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rasenkaikyo · 21 days ago

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This contains plot threads from up to Patch 7.1.

“Information, hm…?” Mozu pondered.

“That’s right. About the electrope,” Hinako replied, as she gestured toward the flyer, sprawled out upon the dining room table.

She had filled in her partner on the essentials regarding her reunion with RISK; about how someone had met with the Grand Steward about the stolen assets, which may have ties to a criminal organization, only to seemingly disappear.

“Given the circumstances,” Hinako continued. “It would seem like a delicate matter in need of a cautious approach, and I could think of few better ways to handle intelligence gathering than through a shinobi, let alone I know personally.” She paused, knowing the shinobi in question had - these days - preferred the katana for personal reasons.

“If you would be willing…?” She wasn’t asking, after all, for any assassinations.

“Hm!” Mozu shrugged and paced idly around the corner of the table. “And here I thought we were taking a break,” she quipped, understanding the importance of the situation. Hinako could only scoff and shrug in turn.

The tall, violet-eyed woman fixed her gaze to the flyer. “Where it concerns the Riskbreakers, I owe them an immeasurable debt for what they did in Doma… and for you, my sweetest flower, who has placed your faith in them? I would gladly do my part for the cause, any day.” She turned back to Hinako with a smile.

“...However, as I would be a lone shinobi in a land still quite as foreign as Tural, I suspect I may be a bit out of my element.”

“Not to worry!” Hinako pointed at Mozu. “I never said you would be doing it by yourself.”

With sleight of hand, she suddenly held out two paper talismans, then threw them to the floor with precision. From them, a pair of diminutive, rotund bird-like figures rose up in puffs of smoke, floating aloft between the Au Ra.

“Those are…” Mozu began before Hinako continued, clasping her hands together and uttering a quick chant - prompting a larger burst of smoke and light. In place of the little bird creatures were now much larger, winged humanoids. They flapped in place for a moment before coming to rest, kneeling before Mozu.

Hinako grinned. “These karasu tengu are at your beck and call. They’ll allow for coordinated coverage of a larger area and have no small array of magic to aid the effort - and naturally they provide combat support, but hopefully it shouldn't come to that.”

“Ha!” Mozu smirked as she looked them over. “You never cease to amaze, Hina… Very well, you don’t need to twist my arm. I’ll make ready.”

Hinako nodded while Mozu walked off, and for the time being the tengu dispersed in the form of mere crows. The priestess pulled a chair and sat in it, turning her attention to some tea she had prepared prior, pouring a cup.

Ah, she wondered. With Nive in town, she’d like to get with her again! Perhaps see her other friends that have gathered, or get to know the new faces further. Might as well make the most of the situation.

With all due efforts, one could hope this operation can be resolved, sooner than later. But the reality was never so clean-cut, especially whenever it concerned RISK.

It began with unnatural thunder and darkened skies: No one could have foreseen a fleet of airships, alien by nature, to rain hells on Tuliyollal. The cost was great, with casualties including the revered former Dawnservant Gulool Ja Ja, despite best efforts to repel the initial strike. Moreover, it shortly came to light that it was none other than First Promise Zoraal Ja’s doing, and the challenge he imparted upon his adopted kin - the newly-instated Dawnservants - afforded valuable time for the Landsguard and allies to prepare for the next assault.

They prepared, and they fought back, going so far as arranging a provisional alliance with Radz-at-Han; it would turn out even such profound warships were prone to dragonfire… It was a spectacle to witness.

What happened from that point onward, across the gap to the mysterious dome in Xak Tural from which the warships came, remained largely unclear and hearsay to the wider Tuliyollan public. Only that Zoraal Ja was soon defeated, and that those who had been caught within the dome as it appeared had the opportunity to make their way out…

It was triumph over tragedy, and the death of Gulool Ja Ja was treated as a celebration of his life. For him, and for all of Tural, the people took to the streets.

“Just take it in your stride… the sadness doesn’t simply leave you.”

Yet amidst the hopeful atmosphere, some continued to confront their losses, and Hinako had a knack for soothing others. In truth, she had been doing quite a bit of seeing those in need of comfort - in need of more than healing physical wounds.

Another soul she could hug it out with and see off with her assuring, gentle smile… and a sigh.

“I can’t say I expected this…” The Final Days and the recovery thereafter still carried a sense of recency.

“An army of automatons in an act of treachery? I do not believe anyone can blame you, flower.” Mozu stated, flanking her from behind. She placed her hand on her fiancée’s opposite shoulder. “Come… let’s have a repast. You’ve done your part for now.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Hinako looked around, not picking up anything else she felt the need to address. She then looked up toward Mozu. “I’ve been thinking… We’ve been mostly acting with purpose in our time here. How about we rest for a few days after this? You know, just enjoy our time in Tural for a bit.”

“Is that so?... Heh, I can agree to that,” Mozu replied, bringing Hinako in close to kiss the side of her head. “If you think we should take things slower for a bit, I’ll follow your lead. Just don’t let me get antsy, okay?”

Hinako giggled as Mozu tickled and teased at her hair. “Of course…!”

“Mozu…? Hinako?!”

A voice rang out from behind the couple, a wholly unfamiliar one, and as the two turned around they were met with someone fast approaching.

Coming to a screeching halt before them, the individual hunched over for a moment, winded from the sudden sprint. The person appeared to be a Hyur - or Tonawawtan, as locally known.

“Oh…!” was all Hinako could get out at that moment.

As the apparent stranger caught their breath, she stood back upright to gaze upon them with care. She was outfitted with a traditional blue poncho, side-shaved hair tinged curiously with color to match. Hinako then noticed something familiar, bringing her full attention.

“By the gods, it really is you…!” Her eyes, with hints of deep indigo, welled up. “It is like they said… You’re really just as I remember you both…! I…” She sniffled and brought a hand to her face.

“I’m sorry, do we…” Mozu started, feeling somewhat awkward in this situation. But Hinako’s eyes widened, and she remained silent.

The woman wiped her tears away and looked back to them with a simper, lowering her hand. “Forgive me… um… I don’t know how to put this, but… You see, oh, how long would it have been… ah!”

She gently flicked the thing that caught Hinako’s attention - a dangling crimson earring.

“I was the child you befriended, just days ago. For me, it has been about thirty years since.”

“...!!”

“You both saved me from that fiend in Kozama’uka… and you kept me company all the way back to Tuliyollal.”

Hinako opened her mouth. “You are–…”

“Lazuli. Please… Call me Lazuli.”

“...Alright.” Hinako sighed and smiled. “Lazuli. Care to join us for tacos?"

---

“It must seem weird as hell. To come up to you and make a claim like that? Still, thanks for the benefit of the doubt.”

The three women had made themselves comfortable at one of the Xbalyav Ty'e’s beachside tables, waiting for their repast.

“Oh, no it’s not just a benefit - I believe you,” Hinako said. “I can tell, and truth be told I’m not unfamiliar with the notion of being spirited away to a place that flows by its own rules.

Although, I will admit, a thirty-year difference was a bit of a shock,” she followed up with a grin.

Lazuli smiled back as a server walked up and brought them their places: a variety of tacos and other accompaniments. She gazed pensively upon the spread for a moment.

“They say the Wing of Reflection is already working to reintegrate people from the dome… Although, I don’t know there’s really a place here for me.”

“You lived here, yes?” Hinako inquired. “You do still have a home to return to, after all.”

“That’s true, huh?” Lazuli held up a taco. “It’s just so… different, y’know?”

She took a bite, and she practically lit up. It was as an epiphany, and she hurriedly took another bite, and another. And she gasped into a laugh as she finished the taco, while Hinako giggled with her.

“Ahh, but maybe I can make an arrangement. I can’t deny this…” She gave a wistful look out to the sea. “And you can’t get a view like this in Everkeep.”

The two Au Ra looked at each other.

“Everkeep?” Mozu tilted her head.

“The citadel in the dome. Ah, but let me explain a bit from the start…” Lazuli put down her second taco.

“You see, it’s all the product of a kingdom from another world… Alexandria.”

Hinako furrowed her brow.

“Long ago,” Lazuli continued. “This other world was plagued with horrible levin. It was ruining lives, until from its ashes it left behind, the people discovered something truly remarkable.”

She reached into a poncho and pulled out a cube of seemingly iridescent metal. Mozu looked curious.

“They call it electrope. It can convert lightning into any other element, depending on the markings etched into it. You can do practically anything with it, with the right configuration.”

Etchings, Hinako wondered. A familiar arcane practice… But if this electrope is so powerful…

“But their salvation bred contention, conflict. The electrope became the centerpiece for a great war that would devastate all sides in the end…”

“Tch…” Mozu lowered her head.

A great power, a great cost. Hinako reflected… It sounded vaguely familiar.

“But the Alexandrians endured, clearly,” Lazuli went on, putting the cube away. “And so did their electrope. I don’t even know how they did it - they built their new society entirely on the stuff. Their tower, Everkeep, and through it - at some point, they could do the unthinkable…

“They could merge a portion of their world with ours.”

A stunned silence hung for a second.

Mozu folded her arms. “So, that Zoraal Ja managed to make contact with another world, won a free army and transplanted a kingdom and its land in order to attempt conquest? Somehow, ‘audacious’ is too weak of a word…”

“I don’t know how much his new people willingly went with it, though they could’ve seen it as an act of preservation. The dome isn’t a kind place; It’s wracked with levin, albeit it has everything Everkeep would need. It’s why many Turali would eventually integrate directly into Alexandrian society. Those who didn’t, at least, were cared for by the Queen…”

“And what of you?” Hinako asked. “How did you end up in the dome?”

“Ah, well…” Lazuli took a bite out of another taco before continuing.

“I may be Tuliyollan through-and-through, but I had relatives in Yuweyawata. I was going to see them at the time… I think.”

“Hm…?” “W-well, I was young, and it was so long ago by now, a lot’s happened, you see…”

Hinako nodded. “And your parents? They…”

“My parents…? They…” Lazuli blanked for a second. “...are gone. They’ve been gone for a long time.”

The priestess bowed her head solemnly. “I’m sorry… My condolences.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Lazuli replied, eating more of her taco. “I’ve moved on… if anything, I’m sorry I can’t recall more.”

Mozu scoffed. “I’m a little surprised you remember us so well.”

“It was traumatic!” Lazuli exclaimed with half a mouthful of food. “You were the last people that I really bonded with before the dome, and you gave me that charm…”

Hinako smiled softly. “You kept it with you all this time…”

“You said it warded off evil, or something… I dunno, it gave me hope in a weird way.

“I was clutching it when I was feeling my lowest, and that’s when I met a lovely woman named Shale… She invited me to her group, Oblivion - they were committed to thwarting Zoraal Ja’s tyranny, and I became an informant. The Queen wanted her subjects to be happy, and while I adapted to the new ways of the world, it never quite felt… right…”

Lazuli hastily consumed the rest of another taco. “But! Now that the king is dead, I dunno what I’m gonna do now! Not yet, anyway.” She sighed. “Sorry, I rambled a bit… I must say though, Hinako, I feel you implied as much, but you certainly seem the least bothered by all I’ve said.”

Hinako scoffed, partly enjoying her meal. “Well, I’ve never preferred to live by a narrow worldview. You’ve found a good friend to confide in.”

“You think of me as a friend, truly…?”

“Of course. Despite everything. And know whatever you figure out in your own life, I… We’ll support you.”

Mozu thought on that for a second before nodding in agreement. “We may not be in Tural forever, but… In spirit, yes?”

Lazuli looked at the two of them, and her eyes began to well up again. “...Thank you.”

“...Mezcal?” Mozu offered, holding up a bottle.

“Gods, please…”

---

The three ladies carried on more light-hearted conversation and merriment for some time before Lazuli called it a night and they hugged and parted ways… After that, the Au Ra continued to sit in quiet reminiscence for a while longer, over all that they were told.

Until Mozu looked at her fiancée. “Well, what do you think? Was she…”

“I feel like,” Hinako pondered. “Despite all that she told us, there was even more that she didn’t – couldn’t bring herself to say. I can’t fathom what Lazuli has lived through in thirty years.

“All the same, I believe in the truth behind her words.”

“Kami forfend…” Mozu rubbed her temples. “She must now be older than either of us, too… To think that she has held us to such regard for that long.”

“Never underestimate the little impressions you make upon people every day…” Hinako’s smile lessened as she reflected further. “...What troubled me the most was where her memory failed her. Her family was gone, as she said… like they weren’t even there at all.”

Mozu’s expression hardened.

“I suspect this won’t be the last we hear about this.”

“Yeah…”

---

Hinako ran her finger along the rim of her tea cup. She stared at nothing in particular – just northward, somewhere well beyond the confines of her cabin.

Perhaps it was inevitable that she would have to confront that dome, and she kind of dreaded it.

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #writing #au ra #hyur #hinako daigo #mozu torioi #lazuli kaina #the riskbreakers #the artificer #dawntrail spoilers

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