#Azami would be so proud of all of you.

[icharchivist]

the worst with getting friends into a3 and trying to not spoil them is that when they get to roast Sakyo (lovingly) i can’t reply to them “things Azami would say”  and i have to bite my fist and wait.

[emilycollins00]

Autumn troupe + SAD!GAD! reader

To one of my lovely besties 💕

Attention: Slight mentions of anxiety and such! Not too much, but just in case wanted to put it here. Good ending tho! <3

Please enjoy! 💕

Okay so! I their reactions to someone with these characteristics does depend of course on who you come in contact with, because all of them have different layers of approaching the situation:

Taichi

Becomes a ball of nerves when you threaten to cry. If you do he might as cry well!!

As time passes, decides to share things about himself with you.

He doesn’t know what you go through and he’s not going to pretend to, but! wants you to know he’s someone you can feel at ease with, at of course he thinks you learning more about him could help. Maybe that way you won’t find him as scary?

Will probably use jokes to diffuse any awkwardness or discomfort during interactions, and will be over the moon if you laugh.

Omi

So, so patient.

Catches on quickly about what might be going on is might become a tad protective.

Definitely eager to help you not feel tense around him and the others -anything to help you, he’s ready to do.

Lets you take the lead and control the pace of your interactions, always with a gentle smile. If he feels you are a bit over the edge, he will give you all the space needed while leaving some sweets on the table <3

Banri

After any answer or comment you say as a response that clearly made you want to be swallowed in a hole, he begins to use open-ended conversation starters, something to make sure you shift your attention to something trivial.

If he notices you need help, often supports you in ways that don't add let’s say pressure. I’m thinking about indirect support like suggesting equipment, resources, or offering assistance from a distance.

Proud when you answer him or the others back, even if it's a short answer.

Tends to remember many things, so if he knows there’s something in particular you need, he’ll be sure to mention it so that you don’t feel awkward in certain silences.

Juza

Your encounters are a bit awkward at first. Juza's is also someone who adapts slowly so your interactions might take a bit to be called, conversations.

He sees the way you react when he and the others arrives so he usually tries to make the least movement and noises.

This is mainly due to him being one of the most understanding when it comes to the situations you experience, already aware of his own presence and the impact it might have.

As such, he tries to avoid the pressure you feel regarding his height and deep voice by not standing too close to you, opting to sit if possible.

Sakyo 

Watches your body language and behaviour from moment one, even though he may not act like it.

Picks up immediately your uneasiness around many of them with the exception of director.

King of respect. Seeing as you prefer not to engage in one-on-one, Sakyo will most likely ask Izumi to delay the information and if not, will leave a note or message.

Azami

Azami isn't the most social person either, he doesn't actively try to engage regularly in conversations. Simple greetings are good for you both.

Will most likely avoid personal questions or just questions that could turn more private, respecting your boundaries.

He knows how it’s like not wanting to share more than needed, so he’s really empathetic about this.

Usually if he needs your help he goes for activities that don’t require constant conversation and that can be done in separate paces.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Here we are. Impressive, right? I even managed to stock it like an inventory!”

You grimace. If the storage could ask for help, you were sure it would be doing so right now. The room felt cramped, stacks of equipment towering over you like a fortress.

Matsukawa goes inside and you follow without much enthusiasm. He has yet to turn to look at you though, engrossed in an unbroken monologue of self-praise, evidently delighted at the chance of showing someone the product of his work.

While carrying your own boxes of equipment, you shift your weight uncomfortable. You wish you could muster the courage to get him to focus. In truth, you would have preferred he left you alone to take a look around but alas, he was the one who supposedly knew where all Mankai’s props were.

Supposedly.

“I-It will be just a minute!” his confidence had quickly dropped after the initial entrance. “I think I might have misplaced the props director asked me to select for you— but they must be here I’m sure!”

You bite your lip as you watch him look inside some more boxes. Izumi had requested your help —being on your way to becoming a property designer and all that— and you had been more than glad for the opportunity, but the current situation felt overwhelming.

“I thought I asked you to rearrange all the upper shelves and throw what wasn’t necessary.”

A sudden, harsh and accusatory voice cuts through the air, freezing both the rustling of boxes and your racing thoughts. Honestly, an incoming bear might have given you less of an internal freak-out — because of course the voice belonged to another man. Just your luck.

You notice the manager flinches and you feel a pang of sympathy for him. You really wouldn't want to be in his skin either. "Sa-Sakyo-san!" the initial disorder in the storage upon your arrival had transformed into an even more distressing sight after he had begun the search for the props.

“I did!" he exclaims, maneuvering to find a path between the piles of boxes. "Just yesterday you could almost see the walls in between the shelves, and let me tell you it has cost me sweat, tears and quite a few scratches!”

There's a pause. You and the blond man scanned the room. If anything had been removed, it didn’t seem like it. As if the room itself tried to make a point, a few objects squeezed too tightly together toppled to the floor.

“I don’t think you are making the point you think you are.”

You hadn’t meant to say that out loud. I mean, you never do. It was supposed to be a muttered remark to yourself— a feeble attempt at humor to conceal yourself from the escalating discomfort. The comment however seems to catch the attention of the scary looking yakuza still standing on the doorframe. He crosses his arms, sighs, and to your luck, focuses on you.

You immediately feel the need to apologize even though you had nothing to do with their problem.

“You must be Y/N.” he says instead, pushing his glasses up and visibly choosing to ignore the chaos in front of you two. “My name is Sakyo, I don't believe we've worked together before. Our director had a last-minute emergency with another troupe and she told me to…"

His lips keep moving but you barely listen to anything afterward. Izumi wasn’t going to be there while you worked? The information hits you like a train. Heck, you might as well have started to cry right there at the idea of being surrounded by men all alone.

"Traitor." you whisper betrayed. Your voice is barely audible, almost lost in the expanse of the hall, but there is a sudden thought that tells you the blond man with glasses might have very well heard you again. So you cough, hiding your initial reaction the best you can and try to recompose yourself. “I, uh, yeah. I came to fix your props.”

Great job, Y/N.

You stood there, lips pursed, nervously nibbling the inside of your cheek, half-expecting a similar reaction to what Matsukawa had received. Instead, the atmosphere shifts almost imperceptibly.

You kind of notice he subtly moves a few steps away from you, though it could also have been your imagination— There was a lot to keep up with. He then speaks again.

“I assume you have your own schedule to keep. I will manage over here. You can go first and set up your equipment. I believe our carpenter has left some tables set on the stage since it’s the place that has the widest space for you to work while getting a signal.”

Stunned, you nod. He offers a small nod in return, giving you directions to get there before addressing the issue at hand with Matsukawa, annoyance flickering once again across his features.

“And you. How many times do I have to tell you that pushing boxes doesn’t equal…”

The scolding echoed as you left the storage.

.

.

.

Mankai's theatre wasn't as big as other theatres you had worked at, so at first, it feels like a cozy haven rather than an intimidating workplace. You soon reach the stage and begin to set up your equipment, beginning to create some props. Surely Izumi would finish before—

“Hello?”

You freeze at the unexpected male noise coming from one of the wings. “Don’t come closer.”

Here we go again.

The young man that had appeared stopped immediately of course. He stood taller than most people, his presence looming over you even from where you were. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to barge in so suddenly.” His relaxed smile did little to ease your tension, especially with his imposing height. After a few seconds of silence on his part, maybe waiting for you to say everything was fine again and he could move again, confusion showed on his face. “…Is everything okay?”

You barely swallowed. Why was your mouth so damn dry? Come on Y/N, say something. “Yeah, um, I’m—  organizing the equipment and stuff is also on the floor so—  it’s messy here.”

Another pause. You whine inwardly and again feel like crying. You watch the actor —at least you think he is an actor— study the situation, and something might have clicked, since he finally nods.

“Of course. I will leave in a bit, my phone just died...” he takes it from his pocket and shows you the black screen, as if to show proof he wasn't lying. “And I was supposed to meet with the others here.”

You nod curtly, and opt to focus on your work. Hopefully he doesn't begin to make up conversation if he sees you concentrated.

Minutes go by and amidst the silence you can't help but steal a glance at him. You notice a distinctive scar etched across his chin, giving him quite the menacing image—  His demeanour however emitted an air of calmness that clashed starkly with the anxiety boiling within you.

"Excuse me. Do you need help with that?" his offer breaks the silence, gesturing toward a set of props in your hands. The tool had been quite fragile, so you had wanted to carry it as securely as possible. Maybe too secure. You had been fighting with it for a few minutes, and Omi seemed to have noticed your struggle.

He offers you a smile when you look his way. “I’m Omi, by the way. I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself from the start and entered without warning.”

“Ah, no it’s— ” the fact that he had been so far so attentive makes your cheeks burn. “Um, my name is Y/N, I’m a property designer… if I can properly schedule a meeting with my anxious thoughts before work.” The self-deprecating joke masking your escalating nerves might have been too much. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to say that.”

To your surprise he lets out a soft chuckle. “It's fine, I understand. I’m a part-time photographer so I also get nervous when I have to go alone somewhere for the first time. Especially when I have eyes on me.”

You doubt that was true (weren’t they all actors?) but if he had wanted to calm you —albeit unknowing to him the fact that him being a man was the terrifying part—  you felt it worked a bit. He had managed to get closer to you during the exchange, and you didn’t feel as tense as before.

Today was getting weird.

“Then, would you mind if I try to open it?” he asks again.

It took a while. Or maybe it just seemed like that to you. Omi didn’t make the slightest comment or movement that indicated you were taking way too long though. You walked towards him. You hand trembled slightly as you reached out to him. With a shaky breath, you handed him the prop. Omi’s gaze softened.

"Thank you for coming to give us a hand." his words are gentle, his tone a blend of reassurance and warmth while he places the tool on the table. “Work for this new play has been quite hectic and none of us know much about fixing props so when director said—”

“’s anyone home?”

“We’ve come to help! Director-sensei told us not we didn’t have to, but we thought it would be good to— Oh, Omi-kun you made it!”

“Hello.”

“Sup.”

This was bad.

Near you, Omi notices how you had completely frozen at the entrance of his troupemates. He turns and begins to walk up to them. “Hey Taichi, everyone.”

They are good kids so while they might seem scary you have nothing to be concerned about! Besides, I’ll be there with you as much as possible.

You remember her comment over the phone yesterday. “How about I surprise you with a sudden burst of irrational concerns then…” the comment echoes the place, their attention directed toward you. You whimper. They were bulky, tall and absolutely intimidating in your eyes.

To your surprise, the redhead laughs. “Hey, that sounded like Tsuzuru-san just know!”

You yelp and you bit your lip. The rest of the actors had begun to walk almost where you stood, their collective gaze intensifying your unease. Part of your brain tells you they are only being friendly, but you feel like prey under scrutiny.

“You must be Y/N! Are those the new props we will use?”

The red head (Taichi?) appears in the blink of an eye in front of you. His eyes move in awe from one tool to another, humming lightly and above all, talking non-stop.

The proximity was too much, too fast.

“Oh wow, this is so cool! Look, Ban-chan!”

Before you can process it, someone else begin to lean in as well to inspect your equipment.

“Sweet.” The young man mentions, his expression one of approval. “Is this going to be—”

“If any of you get any closer I swear I will cry.”

Words tumbled out before you could stop them. There it was, your usual way to threaten people to leave your personal space. Some tended to find it funny. Others not so much. Your stress picks up just by imagining their reactions.

“Settsu, stop intimidatin' them.”

“Uh?! I don’ think ya should be the one to talk, fuckface.”

"I wasn't the one who was putting their nose in the work of others."

"How are you so sure they didn't mean your..."

As those two bicker, Taichi put his hands together, worried. “I'm sorry! We got too excited. We’re not bad tho, just so you know!”

“Tell that to that resting-bitch face over there.”

"Guys you are not helping!"

Omi chuckles while the one with dark black hair next to him rolls his eyes. “Great first impression.”

You blink. You were not sure what was happening but you felt… calmer. Or at least more than you thought for some reason, just like with Omi moments before.

Their movements and voices lowered, as if they had pick up on your discomfort but weren’t really angry or bothered by it. There was a hint of understanding in the air. A subtle shift and attempt to create a cautious yet friendly distance.

“Ah, right." the one called Settsu turned to you, temporarily derailed from whatever retort he’d been about to deliver. "Did Matsukawa show ya where the storage is? We don’ have many props but Director-chan said to take a look at what we could use. They are shitty tho, guess that’s why ya are here too.”

You nod. “I was there but… he couldn’t find them. Sakyo, I think was his name, came and said he would take care of it.”

"Yeah," he confirms in understanding. “That place is a lost battle so we might as well help. Would ya like us to divide what we find or somethin’? If you’re cool with that, I mean.” he turns to the others nonchalantly and then to you. “We can also just leave. It’s your call.”

The attempt to steer the conversation away from the unease you had at first was relieving… and the thought of not having to go back to that room also helped, of course.

You make an effort to meet their gazes, but they were already talking among themselves. You try to take them all in once again. Many of them have quite a few earrings, piercing eyes, and combined with their rugged features without meaning, added to their imposing appearances.

Still, the interactions had been considerate, more than what you sometimes were used to, and the proposal had made your chest feel warm, which is why you imagine despite your usual nerves stirring, you found yourself nodding. “Anything related to the play could work. I have the equipment to fix stuff so…” you shrugged but did just best to smile. “It’d be helpful, yeah.” You meant it.

Banri sends another in return. “Copy that. Let’s go.”

“We’ll be back in a while, Y/N! Ah—  I'll make sure to look for cool things we find so you can have the play be—“

“Taichi-san you’re getting overly excited again.”

“…Thanks for the work.”

Omi, who is the last one to leave the room and follow their troupemates turns back to you at the last second. “If you need anything else we can call director and let her know you are still here."

“It's... fine. Thanks. Um, sorry for…” you didn’t finish the sentence. You didn’t really know what were you apologizing for. You back down. "Nevermind."

His laugh echoes again through the auditorium. “There’s nothing to apologize for. We'll see you in a bit then.”

And just like that, you were alone with your thoughts.

Despite the uneasy feeling you had brought, the encounter hadn't been as terrifying as you had imagined. The prospect of further interactions still seemed daunting, but for now, you found a sense of relief regarding Mankai’s Autumn Troupe.

You take a deep breath and resume working again. This time however, a small smile decorates your face.

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Main Story: Part 4 - Act 15: PAINFUL RE:BAKE - Episode 5: Rekindling The Flame

Banri: Come over here when y’all are done stretching.

Taichi: ‘Kay!

Azami: Are we finally doing the read-through?

Banri: (Everyone’s rippin’ the script to shreds, leavin’ sticky notes and dog-earin’ the corners. We could easily start a proper read-through now, but…)

Banri: (... It’s not the time for that yet.)

Banri: Thanks to Tsuzuru, we’ve got lots of time till the first performance this time around.

Banri: He probably got started early out of consideration for me and Hyodo, who’ve had a guest appearance with Hyakka scheduled for a while now. 

Banri: When it comes down to it, we’ll hafta miss a bunch of practice sessions and performances.

Banri: Now would be a good time to start readin’ through the script in preparation for that, and then immediately begin prepping for the mise-en-scène and performance.

Banri: … But we ain’t doin’ that this time.

Taichi: Whuh?

Juza: Whaddya mean?

Banri: In this 3Q, we gotta do everything we can to increase the rank that the Spring and Summer Troupes passed onto us.

Banri: Rankin’ up’s gonna be harder than ever now that the tier is full of high leveled players.

Banri: And, regardless of our ranking, I want to make the sequel of our most important debut so damn good that it’ll stand up to Spring and Summer’s.

Banri: Each and every time, our role as the Autumn Troupe, who always comes third in performances… is to create somethin’ that’ll surpass the two troupes that come before us.

Banri: And to make the Winter Troupe, who come after, want to surpass us.

Banri: Honestly, our performances’ quality so far has been pretty solid.

Banri: While stackin’ experience as an assistant director, I’ve become able to view the performances of many troupes objectively, and I’d say our level is on the higher end.

Banri: … But, y’know… Are we really okay with settlin’ for being solid?

Juza: ——

Banri: All our performances up to our tenth one have been stuff we could be proud of.

Banri: But, as we reach the milestone of our eleventh one and return to our roots with Picaresque, I think we oughta break this stability of ours.

Banri: And take this chance to create a new version of our Autumn Troupe.

Banri: Both the Spring Troupe and the Summer Troupe evolved a step further after their members grew individually.

Banri: Us Autumn Troupe oughta each have a wall we gotta break through this time.

Banri: … 'Cause if we don’t, that’d mean that this is our limit.

Juza: Hell no.

Azami: Ain’t no way this is how far we can go.

Taichi: Right! Spring and Summer grew ‘cause they weren’t satisfied with where they were before! That’s gotta be the same for us, too!

Sakyo: Yeah. We can’t afford to stop in our tracks before we can pass the baton to the Winter Troupe.

Omi: We have to keep going forward and break any walls ahead of us in a way that suits us as the Autumn Troupe.

Banri: You said it. I want us to challenge ourselves in ways that’ll prove that we’re nowhere near our limit yet.

Banri: Challenge ourselves in ways that will lead to a formative experience and break us out of our shells, the way our “Portraits” did. 

Banri: We definitely had something like a beginner’s impulse lightin’ a fire in us. Both during our debut, and when Azami joined us during UNDEAD.

Banri: Each of us hit a wall, and yet kept movin’ forward… Even if it meant doin’  it while crawling through unbearable pain.

Banri: But thanks to that, we were all able to change, and put on the best possible performances.

Banri: So, now too, let’s go through all the pain we can, and overcome it in ways that make us realize they were just growing pains.

Banri: I better not see a single one of you slack off on this. We all gotta start this the same way, and surpass it the same way.

Banri: Light that fire within yourselves again. And get back that impulse that feels like you’re being burned alive.

Banri: … Well, all that being said, my and Hyodo’s challenge has been decided for us, sorry for cheatin’.

Juza: … The guest roles at Hyakka, ya mean.

Banri: We’ll definitely hit it big and evolve, and we’ll spread MANKAI Company’s name and raise our ranking.

Juza: Nothing’s gonna hold me back.

Sakyo: Obviously. But don’t forget you’ll be carryin’ the company’s name with you.

Azami: That means our challenges gotta be something of that caliber, too.

Omi: Right…

Taichi: ——

previous episode | masterpost | next episode

[moonlightsrandomstuff]

First impressions huh, well when I started the game I kinda got jumpscared. Because I didn't expect voices and the spring troupe to stare intensely at me being like; OHHHH DIRECTOR PLZ BLOOM US

I was like: WHAT THE FUCK ARE THOSE DUDES AAAAAAA

However let me list down by troupes:

Spring troupe: From Episode 1 I thought they were nice I kinda had beef with Masumi being so rude to everyone (I did end up appreciate his development as the story goes by tho) and I was a bit skeptical about Itaru staying but my god the story ended up soooo great. When Episode 5 happened I really disliked chikage like, I didn't get why people would like such a man and why would Izumi forgive him for the awful thing he did. But as time went by and as I ended up knowing more lore I also started to think he had some good deep inside. But the most important development in my opinion is Sakuya, I love how we get presented with a sunshine boy so full of dreams and hopes and determination to be an actor despite how he might not be the best at it. The scene where he says that Romeo is his role gave me chills... and I'm so glad that as time goes by, he seems to be more "selfish" like he knows what he wants and he isn't worried about expressing it! I'm super proud of him I hope to see even more development in act 4 :)

Summer Troupe: Episode 2 I remember that at first look I thought that Izumi's power of friendship would have great struggles working through those dudes, and Lord it was intense (ofc not as much as Aki). I disliked Tenma and was so happy to see Yuki roast him (actually I really liked Yuki's personality and I was happy to find out he was part of a troupe and he had an interesting character arc, since that when I first saw him I thought he would be more stereotypically a brat, but I'm glad I was wrong). When I saw Misumi I realized why the game has so many triangles around, and I love that tbh. However I also thought it was nice to have such different people together in a troupe, it felt like something connected them but I had yet to understand what. And after seeing all their struggles which are so different yet all bounded by a fear of being isolated I ended up loving this troupe very much as the way they bonded and became friends felt so real and close to home. They easily became my favourite troupe and with episode 6 and the addition of Kumon it just became even more obvious. About Kumon, I remember thinking he was a funny guy and I laughed at his distaste for Comedy like: oh boy I’m so sorry for you. But also it was nice to see a guy who has such a great relationship with his brother it kinda reminds me my own with my brother :). Anyway I’m glad that as usual Natsugumi shows that no matter what they will help one another with everything even their new rookie with anxious fevers. Natsugumi is the epitome of special bonds created through friendship and I couldn’t ask for anything better

Autumn Troupe: My reaction was, IZUMI MY GOD WHAT THE HECK HOW ARE YOU GONNA DEAL WITH THEM, particularly cuz of Banri I thought he was too high and mighty and didn’t like that (then I saw his reaction to portraits + his own and went: wtf man I like you?) I didn’t get why Taichi was in Autumn I thought he was too cheery for it but time teaches, never judge a book by the cover. ALSO NO WAY YUKI MENTION? WOOOOOO CAN’T BELIEVE CHILDHOOD FRIENDS ARE REAL- The portraits were such a clever touch for a troupe that seems to be so scary and serious, showing the deeper side of what they want and wish made me see them in a new light and appreciate them more (I kinda had an epiphany Banri style tbh). Episode 7 was quite funny to me cuz I went like: there is no way everyone runs away at some point (they do) I mean we meet Azami in the middle of episode 6 already but the way his own episode treats the whole situation he’s going through is so… man I need to reread all the main acts they make me insane

FUYUGUMI OR BETTER FUYUPOLY- so I saw those old men and went: oh wow boomers that’s crazy (moon they are mostly in their 20-30s) I didn’t have much thoughts on it, I liked Azuma and knew Hisoka by Gacha cards. OH BOY THEY HOLD SO MUCH STUFF AND MANKAI MYSTERIES IN THEM (and gay undertones, I see you Tasutsumu), there is so much show not tell with them in every episode in which they are involved and I find it beautiful. Also fun fact when I first saw Guy I genuinely believed they brought a cyborg in Mankai, I MEAN WE CAN HAVE A TORMENT DOLL WHY CAN’T THEY HAVE A CYBORG!? I like him tho, silly fish man that holds a lot of issues but was able to get better with his company and now owns a bar. I would also talk about Hisoka but I think this would get even longer than it already is. So yeah love every troupe

Mankai March question 9!

Happy birthday to the love of my life, Sakuya Sakuma!! Since he was the first actor in the troupe and one of the first characters we meet, let’s talk first impressions! What were your first impressions of the cast? Or just your oshi? Are they different from now, or more or less the same?

[thistle-whistle-ffxiv]

The Things We Do For Coin Chapter 13

U'rabta makes some amends and a new friend as well.

AO3 Link

The dimly lit corridor leading to the alchemists guild was unsettling. It felt as though it should be outdoors, but there were walls and canopies above them blocking out the sky. It made U’rabta feel icky in a way she didn’t know how to explain. It was even worse this early in the morning when it was so empty.

She wanted to have used the aethernet to just teleport straight there, but Azami was still scared of teleporting. So they had to walk. Which was still fun! She liked walking with Azami. Even if Azami was walking more slowly than usual.

“Are you still sad from talking to your guildmaster?” U’rabta asked. Not that Azami had done much talking back there. U’rabta had been the one to do the explaining. Azami had been too nervous and hadn’t been able to find the words.

But that was why U’rabta had gone with her! To help her. U’rabta was used to people being disappointed in her, so she was real good at apologizing. And the pugilist guildmaster hadn’t even been upset. If anything he had seemed proud that Azami had fought such a scary monster.

“No.” Azami huffed.

U’rabta couldn’t think of any other reason Azami wouldn’t be keeping up with her. She was real excited to join the alchemists’ guild yesterday! So she should be trying to get there faster. Unless!

“Do your legs hurt real bad?” 

“No.” Azami said, more forcefully this time. She looked away from U’rabta with a big huff. So her legs were hurting her. After a pregnant pause Azami asked, “Why? Is your arm bugging you?”

“A little.” U’rabta lied. In truth, her arm didn’t hurt at all. Even though the wound had been pretty bad. It should have hurt, but she felt just as healthy as she had before the monster from yesterday had broken her shield and cut up her arm. 

That wasn’t important! Azami was hurting! They needed to do something about it! 

Azami was just like the ladies in her village. She cared more about her pride than her own comfort and safety. If she was allowed to do whatever she wanted, Azami would just hurt herself worse. She needed to be tricked into taking care of herself. 

And luckily, U’rabta had plenty of practice tricking people into resting!

“And I’m a little tired.” she said, her ears and tail drooped as she looked down at her shoes. U’rabta worked real hard to look as pathetic as possible. Like somebody had dumped a whole bunch of water on her and she was just so sad about it. That was usually enough to bait the ladies in the village into wanting to help her.

The trap had been set! All that was left was for Azami to walk right into it.

The shift in Azami’s expression was barely perceptible. A slight softening of the eyes, a microscopic downturn of her lips. Anybody who hadn’t been looking for it would have missed it. U’rabta’s trap was working!

“Ah. There are some benches by the fountain up ahead. We can rest there. Do you think you can make it that far, or do you need me to carry you?”

No! U’rabta hadn’t considered that she might offer something like that! Was the trap failing her?

“I can make it!” she insisted, sprinting off towards the benches. She took a seat and looked pointedly back at Azami who sighed before following after her. 

“You suddenly don’t seem very tired.” Azami huffed, taking the seat next to her.

“I am! Being in pain makes me tired!” U’rabta insisted. Azami shook her head. 

They fell into silence. The only sound being the water of the fountain behind them echoing off of the unnervingly empty corridor. U’rabta didn’t mind the silence exactly, but she needed to say something. There wasn’t going to be a better opportunity to do it.

“Azami? I’m really sorry about yesterday.” she said.

“What? What happened yesterday?” Azami asked, confusion writ plain on her face. 

“I got hurt, and now you’re real sad about it. So… I’m sorry.”

“No! No… you don’t…” Azami frowned, struggling to find the correct words, “I’m the one who should be sorry. You only got hurt because you were pro- Because I was careless. So… I’m sorry.”

“No! It’s because my shield broke. If I had a better shield it would have been fine. And I didn’t have any potions left either! I wasn’t prepared, so I’m sorry.” U'rabta huffed. Why was Azami making this so difficult? Didn't she realize how bad U'rabta felt? Making everyone upset and worried about her like that?

“No! I’m the one who’s sorry. Because you wouldn’t have broken your shield if I had been paying attention!”

“No! It’s my fault! I’m sorry.”

“Why are you being so stubborn about this?”

“Because I’m right!”

“You are so annoying!” Azami groaned, burying her face in her hands. Elbows resting on her knees. U’rabta leaned over, resting her head on Azami’s shoulder. She didn’t want this to turn into a fight!

“Can we both be right?” She asked quietly. U’rabta had to try not to jump when she felt one of Azami’s horns gently poke her as Azami moved to lean against her as well.

“We can both be right,” Azami mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too.”

“We’ll need to get you another shield… where did you get that one anyway?”

“I made it myself!” U’rabta announced proudly. It hadn’t even been that hard! She had found an old crate that nobody was using anymore, and glued some of the planks together. It had given her a couple of splinters, but U’rabta thought that the result was well worth the effort. At least until it had shattered and her arm got torn up.

“Ah… that explains it then.”

“Hey!” U’rabta pouted. She had worked hard on that shield!

Azami pulled away gently, letting U’rabta righten herself before standing up. 

“Are you feeling ready to get going?”

“What?”

“You… were tired? So we stopped to rest?” Azami reminded her, her eyes narrowing. For some reason she seemed like she was suspicious of U’rabta. 

“I was tired?” U’rabta asked. That was right! The trap! She had forgotten all about it! 

“I don’t know why I bother worrying about you.” 

“Aw! You were worried about me?”

“No!”

“But you just said!”

“I’m leaving!”

The alchemists’ guild was just as exciting as the first time they visited. Even though it was still early in the morning lots of people were working, using strange machines that hissed and whirred. Occasionally one of the alchemists would laugh. Or maybe it was a cackle. It was difficult to say. 

“Excuse me!” U’rabta said as she bounded up to the counter, pretending not to notice how disgruntled Azami looked as she zipped past her, “I’m looking for Mister Cocobusi!”

“Oh, um…” the woman at the counter seemed taken aback. People often seemed taken aback by U’rabta. She wasn’t quite sure why.

“I’m Cocobusi…” A small voice said. U’rabta turned and greeted him with her biggest friendliest smile.

“Hello again! I wanted to talk to you!” she announced.

“To me? Oh. You’re that thaumaturge from yesterday, aren’t you?” Mister Cocobusi looked up at her with a big frown. U’rabta knew it! He was mad at her still. After a long pause he finally said, “Perhaps we could speak outside.”

“Alright! Bye Azami! Have fun being an alchemist!” U’rabta said, only to get an irritated grumble in return as she wandered off. Was Azami mad at her too? U’rabta thought they were done fighting? They had both agreed to be right and be sorry. So why was Azami upset at her again?

U’rabta held the door for Mister Cocobusi as he went to find them a quiet place that they could talk. U’rabta followed after. It was going to be alright! She had practiced her apology a bunch of times, and had done a bunch of apologies today already. She was practically an apology expert!

“What can I do for you?” Mister Cocobusi asked.

“I wanted to say that I’m really sorry about yesterday. I didn’t know it was your turn, so I cut in front of you and I’m really sorry. If you want, you can do my next lesson before me. That way we can be even!”

“What? Oh… no, it’s… I’m not upset with you, miss thaumaturge.”

“I’m U’rabta!”

“Miss U’rabta. It’s not you I’m upset with. It’s my brothers.”

“Because they promised you could try to fight the vulture first?” U’rabta asked. She wasn’t sure she understood. There were lots of vultures in the desert! Surely he could try to fight one today?

“Because they won’t let me join the guild at all.”

“What? Why not?” 

That seemed so mean! The guildmasters hadn’t seemed mean before. They had even let her join despite her many shortcomings. And they hadn’t even kicked her out yet! So why were they being mean to their own brother?

“I have a very low aetheric conductance. So… I have trouble wielding even the simplest spell, I’m afraid.” Mister Cocobusi said, “Even so… I wish to become a thaumaturge.”

“Do you not need to be able to use magic to do alchemy?” U’rabta asked. She had always thought that potions were basically magic as well.

“No… no. The crystals we use as catalysts handle that part for me.”

“That’s good!”

“I suppose.”

“Well then… why can’t you use those crystals to do magic?” she asked.

“I’m afraid thaumaturgey doesn’t work that way. At best nothing would happen. But at worst…” Mister Cocobusi trailed off as though voicing the thought might speak it into existence. Mister Cocobusi visibly shuddered. U’rabta nodded, understanding what he meant.

At worst he might summon a primal.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Well… perhaps. I’ve been researching ways to use alchemy to enhance my aetheric conductance. Sometimes that research takes me out into the field, but…” he smiled up at her sheepishly.

“But you can’t use magic to protect yourself!” U’rabta helpfully supplied, “But I’m real good at using magic to protect myself. So I can go with you and protect you from any scary monsters!”

“That would be most helpful, yes.”

“But I’m not allowed to go on any adventures for a whooooole fortnight. The chiurgeons said so after I got my arm scratched up real bad by a voidsent yesterday.” U’rabta pulled her sleeve back to show him the bandages.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah! It barely hurts at all, but I’m still not allowed to have any fun adventures.” U’rabta tried her very best not to pout about it. Even though this was exactly the sort of thing she should be pouting about. She wanted to go on fun adventures right now!

“That sounds difficult.”

“Yeah! But! I’m gonna go try to learn how to be a weaver instead. I’m gonna make real pretty dresses.”

“Wouldn’t weaving work also be hard on your arm?”

“Do you think so?”

“I would imagine so, yes.”

“Oh no! Mister Cocobusi what am I gonna do?” 

This was easily the worst news U’rabta had gotten all day. If she couldn’t even do fun weaving work, then she wouldn’t have anything to do until her arm got better. Nothing except trying to read the difficult tomes her guildmasters kept giving to her.

And that would only make her want to go out and practice her magic even more. The temptation would be too much for her, and Mhig and Azami would get mad at her and the chiurgeons would give her a scolding!

“Well! I’ll just have to think of something.” U’rabta resolved. 

She would find something fun to do while she waited. Maybe she would go see if Mhig wanted to spend time with her! The city was so big, there was always something fun going on! U’rabta just needed to find it!

“I suppose you’ll have plenty of time for that.”

“Bye Mister Cocobusi! Let me know when you want to have a fun adventure!”

“Oh! Uh, bye U’rabta. It was… interesting talking to you.”

[korissideblog]

i was just thinking about kids Aito would befriend outside of 1x and 1y and <333 now she has a gang of delinquents friends to hang out with :)

(more info under cut <3)

order goes from left to right <3 i probably should have labeled them lol

Aito Takao:

- you already know aito

- sadly

Okada Ren: (he/him)

- you might recognize him from a previous fic <3 after the Ikuto incident, Ren wanted nothing to do with Aito or her friends- but they have a mutual friend (Azami) who makes them hang out, so he just does what she says.

- acts as a rival to Aito when in the group, but doesn't want to. he just really doesn't want to interact with Aito, but she keeps dragging him into stuff

- his quirk is called "Octo Spikes", and allows him to make black spikes appear from his skin. the spikes are also covered in ink. he struggles to make his spikes appear on command, but they appear easily when he experiences high emotion.

- he has a small crush on Azami, and sort of sees Aito as a romantic rival, despite the fact that Azami's never shown interest in Aito and vice versa.

- he's the most traditional bully of the group, think disney channel original bully with a secret heart of gold and you've probably got a good idea of him

Azami Kumar: (she/her)

- Azami is friends with both Aito and Ren, and force them to get along.

- despite it never really getting discussed, Azami is the assumed leader of the group, with Aito acting as her lancer/right hand man

- she's a minor kleptomaniac, and the habit is what got her running with the wrong crowds early on in life.

- Azami doesn't have a quirk, and is rather proud of the fact that she got into UA without one.

- she's pretty impulsive, usually the person who gets the gang into trouble- not usually the one to get them out lol

- met Aito in the discipline office. Azami was interested in Aito's techniques for stealing and Aito enjoyed the attention and praise <3 they enable eachother (affectionate)

Momoko "Momo" Harada: (she/they)

- Momo and Aito hold a pretty strong bond as "the only pretty bitches in this whole group" (allegedly)

- Momo and Aito gossip while doing eachother's nails <3 and dress in pretty outfits and talk about boys and emotionally manipulate people together <3

-Momo is one of the few people Aito trusts with his hair care/styling

- Momo's quirk is called "Tattoo Nails", pretty self explanatory lol: her blood is tattoo ink, and she has long needles that she can extend from her fingers like a tattoo gun <3

- her tattoos are pretty temporary, only lasting a couple months before blending into the skin- she can make a permanent tattoo, it just takes alot more blood than she usually likes to give.

- because ink is thinner than blood, Momo suffers from a form of hemophilia, so she's always careful not to injure herself.

- non-professional tattoos are known for causing nasty infections, so Momo is quite germaphobic- even when not giving a tattoo, she still likes to sanitize/clean her things often.

Tamako Fukuda: (he/them)

- Tamako is a rather quiet boy, seemingly always tired of everything.

- Tamako pretends to dislike Aito's energetic behavior, but really he finds it a nice change of pace.

- Tamako's quirk is called "Glitter Blast”, and it allows him to shoot sparkly rainbow colored beams of energy out of the horn on his head. It has a small side effect of making everything around the target overly saturated and cutesy. It also gives Tamako the lower body of a horse.

- Tamako despises his quirk, as it does not match with his aesthetic at all. He’s hair is naturally rainbow colored, but he dyes it black to try and look more gothic (this is successful, minus the strands of silver throughout his hair)

- Tamako is a graffiti artist, and hangs out with the group because they know all the best spots to graffiti something.

- Tamako, despite his wishes, is treated like the baby of the group. The rest of the gang doting on him from time to time.

Yuudai “Dog Face” Nakano: (he/him)

- unlike the rest of the group, Yuudai is actually a pretty good kid. He only joined the group because of his friendship with Momo, and the fact that not many people outside of the group want to hang out with him.

- Aito came up with his nickname. he is not the most creative person.

- his quirk is simple: he’s a dog. His parents are completely quirkless, but because of their parents’ quirks skipping a generation, Yuudai came out as a hairless dog boy <3

- people are rather put off by his looks- except Momo, who’s been a childhood friend of his since elementary school.

- he actually rather dislikes the things the group gets into, but he’s usually dragged along anyway.

- he’s just the sweetheart/conscience of the group, they would be nothing without him <3

[freshie44]

Well, you know what it is, I'm here to ask you all to vote for my boy Juza. But I wrote propaganda once so might as well do it again. This time in a bit of a story. Please excuse any OOC in my writing. First go at writing these characters

Juza exhaled as he returned backstage. He did it, he actually did it. When he came in he would've been happy to go a few rounds but now he is in the finals. It was still blowing his mind, like how? He could feel the weight of people's expectations. His fans, the fans of those who trusted him to go all the way. From the Hermie and Barbie fans to maybe even a few Karen fans. Speaking of, hopefully, she'll feel better after they go get those parfaits. He knew a great place she would hopefully enjoy. God, I hope the girls there won't be so scared when they see him walk in. As long as he is with her. He sighs once again wishing he sometimes looked more like Muku and Kumon so he could go in there without worrying about scaring people. He opens his dressing room when he hears a cacophony of shouts.

"Congratulations," shouts the entirety of the Mankai company shocking Juza as he closes the door.

Muku and Kumon rush him and pull him into a deep hug.

"Congratulations Ju-chan,* shouts Muku.

"You're so awesome Nii-chan," shouts Kumon.

"Just relax and have yourself a snack, you're making us all proud," assures Omi as he hands him some macarons. "Even made your favorite flavor."

"Those Shadow Girls better watch out as you got this," follows up Taichi.

"Oi, don't give him a big head," says Banri looking away.

"Well to be fair he should have some ego, he got further than any of us," retorts Tenma.

"Just shows hard work leads to results," smiled Sakuya.

"If you need any help the winter troupe and I will be happy to help you prepare," said Tsumugi.

"Thanks, I don't know if I deserve all these kind words. Honestly, it should have been one of you. You are the leaders for a reason and make a much better representative for our group," responded Juza.

"Banri," stated Itaru, smirking and giving Banri an expecting look. Bringing a blush from Banri.

"You're going to have to say something," joined in Chikage. Bring a groan from Banri.

"Just do it already leader, you know you have to," followed up Azami in a matter-of-fact tone.

"FINE, ok listen here because I'm going to say this once! I don't want to hear you say you don't deserve this. You acted your ass off and you deserve to win out, because you're my rival, and I want you to prove yourself the best because it means I have a higher level to reach when I catch up," says Banri, blushing furiously.

"Ah it seems Banri is being tsunami about this, no," chimes in Citron.

"It seems so," nodded Guy.

"It's tsundere," groaned Masumi correcting the two.

"I feel inspiration coming for a poem," celebrates Homare.

"Will you all shut up," screeches Banri.

"Banri," catching Banri's attention. "Thanks …. but don't get bold thinking you're going to catch up after I win. I'm about to leave you in the dirt, but feel free to try," smiles Juza. Bring a chuckle from the group as the two enter a shouting match.

"We had our laughs but it is time to focus, the shadow girls are no slouches," states Tasuka.

"Indeed they will be formidable opponents, but we're sure you'll pull through," says Azuma calmly.

"If you need a good luck charm, hold one of my lucky triangles," cheers Misumi.

"Marshmellow," offers Hisoka holding out one of his beloved marshmallows to Juza.

"If you need some new costumes I can help you out, standard gangster," says Yuki with a knowing smile.

"I can help with running through some scripts as well," follows up Tsuzuru.

"I'll be firing up the hashtags to help you win," smirks Kazunari already typing up a storm on his phone.

"Everyone," blushes Juza.

"Hyodo," states Sakyo as he and Izumi approach him.

"Juza when you joined us you were worried you never be able to stand on stage, but look at you now you got a chance to win the best actor tournament. But win or lose we are all proud of you," congratulates Izumi.

"Hyodo, I'll not mince words. You're far too humble I know you want to go out there and prove yourself the best. In my opinion, you've proven yourself a true thespian more than enough times. But if winning this tournament is the proof you need to feel you deserve to call yourself a true thespian I want you to go out there and crush them, can you do that," asks Sakyo.

"I …" stutters Juza.

"I ask can you do that," says Sakyo raising his voice.

"Yes … I want to win this, I want it more than you could believe," says Juza almost holding back tears.

Sakyo smiles. "Then you best go out there and win, because I want you to believe what we all believe," everyone in the room smiles with confidence nodding to Sakyo's statement.

Juza just runs his hand through his hair, "God it is going to suck now if I lose, but if you all believe in me. I refuse to let you all down … thank you, everyone." said Juza through a few tears of happiness as he gets pulled into one big group hug.

Juza now walks toward the stage, the final stage of this tournament. He knows no one will be ashamed he isn't to win as long as he gives it everything but now that isn't good enough. He wants to win dammit, and he going to do just that. He charges the stage ready to act his ass off.

Finale

Propaganda under the cut

Juza Hyodo: "Juza had been wanting to be an actor since middle school, but because of his scary appearance he didn't get to try it until his senior year of high school. He wanted to act in order to "become someone else", but in the process of acting he learnt to embrace himself instead, and to use that as fuel for his acting. He's extremely passionate and this passion is contagious to his fellow troupemates. He may not be the leader of the troupe, but he sure is its heart. Despite his wanting to change himself at the start, even from his initial scenes he's ready to face who he is, and to show vulnerability on stage. This and passion are key attributes for any performer to have."

More Propaganda for Juza

Even More Propaganda

If that's not enough propaganda check here

Guess what, more propaganda

Have some more

There really is a lot to say about him

More links

Even more

More

Shadow girls: "The shadow girls are a literal embodiment of a Greek chorus within the stage-inspired world of Utena, complete with moving sets, prop-like stabbings, and actual spotlights all magically appearing in universe. They are a theater story telling device living on a metaphorical and literal stage. Their awareness of the show, its themes, characters, ect has been enough for a person who worked on Utena to call them the real main characters of the show. They serve as narrators, story telling devices, and important characters that appear in every episode."

More propaganda for Shadow Girls

A bit more

[chikagestits]

One of the most interesting parts about Banri is that he never actually had “gifted kid burnout”. He was still top of the class and all, he just was outwardly lazy about it. Burnout is when there’s actually a dip in grades, but he never actually experiences a dip grade wise.

What he does dip in is passion. He lost passion when everyone stopped caring about his accomplishments (which in hindsight really fucks up a kid growing up cause he just wanted people to be proud of him). He only got a rush of excitement again when he started fighting so he kept chasing that adrenaline high.

But then he stumbled upon Mankai and his need to be better than everyone else led to him staying and obviously, he was better than everyone. Right? So when Izumi and Yuzo declared that Banri actually was the lowest of Akigumi, it crushed him. Banri leaving Mankai wasn’t him just being a stubborn teenager or something. That was a teenager getting the reality check that he absolutely needed, especially when Izumi took him back to watch their portraits.

My favorite part about Banri’s development is when a fire lit up in him for the first time in a long time. Acting. It challenged him in all the ways that he didn’t know he needed. And you know what? That led him to pursuing it as a career. He went to college. Y’know. School. The thing he used to be lazy about. And now, he challenges himself everyday. He offers his troupe mates opportunities for their own passions, like when he recommended Azami to do make up multiple times.

And why?

Because he knows what it’s like to lose your passion for so long.

So why in the world would Banri ever want his family to experience that loneliness and loss of passion he did?

[prioritysope]

Crush

Reader: Female

Character: Miya Atsumu

Rating: Explicit

Chapter: 10/?

You were walking around the University when you decided to go to your locker to leave some of the books from your first class so you could go to eat and then go to the gym to greet the boys. On the way you greeted some people, you also saw Osamu and Azami together, but you decided to see them later. You took your cell phone out of the pocket of your sweats, texting your best friend.

You

I saw you with 'Samu, wait for me in the cafeteria as usual and then we go to the gym.

Just last night you and Atsumu arrived from their little trip, and today they had to come to the University. You just wanted to be able to sleep all week, but you also couldn't afford to skip school just because you wanted to sleep. Since you got back, Atsumu has been a little more attentive to you. You didn't complain either, but you didn't want to take ideas that weren't.

You opened your locker with great care, and a paper already recognizable to you fell at your feet. You bent down carefully to take it, reading it calmly. You couldn't help but feel nervous reading it. You weren't used to people other than your close ones saying nice things to you, so it was a weird feeling.

December 2

I know that I have not written anything to you for a long time, because I have had some personal problems to solve first. Everything is fine now, in case you wonder. I wanted to remind you that you are a dream, you look very beautiful today; although you always look good. I noticed that you like volleyball, since your best friend is part of the University team. I've seen him play, and he doesn't do that badly. You can see in your eyes how proud you are of him and his achievements, it's cute. Even the two of you would make a nice couple, but I'm sure you and I make a better combination. You'll see when we meet in person. I'm clearly not saying this to compare myself to Atsumu, but I'm not going to belittle myself that much either. I am totally sure of what I can give, and I would give everything to make you happy and see you always laugh.

Now, I wanted to make you an invitation. This Friday there is an MSBY game with the Adlers, or so I heard and it will be in our gym. I would like us to meet there, even if it is from afar or if I lose my fear of going to you. You don't have to answer me, just see you at the stadium, I'll know you accepted. Although I doubt that you do not go, since you always go to your friends' games.

With each letter, you became more and more curious to know who this person was. You needed more answers, simple clues. You knew that person was afraid to show themselves and you didn't want to rush them either. What if they end up being some pervert? Or if they're not at all as shown on the letters? Anything could happen, nobody knows.

----

Now you were meeting your best friend and Osamu. They had already eaten something small now they were talking about the trip to the Miya parents' house.

"I almost forget it." You started talking, settling into the chair. "Your parents made me ask them about when they will go to see them. They thought the four of us would go together like in the old days."

Osamu and Azami gave each other a strange look, before laughing, which made you frown in clear confusion.

"We will go this weekend, we already promised." Osamu replied, then giving Azami a kiss on the forehead.

You couldn't help but smile at that scene. Since they have been together, she has always given you tenderness every time they love each other in public. You have been up to their personal photographic, from so much time that you spend with them, including Atsumu. You wanted a relationship like theirs. Full of love, respect and communication. However, here you are in love with your best friend. It seems that life did not want you, or so you felt. Instead of sending you something cute and long-lasting, it only brings you misfortune.

After talking for a while, they decided to go to the gym to watch the boys practice. Upon entering, you could hear the ball bounce on the ground and someone talking. From afar you greeted those you knew, although Shoyo ran to hug you.

"Guys!" The coach yelled, getting everyone's attention. "Since we're only talking about the upcoming game and a bit of strategy, I'll let you guys go early."

"(Y/n)." You heard footsteps behind you, you turned around and noticed that the practice was over. Which was strange to you, it seems that you were a little late. Atsumu approached you, with a small smile on his face and beads of sweat running down his forehead, while some hair was stuck together. He looked too sexy like that. "Are you going to our game on Friday?"

You were silent. Totally thinking about the invitation your secret admirer left you. You wanted to go to see if you could finally see him, out of curiosity and you also wanted to go to give your best friend all your support. You also didn't want to abandon him for a simple guy who has a crush on you.

You just nodded, giving him a smile and he giving it back to you.

"Sure I'll go, I would never let you down."

[writer-akihiko]

mamaaaaa-SYSVDVGDJSB idk if you take requests 4 azami but uuuuu- im craving for fluff w him SJDHDHSHH i genuinely don't know what to add- bc i want u to surprise me :DD SJSJDJDH i never asked any request so this is a firstSGHDHD

Dense Confessions - Azami X Reader

Despite knowing Azami for over 4 years, you've never gotten along with him well. After being recruited by Yuki as his sewing helper, you met the actors around his age. Being one year older than Yuki, they treated you respectfully but somehow Azami Izumida was always the boy that ruffled your feathers.

It all started when you complained that it was such a pain to take his measurements since he was taller than you'd ever dream to be. You assumed he was older than you, but you certainly had the shock of your life when you found out that Azami was the same age as Muku and Yuki.

The constant bickering never ended with just the height teasing. Preference of movies, shows, even makeup styles. You two would always have a difference of opinion. Yuki didn't bother when you'd two argue, but Muku somehow ended up being the arbiter between you two.

Over the 4 years, Azami had never anticipated he'd manage to graduate. Sure he was a smart child, but his interest with his school peers never showed. Sure enough, his graduation day rolled around and he was unprepared. Sakyo and Izumi as his proud pseudo-parents would be there, but when you said you wouldn't come to his graduation, he felt frustrated for some reason.

Why would he? You only annoy him everyday, trying to prove that you were better than him, and you'd just hang out with other people which to be honest, annoyed him-

Why would that annoy him?! He slouched over the couch, smothering himself with a pillow in an attempt to rid of any thoughts of you.

"Hoi, Azami, move your long legs over. I'm trying to sit here."

It was none other than Yuki with a plate of snacks, with Muku behind him. The Summer Troupe must've been done with practice…

He huffed, shifting so that he was leaning his legs against the coffee instead. A cough from Yuki was already enough to warn him to move them to the floor. Muku was never one to pry, but Azami's heavy sighs bothered him enough.

"Azami… Are you alright?" He asked. Azami chucked the cushion pillow aside, gritting his teeth.

"She's not coming."

"H-huh?..."

"I'm talking about YN!" He huffed. "She said she wasn't coming to my graduation!"

"Didn't she say she had a date?"

~○~

"Just… Just don't go on a date him!" He exclaimed. Gosh, why was he feeling this way?

At this point your blood began to boil at Azami's antics. "What?! You're not my boyfriend so why would you tell me that?!"

"What if I am your boyfriend?!"

…

The awkward pause between you was interrupted by Azami's cough. "S-Sorry… I didn't…" Azami caught his words before saying it any further. "No, I actually mean it."

He took your hand in his, continuing his statement. "This whole time I've been trying to figure out why I was so angry when you were just going on with life. I didn't… I didn't mean it, some of those things I said…"

You hit Azami in the chest, with little tears about to slip from your eyes. "Azami… you idiot, you finally noticed that I like you too."

"R-Really?!"

"Oh just kiss you two!"

The two of you turned around and there were the younger Autumn Troupe and Summer Troupe hiding in the bushes miserably. You could see Yuki slap his hand over Banri's mouth. Azami, on the other hand, couldn't hold back his anger at his other troupe mates for ruining such a perfect moment…

Oh well, all's well that ends well…

[emilycollins00]

A3! Saying goodbye 🌸🔆🍁❄

This game has meant a lot to me. A lot to so many!

In honor of these two amazing years we have all spent together with our beloved actors, I hope this allows everyone to take a moment to say goodbye -though not really, they'll always be there- to each of them.

It is time...

Sakuya takes both of your hands, eyes softening with affection at the contact. He knows you will keep on looking for the brightest side of the world, finding your own happiness along with it.

Masumi kisses your hand. No one has to tell him you won’t stop being passionate about the things and people you love.

Tsuzuru gives you a clumsy hug. He's confident you will always give your all in order to follow your dreams.

Itaru nudges you. He hopes you keep in mind you don’t have to change so that others like you, but be yourself letting the right people know the real you.

Citron tickles you until you laugh. He believes you’ll remember making mistakes doesn't mean you are a failure, it just means you’re learning in life.

Chikage gives you a tight squeeze on one of your shoulders. He wishes you never burden your soul with sorrows of the past, and always strive towards happiness.

Tenma squeezes your hand with a determined smile. He has faith you know you don’t need to always be perfect to be the best version of yourself.

Misumi picks you up and begins to swing you around laughing. He doesn’t have to worry whether you will be able to find sparks of happiness in any shape or form.

Kazunari cheers pulling you into a side hug. He’s sure you know the sky is the limit, and that you will do your best to live a life without regrets.

Muku gives you a pinky promise. He hopes you remember while it’s okay to have doubts about yourself, you are stronger than you imagine.

Yuki bumps his shoulder against yours. By now you better know self-love is born out of self-acceptance, and never forget it.

Kumon gives you a double high five. He’s thankful you know asking for help is not weakness, but rather a sign of strength.

Banri flicks your forehead and smirks. He takes pride you know that everything is possible, and that the impossible only takes a little more time.

Sakyo pats your head. He hopes you keep in mind you are never too old to set another goal or dream in your life.

Omi caresses the back of your hand with his thumb. He would like you to remember that no one, no matter what, will ever be too lost to be saved.

Juza gives you a firm nod. He’s grateful knowing you won’t judge anyone based on looks, and will do your best to try to understand their struggles.

Taichi picks up speed and throws himself into your arms. He just knows you’ll remember the value of your own worth, because you have something special and different to offer that nobody else can.

Azami bumps his fist with yours. He has faith you will never stop fighting and following what your heart thinks is right.

Homare twirls you in circles. He wishes you remember you are never too broken, too scarred or too far-gone to create change in yourself.

Azuma caresses your cheek. He hopes you know by now family doesn’t have to end in blood to feel real.

Tasuku presses a hand on your back. He believes you will keep doing your best to surpass yourself and reach for the stars.

Hisoka leans on you. He’s sure you know by now that things change, jobs change, but memories stay with you forever, so you’ll make sure to create the best ones you can.

Guy bows solemnly and looks at you proud. He trusts your instincts, so that while your mind might sometimes be confused, your heart will always know the answer.

Tsumugi rests his forehead against yours. He hopes you don’t forget how important is to believe in yourself before anyone else does.

But most of all, they all want you to know that letting go doesn’t mean loving less.

They sure won’t.

[nanamisflowerfield]

hihi I saw your hc for dating azami and I was wondering if you could do one for azami dating a s/o that’s shy/has anxiety? thank you!!

Of course! Here it is!~ A headcanon with my favorite teen rapper, Azami! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) I hope that you like it x3

Stay safe and have a great day!❤️

Azami Izumida x Shy!Reader - Headcanon

💄 Some said that Azami would be the shy one in your little relationship, but they were SO WRONG!

💄 I mean yes, holding each other’s hands or kissing? That was at first totally taboo. He would blush, storm off and hide his face in his hands, trying to calm his heartbeat down. But unfortunately, you were in the same situation.

💄 Even thought you two were the sweet little blushy couple, that people often mistook for a couple of tomatoes, you showed your love differently than other couples, like staying always next each other, holding each other’s pinky fingers and so on.

💄 But when you met his family and friends, it was so nerve wracking for you. You hid behind him, refusing to stop holding him as you buried your face into his back, talking quietly into his red ears. “H-Hey, what are you doing there!? (Y/N)! S-S-Stop doing it… They are watching us!”

💄 But after a while you started to talk to them, trying to gain some brave and every time you stuttered and flushed, talking to them, he was so proud of you! Azami would smile at you, holding your hands, so you would start to get calmer.

💄 Whenever you two were alone and you get embarrassed because of your shyness, Azami tried to calm you down and distract you with using some make-up on you, because it suits you and sometimes, he would rap!

💄 All in all, we all know that Azami is an angel, who would always help you no matter what. If you were scared, nervous or upset, he would run to you or ask Ken-san to drive him to your place so he could cheer you up!

[jjuzoir]

Kumon Hyodo Relationship HCS

Request: “Do you do hcs for act 2 characters? If you do can you dating hcs for kumon pls. It's okay if you can't ❤️❤️love your blog ^_^” from anonie

A/N: omg of course^^ thanks for requesting !! i’m literally in love with the act 2 rookies especially kumon he’s so cute i’m !! he’s literally so cute and nice and ahh.... i love him i’d literally die for him ( i’m writing this listening to a lindsey lohan career recap (?) so sorry if this doesn’t make sense lol yeah )

Word Count: 1282

- Realistically, you’re probably his first S/O ever. He’d always been so busy with baseball and Juza, and that’s not even mentioning all the times he’d get sick.

- Kumon never had been able to really look for a s/o, he’d always wanted one - just the thought of being able to have someone next to him all the time he can talk to and love and who’ll praise him gets him all pumped up.

- So when he meets you, he gets a little puppy crush on you. He didn’t think he’d manage to actually date you, he’d just joined the Summer Troupe and he felt the need to prove himself as an actor and member of the company, plus he’d never been lucky with romance.

- He gets shocked when you start reaching out to him and before he realizes you two start hanging out more and more, in a way he’s kind of dense - in his head his feelings for you were one sided and he’d never actually get a chance to act on them - and he never really realizes you might return his feelings until Banri of all people mention it.

- Once he does realize, oh boy - he’s so scared but after encouragement from the rest of the Summer troupe + Azami (who lectured him on what was and wasn’t allowed during dating) he decides he’s gonna give it a shot.

- The day he confessed to you he was blushing furiously to the point you almost called Juza worried he had gotten a fever, but Kumon quickly reassures you everything is fine and that he’s just kind of nervous - something that had immediately caught your interest.

- His hands are all clammy and he thinks he’s never been this nervous and excited ever, but as he sees you staring at him - wondering why he’d called you so suddenly - he decides it’s now or never.

- “[Name]... I- we’ve known each other for some time and I was- I was wondering if you’d like to, uh, go on a date with me?” His normally confident persona seems to have shrunk significantly as he tried finding the rights words to say to you, he could feel his heat bearing out of his rib cage.

- Of course, seeing a guy like him - normally loud and proud - all shy and nervous was endearing, and you couldn’t quite deny the fact you had a crush on him; and so you two start dating.

- “I’d like that a lot too, Kumon!”

- Kumon is just a very physical guy, he likes hugs and cheek kisses, holding pinkies while walking back home after school. He’s just a PDA type of guy, what can he say.

- Whenever he gets down or worried he likes having you there around to hug, to him it’s a reminder that you’re there and you’re not leaving. You don’t even have to say much, just the physical affirmation that you’re there is enough to help him.

- He’s also kind of emotional, he gets carried away easily and he’s not afraid to let you know how he feels about you or things in general.

- He won’t force you into playing baseball, but he loves the idea of you taking an interest in the sport. You don’t have to know much but asking him about it, what certain terms mean, about players and teams you saw on TV; knowing that you’re just trying to engage in something so special to him has him wide eyes with a bright red flush as he explains the basics of a move you saw on yesterday’s match.

- Since he’s like a total health junkie once you two start dating he’s becoming your coach, he’s always asking you about what’s you’d eaten or how much you slept, if you’d gone out for a walk or maybe a run, if you do a sport he’d ask you about your practice or how you’re doing in general in regards to it.

- It’s his way of showing he cares as subtly as a guy like Kumon can.

- Fights or arguments aren’t common, since Kumon tends to be a very good communicator and he’s naturally very empathetic towards those around him - he isn’t weak though and if he deems it something important to him (like acting or Juza) he won’t back down - he thinks finding a compromise is more important than either his or your pride.

- Dates with him feel young and fun, they’re never too complicated like the ones someone like Azuma or Homare might take you out on but they’re just as thoughtful.

- He remembers things you like very well, so if you mention being into something like gardening or art he’d take you to a park with some cool plants he heard about from Tsumugi or a museum with an exhibition Kazunari recommended him.

- To him, once you’re in his life, you become one of the most important people to him alongside Juza. He really values both of your opinions, even on small things like getting a jacket over another.

- It’s kind of essential if you’re dating Kumon to get along with Juza, he’d get really torn if he found out both of you didn’t get along and it’d definitely take a toll on his mental health and it would kinda break his spirit.

- (You getting along with Azami would be a nice plus too, if he’s honest - he cares about those two a lot and seeing three people he loves getting along makes him smile and want to run a few laps around the courtyard.)

- Kumon doesn’t care much about gifts but he’s also the kind to work really hard in figuring out what he’s gonna give you for a birthday or special occasion. He’d probably settle for something like a baseball jacket with the number 9 on it and a matching one for him too, he’d probably ask Yuki and Kazunari to help him design it.

- Oh boy, if anyone says anything negative about you’d he’d go to war.

- He does have his moments of insecurities, he can feel like he’s too much of a pain for others or fear that he might be wasting your time on a guy like him; so while hugs and physical affection can help him, in those moments telling him you love him and that things will be okay tend to work the best.

- “Kumon… you’re doing your best and it’s okay! No one is blaming you, you’re doing more than enough just now, so please - take it easy today, Juza, Azami, and I… not just us, but the troupe too, we all care for you so much,” you could feel smile as you hugged his head to your chest, “it’s okay, Kumon…”

- In return he’d pull away with teary eyes and a blush, from both your words and the worries that had plagued his mind, and smile at you; “Thank you, [Name].”

- He’d probably also be the type to send you text you during the most awkward times, it could be at like 10PM during a school-night asking for help on a chemistry problem or 4AM on a weekend because he had a dream about you.

- Kumon would rather call you over the phone over texting, probably because he likes rambling at you – like, he’d start talking about baseball and the Summer troupe and suddenly he’d start talking about a shop he visited with Azami and then he’d remember an article he’d read about spinach and tomatoes and he’d remember he’d helped Taichi dye his hair red kinda like a tomato.

- Overall, Hyodo Kumon is a puppy in love who loves sharing his passions with you and would literally fight Banri and Sakyo for your honor.

[thistle-whistle-ffxiv]

The Things We Do For Coin Chapter 10

With the Bazaar safe for the time being, Azami and friends return to the city. Only to be sent out immediately, this time to help the stationmaster find a wayward girl.

AO3 Link

Birds had never struck Azami as particularly stinky animals. But then, she hadn't spent much time close enough to birds to notice a smell one way or the other. Usually her contact with creatures of the avian variety was limited to watching them as they flew high overhead. So maybe all birds stank like shit stewed in sweat and broken dreams. 

Shiro's advice to not breathe too deeply had been kinder than she had realized. 

Azami dismounted the horrid creature next to Pink and sent it on its way. The chocobo let out a friendly 'kweh!' before running back towards the Bazaar.

"That was horrible." she said.

"You did pretty good at riding it though!" Pink said, "I was worried you were gonna fall off."

"I have excellent balance, thank you." Azami said, not having shared Pink's concerns ever at any point in her entire life. 

"Rabta, don't you have something you need to do?" Shiro gently prodded Pink, who suddenly stood up very straight.

"Right! I gotta go talk to my guildmasters! I'll meet up with you guys at the Quicksand, okay? I wanna be there when we deliver Kikipu's letter! Don't do it without me!"

"We won't. Get out of here." Azami promised, giving Pink a gentle shove towards the city gates. Pink hustled up the stairs, pausing only long enough at the top to turn around and wave back down at them.

"Don't give Miss Momodi the letter without me!" she reminded them before sprinting off.

"I wonder why she's so fixated on that." Azami mumbled to herself. It seemed like an odd thing to be so fussed over. It would probably be a long and awkward process, if Momodi and Kikipu were as good of friends as they seemed. Momodi might even have an emotion about it. Azami had never been any good at handling that sort of thing. What if she cried? 

"Some people enjoy sentiment." Shiro smirked at her.

"Well, feel free not to wait to deliver the letter on my account." Azami sighed, "I should probably report in to Master Hamon before he sneaks off to the tavern."

"Ah... I've heard... things about that guy." 

"He's... not all bad." Azami paused, wondering for a moment if she truly meant that. He was a lech and a drunk, and had an ego that seemed too large to fit through the door to the guild, but his instruction seemed sound enough. At least as far as Azami could tell. Although inexperienced as she was it wasn't like her opinion on such matters counted for much. 

"Well, I'll wait on the stairs leading up to the Quicksand for Rabta. And you, if you decide to turn up."

"If I feel like it." Azami shrugged, heading up to face her own fate. She hoped Master Hamon wouldn't be cross with her for taking so long to report in. That was probably something she should have considered before taking on so many jobs, but Master Hamon didn't seem the type to care about such things. More than likely he had gone to a tavern and forgotten about the earth sprites entirely.

"So you've given the earth sprites what for? Well done, Azami! By smiting stone and earth, you've forged unyielding weapons of your fists!" Master Hamon beamed at her. For a moment, Azami almost felt proud of herself. Being praised for her hard work wasn't the worst thing in the world. Even if it was a little embarrassing.

"You've a nigh endless fount of vigor, Azami. Aye, just like myself in my younger days." 

And there it was. Master Hamon's ego couldn't let him go too long without talking about his glory days, or else he would crumble into dust. Chuchuko wandered over, clearly wanting to give Azami proper praise.

"You've been showing a lot of promise." she assured Azami, "Even if you are still a bit stage shy."

"Well, of course she's promising- she's training under Hamooooon HOLYFIST!"

Chuchuro giggled at her Master's antics. The two of them seemed awfully close. Perhaps Chuchuta had been studying under him for a long time? Most of the annoying things he said she would shrug off with a laugh and a, "That's our Master Hamon!"

As if sensing Azami's unspoken question, Master Hamon began to explain.

"Chuchuto joined the guild soon after I was made its master. She's my very first student, as a matter of fact. Well, there was one other, to be sure, but..." Master Hamon trailed off, as though whatever he had been about to say was too painful to even think about. Azami almost wanted to ask, but it wasn't any of her business. Who was she, Pink? Hanging around with her really had been affecting Azami, it seemed.

"Let's not dwell on the past, Master. It was Azami's bright future we were discussing." Chuchuto interrupted while Azami tried once more to commit her name to memory, "Which reminds me, did you collect my gil from her? My gear is rather worn down, and I do need the money for repairs..." 

Azami blinked in confusion for a long moment at the question. The gil? It took a moment before she remembered her morning exercises. Before the disastrous attempt to showcase her skills, Master Hamon had sent her on a mission to hunt down small sacks of gil he had stashed around the city for her to find. He said that she had managed to find them all, but neglected to mention who it was that had leant it to him. Azami probably would have worked a little harder if she had known it was Chuchuto who had been footing that particular bill. And returned the money to Chuchuto directly. 

So much had happened since then, Azami had completely forgotten about it. 

"A-Ahem! Yes, Azami's future with us is bright indeed!" Master Hamon quickly changed the subject. Chuchuto did not seem fooled, but shrugged as though there was nothing to be done for it. Judging by the smell of him, Azami assumed it had gone straight into the drink. She couldn't help but feel a little bad for Chuchuto. Master Hamon smiled brightly and continued heedless of the judgmental stares of his two pupils, "If she keeps up her efforts, she may well become the next Holyfist!"

"Will I have to shout my own name at every available opportunity if I do?" Azami asked before she could think better of it. Fortunately for her, Master Hamon let out another one of his croaky laughs. It seemed as though she had not crossed into offensively disrespectful territory. Just playfully so.

"Train hard, young one, and grow strong. When the time's ripe, I'll have another little lesson for you." 

Azami bid her teachers farewell and made her way back to the Quicksand. With any luck, Shiro and Pink would have dealt with delivering the letter without her. That small hope was dashed when she saw Shiro sitting on the stairs leading up to the tavern. She sighed and walked over to join him, taking a seat on a lower step.

"Pink's not here yet." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Not yet." Shiro said, "I've heard the guildmasters over at the Thaumaturgy Guild can be a little wordy, so it might be a few more minutes."

"You don't think she's in trouble for dallying do you?" Azami asked. Not that she cared. She just didn't want to have to listen to Pink whine about it if she were.

"We've still got another few minutes of daylight." Shiro said, looking up at the twilight sky, "I'm sure she made it."

They fell into a somewhat uneasy silence, watching the streets for any sign of their wayward companion. She knew the way back to the Quicksand well enough that Azami didn't think she had gotten lost. But... the streets weren't always safe. And even with her magic, Pink didn't exactly cut an imposing figure. Not to mention how oblivious she was to the world around her most of the time. Anything could have happened to her when she was all alone.

"So how did you and Rabta end up travelling together?" Shiro asked, distracting Azami from her catastrophizing.

"Oh? Uh..." Azami huffed, trying to refocus her thoughts, "See that gate over there?"

"The Gate of Nald, yes."

"Sure. Well, I walked through that gate, and Pink ran over to me and never left."

"Well, thanks for watching out for her." Shiro said.

"I didn't really have another choice."

"Sure you did. You could have gutted her with that knife you keep hidden in your boot."

Azami glanced down to the boot in question. She had thought the small kaiken she had stashed in it had been rather well hidden. It was a simple thing, a plain wooden handle and a blade no longer than her hand. A parting gift from a dear friend, just in case. So small and light and rarely used that Azami had almost forgotten she had it at all. 

"How did you..."

"You'll learn to pick up on these things with more experience."

"I see." 

Shiro let out a soft his, as though he were in pain. Azami turned to look at him. Had he gotten some sort of injury during the fight that he had hidden? He didn't seem to be clutching at any hidden wounds. Instead he just sat there, unmoving. It was difficult to tell with his helmet in the way, but Azami felt as though he weren't really looking at her but through her. It was an uncomfortable sensation.

And just as suddenly as it had started it stopped. Shiro seemed perfectly normal, scanning the street for any sign of his sister.

"Everything alright?" Azami ventured.

"What? Oh, yeah. Just a headache." Shiro said.

"Oh. I have some butterbur root in my bag if you-"

"No, no. It's passed. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure? I really don't mind." Azami fished around in her pack for the roots in question. She had often gone searching for such things back home once the days work was finished. Willow bark and butterbur root. Dong quai and honeysuckle. Small things that the older folks in the village needed to ease the pains in their joints or treat fevers. It earned her a little extra money or a jar of Granny Kaede's pickled radishes if she was really lucky.

"Look, it's fine." Shiro said, even as Azami shoved the small bundle of roots into his hand.

"Just take it, alright? Carrying it around is inconvenient anyway. You're doing me a favor."

"Keep your stupid root! You're so stubborn!"

"You're one to talk. Just fucking take it or I'll sic Pink on you about it."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

They glared at each other for a long moment before Shiro finally relented. He shrugged as though he weren't especially bothered by this turn of events at all, even though he lost.

"What am I supposed to do with this anyway?" he asked.

"Usually you grind it into a powder, but I've seen some of the elders in my village chew it in a pinch."

"Well, thank you."

The silence returned, Azami shifted back to watch the street. She found herself suddenly hyper-aware of the blade she had thought well hidden pressing against her scales. It carried with it a nostalgic feeling. It missed those days in the bamboo thicket as much as she did. When her biggest concerns had been sneaking back before her father had noticed her missing and the next day's chores, not doing battle with thugs hired by people who wanted a second or third mansion and poorly hidden blades.

Was it just that Shiro was exceptionally observant, or was it that Azami wasn't half as clever as she thought she was? If she had ever noticed it, Pink had never said anything. But that was hardly a reliable indicator one way or the other. How many people had noticed it? It wasn't as though it would be strange to be armed in a place like this. Half the people who passed in and out of the Quicksand wore some sort of weapon on their belts. And more than a few probably kept one or two stashed away. 

It was fine. Everything was fine. Nobody thought she was strange, because what she was doing was completely normal.

"Do you know how to use it?" Shiro asked after a long pause.

"Yeah I just told you. Do you need me to help you grind it up or something?" Azami asked. She hadn't considered that when she had foisted the roots upon him. Well, it wasn't especially difficult. Azami was sure she could find something they could use if they really needed to.

"No, I mean the knife in your boot."

"As I understand it, they aren't terribly complicated to operate." 

"You know what I'm asking."

Azami sighed, "I'm no trained shinobi, but I can hold my own if it comes down to it."

"Mhig! Azami! Did you do it? Did you do it?" A blur of Pink and enthusiasm came charging over to where they had been waiting on the stairs. It seemed any further discussion would need to wait.

"No. We were waiting for you." Azami assured her, "Just as we said we would."

Pink cheered and did a little twirl before throwing herself up the steps three at a time. She bounced impatiently at the top for a single heartbeat before bounding in without them.

"I guess she wants to do it now." Shiro shrugged, pushing himself up to his feet. He held an armored hand out for Azami to take. Azami huffed. She was perfectly capable of standing on her own. Which she did. Using the railing and her own power. The helmet hid his expression, but somehow Azami thought Shiro was smirking at her.

Begrudgingly, she followed him into the tavern just in time to hear Pink's voice.

"Miss Momodi! Miss Momodi! We have a present for you!" 

"What's all this, then? You got somethin' for me?" the woman in question asked from behind her bar. Shiro retrieved the letter they had been given and handed it over. 

"Hm? A letter? Now who would think to- Kikipu! Haven't heard a word from that ol' gal in ages! How's the dear doin'?"

"Better now. We hope." Shiro said. 

Momodi tore the letter open and began to read. Occasionally she would let out a Mmm-hmm or a small laugh. Once she finished she beamed up at the three of them, "That's Kikipu, all right. Time was I used to call in at the Silver Bazaar quite often. This was back when it was still the busiest hub in Thanalan, mind you. Ol' Kikipu and I used to stay up till dawn talkin' 'bout... well, whatever girls do." 

"What do girls talk about?" Shiro asked.

"Sweets." Azami said.

"Knives." Pink nodded sagely.

"Good to know."

Momodi flashed them a good natured smile before continuing, "Kikipu's the very heart and soul of that place. Hells, even most folk here in the city still remember her name. Breaks my bloody heart to hear her and them good folk were nearly forced from their land. Dirty business, that."

"Ah. That reminds me. We apparently have a new enemy for life." Azami pointed out.

"Who, Kenrick? I'm not to the point of worryin' just yet." Momodi assured her. Azami nodded. Momodi knew the people around her better than Azami ever would. It made sense to defer to her judgement rather than panic about what might or might not be. 

"I'd wager gil to goobbue poop the Silver Bazaar'll be rallyin' back to its former glory 'fore long. In any case, I thank the Twelve you were there to help them." Momodi continued, she reached under the bar to pull out a small sack of gil. She slid it over to Shiro, "Here, for you- on behalf of Kikipu and the Bazaar."

"Thank you." Shiro said. He tossed the sack to Azami who caught it with startled hands. She shoved it into her pocket. They would divide their earnings properly later. Doing it right in front of Momodi seemed like it would be bad form.

"So, what's the plan now?" Azami asked. 

"I'm pretty sleepy after all the adventuring we did today. We should probably head back to the alley if we want to find a good spot to sleep." Pink suggested. 

"Actually, if you aren't too tired, I have a rather urgent request that just came in." Momodi interrupted. Azami took stock of herself. She was also tired after her long day at the Bazaar, and finding a nice warm spot to huddle in the bitter cold of the desert night was a priority. But-

"If it pays I'm interested." she said.

"Go down to the Dispatch Yard and talk to a bloke named Papashan. He'll fill you in on the particulars once you get there." Momodi said. Azami frowned. She hadn't heard of the Dispatch Yard before. There hadn't seemed to be anything like that in the Western territories they had spent the day exploring. Momodi continued seeming to understand Azami's concern, "The Dispatch Yard's over in central Thanalan, just head out the door across the hall and you'll see the Gate of Nald staring right back at you. Pass through that and head east. You'll come upon it 'fore long."

"Thank you." Azami said. She turned on her heel and made to leave before Momodi's voice stopped her once more.

"There's dangers beyond the wall, though. More than I'd care ot count. Nothin' too terrible, mind you, but feisty enough to attack you if you draw near. Don't say nobody cared enough to warn you."

"I'll be careful." Azami promised.

"And we'll go too!" Pink said, latching on to Azami's arm. 

"Weren't you just talking about how tired you are?" Azami sighed.

"We're always awake enough to go to the Dispatch Yard." Shiro said, clapping Azami on the back as he passed her by.

"Why? Is something exciting there?" Azami asked, dragging Pink along with her.

"Not a thing."

"I see."

Azami stepped through the Gates of Nald for the first time since she had passed through them that first day in Ul'dah. Somehow, despite it only having passed through it a short time ago, Azami felt as though the scenery was entirely new to her. Perhaps she hadn't been paying as much attention to her surroundings as she had thought back then.

In the distance, she spotted a massive tree. The trunk was easily larger than most of the houses in her village. How did it survive in the harsh desert climate? Azami pointed to it and looked at Pink.

"That's the Sultantree!" Pink supplied helpfully, "It's a really special place for the royal family! You can tell because it's named after them."

"There are all sorts of legends about it. If you're interested I can tell you some once we've finished our errands at the Dispatch yard." Shiro offered.

"That... sounds like fun." Azami hoped she sounded convincing. 

Shiro led the way to the Dispatch Yard. Apparently he had been by once or twice. As they approached, they saw an elderly lalafellen man on the platform pouring over a map and looking as though the sky would fall down upon him at any moment. Clearly, this was the man they had been sent to see. Azami gave Pink a little shove towards him. Astoundingly, Pink took the hint.

"Hello!" she shouted, bounding up to the lalafell who looked like he was twelve seconds away from being flattened by the weight of his own anxiety, "My name's U'rabta! We're looking for Mister Papashan!"

"Well, you've found him." the elderly lalafell said, a bemused smile not quite making it to his eyes. It was understandable. Pink could be rather a lot. He continued, "You lot certainly look the part of adventurers, my friends. Might you be the good souls Momodi advised me to expect, hm?"

"That's us!" Pink said, "I'm U'rabta! That's my big brother U'mhig! And that's our friend Azami!"

"I am Papashan, stationmaster of this humble Dispatch Yard."

"Wow! You're in charge of the whole station yard? That's amazing! Is it fun? Is it hard? I bet it's a real hard job!"

"An empty title, I assure you. I truly am no more than a tired old lalafell passing his final years in quiet and solitude." Papashan cut in, disrupting Pink's babbling, "Twelve know there have been plenty of both these last five years since the Calamity struck. The devastation... was vast. Yet now true Ul'dahns work together, doing all in our power to rebuild what was laid to ruin. By the sweat of our brows and the love of our home, we have rebuilt Ul'dah to the grandeur and majesty that you see today. The railways which run through this Dispatch Yard, too, were born of the noble efforts of a great many souls. But there is still much work to be done. The wounds left by the Calamity run deep. Isolated areas beyond our lines of supply remain, and there are places yet wanting for relief and restoration. Ul'dah needs the aid of you and your bretheren, friend. In fact, never has our need been more dire."

"You are really trying to sell us on whatever this mystery job of yours is, huh?" Azami said. She had had more than enough long speeches about the power of togetherness for one day. For a lifetime, if she were being honest with herself. Where did these people find the time to write them? Or were they all improvised in the moment?

"My apologies. Let me get to the point, then. I do believe I may have some work suited to one of your ability." Papashan smiled at her. A more genuine smile, it seemed. Azami didn't think she had said anything particularly amusing, but if that was what it took to get the ball rolling on their mystery assignment.

"It just so happens a number of sentries have been sent to guard the area. A dispatch to the Dispatch Yard, as it were." Papashan explained, "They have long been away from the shade and featherbeds of the city. The hot days and cold nights can play hells on the mind and body out here. It isn't much, but go and give them these twilight pretzels, would you? I find comfort food always helps when I feel like killing myself."

"So you called for adventurers to help deliver snacks?" Pink asked. 

"Well, they are many, and I cannot risk leaving my post long enough to do it myself. I apologize if-"

"As long as you're paying me I don't care what menial tasks you need me to complete. Whereabouts are these sentries?"

"There are three who have not yet returned from their patrols." Papashan said, gesturing towards a small map of Thanalan he had stretched out on a table. He pointed at three spots, "Their patrols are in these areas here."

"I see. Three of them, three of us. I'll take this guy." Azami said, picking one of the spots at random.

"Then I want this one!" Pink said, pointing to another. 

"I guess that leaves me with him." Shiro said. Having picked their destinations, the three quickly split up. 

Azami looked around her area carefully, trying not to get too distracted by the strange new greenery that she saw growing all around. Azami had been under the impression that deserts were desolate places, with very few plants. But Thanalan seemed to be mostly teeming with all sorts of strange plants. Azami wondered if any of them could be used for medicinal purposes? If they could, Azami could probably earn a little extra money gathering some for older folks like she had been able to back home. But now wasn't the time to think about such things.

Her gaze lifted skyward, and she spotted a man in a white and blue uniform that she had seen in Ul'dah at the top of a cliff. She recognized the uniform as that of the sultansworn. But what business did they have out in the desert? Azami usually saw Sultansworn guarding the palace. Perhaps some sort of noble was going to be passing through the area? It probably had something to do with that fancy party Azami had been hearing so much about.

Azami followed the edge of the cliff as it sloped gently downwards. Eventually she was able to climb up onto it herself, and began her approach. She barely got within three yalms of the man before he rounded on her sword in hand. In a loud voice he commanded her, "Halt! Madam, I'm going to have to ask you to put the basket on the ground and place your hands above your head!"

Azami shrugged and complied. While he was actively threatening her with a sword, Azami didn't think that this man was actually planning on hurting her. Instead, she thought that maybe he was just hoping she would be frightened off so he could return to whatever it was he was looking for. What a weird day she was having.

"State your name and business!"

"Azami and delivery. From Papashan. He asked me to bring you some pretzels." 

"A twilight pretzels from Papashan? By the gods, forgive me! You could say this new post has my nerves in a... twist." The tension seemed to leave the man as he returned his sword to its sheath. Azami wasn't sure whether to laugh or groan at his dumb joke. 

"May I put my hands down?" she asked.

"Yes... of course. I'm... I'm terribly sorry for that. Ahem, yes, well, you may rest assured that the Dispatch Yard is safe so long as I stand watch." the sultansworn said, "Please give Papashan my thanks, and tell him that I only wish I could repay the favor..."

"Well, I'm sure you'll have ample opportunity." Azami said, turning her back on the man. She headed back to the camp. As she approached she noticed Pink and Shiro had already returned. She jogged over to join them.

"You've returned- and with a deal fewer pretzels, I see!" Papashan beamed at them, his gaze full of a hope that Azami couldn't help but feel they were about to dash, "Tell me, how fare our Sultansworn sentries? Did they have anything to report, anything at all?"

"Nothing from mine." Azami admitted.

"Me either!" Pink announced. Shiro shook his head as well.

"What? Nothing? Are you sure? I... oh, oh dear." the old man was beginning to fret. He reminded Azami of a woman in her village long ago. A time that Azami would rather forget. She watched as Papashan took a breath and collected himself. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few coins to hand to each of them, "Take this for your troubles, then. And stay a moment- there is more I would ask of you."

Pink and Shiro shoved their coins into Azami's hands. She sighed and slipped them into the pouch Momodi had given them earlier. It seemed that somehow Azami had been made their little party's treasurer. Well, she was the one who was the most concerned with it. The job may as well fall to her.

"I have just this moment- No! No, the time for concealment is past! The truth is, even before I had you deliver the pretzels, I was privy to some most unsettling news!" Papashan said, "Which is the real reason I sent you to meet those Sultansworn. A young noblewoman from a very prestigious family has run away from home, and I have been ordered to see her safe return. The Sultansworn you met earlier are assisting with the search. Alas, it seems they have found no trace of her."

"Oh no! That sounds terrible!" Pink said.

"How long ago did she go missing?" Shiro asked, "Do you have any idea where she might be headed?"

Clearly worry had destroyed Papashan's ability to reason. Why would he trust three random adventurers with such knowledge? Any one of them could decide to use it for nefarious means. Ransoming a noble brat could earn them a lot of money. It was a terrible risk he was taking with them, but it seemed as though he had little other choice. Azami couldn't help but pity him.

"I apologize for not being frank with you from the start, but we must proceed with caution- should word of her disappearance spread, I fear others with less honorable motives may join the hunt." Papashan admitted. Well, at least he understood the position he was in.

"We know the sentries have found no sign of her," Azami said, gesturing towards the map, "Pink you try looking in this area, Shiro can you take over here? I'll look in this area. Meet back here in two bells."

"Sounds good to me." Shiro had barely finished speaking before Pink had started sprinting off towards her assigned area. 

"Praise the Twelve. I knew I could count on you!" Papashan called after her. Shiro tilted his head at Azami when he noticed she hadn't also sprung right into action.

"It might be prudent to get a physical description of our missing noble before running off?" she suggested.

"That is... a fair point." Shiro said.

"Oh, yes. Of course. She's a young lalafellen woman by the name of Lady Lilira. Pink of hair, about this tall. I'm told that she borrowed clothes from one of the family servants before sneaking out." 

"Well at least she isn't making herself too obvious." Shiro said, "Although that means she might be trying to hide. Do you know of any reason she might have run off? Trouble at home? Being forced into a convenient marriage that she doesn't want? That sort of thing?"

"No, no. Nothing like that." Papashan assured him. 

"Can you go after Pink and tell her what Papashan told us?" Azami asked. Shiro tilted his head once more, but chose not to ask the question that clearly burned at him.

"I'll be right behind you, alright?" She promised. Shiro seemed to take that as an answer for now, but somehow Azami felt he would press the issue once this Lilira girl was safely in her mansion. Azami watched him until she was certain he was out of earshot.

"Please. Should we allow her to come to any harm, not even a hundred beheadings would be punishment enough... This cannot happen, Azami. It must not!" It was embarrassing to watch the man plead. Azami took a breath and decided to put him out of both of their misery.

"I'm about to ask a question that's going to seem a little odd." she said, "And... I'm going to need you to promise that you won't speak to anyone of this conversation. Can you swear that?"

Papashan looked at her for a long moment, considering. Wondering what it could possibly be that she was about to ask, no doubt. Finally he said, "I'm afraid that I don't understand what you mean."

"I mean that this is life or death. Not a soul can know about this conversation you and I are having right now. Can you promise me that?" Azami tried to will him to understand the importance of her request. If it weren't kept secret... How many times would Azami repeat her mistakes before she learned?

"I swear it." Papashan assured her. Azami chose to believe him. He was, after all, in as difficult a position as she was.

"Do you have an object belonging to this Lilira?" she asked, "It can be anything. A sock, hair ribbon. Anything that she considers to be hers?"

"What..." Papashan seemed to be at a loss.

"I know how it sounds, but I can use it to find her. So long as it considers itself to be hers." Azami tried her best to explain, but somehow her explanations never felt like they were enough. But she had said too much already. If she was wrong about this man...

"I don't understand, but... Will this do?" Papashan asked, holding up a small square of silk, "It is a handkerchief that she once gave to me."

Azami slipped her hand free from her glove and took the kerchief. The link was weak, but Azami thought she might be able to trace it if she focused. She shut her eyes, tried to shut out the world and focus on Lilira. She saw it, distant and hazy, but present. To the south. If she focused just a little bit harder... she could almost make out some rock formations. Lilira was heading towards that big tree. There was a desperation in her steps. 

"This never happened." Azami reminded him, handkerchief still clutched in her fist as she ran off to follow the tether.

The closer she got the stronger her connection felt. It had been a long time since she had used her gift in this way. Not since... Azami shook her head. She couldn't think about that right now. Papashan needed her to find Lilira. In the distance, Azami spotted one of the rock formations she had watched Lilira stomp past. She was going in the right direction. It wouldn't be much longer before she spotted her.

Just up the hill, barely a quarter of a malm away now. Azami spotted the young woman dressed in a frumpy pink robe not unlike those she saw some of the trainees over at the Thaumaturgey Guild and a pink turban. That was the girl, Azami knew her as well as she knew her own face at this point. She slipped her hand back into her glove, and jogged after the girl. Closing the distance quickly, even as the girl turned in fright at the stranger running up to her.

"You have caused a lot of trouble, young lady." Azami scolded the girl almost out of reflex as she got closer, "Do you have any idea how worried Papashan is right now? The poor old man is beside himself."

"I-I don't... I..." the girl sputtered, clearly not used to being given the scoldings that she so richly deserves. Azami sighed, recentering herself. Perhaps she had spent too long with the tether. Some of Papashan's anxiety must have crept in while she was searching. That was probably it. "How dare you speak to me thus?"

"Oh, I think you'll find that I'm just very daring." Azami said, "Especially when it comes to spoilt little brats who leave with nary a word to those who care about them and walk off into the desert."

"Sp-spoilt?"

"Yes. Spoilt. And inconsiderate! Do you really not know how much trouble you've caused? The Sultansworn are at their wits end. And Papashan has been reduced to calling in random adventurers to come help. Most of us were hoping to get a chance to eat dinner or sleep tonight, but instead we're out here searching for your dumbass."

"I... I am sorry. I never intended to cause such trouble." the girl said, looking appropriately contrite. 

"Whatever." Azami huffed, walking past the girl towards the tree, "The sooner we finish up here the sooner we can get you back."

"What?"

"You needed to go to the Sultantree, didn't you?"

"Yes, but..."

"Well, we can go do it now, or I can throw you over my shoulder and haul your ass back to Papashan like a sack of popotos, and you can sneak out and try it again tomorrow. Which is it gonna be?"

"I... Thank you. I shan't be long." the girl promised. Azami nodded and they began to head towards the tree together. There didn't seem to be anything in the immediate area that Azami was particularly concerned about. The marmots and hornets seemed to mostly be leaving them alone. But still there was an uncomfortable feeling in the air. A kind of tickle in the back of her throat.

"A word of advice?" Azami decided to try and make conversation, if only to take her mind off the odd feeling just under her skin, "If you're going to pretend to be a common person you should try not going into public wearing earrings that look like they're worth more money than a regular working family would make in an entire year."

The girl's hands reflexively went up to the gems in question. Glittering diamonds dangling from ornately carved cuffs. She quickly removed the offending jewelry, "I hadn't realized I still had them in."

"No, I imagine not." Azami said, "So what brings you out here?"

"I can't say." Lilira answered. Azami shrugged.

"It's not like they're paying me enough to care." she admitted, "Shiro's got this mad idea that you're being forced into some loveless marriage and are running away to marry your true love. Or some shit."

Lilira giggled, "And what, pray tell, was your theory?"

"Didn't really have one." Azami admitted, "Like I said. I'm not being paid enough to care."

"I see. Have you been in Ul'dah long?"

"Couple days now."

"You speak of money as if you had been born here."

"I get that a lot." Azami admitted. The sultantree grew ever larger as they approached, looming over them in a way that wasn't wholly uncomfortable. Even if something still tickled just under Azami's skin and set her teeth on edge, "So what's with the tree? Is it some sort of kami or...?"

"Kami?" the girl tilted her head at the unfamiliar word.

"Oh... right. You worship The Twelve here. Kami are... like that. But also not at all." Azami tried to explain, "I'm not really sure how to explain it."

"I'm not certain if it is a kami." Lilira said, "But... It is very important to Ul'dah. The sultanate, in particular."

"Yes, I can tell because it's named after them."

Lilira gave her a disapproving frown, but continued nonetheless, "The souls of previous sultans and sultanas are said to reside in the tree, so that they may ever watch over their beloved city."

"Is that why it has grown so large?"

"According to the legends."

"And you are here to ask for their help? For reasons you're not allowed to tell me?"

"Yes. Now, kindly go keep watch over there while I pray."

Azami nodded and stood quietly to the side, keeping her eyes out for any monsters, or any sign of her fellow searchers. 

"O Sultantree..." Lilira's voice wavered. She took a breath and tried again, "O Sultantree, hallowed spirit of my line, forgive my weakness. My failings have cost us dear..."

Azami was suddenly assaulted by the feeling of unseen eyes on her. Reflexively, she moved to hide Lilira from view, placing herself between her client and whatever stranger had come. Lilira had sensed it too, and stopped her prayers. She stood and in a more commanding tone than a little brat like her had any right to use said, "Show yourself!"

"As you command, O Lilira." a hyur with white hair and strange markings on his neck stepped into view. He was clad in black, and quite a bit taller than Azami was. He more or less ignored her, keeping his attention on the young noblewoman behind her, "Forgive my selfish desire to assure your welfare."

"Friend of yours?" Azami asked, eying the man warily. He held a sword at his hip, but his movements looked incongruous with a blade that size. He seemed more similar to a shinobi than a gladiator. His apparent talent for hiding his presence didn't help matters. Azami had the feeling that she hadn't noticed him until the exact moment he had wanted to be noticed. Just how long had he been watching them?

"Hardly." Lilira scoffed. The man took a moment to look affronted.

"I think you've gone and hurt his wee little feelings." Azami said.

"You really are just a bitch to everyone you meet, huh?" Lilira asked. Now it was Azami's turn to look affronted. She clasped a hand to her chest as though Lilira's insult had struck her right in the heart.

"And now you've gone and hurt mine."

"Quiet you." Lilira hissed. She turned her attention back to the interloper. Using her spoilt little noble voice she tried to shoo him off, "I don't recall requesting an escort! Simply pretend we never met and continue on your way."

"We both know I can do no such thing. It isn't safe for you here alone."

"Hey." Azami huffed. She was standing right there.

"It isn't safe for anyone- not with this aetheric disturbance... It's as though the dead are watching us... And I'd prefer not to join them, if it's all the same to you." 

Loathe as she was to admit it, he wasn't wrong. The gross feeling in the air had only been intensifying. Azami decided that this stranger probably wasn't planning on stabbing her the moment she turned back, so she turned to face Lilira, "He's right. Something is wrong. Finish quickly and let's get back."

"Fine. Just give me a moment." Lilira said, kneeling back down before the tree. Azami took her place once more, this time joined by an irritating stranger.

"Ah, you must be the one Papashan mentioned. Congratulations on finding our elusive young charge." He said. Azami mostly ignored him as he continued rambling, "You'll have to forgive Her Impetuousness. What she lacks in discipline, she makes up for in stubbornness. You should return with us. The stationmaster will be eager to thank Lady Lilira's protector in person."

"With 'us', huh." Azami said, "I don't recall inviting you along."

"You wound me, madam." 

"Azami."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I don't know if I have that sort of authority, but I'll be sure to put in a good word for you." Azami flashed a harsh glare his way, "My name. It's Azami. Don't fucking call me madam."

"My... apologies." the stranger said, clearly uncertain how to proceed with the conversation.

He was saved from any further awkwardness by the sound of heavy wings overhead. The creature they belonged to was unlike any bird Azami had ever seen. It was humanoid, with long spindly limbs and a wickedly pointed beak. Thick black scales coated the thing's hide like armored plating. Azami wondered if she would be able to punch her way through it? Or would she simply break her hands in the attempt?

Well, no matter. She would simply figure something out.

"Alas, it seems proper introductions will have to wait." the man said, stepping forward and drawing his blade, "Dear Lilira, for my sake please stay out of harm's way. As for you, dear friend- for Lilira's sake- please stay in harm's way!"

Azami took a moment to make sure Lilira had hidden herself among the thick roots of the Sultantree before joining the fray. As she feared, her fists didn't seem to so much as bother the creature. It raked its claws in her direction. Azami jumped back, just out of its reach. Her new companion didn't seem to be faring any better, his blade bouncing harmlessly off of its armored scales.

"This isn't working." Azami huffed.

"I'll hold it's attention. Take Lilira and run back to the station." the man said.

"Sure. Just one small problem with that." Azami said, "There are more approaching from the west."

"Lovely, it brought friends!" the man growled as he ducked under a brutal swing of the creature's claws, "Leave the big one to me! You handle the rest!"

"On it!" Azami said, wondering if the smaller ones would be any easier for her to damage. She charged forwards, ramming her shoulder into the first one. It squawked as she made contact. The creature landed hard on the ground. Azami didn't think it would stay down, but she was already busy dealing with its friends, ducking under one claw and talon to drive her fist into where she assumed its vital organs might be. Azami felt the scales give under the force of her blow. 

"No!" a shockingly familiar voice called out. Azami scarcely had time to turn before she heard wood shatter and Pink cry out in pain. Azami threw herself in Pink's direction, fully tackling the creature that had harmed her. She landed on top of the damned thing, holding it fast to the ground by its throat as she savagely beat it with her other fist. She didn't stop until she heard a sickening crack, and the creature fell limp beneath her. 

"Rabta, are you alright?" Shiro asked. Azami noticed the other creature she had been fighting laying dead behind him. The ruined remains of the cheap wooden shield lay scattered on the ground, red blood soaking into the sand.

"I'm alright." Pink said through gritted teeth. Azami looked at the wound, and saw a white flash of bone from under her tattered flesh.

"There's more coming." She informed Shiro.

"Fine. I'll hold them off. Get Rabta somewhere safe." He said, taking a position between them and the creatures. Azami helped Pink to her feet, all but carrying the girl back towards the sultantree. She noticed that the stranger's battle with the creature seemed to be at a standstill, but he was already beginning to slow. If it went on much longer he would miss a step and...

Azami couldn't think about that just then. First she needed to treat Pink's wounds.

Once they were safely under the roots of the Sultantree, Azami set Pink down. The girl was trying her best to put on a brave face, but Azami could tell she was only barely holding back tears. Azami pulled an old shirt from her pack, using it as a makeshift bandage to try and staunch the bleeding.

"Do you have any more of those potions?" she asked. Pink shook her head. Azami scoffed, "Bet you regret wasting that one on me now."

"It wasn't a waste." Pink squeaked out. Her genuine and inexplicable affection for Azami never ceased to confuse and irritate her.

"You're so annoying." she huffed, "Lilira come hold pressure on this wound."

"What? I- I can't-" the girl looked frazzled, almost as if she had never seen a wound up close before. Perhaps she hadn't. 

"Lilira look at me." Azami commanded. Once she had the girl's attention, "You can do this. Just hold the pressure."

"I can do this." The girl repeated. And for an instant, Azami almost thought she believed it. With a shaky nod, the girl placed her trembling hands where Azami showed her. Azami reached into her boot and retrieved the kaiken that she had hidden there. It wasn't much, but perhaps it would be enough to pierce through these things scales. She stood to rejoin the fight. Shiro and that annoying stranger were going to need the help. 

"Hold it just like that until we get back." Azami told Lilira.

"Wait." Pink said, "I saw that creature in one of the books my guildmasters asked me to read. It's... going to keep calling more until you kill the big one."

"Right. Any idea how to do that?" 

"The armor is weakest near the wings."

"Got it. Stay out of trouble until I get back." 

Azami rushed back into the fray. Several of the creatures were swarming Shiro now, but he didn't seem to be terribly injured. Between his shield and his armor, their claws seemed unable to find their mark. But even that wouldn't hold out forever. Azami was going to need to finish things now. Luckily, the stranger had managed to turn the creature just so that its back was exposed to Azami. She took a running leap, grabbing onto one of its wings with one hand, Azami wrapped her legs tightly around the creature so it wouldn't throw her off as she stabbed her blade into the joint where its wing met its back. 

The creature let out an unholy shriek of pain and rage and tried to swipe at her. Azami ignored the pain as its claws raked glancing blows against her legs. Nothing so bad as what Pink was enduring, Azami was certain. She grit her teeth and persisted. Pulling the blade free from its flesh only to drive it back in. Over and over. The stabs got progressively meatier sounding until with a sickening tear, the wing came free. Azami toppled to the ground with it. 

She quickly scrambled to her knees, readying her knife for a go at the other wing, but the creature lay still, its harsh gurgling breaths slowing to a stop even as it tried weakly to claw at her once more. Azami's own breaths were harsh and ragged. She watched it for what felt like an eternity before she was satisfied that it wouldn't rise once more.

"Shit." She swore, turning her attention back to Shiro. He was still surrounded by the creatures. Five or six of them. Azami was far too frazzled to count. She hurled herself back into the fray, their strange new ally right at her heels. He might have made some sort of smartass comment, but all Azami could hear was the sound of her own heart pounding as she took down the closest creature. 

Something burning hot shot past Azami, the heat of one of Pink's fireballs almost comforting as it slammed into another one of the creatures.

"Lay back down, you idiot!" Azami shouted back to her. Stupid girl was only going to make her wounds worse that way. But fire continued to rain down on the creatures from afar, regardless of Azami's protests.

Between the four of them the battle was ended swiftly. Once the final creature breathed its last, Shiro rushed past Azami to check on Pink. Azami wiped the viscous black fluid that seemed to be the creatures’ blood on her sleeve before tucking her kaiken back into her boot.

"Are you alright?" The stranger asked. Azami took a moment to take stock of herself. There were cuts down her shins where the big one had caught her in its flailing attempts to get her off of its back, but they were shallow. Nothing a few bandages and a good night's rest wouldn't fix. Otherwise, she seemed mostly unharmed.

"Fine." she answered.

Thanks to Pink. Something dark and terrible stabbed at Azami's heart. It was her fault. She had gotten careless and now Pink was in so much pain. It had cut her straight to the bone. Who knew what kind of damage that would do to her arm? Would she ever be able to hold a shield again? Even if the wound itself and the bleeding didn't kill her, there were still infections. They lived in a dirty alleyway. Hardly the most sanitary place to nurse a wound. What if it got gangrenous? What if Pink bled out before they could get her to a proper healer? 

This was all Azami’s fault.

"Let's go check on her." the stranger said, gently guiding Azami to where she had left Lilira to tend to Pink. His smile was gentle and knowing, like he understood exactly what she was thinking. Azami didn't even have the energy to be mad at him for it. Instead she nodded and followed along.

As they passed by the corpse of the big one, something odd caught Azami's eye. A strange blue crystal was laying in the pool of black blood leaking from the creature. The faces were smooth and shining, and it certainly hadn't been there moments ago. Azami wasn't sure why, but something about it seemed familiar. Like a part of herself that she hadn't realized was missing.

Azami stopped to examine it further. The stranger kept walking without her, but Azami didn't care about him just then. She reached out to pick the crystal up. 

As soon as her fingers brushed the surface she was somewhere else. In a void, similar to the one that she sometimes visited in her dreams. Beneath her feet was a strange sigil, with several empty circles surrounding her. The blue crystal in her hands flashed, and took its place in one of the empty circles. In the distance Azami could hear that familiar voice.

"Hear... feel... think..."

For once the voice deigned to show itself. A massive blue crystal floating in the distance. Somehow Azami knew that that was what was speaking. It was no stranger than anything else in the void she found herself in, she supposed.

"Crystal bearer. I am Hydaelyn. All made one." it said.

"Cool for you." Azami did not have time for this nonsense, "What the hell is going on?"

"A Light there once was that shone throughout this realm... yet it hath since grown dim. And as it hath faltered, so hath Darkness risen up in its stead, presaging an end to Life. For the sake of all, I beseech thee. Deliver us from this fate!" 

"And what do you expect me to do about it? I could barely take one of those flying things just now." 

"The power to banish the Darkness dwellest in the Crystals of Light. Journey forth and lay claim to them. By thy deeds, shall the crystals reveal themselves to thee. Only believe, for the Light liveth in thy heart."

"You've got the wrong girl! I'm not... Pick somebody else!"

Azami saw others, dozens of others. People floating freely around the crystal. They seemed to be having a much better time than Azami. Any one of them could have been the hero Hydaelyn wanted. Why did she think Azami would be better suited for the task? Azami was the last person who wanted to be a hero. All she wanted was to get the money she needed and go home!

"Go now, my child, and shine thy Light on all creation."

"No! I’m not a hero! You have to pick somebody else!" 

But her protests fell on deaf ears.

[izumi-fanclub]

A3! Translation: Haruto SSR Card “Ice Kingdom” [The Story of Haruto Asuka]

The story of Haruto Asuka, is also the story of Genta Yamada.

Shift

I’m starvinnngg!

Haruto-san, let’s go eat some croquette udon.

Haruto

Go invite Izumida or something.

Shift

Nah, Azami and everyone else are probably eating at the dorms right about now.

Haruto

Then you should go eat at home too. The play’s just around the corner, so I’m gonna head straight home to relax.

Shift

If that’s the case, why don’t we just eat at a restaurant on the way home? And I wanna talk about our play while we’re at it!

Haruto

….. Sigh. I’m going home the moment I finish my food.

Clerk

An order of croquette udon and kitsune udon!

Shift

Eh!? Haruto-san, you didn’t get the croquette udon!?

Haruto

This place has more than one thing on the menu. What makes you think I’ll automatically order croquette udon like you?

Shift

We ate it together the other day.

Haruto

That was the other day. It doesn’t matter now since I want to eat something different.

Shift

Croquette udon is the best thooough~

Haruto

Do you love it that much? Let’s eat it already.

Shift

Let’s dig in then.

That reminds me, I feel like Gilbert should move more in his first scene.

Haruto

You’re right. Reni-san mentioned it too.

And, about that last scene of the first act――

Shift

Thanks for the meal!

Haa, I’m so full. Croquette udon really is the best.

Haruto

The kitsune udon was pretty good too.

Shift

Right? Everything they serve here is delicious. I knew Haruto-san would like it here too.

Haruto

You only eat the croquette udon here.

Shift

Obviously, croquette udon is the superior choice, but I’ve heard the side dishes are good too.

On the plus side, the atmosphere is really relaxing.

Haruto

What about your image as the Top Actor in GOD Troupe? Settling down in an udon shop ain’t it.

(It is calming, though...)

Shift

When I came here with Kumon before, I figured it was nice to come here with my friends.

Haruto-san, you should bring someone with you next time.

Haruto

No, I don’t really have any friends over here that I can go out to eat udon with....

   (Part 2)

Haruto

Sakochin! *

Morisako

Gen-chan, long time no see!

Haruto

Sakochin, you haven’t changed at all.

Morisako

On the other hand, you’ve changed so much, Gen-chan!

Your performance was really cool!

I cried during the second half of Cain’s arc! Gen-chan, you’re amazing! You made your dream come true!

Haruto

Shhh! Sorry, there might still be some fans around here...

Morisako

Ah! Right, right! Sorry bout that.

Haruto

Sakochin, are you free after this? Do you wanna grab some dinner together?

Morisako

Eh, come on Gen-chan, you must be tired.

Haruto

It’s my day off tomorrow.

Morisako

Really? Okay, then let’s go!

Haruto

Is there any food you’re craving?

Morisako

I haven’t been to Tokyo since my last school trip, so I can’t think of any good places, I’ll definitely stick out like a sore thumb in a classy restaurant too.

Haruto

Sakochin, you really haven’t changed a bit.

Restaurants around here probably still have fans from the play. Let’s go somewhere where I’m sure there won’t be any fans to disturb us.

I know a place that’s calm and will make you feel at home.

Morisako

Gen-chan, you sure know a lot. Such a city person.

Haruto

Not at all, I made an effort to look stylish, but I’m still the same old me on the inside.

Sometimes, my Kansai dialect even comes out on accident.

Morisako

I see, that’s a relief to hear at least.

   (Part 3)

Haruto

It’s an udon shop, but the food here is pretty good.

Morisako

Heh~, really? I’m looking forward to it then.

Back to what I was saying, I really liked the stage performance this time around.

Sasha and Lutz were great, and the story was so much fun!

Haruto

Thanks.

Clerk

Here’s your kitsune udon!

Haruto

Thank you for the food.

Morisako

It’s so tasty.

Haruto

Right?

Morisako

But, Gen-chan, are you alright?

Haruto

What makes you say that?

Morisako

When we were on a school trip in the past, we ate croquettes at an udon shop because you said that Kansai broth was the best for udon and that Kanto udon didn’t make the cut.

Haruto

(Come to think of it, when I just moved to Tokyo, I didn’t feel like eating udon.)

(Before I knew it, I didn’t care anymore, and I’ve been eating out frequently with Shift.)

I didn’t think I changed that much on the inside, but maybe some things did change without me noticing.

Morisako

I knew you turned into a city person!

Haruto

But I still have love for my hometown!

Morisako

I mean, you don’t even come back home anymore.

Haruto

That’s because I came to Tokyo with the intention of not leaving until I became a successful actor....

Morisako

Though the Gen-chan I saw today, was shining onstage so brightly.

I was really proud of him as my childhood friend. I thought he was doing a great job playing the lead role in such a big theater company.

Everyone in our hometown is talking bout you, Gen-chan.

Haruto

Eh!?

Morisako

Everyone was watching “Fervent Islands”.*

Haruto

Really...?

I abandoned my real name and work under a shiny new stage name, shouldn’t you think that I’m a jerk?

Morisako

No, of course not! Gen-chan you’re amazing, and everyone is rooting for you.

We saw you work hard on TV and everything. You were so cool.

Everyone bragged about how they were classmates with Haruto Asuka, or that they taught at the abacus class he attended.

Haruto

When I left my hometown, you were so against it and made fun of me for it......

But it seems like everyone knows me in my hometown now.

Morisako

Ya right bout that. *

So, don’t hesitate to come back home anytime.

Haruto

―― But my mother told me not to come back.

Morisako

Ah, nah, I’ve been meaning to talk to ya bout that.

Haruto

?

Morisako

It was Gen-chan's mom that’s been telling everyone about the “Fervent Islands” broadcast.

Haruto

Eh.....?

Morisako

She even wanted souvenirs. Oh, but don’t tell her I told you that.

Haruto

――.

(Now that I think about it, I think I saw her for a moment in the theater audience.....)

Morisako

The kushikatsu was delicious, it was great. So long! Good luck on the stage, Gen-chan!

Haruto

Thanks. Have a safe trip home.

Morisako

See ya~

Haruto

….......

(Mama..... I should send her an e-mail.)

(No, but...)

Haruto

…........

“Can I visit you at home at the end of the year?”

Fuu.....

――.

Haruto’s mother

“I’ll be waiting.”

Haruto

That was quick!

….. but, that’s a lot like mama I guess.

Story Clear!

---------------------------

Haruto’s childhood friend, first made an appearance in the event story

The name of the show that GOD Troupe broadcasted in in the event story

Sakochin’s kansai dialect slipping out every now and then :)

[sweetsforhikari]

Happy Birthday, Sakuya 🌸

Without you, there won’t be Mankai Company and our story together wouldn’t have begun. In honor of your birthday and the release of your second solo song, please read the letters that I wrote for you about how the troupe members think about you.

a.n. 

I know the format might be weird, but I wrote this addressing Sakuya, so the ‘you’ here refers to Sakuya. I just thought of writing something for him to read so yes, do take note that you need to read everything below as if you’re Sakuya!

Masumi Usui

Your days of taking care of him as a leader, as a friend, as a brother really made an impact to him. Although Masumi never explicitly reciprocated your love, he has grown to listen and respect you. Allowing you to be involved in his business, hugging him, choosing to depend on you, and taking the time to listen to your words are mere proofs of him considering you as part of his family.

Both you and Masumi never really knew what true family should be like, but I’m sure your time together made both of you understand what it meant to have a brother who would stick by your side no matter what.

Tsuzuru Minagi

He has immense faith in you, Sakuya. All the scripts he had written for your role have definitely been adjusted to suit you and you alone. He would have never written a role where he knew you couldn’t perform in.

Without you as the leader, he would also have gone mad dealing with the antiques of the other members. As much as he acts as the mediator, the middle ground of the chaos ensuing in Spring Troupe from time to time, he appreciates your presence as the leader who has grown so much more dependable throughout the years. 

Dare I say, sometimes, he glances at you and smiles softly, proud you as one of his little brothers that he cherishes deeply.

Itaru Chigasaki

Sure, he might view you as a token of gacha luck to bring that SSR home, but you’re definitely more than that. Him accepting his role as the father of Spring Troupe was his way of committing to the found family that he has now. The family that you have established.

Deep down, he’s eternally grateful for your ceaseless attempts to convince him to stay and perform with the troupe during Romeo and Julius. Without you, he wouldn’t have met this group of people with whom he could drop his mask and completely be his true self.

Citron

He enjoys seeing your face light up with wonder and excitement not because he takes pleasure in teasing you, but I believe he wants to preserve that childlike innocence in you as much as possible.

Despite what others might think, I genuinely believe Citron only wants you to feel happy and ignore the negativity and evil that lie in this world. The greatest pleasure in his days has always been to see you smile right after you wake up and before you fall asleep at night. Don’t you think that’s why he enjoys telling you those magical, bombastic, wonderous stories?

Chikage Utsuki

Admittedly, he still enjoys tricking you during your daily coin toss, but he will stop at nothing to ensure you do not need to worry about a thing in life.

After all, you were the first to not give up on him and still saw him favorably (or should I say objectively without any judgment) despite his actions towards Izumi and Mankai in general.

Putting all the other troupe members under the cut so this won’t get too long! 

Tenma Sumeragi

You do know this child actor genius took the audition for Mankai because of you, right? You, who thought your acting was sub-par, turned out to inspire a veteran to face his fears and took that step.

How could Tenma ever thank you properly for that? That’s why as a fellow troupe leader, he would make sure to practice often with you, giving you acting pointers whenever he could. Not to demean you, but to lift you up so both of you can bloom together on stage as equals.

Yuki Rurikawa

He comments about your naivety, but I dare say he actually envies you for it. Being part of the minority and adopting a cynical approach to life proves to be tiring at times. The positive outlook in life despite your background is definitely something that he has considered to adopt at some point in time.

To him, you’re a reminder that being positive is an option. As much as he seems baffled by your innocence, he is part of the crew that does his best to preserve that side of you.

Muku Sakisaka

You two are angels! I can only imagine both of you continue being the precious babies that you are. Muku adores you and definitely considers you one of his precious older brothers.

His enthusiasm is reciprocated with you around and your presence lifts up his spirit as well. You are each other’s healing spirit in a way. Always be there for each other, and just by being together, both of you remind all of us that staying pure is a choice and such sight heals us on a daily basis.

Misumi Ikaruga

He’s off on scavenging triangles for your birthday! Apparently, he heard the cats sang praises about you the other day. As thanks for being his friend and for being kind to the kitties, he’s going to find a special triangle just for you.

Thank you for being so kind and understanding to him, and for becoming his faithful friend, one of his precious treasures in life.

Kazunari Miyoshi

How many times have you appeared in Kazu’s Inste feed, I wonder. He always seem to find joy in sharing what he found that might be of interest to you.

Both of you are expressive so it’s no surprise either when Kazu wants to hear your opinion on anything. Hope you find those times to be exciting. It is after all, quite rare, to find someone to be candid with these days.

Kumon Hyodo

Both of you are quite literally sunshine in human form. At times too bright for some, but that’s why both of you should continue being you.

Even Kumon admits watching you lifts his spirits, can you imagine the influence you have in improving the mood of those around you? Sakuya, as Kumon said, please stay true to yourself and keep being you. Your smile and positivity radiate and I honestly think we all need someone like you in our lives.

Banri Settsu

Don’t feel bad if he lets you borrow his clothes, or if he buys you stuff! It’s his way of letting you know he cares deeply for you. Please don’t think that you’re not worthy of receiving such gifts or even having his company.

If anything, all he wants is to see you all happy with that beaming smile. Keep being the sunshine that you are because I’m sure that’s what Banri wants for you!

Juza Hyodo

The passionate duo; both of you talk about acting a lot and I’m glad you have someone to share your thoughts and passion with.

Juza considers you as a companion of some sort, he seems to always asking you to practice or do etudes together. Just knowing that both of you can support one another in your endeavours is heartwarming. But, please don’t eat too much sweets if you can’t take it. I’m sure Juza would understand.

Taichi Nanao

He likes to try out new things and he’s grateful that you are always open to his idea and agrees to accompany him whenever he tries them out.

Thank you for being a great friend for Taichi, but please make sure that you guys don’t go overboard and hurt yourselves. Wouldn’t want that to happen when you’re having fun, right?

Omi Fushimi

How’s the Neapolitan that he cooked for you today? It must be delicious! All the love and affection he has for you has always been included in his cooking.

Thank you for being the best at helping him out in the kitchen and actually doing the chores. He appreciates it a lot, especially since the dishes don’t clean themselves and with more hands on deck, he is eternally grateful.

Sakyo Furuichi

Both of you really have come along way, from him being doubtful about your potential until today. You did it, Sakuya! You proved him wrong, alright.

I believe you are his reminder to stay true to what your dreams are. In both of your cases, you both want to be an acknowledged actor. What a long way you two have come. Remember that you have the power to prove people wrong with your earnest determination and always remember that you manage to get Sakyo’s approval on your leadership and acting skills! 

Azami Izumida

This kid needs to learn a lot from you and he knows that even though he doesn’t readily admit to it. Being a leader isn’t a walk in the park, he realises that as soon as he meets the other troupe members.

Although both of you come from an entirely different background, with him being rebellious and all, he is bound to understand that being earnest as Sakyo has said, will benefit him in the long run. You are a great example for him to follow, and don’t need to feel the pressure! You’re fine the way you are, and this kid will soon learn so both of you can bloom together!

Tsumugi Tsukioka

I’m pretty sure the cherry blossoms in the courtyard are well taken care of by Tsumugi because it also reminds him of you.

He looks out for you in the smallest ways which you might not have noticed. I’m pretty sure you realise by now that you can talk to him whenever you’re troubled, right? He will listen and he will be grateful he could be an emotional support for you.

Tasuku Takato

Have you been working out a lot with him? I could start seeing those muscle lines on your arms and legs. Keep up the good work!

He cheers you on by always thinking of training menus for you, knowing that your motivation to be stronger is to build your stamina for better endurance while acting. Tasuku might not say anything, but deep down he appreciates you depending on him for such matters. (Don’t tell him I said this, please. He’ll deny it anyway)

Hisoka Mikage

Being in the Christmas play together must have made you guys closer. Hisoka even mentioned how he looks forward to acting with you again.

Your caring nature did not go unnoticed. I believe he even gave you some marshmallows to try? And if that’s not him accepting you as one of his own, I don’t know what is.

Thank you for always looking out for him. He has you to thank for all the times he slept and was protected by the cold weather. 

Homare Arisugawa

I’m curious whether you actually understand Homare when he’s gushing about an inspiration for his poems. But, you always seem to listen intently and take the time to attempt at digesting the verses. 

Homare adores you for that; not everyone can appreciate his poems, he knows that very well, but those who put in the effort to understand his world will always be remembered. And you, Sakuya, are one of them.

Azuma Yukishiro

Being one of the oldest members of the company also meant that witnessing youth in action is always something that he looks out for everyday. This might explain why he’s a bit sad you’re one year older and more mature now.

His wish for you is simply to let you have no worries in life as you experience youth and the splendour it brings. You’re still young, so many doors of opportunities left to open. With that in mind, feel free to embrace your passion and continue pushing forward to reach your dream, Sakuya. He has your back and nothing will ever get in your way anymore.

Guy

Honestly, please convince him that you enjoy Citron’s company. I’m confident that you never once considered Citron to be a nuisance or burden of any sort.

Just know that Guy is at your service for all the trouble that Citron has caused you. And in times of need, he will always be ready to assist you.