her work. Ears twist to listen, each time some bit of machinery starts making strange noises, but otherwise Nihka allows the woman to do as she will. After all, it would be horrifically irresponsible to leave the piloting station while flying.

 

 

With time to herself, Nihka takes the opportunity to study the meters and dials at the station, testing slight adjustments to the craft’s course to see how it changes the numbers. Each one represents something, and though Eva explained them all quickly at the start, Nihka works to make a mental note about what each one represents … in practical terms.

 

 

“...awake… early morning awake...and fly airship… “ Nihka says when Eva returns, posing that question. Twisting back to look at the woman, she is smiling. “.. some probable say irresponsible… but i enjoy chance adventure….pick up..a..and leave…. I feel root...ah.. I feel like tree.. Stuck at home… … definite influence..but I think not bad…”

 

 

---

 

 

Evangeline slams a cover shut, then heads back towards Nihka, clipping herself to a rail. The dials are a hodgepodge arrangement, many of them clearly coming from different sources.

 

 

Some are more familiar than others, compass, levels, gauges for fuel and oil. Others are more esoteric, a thin tube of silver metal marked ‘Altitude’, a spinning fan near the front of the vessel, somehow affecting a flickering dial marked ‘airspeed’. Even what seems to be a painted ball floating in some sort of glass enclosure. Its top is blue and its bottom is brown, the line between staying level with the horizon however the ship might move.

 

 

“I’ll likely need your help with some maintenance once we land, hopefully you don’t mind getting your hands a little dirty.” The Elezen smiles, “You do have a child though, that does have a way of rooting one, regardless of circumstance. Still, it’s good to get out every once in awhile.” She shakes her head, raven hair fluttering, “Fell the wind through your hair.”

 

 

She winks at the comment, then chuckles, “Well, hopefully you keep your view. I imagine quite a few more will consider me a bad influence if this thing crashes, or the Kobolds decide to blow us up.”

 

 

---

 

 

Nihka sighs softly, looking out at the horizon. The ship is steady, and so she closes her eyes and draws in a slow breath, collecting her thoughts.

 

 

“♪ Growing up I never stayed in a place for more than a moon ♪ Leaving the clan to slip back to the shadows never felt too soon ♪

♪ A child needn’t be an excuse to choose not to roam ♪ It’s always felt weird to me to even have a home ♪”

 

 

She sings it all, perfectly clear and smooth and with zero stuttering, and then goes quiet again, eyes opening and looking out at the horizon.

 

 

“.. travel.. Family travel.. Even… ah.. Even with cub… travel through Shroud…. Always change camp and follow prey…. I… I miss … but many friend live city...a..and library.. And laboratory… hard ..ah.. Hard leave behind…”

 

 

---

 

 

Evangeline smiles at the song, rocking against the railing as the clouds spread around their majestic Breadloaf.

 

 

“I am something of the opposite, at times. After my exile I wandered for years, never remaining in once place for more than but a few months.” She shakes her head, “It is strange… feeling at home somewhere again.”

 

 

The Elezen grins, “Still, it is not as if I do not take every chance to dash around Eorzea looking for trouble.” She gives Nihka a pat on the back, “I’m sure you’ll find a balance, somehow.”

 

 

“It’s… something I think we all have to deal with.” She looks a little embarrassed, scratching her cheek, “We find ourselves adults, and have to figure out what that means. For my part at least, know you can come visit whenever you wish, and we can travel… if Aria hasn’t disassembled the airship again, that is.”

 

 

---

 

 

“...I… I am not adult…” Nihka says quietly, her ears lowering slightly though her attention remains forward to the horizon, searching for the coast. She makes minor adjustments to the controls, and her tail starts to curl around her own leg.

 

 

“I.. will happy..to help repair.. And construct airship,” she says a bit louder. “.. I enjoy science..and chance design… usual lack .. um.. Lack facility t-to build...but I enjoy….. And I enjoy visit Eva… I plan.. Will visit often….”

 

 

---

 

 

“You’re not?” Evangeline teases, then pokes the woman’s ample chest playfully, “These seem to disagree.”

 

 

“I appreciate your offer though, it will be nice to have someone other than Cinna to help.” She sighs and shakes her head, “That woman wouldn’t know the difference between a nut and a bolt if her life depended on it… Well, she’s not that bad anymore. She’s getting better at least.”

 

 

“Still.” Evangeline walks over and hugs Nihka, “I have no complaint at the thought of seeing more of you.”

 

 

---

 

 

Nihka squeaks and blushes slightly, her plush bosom smooshing under Evangeline’s poke. To reply, she sticks out her tongue. Turning back to the piloting, her ears remain twisted to listen, tail slowly swishing.

 

 

“Not just breast…. Not just grow… to.. Adult…” She murmurs softly, then louder as Eva walks over. “..will also Cinna help.. I think.. Learn more...t..to learn more… break away need Nunh…. I want see tribe … ah.. learn love...learn joy… learn kind.. Kindness…. … probable need return soon… visit tribe…. Talk..t...to some huntress….”

 

 

She leans into the hug, releasing the controls for long enough to rest on hand on Evangeline’s, holding the hug around her.

 

 

---

 

 

“...Ah yes.” Evangeline pauses, “You’ve been there, haven’t you.” She makes herself comfortable behind Nihka, smiling at the touch of the Miqo’tes hand, “Yet you seem no worse for wear.”

 

 

“Are they truly as bad as you say?”

 

 

“The ones I have met seem… misguided, but not bad at heart. I feel they would fit in well with the rest of Eorzea, if not for the dark ambitions of their leader.”

 

 

She exhales, “Regardless of what we teach them, if we do not end the power of that Nunh, it will be pointless.”

 

 

“Whatever we teach them will evaporate, and they will walk back into his arms.”

 

 

---

 

 

“... many.. in many i see… i have hope… i see chance…. chance to learn… to have love…” She pauses a moment and her ears lower.

 

 

“... some ...i not sure… some incredible cruel… i have bruise prove…. even … even as guest Nunh…. some i think never listen…”

 

 

Nihka leans back to nuzzle into the woman, to enjoy the hug.

 

 

“... Nunh… Nunh like god… like eikon…. like primal… i watch fight impossible speed…”

 

 

---

 

 

Evangeline’s eyes gleam at that, “Excellent. I’ve always wanted to kill a god. I missed my last chance, you know. Bit of an issue with the Inquisition.”

 

 

“Though… I’m not surprised they are cruel. I have seen a fair amount of that already. Did you know Nihka, about Yoyola’s theory of social discord?”

 

 

“He was a lalafellian philosopher on civic structure in the early 6th umbral era. He believe that in every society, a certain number of people would always be just and good, and a certain number would always be evil.”

 

 

“He called it the rose’s dilemma. Every rose will have thorns and petals both.” She clears her throat, “The rest though… the rest are products of what a society makes of them. Those who were cruel to you… they may just be cruel anywhere.”

 

 

“Or… they might be free’d of it once their false god is removed. Aria and Cinnamon seem to have been products of their tribe and their Nuhn.”

 

 

“I can only hope that Yoyola’s axiom still holds in these times, that the majority of the tribe can be swayed toward coexistance.”

 

 

---

 

 

“...i hope… with all heart… i hope can show love… i hope…. even Nunh sway… “ A pause and she shakes her head.

 

 

“... Evangeline… please not fight alone… promise Nihka not try fight alone…” She twists to look up at Eva plaintively. “... if fight alone… will lose… and approach land is risk… “

 

 

---

 

 

“Nihka… how much do you know about primals? I don’t want to shatter your hopes, but what you wish may not be possible.”

 

 

“I won’t fight alone, but I will fight.”

 

 

“What many people do not know, is that the influence of primals goes both ways. The primal pushes their will onto followers… but the prayers of the followers influence what sort of a being a primal becomes.”

 

 

“If the tribes truly believe him to be their conquering god, and he gains power from that belief… mere words will not stop him.”

 

 

“You might as well try to convince Ifrit or Leviathan to leave well enough alone. The tribes cry out for a godlike warleader… one who is powerful and cruel.”

 

 

She shrugs, “So that is what they get. Even he might not have a choice at this point.”

 

 

---

 

 

Nihka sighs and nods.

 

 

“...i… i understand maybe impossible… i understand… but not change hope… and not change… i need try...i need….”

 

 

“♪ i need to try ♪”

 

 

Nihka pulls slowly on a lever, giving the ship a very gentle curve to the left, her eyes turned to one of the dials.

 

 

“...i know Nunh… need fight.. but… but I ...i not stand thought…. though of kitten die… of clip die… f..die for just try live…”

 

 

---

 

 

“I haven’t killed or fought any of them yet, Nihka.” Evangeline looks off to the distance, “And I don’t plan to if I can help it.”

 

 

“Fighting slaves holds no joy or glory for me.”

 

 

“Only a sadist would enjoy beating a chained dog.”

 

 

She exhales, “Did you… did you talk to him? Why did he give you safe passage?”

 

 

---

 

 

“..i… i make deal… and promise… i in exchange… i… i may use aetheryte… and.... Nunh declare Nihka off limit… safe travel…and… permission tend injure.. tend clip...” A pause, her tail twitching a bit. “...i think part.. part because Anstarra mate..”

 

 

A slow steer the other direction, leveling back out.

 

 

“... Nunh powerful.. not… not just strength… presence… radiate sense power… confidence….”

 

 

---

 

 

“Mm... “ Evangeline grins slowly, “I’m excited to meet him then.”

 

 

“It would be rude to dethrone him without introducing myself first.”

 

 

The ship sails along the coast, adjusting course at every landmark, as the conversation turns to lighter topics. Their pasts, her child, Evangeline’s tumultuous relationship with her new free company.

Time churns on as the rocky features of outer La Noscea spread out below them, and Evangeline guides her pilot towards Camp Overlook…

 

End Part 1

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