#Brice and Eiri

[ffxiv-roleplayer]

💭 (One for Eiri)

“There aint nothin’ innocent in my mind about Eiri Takara. I love them, and I want to undress them slowly, in front of a mirror so they can admire their beauty. The doman singer does somethin’ to me. Makes my shattered soul feel whole again. That all the wrong I ever done, is washed away when ever they put their fingers in my beard and grab it. I love him.. So, gods. Damn. Much.” 

[eiritakara]

Spirited Away

A soft mist loomed above the waters, some of it bleeding onto the shores of the land it resided against. The trees were not in bloom yet, but the colors of the budding flowers stood out against the stone and the bark of the trees.

Eiri Takara: "I can try singing the song again, maybe it will bring her out?"

Brice Fiske: "Ah, let me try this time. Its a woman right? I'm great with 'em."

Eiri Takara stared at Brice, lips pursed together some. But....they nodded, it may be better for Eiri to be ready to act if anything happened.

Brice Fiske got himself mostly centered, he smooths back his hair, untying his shirt slightly, exposing more of his fabulous chest hair. "Ahem, hey lady, miss Onna~ I know what ya want, I get it, I got it. Yer lookin' right at the piece of meat that is gonna help ya move on." He spreads his arms wide, "come into my arms, rest thee's head upon thy chest and let yer troubles float away!"

Eiri Takara stood there and stared, waiting for Brice to sing....then he didn't. And Eiri just stared more at the Ishgardian. "...Brice just si---..." Eiri paused...

 The air chilled after a moment, the haze intesifying over the water and creeping onto the land even further than it had before. Wind blew through the the trees, rustling them harshly, sending loose stone tumbling across the sands and dirt.  ♪♪♪ Humming stared up again but this time there were no words to follow the tune. Urgency...desire, a painful need was palpable on the tune now, intensifying more and more as the winds began to cause the mists to swirl.

Brice Fiske took a more grounded stance, keeping his arms wide spread. "Yeah! Come here, let me look at ya. I need ya, just I'm sure ya need me as well. I'll quell whatever keeps ya here.  I'll smite down yer foes! I'll stifle the fear and comfort yer aching heart."

The mists coalesced, swirling and forming the shape of a woman in a kimono. Arms outstretched and an eager, almost startling smile up her face as she looked down upon the two of them. A lighthearted laugh left her as she lunged forward, closing the space between herself and Brice. 

 "Brice!" Eiri shifted quickly and teleported in front of the midlander as the mist encroached on the Ishgardian. The mist seemed to shift...ever so slightly, altering course and actually crashing into Eiri's form.

Silence. Even the wind in the trees seemed to halt for that moment, the whispering leaves not daring to make a sound. That terrible ringing that accompanied utter silence was beginning to become unbearable, resonating louder and louder and louder until it seemed like it would rupture the very ears that paid it their involuntary heeding. And then whatever had stopped that moment released it, letting all of the sounds and sense come flooding in all at once, clawing to the top, desperately wanting to be heard. 

But...above all else, even the howling of the wind, was the sound of a single breath; an exhale. There was nothing loud about it, why this sound above everything else that was happening? It was the sound of a final breath leaving the body, the very sound of a soul being extracted from it's vessel. While Eiri's body stood for another moment or two, it soon crumpled to the ground, unmoving. The painted lips were open, but there was no breath to signify life, the normally vibrant lavender eyes had gone vapid, left open and unseeing. And the mists receeded, disappearing from the area entirely.

The area calmed once again... the mists having receded entirely, even the lapping of the water at the shore seems to have disappeared. There is no sign of the onna, or of her having ever even been there....

Brice Fiske had a lot going on around him, his head whipped around as the wind and all sound seemed to stop. The pirate could only blink as he saw the woman and then Eiri, the world came crashing around the man as the doman collapsing infront of him played out, he moved forward to catch him. "Hey. I got ya... Shes gone.. I think." Brice frowned, he did not like the stillness. He pauses, looking down to Eiri, "spider? Wake up." He brushed the hair from his face.

Brice Fiske waited, and waited. He did not like this silence, he taps Eiri's cheek. Hand shaking, he first removed his rifle, tucking it under an arm before drawing two fingers down the doman's neck, his breathing suddenly growing short as he pressed into their throat. Seeking a pulse, "Sp-spider?"

Brice Fiske 's grip went slack for a second before he quickly tightened up, craddling Eiri into himself, he shuts his eyes before brushing his palm across the doman's face. Closing their eyes with a delicate touch. His throat was tight, as was his chest. The man's organic eye burned with tears. "Oh fuck.. Oh Fury, oh Navigator, Nald'thal, ya took him.. He...No, please, what have I done, what did we do... Kami... Mother Crystal, Hydaelyn, HE WASN'T YOURS!" He shouted to the heavens, "HE ISN'T YOURS GIVE HIM BACK, YOU SELFISH BITCH!"

[tetsuro-wulf]

The Wulf's Eye: RP Journal #38 | Garlemald

ENDWALKER SPOILERS. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T CLEARED 6.0 : THIS IS A CAMPAIGN I'M PARTICIPATING IN WITH MY BUDDIES REGARDING ENDWALKER! TIMEBUBBLE-ISH!

Today was the mission alongside the Vault to Garlemald. Aioux mentioned his son and a friend had been in there whilst this 'Final Days' had reached the area.. Azure mentioned being posted there prior to our arrival, so he volunteered to sniff them out. I've never been to Garlemald, so this was my first time. The others warned that it was INCREDIBLY cold.. so I donned my Ala Mhigan gear and brought Tenzen.

Our mission consisted of; Myself, Aioux, Akai, Eiri as.. 'Kage', Sejad, Izzy, Wisp, Kayah, Zhiji'li, Brice, and soon meeting up with Azure. Once we arrived as a crew at Camp Broken Glass, our objective was to meet up with Azure, who gave us his coordinates through the pearl. On our way, we cleared a path.. the field was littered with blasphemies. It was cold and ruthless.. civilians continuing to flee for their lives. We had to usher those we were able to save back to Camp Broken Glass. At some point, we were split up into two groups considering blasphemies came at us from behind while some of us charged forward to meet with Azure.

Once Sejad, Izzy, myself, and Zhiji managed to make it to Azure, we saw he was in bad shape but still kicking. He was surrounded by three blasphemies, and I recall.. these things were powerful. On the same level as impurities, if not MORE. They do not feel pain. So they attack until they are completely destroyed. Eventually, Kayah joined up with us when we were in a bit of a pinch. We managed to aid Azure in clearing those before he pointed us to a building.. where he thought 'Genesis' and Vesh to be. The others met up with us, spare for Brice.

We heard thudding, so we made quick work to the building. That was when the horrors were uncovered. Genesis and Vesh present, however.. what remained was a corpse being fed on, along with impish-like blasphemies we suspected to be formerly children. It was horrific, but what I had seen next was to my shock. Wisp.. LOST it. He lost it.. he screamed. He beat his sword against the blasphemy over and over, even when it became lifeless and began to fade. We secured Genesis and Vesh, but Wisp started to swirl with black mist. That was when my stomach dropped. Lashing out, shouting at him.. that would do no good. My heart drummed in my ears, and I quickly reached for him as a gentle mentor would, aided by Azure's firm words. Wisp needed to calm down. We couldn't lose him. I couldn't lose him. But I can understand his anguish in that moment. His frustration. Words were faint, but I embraced him.

Today's mission really struck in the reality of having the backs of your fellow men. Because if one is lost to their emotion, you will never have them back. As simple feelings we may experience day to day could result in our last. Thus.. we need to look after each other to our utmost. After that, I didn't catch one of the rescues hollering and whatnot outside the building, but we managed to bring them back to Camp Broken Glass. We were going to be in and out of Garlemald for some time, it seems. We barely made a dent, but things managed to simmer down around the camp. At one point we realized we lost Kage.. who casually mentioned heading towards the TOWER. With that, Akai immediately BOLTED off to a point where we had to chase him. It took me throwing a chunk of ice at the back of his head and missing.. and then Azure trying to tackle him. Then Wisp eventually managed to take him down! Tch.. Akai is the most I'm worried about. Eventually Kage came back to camp.. Azure and I spoke a bit before he headed back to his group to continue their work in Garlemald. Seems Li has been in and out of Garlemald as well..

Later that night, I came home late to Li sleeping in my bed. He looked so peaceful, so safe.. after today, it put a smile on my face. I crawled into bed, even in my armor, and held him close.. roused him a little. I was greeted with a warmth that I didn't know I needed so much after witnessing today's mission. We chatted for a bit.. It seems one of these days he will be joining us on the field. Perhaps that would make me feel more whole as I witness the rising emotions of my comrades. It would be most reassuring..

03.13.2022

[ffxiv-roleplayer]

“If you let him touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya (yeah) The way I used to, used to, used to, used to, used to, used to (yeah) Did you take him to the pier in Santa Monica? Forget to bring a jacket, wrap up in him cause you wanted to? I'm just curious, is it serious?”

[ffxiv-roleplayer]

ℑ (I'll leave it up to you to choose who)

Brice gagged as he felt the restraint around his neck. The room was dark, it made him feel as though he had gone blind again. This was not good, it caused the midlander to break out in a cold sweat. 

Why? 

Why..?!

He started to panic wanting to grab at his face, surely his eyes were still there; but he found himself unable to even move his arms. He was held down good and tight. This was not his usual fare, what happened? He remembered going to bed. But, with how thick the darkness in the room had become, it was close to impossible for him to even make out shapes; riding on the fact that maybe he had not gone blind again. 

Then, the perfume entered his nose, Brice flared his nostrils as he inhaled. It was all too familiar for him, something that made him simultaneously relax and tense up in his seated position. 

The light came on, near blinding, Eiri stood in front of Brice, who was trying to adjust to the sudden change in brightness. 

The two hyur stared at each other, Eiri looked over at Brice and held out their hand, the older pirate did not want to look, he could smell it already. The doman held the man’s old ice blue colored eyes in their palm. Covered in blood and decay. 

“You dropped these.” 

The pirate woke, safe in his bed, eyes firmly were they belonged, his breathing was short. It was a nightmare, nothing real. Just his imagination running away from him again. Brice sat up for a while. Trying to calm his breath, and heart. 

(Thankyou for the ask!)

[ffxiv-roleplayer]

“I want to kiss you.” (Eiri to Brice)

He had been cleaning up, rinsing out a bottle or two to use later. They had been talking, casual conversation. It was like any other night, then Eiri said such words that made the old pirate almost drop the glass he had been cleaning. 

“Ya wanna -what?” He asked, though the man knew very well what had been said, he just needed a moment to process it. 

Silence hung between the two hyur. Brice wiped off his hands and moved slowly over to the doman. Their eyes never leaving the pirate, that gaze that had been burned deeply into Brice’s soul. 

‘I want to kiss you’

‘I want to kiss you too.’

The words caught up in his throat, how he wished he could say them. How Brice wished he could remove all space, all obstacle between him and the doman hyur; to lift the other up and kiss them. 

Brice glanced around, it was just them for the moment. The pirate cursed before stomping over to Eiri to do just that. He grabbed the doman by their arms and lifted them up off their feet, so they could not escape if this request had been a fleeting thought. 

Do not let this be fleeting…

[ffxiv-roleplayer]

"Brice, I'd like to ask how your leg is doing." 

Brice glanced over his shoulder, hearing the doman’s voice through the linkpearl, he glanced toward the bottle he had been drinking hand over fist from. The pirate scrunched up his nose and answered sharply.  "Ya can ask, but doubt you'll get an answer"

"Why wouldn't I get an answer?" 

There was alot he could say here, so much attitude he could put in his words. But was it him, or just the drink talking? Probably the drink, so another gulp down the hatch. "Because maybe, I dun wanna tell you." 

"When I say I'd like to ask I am being polite. As your boss, I want to know how your leg is doing."

There was no biting back the next few words, they came quick.  "Hnm, I'll think about it."

"...I'll be by in a few bells then." "Not necessary but okay."

@eiritakara

[ffxiv-roleplayer]

"...Spider.... Call Aioux. I might be a little sick.."

The day happened so fast, Eiri came over to check on Brice. He admitted to getting handsy with Sakura. Eiri had every right to choke the pirate out, but the two devolved into holding each other. There is damage, then there is no help kind of damage.

Brice files under that second category, he was a mess, it showed even in his home. The man barely cleaned, he barely ate, there was rotting food, his bed was coated in blood and twelve knows what other fluids. It made Eiri almost throw up. He was ready to take Brice over to the couch when the pirate fell flat on his face. 

Aioux came as soon as Eiri called him, the elezen got Brice up against the wall to check him over. The pirate was running a fever, coughing and vomiting to. The mender knew these signs and noting how bad the  condition of the home was, it strengthened his wonder. 

“You are suffering from a bacterial infection... You need to get out of here and somewhere clean. Gods, even your stitches are loose!”

Brice tried to protest going somewhere for help, both Eiri and Aioux silenced him and helped the pirate up and teleported him away. 

He truly did need help, a bath was a good starting point.

@eiritakara @aiouxdauxbeaumont

[ffxiv-roleplayer]

"You can't break my heart twice." (You damn well know who it's for)

“Of course I can’t. Breaking your heart a second time implies you allowed me to hold it, but you have not and that is the best thing you can do. I can not break your heart twice, but that does not stop me from breaking my own, over and over again.”

[ffxiv-roleplayer]

"I hate the smell, I hate the taste left on your lips."

"I know..."

[ffxiv-roleplayer]

“I want to be your friend.”

Sakura had come to visit, Brice welcomed the boy by throwing a dagger at his face, missing on purpose in hopes to scare him off. When it did not do as intended, Brice surrendered himself to the fate of having to be in the other’s company. 

They talked, Brice mostly gave Sakura the cold shoulder, he did not want to even be near him. Of course there were things Sakura said that sent Brice over the edge. 

With a quickness, a man like Brice should not possess, he had the red haired Hingine pressed against his sofa with the Ishgardian’s body on top him. 

It was there, the darkness boiling up and over into actions and consequences. Brice could ruin this boy and ruin his own life, and what threads of friendship remained between him and Eiri. 

But, he didn’t. 

Brice removed himself from Sakura’s person and went silent, smoking as his stare settled on a wall, if he was even staring. It was hard to tell with the blind man. 

Sakura gave Brice’s forehead a kiss and he left without another word. 

The pirate expected the next person to enter him home, to be Eiri, and he expected the Doman would come to kill him.

[tetsuro-wulf]

The Wulf's Eye: RP Journal #35 | Endwalking

THIS CONTAINS ENDWALKER SPOILERS. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T CLEARED 6.0 : THIS IS A CAMPAIGN I'M PARTICIPATING IN WITH MY BUDDIES REGARDING ENDWALKER! SOME OF THIS IS TIMEBUBBLED!

Ever since I saw those towers, I knew one way or another.. I would get involved. How? Absolutely no idea. That was until everyone over the Vault pearl started to report some alarming things. The feeling of offness.. dread. And that was confirmed as Ichiki expressed the agonies of the land, and as well as Jigoku ghosting from our world. Two great forces..

I went out to sense the Kami, utilizing Roku's shard within me.. his blessing. Ichiki ultimately, is all around us in nature of this world.. like a blanket to coat the land out of defense whilst it undergoes this.. impending doom. Soon after, we received reports of abnormalities throughout the lands. Thavnair in particular.. Eiri wanted us to head there first. Eiri, Kayah, and Brice reported an encounter with one of these corrupt entities that are supposedly.. aetherless. They do not feel pain, even if their limbs were torn off.

We set off to meet at the bridge outside of Radz-at-Han, and sure enough.. the sky was in flames. It was hot all around us. Aioux, Sejad, Brice, Kayah, Demeter, Wisp, Eiri, Akai, Zihji.. all present. Eiri wanted to check on their family estate. As we made our way into the jungles.. well.. sure enough we were faced with these spoken monstrosities Wisp refers to as the 'Aetherless', but the name given as a rumor is called 'Blasphemies' based off of intense negative emotion.

Two monkey-like distorted creatures, a large bird which initially struck Sejad, some.. disgusting thing.. they reminded me of the impurities from one of the eight hells. The Abyss.. The bird creature knocked us all off our feet. They were not to be taken lightly. We had to face off with each of them, and I took the one that Wisp had gone for. Not that I doubted him, but the others were occupied by multiple of us and surely that thing wasn't to be taken down solo. Fighting side by side with Wisp felt natural, as I've observed his movements at the sword at least, for a very long time. I was pleased to see him utilizing them on the field, like any student should.. He faired well, until later.

Once we managed to take that group down, steady on our feet.. we made our way deeper, towards Eiri's estate. Though.. the amount of -death- throughout the air.. was alarming. There were bodies littered everywhere.. Markings, the stench of 'regret' as reported by Sejad. I noticed a marking dug into the ground, pointed us south. We headed deeper and.. that's when it hit us.

A giant oni creature before us in the form of a blasphemy with a large sword, knocked nearly all of us back.. Eiri got the brunt of it and they were out unconscious.. so the rest of us acted quickly. We rushed to face this thing off.. which was far tougher than the batch we faced off prior. We ended up realizing the armor needed to be ripped off after Brice directed a levin-aspected attack towards him which.. retaliated at every touch. I thought it would be fine to send my shikigami to it, but that thing somehow knew to focus on them rather than on myself.. thus it inflicted damage upon myself. The moment that thing struck Jozu with lightning, I felt it. At the same time, I felt Wisp throwing his sword, Ryusa! Oh, that may have hurt more than the lightning. That was until the ring of Fudoo-sama acted and sent waves throughout my arm and side, fuck. It HURT.

I still can't believe Wisp threw his sword. Fuck, that thing came back in one piece but I'm sure Ranmaru could patch it up.. but FUCK. Though, this gives me all the more reason to show him the rest of the mizu no kokyu attacks later on.. Though, the aftermath wasn't pretty.. thankfully Kayah was there to heal my arm before any lingering damage could be done.. again. At least this time it wasn't me directly using the ring, otherwise that would be worse..

Things were tense and.. eventually Eiri came to. Though, I could feel the sadness. But something about Eiri in particular was off.

Eiri's father..

03.06.2022

[tetsuro-wulf]

The Wulf's Eye: RP Journal #8 | Hoshi no Hunting / Onikai

This morning, Kenta didn't have any class to attend given it's the end of the week. It felt like we haven't had any one on one outside of work or training in a while, so I invited him out for breakfast in Kugane while we snag some things at the markets. He was in such high spirits, asking such innocent questions about this world he's hardly lived in. It was endearing, I love my kid brother so much.. I ended up buying him a few things he insisted I not! But I MUST spoil him!

Though, after we had our share of breakfast at the holstery, it was back to work.

Day 2 of Yugana's Hoshi no Tama situation. We returned back to the Lavender Beds where we last left the furi yokai. It had been hiding in the hole of a large tree with the tama. Myself, Sejad, Atsumori, Wisp, Brice, Yume, and Demeter later on present. My first thought was to minimize the area we were dealing with this thing. And so I proposed we used the kekkai technique we once did to capture yokai alongside the One River moons ago, between me, Sejad, and Atsumori which formed a triangle-like barrier, rather than a cube. The assistance was good, given the size of the barrier we had to make.

I tend to not be the first one to speak up on formulating a plan when I'm working with an organization that isn't mine. It's a habit of mine, and I wish not to step on toes. My brain just.. instinctively takes a situation and thinks of every possible way to deal with it before coming up with even the most bizarre of ideas. And bizarre, I did.

Given that Furi are wind-aspected yokai, I questioned, well.. what element goes against wind? Brice suggested ice. And what was more perfect than having an ice-aspected mage in our ranks. Demeter showed up just in time. And so I devised a plan: Yume shapeshifts into a female Furi, given yokai are horny. That is just fact. She lures the Furi out whilst Demeter lays out an icepath underneath the tree, and traps the Furi when it's a good distance away from the tama left inside the hole of the tree. While it is lured from the tree, I asked Brice to use his dragon wings to fly and retrieve it out of the tree. To my surprise, he forcefully took Wisp along with him.. I have to admit, that got a laugh out of me despite my intentions. Wisp was to fend off the Furi in the dragon's hold incase it caught onto us snatching Yugana's tama. Though.. the Furi had naughty plans, so I snatched up Yume in her small form just in time for Demeter to trap it with his ice.

I'm not going to lie, I'm glad they cooperated. But with our team, I could see how things could've gone south. Sure-enough, we successfully retrieved the tama safely in Wisp's hands before returning to the infirmary. It was then we quickly had it reattune to Yugana's being, given.. she was close to fading out of existence. Being separated from one's tama after a while meant death. We weren't going to let that happen.

Onikai Hunting

The day didn't end with that.. As soon as we left Yugana to recover, Eiri called for help over the pearl. 'Come to Yanxia' he said. Demeter and Brice decided to accompany me, as Eiri said the less, the better. Once we arrived, Iwao, an okami of the Vault, was seriously hurt. It seemed the Oni within Akai took over.. so we had to put a stop to it. Eiri was out of breath so I'm guessing they chased him.

Once we arrived, I charged and focused on knocking Akai unconscious in any way possible so I can forcefully pinpoint the Oni's presence within Akai's body and momentarily seal him away. He put up an incredibly fight and gave the four of us a hard time.. in the end it triggered Kage, Eiri's omukade within, to take over and cause a landslide the instant I managed to subdue Akai with my technique and an ofuda. Brice pushed us out of the way of falling rocks before we managed to talk Kage into letting Eiri take control again. Akai was back in control, as was Eiri, but as they emphasized.. we have work to discuss in the coming days.

What a time to be alive..

01.09.2022

[ffxiv-roleplayer]

“You don’t understand. I don’t belong here.”

Brice looks up from washing dishes to look his brother over after hearing the words come out of his mouth. 

“No, I don’t suppose ya do. Maybe I should’ve made ya go home, back to dad and write off mom’s worries. But, now ya can’t really go back until we fix yer problem?” The pirate did not want to be cold, he did not like how his words sounded, the standoffish tone he took. 

And, he could see how that tone made Cyneric feel. The alchemist looks at him with such fear and worry. 

“I did not ask for any of this!” He raises his voice now, “yes sure, it has only been a day, but I can’t do this. I can’t I can’t! I don’t want this to fall on my shoulders.” 

Cyneric rubs his face, breathing through his nose in quick huffs. Brice shakes his head and clicks his tongue. “Why are ya suddenly so unsure of yerself? Ya seemed so calm last night.” 

“Because, every time I try to help, Joshua gets hurt, you get shot, Eiri gets abducted, the kids go missing, everytime I try to fix who I am. Everyone around me pays the price.” Cyneric dug his short-broken finger nails through his hair, ripping strands out at the root. 

“If I help Jou, who knows whats gonna fucking happen. I don’t belong here...” 

The pirate just groans and finishes the dishes, “maybe if ya think about actually wantin’ to belong, you will believe it, cause right now. Ya got more to worry about then how ya fit in. Let the demons of yer past die Cyn. It aint easy, but we all have to do it. If me gettin’ shot keeps ya up at night. Try lettin’ someone’s life force slip through yer fingers cause ya taunted an onna. That shit never leaves, even when the nightmares stop. the scars remain, but ya gotta swallow the initial demon.” 

Cyneric purses his lips, “Brice, I don’t wanna swallow any kind of demon. One onna clung to me is enough.” 

The brothers just stare at each other, trying to process if that was a terrible joke or not. They just stand in silence. 

“...Thats not funny”

[ffxiv-roleplayer]

‘I’m here for her.’

Brice stepped up onto the porch, knocking swiftly against the door. He was dressed in a presentable fashion. Black sweater, slacks and one of his more decent coats. The icy morning air in Ishgard left the smoker wheezing out several rolls of steamy breath.

The door opened slowly, stepping into the archway was his father. Alward had wrapped himself in a heavy shawl that covered most of the attire he wore. Long sleeves and pants. His grey hair had been combed back, held in place with gel, he was a tired old man. It showed in the contour of the man’s face. 

The two stared each other down quietly. Alward gripped the door frame tightly. 

“What?” It was such a pointed harsh question. Alward stood firmly planted in his spot as he watched his youngest son. 

“I’m here to see mom, I brought her flowers and wanted to share a cup of tea.” Why did Brice have to justify himself to this man? Why, was it so frustrating to talk to him nowadays?

Oh right, calling Eiri a mongrel, insinuating Joshua was nothing more than a criminal like himself. Such comments put more of a wedge between the men than ever before. 

Alward tapped the door before stepping to the side. “Come in, make yourself at home. Do not upset her.” He said, or was it a threat? He only ever had one speed and tone. Brice almost did not want to go in. Why did he come here alone? Because, he did not want to subject Joshua to this brutality. Because, after this he could take the gambler to Ul’dah and eat dinner with his mother. This was just a stepping stone to a better day. 

Brice walked past the old man, only to find himself wrapped up in a hug by his mother. A petite little old woman. Blonde and dressed in a simple blue gown. She was spry every time Brice was home. Dancing around the man and dragging him off. She had breakfast and tea, making sure to add milk to his tea as he liked. 

Alward was ever watching from his study, smoking a cigar. Eyes on Brice, watching his every move. Brice had to ignore it if he wanted to make the day perfect for Matilda. 

He always would be there for his mother, and no one else.

[ffxiv-roleplayer]

What have I become?

Brice left the auction empty handed, sure he bought a date, sure the guy was cute. But, he knew where it will lead. The two of them will spar, drink and go their separate ways by nightfall. The old pirate felt like he had no desire, no energy to commit to what so many people want. Especially when Sakura had been sending him mixed signals from the start. 

‘I do not want him here.’

 ‘He can not touch you Eiri.’

And yet, on the cliffs over looking the ocean Sakura tackled him and kissed the pirate, even teasing him ever since. All of these instances of stolen passion and flirtatious words, it only makes Brice want to curl into himself. To get away from any and all affection from the three husbands, their children. Anyone who would dare as so much to touch the pirate. It all was sinking deep into his stomach. 

He laid himself out by the water in Shirogane, smoking his last cigarette, before switching to the harder drugs. Pain medication he had for his eye. It dulled his senses and numbed his body. 

This was more of the life he wanted every day. Unfocused and unaware of the people around him. 

It would be the only thing left for him.