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cerezawrites · 1 year ago

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16. Jerk

(not a continuation of the past stories; had some stuff come up and missed a few sessions, and wanted to put in something in a different vein)

Alisaie’s could only stand and watch as it happened. The Sin Eater’s blade withdrew from the luminous wound in Tesleen’s chest. Her face contorted in divine pain as the transformation took hold - not a seed like Halric and the rest of her charges, but a full transformation. The ichor ran down her face from her eyes and mouth, as the light filled the space around her with a cocoon of feathers.

She jerked awake in her bed, a railcar bench in Tertium. Despite the bitter cold, her forehead was covered in sweat as she peeled off her sleeping bag. Her heart pounded as her face felt hot with sorrow, and she donned her coat quickly before heading out of the station and into the snow, hoping to put her sorrow behind her.

The white snow wasn’t as pure or brilliant as the Sin Eater’s light, helping to separate the associations from her mind. She stood alone, hoping the cold air would help her calm down. It still smelled vaguely smokey, even this far after the destruction of the city, but it was better than being stuck downstairs with her nightmare. Even though the memories came less often, they still stung bitterly, and she still needed to escape. So here she stood, exchanging her nightmare for another’s, and tried to calm down in the timeless hours of the night.

“Couldn’t sleep?” a familiar voice said, bringing her out of her reverie. Jullus was there with two steaming cups, offering one to her. She took it, grateful. “Let me guess - nightmares. I’ve seen that look on someone more than a few times. Probably would have seen it more if I had a mirror.”

Alisaie sipped the hot cocoa and nodded. The rations were coming steadily from the Coalition, and this particular beverage mix - a brown powder, ground from some sort of bean - had been plentiful in the batch. A recommendation from the Ishgardians, as she understood. “Yeah. Someone I lost… someone dear.”

Jullus nodded, and didn’t pry. He knew what she meant. She knew what he’d seen - and done - to those who were thought lost to the influence of Anima, Zenos’ false god of Garlemald. Including his own family. Instead he patted her shoulder, and sipped his own cocoa.

Eventually she sighed to let out some of her emotions. “Thank you. Not everyone would understand - and many who would probably would draw comparisons to their own cases. Thank you for… not.”

He smiled. “I know that feeling too. Figured I’d let you say anything that needed to be said. No sense in bringing in anything you didn’t need. Guessing your brother would be the kind to try to offer words.”

Alisaie sighed. “Sadly, yes. Well-meaning, but all the same. Most of my friends would.” Though she knew one who wouldn’t. “It’s just not something I necessarily… want to talk out. Not yet. Maybe not ever.”

Jullus nodded and finished his cup, and put out a hand to take Alisaie’s empty mug. “I know. Hopefully that time comes for you when you’re ready, though, and lets you heal.

She smiled back, and nodded her gratitude, looking back to the snow covered landscape.

It was two weeks later that she decided to make the call. It was a matter of moments from when she did before the Hero stood before her, stepping out of thin air in a pop and a flash of light.

Alisaie smiled, and led the Warrior out into the snow. Night was descending here, but she knew sleep wouldn’t come. And she needed to talk to the one other person on this shard who was there - and possibly the one person she knew who could understand this better than even Jullus.

“It’s never predictable. But it comes up out of nowhere. The same nightmare. Every detail burned into my mind.” She sighs and shakes her head, having finished explaining her situation for several minutes, the Warrior of Light simply nodding stoically. Now, though, she turned to her friend with a hopeful look upon her face.

The Warrior considered for a few silent moments. Then she spoke simply. “It happens to me too. And many others. Sometimes, it’s not brought on by a specific thing - sometimes memory just latches on to something inexplicable. No power can fully control dreams, at least on this shard.

“But,” she said, holing up a hand to forestall Alisaie’s next question, “I also know that the pain fades in time. It’s still raw, still there, but you can work with it. Tell me - in other dreams, have you ever found yourself… able to change the direction of the dream?”

Alisaie considered and nodded. “Sometimes, yes.”

The Warrior nodded. “Try that. It may take some time, but try to change something next time. It won’t undo what happened, but it may help you to overcome some of it. Try it for me, and see what happens next.

#ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite2023

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cerezawrites · 1 year ago

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5. Barbarous

Rage.

The spirit felt rage.

It wasn’t entirely a new feeling. It was one he’d felt before. A loss of control in exchange for power. Terrible power.

But it wasn’t HIM. It wasn’t who he was deep down. It hadn’t been then.

Had it?

No matter. He felt rage now. Now it was all he was. But it wasn’t the only thing in his mind. No… there was a voice.

“Evil is here.”

That roused his spirit - or what was available to be called. Hmm… was that why he wasn’t anything other than his rage? Perhaps this is just one facet of him, called and enlarged. He was rage, and evil was coming. Nothing else mattered.

#ffxivwrite2023 #ffxivwrite

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cerezawrites · 1 year ago

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3. Free Day

The golden hound landed Cereza near the downed satellite. Once, it had been a part of the network of defense mechanisms keeping Dalamud in check, but now it lay half-buried in the gray moon-dust, surrounded by defense droids that it summoned from a hitherto undiscovered source - likely another Allagan wreckage somewhere else on the surface, or perhaps in orbit around the moon. However, the latest batch of defense droids seemed to have been left as so much rubble, with only three figures standing.

The first was clad in red armor, though Cereza suspected it would soon fade from a lack of power. His hands held a massive gunhammer, steaming from use, and he watched as Cereza approached.

The second figure was tall, lanky and wearing a black robe. He was immersed in the study of some object, as if trying to tease out its secrets. Alongside him stood the third, a small rabbit-like figure in a blue-and-white turban, taking a look at it as well, though more like an excited child - despite being by far the oldest of them by several millennia. Cereza could hear her chatter way as Argos landed next to the man in the red armor.

As she expected, the armor seemed to glow a blue white and faded away, as did the hammer, leaving a man in a white vest and otherwise clad in red, with a silver pearl in the middle of his forehead. “Well well… a mystery appears, and so do does the one who tends to solve them.” Nero smiled in his slimy way, shrugging. “Had I known you were on your way I’d have saved a few droids for you to wipe out. Alas… it’ll be several minutes at least before they can warp in another batch.”

Cereza shook her head, smiling despite herself. Rather than meet the barbs head on, she went for one of Nero’s weak points - inflating his ego. “Got the armor tuned up more I see? Is it still stored on the source, or did the loporrits let you hook it up to a power source here?”

Nero smiled more genuinely at the notion that she had been paying attention to his efforts. “Locally, actually. Same operating limitations as in the Tower, but recharges ten times faster. Anyways, why don’t you lend us an eye. I’ve got something even my vaunted genius of magitek can’t work out - a mystery I don’t admit to lightly.”

That DID catch her attention, and Cereza nodded, following Nero to where the other two stood. The loporrit was chattering questions until Nero cleared his throat to get the pair’s attention. “Looks like serendipity strikes again,” he said, motioning for Cereza to step forward.

The tall man smiled at her presence. “Ah, my friend, glad tidings upon this joyous reunion. And yes, it is in fact naught but an act of providence that you should visit at this juncture.”

The loporrit smiled. “Ah, you must be Cereza! I’m Diggingway, local archaeologist. And, yes, we’ve got a doozy of a mystery to solve if you’re of a mind to help.”

Nero joined them, and Cereza looked down at what they’d found. Twelve stones, each bearing the symbols of the twelve, were held in an array made of Allagan materials. The array was clearly part of the ship, but the stones seemed to be somehow integrated, despite clearly not matching the design. “I’ll be honest. I’ve studied Allagan Magitek going back to the rise of Xande, but nothing we’ve found describes this kind of system, and while they knew of the Twelve, I was under the impression they were at most something you paid lipservice too. Any insights from your adventures?”

Cereza studied the array, and reached for a line of aether leading to a green crystal, which she pulled forth from the air. The irregularly shaped stone was emblazoned with a triangular symbol that terminated in a curve, representing both the horn of the summoners which allowed them to better control their creations as well as blast from Bahamut, the greatest conquest they ever made. Ordinarily, this crystal would allow Cereza to manipulate Allagan magics designed to fight eikons, but it had another purpose she would put to use - it held memories.

She reached through the crystal’s secrets. This wasn’t a guarantee in every case - the crystals typically only were used to store techniques, spells, and the methods to unlock them. But this kind of lore might well have touched on something related to gods of another sort…

As she went through the memories, she felt her mind drawn to a specific passage in a tome being read by her summoning precursor. “These runestones, marked as they were in antiquity and worshiping the Twelve. Strangely, they do bear unique aetherial signatures, but more importantly, their power supply is seemingly infinite. These will make good starter batteries for the drones, possibly even for the satellite itself.”

#ffxivwrite2023 #ffxivwrite

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cerezawrites · 1 year ago

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2. Bark

Spoilers: Endwalker

As Cereza materialized in the command center of Bestway Burrows, the familiar hum of the aetheryte greeted her, followed shortly by a startled gasp and a crashing noise. Concernedly, she turned to the source of the second, only to see a Garlean research shaking his head. “Terribly sorry,” she said as she went over to offer a hand.

The Garlean took it and composed himself. “Q-quite alright. Just still not used to the whole… teleporter thing. It was… kind of a fear in my childhood nightmares, based on the stories of mages. Even after they installed the Aetherytes that could let you go point to point, the idea of soldiers just popping out of nowhere… oh, nevermind. Thank you for the help. I’m Cinna.”

Cereza nodded, taking in his statements. “Right… I knew you were up here, but I didn’t realize they let anyone up to the control deck to work. Sorry, I’d have gone through the Watcher’s aetheryte if I thought about it.”

Cinna shook his head. “No, it’s fine, just a thing to get used to. You’re… Cereza, right? Hoid?” His voice had some trepidation, but not as much as others of his nation - her reputation certainly would be that of a bloody conqueror to many Garleans, but he seemed more accepting than some, or at least less willing to jump to conclusions. “Sorry, your name just came up recently. The loporrits were mentioning it in relation to… Argo? Argus?”

“Ah! Argos. Was… anything wrong?” she said, worried that something may have happened to him. It wasn’t impossible for familiars to outlast their creators, and she’d inherited the role of his master, but it also wasn’t impossible that she alone couldn’t sustain his magics. But… no. She could feel that connection - one of many she had forged. Her aether wasn’t as boundless as Emet-Selch’s, but he drew from the Lifestream directly; even without that, her aether reserves seemed unending, but she had limited output potential, meaning that small connections were easy to forge but hard to manifest more than a few of at a time.

“No, no,” he said, shaking his head. “More that he… found something? But they weren’t really able to communicate with him? Urianger and Nero were working on it out by the crashed satellite; think it was Allagan, but… not, they said.”

“OK, that makes sense in some ways and not in others… but thank you all the same. I was looking for Urianger, so I’ll go over there and chat with him.” She smiled, and the man, hesitantly, smiled back as she turned and pulled on that string of aether to Argos.

A few moments later, a golden dog burst into the area and barked at her. She smiled and patted his head. “Hey, Argos. Heard you found something?” He hadn’t been gifted speech, but the bond she’d been given gave her some understanding of his thoughts. As she spoke, she got the impressions of the strange device - something like the tech in the satellite, but older, not glowing like some of the tomestones did.

“Huh… odd. OK. Let’s go pay them a visit. She went aside the golden hound and got on his back as he barked again, flying off to their destination.

#ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite2023

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cerezawrites · 1 year ago

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FFXIV Write 2023 #1: Envoy

Spoilers: Post-Endwalker, spoilers possible

In a field of flowers, Cereza stood dreaming.

She knew in the back of her mind - or perhaps in the front of Ardbert’s - that this wasn’t where she fell asleep, but merely a dream projection of Il Mheg. But the glamour of faeries is tangible, even in dreams, and it wasn’t so easy to tell the difference. The flowers smelled as real; the sun, no longer obscured by the blinding light, shone down as bright as when she’d visited last, after turning Anden back into his proper self.

But she wasn’t there now. No, this was her mind being called from afar, and only one person here had the power - and the right - to do so. “Feo Ul! My beautiful branch! Why did you call for me?”

She heard a giggle, and a red light appeared and spun around her before taking the diminutive avatar form of a crimson pixie. Though not the full Feo Ul, they were in all ways Cereza’s companion. “Ah, caught me well, ye did, my sapling! Alas, it’s not so easy for me to reach you on that side of the Rift in other ways. And, while I can visit you anywhere on this world when you visit, and I’m grateful for the visits ye’ve made, I can’t call you too far from the center of my being.”

Cereza smiled. She was glad the pixie was in a good mood, and not calling out of bitterness for not visiting - but then, she HAD made it a point to visit the First, and to call to her “branch” on each such visit, when time permitted. But often, it was to visit places other than Il Mheg, to let Feo Ul see more of the world. “Well, it IS a lovely place,” she said honestly. “But I am a bit curious as to why you would call me at all in this way? Is something the matter?”

Feo Ul faked a pout. “Ah, down to business, is it then?” But they sighed and shrugged and smiled again. “Ah, that’s you to a tee, and I wouldn’t change it. And your perception is accurate again - I’m actually repaying a favor to someone. The mayor of the ocean city asked to see you.”

“I’m frankly wondering how he managed to earn a favor from you,” Cereza said, and not entirely in jest. It was rare that the pixies made themselves known to mortals, and rarer still that they would earn such a deal.

“Well, strictly speaking, the favor was… kind of a chain of them. It was actually called in by Ryne, who had heard something from Lue-Reeq, who in turn heard something from one of the Honeybees, who… oh, it doesn’t matter. The mayor has something going on - I did look into it, don’t worry, it’s a real thing worthy of your attention - and he was wishing he could have the aid of Alphinaud and his friends. And while most of them can’t jump the gap…”

Cereza put two and two together. “Ah, I can. What’s the issue - or rather, what would I KNOW the issue was, from that chain of rumours?”

Feo Ul laughed. “It’s something about a visitor. A foreign dignitary - to use the words my bigger self knows as king - from someplace that apparently hasn’t been heard from in a while since the flood.”

That caught Cereza’s full attention. “Interesting. From what I recall, there wasn’t a lot left to the world - mostly just the equivalent of Aldenard on the Source.” She looked around the “Dream” and said, “Would I be able make things… materialize here? I’ve done that before in Cid’s dream…”

Feo Ul nodded. “It’s like summoning that carbuncle of yours… but less mathy and more poof-y.”

Cereza sighed at the lack of advice, but took what little she got to heart and considered it. She closed her eyes, reached out her hand, and imagined the map and board, letting the shapes take form and channeling aether through them. Whether or not it moved the aether in reality, in this space, it appeared in front of her - a map of Eorzea, on a chalkboard like the ones in Sharlayan. “So… Eulmore is where Limsa is. Lakeland is Mor Dhona. Ahm Araeng is Ul’dah and Thanalan, and Rak’tika is the Shroud…” She imagined some pins and marked the map, considering. “And Voebert is equivalent to Ishgard… and from what the Qitari mentioned, there’s nothing like a nation out where Ala Mhigo would be. So that leaves….” She checked the map again, and nodded. “Something in Dravania? North and west of Voebert?”

Feo Ul danced around the map and considered the conjecture. “That seems right enough from what they said. What kind of place is that in this world?”

Cereza considered the question. “One part is the remnants of a Sharlayan colony., over on the west coast… but that part is covered by the Flood, from what I can recall. That leaves the Forelands,” she said, pointing to a wooded area, “which aren’t really occupied except by bug people and hunters… oh, and dragons. Or it leaves the Churning mists above that, which is again mostly Dragons but also Moogles…”

Except, she thought, that hadn’t always been the case, now had it?

“But there WERE people there before. In the most recent times, there were ancestors to the Ishgardians. The “Landlords,” the Moogles called them. They were allies with the Dragons. Even without the dragons, there may have been something similar in the First…” She turned to Feo Ul. “Do you know anything about that?”

Feo Ul shook their head. “Not my wheelhouse unfortunately. The Crown comes with knowledge aplenty, but not on such things as were before the Fae took over the empty castles in this land.”

Cereza nodded. “How urgent was the request? Do I have time to visit someone before I come over to the First?”

Feo Ul shrieked in delight before composing themselves. “Ah… yes. I think the envoy is a few days out. I suppose a day or two delay wouldn’t hurt.”

Cereza nodded. “Well then, I need to speak to a few friends. Then I’ll probably head to Bookman’s Shelves. But… I suppose I should visit you in the castle first, as is proper?”

Feo Ul’s shout was even happier than before. “Of course! I’d be glad to be your escort.” It was harder for them to compose themselves as they asked, “Should I let Ryne know when you’re coming and have her meet you?”

Cereza nodded as she felt the sleep come to an end. “Please. I could use a hand looking through the books when I get there.”

Feo Ul smiled. “Good to hear! I cannot wait for you, my sapling. Waken now, and I’ll see you soon!”

Cereza opened her eyes slowly as she stretched out of the sheets on the island cabin cot. The mammets were already at work on the farm, managing everything, but otherwise, she was alone. She yawned and called over the caretaker, leaving instructions as she dressed and readied herself. Once she was sure her instructions would be followed, she turned her gaze upwards towards the moon, locking on to a spot just north of the largest crater and feeling the flow of aether that twirled around the spinning crystal built into the structure there.

Once she’d isolate the currents, she closed her eyes, and felt the aether lift her up as her body slipped into the shallowest parts of the Lifestream, blinking out in a burst of light to go visit an old friend.

#ffxivwrite #ffxiv #FFXIVWrite2023

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cerezawrites · 2 years ago

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FFXIV Write 30 - Sojourn

Cereza looked around her sisters room, taking in the things that were missing - the things her littlest sister was taking with her. Little mementos, trinkets, and a few other reminders of home were missing from their places where Annabell had fastidiously kept them over her eighteen years.

She smiled at their absence. It was a sign Anna knew what mattered to her, and that she was ready to break the patterns she liked to maintain - something she’d need on her journeys to come.

She went to her own room and put the finishing touches on her gifts for her baby sister - the seal on her letter, the bow around the small packet of homemade soaps, and the knot in the leather cord around a small black book she’d prepared. With those in hand, she headed downstairs.

Annabelle had said her tearful goodbyes to everyone else - her niece and nephew, her brother-in-law, her other sisters, and of course her parents. Only Cereza was left - not because she wasn’t saying farewell, but because Annabelle had asked her to accompany her alone to the start of the journey. Her planned trip would take her around Eorzea over the course of a year, to help those in need as an adventurer in the field rather than just in the guildhalls. Even so, every journey had to begin somewhere, and she wanted hers to begin at the Gridanian guildhall, and for her sister to be there with her and go with her to the gate.

Even before her fame, Cereza had been Annabelle’s inspiration.

Cereza tucked her gifts into her bag and went downstairs, smiling at her sister. She had no tears to cry for this day - though the family wasn’t without an adventuring spirit, the two shared a unique desire for exploration and stretching your legs unique amongst them all. And even with the horrors facing adventurers in the field, Annabelle was more than competent enough to deal with them.

That didn’t mean she didn’t worry a bit. But that’s what the gifts would be for. Before that, though, they had a place to be. “Shall we be off? Mother Mioune is probably eagerly awaiting your arrival.”

Annabelle stood in a traveler’s outfit. Cereza had asked a dear friend to help make one custom for the girl, and the former receptionist of the Scions was expert in her work. “You’re probably right,” she said, holding back the tears left over from before. “Let’s head over there.”

Autumn in Gridania painted the trees into rainbows. Cereza walked beside Annabelle, and neither spoke to break the silence as their steps led them to the inn. As predicted, Mioune was behind and looking the two. “Cereza! It’s good to see you. And what a momentous day, to boot.”

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cerezawrites · 2 years ago

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FFXIVWrite 29: Vainglory

EW Spoilers

Ameliance smiled in gratitude as one of the household staff poured the tea, before turning back to her guest. “Alphinaud mentioned your talents as a bard on the battlefield, but I hadn’t realized your skills extended into performance!” she said as she took her cup.

Cereza smiled as she took her own. “I try not to boast too much. I’m not going to be shy about my skills, but vanity is… unbecoming, I feel.”

The two sat on the porch of the Sharlayan manor of House Levilleur. Autum’s recent dawn led to the days growing chilly once more, but the magics of the lamps kept the weather from being too unbearable. Even in the snow, Cereza saw youths clad in springtime garb able to walk around without issue.

Still, the warm tea was welcome in the chilling autumnal air. Ameliance sipped from her cup again before continuing. “I can understand that. The twins were always a bit too proud before they met you… rightly so to be proud of what they had achieved, but still. It’s good to see more balance in their attitudes now.”

“Well, I can’t chalk that up only to me. They both had… many role models on the road. Alphinaud especially had several who helped shape him.”

Ameliance nodded, and detected Cereza’s solemnity, so she changed the subject. “In any event, I was hoping to ask for some details about something else in their letters - or rather, what was left out. I know there was a time when they weren’t… all here. Tataru told me, though I never wanted to pry into the twins about what happened. But… it seemed to have its own effect on them. Where did they go?”

Ah. An interesting question. “They were taken, by accident and in spirit, to another reflection of this world. One where light had become corrupted and all-consuming.”

“Ah, yes… these ‘reflections.’ That was something they explained back after the Dragonsong War ended. And Y’shtola was researching something about traveling to one… the same I take it?”

Cereza nodded. “As with Thancred and Urianger. All five taken to another world. And Y’shtola and Thancred have someone each left - her a romance, him a girl he saved and helped to grow.”

“Alphinaud mentioned someone - the Chais. He seemed fond of them.”

Cereza sipped her tea again. “They were a pair of wealthy types living in a privileged city. In geographic terms, think Limsa, but with Ul’dah’s attitudes and worse. The wealthy of the city would hire people from below to work for them. THere was… more going on, but that was the gist of it. The Chais sought an artist, and Alphinaud was selected and impressed them. Chai-nuzz, the husband, eventually became mayor and helped to reform the city afterwards. Dulia-Chai… is more a kindly presence, but very supportive of everyone, and willing to speak the truth on everything. She doted on Alphinaud, and was rather kind overall.”

Ameliance smiled. “I’m glad he found such souls. And…” she stopped, before continuing. “Alisaie didn’t mention anyone. There’s someone she lost, wasn’t there.”

Cereza nodded with a sigh, keeping her mind from focusing on the image of Tesleen’s transformation. “It’s… painful to talk about. And what happened was just as painful. I’d let her tell that story when she’s ready. But you saw the shape of the hole she left, yes.” Cereza didn’t add the hints she saw that the two girls had been more than friends - a youthful romance, but romance all the same.

Ameliance nodded. “Thank you for telling me. I’m sad to hear that there was such pain… but it’s good to know at least the shape of the truth.” She finished her tea and set the up down, and Cereza did the same. “Well, to move to some lighter topics, could you come down to the basement? I wanted to show you something we uncovered in the vaults that I think might interest you.”

Cereza raised an eyebrow, but stood to follow. “I’m curious enough just from the description. As long as it isn’t a cask of wine, like in that one story…”

Ameliance shook her head. “No, not at all. It’s actually something good, I think.” She led the way and the staff opened the doors in their path. Eventually, they made it to the basement, and Ameliance opened a long flat case that had been laid out on the table.

Cereza pulled out her glasses and took a look, taking in this secret with a building astonishment. Inside was a tapestry, or a part thereof, covered with various figures. As she looked, Cereza started to recognize them. “The archons,” she said finally. “This is a tapestry of the original archons.”

Ameliance nodded. “It is. But there’s more here.” She pointed at a symbol. “This was stitched at the behest of an ancient Levellieur ancestor. Notice this part?”

Cereza looked at the symbol. It was a circle with a dot at the center. She quickly pulled out an orange crystal that matched. “That’s… the sign of Azem.” Her eyes scanned lower, and she noticed one figure not often depicted among the Archons, a figure with a horned helm and their back showing towards the view.

Cereza knew the image. And it was confirming something she’d been curious about all along.

#ffxivwrite #*spoiler

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cerezawrites · 2 years ago

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FFXIV Writes 2022 - 26. Break a Leg

Spoilers for EW, Four Lords. SAM and DNC quests; minor spoilers for Firmament quests

Mih Keppo Amphitheatre was already full and more. Every bench was taken and the rim of the audience section was lined with standers. Beyond the gates, more gathered in rapt attention, awaiting the performance that was to unfold.

Enter the Minstrel, the famed wanderer who traveled the land since just before the Calamity, seeking tales of heroism to inspire his ballads. Enter Momozingo, the storyteller, who told the legend of Musosai and the Final Disciple - his killer and redeemer and heir, all in one. Enter Francel, heir to House Haillenarte, the mastermind behind the Firmament Restoration - though in this, his organizational skills give way to his talent with the piano. Enter Troop Falsam, led by Ranaa Mihgo.

The audience contained many faces some might recognize. The blind eyes of Y’shtola Rhul saw not light but life, and observed the crowd from the back of the audience. The twin prodigies of House Levilleur sat near the front, their mother between them. Krile Baldesion too sat near the front next to the rising star of fashion, Tataru Taru, while a hooded Miqo’te with a crystal staff stood to one side, and the visage of Estinien Wyrmblood could only be found by looking upwards to the rafters above the theatre. Unseen in the crowd was Thancred Waters, a man of many talents. Urianger, for his part, stood backstage to work illusions to enhance the performance. And furthest to the back, four figures donning the outfits of the Hatchingtide Rabbit also stood - though these were not fellows of the other faces, they were here for the same reason. Around the field, other costumed figures stood, their garb hiding their notability - or notoriety, as the case may be.

Those in the know would recognize the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, a disbanded order of fame who had saved the land time and again. But the famous faces nevertheless chose their placements perfectly, to make it all seem like a coincidence. Each had reason to be here at the Hatchingtide season, and naturally all were welcome to watch the performance and did so for their own reasons. But there really was one reason they were here….

One who knew the truth of the Scions would note a face missing, even should they pierce the disguises worn by some. The most important member was. ironically, the one least captured in image. So vast were their deeds that even their name, race, and gender were mixed up from time to time and telling to telling - for it seemed impossible for one person to do such things.

Even so, the figure who stood backstage tuning her violin elected to wear a mask for the evening, blessed by the Seedseers and made by Timbermaster Beatin from purely fallen wood, thought to be a gift of the forest. She donned also a hat and corset of leather stitched by Geva herself, an honor few had ever heard of. And so she was ready to join the players on the stage. There was a certain unease in telling her own tale… but at the end of the day, when so many friends had asked, she couldn’t refuse to join in the fun.

A single person stood backstage with her, finishing the lacing on the corset. Annabelle was the youngest of the sisters to the Warrior of Light, but already herself was a talented conjurer and archer. She made the final knot in her sister’s lacings and said, “It’s set. Break a leg out there.”

“Honored guests,” the Minstrel said with a bow. “We honor tonight a legacy most famous. From across Eorzea and beyond, I have gathered the most legendary talents to present the inaugural performance of my newest work. Part ballad and part play so much more, I thank you for being here for this humble moment.” He stepped back and lifted his lute, joining the other musicians as Momozingo took to a lectern to narrate the tale.

“Much has happened these past nights. The world stood at the brink in more ways than one - more than we knew.” The music started to play in low, menacing tones as the dancers shivered as if in fear, cold, or both, and the illusions erected a burning map with spires around the world over the stage. “Monsters claiming to seek the end of all things erected towers designed to inspire terror, preying on the wills of their captives and making mockery of all faiths.” The illusion shifted to show horrific primals, to the shock of the crowd. “Madmen captured the wills of a wartorn nation to build an abomination.” Another image of a tower reaching up and grabbing at the moon. “And beyond it all, a secret evil, a source of ancient woe returned.” The illusion seemed to be consumed by blackbirds that swarmed like a plague, only to resolve into darkness, and then light.

“But we stand here still thanks to those who stood for us. Our tale tonight will interpret through song and dance the journey of Warrior of Light and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, and so many others who saved this star.”

At that, the music hummed for a moment, before it burst into the true opening of the show. As it did, the masked musician joined the cast onstage, her crystals hidden but helpling guide her.

The Hoid Household was bustling with guests. The Scions of the Seventh Dawn were there, as were the performers. The manor had room and more, but it was unaccustomed to such company all the same.

But even so, everyone mingled and talked, enjoying discussing their work. Cereza smiled from her room as she changed into her dress for the party, enjoying hearing all that was said.

She was not unaware of her surroundings, however, and wasn’t entirely surprised when the four bunny rabbits knocked from her bedroom porch. She went and opened the door, and the Four Lords bowed.

“Most excellent tale and performance!” Byakko said. “It was spirited, and I enjoyed every moment of it!”

“Bah, it wasn’t physical enough for me to fully enjoy… but I cannot deny the grace of you and your fellows,” said Seiryu.

Soroban chuckled. “I believe my companion is saying, ‘It was good for what it was.’ I personally thought it was great. Your style was graceful, and your music sublime.”

“Sadly,” said Byakko, “we must depart. Duty calls for most of us.” And Cereza noticed one remained unspoken, and only one remained as the others faded into the night.

Cereza smiled at Suzaku, who sighed and said. “I was… most impressed. Um…. I know you are busy, but may I come in?”

Cereza nodded. “Please, do.” She stepped back, and the red rabbit entered, only for her form to shift to something approximating her secret “true self” - a red headed Elezen in eastern attire.

“I’m… thankful for the invitation for us all. But it’s also… I don’t…” she sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s hard to know what… we suspect. Have suspected. But it’s impossible to deny.”

Cereza nodded, understanding. “I know… it was a bit of a shock to me too.”

She pulled out two stones. The first was a deep orange piece, jagged and marked with a tsuba. The other was a smooth orange capstone with a circle and dot on it. One held the memories of Musosai and his predecessors, and the other the observations of Emet-Selch of a particular soul he encountered time and again, from their original meeting in youth to now.

With the time to go through her collection of crystals, Cereza had discovered something odd. Many if not most of them could be correlated to individuals who had held her soul in past lifetimes. Including the Samurai crystal, from its owner a thousand years before.

Tenzin.

Though they had all seen his image when sealing Koryo, the Four Lords had speculated it was just a memory he left behind - not the soul of the master samurai. And through divinations, they were relatively sure that he had been a past incarnation of Cereza’s - and thus, at one point, the man Suzaku loved.

“I’m sorry. You’re not him… I have no right to… “ The redheaded woman cried, and Cereza could tell even without her powers that she was having trouble reconciling the truths - that Cereza was Tenzin, but also was not, but was also his heir.

Cereza placed a hand on Suzaku’s shoulder. “You’re right. I’m not him. But…” she bit her lip. “I’m not going to say I won’t give it a chance.”

Suzaku looked up, shocked. “Are you… are you sure? It isn’t fair to you to-”

Cereza shook her head. “Suzaku, even through your madness, you saw him in me before anyone else did. And… to be honest…” She slid a hand into the other woman’s. “To be honest, I worry that I can’t live up to his legacy. But I’m willing to try if you are. I can’t promise to be him, but if you want to, let’s. This isn’t you pressuring me. I’ve lost too much to not try to capture what joy I can.”

Suzaku smiled. “I… words cannot… I mean.” She shook her head. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” She sighed. “I have to return to Othard soon. But… I made sure my duties were attended to before I left. Could I stay… for the party?”

Cereza smiled. “Please. I’ll introduce you to everyone. Oh… Hmm… Tataru might recogniz-”

Suzaku laughed. “Just call me Suzy. I’ll make the rest work. And… thank you.”

The two stood, and went downstairs. If anyone thought anything of the strange woman coming in from the second floor, no one spoke it. It wasn’t even the weirdest thing to happen that night.

#*spoiler*

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cerezawrites · 2 years ago

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FFXIV Write 2022 - 24. Vicissitudes

The weather shifted once more. The island was a paradise, but the weather did seem unpredictable.

But this time the weather wasn’t rain or fog, but simply a peaceful day. Cereza smiled as she climbed up to the treehouse and set about making breakfast. The rain had been good for helping her sleep, but now the sun was good for dining.

The weather wasn’t constant, but its vicissitudes weren’t terrible, either. There were no true “storms,” just rain and heavier rain, and that all helped save her trouble watering the crops. There were no tornados or heat waves or blizzards. The structures she’d built up and had built provided protection from the bad, and allowed enjoyment of the good.

Tomorrow, she’d have some other mission, or some artifact to scrounge up. But today, she had paradise.

#ffxivwrite

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cerezawrites · 2 years ago

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FFXIV Writes 2022 - 23. Pitch

Spoilers for Endwalker. CW: Torture, PTSD.

The darkness and flashes of light may have made sight unreliable, but she could smell the smoke, and hear the whine of the klaxons and alarums. Their pitch was designed to be low enough to be heard, but high enough to be annoying. Or, in this case, outright disorienting.

Cereza stumbled through that mess. Her powers gave her visions of the dead and dying, and their blame grated on her mind. Their voices spoke in pitches of their own - low rumblings and high screams of terror, filling her with their sorrow, their pain, their fear.

And above all, their death. They were dead. She didn’t mean to kill them, but she had. Her chance to escape this hell had caused all this destruction. Could she blame the fools who placed volatile chemicals nearby when she tried to use aether to manifest fire and force an escape? She could… but was it their fault?

The guilt built as she found the exit, and escaped. The mountainside was dark and still, contrasting with the chaos she was fleeing. But it didn’t stop the chaos she carried in her head.

Enough, one voice spoke to her. They’re dead, but you’re still here. If you want to be guilty, carry that guilt with you and do something about it. Dying won’t atone for any crimes here, whether they were yours or not.

That voice was different. It felt… more familiar. More understanding. And it was right. She wasn’t sure if it was her higher self or just a compassionate victim of her escape, but whoever that voice belonged to, it - they - were right. With that, she heard the wind blow, and focused on that to quiet them all, and began searching for a way out.

“Clear the room, please.” Cereza spoke evenly. It was the only way to ensure she didn’t scream. “I’ll explain more later, Yugiri, but for now, I need this to remain between myself and the General.”

The other three looked at each other quizically, but nodded, leaving the tent. The aides did as well,and rolled the flaps down as they left, leaving only Cereza and the Bull of Ala Mhigo inside.

Cereza closed her eyes and breathed in and out three times before opening them and locking eyes with him. “Godsdamnit, Raubahn. You’re sure, right? Because this would be a tasteless joke.”

Raubahn nodded. “I wouldn’t pull a prank on you, and most certainly not regarding this. You deserve better than that. Then again, you deserve better than to be brought back here. You didn’t tell us half the shite you endured there when we talked, and we weren’t about to pry. But from what we knew, it wasn’t pretty.”

Cereza laughed, but it was a joyless bark more than a mirthful sound. “Not pretty is an understatement. The three months in there were an eighth hell unto themselves.” She undid her scarf, and unbuttoned her top partyway, pulling it back to reveal the scars she’d had tattooed over. “Branded with crystal. Injected with Gods know what. And…” She inhaled again, and exhaled. “And the damage to my psyche… I’m shocked I ever could pick up a soul crystal again.”

Raubahn looked at her, unsure what to ask or say next, so she spoke to fill the silence. “You found the base, I take it. That’s why I’m here. Someone found something, and you realized the connection.” She then started to put the pieces together. “The crystals they used. They were the crystals that Tiberius and Yugiri found.”

And then it hit her. “Auracite. The damn bastards were experimenting with Auracite.”

Raubahn nodded. “We think so, looking at everything we know. Graft has been a ghost haunting the Alliance for years, and apparently the Domans AND the Garleans as well. We have no idea what or who is behind it… but we think we found the facility you were held at. Or, what’s left of it.”

Cereza gripped the edge of the table. Gods and monsters, she could handle. This was a new foe to her. The past.

No. She wasn’t going to falter here. This was something she could overcome.

“Then… it’s time you know the full story, General. And why this place haunts me even now.”

Then

Cereza sat, holding her head as she tried to distinguish the dreams from reality. A hand on her shoulder made her flinch until she felt its warmth, its softness - not a gloved hand from a lab tech or a soldier, nor the dried skin of the fellow captives tortured and malnourished. A hand that couldn’t be there. That didn’t belong.

“Cereza - it’s alright!” a voice spoke. “It’s another nightmare. You’re not there again.” The voice didn’t admonish or condemn her fear. It just spoke the truth, and let her anchor herself. The voice belonged to the one person she’d told everything to. As Cereza tried to calm her breathing, she felt that person wrap her arms around her. “I’m here.”

The two had been surprised at the affections they held, but with the larger threat of the Empire defanged for the time, there had been a moment to breathe, and in that moment they had found comfort in each other. They shared a similar gift, and the burdens that came with it, and though each had work that called them apart, they found some peace in having each other’s arms to fall into.

And that comfort grew as Cereza’s nightmares haunted her. A foe she couldn’t fight - but with her lover’s help, she could.

The two lay there as the nightmare faded. “This wasn’t your fault,” the other woman’s voice said. “Stop blaming yourself. You couldn’t know.”

Cereza swallowed as her sobs subsided. One time, her dreams had been shared through the Echo. She was afraid that that would end what they had, drive a wedge between them. But Minfilia Warde had nightmares of her own, and that would never be a reason to drive another away. Together they had worked through them, trying to help Cereza overcome them, and they were mostly successful.

Even so, they still came from time to time. Luckily, she had someone to help her through.

Cereza took a glass of water and looked around the room. The Serpent commander had elected to leave this as need-to-know, so only Yugiri, Raubahn, and Tiberius were in there with her.

“What I’m about to tell you, has not been shared in its entirety with anyone still alive on this planet,” she said. “Not out of secrecy alone, but out of pain. Shame. And regret.” She sipped the water, and closed her eyes. As she did, she could imagine those hands on her. She accepted the scars. She’s still with you now, even if she isn’t here. You can do this.

“After the Seventh Calamity, I was captured by a Garlean unit. The details are still… hazy, but I know I was taken to prison camps, and then redirected to a special location I didn’t know at the time. All I knew was that it was past Ala Mhigo. It was a lab ostensibly studying Eikons as well the phenomenon known as the Echo, with the intent to use it as a weapon. However, this research wasn’t condoned, even by the Garlean Emperor. And the experiments conducted were… inhumane.”

Tiberius looked uncomfortable. “There have been many evils conducted… we’re still discovering them now. Coming to terms with them.”

Cereza shook her head. “I understand your contriteness, but when I say inhumane, I mean beyond the worst that Garlemald did and justified to itself. Even the Resonance project wasn’t as cruel, and it killed, what two dozen people that we know of for just two Resonants?” She shook her head. “No… the work there was literally soulscarring, as well as painful to the body. The work they did was filtered back to the Empire in some cases - the VIIth’s Werlyt weapon project and its synthetic auracite had been based on earlier research they had done. But the man in charge of that project had no morals or ethics to speak of. Varro was a student of his, I’ve heard.”

She took another sip and shook her head. “Regardless, the project was ostensibly to trigger the Echo, but beyond that, it wanted to do something else. I didn’t understand the full scope of the plan, but it was similar to the Resonance project in its desire - to create artificial magic in those who could not use it, separate from Ceruleum. Only, the plan was to go beyond human souls. They wanted to fuse Beastmen souls into humans, to better channel the powers of the Eikons. And they were hoping that the torture would force us to summon Eikons as well - but that they could shape them based on the souls used.”

The others in the room were aghast as she explained what she could remember - and the aftereffects. The souls and memories collected from the cults in Othard had been burned into her own - fragments of the whole, but still scarring her. The torture hadn’t produced the results wanted - but they did it anyways.

“In the end… I escaped. And doing so may have killed everyone there.” She came to the part she regretted the most from that ordeal. “I had a window of opportunity. The torture was… horrifying. But the process had imbued me with aether despite efforts to keep us cut off from replenishing more than we needed to survive. I stockpiled what I could, and used it for a single destructive spell.” Her hands shook. “It wasn’t one I knew, though… it came to me from a memory. It was meant to break the wall open, and it did that… and much more.”

Her mind could see it again. The blast caught a barrel on fire, and in a split second, the chemicals within caused a chain reaction. The ceruleum pipes within the building caught as well, and the structure tore itself apart around her - and in the process, slew the captives, guards, and scientists alike. Somehow, only she survived.

“At the time, I blamed myself. I know now that it was an accident, but it was… bad. The emotional resonance bled into the aether and I was haunted by the dying memories of everyone inside. But… I was free. I couldn’t sit there and wallow in pity. I fled.”

Raubahn and Yugiri both looked sick at what had been described. Tiberius didn’t like it either… but his expression was also contemplative. “It wasn’t your fault. But it wasn’t an accident.”

Cereza’s eyes widened by reflex as he said that. “What do you mean?”

“The man in charge of that base… the monster, more like…. He’s done this before. It wasn’t an accident that you were allowed to stockpile aether. He gave you a window to use your power that the Garleans wouldn’t otherwise predict. He planted the explosives for you to destroy… or possibly, to make it LOOK like you triggered them. I bet we’ll find pieces of bombs all throughout the wreckage.”

Cereza shook her head. “That… bastard. Why? Why the HELL would he do that?”

Tiberius grit his teeth. “The madman was likely under suspicion. He needed to make sure there was nothing left to trace back to him. And looking back, it wouldn’t shock me if he “arranged” my transfer to the Tenth to throw me off further.” He opened his jacket and took out a tombstone, setting it in the reader on the table to project an image on the wall. The face staring at them had a mouth that was too long, skin pulled too taught, hair bound up in a ponytail, and tattoos or makeup under the eyes.

Cereza dropped her cup as she saw him. “That’s him. The madman. The monster.”

“I know that face too,” Yugiri said. “I spied him with Regula several times when the Sixth ran Doma.”

“That man was once a Tribunus in the sixth. When Regula died, he took some of the survivors supposedly on a mission to ‘recover’ parts needed to repair the Gration. He fled, instead, but with data on the Warring Triad. That man is Kefka sas Pallazzo, and he’s a traitor to the Garlean Empire and now a war criminal under the Eorzean Alliance.”

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cerezawrites · 2 years ago

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FFXIV Eorzea Writes 2022:#22. Veracity

Spoilers: Endwalker

The lab burned.

A few lights still worked, powered by the ceruleum generator, but the laboratory was dark and filled with smoke as Cereza stumbled through it. She coughed, but kept her eyes open for a way out despite the danger.

The smoke seemed to move in one direction. She hoped there was a crack in the wall that way, as she scrambled around debris.

Debris - and dead bodies.

Cereza.

She stopped. The voice wasn’t one she knew. No… it was one she knew but not well. A voice she had heard recently. Another captive here.

She looked and saw his corpse, and beside him another. And another. And another.

They all were speaking, now. Not the corpses, but their voices, whispering to her. She kept trying to run towards the exit, but her legs felt like jelly and her feet made no progress.

Still the voices grew louder. They were blaming her. Blaming her for their fate.

They weren’t wrong to - but she hadn’t wanted this. She just wanted to escape. To get out. But that wasn’t enough. The voices… they were louder, and louder still. Victims. Guards. Scientists. They blamed her.

Cereza. CEREZA!

“Cereza!” a voice shouted at her as she woke in the seat on an airship. She opened her eyes to see a pale face and white horns staring at her, their owner shaking her awake. “Easy there, my friend. You looked like you were having a nightmare.”

Cereza blinked her eyes open, remembering where - and when - she really was. “Sorry, Yugiri. I… Just a bad memory in my sleep.”

“I would say so, the way you were tossing about.” She took a seat herself, and opened a compartment to the side, pulling a bottled beverage out and passing it to Cereza. The new luxury models of airships were larger and self-contained, and came with beverage service. Another fruit of the peace with Garlemald, though this vessel belonged to the Ironworks. “But I’m guessing it’s not one you’d care to share.”

“No,” Cereza replied, shaking her head as she opened the bottle. “Sorry… but it’s a bit personal.” She had only shared that nightmare with a handful of other people - and one wasn’t here anymore. It wasn’t a burden she could share with just anyone. But there were those it affected when it came back. Those she had to camp with… or who would otherwise see her struggling in her sleep. A few others knew something about the circumstances that caused the nightmare, but even that was something she didn’t share openly, but as a matter of record for the military types she worked with.

Yugiri nodded, understanding. “I did not mean to pry. But know I am always willing to listen.” She looked out the tiny window of the airship at the ground below. “Well, to speak on other matters, what do you think this is about? Did your allies tell you anything in your invitation.”

Cereza opened the bottle, smelling the iced tea within and sipping as she thought back to the call she had gotten, and the subsequent meeting with the Admiral. “No,” she said, recalling it. “Just that I’d been requested to meet in the field with Raubahn to verify the truth about something that had happened. What about you?”

Yugiri shook her head. “I’m not sure, either. Hien wasn’t told what this was about, only that I was requested personally. But I can’t think as to why. I wasn’t operating in this theatre during the war; I did take the field for messenger duty on occasion when we were short handed, but our troops stayed in and near Othard. This is on the other side of the Garlean territory.”

The airship bearing the two began to descend towards their destination. The territory had been but one of many annexed by Garlemald, between the capitol and Ala Mhigo in this case. Since the fall, various group and individuals had secured power in the area, making the ever-growing map of Ilsabard a patchwork of ill-defined boundaries as they tried to ascertain the situations in the area. Cereza wasn’t sure where they were, specifically, however - not it’s pre-Garlean name, its name under the occupation, or its current status.

The airship landed and Cid came down. “Hope the flight was smooth, ladies.” Yugiri and Cereza both nodded, and he smiled. “Good. Hoping to get more of these in operation by next spring. Had a time working all the issues out, but it seems to be ready to go.” He opened the airlock, and the smell of cool mountain air filled the cabin as the pressure changed.

“Thank you for your aid, Master Garlond,” Yugiri said with a bow. Cereza also got up and shook his hand, before setting foot on the ground.

The landscape before them was a mountainrange, which didn’t surprise too much. What was surprising was the proximity between the Garlean flag and the Eorzean alliance banners at a work camp on the ridge they stood on. It hadn’t been common for anyone still flying that banner to be eager to work with the Eorzeans; even when forced to, the two camps tended to stand apart.

But on closer inspection, Cereza realized the reason. A giant “X” stood behind the Garlean logo - the standard of the Xth Legion, who had sought Eorzean aid as the Contingent reached Ilsabard. They made sense as the Legion most likely to stand here now.

Cereza entered the encampment, and saw people milling about, Eorzean and Garlean alike. The months since then seemed to have helped this group work well together. At the command tent, she saw three figures - one in a Garlean legatus armor, one in the colors of the Adder, and one in his own personal garb with a cape draped over his missing left arm. She didn’t recognize two of them, but she did know the third. Yugiri stopped, though, and stared at the man.

“Do you know him?” Cereza asked.

Yugiri nodded. “I do, actually. He was with the Sixth Legion during the initial occupation, before they were recalled.”

“Is… that going to be a problem?” Cereza asked quizically.

“Oh!” Yugiri said, shaking her head. “No, actually. He was… not a bad man. And I begin to see why I was called for.”

Cereza nodded, taking the shinobi at her word as they approached the tent. Raubahn saw her, and the others turned from their conversation to watch the two women approach. ‘Captain Hoid. It’s good to see you here, lass,” he said with his usual smile. However, there was something… unpleasant behind it. Whatever this was, he was happy to see her… but also seemed to regret having to ask her to be here as well. “This is Commander Genevieve Beauxton of the Twin Adders,” he said, introducing the Elezen in yellow. “She is the Alliance commander of this unit. And this is…”

“Legatus Tiberius rem Caudan,” Yugiri interrupted. “I hadn’t realized you transferred over to the Xth. Last I remember, you were working with the Sixth.”

The Garlean nodded. “Ah, Mistress Yugiri. You recall correctly. However, before their redeployment, I was promoted for my work. There were no openings in the Sixth, so the Tenth offered to have me on board. It fit my work better anyways.”

Cereza looked at the two of them. Yugiri was good at controlling her emotions, but she never was fond of Garleans. Yet the two seemed to have a deeper respect for each other. And clearly a shared history. “What manner of work was this, if I may ask?” she interjected.

“Actually,” Raubahn said, “that’s exactly what we’re here for. Tiberius, go ahead and fill the captain in.”

Tiberius opened a folder on the table and produced several images. The Garleans called them “photographs” - portraits made not with paint or charcoal, but by exposing chemically coated plates to the light of what you wanted to capture and processing it. The result was an image of the target just as it was - no memories or artistic liberties, but a moment of time captured on a piece of paper, exactly. These photographs showed several altars in a style that seemed vaguely Doman, but more archaic, even more older than the Swallow’s Compass. Each had a crystal embedded in the top of the altar. Each altar also had signs of blood on and around them. Dried blood for the most part, but ages of it. And some of it was far fresher….

“During the Sixth occupation of Doman,” he explained, “we were alerted to locations that had been used in older religious rituals. Operating under the assuptions of the time that such sites could be used to summon Eikons, we investigated. I was the lead investigator on the Garlean team. And the only survivor.”

Yugiri, as if rehearsed, continued the story in her own way. “Tiberius’ concerns were not unfounded. At the time I wasn’t of the station I hold now. My elder tasked me to lead a trio of shinobi to hunt down a cult that sought to use a Summoning art, a precursor to the Summoning ninjutsu, of terrible proportions. They were afraid both of the summoning succeeding and of the backlash that even an attempt could bring. Unfortunately, the others with me were killed as well.”

Tiberius continued. “The two of us were forced to work together to solve the problem, our resources both cut off and cut down. It was… an uneasy partnership. But it was fruitful.”

Yugiri picked it up. “Despite my misgivings, Tiberius’ fears and my mission both were more important than vengeance. We worked together, and found the lairs of the cult, defeating them and driving them back to their last base.” She tapped the image of the one that had fresher blood. “And we burned that location in the nick of time.”

“I couldn’t report that I was aided by a native, so I hid Yugiri’s involvement and took the crystals back to command. She did the same with her tale, or so I presume,” to which she nodded. “But, I made sure to keep an eye on the Domans for her after that. Made sure no one was an ass. And we met, from time to time, to discuss other such issues until I was relocated.”

Cereza nodded. It was unusual, but not the weirdest thing she’d ever heard. After all, she rode a golden retriever on the moon, then met that dog in the past and had to fight a goddess before she was a goddess to earn its respect. This wasn’t THAT weird. “Okay… so I’m guessing that you found more of the same cult here in… wherever we are. But what does that have to do with me?”

Raubahn sighed. “I think this is where it gets… awkward. I’m on this mission because I was the closest by default. This involves Project Graft.”

Cereza Hoid was the Warrior of Light on the Source, and the Warrior of Darkness on the First. She had slain a member of the First Brood - twice. She parlayed with gods and beings who could be called gods. She held the light that was drowning a world as she faced an Unsundered Ascian, and drove that light into his chest. Cereza Hoid had faced hell and come through with a smile on her face.

But at those two words, her blood ran cold.

#ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite 2022 #*spoiler*

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cerezawrites · 2 years ago

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FFXIV Write 2022 - 21: Solution

Then

“So tell me, Cereza, what’s defines a solution?” Cereza’s grandmother was guiding her through the act of blending a potion together, and quizzing her on their lessons at the same time; it was a trick to reinforce the two with each other.

Cereza measured the ingredients intently, but her mind took in the question and processed it. “It’s when something is suspended in a liquid… uniformly, correct? Not clumped together but all throughout?”

Her grandmother nodded. “Good. You remember well. And you’ve remembered the order for the potion steps, too.” She watched the child finish blending the components, and the bluish glow as the aether within blended and settled. “And now, it’s complete.”

Cereza smiled and set the tools down before hugging her grandmother. “Thank you for the lesson. And for spending time with me.”

Her grandmother smiled. “Of course, dear. You and your family - you matter the most in all the world to me. My time is yours and your sisters, always.” She kissed Cereza’s head. “Come now. Enough practice. Let’s get something to drink in the kitchen and then go visit your mother.”

Now

The stone cold graves stood, on a private plot in the woods. The ground beneath held no bodies, their corporeal aether long dissolved with their spirits, but the markers stood as a reminder.

The dark clouds brought rain as Cereza approached in her black coat and top hat, two bouquets of Nymian lillies in hand as the water ran off the rim of her hat. She laid one for her grandfather and one for her grandmother, and spoke the prayers she learned - not as a child, but as a young adult, inducted into the Thaumaturgist Guild and the Order of Nald’thal.

In the time since their departures, of course, she’d learned much about the truth of the world, and of the gods. But though she had met gods and even fougth with them, an dher own faith was not unshakeable, the prayer still came to her lips as a reflex.

Funny that it’s raining, she thought as she finished. The Traders are of fire, after all.

She laid her hands on the tombstones, and said, “I’ve seen so much. I wish I could share the stories.” But she knew what they would say if they were here. This was not the time to spend mourning - no more than she had to. They’d tell her to tell them when her time came - and not a second before.

She made a gesture to pay her respects, and left the graves once more. Each year the passing was easier to remember - but never EASY. It hurt each time. But she knew she honored them better by living her life than by mourning their deaths.

She went past the house, and walked through the ferryman, heading back up to Gridania. “Ah, MIss Hoid. Nasty weather, wouldn’t you say? Still, I can get you where you’re going.”

She smiled at him as she handed him the coin for the trip. “Thank you, Simeon.” And off the boat swam, guided through the torrent back to the pier. She disembarked, and trod through the mud to the aethernet shard before following its trail to the inn.

The Canopy bustled with people staying out of the rain and trying to keep high spirits. She moved through the crowd to the bar, and Mother Miounne smiled at her, knowing the date. “They were good people, your grandparents. I miss them too.” She sighed and set a glass down, with an open bottle of cider for Cereza, before pulling a draught for herself. Cereza poured the cider into the glass, and raised her tankard in a toast with the proprietor. “To your grandparents, “she said. “May they walk in the light of the crystal.”

Cereza smiled. The words had new meaning to her, but as with the prayer, they still meant so much more. “To them,” she replied, clinking the glasses before taking a swig from the mug. “Thank you again for your help procuring the flowers, by the way.”

“Of course, dear.” She smiled. “You’ve earned that and much more, I’d say. Including that drink, and don’t pretend like I’ll take a gil for that from you.” They both chuckled, and Miounne went off to help another customer as Cereza sipped her cider alone.

The solitude would not last long, of course. Nothing of the sort ever did, of course, and the presence she felt relaxed her rather than impinging upon her. She turned and smiled at the Seeker of the Sun, who smiled back. “Y’mhitra,” Cereza said. “Good to see you. Elementals tell you to find me here?”

The Miqo’te shook her head. “No. I was actually just coming back from Ul’dah and spotted you. The Squad sends its regards, by the way, though there’s less and less for them to do in fighting these days.”

“I can drink to that,” Cereza said with a grin, that Y’mhitra returned. “Well, it’s good to see familiar faces.”

Y’mhitra nodded, remembering the date. “I understand that. I wish I could stay longer, but I do have to attend to other business, I fear.”

Cereza shook her head. “Do not let me keep you. I’ll be fine… the hard part’s over.”

Y’mhitra smiled, and the two chatted for a bit more before she left Cereza alone again, her class and bottle both about empty. She finished both off, and headed out to the porch, watching the rain fall around the building.

#ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite2022

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