Work Text:
It wasn’t often that the Scions got to enjoy a moment of reprieve–not with constantly saving the star and other realms throwing a wrench into things. So when an opportunity presented itself for the heroes to spend a few days in Costa del Sol during the yearly Moonfire Faire festival, well, to say that they all packed their shit at lightning speeds and hopped onto the nearest airship going to eastern La Noscea was a gross understatement.
When they made landfall and settled their belongings in the large summer rental home they would all share that weekend, the group teleported to the aetheryte in the heart of Costa del Sol and finally got to work on relaxing and having fun.
Thancred was quick to scout for the prime ‘base’ of sorts for everyone, staking an almost comically large white and red parasol into the sand to claim their spot. Krile and G’raha Tia set about unpacking their baskets containing towels, drinks, folding chairs, and other necessities they would need while Tataru insisted on everyone applying a generous helping of the “sun blocking tonic” she swore would help prevent their skin from burning at the day’s end, pulling Estinien by the ear when he refused to slather the stuff on.
“It’s easier if you just do as the good woman says, my friend!” Malcolm, one of the Warriors of Light, called out to the elezen who held said woman at arm’s length. Alisaie chuckled at the dragoon’s misfortune but was met with the receptionist’s deadly glare, choking her laughter down as she applied a handful of mystery liquid onto her pale shoulders.
When all were coated with enough tonic that not even the sun itself could hope to burn, the Scions were given leave to wreak havoc on the shores of Costa del Sol. The other Warrior of Light, Cataleya, grabbed Malcolm by the hand and ran straight towards the water. She squealed as the surprisingly frigid waves smacked against their warm bodies, making her shiver in delight. The pair dipped under the surface for a moment to further acclimate themselves to the water’s temperature before coming back up for air, despite not needing to with their blessings from the Kojin. They laughed as they splashed at each other like children, for once not feeling the weight of their responsibilities bearing down on their shoulders.
Once they had their fill of the sea, Cataleya and Malcolm leisurely swam back to shore where the others waited. The Warriors looked amongst their friends in confusion, unsure why they were standing around and not doing anything until G’raha and Alisaie stepped forward with wicked grins on their faces.
“What kind of vacation would this be if we didn’t have some sort of competitive entertainment?” The elezen asked as G’raha held out a ball that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. “What say our saviors of worlds to a little game of volleyball, hmm?”
Malcolm looked at the ball and back to the Scions’ eager faces a few times. He hoped to relax on this trip before whatever next big adventure or world-ending issue came up. As he went to politely yet firmly decline the invitation, his partner made his decision for him as she readily agreed to play and high-fived her friends. The Hyur sighed in defeat and shook his head with a smile. He should’ve known that Cataleya’s competitive nature would win her over, so he simply shrugged and went to join the others.
The Scions quickly divided themselves into two teams: Team A consisted of Cataleya, Alisaie, G’raha, and Estinien while Team B was Malcolm, Thancred, Urianger, and Alphinaud–Team B winning the coin toss. Tataru, Y’shtola, and Krile opted out so they could enjoy whatever mayhem was bound to unfold between the Warriors of Light on opposing teams. While they set up the net that–like the ball–materialized out of nowhere, an older lalafellin man approached the group. He saw that it looked like they were getting ready to play some volleyball and offered to referee the game for them, saying that it’d be an honor to do so for the people who worked tirelessly to keep their world safe.
By the time that all was ready to go, several beachgoers had gathered to see what the fuss was about, only to stick around when they realized who the strange group of people were. The excitement was near tangible as the official climbed onto a tall ladder settled on the side of the net. With a quick glance to both teams who nodded in return, the ref blew a whistle to announce the start of the match.
After a few plays back and forth from each team, the players felt that they had a better grasp of the fundamentals of the sport, growing more confident with each bump, hit, and save. A sizable crowd formed by that point, whooping and hollering as the game picked up in intensity. Cataleya was pretty sure she saw Tataru running a betting pool on the side while Krile sat behind a makeshift ‘desk’ made of two picnic baskets and a towel thrown over it giving play-by-play commentary. Y’shtola didn't look up from her book, having completely lost interest in the chaos happening around her.
“...And we’re back up top with Cataleya…nice serve over the net straight towards Thancred, who bumps it over to Urianger for a clean setup for Malcolm to deliver another one of his devastating spikes–OH but what's this?!”
Malcolm shot the ball towards G'raha who he presumed wouldn't have enough time to deflect his attack, but to his surprise, the miq'ote smirked and side-stepped out of the way to make room for Cataleya to dive in. There was a resounding THONK when the ball made contact with her arms, making the spectators flinch and wince in unison.
Both sides went back and forth in similar fashion, neither willing to let up as though their very lives depended on it. The crowd cheered each time the ball would get sent over the net and yelled in astonishment when a player stepped in on time to parry, Krile practically yelling herself hoarse from it all.
After hitting the ball out of bounds and adding another tally for the other team, both sides now even in score and on the final point that would determine the game, Cataleya, drenched in sweat and muscles aching from how long the game went on, stamped her foot into the sand and called for a time-out.
“This has gone on long enough!” She exclaimed as her teammates turned to stare at her in both fatigue and agreement during their huddle. “We’re going to finish this once and for all. At my signal, G'raha, you’ll be the receiver. Alisaie will set it as high as possible while I blast aether to Estinien’s legs who will then use his dragoon jump to deal the killing blow. We have one shot at this–let’s win this game so we can go eat!”
She was met with curt nods as they clapped to mark the end of their discussion and each person assumed their position on the sandy court. Thancred whistled loudly as he nudged Urianger, exaggerating his movements much like a showman to further entertain the crowd that ate up every moment.
“I believe our friends have formulated a plan of sorts,” The ex-rogue called out for all to hear, his voice heavy with sarcasm as he strolled up to the net to be face-to-face with Cataleya, hips rolling in his swagger. He smirked at the Warrior as she narrowed her dark eyes at him, her kohl smudged from the sweat and grime of the day’s events that only added to heighten the wild, almost animalistic feeling within her chest.
“The plan’s simple enough, my friend,” Cataleya replied, a smile of her own spreading across her face as she moved close enough to thump Thancred on his exposed chest, a chorus of amusement from the fans mixing with the sea’s waves. “We win, you lose. Hope you’re prepared to get your asses handed to you!”
The two held their gaze for a few beats before they had to look away to contain their laughter of the ridiculousness of it all. Once they returned to their place amongst their team members, the ref blew the whistle and Alphinaud went up to serve.
The ball soared over the net and went right for Alisaie who met it easily enough, bumping it back over to the other side. Both teams did this a few times before Malcolm tipped the ball over, catching G'raha unawares as he scrambled over to try to save it. He lunged forward and stuck an arm out right before it made contact with the ground, preventing his team from losing right then and there but in doing so sent the ball off to the side. Cataleya’s eyes widened as she ran over and successfully bumped the ball to Estinien who hit it to the other side before quickly pulling G'raha back up.
“Ohh, what a lucky save that was, everybody!” Krile exclaimed, the crowd roaring in response. “But will it be enough to see them through to the end?”
As Thancred bumped the ball over to Urianger who prepared to set it for Malcolm to spike, Alisaie, Estinien, and G'raha looked to Cataleya who nodded once, a fierce look of determination on her face as she eyed her teammates.
“Alright everyone, just like we talked about!” She yelled out right as the ball came sailing back over the net and towards G’raha who was more than ready this time. As he stepped forward to bump the ball over to Alisaie, Cataleya closed her eyes and focused her energies to the forefront of her mind. When Alisaie pushed the ball upwards with all the might she could muster, the Warrior blasted the retired Azure Dragoon with so much aether that any other mortal would’ve buckled on the spot. Instead, he grinned as he felt his body surge with energy before pooling it all to his powerful legs. Shouts of disbelief came from both the opposition and the crowd when Estinien made a record breaking jump straight into the air. When he and the ball came to a head of the peak against gravity, the elezen flipped forward a few times before punching it back down to earth, sending it rocketing at speeds not yet recorded by man.
It was all Malcolm, Thancred, Urianger, Alphinaud and the fans could do besides stand rooted in place as the volleyball came hurtling towards the ground, completely awestruck by the spectacle. It was only when they could feel the immense heat radiating from the ball-turned-deadly-weapon-of-mass-destruction that they regained their senses at the last moment to dive out of its way.
A deafening crash rang out through all of Costa-del-Sol when the ball finally made impact, sending shock waves that rippled through the land that knocked all present to their feet. The sheer intensity from the force turned the sand surrounding the impact crater into pure glass, the ball itself buried half a malm into the ground, and the net completely destroyed.
Everyone slowly got up to get their bearings, the Scions dispersed amongst the spectators to check for injuries. Once all were deemed okay and accounted for, a shrill whistle sounded off that nearly caused a second round of heart attacks. When the source of the offending noise was located, all heads turned towards the referee who stood defiantly on Krile’s ruined desk. He held his right arm out and nodded towards the side with the gaping hole in the ground, indicating that the final point went to Malcolm, Thancred, Urianger, and Alphinaud. The others cried out in disbelief and Cataleya fell to her knees as the referee made his last announcement for the game.
“Game point: Team B wins! Ball was out of bounds!”