[ it all happens so quickly, and alisaie thankfully has very quick reaction time, but even she is a little shell-shocked for a few brief seconds while she is pulled under, and balthier intervenes. there is no small amount of abject shock in her expression when the mage of her grandfather melts away.
but she feels it when that grasp loosens, and alisaie takes her opportunity to kick free and dart away; she's quite fast beneath the water.
she is also unarmed, but thankfully her magic will come to her with or without her rapier and focus on hand. beneath the water, it is very easy for her to summon a handful of sharp icicles, which fly through the water to strike the beast in multiple places, earning a pained roar, its grasp on balthier now slipping as well, its gaze flitting left and right, searching for an escape route. given its method of drawing in prey is a lure, alisaie can only guess that open combat is not its strongest suit. ]
[She offers him just the reprieve he needs; those icicles strike the creature hard and give Balthier the opportunity to pull free and resurface, dragging in a deep breathe of air and swallowing it down. It flails in response, but Balthier quickly moves to seize a decorative rock from the side of the spring and uses his alchemy magic to quickly transmute it into a stone blade, following up Alisaie's attack with a wide swing that sends the shadowy siren back beneath the water.]
[ the siren is beginning to panic now, and it roars in pain when balthier's blade hits home, and rather than attack it now instead turns around, tensing to bolt.
she does not hesitate. alisaie considers electricity, it would be quite easy to reach it with a bolt, but she risks electrifying the water and shocking them both, so.. ice again it is. rather than ice spears this time, however, alisaie instead freezes the water around the siren, effectively hemming it in in an icy gaol that snags it in place. TETHER FOR THE WIN!!
[Nicely done— he'll have to applaud her on that handy trick of hers later on. With the siren frozen in place, he only offers a quick nod of confirmation before surging forward, blade swinging forward in an elegant arc that, in different circumstances, might have hewn a lesser creature in two. The siren, however, is no typical foe— one of Celliwig's many challenges, instead, and as such, even as it panics and lets out a shrill cry of pain, it begins to dissipate.
Rather than stain the water with blood, it leaves foam on the surface, the only remaining proof of the fae obstacle that has been conquered.
Letting out a long sigh of relief, he lets his swordarm drop, the blade sinking beneath the water as he looks towards Alisaie.]
That could have gone far worse. Clever trick, that ice.
[ alisaie might be preening more, had she not just been manipulated by a beast taking the form of her dear, dead grandfather. normally she is quite the peacock when it comes to her prowess with magicks, but she finds that right now she is, unsurprisingly, not in the mood.
but she is grateful. ]
What a monstrous thing that beast was, to prey upon others in so cruel a way..
[His gaze narrows, moving to where the beast had been. There is no longer anything standing before them— no Dr. Cid, and certainly not the grandfather Alisaie had seen. He frowns, lips twitching faintly to one side.]
Certainly a challenging trial for many, depending on who or what they might see. They seek to rattle us, but I think we've just proven we're not to be taken in so easily.
[Even if it had taken the two of them to manage. Balthier doesn't know that even the strongest-willed individual would have been able to resist, if they had been on their own. If he himself hadn't been focused on assisting Alisaie, he certainly would have bought into it long enough to risk failure, whatever that meant in this situation.]
.. well, I was all but a sitting dodo until you came along.
[ she says, begrudgingly, but it is the truth, and she shall give credit where it is due. with the image of her loving grandfather before her.. she would have fallen right into that beast's teeth and claws. ]
I appreciate the assistance. Rest assured, it will not happen again.
[Alisaie has proven herself to be quite clever during their brief meetings, certainly the sort of person who's quite capable of taking care of herself, by and large. He gives her a nod of approval before he begins to slog his way towards the edge of the water, the weight and resistance of it starting to make itself known now that the adrenaline brought on by an urgent situation has begun to fade.]
For now, I think we both ought to quit this place, don't you? Suddenly no longer in the mood to enjoy the springs, for some reason.
[ dead siren bits do tend to spoil the hot springs. :(
and alisaie is much in agreement. this experience has been harrowing enough for one day, and she is more than looking forward to some time alone to reflect, and maybe sneak in a good, frustrated cry once no one is around to see it. for now she follows balthier's lead. ]
Did you.. see someone in it, as well?
[ she asks, while climbing from the water's edge, and momentarily catching herself, because what she's asking is quite personal, isn't it? she only remembers her manners after the fact. ]
[His answer is direct and almost immediate, though he shakes his head in response as he neglects to give any names or state their relation to him, pulling himself out of the water with less grace than he would like.
Soaked-through leather is, truly, miserable. He needs to stop finding himself submerged while fully dressed— it's been an unintentional but thoroughly unpleasant theme since his coming to Avalon. He tosses his impromptu stone sword aside, letting it fall heavily to the ground.]
One best left in this room, I think. Do you have any belongings we ought to collect before leaving?
[ fair enough, balthier. alisaie does not like to talk about painful things either. not only does it bring heartache, it makes her feel.. vulnerable, and weak, even if that seems ridiculous, even if she would not apply such feelings to others. but she never claimed not to be a hypocrite sometimes. ]
No.
[ and she's thankful for it, because turning back to those waters is the last thing she wants to do right now. ]
Thank you.. for helping me.
[ even though he, too, was seeing something difficult. ]
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no subject
but she feels it when that grasp loosens, and alisaie takes her opportunity to kick free and dart away; she's quite fast beneath the water.
she is also unarmed, but thankfully her magic will come to her with or without her rapier and focus on hand. beneath the water, it is very easy for her to summon a handful of sharp icicles, which fly through the water to strike the beast in multiple places, earning a pained roar, its grasp on balthier now slipping as well, its gaze flitting left and right, searching for an escape route. given its method of drawing in prey is a lure, alisaie can only guess that open combat is not its strongest suit. ]
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Quickly, we must finish it off!
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she does not hesitate. alisaie considers electricity, it would be quite easy to reach it with a bolt, but she risks electrifying the water and shocking them both, so.. ice again it is. rather than ice spears this time, however, alisaie instead freezes the water around the siren, effectively hemming it in in an icy gaol that snags it in place. TETHER FOR THE WIN!!
but it won't last long. ]
Now!
no subject
Rather than stain the water with blood, it leaves foam on the surface, the only remaining proof of the fae obstacle that has been conquered.
Letting out a long sigh of relief, he lets his swordarm drop, the blade sinking beneath the water as he looks towards Alisaie.]
That could have gone far worse. Clever trick, that ice.
no subject
[ alisaie might be preening more, had she not just been manipulated by a beast taking the form of her dear, dead grandfather. normally she is quite the peacock when it comes to her prowess with magicks, but she finds that right now she is, unsurprisingly, not in the mood.
but she is grateful. ]
What a monstrous thing that beast was, to prey upon others in so cruel a way..
no subject
[His gaze narrows, moving to where the beast had been. There is no longer anything standing before them— no Dr. Cid, and certainly not the grandfather Alisaie had seen. He frowns, lips twitching faintly to one side.]
Certainly a challenging trial for many, depending on who or what they might see. They seek to rattle us, but I think we've just proven we're not to be taken in so easily.
[Even if it had taken the two of them to manage. Balthier doesn't know that even the strongest-willed individual would have been able to resist, if they had been on their own. If he himself hadn't been focused on assisting Alisaie, he certainly would have bought into it long enough to risk failure, whatever that meant in this situation.]
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.. well, I was all but a sitting dodo until you came along.
[ she says, begrudgingly, but it is the truth, and she shall give credit where it is due. with the image of her loving grandfather before her.. she would have fallen right into that beast's teeth and claws. ]
I appreciate the assistance. Rest assured, it will not happen again.
no subject
[Alisaie has proven herself to be quite clever during their brief meetings, certainly the sort of person who's quite capable of taking care of herself, by and large. He gives her a nod of approval before he begins to slog his way towards the edge of the water, the weight and resistance of it starting to make itself known now that the adrenaline brought on by an urgent situation has begun to fade.]
For now, I think we both ought to quit this place, don't you? Suddenly no longer in the mood to enjoy the springs, for some reason.
[There's dead siren bits in that water. :|]
no subject
and alisaie is much in agreement. this experience has been harrowing enough for one day, and she is more than looking forward to some time alone to reflect, and maybe sneak in a good, frustrated cry once no one is around to see it. for now she follows balthier's lead. ]
Did you.. see someone in it, as well?
[ she asks, while climbing from the water's edge, and momentarily catching herself, because what she's asking is quite personal, isn't it? she only remembers her manners after the fact. ]
You - need not answer if you prefer not to.
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[His answer is direct and almost immediate, though he shakes his head in response as he neglects to give any names or state their relation to him, pulling himself out of the water with less grace than he would like.
Soaked-through leather is, truly, miserable. He needs to stop finding himself submerged while fully dressed— it's been an unintentional but thoroughly unpleasant theme since his coming to Avalon. He tosses his impromptu stone sword aside, letting it fall heavily to the ground.]
One best left in this room, I think. Do you have any belongings we ought to collect before leaving?
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No.
[ and she's thankful for it, because turning back to those waters is the last thing she wants to do right now. ]
Thank you.. for helping me.
[ even though he, too, was seeing something difficult. ]
no subject
[Having her to worry about had likely been his saving grace. Either way, they're in an excellent position to call it square.]
Now, to somewhere decidedly less humid. Hungry?
[Without further questioning, he offers her his arm. Let's go, small friend.]