Heated Start [Asif]

[Seyka]

How in the world did she end up here? She knew enough that she was in Bikanel, but little did she realize how far she traveled. The heat was unbearable. The air was dry, the sun’s rays so thick, they felt like weights against your flesh, and the ground was soft and sandy. You could easily trip by getting your toes stuck in the sand. She wasn’t even garbed in much heavy material, but already she was almost ready to break out in sweat. When she took a trip down memory lane, she recollected the scene before she ended up here.

One little mistake took her on a trip in the wrong direction, she got upon a boat that set off for Bikanel rather than heading off to Besaid. She was going to beat herself over that little mistake. Her skin could already feel the intense heat against her skin – ready to darken her already tan form. She let out a sigh of disappointment before turning her honey brown eyes over to the scorching desert. There was no use in complaining over what was said and done, right? She decided to move on and proceed with her adventure through the Bikanel desert.

If she recalled correctly, this was Al Bhed territory, but she didn’t see many Al Bhed looming around. Or perhaps there were on their home turf? She simply shrugged it off and began treading through the sand. As far as the eye could see, Seyka saw massive stretches of nothing but sand, and the sky extending so far out. The heat wavering her vision slightly, creating wave-like mirages around. Her curious eyes roamed around at the nearby objects, for instance, she caught sight of a cactus, with pretty flowers blooming. Her honey brown orbs for eyes flickered brightly with glee, she inched a little closer to reach out and touch the flower. The surface of the flower felt so smooth against her fingertips, trying to be careful not to touch it’s spiky exterior of the cactus.

After having her fun with the flowers, she backed away from the cactus and back on her merry way. Beads of sweat began to form across her forehead. She gently wiped them away, before letting out a sigh, growing weary of the heat. Not paying any bit of attention to where she was going, Sey Sey fell into a sand dune.

“Ow…” she groaned, “That was a dumb move…”

[Asif]

Bikanel was a tricky mistress to travel, and an even harsher mistress to live in, bombarding any who entered her with merciless heat, bone-dry air, massive storms of dust, a sun that beat down like a hammer, a moon that resided over nights cold as ice, and Fiends that could spring at you any time, any place. To those who learned to respect her, to those who could survive Bikanel's wrath and grow to love her, she was paradise. Her shifting sands hid an endless supply of derelict machina, some thousands of years old, each one a mystery, and each one a wonder. It was a feral land, but hey, it was home.

Asif Rahim Ibn Khalid Ibn Sa'd Al-Misri--though he preferred to be called Asif--was an Al Bhed, and the Al Bhed were Bikanel's favored children. They loved her, and she let them explore her, and discover her secrets. Asif was doing this right now, and he'd hit the motherlode. Not just a derelict, but an entire underground complex. Scavengers had been looking to find something like this for years, and Asif had simply gone out one day and found it, pulled like iron to a lodestone. He loved Bikanel, and her shifting sands, with all his heart.

Of course, he could have lived without the dunes. He hated the dunes with all his heart, and the way they kept trying to trip people up. In fact, they were at it again, and had thrown a traveler at his feet. She looked tired, but also kind of pretty. "Aqlica sa, yna oui ugyo?"

"Ow. That was a dumb move."

"Oh! A traveler!" His voice held a slight flavor of Al Bhed accent, but it was obvious that he spoke to a lot of foreigners. "Are you okay? Do you need any help?"

[Seyka]

The Bubbly Butterfly coughed a couple of times. She definitely pulled off a stupendous display of clumsiness this time. Regaining her composure, she lifted upper body to get her head out of the sand first, changing her position so that she was sitting in the dune. Ugh. The worst thing to have in your hair besides tangles would have to be sand. Without hesitations, she immediately went into cleaning mode to get the pestering little grains of dirt out of her hair.

The moment she began to clean her hair up, she perked up a little upon hearing someone come up and spot her. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion, realizing that she was now in the presents of an Al Bhed. The way they spoke in their native tongue was as obvious as the bright sun of the day. The next moment she realized that the native could speak perfect English; Seyka’s honey brown eyes flickered brightly with joy. She couldn’t help but smile of the thick Al Bhed accent the boy had, but didn’t keep him waiting for a response.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Sandy but no harm done,” she joked lightheartedly, “I think I can get myself up…”

Seyka made an attempt to lift herself up. Success. Removing any other bit of sand off of her before making another move, she attempted to step out of the dune, only to realize that she was slipping a little quickly. The next thing she knew, she returned back face first into the sand once again. Fail.

”Okay. Yeah, I may need a bit of help.”

Seyka didn’t like the idea of feeling helpless, but she knew when she was at a disadvantage. It was inevitable for anyone native to these lands that she was indeed, foreign to its environment. She wouldn’t even last a week on her own in this dreadful desert.

[Asif]

When she smiled, he couldn't help but smile back. “Yeah, I’m okay. Sandy but no harm done. I think I can get myself up…””

Asif couldn't count the number of times he'd heard a foreigner say that. They really could be hopeless sometimes. Didn't they know that Bikanel was not to be underestimated? A dust storm of decent size, and even Home itself could be buried. He'd seen days so hot that he managed to fry his breakfast on a flat rock lying in the sand. As far as he knew, Bikanel was one of the most hostile, dangerous places in all of Spira. Then again, he hadn't exactly gone anywhere else to check. Asif had no idea what the rest of Spira actually looked like.

The inevitable conclusion was reached, and the woman landed face-first in the sand. Again. He couldn't help but chuckle. ”Okay. Yeah, I may need a bit of help.”

"Say no more," Asif said with a broad smile as he pulled the woman to her feet. "Keep your guard up, spread your weight, be careful where you step, and when you walk, walk like this." He showed her how to best move in the dunes by walking a few circles around her. "You'll get the hang of it." When that was done, Asif stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled. The sound carried over a considerable distance, and was answered by a distant "Waaark!"

In little over a minute, he could see his beloved Shandra racing towards them, a red streak on the sand. She walked up to Asif, looking as fierce and proud as always, and nuzzled him. He smiled and nuzzled back, burying his face in her feathers. He pointed to the woman. "Shandra, drec ec y dnyjaman. Dyga ran pylg du dra lysb. Ihtan hu lenliscdyhlac yna oui du ayd ran. Tu oui ihtancdyht?"

"Wark!"

He turned to the traveler. "This is Shandra. She may look fierce, but she's really a big softie. She'll take you to my camp. It's really not far, and the ground is a lot easier to walk on there. There's a flask of water in the saddle, which you will drink." He offered Shandra's reins to the woman. "If you don't know how to ride, then just give Shandra her head and she'll take you there by herself. My name is Asif, by the way. What's yours?"