Re: Ridley/Storm/Penelope/Cid/OPEN.
Cid was rarely one to get involved in fights; well, that wasn't entirely true, he was involved enough to try and put an end to them. Still, he rarely struck first, or even struck at all when a fight broke out. He, likely, would not have even been out in this mess if it were not for Penny being out in it and not having, as of yet, returned home. She was dear to him, and it was his goal, or even more importantly, reason in life to keep her alive. She was a dear girl who'd been through so much more than he'd ever like to know.
He didn't know it all of course, the girl kept well enough alone in that sense, and while he wasn't the most socially adept person in Emillion he was empathic enough to simply know things. He didn't always show it, but he knew enough about the young girl to want to keep her safe because he felt she'd been dealt enough damage in her life. Even if he didn't quite know what it was, protecting her was at the forefront of his mind. So he left his place in a flurry of speed.
He wasn't much in the way of a legitimate 'fighter' so kept moving, ducking and weaving away from the creatures that roamed the streets of Emillion that night. He slipped past them as they were dealt with here or there, but focusing entirely on finding the girl he'd put in his care. Eventually, thank the stars, he found her. He heard her shout and knew she was casting a spell, which meant she was likely in danger. He quickly rounded the corner, spotting the girl in question, along with two others she was obviously protecting.
Merely children, in his mind, and he quickly moved towards them from the shadows. His staff in hand, he swung it around and brought it up before thrusting forward. The sky lit, a crack of electrical static filled the air, and a crack of thunder filled the air as he fired a bolt of electricity into the side of a zombie that was closing in on Penny, sending it spiraling away. He rushed towards them, and swung his staff into the face of another zombie, while it did in fact knock it back, the blunt force reverberated down Cid's hands and the physically weaker individual had to shake his hand out.
He neared her, "Penelope! What are you doing out at this ungodly hour?!"
Moving to stand near them all, he tried to look at the approaching horde, "We need to get inside I believe..." He then frowned, "I wonder what has them awakening. Oh it'd be brilliant to study one..."
He then looked to Penny, "Are you alright, by the way?"