FFX. Kimahri: Smell & Children
Jul. 30th, 2006 10:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dagas_isaTitle: Bevelle's Mountain
Fandom: Final Fantasy X
Characters: Kimahri Ronso
Prompt: 036 Smell
Word Count: 1422
Rating: G
Summary: Kimahri braves the sensory overload of Bevelle to search for Yuna.
Bevelle was the human Gagazet, Kimahri translated as he stepped out of the forest and onto the main road that wound through Spira's largest city. Like the mountain, the city extended towards the clouds, the most important buildings at the pinnacle, while the majority of the human clans camped around the base.
The city might have been mountain-like in how it towered over it's people, but it's gaudy decorations and throngs of people contrasted directly with the austerity of Gagazet and it's single tribe of Ronso. Every turn brought new assault to his senses; each building more brightly colored and intricately designed than the ones below. Merchants at the open market advertised their wares against a backdrop of humming and drumming in a peculiar song. No matter where he stood, someone or something always seemed to brush by him so that even in the largest city pressed in on his mind and body in a way that even the Ronso tribe, with its close-knit members, would not have tolerated.
For all that though, the smells overwhelmed Kimahri on his search for the child Yuna. Smoke from a thousand cook fires converged at his nostrils to make a scent so thick his tongue tasted the fire. More smoke from lit incense added extra spice that clashed with the cloying sweetness from somewhere else. And between those, and the smells of every individual who passed him, the effect sent Kimahri longing for any respite.
Yet he continued on, knowing that moving forward and finding Yuna would save him from the weight of civilization faster than simply resting in a quiet corner. So while he closed his eyes and tried to recall Gagazet in his mind, he thought of where to find his new charge.
The temples. Elder Kelk had explained how humans confined their holy places to specific buildings, and how they worshiped by going to these temples, but how even temples served more purpose than just worship. As a Ronso youth learned lessons from Gagazet, human children took their lessons from priests at the temple, and for children who no longer had blood family to take care of them, the temples opened the doors.
As the high-summoner's daughter, Yuna would especially be welcome into the embrace of the temple, and Kimahri could think of no other place to look for her. When he opened his eyes the path became clearer, and the people became droplets of water in a living river, flowing around Kimahri.
The smells still lingered on, but as he went higher the intensity lessened. The higher he climbed up the Bevelle path, the fewer humans lingered on the streets. Unwashed bodies gradually gave way to humans wrapped in flowers, and not so many suppers being cooked. Merchants here operated inside, and Kimahri felt himself come under so much scrutiny.
Kimahri noticed the growing number of people who watched him walk on the cobbled path. Where below he might have been a passing curiosity for the crowds, everyone had other things to care about than a lone Ronso. Upwards, in the wealthy districts where only important people trod, he became a commodity.
His sensitive ears picked up the whispers. What business did a broken-horned Ronso have here? Was he someone important, or sent by Maester Kelk for some errand? Did he come to bring harm or blessings to the people of Bevelle. Two guards, weapons hidden, tailed Kimahri, trying to be silent as they followed his every move. No matter how stealthy they tried to be, Kimahri still smelled their scent, human mixed with leather and a faint metallic tang.
For now they remained harmless, and Kimahri sought nothing of trouble on this constructed mountain. He strode on, until the temple appeared in his sight. Priests and summoners rushed around on the grounds, and the smells of exotic food, gunpowder from fireworks, and fragrant burning herbs assaulted him again.
A nun approached him with a stack of dishes that made giants of his hands, apparently not seeing Kimahri's otherness. "You," she commanded, "Take these over to Father Doran," she gestured to a tonsured man standing near one of the tables. And with that, the human turned to another person, one of the guards who had followed him incidentally, and assigned him the task of clearing out leaves and other debris from the grounds.
The years of obedience ingrained in Kimahri from his training silenced the willful part of him, and carried those plates to Father Doran, who unlike the nun, took notice of Kimahri's towering form, and his Ronso features.
"A Ronso? In Bevelle?" The man asked, amazed.
"Kimahri brings dishes. Searches for Yuna." Kimahri answered the unstated question before the priest could say it aloud. In a gesture of piece, he offered the stack of plates to the dazed Doran.
The man snapped out of his trance and forced his neck back to look Kimahri in his eyes. So used to being the small one, Kimahri still marveled that he towered over every human he had seen in Spira so far.
"Oh yes of course, dishes. You can-you can set them on that table right there." Father Doran looked away again, as if he had something more important to think of.
"Father Doran knows where Yuna is?"
"Yuna? Lord Braska's daughter? I mean, I-I can't tell you that. Temple security and all that...you understand, right?"
"Kimahri understands duty. Needs to find Yuna to fulfill own duty."
"I-I can't help you. To tell the truth, no one's seen Lord Braska's daughter since-since the calm came."
At that, Kimahri started thinking again. If a Ronso child had been lost, the mother would have gathered something of his and brought it to the tribe. One by one, all the warriors would sniff to get the scent of the missing child into their smell-memory. If the temple did not have Yuna, they might have a thing of hers, and Kimahri could track her that way.
"Yuna have something here?"
"I'll-I'll have to see...wait here, I'm sure we can help."
For such a small thing in a long robe, he moved from Kimahri's sight quickly. For hours though, he remained gone, as the sun set, and the bonfires lit around the temples. He stayed still, waiting with interminable patience until he saw the man walk out of the temple, and promptly join another group of priests as if Kimahri the Ronso had never existed.
One, two fists clenched, as Kimahri choked down a roar of fury. He needed something of Yuna to track her, or someone who would know where the girl was.
"Hey... are you a fiend?" A tug on his tail coincided with the high-pitched question. A little girl with reddish brown hair and a scared expression on her face looked at him.
Kimahri shook his head. Such a preposterous question deserved no more.
"Tenna and the others want to know what you're doing here at the party... you're not eating or watching the fireworks."
"Kimahri searches for Yuna."
"Oh Yuna! I know Yuna! She sleeps in my room, but we haven't seen her since her daddy beat Sin."
Finally, something slightly useful, and Kimahri bent on one knee to talk to the little girl. "Child have something of Yuna's?"
"She still has things in my room. She didn't take anything, not even her favorite moogle doll. I can show you!" The little girl bounced around from table to table rushing towards the temple, yet it only took Kimahri four or five full strides to catch up to her.
If anyone thought a little girl leading a Ronso through the temple was strange, no one seemed to care enough to say anything, as everyone, even the guards where laughing, eating, and drinking their fill.
"See...this is our room. Yuna's things are right there, and Kupo is on her bed. That's her most favoritest doll in the world."
The toy fit in Kimahri's palm, and with delicate care, he sniffed the fabric. Beyond the smells of the temple that had soaked in, one distinct human smell stood out, the one that presumably would lead him to Yuna. With care he lay the doll on the bed, in the exact spot it had been before the little girl picked it up.
"Kimahri thanks child."
He barely heard her "You're welcome" before he exited the temple and moved upwind. He had a girl to find, and a trail to follow across Bevelle.
Title: Over Bridges
Fandom: Final Fantasy X
Characters: Kimahri, Yuna
Prompt: 028 Children
Word Count: 1045
Rating: G
Summary: Kimahri finds an upset Yuna on a bridge.
Threads the humans could never grasp wrapped around Kimahri and led him through the city of Bevelle in his search for Yuna. Even with the scents of festivals: food and fireworks, his memory locked on to the one smell that would bring him to his quarry
***
One by one, flower petals dropped into the waterway, as the only mourner in a city of celebration watched them flow away. Intellectually she knew, her father had defeated Sin and would never return, but with all the cheering, her heart denied the truth.
Yuna hadn't run away, not like the people at the temple were likely to think. As the high-summoner's daughter she should represent her father at the celebrations in his honor, but when felt like crying as others laughed, keeping far away from their merriment seemed the best solution for everyone.
What now? Would Sir Auron or Sir Jecht come to meet her, and take her with them? She imagined Sir Jecht, scruffy and bare-chested, but gentle underneath returning to take her to his Zanarkand. He'd play Blitzball and she'd watch from her seat cheering him on. Or Sir Auron, himself an outcast, would find Yuna, and he'd be her guardian as they traveled Spira. Or maybe this time Sin hadn't killed the high-summoner when he died. Her father could be waiting around the corner, arms ready to hug his daughter.
"Yuna?"
The sound of her name, spoken in such a deep, unfamiliar voice made her look up from the water, though she still hid her face from the person in case he saw her on the verge of tears.
"Y-Yes?"
"Kimahri come for Yuna."
Yuna turned around to look at Kimahri, whoever he was, and nearly jumped into the canal from fright. She had thought Sir Jecht and Sir Auron giants, but this person dwarfed them all. He didn't look human either, with his yellow-gold eyes, blue fur, and a lion like face. In all her seven years of life, Yuna had never seen anything nearly so scary.
Her resolve started to melt as Kimahri stared down at her. The monster, for something so big had to be a fiend, waited for Yuna to make a move, to run or cry. What if her father or Sir Jecht or Sir Auron was watching her. She had to be strong, to make them proud of her.
"You've come for me? What for?"
"Kimahri take Yuna to Besaid. Father's wishes."
***
Kimahri hadn't known what to expect from the high-summoner's daughter, but certainly wasn't the girl currently hugging his legs and crying sloppy tears on his loincloth. He smelled fear-sweat on her skin, but instead of running away, she'd remained calm until he told her why he'd come.
Idly, he contemplated whether he should have told Yuna anything, and whether simply taking her out of Bevelle would have been the better approach. Instead of showing this thought though, Kimahri waited for the girl to stop her weeping before explaining anything else.
Kimahri thought of his training while he stood here. Patient as stone, protector of the weak, the warrior did no harm and took no action unless and until it was necessary. The human pup's tears might shift him off edge, but he had to wait for her to accept or reject the situation before he could think of forcing her to leave with him.
Every time a firework exploded, the girl's sobbing renewed, and through the choked tears she began to explain.
"My father-he's dead, now isn't he? That's why you're here. But everyone's celebrating, and the fireworks. They're celebrating because my father's dead!" The crying started anew and Kimahri wondered if Yuna's eyes would ever run dry.
"People happy because Sin died." Kimahri explained. "People honor High-Summoner Braska's courage."
"I know." Yuna said through her tears. "I just wanted him around afterward, he made so many people happy. I thought Sin might leave him alone. But now you're here, and you wouldn't be if my father was still alive."
Yuna started crying again, but this time instead of standing there, Kimahri placed one hand on her head and stroked her hair until she calmed down.
***
The fireworks had long ended before Yuna pulled back from Kimahri a much calmer person. Once again, she looked up at the monster who had come to take her from the city. Strange, he didn't seem so scary now. His face, was kind of like the cats who roamed in and out of the temples, and the broken bit of horn on his forehead seemed more silly than anything.
If he were going to eat her, wouldn't he have done so while she sat around crying? He wasn't so bad, and better than staying at the temples while everyone celebrated.
"Can we leave tonight?" Suddenly she was eager to go on an adventure with her new friend.
"Yuna go back to temple. Get belongings."
"I don't need belongings," Yuna said. "We can get new things on the road."
"Kimahri not have much gil."
She stepped back from him, assessing her new body guard. "Takko at the temple said the the fiends have gil on them. So all you have to do is kill a few fiends and we'll be okay. You look strong."
"Kimahri still young Ronso. Not experienced. Yuna go back to temple for belongings." In the moon light his eyes gleamed an eerie gold color, and while Yuna did want to argue, she had a feeling he wouldn't move on this.
"I don't have to talk to anyone, right? If I go back to get my things, we can leave tonight, right?" She wanted to be out of Bevelle.
Kimahri nodded, and Yuna thought she could see his teeth wrap around a small smile. "Kimahri and Yuna leave tonight."
With a whoosh, Yuna's feet left the ground as Kimahri picked her up. Before she could scream or yell or protest, she was suddenly riding on the giant's shoulders, and taking in a much different view of the city she'd lived in all her life.
Together, a tower of made of a human girl and her enormous guardian walked over the bridge towards the temple, setting forth on a new journey.
Fandom: Final Fantasy X
Characters: Kimahri Ronso
Prompt: 036 Smell
Word Count: 1422
Rating: G
Summary: Kimahri braves the sensory overload of Bevelle to search for Yuna.
Bevelle was the human Gagazet, Kimahri translated as he stepped out of the forest and onto the main road that wound through Spira's largest city. Like the mountain, the city extended towards the clouds, the most important buildings at the pinnacle, while the majority of the human clans camped around the base.
The city might have been mountain-like in how it towered over it's people, but it's gaudy decorations and throngs of people contrasted directly with the austerity of Gagazet and it's single tribe of Ronso. Every turn brought new assault to his senses; each building more brightly colored and intricately designed than the ones below. Merchants at the open market advertised their wares against a backdrop of humming and drumming in a peculiar song. No matter where he stood, someone or something always seemed to brush by him so that even in the largest city pressed in on his mind and body in a way that even the Ronso tribe, with its close-knit members, would not have tolerated.
For all that though, the smells overwhelmed Kimahri on his search for the child Yuna. Smoke from a thousand cook fires converged at his nostrils to make a scent so thick his tongue tasted the fire. More smoke from lit incense added extra spice that clashed with the cloying sweetness from somewhere else. And between those, and the smells of every individual who passed him, the effect sent Kimahri longing for any respite.
Yet he continued on, knowing that moving forward and finding Yuna would save him from the weight of civilization faster than simply resting in a quiet corner. So while he closed his eyes and tried to recall Gagazet in his mind, he thought of where to find his new charge.
The temples. Elder Kelk had explained how humans confined their holy places to specific buildings, and how they worshiped by going to these temples, but how even temples served more purpose than just worship. As a Ronso youth learned lessons from Gagazet, human children took their lessons from priests at the temple, and for children who no longer had blood family to take care of them, the temples opened the doors.
As the high-summoner's daughter, Yuna would especially be welcome into the embrace of the temple, and Kimahri could think of no other place to look for her. When he opened his eyes the path became clearer, and the people became droplets of water in a living river, flowing around Kimahri.
The smells still lingered on, but as he went higher the intensity lessened. The higher he climbed up the Bevelle path, the fewer humans lingered on the streets. Unwashed bodies gradually gave way to humans wrapped in flowers, and not so many suppers being cooked. Merchants here operated inside, and Kimahri felt himself come under so much scrutiny.
Kimahri noticed the growing number of people who watched him walk on the cobbled path. Where below he might have been a passing curiosity for the crowds, everyone had other things to care about than a lone Ronso. Upwards, in the wealthy districts where only important people trod, he became a commodity.
His sensitive ears picked up the whispers. What business did a broken-horned Ronso have here? Was he someone important, or sent by Maester Kelk for some errand? Did he come to bring harm or blessings to the people of Bevelle. Two guards, weapons hidden, tailed Kimahri, trying to be silent as they followed his every move. No matter how stealthy they tried to be, Kimahri still smelled their scent, human mixed with leather and a faint metallic tang.
For now they remained harmless, and Kimahri sought nothing of trouble on this constructed mountain. He strode on, until the temple appeared in his sight. Priests and summoners rushed around on the grounds, and the smells of exotic food, gunpowder from fireworks, and fragrant burning herbs assaulted him again.
A nun approached him with a stack of dishes that made giants of his hands, apparently not seeing Kimahri's otherness. "You," she commanded, "Take these over to Father Doran," she gestured to a tonsured man standing near one of the tables. And with that, the human turned to another person, one of the guards who had followed him incidentally, and assigned him the task of clearing out leaves and other debris from the grounds.
The years of obedience ingrained in Kimahri from his training silenced the willful part of him, and carried those plates to Father Doran, who unlike the nun, took notice of Kimahri's towering form, and his Ronso features.
"A Ronso? In Bevelle?" The man asked, amazed.
"Kimahri brings dishes. Searches for Yuna." Kimahri answered the unstated question before the priest could say it aloud. In a gesture of piece, he offered the stack of plates to the dazed Doran.
The man snapped out of his trance and forced his neck back to look Kimahri in his eyes. So used to being the small one, Kimahri still marveled that he towered over every human he had seen in Spira so far.
"Oh yes of course, dishes. You can-you can set them on that table right there." Father Doran looked away again, as if he had something more important to think of.
"Father Doran knows where Yuna is?"
"Yuna? Lord Braska's daughter? I mean, I-I can't tell you that. Temple security and all that...you understand, right?"
"Kimahri understands duty. Needs to find Yuna to fulfill own duty."
"I-I can't help you. To tell the truth, no one's seen Lord Braska's daughter since-since the calm came."
At that, Kimahri started thinking again. If a Ronso child had been lost, the mother would have gathered something of his and brought it to the tribe. One by one, all the warriors would sniff to get the scent of the missing child into their smell-memory. If the temple did not have Yuna, they might have a thing of hers, and Kimahri could track her that way.
"Yuna have something here?"
"I'll-I'll have to see...wait here, I'm sure we can help."
For such a small thing in a long robe, he moved from Kimahri's sight quickly. For hours though, he remained gone, as the sun set, and the bonfires lit around the temples. He stayed still, waiting with interminable patience until he saw the man walk out of the temple, and promptly join another group of priests as if Kimahri the Ronso had never existed.
One, two fists clenched, as Kimahri choked down a roar of fury. He needed something of Yuna to track her, or someone who would know where the girl was.
"Hey... are you a fiend?" A tug on his tail coincided with the high-pitched question. A little girl with reddish brown hair and a scared expression on her face looked at him.
Kimahri shook his head. Such a preposterous question deserved no more.
"Tenna and the others want to know what you're doing here at the party... you're not eating or watching the fireworks."
"Kimahri searches for Yuna."
"Oh Yuna! I know Yuna! She sleeps in my room, but we haven't seen her since her daddy beat Sin."
Finally, something slightly useful, and Kimahri bent on one knee to talk to the little girl. "Child have something of Yuna's?"
"She still has things in my room. She didn't take anything, not even her favorite moogle doll. I can show you!" The little girl bounced around from table to table rushing towards the temple, yet it only took Kimahri four or five full strides to catch up to her.
If anyone thought a little girl leading a Ronso through the temple was strange, no one seemed to care enough to say anything, as everyone, even the guards where laughing, eating, and drinking their fill.
"See...this is our room. Yuna's things are right there, and Kupo is on her bed. That's her most favoritest doll in the world."
The toy fit in Kimahri's palm, and with delicate care, he sniffed the fabric. Beyond the smells of the temple that had soaked in, one distinct human smell stood out, the one that presumably would lead him to Yuna. With care he lay the doll on the bed, in the exact spot it had been before the little girl picked it up.
"Kimahri thanks child."
He barely heard her "You're welcome" before he exited the temple and moved upwind. He had a girl to find, and a trail to follow across Bevelle.
Title: Over Bridges
Fandom: Final Fantasy X
Characters: Kimahri, Yuna
Prompt: 028 Children
Word Count: 1045
Rating: G
Summary: Kimahri finds an upset Yuna on a bridge.
Threads the humans could never grasp wrapped around Kimahri and led him through the city of Bevelle in his search for Yuna. Even with the scents of festivals: food and fireworks, his memory locked on to the one smell that would bring him to his quarry
***
One by one, flower petals dropped into the waterway, as the only mourner in a city of celebration watched them flow away. Intellectually she knew, her father had defeated Sin and would never return, but with all the cheering, her heart denied the truth.
Yuna hadn't run away, not like the people at the temple were likely to think. As the high-summoner's daughter she should represent her father at the celebrations in his honor, but when felt like crying as others laughed, keeping far away from their merriment seemed the best solution for everyone.
What now? Would Sir Auron or Sir Jecht come to meet her, and take her with them? She imagined Sir Jecht, scruffy and bare-chested, but gentle underneath returning to take her to his Zanarkand. He'd play Blitzball and she'd watch from her seat cheering him on. Or Sir Auron, himself an outcast, would find Yuna, and he'd be her guardian as they traveled Spira. Or maybe this time Sin hadn't killed the high-summoner when he died. Her father could be waiting around the corner, arms ready to hug his daughter.
"Yuna?"
The sound of her name, spoken in such a deep, unfamiliar voice made her look up from the water, though she still hid her face from the person in case he saw her on the verge of tears.
"Y-Yes?"
"Kimahri come for Yuna."
Yuna turned around to look at Kimahri, whoever he was, and nearly jumped into the canal from fright. She had thought Sir Jecht and Sir Auron giants, but this person dwarfed them all. He didn't look human either, with his yellow-gold eyes, blue fur, and a lion like face. In all her seven years of life, Yuna had never seen anything nearly so scary.
Her resolve started to melt as Kimahri stared down at her. The monster, for something so big had to be a fiend, waited for Yuna to make a move, to run or cry. What if her father or Sir Jecht or Sir Auron was watching her. She had to be strong, to make them proud of her.
"You've come for me? What for?"
"Kimahri take Yuna to Besaid. Father's wishes."
***
Kimahri hadn't known what to expect from the high-summoner's daughter, but certainly wasn't the girl currently hugging his legs and crying sloppy tears on his loincloth. He smelled fear-sweat on her skin, but instead of running away, she'd remained calm until he told her why he'd come.
Idly, he contemplated whether he should have told Yuna anything, and whether simply taking her out of Bevelle would have been the better approach. Instead of showing this thought though, Kimahri waited for the girl to stop her weeping before explaining anything else.
Kimahri thought of his training while he stood here. Patient as stone, protector of the weak, the warrior did no harm and took no action unless and until it was necessary. The human pup's tears might shift him off edge, but he had to wait for her to accept or reject the situation before he could think of forcing her to leave with him.
Every time a firework exploded, the girl's sobbing renewed, and through the choked tears she began to explain.
"My father-he's dead, now isn't he? That's why you're here. But everyone's celebrating, and the fireworks. They're celebrating because my father's dead!" The crying started anew and Kimahri wondered if Yuna's eyes would ever run dry.
"People happy because Sin died." Kimahri explained. "People honor High-Summoner Braska's courage."
"I know." Yuna said through her tears. "I just wanted him around afterward, he made so many people happy. I thought Sin might leave him alone. But now you're here, and you wouldn't be if my father was still alive."
Yuna started crying again, but this time instead of standing there, Kimahri placed one hand on her head and stroked her hair until she calmed down.
***
The fireworks had long ended before Yuna pulled back from Kimahri a much calmer person. Once again, she looked up at the monster who had come to take her from the city. Strange, he didn't seem so scary now. His face, was kind of like the cats who roamed in and out of the temples, and the broken bit of horn on his forehead seemed more silly than anything.
If he were going to eat her, wouldn't he have done so while she sat around crying? He wasn't so bad, and better than staying at the temples while everyone celebrated.
"Can we leave tonight?" Suddenly she was eager to go on an adventure with her new friend.
"Yuna go back to temple. Get belongings."
"I don't need belongings," Yuna said. "We can get new things on the road."
"Kimahri not have much gil."
She stepped back from him, assessing her new body guard. "Takko at the temple said the the fiends have gil on them. So all you have to do is kill a few fiends and we'll be okay. You look strong."
"Kimahri still young Ronso. Not experienced. Yuna go back to temple for belongings." In the moon light his eyes gleamed an eerie gold color, and while Yuna did want to argue, she had a feeling he wouldn't move on this.
"I don't have to talk to anyone, right? If I go back to get my things, we can leave tonight, right?" She wanted to be out of Bevelle.
Kimahri nodded, and Yuna thought she could see his teeth wrap around a small smile. "Kimahri and Yuna leave tonight."
With a whoosh, Yuna's feet left the ground as Kimahri picked her up. Before she could scream or yell or protest, she was suddenly riding on the giant's shoulders, and taking in a much different view of the city she'd lived in all her life.
Together, a tower of made of a human girl and her enormous guardian walked over the bridge towards the temple, setting forth on a new journey.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-07-31 06:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-14 09:25 pm (UTC)Yuna wanting to slip out without talking to anyone, and Kimahri understanding, is particularly touching. In a way, he understands the feeling from recent experiences.
Second chapter:
"but when [she] felt like crying as others laughed"
"Together, a tower **of** made of a human girl and her enormous guardian"
First chapter:
A few misplaced "it's". Its = a possessive pronoun, like his, her, your, my, our. They're possessive by nature, so they don't need apostrophes. An apostrophe is used to turn an ordinary noun into a possessive (John's, cat's) or to indicate a dropped letter in a contraction (it's = "it is").
no subject
Date: 2006-10-14 10:09 pm (UTC)And thank you for the pointers. ^.^