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[digeethegenie]

Extra - On Yujo's parents

Yujo's mother, Rorose Rose (lalafell, 56 ao 6.1), is a standard Lalafell woman with dark blue hair and wears glasses. She is a priestess of Yevonism (worshiping the pristess Yunalesca, who spiran legends said defeated the first primal, Sin) and had been training Yujo in the cloth untill she ran away to become an adventurer to fund the restoration of Spira.

Since the calamity, the two did not get on well as a result of a tagic loss in the form of Yujo's chocobo friend, Bokko, who sheilded Yujo during the disaster. However, since she left, she prayed for her daughter's saftey.

When she heard of her achievements she sent Yujo her pristess outfit pressed into a glamour plate. She now writes to her frequently.

Her father, Rarahem Frehem, (lalafell, 39, died 6AE 1564) was a loving father and husband. A tinkerer by trade. He mysteriously vanished around the time Yujo gained the echo (aged 5) and fell ill from being overwhelmed.

The only reason Rorose had to believe he was ok was regular letters with money.

Two years later, Yujo had an echo vison of her father on a death bed in Ul'dah as he was suffering from Golden Lung, a disease which causes the lungs to slowly be clogged. His last words was his regret for keeping away from Rorose and Yujo.

She spoke of this to her mother, who dismissed it as flight of fancy until she got a letter confirming Rarahem's demise. It was this, as well as signs of Fauna-Tounge (ie; "speaking" with monsters and animals) that convinced Rorose to train Yujo as a priestess.

There is also Nu'aka Pharo, the Viera adventurer who taught her a lot of her adventuring skills, but his is a story for another time.

a quick wol question for yall while I'm thinking about it

what are/were your wol/oc's parents like?

and this goes for biological AND adoptive parents! how old are they and where are they from? how did they meet? does your wol/oc get along with them? how did they affect who your wol/oc became?

[digeethegenie]

The Exhaustion of Emet-Selch

Day 21 - Shade Shaowbringers (5.0) - The Oracle of Light Concepts from Endwalker (6.0) - The Martyr

"A hearld of the light is no more. Slain, consumed, and contained by Hydalin's chosen. Emet-Selch, go to The First, and ensure that the rejoining is not halted any further."

Emet-Selch sighed as he sat on a balcony overlooking the main plaza of The Crystarium. He had hoped to have had the sweet nothiness of death's sweet rest for a lot longer than three short years. But, alas, the child demanded its succor and he- whilst not to the degree that a beastman or turned spoken man would be- was under the thrall of the owner of the child. Their fabricated god of darkness, Zodiark, so he didn't have much the say on the matter.

In many ways, the way he was enthralled to his primal god was lesser to that of the half-made ones. At least under that sort of marking, the victim had the blessing, and bliss, of being atuned to the false idol's aetheric signal. In his case, it was more an annoying buzzing in his ear. A long tone that never ended bar in the quiet of death.

Really, he wasn't quite sure why any of the half-made men was so afraid of it.

It ceratinly held advantage over the waking world with its infinite failings.

He was only here for one thing, to put an end to The Warrior of Light and let things continue in The First unabited. Yes, it was a slightly diffrent plan to the one that he had set up in Garlamald- giving his regretable grandson the chemical weapon that would throw the rejoined star into shock and thus have it consume The First (And, most importantly, empower Zodiark once more) to survive- but it was a plan he could execute imediately.

Something that had become more of a priority in recent times.

The boy's thoughts were slipping. Man was not ment to be alive for eons, and yet Elidibus, the heart of Zodiark, did not dain to even sleep. He had seen this in Lahabreha and Nabrialis and, even back in the days of paradise and freedom from death's ineviatble grasp, man's mind would slip if they dained to not return to the planet after the twilight of their years.

And the boy was almost ceratinly at the brink.

If allowed, Zodiark would lose its heart and become a wild beast, wildly controlled in only the losest sense by the infinite number of souls that made its being. Even worse, someone- someone not aligned with the goal of reviving paradise- could become the heart of Zodiark and that would be no less than extinction to the plan of countless eons.

So the plan was to simply assisinate The Warrior of Light and be done with it. It would be as simple as pointing his fingers and letting the mental trigger go.

One more half-made body on the floor in exchange for his entire world and its people.

It was an entirely reasonable trade.

He sat on his balcony and watched as he saw the Warrior of Light, acompanied by two elezen children, returning from Holminster. Standing up from his vantage point, he watched as they chatted amoungst each other. It was a lot of effort to not let himself be taken in by the sight, to watch these half-men play out such comadery he and his fellow anchents would display to each other.

To remember the better days.

With Him.

Then he noticed it, the bright light in amoungst The party.

That, he reasoned, was The Warrior of Light. Their soul shining from the light that they had so thoughtlessly consumed. Really what he was doing was a mercy, he thoguht to himself as he held his hand out and shaped out a gun with his gloved finger like the stageplay loving fool he was.

One shot and they'd be inexplicably dead on the ground.

He felt the emence pool of dark aether pool around his finger. Reading himself for the moment he could let go and end the fool's life.

Then he noticed something about the colour of The Warrior of Light's soul.

And then he stopped.

"That… That can't be right." Emet-Selch thought outloud as he took a more concentrated look at the colour of The Warrior of Light's soul. Bright blue. A blue that outshone the brightest blue of a clear morning.

His mind was flooded with memories. Memories that he had hoped were burried deep within his soul. A figgure- feminine, with long blonde hair, a freckle marked face and aether blue eyes- the focusing point of the memories.

When he had rechened himself way from those memories, he finaly had his first proper look at the Warrior of Light.

A lalafell woman with long blonde hair, a face marked in freckles, and aether blue eyes.

Emet-Selch looked at the sight for longer than any man would find comfortable and then, felt a sickly laugh begin to bubble in his stomach. Then he vomited a long, pained and seemingly unending laugh. Which only ended after the Warrior of Light and their party had left.

Almost instantly, Emet-Selch's plan changed and he came up with a new thought.

If fighting the enemy wasn't going to work…

Why not attempt to reason with them?

Surely this time, Emet-Selch lied to himself, They would have to understand the nature of the problem and agree with him. To see that this end justified the means.

With that thought wrenching itself in his mind, Emet-Selch vanished, to make preperations for his parly with the Warrior of Light.

The shade of Eurydice.

[digeethegenie]

Flowers for Yuyujo

Day 20 - Duel 7th Astral Era (2.3) - Guardian of Eoreza CW - Symptoms of Depression, Panic

Yujo looked at the sight of Hoary Boulder, a red mopped Hellsguard Roegadyn swordsman, preparing himself to duel her and could only sigh mentally.

Why was she doing this, of all things, and with Hoary, of all people?

"You can do it, Mister Boulder!"

Hoary turned around and waved back to the doma girl, Koharu who was waving after him.

"No way! Yujo's gonna get him, and good!"

Koharu turned around to give the boy, another doma refugee, Yozan the standard dirty look young children gave each other when they disagreed on something.

That was right, this was to teach the doma regugee kids what it took to be an adventurer.

Which was fine and all, nothing wrong with that. Hells, Yujo thought, given how bad they had it, some levity wouldn't go amiss.

Sure, she thought, feeling her face twitch as she took stock; The leaders would faff around and get nothing done as the beastmen summoned the primals and she would have to clean up after them and then Garlemald will probably attack- and that was only if Ul'dah didn't erupt into cival war from the fact that the moniterists were all a bunch of common thugs with money to their name- and-

She hadn't noticed that she had been breathing hard when she heard Hoary's friend, and stuck-fast partner in crime, Coultenet Dailebaure, a stick like Elezen man, call after her.

Snapping back to reality Yujo blinked, "Uh, yeah?"

"The first round is just going to be between you and Hoary, is that Okay?"

Yujo nodded. It would have been fine ether way but Hoary insisted on the first round being his alone and she wasn't the sort to not oblige someone's request when asked.

Got rather good at saying yes over the last six months.

Mayhap, a tiny little voice in her head thought, a little too good.

Thancred looked at the too and nodded. "Right, if everyone's ready I'll start things off on the count of three."

He raised his hand, "One!"

Hoary raised his sword, "Day and Night I have honed my skills. Now comes the time to test them."

"Two!"

Yujo readyied herself, taking on the stance of the coeurel. "Come at me with everything you've got, Hoary. I'm not going to hold anything back!"

Thancred threw his hand down. "Three!"

Like a gun exploding out of the barrel, Yujo pushed the aether in her right foot into the ground and sent herself flying towards Hoary. With the momentum of the motion, she pulled back and with expert timing, struck his plated gut with a stright punch.

Horary's eyes bulged as the shot connected to his stomach.

She couldn't help but feel a little guilty as she heard the roegadyn moan as he grabbed his gut in the place where he was stuck.

"U…uh, P-Pouncing Leap Fuh-Fist of the Coeurl; S-snap punch." Yujo said, akwardwardly and feeling like a right bastard as she anounced her arte.

"Ugh!" Hoary gasped. "Such power! The Tales about you barely do you justice!"

So Yujo had heard.

Much to her embarassment.

"Mister Boulder won't lose, will he?" Koharu said, her voice clearly shakey as she recoiled from seeing the hit.

"No way, it's not over yet. It can't be!"

Hearing the other doma child take Hoary's side in the fight made Yujo pause a little mentally. Something was wrong with all this. But what?

"Aye, the children have the right of it."

Hoary turned his head to see his partner making his satement as he pulled out his wand and lifted it skyward. "'Tis time I joined the fray." He took on the pose befitting someone using the magic artes. With a small shout, the area flooded with aether, most of which folowed into Hoary. "Back on your feet, my friend!"

"Right! Sorry for the wait, Yujo. Take this!"

Reinvigerated, Hoary waisted no time in using his renewed sence of energy to take his sword and swipe at the lalafell.

Of course, sensing the attack and then dodging were like breathing to Yujo. But only she knew that. With plenty of time to spare, she backfliped away and took the stance of the raptor.

"Time for our famous dual tech, Coult!"

"Right you are, Hoary!"

Hoary took stance and began to charge. Yujo could see the aether around him take on the orange shade of danger that she had been well accustomed to at this point. Her only chance was to hit him with Twin Snakes, which would take him off balance. Using the second lot of aether on her feet, from her left hand foot this time, Yujo made a shot for him only to feel like lightning had struck her, stopping her cold as she felt the electicity pulse through her.

"You're not getting a second hit on him, Yujo!" Coultenet declaired as he readied his next attack.

Realising that the caster was probably the weaker of the two, Yujo quickly changed targets and started running towards the Wizard. She only got half way there when the residual electricity caused her body to sieze up, causing her to stumble.

"Hoary! Now's your chance!"

Yujo had only started to get back up when she realised that the orange field was right on her feet.

"Oh, sh-" was all she managed to utter before Horary rushed towards her, sheld in frount and tackled her with it, sending her rolling away.

As she laid on the ground, she could hear Thancred mutter something to the effect of, "Well, that might be it", to Yda.

She desperately tried to get back up, the crackling of energy still affecting her nervous system. She punched the ground. She wasn't finished. She wasn't!

'Get up.'

Slowly she got back up.

'You can not. Will 'not'. Lose.'

The colour from her face drained as she stood back up and regained her sense of ballance.

'You are the only one strong enough. You are the only one who can protect this land.'

Her ki- her aether, rather- felt like it was burning as it extended out from her. She could feel all of the chakra gates rip open.

'If you don't…'

As she stood up the energy began to well within her.

'You die.'

As the fifth and final gate opened, Yujo screamed out in sheer thrall to the energy.

'Then, everyone else. Dies.'

Still screaming, Yujo pushed the aether in both her feet out and sprung foreward in an attempt to fly out towards Coultenet.

"I'm ready for you. Miss Palms!" Coultenet said as he slammed his staff on the ground, causing the ground to shake and to attempt to catch Yujo in the gravity of his second spell.

Only this time, Yujo jumped stright up.

Both of Yujo's opponets could only register a confued "Huh?" before Yujo called out her next arte and pulled her hands back.

"Aether Explosion Fist of the Destroyer! Behold! The Forbidden Chakra!"

She pointed with her left hand at the ground beneeth her which beegan to glow like it had just caught on fire, before she threw her right fist down and shot a blast of aether into the ground, causing the ground to erupt in a gyzer of aether.

Everyone shielded their eyes from the brought light, Coultenet included. He groaned as he waved his staff inefectually. "Horary! Can you see anything? Where is she?"

"Right here."

Yujo was standing right behind the blinded elezen. She had had just enough aether in her feet for a second fast-step.

With a snap, Yujo threw her hand foreward, causing a vacum of air to first drag Coultenet back and then send him foreward to the ground with a thud and a exclaimation.

That was enoguh to render Coultenet unable to continue. "I… I admit defeat…" he said, strugging to get back up. "It. It was a privlage." he said as the last of his energy gave way and he landed back on the ground with a groan.

Hoary was still kneeling on the ground, recovering from the flash of Yujo's Chakra-based arte.

"Oh No! Mr Boulder looks hurt!" Koharu said with genuine worry in her voice.

"Ms. Palms is so strong… But you can't give up, Mr Boulder!"

That bit of encouragement got Hoary back on his feet. He gasped through his exhaustioun. "They're right. I can't give up. I said I'd give it my all. So here's my all! No surrender in the face of the insermountable Enemy. This is the way of the Warrior of Light! This is for you, Coult!" he shouted, as if Coultenet was dead (the latter, whilst still half-concious could only give his companion a look of annoyance at the implicaiton), and raised his shield up and let himself be washed in his aether.

Wanting to end this quickly, Yujo tried to throw a punch but could only squeek in suprise as she and the punch bounced off Hoary.

Almost shocked that it worked, Hoary laughed as he rushed in to swipe at Yujo who responded in turn. Caught up in the heat of battle, both Hoary and Yujo furiously swapped blows; a fist for a sword, a cut for a smash. Both caught up in the fevor of battle and not aware that the arte that Hoary had used to put his barrier had already started to wane, leaving him open to a pummeling from the lalafell.

Yujo screamed as she administered the final blow, or, to be more accurate, the numerous final blows that were thrown at speed at the still battle-blind roegadyn.

Hoary's laugh slowly disapated.

Then Yujo jumped back.

Hoary stood, his face brused and slightly worse for wear for the direct strikes Yujo had thrown at it. Then he dropped his sword, "I… I conceed…", and fell to the ground on his back.

The croud that had gathered fell silent as Yujo felt her own energy waver and she wobbled on her feet.

Then, they exploded into cheers.

"That was incredible!" Yozan shouted out, his fist pumped in the air with pure boyish enthusiasm. "Yujo beat them both at the same time!"

Then the others in the croud added their comments.

"Of course Yujo Palms didn't lose. No one can beat the Guardian of Eorzea!"

"Now I see why she when primals strike, they send her. I've got such a hill to climb to be even half the adventurer as she is!"

Yujo was still mentaly out of it as the two doma kids walked to talk to talk to Hoary and Coultenet, both very excited and commiseratory to their teacher and his friend.

Then the sound of clapping caught her attention, making her turn around to see it was Alphinaud clapping for her.

But why? Why was he clapping for her? She just did what she always did. She fought, and then the other guy fell over.

Was this fun?

Was it ever fun?

She looked at the Elezen teen who seemed to be ignorant of this sense of wrong that plauged everything, who was smiling as he clapped.

"Guardian of Eoreza. Such a fiting title for someone with such hard-won strenth such as you."

"Um… Thank you." Yujo said, her voice quiet.

He laughed, "And so modest too!". He then coughed his laugh clear. "Yujo, there's something I'd like to discuss with you back at The Rising Stones. It's about what I think we should do next."

Yujo looked at him, her head tilted.

But then she realised that she was going to say yes to whatever it was, anyway.

She had been getting good at doing that.

Too godsdamned good.

"Sure."

The smile on Alphinaud's face made it clear that he was almost bursting at the seam to tell the lalafell his plan but he held his composure as he practically spun on his feet to turn around and make his way back to the Scion's new headquarters.

Yujo looked on as he practicaly floated on air, then turned to see Hoary on the ground laughing with Coultenet and the doma kids, then finally looked at her small, scratch blighted, hands.

When was the last time she laughed?

[digeethegenie]

The Lalafell and The Viera

Day 19 - Taken The Wake of Dalamund (After Meteor, Pre ARR) CW - Attempted Kidnapping

Yuyujo Yujo, 17 as of the start of this tale which takes place in 7UE 0002, was one of the first people off the boat. It had only taken a couple of hours since she had embarkd at Kilika Port but now that she had made land in Eoreza propeor- Limsa Lominsa in particular- she was ready to get down to business, become an adventurer, and prove herself to her mother that this whole plan of hers would work.

What she couldn't have prepared herself for was the looks she was getting for her clothes. A typical spiran affair for children and lalafell that was typical for the tropical climeate of the archapeligo; a white vest top, golden bracelets, and puffy blue pantaloon-esc short-pants with a blue ankle bracelet on her right leg.

Well, whatever, not like Spira had ever crossed the minds of the average Eorezan anyway, Yuyujo thought to herself. If it had she wouldn't have needed to go throguh this whole business and Spira would have been back to the island pradise that it had been before the tusnami.

Maybe… even Bokko…

…

Yuyujo shook her head, and looked foreward. This wasn't the time for such thoughts. She needed to register with the adventuers guild and and actauly start her carrer. The only problem was Limsa Lominsa was something of a wierdly laid out town at the best of times but often, when it was teeming with adventuers, pirates, and the general populatce, it was a navigational nightmare.

Add to that the fact that Yuyujo- having no need to visit- had never been to Limsa and that just added to her woes.

'Well', she thoguht to herself, 'If I don't know where something is, I should just ask. Always worked back home.'

She walked to the first person who looked imporant and caught his attention.

"Mornin' brother! Do you know wher' 'he 'venturers guil' is?"

Adding to Yuyujo's woes was the fact that the spiran accent had a curious effect on Eorezen Common and, sometimes, made it hard to understand what the average spiran was saying.

The surly Rogadian that she had addessed gave the oddly dressed lalafell an distainful look, something Yuyujo in her excitement didn't notice.

"I'm not your brother, brat. And what the hell is a venture guild?"

Yuyujo, missing that she had been misunderstood, nodded. "You know? A 'venture guild? I wanna do som' 'ork 'n' go on 'ventures!"

A smirk crossed his face.

"Oh Sure, sure. I know 'exactly' where that is, what you want to do is go up thorugh the main plaza and…"

Yujojo followed the instructions towards the lower docks of Limsa. A less than reputable part of the port town of pirates. She followed the Rogadian's instructions to the letter, leading her past the convent houses of the Dutiful Sisters of the Edelweiss.

"Miss Yuyujo?"

She turned around to notice a band of men with the same general disposition as the Rogadian.

"Ya? Are you 'rom the 'ventures guil'?"

The leader of the group, a lanky huyr with a face that wasn't somuch as shaven as it had been randomly hacked at whilst black-out drunk smiled, entirely incinserly.

"Yes, we're a band of… helpers, here to point up and comin' 'venturers like yourself in the right direction."

Yuujo, believing the mis-shaven man, smiled and walked towards the group. "Thank ya, it's jus', 've nev'r been to Li'sa so-"

As she passed them by, a rag covered hand, that of a stocky lalafell man, was wrapped around her face and clamped over her mouth. She thrashed wildly as she was forced to take a breath, breathing in the pungent smell that was drapped across the cloth.

She pushed the lalafell off and threw herself back, only to feel her body become heavy.

"Wha'? Wha' di…?" she said, her world spinning and her legs refusing to keep stright.

The group of bragards laughed as they watched the lalafell struggle to keep upright.

"Well, we got a live one here, gents!"

"Nevermind that shagagan shagger, Madison. I say we keep this one for ourselves!"

The lot of them laughed as Yuyujo fought to stay on her legs, her instincts screaming at her that the moment she fainted it was all over.

The group advanced on her, ready to make good on their plans, not aware of the whilstling sound of an arrow heading their way. With a loud thunk the arrow landed in between the lalafell and the group.

They looked up (Yuyujo struggling to do so) to see a figgure standing, on top of one of the lampposts, arms crossed.

"It's bad enough you'd see fit to terrorise a newcomer to Limsa, but to do it so brazenly in front of the sister's house. You're both dumb AND stupid."

"Shite, not him!" the huyr shouted at the figgure only for him to leap from the lamppost and draw his bow. Before any of the bragards could respond. The figgure had fired a volly of arrows, hitting every last one of them with exception of the huyr.

The arrows had a smaller tip, designed to deliver a payload of serium instead of pierce the body to damage it. Before the hit biligrants could respond, they knelt over in pain, like something was ripping them from the inside, coughed up blood and promptly fell over.

The figgure landed infront of Yuyujo, revealing himself to be a dark skined, older man. The other thing that caught Yuyujo's adled attention was the fact that he had two large rabbit ears standing on top of his head.

"Ah… Ah bun…?"

"You long-eared bastard! You killed my men!"

The rabbit man looked at the huyr with a hard stare. "They'll be fine. They'll won't forget the pain of having their aether circulation jumpstarted by a small bit of wind aether any time soon, but they'll live to see the gaol."

"Asshole! You know weapons aren't allowed under the blue heaven provision."

"I'm pretty sure sleeping drugs for the use of kidnapping isn't allowed ether. I'll happly take my day in the brig if it means seeing you rot in Mordion."

The huyr drew his knife.

"I'll skin you alive, you freak!"

He dove for the rabbit man who simply sighed, "Never the easy way with you lot, huh?". He readied himself for the strike.

Screaming like a madman, the huyr threw himself towrds the rabbit man. He thrust with all the murderous intent that he could muster and scream out of his dirty mouth.

With all the elegance of a dancer, the Rabbit man dodged away from the strike, leaving the huyr only seconds to wonder how he missed before the rabbit man thrust himself foreard and delvered a devistating upercut that caught the huyr on his chin and caused one of his teeth to fly out of his mouth, an elegant stream of blood trailing after it.

"You… freak…" was all the huyr managed before he too, was flat on his worthless arse.

Yuyujo could finaly feel her legs giving out, uttering a small "'elp." before she too fell over. As her conciousness fadded, she felt herself being caught by the rabbit man. Her hearing could vaugely hear him say something like "careful" as her eyes fell shut.

= = =

Her instincts kicking in, Yuyujo screamed as she threw herself up, chucking the defenceless bed blanket onto the ground.

"Woah, Woah, there, Miss!"

Her eyes snapped open to see a lalafell man in a red suit and black coarsair hat standing at her bedside.

"Who… Wh're?"

"You're in the Mizzenmast Inn, you were brought here by us after the altercation you were caught up in."

Yuyujo took a moment to metaly catch up with what the lalafell had told her before she suddenly remembered the person who saved her.

"Oh! Th' bun?"

"Bun? … Oh you mean the Viera man. Right, yes, well. He, being the only person in the fight still concious, surrended and admitted to firing his weapon inside the harbour. He's currently serving his day in the brig for that. The other men? Well, they were…" the lalafell coughed "…people smugglers, I'm afraid."

"T'ey can s'uggle people?"

The lalafell looked down at his feet and bowed. "I am truely sory that this was your first expereince of Limsa Lominsa."

Yuyujo shook her head. For one thing this wasn't her first bad expereince of Limsa, and even if it was it wasn't the lalafell's fault.

"Forget 'out it. she said, somewhat dismissively before she another thoguht came to mind. "Act'ally, coul' you tel' th' bun that I s'id 'Thank ya'?"

The lalafell clicked his tounge, "Ah well, that's the thing. Nu'aka, That's his name by the way, actually asked for you before he went into the brig. I said I'd have to ask for your permission when you woke up before I'd allow that. Malestorm policey, 'mam."

Yuyujo nodded slowly, "Wel', t'at's fine. 've got nothin' 'gainst waitin' 'ere."

The lalafell nodded. "Just as well, the Admerial herself was adament that you weren't to leave untill we could confirm the drugs you were forced to inhale have left your body."

"Ah."

"Simply put, you'll have the run of the Inn and we have hired a retainer if you need anything from the markets, but if we catch you wandering out the pub, we'll take you back." he said, a cheeky smile on his face.

Understanding, and prehaps needing the mental space to brethe, Yuyujo smiled back.

"'orry about t'is"

"Simply focus on recovering. Mr Nu'Aka will be here tomorrow so I would suggest you rest untill then."

With that, the red coated lalafell made his leave and left Yuyujo to stare at the cealing and contemplate the day she had had.

It was the first day of a new life and not one she had expected.

The bun, Nu'Aka, seemed like a seasoned adventuerer. She wondered, would he be able to help her?

As she stared into the cealing. She felt herself drift off to sleep for the first time since she had left Spira.

To be Continued

[digeethegenie]

I want to be Your Canary

Day 18 - Hackneyed Stormblood 3.0 - Stormblood Stormblood Alience Raid - In Bad Taste

Yujo carefuly clambered up on top of the soft pillow that had been put on top of her seat. Fighting her embarassment, she carefuly got on top of the pillow and loosened up with a sigh.

It was an akward thing- being three feet tall- at the best of times, and when one of your favorite hobbies was going to the theater, it was all the more of an encumbrance.

Oh, she was told that could have easily booked one of the balcony boxes- useually reserved for the likes of royality, the moniterists, or visiting statesmen- but Yujo actually didn't like drawing attention to herself as Eoreza's 'sole savior' as she felt two things;

One, it was not true in that she could probably precicely say which ditch she would have died in if not for the Scions and her other friends.

Two, it was actually kind of embarssing to be called a savior on the regular. Yes, she had gone well beyond the call but there were a lot of circumstances to it. A lot of bullets that she dodged, and a lot more that hit their target.

Still, tonight was hers and she had every intention of going about it as Yujo Palms: adventurer and conisiour of culture instead of Yujo Palms: Warrior of Light.

Dressed in her business attire, a snazzy little suit that she got as thanks from Nashuu for her help in the zombie powder case, she streched and let her joints pop before she relaxed with a sigh.

"Must you do that in a place of culture such as this, you odious popot-"

Yujo turned to see who was complaining in the seat next to her when she saw a simmlar, messily shaved, face of Nero tol Scheva.

It was all the two could do not to scream out in pure suprise and point at each other upon seeing each other at a theater in the entertainment disctrict of U'ldah on a Salamandar-day evening.

He wearing the same pair of wrap-around shades he wore whilst he was investigating the crystal tower presumably to hide his third eye. Whilst there were a number of Garlemaldian defectors who had resettled in Eoreza- with Cid and several of the men and women who staffed the metalworks being the most noteworthy examples- there was, understandably, a natural level of distrust against anyone who came from the homeland of the enemy, and the third eye made them easy to find in a crowd.

Yujo, trying to keep tact, whispered "What are YOU doing here?!"

A condesending scoff came from the ex Intelegence Officer. "I should be asking the same of you. I wouldn't have thought the champion of Eoreza would be of the sort to enjoy the theater."

Pouting, Yujo crossed her arms.

"Well, I do. So there."

Another scoff, perfectly toned to the exact frequency to tick Yujo off. "Well, whatever. Just keep your mouth shut about me, if it so pleases. Judging by your attire, your lack of that silly looking banadana you wear when you're adventuring, and the fact that you're not sitting in the box balcony- even though given the number of times you have saved this realm, it should be your right- I am guessing that you don't want to draw attention to yourself. In that, we both have an accord."

It really annoyed Yujo how much he had gotten from just a few points like that. It also really hurt to have the bandana she took from the Waking Sands after the masacare called stupid.

"It's not stupid." Yujo uttered.

"Silly" Nero corrected. "Well, regardless, tonight I just want to relax so let's not start anything, okay?"

"I'm not the one whose friend went on a mass-murering spree."

"Look, Livia was not my-"

A buzzer rang out, catching the two's attention as the narator of the play, a man in his early thirties with a messy lop of brown hair, announced the play- "I want to be your Canary", writain by Leanna Charlotte and preformed by the Tantalus Stage group- was starting.

As the curtain raised on a painted backdrop of a kingdom long lost to the waves of Umbral and Astral, the Narator explained the story of the kingdom, Fabul, and of its royality- the mad tyrant, King Leo, and his daughter, the kind hearted Cornelia. It is her sixteenth birthday and she is to be married off in a political and loveless maridge to the vien Prince Schneider. Opposing this maridge was the rebels of The Returners, and in particualr, Marcus, who Cornelia loved with all her heart.

Yujo had just gotten into the rythem of the story, when the party of Marcus, Blank and Zidane had declaired that this would be The Returners last stand against the King, when Nero soffed again.

"Really, what a bunch of hackneyed tripe."

Drawing a breath as to not shout at the garlemaldian, and get them both kicked out Yujo took a moment to colect herself before she engaged with him.

"It's not hackneyed. It's a trope of the theater to be sure, and a little soppy, I'll grant, but it's perfectly fine."

"When you have to report all sorts of things rebels had to say as their last stands. You'll absolutey call this hackneyed. I don't have any love for my homeland, but that doesn't mean I don't remember everything I did in its name."

Yujo quacked a 'gah' and looked away in shame.

"And besides that, it was done a lot better in The Zodiac Brave Story."

Yujo could feel her face scrunch up in disgust at the mention of that play. "Oh, I met with the Magestic Imperial Theater Company once" she mentioned her features still crunched up. "I wish I didn't, but that wine's been drunk."

"I was of the understanding that Jenomis Lexentale was a gentleman and a scholar."

"He is a buffoon tempered by an obsession. He activley ignored his daughter, and encouraged his brat of a son to be an awful twit. Their awful attude actively made their play worse for me."

What she wasn't mentioning was the machine in the rabanaster ruins that made her do math on threat of deady lazer. She didn't need to give him ideas.

A hum of comaradery came out of Nero's mouth. One that Yujo haden't expected, and the two returned to watching the show, both becoming drawin to its story.

The play reached its clmax, a bitter swordfight between a turncoat Blank and Zidane- one that famously extends out to the audiance and leads to both being killed, one swearing for the future of Fabul and the other to the freedom of people from the yoke of kingdoms- gives way to the final confrentation between Leo and Marcus.

The story reaches it's tragic yet hopeful denumont, Marcus, consumed by his hatred for the king, lunges for him only for the princess to step between them and be cut down. The two men, consumed by grief, murder each other leaving only Prince Schneider who, having bore whitness to this disaster, sheds his vanglorious ego, joins the two nations in a pact of peace, and vows never to let the people and their nation become astranged again.

Nero, who had been enjoying the show to this point, had his attention drawn to the quiet sobbing of the lalafell next to her. Yujo was wiping tears away from her eyes, sobbing and asking why Cornelia had to die.

He was left to his thoguhts as the play finished and the players took their final bow.

As the two left the theater, Nero looked at the playbill and of the illustrations of the cast. "You know, I never watched this play before, but think I saw them somewhere before."

A mischievious smirk crossed Yujo's face. "Oh you don't know? Tantalus was once a regeiment of the fifth legion."

Nero stoped dead. "Bullshite"

"Oh no it's true, all but a handfull of new members were recruits from conscripted lands. Lenna and her sibling were princesses, even."

Thinking quickly, Nero tried to mind the fifth legion's activities and was drawing a blank on princesses.

"They were chasing Cid when he first defected. Shot him down too. His plane crash landed on a little island in the middle of the Spiran Archipelago."

"Oh, you are…"

The smirk widened.

"Nope. That's how Cid and I first met. And to get to the point, when they accepted defeat, they sent a sos pretending to be killed by the wildlife of the island. The Fifth apprently never cared much for them."

Nero was left standing in shock as Yujo said her goodbyes and left. Eventualy he could only scoff and look up. "Huh." was all he said, musing on things.

[digeethegenie]

@digeethegenie wrote a very cute little story that featured a funny Joker cameo, so I drew a silly thing!

Joker meets Yujo Palms, another universe's WoL, and prepares to utilize her as a powerful projectile weapon! (He will be rightfully punched afterwards)

[digeethegenie]

i'm cleaning my images folder at work. time to post it again because i'm too lazy to find the original post i made this for

[digeethegenie]

Extra - About Yujo Palms

Note: The bikini top used in Yujo's atire is an in-game limitation, please render her with a full black vest as an undershirt, thank you.

Birth Name: Yuyujo Yujo Gender: Female - She / Her / Them (post Shadowbringers)

Sexual Preference: Aromantic Ancestry: Lalafell (Dunesfolk) Age: 26 (post 6.0) DOB: 2 / 6u / 6AE 1556 Birthplace: The Spiran Archipelago (Off the coast of Limsa Lominsa) Ephitat: The Sweetest Dreamer Jobs: MNK / WAR / BRD-MCH / RDM / WHM

Orgionaly trained as a priestess, Yujo Palms sought fortune as an adventuerer at the age of 17 (7UA 0002) to help gain the funds nessasary to rebuild her home of Sprira which was devistated by the calamity.

Trained as a retainer under the Vieraian adventurer, Nu'aka Paharo, Yujo began her carrear proper in 7UA 0005 and started training as an Archer in Gridania but quickly grew to hate the practice and clashed frequently with Silverae over his attitudes to outsideers.

A chance encounter with Hamon Holyfist during an altercation in Ul'Dah forever set the lalafell down the path of the pugilist and eventualy to learn the Martial Artes of Rhalgar the Destroyer.

An all around good egg, Yujo is never the sort to leave well enough alone and will go to bat for just about anyone. She is also something of a mother hen to younger members of her party.

Particalry tall for a lalafell (3ft). Yujo has no paitence for people who make short jokes or other such statements. A good way to get a punch in the face or a swift kick-to-the-shin is to call her a kickable.

[digeethegenie]

It's All in the Cards.

Day 14 - Telling Endwalker (6.0) - Endwalker CW - Wounds, Death With apologies to all Persona users, and @nshi-ao3, in particular.

An intence scowl crossed Yujo's face as she looked at the proped up bed table in front of her. She crossed her arms, deep in thought as she looked at the cards that sat on the table.

The first card was a cartoonish drawing of a chocobo dressed like Emperor Solus in his early years (which was to say it was Alpha in an Emet Selch costume), the second was the same cartoon chocobo running away from a train with a skull on its front, and the last was of a Pink chocobo- a girl, presumably- sitting on a throne.

She thought outloud, her hum ringing through the dorm room. "The Lord of Crowns, Doom, The Lady of Crowns."

Sitting on a seat next to the bed, Urianger nodded before adding. "And their meaning will hold true given thou drew them in astral. As in Upright."

It had been over a fortnight since Yujo and the Scions had returned from their battle at the edge of space. Ever since that day, Yujo, who had fought beyond her mortal limit, was stuck in bed, being fussed over by every healer, churgon and alchimest Sharlia could get their hands on and even a coulpe of practicationers of the healing artes from without.

The problem was that doing nothing; sitting in bed, and staring at the cealing, all day was capital B Boring, and she had the feeling that she was more to die from boredom than complications from her wounds with her fights with the Endsinger and Zenos.

So to that end, when she was visited by the Scions, she asked Urianger for a favor.

"I want to learn Astrology."

It was just something to keep herself ocupied, her mind engaged, and herself moving whilst she recovered.

To that end, the verbose elezan bought her a set of cards intended to help children leran the basics of the arte of divination.

Jokingly, and with a lot more words, he called it a gift for the whole "saving all of existance" business.

That the chocobo in the deck bore a resemblance to Alpha was a conincidence, as the paintings used for the illustrations had been made over 50 years ago.

Yujo, however, couldn't help but wonder.

With a final hum, she spoke, "The Lord represents stability and discipline, in the future slot, it is saying that, even though things are quiet right now, I should still focus on training."

She looked at Urianger who had a slight look of concern on his face.

"When I'm fit, of course!" she said, laughing off the look.

A joke that was a little less convicing when she had tried to sneek off to make use of the training dummies in Labyrinthos. An attempt that was imediately tharted by Krile but not before she could accidently burst open one of her stiches and colapse.

With an 'anyroad', Yujo continued.

"In the present slot, Doom represents… well, kinda what's going on right now, right? Transformation, Change, the Terror of Death and what not?"

Urianger nodded but then interjected. "What many a first time practicationer mistake- and fear- in Doom, is its assocation to death. Upright, it is about transistions. The end of our mortal days being but one of them."

Yujo found herself lost in thought about that, given Metion, The Meteia, and their expereinces with death across the universe. Then she closed her eyes and tried to shake off all the times she both nearly- and did- cross the mortal border herself.

"But your read is indeed correct" added Urianger with a smile.

Smiling back, Yujo focused on the final card. "And the fortune slot has The Lady which…" she blushed slightly. "No, I don't think that makes much sense. It's about fertility and what not. I don't think anyone we know is going to have a child. Do you, Uri?"

Being caught off guard by the question, Urianger blushed and coughed. "Yes, Well, The Cards are but a signpost. So what they represent and what meaning astrologins take from them can be two entirely diffrent things."

Yujo hummed for a moment before she snerked back a laugh. "Could you imagine if this was talking about the creation magicks of the Anchents? Man, could you even think about that, using cards to summon egil or something?"

The idea, catching Urianger off guard, made him laugh as well. "Yes, it's quite preposperous! Using cards to summon! What a silly notion!"

As the two laughed, in another time, another place- a whole other Etheris, even- A young man, of early university age and with the mask of Mistbeard over his head, came to a sudden stop, causing the rest of his party, a well dressed gentleman of simmlar age and a simmarly well dressed and aged mi'qote woman, to stop too.

"Jonkler?" The mi'qote asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Er, no. It's just… I just had the strange and sudden urge to punt both Urianger and a three foot tall lalafell woman and I have no idea why…"

At that, Nashu Mhakaraacca tilted her head, a physical question mark appearing over her for a moment before the three went on their way to meet up with the man the inspector had come to 'Greg.'

[digeethegenie]

Kicking the Rat's Nest

Day 16 - Third Rate ARR - Lv. 30 - All Good Things

"Was kicking the rat's nest really nessasary, Livia?" Nero asked, his voice sounding even more tired than it normally did. It was hard to not sound tired after your fifth pot of coffee of the night, the previous four drunk as a result of the all night report writing session that Nero- as head intelegence officer- had to do as a result of Livia's unauthorised act of mass slaughter upon the Scions of The Seventh Dawn.

Livia shrugged. "Priority One defeated Titan. I simply took proactive measures to-"

Annoyed, Nero interjected.

"-To score points with Gaius."

The blade of Livida's armour graced Nero's neck.

The rest of Nero didn't even flinch.

"That is 'Lord' Gaius, to you. "

"To Score points with 'Lord' Gaius, then." he said with a sigh, prompting Livida to pull her blade away. "Point is, I know this verity of savage. They 'will' be gunning for your neck for what you pulled. If you're not careful…"

Livida stared into him. Her ever-vacant stare filled Nero with a sence of dread. "I will be fine. I need to be fine, for Lord Gaius' sake."

Nero pinched the bridge of his nose, "Fine and well for you. But now that the lalafell is on the warpath, she is not going to be attacking the Sahagin or the Ixal any time soon. Without any reason for them summoning their Eikons, we're left without data- or the vital biological componets- for Ultima Weapon. You do understand that-"

The blade was again at Nero's neck.

"… oh, for fu-"

"What 'You' need to understand is that Arvina and I have it in hand. I will have that lalafell delt with and then Lord Gaius can calim the rest of these savage lands as his dominion with nary a second glance. If Priorty One dies, we can announce it, and with that dies the hope of the savages. We will not have to worry about your third rate plans going sideways or having the third rate war-machina from the old age that some savage in a robe gave us out of the blue self destruct on us and take out the entire castrum."

Nero wanted to debate the finer points of Ultimta Weapon, why his plans were not third rate, or why Gaius couldn't part the oceans with a mear wave of his finger and then do with the white armoured pain-in-the-arse whatever she clearly thought she deserved from him.

For the effort, and clear waste of time it was, however, he was also well aware he might as well try to walk up to the savages and try to personally sell them the benifits of joining the empire. Honestly, he thought to himself, he might actually enjoy doing that. Would ceratinly beat being in the same room as this lunatic, that much was ceratin.

He shook his head. "Fine. We'll play things your way. Just get your stupid toy off of my neck, already."

She smirked, as much as her ever dull face could allow, withdrew her weapon and left.

Nero rubbed his neck. "You godsdamned lunatic." he muttered and cleared his desk to work on his plans for Ultima Weapon in preperation for the moment Lividia's plan fell apart.

[digeethegenie]

The Tears of Yuyujo Yujo

Day 15 - Open Day 2 - Tears Heavensward (3.0) - Divine Intervention DRK 50 - Our Answer CW - Swearing.

The sight that greated Yujo when she reached Camp Dragonhead ripped a gasp from her mouth. Everyone, from the soldiers to the infirmary staff, sprawled out with clear brusing.

None dead, from what she could see, though. This was pre-meditated, She wanted them to know what hit them.

And she knew why.

In the middle stood Fray. Standing proud in the middle of the destruction she had wrecked. Yujo knew that under the veil of the dark knight, a smile was twisting into place.

She looked at herself and smirked, "They knew what happened at the banquet. And they still had the guall to ask us to 'surrender your weapon'? Mad, the whole stupid lot of them."

Indeed, the places where the people on the ground were hit were exactly the sort of places a mark would be left if hit full on by a martial arte, in particlar those of the pugilist's guild or the Fist of The Destroyer.

This only confirmed what Yujo had been susspecting for some time. Ever since the indicent in Limsa Laminsa, when Frey had said he had regretted getting on 'that' tiny boat of theirs.

Not caring that her secret was out, Fray spred her hands out to invite Yujo.

"Pay attention, Yuyujo Yujo, this could be the greatest moment of our life…"

She then shruged, as if almost laughing, "That is, if you could stop denying the truth that has been staring at you the moment we met."

Yujo closed her eyes. She knew Fray, the man, was dead, and even begining to cool by the time she got to him. Another person lost because-

"You're doing it again." The poison in Fray's words struck at Yujo because She was right. All those times, every last one, another stone for her to carry on her small back. A man she never met and had inspected on a whim of hearing the chatter of drunkards was no diffrent.

Fray looked at her, a red glint shining off her eyes. "It is time to stop dancing, Yuyujo. The dead you shepard to the Farplane with it do not deserve it and the living far, far, less."

Again, true. What did she owe anyone who had died? Fools who went rushing into danger and got torn apart, self apointed defenders of the realm, their murderers and a tyrant. None of them deserved their peace.

And the living had made their case plain with sophistry, curelity and betrayl.

"Say our name. Say it!" Fray said as she reached to pull her viel off. "My real name…"

With an impressive pull, Fray ripped the viel off her head and threw the helmet away, revealing a blond huyr woman bearing the same features as Yujo. Each freckle exactly where they should be.

"The fantasia, that's where it went…" Yujo muttered to herself.

"… Say it, Yuyujo! Our real name!"

Yujo stared at Yuyujo's tiny frame as she looked ashamed.

"The man was dead from the start and you. Did. Not. Care! You had his sword, and his soul crystal. But what you needed- what you have needed ever since that mammot drowned herself in the poison of her city's infinite averice- was a mentor. She who had gifts and knowlege and one other thing. You needed a dark knight who could mould you into who you wanted to be."

Yuyujo's gaze shifted downward to the ground. She was a child being admonished by her parent.

"You want, more than anything, to be anything other than Yujo Palms. To be free of the shackles of the epitat 'Warrior of light', and to become someone who could say and do the things such a man-made-messiah could not."

That, Yuyujo couldn't deny.

"… Even now, you can't let go. You are denying the absolute truth of it. Well, deny me all you want. You can not deny what we have done."

Yujo's eyes glowed read as she stared at her victims, their faces twisting with terror as she did so.

Yuyujo couldn't even bear to look at them.

Yujo's attention turned back to look at Yuyujo, and scowled.

"Have I not been good to you? Given you everything I promised? The ability to hear the wispers of our very soul?"

The dark aether ignighted around Yujo's body like a crude parody of The Destroyer's Aura, her eyes glowing with the inensity of the sun. "Open your eyes, Yuyujo Yujo, Do you see now? Do you see?!"

Suddenly, Yujo lost her footing and colapsed, first to her knees and then, inspite of Yuyujo's insistance, crumpling onto he ground. Her aura burning like it was a cermation fire burning Fray's body.

Out of the fires came a small figgure. A lalafell. A certain Lalafell. Yujo. Her body covered by a jet black armour. The truth of her promise to Yuyujo. The vision of the the true self that she wanted so desperately to become.

Yujo Palms stared at her other, her red eyes glowing. "Eveything up to now has been your story…" then she unsethed her sword and readied for combat.

"… and everything hereafter shall be mine!"

Yuyujo had barely enough time to push the knight that had acompynied her out of the way of Yujo's attack before she caught the oversided sword on her side and was swung to the side.

If it had not been the side of the sword, she would have been cut in twain.

Yujo shook her head as she looked at the crumpled mess that was her other. "I really can't kill myself, can I? Oh I'll try, Oh gods, I will certainly try. Tried so many times before. Even succeded once thanks to the Ascian. But we will fail."

Yuyujo pulled herself up just in time to see Yujo's body dissaper in a flash step and reapear in front of her to smack her to the side. She could only gasp out in pain as she sprawlled away only for Yujo to grab her.

Shouting at her double to get off her, Yuyujo pulled back her hands and threw them foreward channeling whatever aether she could into a Steel Peak strike. Yujo was pushed back, the amrour plating of her boots screaming as they scraped on the stone ground.

A manic grin crossed Yujo's face.

"Yes! That's it! It's time! Embrace the Abyss, Yuyujo, set us free!"

It was Yuyujo's turn to thunderclap her way at speed towards her shadow, with a pained yell she pulled back and threw a punch which Yujo caught effortlessly. In kind, Yujo kicked Yuyujo away, grabbed her as she realed back, and started throwing hands.

With no other means of defending herself, Yuyujo fought back in kind. The exchange of furious blows began to cut both lalafell with no clear winner of the exchange.

A quick jab was all it took to break Yuyujo's assult as she kneeled over. Yujo towered over her and bellowed out an intense laugh.

Then a shield bounced itself off Yujo's head, cutting off her laughter. She turned to scowl at the sight of Drillemont catching the shield. "Pull yourself togeher, Yujo! You're stronger than this!"

"One of your "friends"? Really?" she said shaking her head. Then she pulled her hand to her forehead, pooling her aether to her fingertips. "This is a 'private' affair…" A shadow of Silvairre formed next to her who pulled on the strings of its bow. "… and you know it!" she then threw her hand foreward, the shadow releaseing its bow at the same time. A wave of pure malice shot towards Drillemont at speed who only had seconds to sheild himself.

Instaniously, Yuyujo flash steped using the aether of her right foot and got between Drillemont and the shot. She screamed as she pulled all the aether she could into her right hand and swiped the wave away causing it to explode in her hand.

She screamed as she fell to her knees, grasping her hand, burst open from the explosion.

The scowl on Yujo's face returned. "You're doing it 'again'!" she screamed at Yuyujo who was out of her mind in pain. "Do you know how rediclous you look, flaling like a wild beast against your true self? We can be free, Yuyujo! WHY ARE YOU DENYING ME?!".

Yujo's body slumped and she shook her head. Then she drew her sword. "I am finishing this. A devided house can not stand."

Yuyujo could do nothing as the shadow rushed towards her, and pulled back her sword to cut the lalafell down. She braced herself for the bite of the shadow's sword only to open her eyes and see the shadow struggling to press her sword down a barrier.

"What?" The two said at the same time before a red flash shot past and crashed into Yujo's body, sending her flying back. As the flash landed on the ground, it formed itself into a small, vibrating creature half of Yuyujo's size that stood gaurd over the lalafell like the best of dogs defending their master.

"A Carbuncle?" Yuyujo asked before turning around to see Alphinaud, his tome open and acompanied by Haurchefant.

Yujo looked at them and then broke into a laugh, "And the prodical arsehole returns! Don't you have another life to ruin somewhere else, Milksup?!"

Before Yuyujo could even register her confusion, she was pulled to Alphinaud's side with a quick cast of rescue.

Before she could say anything he lent down to her level and hugged her. "I didn't know. I honestly didn't know. I'm sorry! Yujo, I am so, so sorry!"

Spent, Yuyujo could only stare over Alphinaud's sholder.

"I took you for granted. Saw the pain you were in and dismissed it as something normal for The Warrior of Light, spoke horridly of you behind your back and- through my hubris- caused so much destruction. I know you could never forgive me but… "

Yuyujo was fighting back the tears. "It's too late, far too late. I've done awful things and now…"

"That's right…" Yujo uttered. "They've borne witnes to the darkness within us. The uglyness festering under the mask. There is only one option now, Yuyujo. We can still be free."

"Yujo! Yujo, Listen to us!"

Both Yuyujo and Yujo's attentions were pulled to a young chirurgon woman accompanied by two knights. She was Cenota, a young woman in Drillemont's employ that Yujo had helped before.

"We'll never forsake you, no matter what!"

Next to her, a silver haired elezan, Clotaririon, another person who Yuyujo had helped before, chimed in. "We all know who you are, Yujo. We know and so should you!"

Drillemont nodded to confirm what his knight and chirurgon had said and turned to look at Yuyujo. The entire camp, now back on their feet, stood behind him, behind Yuyujo.

Yuyujo closed her eyes, a single tear escaping, and uttered through a tense throat. "Thank you…"

"Sophistry! Utter shite muttered to keep the leash wrapped around your stupid neck! Wipe the slate clean? Forgive and forget?! What horseshit! Yours is an amazing display of willful ignorance. They 'will' betray you again, Yuyujo! All it takes is one opotunity to get what they want, and you 'will' be back at that banquet."

She then pointed at Alphinaud. "And that Milksup, that lordling of all lordlings, will smile as the ungrateful tear you appart!"

"You're right." Alphinaud said, calmly. "I was the sort of lordling that assumed he had the answer to the star's problems in the palm of his hand and the right to controll the ignorant masses."

Yujo's smirk twisted in manic glee at that confession.

"But never again." He opened his book and channeled his aether into it. "This is my promise to you, Yujo Palms, Yuyujo Yujo! Never again!"

The carbuncle glowed from the aether of its master and ran to Yuyujo's side. It embraced the lalafell, causing them both to glow. Yuyujo could feel the aether quicken her body's recovery response. Her hand began to mend, leaving scars from the explosion but soon enough, the feeling had returned to it and she was back to full fighting form.

She stood up, ready to finish the fight.

"Oh, and something from me." Haurchefant said as he fished his pockets for something, pulled out her bandana, and handed it to her with a smile. "A smile better suits a hero such as you. So go, be that hero."

Yuyujo nodded her thanks to her stedfast ally and then turned back to stare at Yujo.

She said nothing as she pulled the bandana over her forehead and tied it. Her promise to the victims of the waking Sands masacare made manifest clung tightly to her, as it had always done, and she was more than willing to carry in her heart. She took position in the fighting form of the coeurl.

"It seems we're at the endgame, Yuyujo. Fine. Let's finish this." Yujo uttered as she drew her sword.

In an instant, both lalafell rushed towards each other, yelling a lifetime of hurt, betrayl, suffering, anguish, joy, companionship, peace, and happiness.

"Limit breaking Mystic Arte of the Destroyer! One Thousand Thundercracking Kicks, Tornado Kick!"

"Limit breaking Mystic Arte of the Morning Star! The Fifteen Swords of The Self; Omnislash, Version D!"

The two lalafell collided, their aetheric auras clashing and exploding all at once. With a final scream, Yujo threw her sword down to cut down Yuyujo only for one swift kick to connect, breaking her hold on the sword, another to send it flying, and for the remaining nine-hundred-and-nighty-eight to pummel her and send her sprawling to the floor.

Yuyujo stood and exhailed as the sword landed behind Fray's body, slaming itself upright into the ground.

Yujo got up, laughing, "It seems I underestimated you…" she said before colapsing onto her knee. "… so… what now…? Back to before? Bliss in ignorance before one day, nothing?"

Yuyujo closed her eyes and walked towards Yujo. When she reached her shadow, she simply knelt down closed her eyes and held her hand out.

"Yuyujo?" Yujo asked before she realised what she was doing. She smiled to herself and scoffed. "So this is our answer, is it?" A twinge of sadness crossed her face. "Very well, listen to my voice, our hearbeat and listen."

She held her hand out and met with Yuyujo's and pulled the both of them into the dark blue fields of Yuyujo's heart. She stood with her back to Yuyujo.

"If this is how it has to be. Then so be it. But know this. When you tire of the cherade of being Yujo Palms, the Warrior of Light. I will be here, as I have always been, ready to take the reins."

The shadow looked up to the stary sky of Yuyujo's heart and smiled to herself.

"All you need to do is ask."

Yujo sat on the cold stone of Camp Dragonhead as the shadow that was Yujo disapated into a black cloud of aether and pryerflies and opened her aether blue eyes to see Alphinaud, Haurchefant and the rest of the camp looking over her.

"Yujo? A-are you okay?"

A smile graced Yuyujo Yujo's face as her eyes began to watter and tears and snot began to stream down. Her smile still there she shook her head.

"No, No I am not okay. I haven't been okay for a long time. Thank you, Alphinaud."

As she sat on the ground, having gained her Answer. Yujo felt whole for the first time in a long time.

And for just a short time, Ishgard was at peace as they bore witness to the Tears of Yuyujo Yujo.

[digeethegenie]

The Dragon, The Lady, And Fray

Day 07 - Morsel Heavensward (3.0) - At the End of Our Hope Spoilers - DRK 50 - Our Compromise CW - Swearing, Mental Illness.

It had been a hard won fight to gain entry into the stronghold of The Heretics. The bodies of the a number of heretics lay on the ground, all of little import as far as their fitness for a fight was concerend.

What happened to them next- if they were even alive, after the slopy and out of form strikes of her martial artes had become since the last time she had to use them- was Artoriel's problem.

She was just the weapon, after all.

She stood in the small main haul and observed how much it resembled the main hall of the Waking Sands. That was, besides the guady dragon statue with candels in the middle. Presumably some offensive idol for these idiots to worship the stupid beasts that would eat them whole if they had a chance.

Saying nothing, she looked up to the cealing, lost in her own mind.

What was she even doing here?

"Looking for me, I presume."

Yujo, still not quite used to not having a handle on the lower level of awareness that Midgardsormr's convent had imposed on her, jumped into form, her Mogfists inflating just as Iceheart came into view.

Saying nothing, Yujo stayed in form. Truth be told, she rellished for an excuse to punch Iceheart's head clean off her sholders and call it a day. One movement out of place and Iceheart wouldn't even know what had hit her.

Iceheart scowled. "There is something diffrent about you. Warrior of Light…"

Yujo's scowl didn't change.

"Ahhh," rumbled Midgardsormr's aetherial voice. "The child who glimpsed the truth."

Without Yujo's permission, the Dragonic All Father's tiny form flashed into existance.

It took a second for Lady Iceheart to reconise him but the shock of the revelation flashed across her face the second she did.

"No! It can not be!"

The dragonette flew between the two.

"As did thou, she cameth unto me. Alike in gifts but set upon diffrent paths…"

Yujo looked at the dragon and shook her head. She did no such thing. She was told to go investigate the source of the dragonsong in The Lake of The Keeper. Then HE attacked and then entered into a convent with her without her permission, and with it, shattered her Echo.

"He speaks the truth, Warrior of Light. Like you, I have been blessed with the Echo."

'Good for you.' Yujo thought coldly to herself.

"The visions scared me at first. Left me wondering what I had done to deserve them. But I had no time to ponder such things once the Calamity came."

Yujo could feel her teeth grinding against each other as she forced herself to listen to the woman's sob story about how Falcon's Nest had been burried in the hours after Meteor and how Ishgard had largely left her to wonder into dragon territory, meet one of the great dragons, Hesvalger, and through the Echo come to learn of her destiny, or whatever rot was spewing out of her mouth.

'Gods, do you think I care?!'

"I was chosen to deliver the revelation of Lady Shiva to the people- to bring dragon and man together, as once they were, and should ever be!"

Upon hearing that Yujo’s mind could could only see the destruction the attack on The Steps of Faith had wrought on Ishgard. The same destruction they were still clearing six months after. The homeless and destitute with nary a morsel to eat in the freezing cold.

She felt one of her teeth push itself deep into its socket and her mouth split open from the pressure.

"Don't give me that self-sanctimonious bullshit!" she cried out, swinging her hand wildly. "What good is your message to the innocents who were killed in your attack on Foundation?!"

At that, Lady Iceheart shurked back, shaking her head.

"It wasn't supposed to be like that! You have to beleive me! It was… beyond my controll…"

Yujo had a look of pure contempt on her face. It gave Lady Iceheart one command.

"Explain."

"The children of Ishgard were taught to fear the skies as they see their loved onces slaughtered. Yet the Dravanians- thoguh they know with whom the fault truely lies- fall upon them with such fury."

Midgardsormr interjected with his own explanation. "Men die, and their children forget. But we are everlasting. To us, then is as recent as now. Thou canst comprehend the violantion. The Outrage. The Fury."

Yujo looked at him, not quite sure what he ment by that and, to a ceratin extent, she did not care. It wasn't her fault that the lifespan of dragons meant whatever happened then felt as fresh as it had happened yesterday.

Yujo looked at the two of them and felt nothing but contempt.

Lady Iceheart looked like a child who had been scolded.

"I… I will make this right."

She took a moment to regain her composere and continued.

"I am nether a saint not savior. Just another sinner. Yet I will not forsake my cause. I can not, will not leave this cycle of war unbroken. I will see peace restored. I… we can do naught else, for we, I and the Lady Shiva, are as one…"

A silence fell between all three of the people in the room.

Yujo was the one to speak first.

"OK. You know what? No."

Out of nowhere, Fray roared as he rushed past the lalafell and thrust his unopened Magitek Claymore towards Iceheart's chin. Causing her to look at Yujo with panic.

"I have heard this sort of self serving shite from out the mouths of people like you for far too long!" the dark knight growled as he held his sword. "I have had enough of the games, of the cruelty your sort infict upon your protectrate. Those who you claim you're giving some sort of holy word. Shite to your holy word! I say I cut you down here and now and let the lordlings have their moment of celebration. Mayhap the people can have a morsel then."

"Child!" Midgardsormr called out to Yujo who just stood there and watched as Fray held his finger over the button that would cause the Claymore to spin open and skewr itself through Iceheart's chin.

"All I need is the word from Yujo, and it is done."

Iceheart looked at Yujo with panic in her eyes.

She stood there. Thinking wether or not she should just let Fray have his way with the woman. She was clearly tempered by Shiva, maybe even claimed by the dragons. They could weaken the Echo so who knows what else they could do.

Fray's finger slipped closer to the button.

Then she realised. This would acomplish nothing. Like Gaius before her, killing Iceheart would just give the lords of the houses an excuse to forgo anything but their own self intrests.

"Yujo?" the dark knight asked.

"Let her go." she said.

The dark knight looked back at her before he sighed and withdrew the sword, allowing Lady Iceheart to breathe again.

"Run." Yujo commanded.

The fear of the Lalafell was writain on Iceheart's face.

"If I, or Fray, ever catch you again, mark my words, I 'will' make sure that you don't get the dignity of trail by combat."

Understanding, Iceheart nodded and turned to leave, walking away out of a secret back entrence but not before turning around to look at Yujo one last time and then walking faster.

Fray simply muttered a "humph', and promptly vanished.

Left alone, Midgardsormr turned to face the lalafell. "I do wonder what that was about…" he said, entirely insincerly.

"Mind your own godsdamned business" Yujo uttered dismissively as she turned around and made her way back out from whence she came.

The dragonette chuckled to himself. As he vanished into the thin air, his musing, "Virtue and Vice… Most intresting", hung in the pocket of air left behind.

= = =

Ysayle, Lady Iceheart, snuck away from the building and out of the sight of the guarding knights. When she was clear. She put her hand on her chest to regain her composure.

"Seven Hells…" she uttered to herself, trying to put the memory of what had just happened out of mind.

But it was no use, she was not even an ilm from being impaled with the sword that was in Yujo's hand. The look on the lalafell's face, like she wasn't even there in mind, as she contempted killing her left her in shock.

It was like the lalafell was playing the role of two people and she wasn't even aware of it.

"What happened to you, Warrior of Light?"

[digeethegenie]

An Ambition Reborn

Day 13 - Butte ARR - Lv. 50 MNK - Five Easy Pieces Spoilers for ARR Lv. 34 - All Good Things. CW - Spouse Abuse, Alchol Abuse

Widargelt Beake meditated on the top of the hill that overlooked the ruins of Sothern Thanalin. To anyone looking at him he was the picture of monk like stoicism. It was only the slightest of movements he made in his breathing that confirmed he was still with the living.

Inside however, he was a whirlwind of conflict. He was a man defeated, and he deserved it. There was no excuse for what he did. He attacked Yujo, someone who had trusted him as a communial brother, to kill her and awaken the final chakra gate.

To her, he was a confidant away from her duties with the Scions and the Immortal Flames, the sholder she cried on after the waking sands masacare, and the person she trained with daily for over six months with in the martial artes of Rhalgar The Destroyer.

He had thrown all that away, and… for what?

Glory? Pride? Power? Vengence?

All worthless in the clarity of the after.

And yet, when it was all said and done, she had not admonished him, shouted him down, nor punch him- not that someone else didn't do that for her imediately after. She simply offered her hand, her tiny hand, to help him back up.

He had been defeated, compeltly and utterly.

"I figgured this would be where I could find you."

His eyes opened. He didn't need to see to know who had come to meet him in such a place.

"Erik…"

The professor looked over him with the same look of disapointment that followed the anger in his punch after his assult on Yujo. For a man of such… academic… stature, he absolutly towered over the monk.

"Come to mock me and call me a buffon? I ceratinly deserve it after what I did."

Erik closed his eyes and took a breath. "No. Nothing of the sort."

He sat down next to the monk and looked out into the horizon.

There was a long and uneasy silence between the two men before Erik spoke up. "I, along with my wife, were one of the first people to flee when King Theodoric was slain. I knew the moment he was dead that Van Baelsar would tear the resistance apart and spread his banner."

He looked up at the early evening sky.

"When I got the missive from the resistance that my son had died, I lost myself to the bottle. I said and did things to my wife that would disgust the man that I have become. I fully expect- if she dains to even care- that she will spit on my grave. It would not be undeserved."

Widargelt listened, surprised that Erik was being as forthright as he was.

"I reached the lowest I would ever get to, and I needed to make a choice. I was going to become a new man and I needed to choose. Huddled in the corner of Little Ala Mhigo and at the bottom of the last bottle of cheap wine, I needed to chose there and then if I was going to get up and become the person I knew I could be and find a proper porpose for my life or spend the rest of my life destroying myself with drink."

"I…see", Widargelt said before adding "but I don't understand what that-"

Erik jabed him in the sholder and gave the monk a smile. "What I am saying, you buffoon, is that it is not over. You draw a line, learn the lessons you need to learn, and then you move foreward."

Instinctively rubbing his sholder, Widargelt thought about that. His mind had been so clouded with thoughts of reclaiming Ala Mhigo's atonomy that he could never see the "what then" afterwards.

Now, that dream- a nightmare, by admission- no longer viable, he had no ambition to call his own.

Only his fists.

It was that stray thought that inspired him.

He stood up, taking Erik by surprise.

"I will do it. I will take that step foreard."

Erik's eyebrow shifted, "That was swift. What are you planing to do, exactly?"

He gave Erik a smile. "Revive the First of Rhalgar."

The sound of confusion out of Erik made it clear he didn't follow.

"Long has Ala Mhigo's history been of that of fighting each other, and to no great end. The Fist of Rhalgar is all but gone, taught to only a few people after the purge. I say it's time I become a teacher, and taught the artes to the people of Eoreza. To fight together and stand, instead of dying alone."

A scoffing laugh came out of the professor as he stood up. "Well said. And with that." he pulled a coin-sack out of his pocket.

"What's this?" Widargelt asked.

"Your pay for serves rended- such as they were- let it never be said I don't pay up when my debts are due. And also- and I do sincerly mean this, Widargelt, good luck."

Erik held his hand out to his fellow man who looked at it, smiled and shook it back.

This would be the start of the next chapter of Widargelt Beake's story. One that would see him reuinited with his fellow sister of The Destroyer's Fist. But that is another story for another time, when he, and his students, looked heavensward.

[digeethegenie]

Drink Deep

Day 12 - Quary Stormblood (4.0) - The Time Between the Seconds Mild spoilers: Stormblood - Stormblood CW: General Zenos Bullshit.

Zenos sat in his throne in the controll room of The Gestahlt. He inspected his broken mask like a child would spend hours with their new toy.

"Of all things in this rotting star, a lalafel." he mused to himself.

He recalled the battle he had just had and how the lalafell they called the Warrior of Light- someone he had thought he had slain at Rhalgar's Reach- and had not only had returned to fight him again but, with but one shot, had been the closest out of any blighted thing in existant to have finally give his life meaning.

It was then he understood the lalafell for what she was.

And in his own twisted mind, he had formed a kinship.

"U-Uh, Lord Zenos, Sir!" He looked up to see one of his grunts, a rogadyn, salute him. "We are on route to Ala Migo with no interfence. Estimated time of arivial is 1300 Eorezan Standard Time." He waved the grunt off who in turn wasted no time in getting as far away from the viceroy as was he was allowed.

"Lord Zenos, appologies, Sir!" He looked up to see the rogadyn again. Or maybe this one was another rogadyn. Every person he met lasted just long enough to disolve into sludge in the back of his mind. A sigh of disgust rattled out of Zeno's mouth.

"Make it quick."

"Sir! We have a missive from the Skull Regiment. They have captured a lalafell who was reported to have Aetherial Awareness, sir!"

It was then that another thought- one that (had Zenos not been cast in history as he was) would have had him noted in history as a brilliant man- came to mind.

"Tell me. Is Aulus Mal Asina still in Ala Mhigo?"

Aulus Mal Asina was a magiteck enginear and the person who had personaly seen to his equipment. It was his theories on aether and cerulium that helped take magitek from the stuff of tanks and warmachina to something that otherwise magic-blind garleans could make use of.

He was also as cruel as he was brillant.

Be that of birth or make, Zenos didn't care.

The soldier quickly had a back and forth via linkpearl and then confirmed that the scientist was indeed still at the castle.

"Excelent." The smile on the viceroy's face was twisted by his malace. "Send for him to meet me when we land."

Then his plan came together in full.

"And have the Skull Regiment ready for me as well. It wouldn't do to have their efforts go unrewarded…"

The Roegadyn did just enough not to make his disgust of the viceroy evident- or rather, evident enough for him to care- as he saluted, called out "Sir!" again and made his leave, to allow Zenos the solitude of his thoughts.

Zenos drew his plans. The lalafell would not take long to demolish the meager leavings of defense he left in Doman. She will have that land. It was of little import to him, and if it allowed them to become stronger, to potentialy become even closer to stiking him down, then it served his ends so much the better.

"Grow strong, my new quary. Sink your fangs into that worthless Doman woman's neck, and drink deep, so we can burn our one light in the field of battle once more."

[digeethegenie]

Family Matters

Day 11 - Surogate

Endwalker (5.0) - Bonds of Adamant(ite)

"Excuse me, Master Leveilleur, just one more thing."

Fourchenault turned around to see the Warrior of Light addressing him. He looked down on her and tiled his head.

"Er, Yes?"

A moment passed- making Fourchenault very nervous based on her very noted dislike for him for his disowning of the twins- before a smirk, a downright wicked smile, crossed the Lalafell's face.

"Those two are 'my' kids, Fourchenault. Mine. I am very pround of them, and you are 'not' getting them back."

The comment caught the Fourm member off guard. He could only scoff with a smile.

"Very well."

Accepting that he had been told, he made his exit, leaving his excommunicated chidren with the lalafell and the rest of the scions.

This little moment, slightly inconciquenfial in the grand scheme of things, played in his mind over the following days as he watched and came to truely understand the nature of his children's work as what looked like the entirety of the star came to the Warrior of Light's aid.

"Even if I wronged my children most gravely, I owe you an appology as well." he said, kneeling down to Yujo's level.

"I assumed it was the Scion's influance that made them so keen to run headfirst into danger, and yours in particuar."

Yujo smiled, deciding to keep the fact that she probably did accidently convice them to do something daft at least more than once to herself.

"I see now that said influence instead brought them together with the many fine people gathered here today. That being the case, I hope to contiune to guide them."

The lalafell's smile only widened, "You make it sound like I signed adoption papers or something."

Her smile beamed like the brightest sun.

"They're our kids, Fourchenault, ours. We should be very proud."

The entire crowd suddently grew silent as the innocent statement came out of Yujo's mouth and into the open.

Ever blind to the ways of non plutonic love, it took a minute- and realising that Fourchenault was not smiling back and instead looking desperately at his wife- to realise just how that could be misinterperated.

"Oh, er. I mean..."

Then Ameliance first stifled a laugh before bursting out into laughter. Then everyone else followed.

[digeethegenie]

Light's Ryne

Day 10 - Stable Shadowbringers (5.0) - Imediately after "The Crown of the Immaculate" CW - Body Horror.

"When your descent into madness takes becomes too much. Seek me out at my abode, deep in The Abyss. There, you may complete your transformation with some degree of dignity. Away from prying eyes."

Ryne watched as Emet-Selch floated away, having both shot and kidnapped the Exarch and mocked Yujo as her body started to strain from the cancerous light.

She didn't have long to stew in her, and the rest of the scion's, confusion before a more imediate problem took their attention.

Yujo screamed, her voice straining from her pain, as she voilently twisted her all so small body in an attempt to contain the light. It didn't even look like as if she was cognesent. Ryne's mind raced to prevent her from imagining the unbearable pain the woman was going through.

She looked to Thancred whose panic was a universial amoungst the rest of the Scions. The man who had spent the last three years fighting a war with himself over the fate of the Minfilia of The First and her very own fate was falling apart right in front of her.

She looked to her right, Urianger, the man the Exarch had coluded with to make his self-sacrificing escape into The Between with the light before it killed Yujo- the plan Emet-Selch put an end to- had a look of a man who had returned from a war without his soul.

Even the unflapable Y'shtola looked lost.

"What are you thiking, Alisie?!"

Her attention was pulled to Alphinaud who with a genuine look of anger as he grabbed his sister by the sholders. She was holding a necterine that had gone slightly soft from the weeks of travel since she left the Inn at Journey's Head. It had a noticible circular cut in it.

Ryne reconised imediately what Alisie had in mind and she was just as horrified as Alphinaud.

"I will not allow her to turn… Not again… Teslien… I-!"

Alphinaud shook his head like he was a madman. "Alisie! Force feeding Yujo poison and isn't going to help anyone! She-… She is going… going to…" he started mumbling over his words like a child caught in a petty argument as he couldn't thread the needle of the argument needed to convice his sister that the Events back at Journey's Head were not repeating themselves.

The screams that came out of Yujo got even worse as she flopped over on her back and arched in ways a lalafell was not supposed to. Her tears, streaming as her body's response to the pain tearing through her body, evaporating into light as they fell.

A cold sense of dread filled Ryne as she saw the next few moments ahead of her. Yujo would turn, kill- if not make fellow sin eaters of- everyone on the mountain, and then rampage through whatever else was left of The First. She wasn't even sure Emet-Selch would be able to subdue the beast that he had allowed to come into creation with his meddeling.

Thoughts began to wonder to the idea of her cell back in Eulmore. A question that haunted her. What if Thancred had never saved her? She heard of Urianger's prophicey of calamity but what if that was just a story to convince Yujo to keep on the path even when her body started to buckle under the weight of the light?

Yujo would have been safe if… I-If Thancred never…

No.

That was the sophistry of a child. Ryne knew it all too well.

And she was 'not' going to go back to being that child.

The cold dread was blown away, replaced with a cool but motherly blue.

"Go to her."

Ryne heard the voice of her other from The Source. She knew exactly where she was hearing it from. Calmly, she walked towards the lalafell and took her hand. She didn't even hear Thancred's calling out for her as she blacked- or to be more precice, was knocked- out of reality by a blinding, infinite light.

When her vision returned to her, she saw herself floating in a world of near total light. Around her, little pieces of crystal floated, each telling a diffrent part of Yujo's story. The good, the bad, and even the silly. Each moment captured in crystal.

Her guess about where she had ended up was confirmed to be right when she saw a force of darkness, enveloping a man like figgure, push back against the light. Behhind the figgure was Yujo, a tiny little thing curled up and shuddering on the floor, dressed only in a white skirted dress.

The representation on this plane Her very soul.

Ryne floated towards the shadow and saw the man inside its aura.

Ardbert.

Even under the strain of his shielding Yujo's soul, he couldn't help but laugh, albeit a dark chuckle. One that he had used so many times before to hide his pain the many times he suffered from it. "So I suppose this is it then?" He turned to see the figgure of Ryne and couldn't help but be suprised.

"You?! Minfilia?!"

Ryne said nothing as she held her own hand out and effortlessly blocked the cancerous light from making any further advancement. With just a little bit more, she pushed it back.

Ardbert, understanding imediately, wasted no time in adding his push to the offensive.

The crystals started floating around as the two made their push. Memories of her time with the two; of encouraging Ryne to be her own person in the forest, talking to Seto and asking Ardbert to talk about him, amoungst many moments both lound and quiet, circled them.

Holding her hand up, Ryne pooled those memories and from it began to form a horned staff with a symbol- a dot surrounded by in a circle which itself had two dots- etched to the top hilt.

Without a word, she held it up. Taking in some of the darkness, she fashioned them into aetherial swords that were able to strike at the light and pin it. Floating upwards, she looked down at the cancerious light and pointed the the horned staff at its wrything mass.

The staff collected some of Ardbert's darkness and pulled it into the ram's horn. The darkness ignighted into a brilliant phoenix of pure dark.

With an impressive throw, Ryne hurled the staff towards the light and it burst into a thousand shards that exploded into a sphere around the light. It screamed a song of unholy devinity as it threw itself against its cage. Finaly, the sphere soldified around it, turning the mass of light into what looked like a small moon.

With the light contained, the world within Yujo's soul began to see some of its natural darkness return in the form of star-filled night.

With a sigh, Ryne floated down to Ardbert's level.

She turned to look at the Warrior of Darkness who was left momentarly spechless by the events he had witnessed before he simply smiled.

"She's truely lucky to have you lot."

To that, Ryne simply nodded and she found herself falling out of reality once more.

When she next awoke she found herself on a bed next to Yujo, bandages covering a number of cuts she had sustained from both the battle and her episode, holding her tiny hand.

She was about to call for her friend when she noticed Thancred sitting on a chair, leaning back on it.

"Hey, you." he said with a smile, fully understating the great, and wonderful, and reckless, thing his charge had done.

She simply smiled back.

[digeethegenie]

Yuyujo Yujo Can't (Eorezan) Common

Day 09 - Lend A Ear Heavensward (3.0) - Post DRK 30-50 questline CW - Minor depiction of depression. Word Crimes

"Hey, Alphinaud."

Alphinaud looked up from his cup of tea. It had been a week of Count Fortamps inforced confinment to the mansion since the misadventure with the Dark Knight soulstone and things had been tense between himself and Yujo. It had been cold ever since the banquet- and not without cause- but he had genuinely thought the two had turned the corner after the blowout with the shade of her self-esteem at Camp Dragonhead.

He knew his absolution was not a godsgiven right. Frankly, after everything, he felt that getting beaten to an inch by someone who practiced The Fist of The Destroyer was the absolute least of what he deserved.

Yujo, for her part, looked akward. Her legs were dangling off the setee oposite Alphinaud. Her disposistion didn't suprise him given the shift in attitude she had whilst she was under the influance of her realised inner self. She had episodes of crying, appologising to everyone, and even spent a whole day in bed sleeping off the sheer amount of energy lost to the episode. The saffron oil that Haruchefant had went all the way to Ul'dah and back to get helped with the worst of the symptoms but he was truely concerned that something had broken in the warrior of light.

"Listen. I said and thought… a lot, 'lot' of really awful things about you whilst... I was under the influance of the soul stone." she stood up from the setee and bowed.

"I'm sorry I thought you a milksup."

The confession caught Alphinaud by suprise. An akward silence floated in the air before he put his tea down.

He ered for a moment before looking at her seriously. "A-Appology accepted, Yujo. But… what's a milksup?"

The blank expression on Yujo's face made it clear she was very confused why he asked that question.

"Y-You know. A milksup? A weak man-child still supping their mother's milk?"

A sudden realisation came to Alphinaud.

"Yujo, you don't mean 'milksop', after the baby food, do you? Someone who is indecisive and/or lacks courage?"

The Lalafell's freckled face grew a shade of red and she cupped her face in her tiny hands. "Oh gods. I ha' dat wrong de whol' time?!" she said, slipping back to her sperian accent out of sheer embarkment. Her head shook in embarassment. "Oh, I'll nev'r hear the 'nd of it from Nu'aka!"

Alphinaud motioned Yujo to calm down. "I-It's OK, really! If it helps, I thoguht for the longest time "milquetoast" was prounced "Milk toast"!"

The two laughed about that one untill Yujo interjected with a smile that made her look like a child "You mean… It's not?"

A sense of panic washed over Alphinaud. In any other scinario learning this new thing about the Warrior of Light would have been, at worst, a funny little thing that would have no bearing on anything. Right now, however, this was 'not' what Yujo needed to deal with.

Suddenly a quick ah-ha moment came to him.

"What about Bon Appetit? It's an Ishgardian term but it's got a lot of use around the whole of Eoreza!"

Yujo nodded. "Yes, I think it's kinda funny that people try to wish away such a disgusting idea of a meal to make the meal they're about to eat taste better better."

That one caused something in Alphinaud to snap and a rush of laughter grabbed first him him and then Yujo.

They just couldn't stop.

The worries of their lives didn't die out with that moment but this one converstaion had lifted their sprits up considerabley. So much so they didn't notice the count or Tataru come into the room as they were laughing.

Seeing the two in such good fell, the count motioned to Tataru and she nodded in agreement as they left the two to it.