#either just before synnove joined the arcanists' guild or maybe during her first trip home after joining

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV Write 2018 Entry #4: Horizon’s Edge

Prompt: Saving time

AKA, That Time Heron and Rere Learned About Synnove’s Ability To Charm Creatures

“If we get out of this alive,” Dancing Heron hissed, “we are never taking one of your ‘shortcuts’ ever again, do you hear me?”

Rereha nodded frantically. “Yeah, sure, you betcha, I’m an idiot, oh my gods it’s coming closer.”

“’I know a shortcut between Black Brush and Horizon, it’ll be fine.’” Heron pitched her husky voice as high as it could go in imitation of Rereha, the tone dripping with derision.

“Holy shite, will you please shut up?”

“And like absolute fucking fools, Synnove and I listen to you, and now we’ve fallen into a peiste nest and Synnove’s unconscious!”

“YOU ARE NOT HELPING.”

The desert peiste advancing on them took umbrage with Rereha’s tone of voice. The large scalekin draw its head back, hood flaring, and HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSED.

Rereha and Heron screamed and clutched each other tighter.

Synnove suddenly sat up behind them. “Wha’ the fuck happ’n’d?” she managed to slur out. “Think ‘m concus- concussed.”

“That’s really the least of our worries right now!”

“Owwwww, Rere, not s’ lo—oh my gosh you’re a pretty baby!”

The other two teenagers paused. So did the peiste, cut off mid-hiss. All three turned to look at Synnove.

The hyur was staring right at the peiste and beaming. “Awww, you’re really pretty! Such shiny scales!”

The peiste’s hood flattened a little. Rereha would swear later it was looking around in confusion. She knew she had.

Synnove shuffled out on her knees from behind her lalafell and roegadyn friends, holding out her hand. “Are you a boy or a girl? Either way you’re so pretty, yes you are!”

“Synnove what are you doing?” Heron gritted out from between her teeth. Rereha clung to Heron harder.

Synnove ignored her, cooing wordlessly with her hand still outstretched, the palm facing down.

Very, very slowly, the peiste inched closer. Heron and Rereha leaned back as far as they could, which wasn’t much since the wall of the cave was almost right behind them. They both twitched as the peiste stretched out its long, long neck, hood only slightly flared, until—

It put the tip of its nose right beneath Synnove’s palm, and every so gently, pushed up.

Synnove crooned.

Heron and Rereha’s jaws both dropped.

“What the everliving fucking shite,” Rereha said. Heron made a garbled noise in the back of her throat.

Their Highlander friend softly rubbed the peiste’s nose, and raised her other hand to just as softly run her fingers along its throat. “Awwww, you’re much softer than I thought you’d be!” she said. “And I think you’re a girl, you don’t have the ridges along your eyes like the males do. I’m sorry, sweetheart, did we fall into your nest? Is this where you’re gonna lay your eggs?”

Rereha mouthed ‘eggs?!’ in utter horror. Heron closed her eyes and breathed deeply through her nose in resignation, opening her eyes again after a long moment.

The peiste let out a long breath, very much like a sigh, and slitted her eyes closed.

Synnove removed the hand she had been using to stroke the scalekin’s throat, raised it up, and gestured sharply with it.

Rereha blinked, confused, but Heron reacted quickly. She picked Rereha up under one arm and stood up in a crouch, carefully inching around Synnove and the charmed peiste. She snagged their packs with her other hand from where they had dropped them when the trio fell into the cave, having left them behind when the peiste had first begun advancing in favor of dragging the then-unconscious Synnove with her and Rereha.

The peiste opened her eye to staaaaaaare at the Hellsguard as she passed. Heron did not make eye contact, instead immediately stilling and staring straight ahead. Rereha slapped her hands over her own eyes. They both gulped.

Synnove gave the scalekin’s nose a scritch, drawing the creature attention back to herself again. The peiste closed her eye and let out another of those long sighs.

Heron scrambled out of the cave, saying as she did, “You and your fucking shortcuts, Rereha, I swear to Thal.”

“Bitch me out later, keep going!”