A Final Fantasy

Chapter 8: Desert Solace

Darkness fell upon the city of Bardin. The heat of the day turned into the cool of the night. Reno lay on his back and watched the stars in the sky. He found himself on the roof of Ibarra's house, somehow. Reno blinked up at the stars, his mind drifting in the quiet of the desert night. He didn't know how long he had been lying there.

"I should never have gotten into this mess," he muttered under his beath, "I didn't sign up to deal with the Anomalies or get tangled up in some Empire's plans. I just want to go back to Loftcidia... and find some normalcy."

"Me too, Reno," said a familiar voice. Reno sat up startled to see Roxanne on the roof beside him. He let out a sigh of relief.

"I also want to go back home," she said and sat down beside him on the cold sandstone. The worried eyes of Roxanne met with Reno's. She looked at him, her own weariness apparent. She placed a hand on his back. Reno looked outward at the city with a blank expression yet somber at the same time.

"I know. I want to go back too. Every day we are out here, I think about my place—about Breezeway Lane, about the quiet mornings with Nyx. I miss it more than I thought I would. But what choice do we have? We have been too much. We have done too much just to walk away now."

Roxanne subtly placed her hand underneath Reno's sand cloak and rubbed his back affectionately. Reno looked down.

"We did not choose to be in this, but we have each other, Reno. At least that is something, right?" She looked at him, her gaze searching for some kind of reassurance. "You're not alone in this, Reno. I'm here. We are both stuck in this mess, but at least we've got each other to rely on."

Reno's shoulders slumped as he glanced over at her, his frustration simmering but softened by her words. "Yeah... I guess. I know that we've been away from home for a short while, but it's hard."

Roxanne nodded. "We will make it through. We always have. Remember when we battled the Rogue Tomato?"

Reno smiled and laughed softly. "Yeah, that was a tough one."

"I do not think I could have done it without you." replied Roxanne.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. It probably would have burned my face off."

Reno laughed harder at the thought of it.

"We will go back to Loftcidia someday," Roxanne reassured. "Whatever happens, we will face it—together."

Reno closed his eyes for a moment, letting her words sink in.

"Yeah. Together."

Reno and Roxanne descended from the rooftop and made their way down into the main room of Ibarra's residence. The space was warmly lit by a few hanging lanterns, casting a golden glow over the room's cluttered but homely atmosphere. As they stepped inside, they were greeted by an unexpected scene.

At the large wooden table, Glass Jensen and Otsubara were locked in an arm-wrestling duel. Their elbows were planted firmly on the table and faces scrunched in concentration. The seasoned sky pirate was visibly struggling as he gritted his teeth and pushed with all his might. Otsubara, however, looked calm and almost bored, her foxlike ears twitching slightly as she effortlessly held her ground. Meanwhile, Ibarra, always the gracious host, clinked two clay cups onto the table and filled them with an amber-colored drink. He was also working on one of his trinkets: a tiny clockwork bird that chirped quietly on the side, and a strange device powered by a small chunk of crystal, glowing faintly.

"Come on, Jensen!" Otsubara teased. "Is that all you've got?"

Glass growled through his teeth, "I'm just...warming...up!" His face turned a deeper shade of red as he exerted more effort, but Otsubara did not budge. With a playful smile, she suddenly slammed his arm down onto the table with a thud.

"Ugh! You win... again," Glass grumbled, rubbing his sore arm.

"You'll lose every time," Otsubara said, her tone light but teasing. "You're just no match for me."

"I think you've got magic in those arms," said the defeated Glass.

"Just old kitsune strength," said Otsubara said with a smirk.

But before the moment passed, Glass, clearly not ready to let her have the last word, reached over and flicked Otsubara's forehead with his finger.

"Ow!" she recoiled, rubbing the spot with a glare. "Did you just flick me?"

Glass smirked, reclining back in his chair. "Consider it my consolation prize. Small victories."

"Small victories, huh?" Otsubara stood up abruptly. "Let's see how you like...this!"

Before Glass could react, Otsubara jumped across the table and wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling him into a headlock. In the process, she knocked Ibarra's clockwork bird to the floor.

"Woah! Hey, hey, wait a second!" Glass yelped, but he was utterly helpless as she tightened her grip, playfully trapping him in place. Any attempt to pull the kitsune's arm away was futile.

Reno and Roanne burst out laughing at the sight of the once-proud sky pirate now wriggling helplessly. "Looks like she's got you beat in more ways than one, Glass," Roxanne said between laughs.

"Alright, alright, I yield!" Glass protested, his voice muffled as he tried and failed to squirm free from Otsubara's grip.

Ibarra, barely looking up from his work, chuckled under his breath. "Never thought I'd see the day Glass Jensen gets bested by a bartender. You lot are quite the entertainment."

Otsubara finally released Glass, who slumped back into his chair, gasping for air. "You're ruthless," he muttered, rubbing his neck. She smiled and patted his head.

"Small victories, love," she mocked jokingly and flexed her arm.

The tension eased, replaced by shared laughter that lit the mood, if only for a moment before the next challenge came knocking.