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“And this is really your first time in an amusement park?”, Alphinaud asked as they were waiting in line for the first ride of the day.
“Yes. I didn't grow up with a lot of money.”, Rispale replied, “And besides, my mom was really busy all the time. And even then, I had no friends so nobody would have gone with me anyway.”
“...I forget regularly how depressing your life was before you met us.”, Alisaie said.
“It's okay, it doesn't have to be anymore.”, Rispale beamed, his tail shooting straight up in the air in joy. He was holding the hand of his boyfriend, G'raha, he was with his best friends in the world, he had eaten some awesome candy already, and they were about to have fun for the whole day.
Standing in the line was not nice, however. Rispale had no idea that the amusement park would be so crowded. He could get a little overwhelmed by so many people occupying the same space at once, so he kept close to G'raha, ready to close his eyes if it got too much. He glanced at Krile who was talking to Urianger behind him, but she seemed to do fine. For her, it was hearing emotions that set off her echo, so she would always wear a big hood. For Rispale, it was seeing people, noticing their subtle motions, but he couldn't exactly run around blindfolded the whole day, which was why he grabbed G'raha's hand a little tighter.
“Love, if it gets too much, tell me and we'll go to a quiet place, okay?”, G'raha said, noticing his boyfriend's discomfort.
“Hmmm, but I wanna do this.”, Rispale said, “It's okay as long as you are with me. I won't get overwhelmed.”
“Same is true for the rides by the way.”, Thancred chimed in, who had quietly overlooked the line so far, “If there is anything you would rather not ride, you don't have to. There are plenty of rides in the park, and as it is your first time, you might want to skip the more scary looking ones.”
“I certainly am not going to skip them.”, Y'shtola said, a pamphlet of the park in her hands, studying it meticulously. Even though she was blind, she had somehow trained herself how to see the aether from everything, and that included paper. Well, paper had once been alive, hadn't it? As a tree?
“Good, then take Estinien with you, he only reacts to stuff that is thrilling.”, Alphinaud said, “And I don't want him to tell us again how bored he is.”
“We aren’t riding any of the scary stuff yet, right?”, Rispale asked, suddenly getting a little nervous. He wasn't scared of heights or anything, he loved high places, but he had never ridden a rollercoaster before and maybe he should start with a smaller one until he knew if he liked them or not.
“Oh no, don't worry, we are just doing some fjord rafting.”, Alisaie said, “It's a little bumpy, but fun. Basically, you'll sit in a raft and get carried by the river rapids. Of course that means that you'll easily get wet, but you can borrow raincoats if that bothers you.”
“It won’t bother me, I love getting wet.”, Rispale said. It was quite sunny already, even though it was the morning. That was Thanalan for you, it was a desert after all. After the cold of the night, the air would warm up so rapidly.
“Yeah, that is never a problem for you.”, Alphinaud added, “I might take the raincoat though, I don't look forward to feeling clammy all day...”
While Alisaie took this as an opportunity to make fun of her brother, Rispale looked around. They were getting closer and he could see the ride in more detail now.
And instantly, he asked himself if riding this one was a good idea. He could clearly see that the ride was happening on water. The rafts reminded him of little boats. And Rispale didn't have a good track record with boats.
However, boats weren't the same as rafts, right? Maybe he would not get seasick here. It looked like it was designed to be fast and fun, as opposed to boats which would go slowly until they reached their destination, and getting washed by the waves all the time. He often needed a couple of chimes before he even got nauseous, this ride shouldn't be too bad.
He would be able to do this. Besides, he didn't want to chicken out on the first ride of the day, even though Thancred had told him that it would be okay.
That was what a childhood of bullying did to you, at least that was what his therapist had told him. The constant feeling of being ostracized if he did not follow the group didn't leave him, even though Rispale knew that his friends wouldn't mind. They would understand if he had to skip because he feared that he would get seasick.
And still, he didn't want to. Because he didn't even know IF he would get seasick. And besides, they had stood in the line for over half a bell already, skipping now meant that he had stood in line for nothing. Time he could have used to get snacks or pick a different ride or take a walk through the park.
No, Rispale would stay and join the ride, especially because it was almost their turn. No second thoughts anymore, as much as his head tried to. He distracted himself by looking at Alphinaud who had put on the “rain coat”, which looked ridiculous, so of course Alisaie teased her brother a bit more and Rispale chuckled at their antics.
Then they were the next in line. One raft could hold six people, so they had decided that he, G'raha, Thancred, the twins and Y'shtola would ride in one raft, mainly so that the two adult Elezen could share another raft. (Especially because Lalafell were required to ride with a taller person thanks to their small size if they didn’t want to be confined to the kid’s section of the park.) Hopefully they would be grouped with some more equally tall people, but Rispale had seen a couple of male Au Ra in the line, and even a Hrothgar or two. And Ul’dah had no shortage of Roegadyn either.
Now that they were so close and Rispale could see that the rafts were floating on water, exactly like a boat, he got a little nervous. He just... he just had to convince himself that he wouldn't get seasick, then everything would be okay.
(As if that had ever worked in the past...)
“Are you okay, love? You usually only squeeze my hand that hard when it is time for your shots.”
Rispale let go of G'raha's hand immediately, he hadn't even noticed how much he had stiffened.
“Everything’s fine. Just a little bit, uh, nervous. It's my first ride after all.”
“Don't worry, this one looks fast but is harmless.”, G'raha said, his tail searching for Rispale's so they could intertwine, “And there is a good chance to get wet in it and you love getting wet.”
“I sure do.”, Rispale agreed. He always played in water whenever he had the chance. Recently, it had been discovered that Miqo'te were able to have traits from certain cat breeds and when Rispale had checked his, he certainly shared a lot of traits with a cat called the Ilsabard Van, a breed living in warm territories who loved swimming and water. He wondered if they got seasick too.
“Next group, please.”, the employee said, and they stepped closer. There was really no going back anymore. Upon checking if they were all able to ride, they were left to step into the raft. There was a weird moving walkway in front of it, so they all had to enter quickly. Soon, they were ready.
“And for the Miqo'te, please make sure to keep your tails inside the raft.”, the employee said, “Enjoy the ride.”
“Will something happen to my tail if I keep it outside?”, Rispale asked, dutifully laying it next to him. As G'raha had done the same, their tails instantly intertwined again. They couldn't help it, Miqo'te in love always did what the other races called the “tail thing”.
“They are warning you that it could get hurt as the ride is fast.”, Alphinaud explained, “That is also why you are supposed to keep your arms and legs inside the ride, as well as keep yourself secured.”
“And because they warned you, they are not responsible if something happens because you didn't obey the rules.”, Thancred added.
Figured, this theme park was owned by an Ul'dahn, and they only got power and money by making sure to rule their companies with an iron fist. They would know how to make sure they didn't have to pay up when some of the park visitors got hurt.
The others talked a bit more while Rispale looked around a bit. The raft was moving, rather slowly so far. Alright, if that kept up, he really might manage to get through this without getting seasick. The ride was no longer than five chimes or so, he would never get seasick that quickly.
Though.. hadn't the others said that it was supposed to be quick and rapid...?
“It's about to start.”, Alisaie said excitedly, and before Rispale could ask what was about to start, the raft suddenly rushed down a small waterfall at a much more rapid speed than before.
The sudden motion made Rispale's stomach turn. While the others cheered upon having landed in calm waters again, he felt himself get the familiar hiccup that predicted his nausea.
“Are you... seriously getting seasick?!”, Thancred asked, upon hearing the telltale sound coming from Rispale.
“Is there any vehicle on top of water that won't turn your stomach?”, Alphinaud added.
“I... didn't think it would happen...”, Rispale murmured, clasping a hand over his mouth when the raft got taken by the next rapids, twirling them along.
“It's okay, love, just let it out if it gets too much.”, G'raha was soothing Rispale while stroking his back.
“No, hold it in.”, Yshtola chimed in, “We are sharing this raft. I’d rather not have you throw up in it.”
“At least you are not sitting next to him.”, Thancred said, “Hey, G'raha, can we switch places?”
“I don't think asking Rispale to move is a good idea right now...”, G'raha said.
“Guys, I am not planning to throw up.”, Rispale said as the raft was in calmer waters again and his stomach had calmed down a little, “And besides, it is much worse for me than it is for you.”
After all, he would have the discomfort and the bad taste and just... oooh, he could already feel the nausea, that was not good. He had – officially – gotten seasick. Rispale whimpered and clasped a hand over his mouth again, the one that wasn't holding onto the ring in the center.
“Will you be able to make it?”, G'raha asked, “At least the ride should be over soon...”
“...But it's also really rough...”, Rispale said, and regretted opening his mouth when the raft was taken by another wave, all of them getting shaken up, but especially Rispale's stomach. He felt himself retch and quickly swallowed down any bile that wanted to escape.
He could... he would not throw up, not on such a short ride.
“One day you'll have to teach me how to not get seasick...”, he murmured.
“Rispale, that is not a skill.”, Alisaie said, “You simply have motion sickness.”
“And there is no cure or heal spell for motion sickness.”, Alphinaud added, “Of course there is medicine, but that only works temporarily.”
“Normally people who get seasick will get over it after a few times.”, Y'shtola added, “You are the worst case of sea sickness that I have ever seen, and I have spent quite some time in Limsa Lominsa.”
Rispale doubted he would be able to live in La Noscea. It was an island, so they took boats everywhere. He sometimes went there to shop with the twins (Limsa Lominsa was cheaper than Ul'dah) and was always happy when he was able to afford the aetheryte instead of the boat ride.
Rispale noticed how Thancred had moved a little bit away from him, but his nausea riddled brain didn't even get why, all he knew was that he wanted comfort, and as Thancred always felt like something of a father figure to him (despite only being ten summers older or so), Rispale grabbed for his arm, feeling tears brim in his eyes thanks to the intense nausea he was currently suffering.
“Love, it's over soon, I promise...”, G'raha soothed him, laying his tail on Rispale's leg as Rispale's own tail had tightly curled around it thanks to the anxiety.
“Now you probably wish you had a raincoat like me, Thancred.”, Alphinaud said.
“Oh, shut up.”, Thancred grumbled.
Rispale was not paying attention to the ride anymore. All he could do was try to keep his stupid nausea at bay, however, it was a losing battle. At a certain part, the raft stopped being in calm waters and they were viciously thrown around on the water, each wave and each rapid making Rispale's stomach turn, more and more bile rising that he knew that he couldn't keep down anymore.
He had to try... he had to at least try...
Nope, it was happening.
“I am going to throw up.”, he said in a weak, whiny voice, giving the others at least a little warning before he bent over to get rid of the contents of his stomach.
“Everyone, FEET IN THE AIR!”
“Oh, EW!”
“The ride was nearly OVER!”
“Couldn't you have held it for a CHIME more?!”
“We are never taking you on a water ride EVER AGAIN.”
Rispale didn't know who had said what, he just knew that his stomach was upset, that he had the awful acidic taste on his tongue from having thrown up and that he wanted to get off this raft as soon as possible before it happened again! That there was a steaming puddle of his own vomit in it wasn't exactly enticing either.
“Feeling better, love?”
That was definitely G'raha talking.
“...I just want off this raft...”, Rispale murmured, tears falling now, it had all gotten too much. He felt how G'raha hugged him, and noticed how Thancred was handing him a handkerchief, though it was rather wet.
“We are almost done.”, G'raha said, “It's over soon. Don't worry, love. You don't have to feel uncomfortable for long anymore.”
Rispale used the handkerchief to wipe the vomit off his mouth, taking a deep breath. At least they were in calm waters again, but the damage had been done, his stomach had turned and he would feel awful for a while. His seasickness didn't vanish after setting foot on land, it lingered and it took a while for him to feel alright again.
The raft finally made it back to the start, and Alisaie, Alphinaud and Y'shtola climbed out first. Then Thancred, then G'raha helped Rispale out, still having to support him as he was too dizzy.
Thancred went to the employee right away.
“Hey, sorry, one of us got motion sick and threw up in the raft, you should make sure to clean it first.”
“...I think I know who it was.”, the employee said, sending the raft down a different route, wrinkling their nose at the sight of the vomit puddle. Rispale winced a bit at having been figured out so easily, but granted, he was the one standing there breathing heavily, needing support from his boyfriend, probably still a little green in the face. While he didn't feel like he was in imminent danger of throwing up anymore, he still felt awful and nauseous.
“What are we doing now?”, Alisaie asked.
“...I need to sit down...”, Rispale said.
“Then you guys go on, I'll take care of Rispale.”, G'raha said.
“Good, we can look around the park and find some rides without water.”, Alphinaud said.
They separated in front of the ride, where G'raha led Rispale to a nearby bench.
“You did well, love.”, G'raha said.
“But I threw up...”, Rispale murmured.
“But you almost made it.”, G'raha said, “Can I leave you alone for a chime? I want to get you something to drink.”
Rispale considered and then nodded. He would be fine on his own for a little while. As long as nobody tried talking to him...
Thankfully, he was left alone, though he heard a few of the park visitors talking about him.
“See, you’re not the only one getting motion sick. That poor fella looks like he threw up.”
At least he was making someone else who struggled feel better about themselves, he supposed? Though it sounded like the other person HADN'T thrown up.
G'raha returned and handed Rispale a can with ginger ale. Perfect to calm down an upset stomach. Rispale quietly thanked him with an ear wiggle (that was all he managed) and cracked the can open, slowly drinking from it.
“I am sorry I am making you miss out on the rides.”, he said after his stomach had somewhat calmed down.
“I don't mind.”, G'raha said, “I'd rather have you feeling alright than you going on a ride that makes you sick.”
“I didn't know it would make me sick...”, Rispale said, “Well, I was worried it would, but as I didn't know if it would...”
“You thought that you should try?”, G'raha said, “I suppose you found out the hard way, love. But don't worry, there are plenty of rides in the park that are not on water, and we are going to find them.”
Rispale nodded, and the two of them sat together for a while more until Rispale's stomach had calmed down enough that they could move again. The first ride they passed was not on water, but it looked like a gigantic ship that was swinging back and forth.
As Rispale already clasped a hand over his mouth only looking at this thing, G'raha quickly said: “Alright, we won't ride this one. We definitely won't ride this one.”