#But i guess miqo'te would work too

[takohebi]

Azujamiyuu in my ffxiv glams :3

[snow-system-wol]

There is a cottage on the outskirts of town, that has been occupied for at least a year or two now. It's also been a while since any stories of the fabled Warrior of Light doing any new heroic deeds have circulated. You have no reason to connect these unrelated facts.

(Maybe ~5+ years after 7.0, no DT spoilers)

Ao3 (~1.7k)

There is a small cottage, just a short foray out of town. You have made the walk before, and surely will again – though you'd hate to ask for too much, as much as he insists it is fine. Even if you wouldn't rush him, the thought of his workload getting too piled up saddens you.

Wait, you are getting ahead of yourself.

There is a small cottage, just a short foray out of town. Two miqo'te men have lived there for a couple winters now – perhaps in their 3rd decade of life, if you had to guess at age. One of them – G'raha – is a clever fellow, often ordering books to be delivered from all corners of the world and into the hands of their local couriers. If describing him to an out-of-towner, you'd likely simply say he's a bit short, red hair down to his shoulders, and visibly besotted with his husband.

Husband? Others have claimed to have seen rings, but you didn't personally look last time you saw either of them. It seems acceptable enough to assume for now, privately.

G'raha's husband is… more of an enigma. He is tall for a miqo'te, pink hair cropped at his jaw, and at times seems to struggle with walking. You've seen him use a cane the uncommon times he comes into town himself. While there is something a bit haunted about G'raha and you couldn't say anything confidently, you are entirely certain that his husband is a veteran of some sort – even with his injuries, he still carries himself like a fighter. Most mysteriously, he introduces himself as Edelweiss, with a knowing smile that says ‘yes, we both know it is a pseudonym’.

None of that is important to your town, though. Edel – as the kids started calling him, and it stuck as a nickname – and G'raha are kind. G'raha always makes friendly chatter and keeps up with people's lives whenever he is in town for groceries and supplies. Their cottage is always open to the injured when they cannot seek other care – allegedly it does not matter which you find at home, as they both seem to be trained healers, interestingly enough.

Most notably is Edel’s established services. He keeps a little box on his porch, where you can leave written requests for crafts or repairs – or G'raha can take verbal messages back to him, if you cannot write. He doesn't like to accept gil, but can be more easily convinced to take non-monetary payment (which almost everyone endeavors to do.)

While you could not say what past Edelweiss may be keeping secret, you could say your town would likely fight for him if it ever caught up with him.

You turn off the main road, onto a smaller path leading to their home. It's pleasantly shaded on the trail, with the whole area wooded, and their cottage is soon in sight. You let yourself into their front yard, taking a moment to look at their garden. Edel seemed to enjoy gardening when he was not working though crafting requests – and you are happy to see several new varieties of flowers and fruits since your last visit, several of which matched the seeds you had gifted him for his help.

You hope G'raha also helps him maintain it, with Edel being disabled. Between that and the crafting, surely it must be a bit much?

You carefully adjust your hands long enough to knock on their door – wouldn't do to drop anything. You hear a distant call of acknowledgement, and then G'raha is opening the door and greeting you with a smile. His eyes flick down in surprise at the basket you carry and you laugh nervously.

“I brought some pastries for you two. I hope that it is to your liking?”

“Of course – please, come in. I shall put tea on. If you would like, we would be glad for you to partake in your pastries as well.”

You enter their home, something you had not done any time before. It is very cozy and pleasant inside – there are some comfortable-looking couches, a small table with a few chairs, and several bookshelves. Based on what you have heard about deliveries, there are surely far more books downstairs as well.

Upon seeing you, Edel’s ears perk up and he gets off the couch with a heavy wince – heading for a doorway until G'raha shoots him a look, at which point he sighs and sits at the table instead. G'raha goes through that door instead and you can hear the thumps of him descending the stairs, into the mysterious realm of what must be their working and sleeping spaces.

That leaves you sitting at their kitchen table, alone with Edel, and not quite sure what to say or where to look. You at least take the moment to observe his face a bit closer in little glances, noting his pale green eyes and scattered scars and faint hint of sunburn on his cheeks. (Would he like a hat, when gardening? Would that be helpful? Perhaps you would suggest that to anyone next looking to barter with him.)

You try not to look at his neck, once you realize the severity of the scarring on his throat. He snorts and gives you a wry smile, and you know immediately that you were not quite subtle – but also that, for a blessing, he doesn't seem to be mad.

“I don't care much if you look. Just don't ask.”

You nod with a polite smile. There are many things you'd like to ask the two of them, friendly questions about where they are from, but that would simply not do in this case. Instead, you settle on something far safer.

“Is work going well for you? I hope you are not overburdened.”

He laughs, looking properly happy in a way puts you at ease.

“No, it's excellent. I'm still learning some skills, and the random requests mean I need to try new things. It's nice.”

“Have you..  not been a craftsman for long?”

He shakes his head. “No, I only started a little while before moving here.”

Immediately, your eyebrows raise. He really is an enigma. “Well, I certainly would not have known that, based on your skill. You must learn fast.”

He looks pleased, but his ears have also started flicking nervously, so you decide against layering any more of your impressed praise. Really though, if you didn't know better, you'd have guessed he'd been at this for at least a decade.

You glance down at his hands, several small scars visible that surely came about from the learning process. Your eyes land on his left hand in particular, and you speak before you can quite help yourself.

“May I ask a question?”

Edelweiss stiffens immediately and you feel guilty for what he may fear you'd ask. “You…may. No answers promised.”

Your eyes focus on the ring again. “Are you and G'raha wed?”

He relaxes with a soft laugh. “Oh, that was all? Yes, though I guess it took us long enough to get ‘round to it.” He smiled, something so warm that it made your own heart feel at peace.

“How did you two meet – ah, nevermind, I suppose.”

His smile turned a touch sad. “I fear that's a harder question to answer without talking about myself, yes.”

“I'm sorry.”

He shook his head. “You didn't mean any harm.”

It is quiet for a long moment.

Any potential awkwardness is diffused by G'raha's return. He puts a small fabric pouch on the table in front of you, and you hear a gentle clink from within.

“This, I believe, should be yours.”

You are suddenly nervous as you lift the bag, picking the tie open so slowly that G'raha places a cup of tea in front of you before you even finish. You pour it out into your palm and – oh.

You will not cry, not in front of these two in their nice little cottage, but… you never thought you'd see this necklace put back to the way you remembered it, and here it is, perfect. You suddenly wish you'd brought something more than just baked goods, even if Edel seemed disinclined to accept much.

“I – thank you. Thank you.”

You manage to keep it to mere tearing up, easy enough to blink away, but your fingers feel clumsy trying to open the clasp on your mother’s necklace.

Edel quietly clears his throat. “Would you like…?”

“Yes, please.”

He carefully stands up from his side of the table, moving around behind you. Some have said that watching Edel makes them feel a bit nervous sometimes, the tells of a trained killer, they say. You can't agree – you feel quite safe even with him fully behind you. You stay very still as he fastens the necklace, with his fingers not even so much as touching your skin. 

You realize that you'd like to know him better, to maybe even be friends, but you don't know if that could fully be possible. Perhaps if he was interested in taking on an apprentice? You'd like that very much, you think.

…Another day you may ask, when you are feeling braver and not quite so emotional.

Edel steps away and you quickly take a sip of tea, the urge to cry passing easily with the warm drink in your hands.

“S-so, how fares the garden? It looks lovely.”

G'raha swallows the mouthful of pastry he'd been eating while you two were busy, brushing crumbs off of his face. “It is lovely – with thanks to your recent gift. They seem to have taken to growing here quite well, and we are always happy to see more flowers bloom and have more fresh food in our kitchen.”

You cannot help the excited smile on your face, the quick rambles spilling from your lips. “I – I can bring more seeds. Next time I visit. I can help with taking care of the garden, too, if you need anything.”

Both of them are looking at you in a way that you'd like to interpret as fond, but it is Edelweiss that speaks first. 

“You're welcome here whenever you want.”

[musesofawolf]

Day 24 - Bar

Of all the places to find Bryn, your best option would be to check a bar.

It wasn't because he was perpetually drinking, no, although he was rarely without a mug or tankard in hand, but that was simply for appearances. The truth was, it would take a lot more than the few ales or beers he had to get the warrior even remotely drunk. A perk, or disadvantage, of his rapid healing body.

But there were other reasons to be in a bar. For instance, offering your friendly, kind services as a hired arm.

Only problem, no one considered Bryn rather friendly or approachable.

It wasn't his fault that most people looked at the scarred man with sharp silver eyes and saw danger. It didn't help that his voice was gruff, laden with that unspoken threat of a bouncer, and that he carried a weapon at all times. Most of the common folk steered well clear of the ex-soldier, and those who did approach were typically too drunk to make sense of what they were saying. So, most days, Bryn sat, drank a little, and offered to help when closing time came to earn a little gil.

What annoyed him was his partner. A partner who, somehow, found more jobs for them than he could. Kaleh'a made bars his bread and butter, learning how to work a crowd, listen for information, and interject himself at the perfect times to pull a job offer. He was silver tongued and bright eyed, face unblemished and young, the picture of kindness and civility despite the general distrust for Miqo'te Keepers in the area.

But while Bryn looked deadly and was deadly, Kaleh'a looked innocence and was deadly. Sure, Kaleh'a didn't choose violence as his first form of reaction, preferring to talk things through first, but when he was pushed to that point, the blonde Miqo'te could turn men twice his size into unconscious men twice his size. Bryn had to hand it to the slighter man, he knew his way around a bar fight.

Speaking of the blue-eyed cat, he slid into a seat beside Bryn at the bar, raising a hand for a quick drink, and chuckled as he saw the half drink tankard in front of Bryn. "Slow night?"

"Always is," Bryn rumbled back, and sighed, glancing at his partner. "I'm guessing not for you?"

"A few tidbits of information that might be worth checking, another hunter group poaching down south." He sighed, and his ears drooped. "Not really helping me convince everyone not all Miqo'te are bad."

Bryn grunted, and after a moment, patted the younger man's back. "You'll get there. You're fighting years of damage with a bow and smile. It takes time." Kaleh'a let his head thunk against the bar and groaned.

"I don't have infinite time!" And that made Bryn chuckle. They fell into a companionable silence for a moment, and then Bryn turned to him with hushed voice.

"Did you hear anything about..."

Kaleh'a waved a hand, dismissing the question before it finished as he lifted his head. "Nothing. Sorry. Maybe we will just run across her out here."

The ex-soldier snorted, shaking his head. "No, I doubt that." He rose from his seat, stretched carefully, and sent a few Lalafel skittering away in mild fear that he would step back and squash them, letting out a deep breath and turning to the Miqo'te. "Alright, I'm itching to do something besides sit here. You said you had some leads?"

"Of course!" The archer leapt up, tail swaying excitedly, and grabbing his bow and quiver from nearby. "How are we doing it?"

Bryn hummed, turning to walk towards the door as Kaleh'a followed. "I feel like a melee. Support me?"

"Always!"

[woltourney]

ROUND 4 / SIDE B / POLL 2

Lopu Rhaavuna (@mages-ballad) v. Naru (@blucifer08)

Lopu Rhaavuna:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. Lopu Rhaavuna, she/her

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. IC-ly her primary jobs are Bard and Dancer. Secondary to that, Sage and Reaper. (Note from submitter: CUL and BOT)

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. Mateus [Crystal]

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. I took inspiration for Lopu's character and story from the mahou shoujo genre, with the core elements being that a seemingly-average girl discovers she actually has the capability for magical powers, and uses those to help spread hope and save others. Love is a major theme for Lopu, and its what gives her the strength and motivation to do what she does. Lopu grew up in Gridania, where she left and became the Warrior of Light at age 25. She's always had a deep feeling of wanderlust within her, and the events of the MSQ are what kickstart her into being able to get out and see the world. She's lived her life knowing there had to eventually be more out there for her, and her assumptions are proven right as she takes up the title of the WoL and makes herself known. She's no doubt had her ups and downs, but never once has she regret her journey. Others may call her a hero; but even after all this time she still considers herself just an adventurer that likes to help people. In her free time, Lopu has a few hobbies she likes to indulge in! She's very big on cooking and sharing the food she makes, gardening and growing her own ingredients, hunting, training, running Treasure Maps, and of course hanging out with the Scions. Outside of saving the universe, she's a very sweet and humble woman.

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. "Ah? Um…" Lopu takes a lock of her thick hair to twirl around and play with while she ponders the question. "I think I should win because… It would make me really happy if I did?" She laughs a little, giving a flash of fangs. "Truthfully, I can't really think of a good reason! I guess there is the fact I saved the universe, but I wouldn't want people to feel obliged to put me on a pedestal just for that." "Maybe… If I win, I'll bake a huge celebratory cake to share with everyone! That works, right? People tend to be more motivated to vote if there's food involved, yes?"

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. AS HER CREATOR I SAY VOTE FOR LOPU BECAUSE SHE IS SO CUTE AND HUGGABLE AND SILLYGIRL-CORE AND HAS THICK THIGHS AND I LIKE HER A LOT AND ALSO IF SHE WINS I WILL ACTUALLY DO A GPOSE OF HER AND THE CAKE AND EVERYONE CAN HAVE SOME!!!!! VOTE FOR LOPU #LOPUSWEEP #LOPUSWEEP #LOPUSWEEP #LOPUSWEEP #LOPUSWEEP

Naru:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. Naru, she/her

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Xaela

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. Reaper

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. N/A

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. Naru became a hero in search of a missing piece of herself! She never felt satisfied in her home of the Steppe. She was an orphan, and although she had an adopted family, she sought out more from beyond the Steppe. She enjoys helping, but I don't think she likes the word 'hero.' In her free time she paints environmental paintings, tries out her bartender friend's drink combinations, and sunbathing :)

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. "Ah… I'm not too sure. I suppose I'll win if fate chooses me. I'll accept failure, no matter how bitter… Though I don't see it as likely."

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. In my canon, she got fully turned into a sin eater and she uses light instead of void powers as a reaper :)

[yzeltia]

Wolgraha Week

Day 4: Sacrifice Characters: Y'zel Tia, Lyna, U'rahn Nuhn, G'raha Tia Rating: Teen Notes: N/A

It'd been nearly three minutes of total silence. Keith couldn't think of anything to say and Lyna seemed to be lost in confusion or maybe just stunned by his presence. U'rahn looked between them, face still filled with expectation. In his impatience, the Miqo'te thrashed his tail.

"C'mon C'mon! There's gotta be more you two have to say to one another. Especially you, this was your idea," the Nuhn huffed, nudging at the Hyur.

"So it was," Keith chuckled nervously, "Apologies. I'm not sure what I thought would happen coming here. Really we weren't sure it would work but I guess having the Echo or something let me pass through."

"I too find myself at a loss for words," Lyna responded, seeming to actively be ignoring U'rahn, body shifted lightly away, "You say you are the Exarch's partner. Forgive me, I just can not picture him…with anyone. Though I am pleased to know he's happy at the very least."

"Very happy. Extremely. Still, I know he misses his home here. His time with you. He talks about you like his own daughter. I guess I felt I should meet you, if it were possible, and declare my intentions toward him. I plan to ask him to marry me come Starlight, er, a special holiday for us on the Source. You're the only one I haven't had a chance to talk with about it. I would humbly ask you to allow me to also be your family should Raha agree to my proposal."

Lyna was taken aback as Keith bowed deeply before her. "Well. I don't really know you. I…," she trailed off before clutching at her heart, "If you make him truly happy, then I would welcome you."

Keith looked up then beamed before throwing his arms around the woman, "Thank you! If it works out I'll be kinda like your dad or grandpa or something! And since I can travel between realms I can pass notes and whatever else between you two. He's going to be so surprised! Maybe a little angry we were playing with powers beyond our comprehension, but I'm sure hearing from you will smooth things over."

"Hey hey Show her the pictures," U'rahn interjected.

Dazed, Lyna broke free from Keith's embrace as he dug around for his tomestone. Her eyes widened as the Hyur began to swipe through pictures of G'raha. She touched her cheek as she felt a tear. 

"He truly is happy…," she whispered as she memorized every photo before noticing a pattern, "Keith…why are there so many pictures of him eating?"

"Ah. He really enjoys food. Maybe you could send him something as a surprise"

Lyna thought for a moment, "Perhaps some lemon waffles. I cannot say I remember him being expressly fond of them but I'm sure it'll be a reminder of home."

"Sounds good," Keith beamed.

"Can I have some too? For my girlfriend? I have a girlfriend now, Lyna. They're a beautiful…uh…hmm…well! They're beautiful!"

"I can send more as needed," Lyna answered, focused on the tomestone, "Is it possible I could keep this device?"

"Well, it's sort of personal…but -"

"Yeah Yeah! Nyx can make Keith a new one! Nyx is my girlfriend."

Lyna ignored U'rahn as Keith swiped around on the tomestone before handing it over, "You just push this button to look at the pictures and the funny box with a circle if you want to capture one of your own. We can even trade pictures so that way when I visit I can give you more."

Lyna sniffled a bit, "Thank you for this gift. It brings me such joy to know the Exarch's alright, even more so to see it."

"I'll make sure to check in often then and uh, on my own next time," Keith said, the two looking to U'rahn.

"Huh? What is it," the Nuhn asked, getting a chuckle out of the other two.

-The Source, Later-

"Keith? Are you here? Something smells delicious," G'raha's voice called out as he rounded into Keith's room.

The Hyur had just finished playing the waffles, drizzling lemon curd sparingly in little lines across the dish, having made the mistake of trying a whole spoonful when he'd prepared it initially with Lyna. G'raha froze as he looked at the meal, then to Keith.

"You will not believe this, but I believe you've stumbled upon a popular Nordvantian breakfast."

"Really? It came to me first thing this morning when I was chatting with this lovely Viera."

"A gleaner friend," G'raha asked, taking his seat to dig into the waffle.

"Mmm. I don't think so. Check your tomestone, I sent you a picture."

"A picture? Why would you-"

G'raha dropped his tomestone as Lyna's and Keith's face filled the screen. "How!? How can this be!?"

The Hyur smiled as he sat down across from his boyfriend. "Scientific Method."

"I am uncertain if you know what that even means and it does not, in the slightest, explain anything. Please Keith!"

"Alright! I wanted to meet Lyna and tell her how you're doing and so I asked Violet to see if she could figure out a way for me to cross over but she was busy and so I gave up until I ran into Rahn. He figured I had the Echo like him so why shouldn't I try to go on through and it worked!"

"Do you have any idea!?…You could have-," G'raha started before letting out a small sob, "You are an absolute idiot! Risking sacrificing yourself like that… but I can't even be mad. Lyna…everyone at the Crystarium…I have means to peer into their world and make sure they are well," he sobbed.

"Raha. I didn't mean to upset you. I didn't think of the risk, but in the end it's okay right? You're not too mad?"

"I'm furious and elated but mostly upset that I'm in love with an absolute reckless fool."

"Hey, I think those whose first plans were to sacrifice themselves, more than one might I add, can't be throwing around 'reckless fool' like that."

G'raha huffed then hurried around the table, and pushed Keith back into his chair by shoulders, soon smothering him with desperate, lemony, kisses. Surprised, the Hyur took the other by the waist then slumped to his side, falling onto the floor as he clumsily turned the other’s enthusiastic embrace.

[avirael]

Nameday Surprise

The air was still surprisingly warm for the time of the year and the wind carried the chatter of birds up to the city wall of Revenant‘s Toll, where Rael sat with their legs dangling over the edge. They wondered if the aether concentration here in Mor Dhona affected the seasons differently than they would in other parts of Eorzea. After all they were not too far from Coerthas and it was early in the Sixth Umbral Moon but the air, while not particularly warm, lacked any cold.

With closed eyes Rael raised their head to the sun, high in the sky above them, and breathed in deeply. The air in Mor Dhona sometimes had a strange quality to it. The day before had been very "gloomy" as the locals called it, which meant a weird aetherial kind of fog in the air. The first time Rael had seen the purple swirls in the sky they had been a little worried but the residents had assured them that it was an entirely harmless phenomenon. Today it was bright and clear again but the air while pure and fresh still had a hint of scent to it. With eyes closed Rael could almost still smell the aether and imagine the colourful swirls in the sky.

Carefully they listened to the wind coming from the east. Their gift had grown a little more unreliable the further they had traveled but especially today they hoped for any kind of sign, a whisper or a familiar scent maybe. It was selfish, their gift was meant for more important things, but they couldn’t help but hope nonetheless. Though the longer nothing happened the more gloomy Rael’s mood got, more representing the somber atmosphere from the day before than today‘s nice winter day.

"Rael!?", a familiar voice suddenly called out to them, tearing them from their thoughts. "What are you doing up there?"

Rael sighed. They didn’t need to look down to see who it was but did so anyway. Down below on the ground in front of the city gate stood a red-haired Miqo'te craning his neck to look up to them. So much for silence and solitude, they thought.

"Hello, A'viloh!", they yelled down to them. "I’m just enjoying the view. How about you?"

Curiously A'viloh tilted his head. "What?! I can’t hear you!"

"Excuse me…", Rael muttered with a shake of their head and a sigh correcting the Miqo'te, before repeating what they said before a little louder.

"Wait!!", A'viloh answered and hurried out of view. A few moments later Rael heard quick steps echoing from the stone steps of the staircase and another moment later the Miqo'te stood beside them catching their breath.

"You didn’t have to run, you know?", Rael said and wondered if anything urgent had occurred at the Rising Stones.

"Yes…", he said between gasps. "I realise that now too…"

Rael chuckled. Once he had recovered from his sprint up to the top of the city wall, A'viloh leaned onto the stone parapet and glimpsed down to the spot where he had stood a minute ago. "It looked a little more dangerous from down there…"

"Dangerous? Were you worried about me?", Rael teased and raised an eyebrow. "I already thought something happened at the Rising Stones."

"Nah…", the Miqo'te answered with disappointment written all over his face. "It’s very boring there right now. Moenbryda is still working on that device of hers and everybody else is busy too."

Rael nodded understandingly. "So you were bored and wondered if you could pester me instead?"

"Oh, someone’s in a good mood, huh?", A'viloh muttered and looked genuinely hurt, though Rael had assumed he knew their sense of humor by now. "I guess I‘ll better go then and be miserable somewhere on my own… Or maybe it’s not to late to visit Kikipu after all…"

"No.", Rael said quickly, a rueful expression on their face. "Please stay, you’re not bothering me." Slowly the Viera tapped the stone beside them gesturing for A'viloh to sit down. A grin spread across his face.

Hurriedly he climbed up onto the parapet and for a second, clumsy as he could be sometimes, Rael feared he might loose his footing and plummet down the other side of the wall. "So…", he started as he had sat down beside the Viera. "What are you doing all alone up here?"

"Nothing.", Rael shrugged. "Just enjoying the view…"

A'viloh followed Rael’s gaze across the landscape littered with debris of the Agrius and the Crystal Tower far off in the distance and tilted his head quizzically. "The Crystal Tower is pretty for sure. But the view of that wreckage? I‘m not sure I see the appeal…"

"No, just generally east…", Rael offered gazing to the horizon.

"What’s there?", A'viloh squinted but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

Rael sighed. "Somewhere far to the east - further than you can see - is my home…"

"Oh!", A'viloh said and fell silent for a moment, looking out to the horizon, wondering how far away exactly Dalmasca was. Then he glimpsed at Rael and asked carefully, "Are you homesick?"

"A little.", Rael admitted, not knowing how to better put in words how they felt. They had started this journey to save their home. To save everything to be precise but particularly their home. It had been years since they left and they had learned a lot but Rael still wasn’t sure if they were any bit closer to achieving their goal or not. The fact that their visions kept failing them didn’t help to brighten their mood at all.

A'viloh sighed and looked down to the tips of his boots. "Me too, you know?…"

Rael nodded but feared that in A'viloh’s case it was less a where he missed than a when or a who. But maybe the feeling was similar enough. So for a while they just sat there in silence beside each other staring into the distance together.

"What is your home like?", A'viloh finally asked and looked at Rael. They thought they saw genuine interest in his eyes not just the attempt to make them feel better.

"The Golmore Jungle?", Rael asked and A'viloh nodded. "I‘m afraid that’s a secret…"

"A secret?", the Miqo'te exclaimed and looked at Rael pretending to feel insulted. "I tell you everything about me and in return you decide to keep secrets from me?"

His performance didn’t fail to make Rael smile. "I don’t make the rules, A'vi. We are forbidden to speak to outsiders about the Jungle."

A'viloh furrowed his brow. This time he really looked a little disappointed. He had probably hoped that Rael was just playing hard to get. "Why?"

Rael wondered how to explain this to him. "The Green Word forbids it, for our own safety. You would probably call it our religion but it’s not exactly that. It’s more like… just our way of living, I guess."

"Hmm…", the Miqo'te grumbled thoughtfully and didn’t look any smarter than before. "I guess that means we won’t be able to visit sometime?"

"My sisters and brothers would shoot you on the spot! And me right with you, I assume, for leading you there. With the increase of the Garlean's aggressions my people have grown quite hostile lately…" Rael pitied A'viloh a little. They were certain that he would love the Jungle and yet they would never be able to show it to him. It didn’t seem fair to be so secretive towards him after he had shared all of his worries and troubles so freely with them.

But more than that they really wished to be able to talk to him about their home. About their hopes and fears. Their visions. Their task. A'viloh had confided in them but there was no one Rael could confide in...

But was that really true?

Suddenly a thought crossed Rael’s mind. Maybe they weren’t allowed to talk about the Jungle, or the Green Word or the nature of their journey but they could speak about themself and their feelings. About the things that were of no crucial importance to anyone but them. Surely this wasn’t against the rules?

"I miss my family, A'vi.", they said silently, waiting for a strong gust from the east warning them to keep their mouth shut. But no such thing happened. "I came up here, I closed my eyes and imagined I was home. I hoped to remember anything familiar, my mother’s voice or the smell of the carrot cakes she always made for my nameday. But with every year on my own it’s gets more difficult to remember…"

Surprised A'viloh stared up to them. "Your nameday? Don’t tell me that’s today?!"

Rael nodded and blinked rapidly, trying their best not to cry, "Yes…". Irritated they noticed that A'viloh was giggling. Had they said something funny? Confused they looked at the Miqo'te but he only started to laugh more seeing Rael‘s puzzled face.

"I‘m so sorry." he excused himself after a moment and tried to get ahold of himself. "It’s just, you’re not alone at all! Today is my nameday too! You don’t have to spent it on your own and neither do I, isn’t that funny?"

"That can’t be true…", Rael just said dumbfounded.

"Would I lie to you?", A'viloh retorted. Of course he wouldn’t and even if he tried Rael was sure they would see through it.

"That’s a weird coincidence…", Rael pondered thoughtfully while A'viloh was extremely giddy about it. "Right?! Isn’t this nice?"

Rael couldn’t help but agree. It didn’t do anything to improve their situation but it felt strangely comforting and seeing A'viloh so happy about it made them at least a little happy too. After all it was something they could share, even when so much else was meant to remain secret.

"Why didn’t you say something earlier though?", Rael asked and suddenly wondered the same about themselves.

"I didn’t think it would be necessary.", A'viloh shrugged. "I was pretty sure Tataru wrote down my nameday when I signed up and somehow I expected at least her to remember. But no one did and I guess you can’t just loudly announce that it’s your nameday and assume everybody will celebrate with you although they‘re all horribly busy!"

"I guess not…", Rael agreed and wondered if there was a way to give A'viloh the nameday celebration he so obviously wanted and in their opinion also deserved. But before they could think of anything the Miqo'te jumped up and announced, "I have an idea! We could try to make this cake you mentioned. You remember how it was made, do you?"

There he stood on the parapet, happily flicking his ears and tail. Rael already could see him falling to his death. Quickly they stretched out their arms. "Yes… of course. But would you please sit down again?"

With an exaggerated gesture A'viloh jumped back down to the walkway of the city wall and waved for Rael to follow him. "Splendid! Come on! I‘m sure F'lhaminn has everything me need for the cake!"

But F'lhaminn did not seem to have everything necessary, in fact she looked rather alarmed when she saw the two of them walk into The Seventh Heaven, where she currently was talking to the barkeep. She explained to them how she was going to the market anyway because some of her ingredients had run low and she urgently needed new ones and asked if they would be so kind to accompany her. After all she wouldn’t be able to carry everything on her own…

So they went to the market, where they spent a good while trying to find everything F'lhaminn and Rael needed. In the end all that was left were carrots. For lack of authentic carrots from the Golmore Jungle, Rael assumed that the regular ones would do fine - it were just normal carrots after all.

F'lhaminn however objected. She said she hadn’t been to Dalmasca yet but if they planned on making a dessert, she knew exactly were to get the right kind of carrot, a special breed that was said to be especially sweet and was, as far as she knew, only sold in Gridania.

Rael thought that it probably wouldn’t matter but F'lhaminn insisted that she wanted to try these special ones and so A'vi and Rael teleported to Gridania while the Miqo'te women returned to the Rising Stones to start preparing dinner. Suddenly the groceries weren’t too heavy for her to carry on her own at all, as she shooed them away.

In Gridania however their search turned out to be more difficult than expected. They went to all shops and asked everyone they could think of but no one seemed to ever have heard of that special carrot breed F'lhaminn had mentioned. Even Miounne just shrugged at them in confusion and began to suggest alternatives instead. In the end they just bought regular carrots.

"I don’t understand this", A'viloh wondered as they walked through the Ebony Stalls. "F'lhaminn wouldn’t make something like this up, wouldn’t she? I mean why should she?"

"Don’t worry. These will do perfectly fine." Rael reassured him, not giving much thought to their strange scavenger hunt. "I‘m sure it was just a misunderstanding. Or maybe she remembered it wrong…"

It was almost evening when they returned to Revenant‘s Toll. The sun set early this time of the year and already vanished behind the tall buildings as they walked into the Seventh Heavens. While passing by the barkeep waved and grinned at them but was gone to another table full of customers before either of them could say hello.

As they passed through the door leading to the Rising Stones Rael immediately noticed that something was off. The lights were quite low and not a single person was to be seen. Not a sound was to be heard.

"Where is everyone?", A'viloh sounded a little startled too and Rael couldn’t blame him considering the last time they had found the Scion's headquarters in literal dead silence. With flattened ears he slowly stepped past empty chairs and tables, Rael right behind him ready to hurl their bag of carrots at anyone who dared to attack them.

Suddenly a giggle sounded from behind one of the room dividers followed by multiple shushing sounds and a voice silently hissing, "Yda!". That had unmistakably been Papalymo! Confused Rael and A'viloh glanced at each other. Then the Miqo'te took the last few steps so he could peek around the divider. With a surprised gasp he raised a hand to his mouth. As he turned to beckon Rael over his eyes were shining and a wide happy grin appeared on his face.

Just as the Viera stepped beside A'viloh and saw all the Scions huddled together in their hiding spot, they started to sing a nameday song together. A few of them were more out of tune than some others but altogether it was quite heartwarming. A'vi‘s ears wiggled happily and even Rael couldn’t help but smile too.

They stood around a small table filled with different food and a nice looking cake, carrot of course - F'lhaminn wasn’t going to let that opportunity pass - and one after the other steps forward to congratulate and hug them both. It all was so sweet Rael didn’t even think to protest.

It turned out to be a very nice evening full of spirited conversation and laughter. The cake by the way was sublime, just as everything F'lhaminn made. It was not exactly the same as their mother used to make it but the gesture alone was very touching and the memories it brought back made Rael blink away a tiny tear or two as they thanked the Miqo'te woman for her effort. Rael couldn’t remember the last time they had so much fun and neither could recall ever seeing A'viloh this happy. With a few yalms distance they glanced over at the red-haired Miqo'te who was in a conversation with Thancred.

Just then Papalymo stepped closer following the Viera‘s gaze. "Don’t be disappointed.", he said and earned a confused look in response. "Why?"

"We decided not to spoil the surprise but I guess I can tell you. We commissioned the carpenters in Gridania to craft you an Orchestrion for your house. It was a bit short-notice though, so it will still take a few days before it arrives at your home.", the Lalafell explained and looked up to Rael.

"Oh!", Rael exclaimed. They hadn’t expected to get any gifts. "That’s very kind of you, thank you so much… but why tell me now if the others wanted to wait?"

Papalymo shrugged and made a gesture towards A'vi and Thancred. "I don't want you to think that we forgot to get you something. It was supposed to be a shared gift from all of us for the two of you. But it looks like our dear Thancred there went the extra malm and got another gift."

Surprised Rael turned their head back towards A'viloh and indeed it seemed like he was holding a gift in his hands. Rael grimaced painfully. They knew this meant a lot to A'vi but on the other hand given Thancred‘s recent behaviour they also hoped that the poor boy wouldn’t get his hopes up now.

"It’s not much but the others and I thought we should at least get you something.", Rael heard the Hyur say. Papalymo, who seemed to have been listening as well huffed but didn’t say anything. Obviously Thancred had gotten a gift just for A'vi and was too much of a coward to admit that it was his. So of course he was lying again.

"Err… thank you…", A'viloh stuttered looking down at the gift to avoid looking at Thancred. "You really shouldn’t have though…"

"Don’t mention it! Go on! Open it.", Thancred suggested and as A'viloh unknotted the ribbon and opened the box he added, "I heard you recently made a few peculiar new friends in Limsa. Maybe this will help you with your training."

Rael craned their neck to see what was inside the box but the angle was too bad. They were curious and so seemed to be the Lalafell beside them. "What is it?", Papalymo asked.

"Can’t see…", Rael replied with furrowed brows and wondered if it was safe to step a little closer without catching their attention. That decision was taken from them though, as Riol appeared, said a few friendly words to A'vi and then whispered something to Thancred. The later laughed nervously but then excused himself. "Give my regards to Jacke when you see him next.", he said as he left.

A'viloh nodded absentmindedly before asking in confusion. "Wait, you know Jacke?" But Thancred was already out of earshot or at least pretended to be.

Rael waited a moment and observed the Miqo'te who didn’t really know what to do next. Then Rael stepped closer and innocently asked, "What do you have there?"

A'viloh startled a little, as if he had been caught at something. "Oh, hello Rael…", they said smiling pleasantly. "Um, it’s nothing really…"

"Nothing?", the Viera retorted and raised their eyebrows. "So Thancred gifts you a box with nothing inside?"

"What? No!", the Miqo'te blurted out, visible ashamed for getting caught. "Wait! Were you watching me?"

"Don’t be silly. I just wanted to ask wether you still want some cake before Yda and Moen finish it off…", they answered and then nodded at the box. "Will you tell me though what that is?"

A'viloh looked a little hesitantly at the Viera. "I didn’t mean to spoil the surprise, you don’t seem to have gotten your present yet. Thancred said they got it together for me. So I assume you're getting something too…"

Rael pondered wether they should tell him the truth and why Thancred would have lied in the first place. Apart from lying being like breathing for him, of course. "I don’t think so…"

"Huh?", A'viloh didn’t seem to understand. "Why wouldn’t you get something."

"No, that’s not what I meant!", Rael rolled their eyes. "We are getting a gift. It‘s arriving a little late and I’m not going to tell you what it is. Papalymo told me about it."

The Miqo'te still looked at them as if they spoke a different language and then turned his puzzled gaze down to the gift box in his hands.

"This I assure you…", Rael started to explain and pointed at the present. "…is solely from Thancred."

"No…", A'viloh protested and then added a little more weakly. "Why would he do that?"

Rael put on an innocent face. "Yes, why would he?..."

They could almost see how A'vi‘s brain was trying to solve that riddle. Thoughtfully he opened the gift box again to stare at the content. In it lay a dagger and on top of it a little card with neat letters. Rael snatched the card out of the box before A'viloh could stop them and observed it closely.

May this blade always keep you safe from harm., was written there in neat cursive words.

"I didn’t expect Thancred to have such nice handwriting.", Rael wondered but A'viloh wasn’t really listening anymore. Instead he looked at the dagger as if it was going to explain itself to him any moment now. It was a very fine blade of a bluish silver color. For a second Rael had thought it was engraved but the swirly pattern on it stemmed from the material itself. It’s hilt was wrapped in creamy white leather and the overall quality of the dagger was remarkable. If Rael and A'viloh had crafted it themselves they couldn’t have done it any better. Rael wondered were Thancred had gotten it and how big of a fortune he had payed for it.

"That’s a very nice dagger.", Rael stated a little impressed. They couldn’t imagine Thancred put so much effort - and money - into all of his conquests. But then again they still highly doubted that he was honest about this and wouldn’t end up breaking poor A'viloh‘s heart, as much as they wished otherwise for A’vi’s sake.

"Mhm…", he simply muttered in agreement and Rael could see that he was starting to brood over this, so they pushed the card back into the box and cheerfully asked, "So, what about the cake now? If you don’t hurry there will be nothing left!"

That seemed to attract the Miqo'te’s attention after all. "No way!", he exclaimed. "I still want some too. That whole big cake can’t be gone already!"

Rael chuckled and followed him as he hurried to get another slice. Today wasn’t the right day to be gloomy, they decided. Because against all odds this birthday had turned out to be one of the funniest and happiest they could remember although neither Rael nor A'viloh could celebrate it with their family. But the people here, their friends, were just as good as that.

[mathemagiks]

To what extent does their appearance in game match your vision of them creatively? Are there things you wish you could change about them in this regard? Or possibly do, if you knew of a way to do so...

I did my best to try and get close when making all of the beans as alts in-game, but honestly if I had my druthers, all of their in-game models would have so many little tweaks and adjustments to match how I see them (especially since I'm awful at getting mods to work and they give me more headaches than I find worth wrestling with them for).

I got a little wordy in this and scrounged my travel laptop for some old doodles and pictures, so this is going under a cut for length.

For Ehn, I tend to picture him much lankier than the miqo'te in game; he's long limbed and gangly, and still gets mistaken for a teenager at a distance. He cuts no real imposing figure physically! I also tend to draw his ponytail a little scruffier, and the side-hair thingies longer in homage to his namesake. Kinda like this:

Orrin is pretty much accurate, but did you know that in character creator there's no option for actual red red as a hair color option? I managed to get the idea across with how highlights play with is particular hairstyle, but it still bugs me in certain lights how it still looks... well, pink.

Band... By now I've sort of resigned myself to her just having that horn style, but if I had my way, she'd have had the wing-like horns when I made her (I tried making the face they're linked to work, but it just didn't give that sharp, stern look that I felt was key to the Banadei Experience TM). If SE ever disconnects the horns from the faces, you bet I'm finding an in-character way to change them for her. But for now, pointy horns she keeps. Beyond that, she's a lot less.... curvy, I guess, from the raen models. Still feminine at a glance, but just more... average looking I guess? There's a word for this but it escapes me right now. I also like to think her scales have more of a coppery flash than the in-game gold one for Raen, and her limbal rings are more metallic than they are glow-y. She also has much bigger scale patches on her arms and legs than the dainty ones the in-game model has, as well as a large patch between her shoulders and down her sides (like the male models have. As to why the girls don't get them too I have no idea).

Not many differences on Scrap, really, besides him being kinda scrawny for a lalafell. The most I tend to deviate when I doodle him is more in the clothes than the rest of his features, namely his collar and sleeves and drawing his hat a little smaller but tbh that's just me thinking it looks better that way in my particular art style. (He's on the right in this picture, natch)

Uroko is, like, the one bean I made in CC first before building the character behind him so honestly, he's spot on as far as things go. Like Band, though, I picture him with more scales on his arms, legs, and torso than the in-game model gives him, but less "bigger patches" and more like the large patches being flanked by spots of smaller patches, like dappled sunlight.

[pangolinheart]

Not sure if I’ve mentioned this before but Tyr is canonically a weaver. It started out because finding clothes that fit in Eorzea was very difficult, but he found he does like doing it.

He makes clothes or other things for friends and family. He takes personal tastes into account but if given free reign (and if the relationship is flirty/romantic) chances are they can figure out what features of their body he likes.

He and Tataru sometimes chill out and work on their projects together. She has the space and there’s usually snacks. It’s very low key

WWWWWW Canonical crafters are such good flavor lore. Weaver really suits Tyr, and I can definitely see his point. I always think about weird little practicalities like this because Yeah, it would be hard to find shirts with necks you could fit over your horns in Eorzea, where Au Ra aren't native and are pretty uncommon. And even if you could find pants with tail-holes for miqo'te (though, despite making up like 1/3 of all player characters, i think miqo'te are canonically supposed to be kind of rare within urban areas?) they'd be way too small. Even being a lalafel finding clothes in, say, Ishgard seems difficult, though I guess before the industrial revolution more clothes were made-to-order so that would probably be the situation on the Source as well, which would make it easier.

(Another weird detail I think about how male au ra in particular sleep - it seems like it'd be uncomfortable to lay on your side but mail au ra technically have spines on the back of their head so that seems like it'd rule out sleeping on your back too.... And even though lady au ra don't canonically have the spines one model of female au ra horns extend past the back of the head, so a similar situation...) All that aside, even though they don't seem like his style necessarily I think Tyr would look cute in the Boltfiend and Boltsoph's outfits - and conveniently all of the top pieces button! I would be interested to see what kind of clothes Tyr would design for his love interests/friends! I imagine he has some unique aesthetic sensibilities with all of the travel he's done. I really like the image of Tataru and Tyr hanging out, amiably weaving and sewing together. It seems like it would be a pleasant, relaxing time! I would hang out with them.

[sophylovecreme]

The Tall, Handsome Traveler (or why Angel became a healer)

Inya had only been to Gridania once of twice before hopping onto this carriage. Her parents had taken her on account of her persistent begging when they needed to go for some bits and bobs they had run out of and couldn't make, grow or hunt for themselves.

Inya was born and had grown up in the Shroud. Her parents had left their tribe for reasons they never spoke of. They spent their days hunting, gathering, tending to their garden and crafting. Occasionally hosting and housing a traveler for the night and trading the fruits of their labour. Inya had never ventured too far from home. The monsters of the Shroud were scary and she had no ambitions to become dreamtoad food.

Inja had been content to live out a similar existence, if not for The Tall, Handsome Traveler.

Inya had never seen any of his kind before - an Au Ra. They were rare around these parts of the world, she guessed. Usually travelers were Hyur, Elezen with the occasional Lalafell or Viera. Never other Miqo'te. Or Au Ra.

This one was as handsome as he was tall and he towered over her when she had answered his knock at the door. He stated he was here for two nights and two days. Inya found herself without words as she drank him in. When she had stayed quiet for a moment too long, the Tall, Handsome Traveler started to look concerned.

"Darling, who's at the door?" her mother had called out, wiping her hands on her apron. "Oh! You must be the one here for two nights? Darling, please show the traveler to his room."

Her parents did not pry about a traveler's business unless they volunteered the information themselves. Which the Tall, Handsome Traveler did not. Inya was curious, and she was desperate to know the reason why he had come with such a large weapon strapped to his back. But she kept quiet during the dinner (to which the Tall, Handsome Traveler complimented her mother's cooking, stating that it had been a long time since he's had a home cooked meal).

He had set off early in the morning for whatever Traveler Business he had and returned in the late afternoon. Inya, who had been working outside tending to the majoram and tinolqa mistletoe, had thought he looked quite glorious in the golden sunlight. As he got closer, she saw that he was injured.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"So she speaks." he replied with a smile, "Just a few small scratches. Could do with a potion if you have any."

Inya hurried inside to search through their stores. Her parents kept a well stocked supply - occasionally they would require it for themselves if a hunt had gone awry but it was mostly for the benefit of the Travelers they accommodated.

The potion bottles were the size of large Yule tree baubles and she could only carry two - one in each hand. With the potions in hand, she made her way upstairs and knocked gently on the Tall, Handsome Traveler's door.

"Come in."

He was seated on the bed and she handed him the potions and he uncorked one with his teeth. Even seated, the Tall, Handsome Traveler was just as tall as she was standing up and immediately she felt small. Even the bauble sized potions looked miniscule in his large, scaled hands.

"Thank you, angel." he sighed, draining one potion. "I wouldn't have asked if I had some kind of healer with me."

She nodded, unsure of what to say. She wanted to correct him because her name was Inya, not Angel. However at this point, she had noticed he was shirtless. A blush crept up to her cheeks as she tried to subtly study his scales.

"But healers, much less good healers, are scant for the number of front line warriors."

"So they need more... recruits?" Inya ventured.

The Tall, Handsome Traveler leaned back on one hand and gave her a teasing smirk. "Are you going to become a healer, angel?"

Inya tilted her head thoughtfully, trying to avoid looking at him lest her face be set on fire. "I don't know where to become one."

"Gridania has a Conjurer's Guild where they train conjurers and white mages. I would have gone there but seems a bit silly to go all the way there for a few scratches." he said, "Healer training is tough and some say it's as boring as it is difficult. But Nhaama knows they're much needed in the world.

"A healer will also need to know how to fight. But they cannot fight alone. So Warriors like me protect them. Healers allow us to stand longer in battle so it's a natural partnership."

Inya thought about the cycle of this partnership and that perhaps if she had someone to protect her, the monsters of the Shroud would be a lot less scary and she could feel useful.

"Is traveling fun?"

"At times. It's tough but the gratitude from the local folks when you take care of their nasty monsters makes it rewarding. You see much of The World and meet lots of people, eat lots of different kinds of food, fight lots of different kinds of monsters."

The idea of seeing the world beyond the Shroud excited her. Strangely up until this point, she had never entertained that idea. The Scary Monsters had chased those thoughts away thoroughly.

"I need to help my mother with dinner." she announced.

"Wait, I brought back some antelope shanks and tenderloin from today's hunts. Thought your mother might know what to do with it." he said, pulling out a leaf and twine wrapped parcel.

Inya took the parcel and made to leave, before turning back around. "My name is Inya."

"Hmm?"

"My name is Inya, not Angel."

The Tall, Handsome Traveler chuckles. "I know, but you're sweet and brought me the potions. I might have died from these small scratches if it weren't for you, Angel."

Between the teasing and the term of endearment, her heart beat a little faster and she felt her neck heating up. Blushing, she hurried downstairs to help her mother.

The antelope meat was well received and her mother announced she would make Antelope Stew tonight.

The Tall, Handsome Travel bade them goodbye in the late morning. Her mother had pressed a parcel into his hands containing a Tomato Pie and a Nut Bake she had made for him. He thanked them graciously for their hospitality.

"Maybe I'll see you one day, angel." he said with a wink over his shoulder as he left.

Inya knew she was unlikely to see the Tall, Handsome Traveler again. Travelers never seemed to return to the same place twice.

Despite the bittersweet feelings he left in her heart, Inya found herself lit from within with a newfound dream. She learned to make and sell flatbread topped with honey and nuts to locals and travelers alike so she could afford the carriage fare to Gridania.

Her parents were reluctant to let their only offspring go off into the Big Scary World, but understood that Inya wanted to seek her own adventure and write her own story. Her mother had made her favourite Tuna Miq'abob the night before and her father had made sure she had proper sturdy boots and potions.

"Stay safe, Darling. Don't forget to visit." her mother said tearfully as Inya climbed into the carriage to Gridania.

She was going to study conjury in Gridania and perhaps one day she'll see the Tall, Handsome Traveler again. When a grizzled traveler asked her name on the carriage ride to Gridania, she said, "Angel."

[toadeyes-miqote]

Prompt #21: Grave

Note - 20 and 21 can actually swap/share prompts.

Time passes in the Central Circuit, artificial light slowly giving way to night. Estinien answered the door to the smile of Ameliance who was accompanied by Tataru and the three musicians. With a single hand gesture, a basket of fresh clothes was shoved into Estinien’s hands while Tataru alone entered the commandeered infirmary.

One by one, the trio handed baskets of food to him. The trio too were close to Hylnyan. Her brother and sister-in-arms and adoptive brother(-in-law). They had been most helpful fending off unwelcomed curious would-be visitors while having their representatives at the official debriefing party above to be their eyes and ears.

Stews and grilled food mostly recipes from the Northwestern Shrouds, Ishgard, Doma and the Steppes. The scent of flavourful food to lure the huntress back into their fold. The trio looked to Ameliance, who smiled at them with assurance, a polite nod of understanding and they retreated.

Ameliance had gotten an in dept report of what the group had went through from Alphinaud, she had put her weary son to bed and now she came for her daughter.

"Thancred? May I come in?" Mere formality to acknowledge the group dynamics that the physical fighters of the team had. She knew well who he was and the role he had taken on. Her father-in-law would have been proud of the chain of mentorship that the former urchin had established. That Alisaie had came to benefit.

"Please. My lady is ever welcome." He placed a comforting hand on Alisaie's shoulder to reassure her before attending to Ameliance.

When she near the sickbed, she noted that Thancred's coat had been neatly folded and placed beside the Miqo'te’s pillow, along with Alisaie's jacket, a set of gloves, scarf and one of Tataru's missing hat. A smile grew on Ameliance's face, she had trusted a hunch about the flavourful food that she brought and the Miqo'te hunter sense of smell.

"Thancred, please. For her sake get some rest and freshen up. It would hearten her to see you at your most dashing when she wakes."

He gave her a dazzling non-committal smile that might have worked on disarming the unsuspecting. But she deflected him with a hand on his arm, a firm grip. The warmth in her eyes that she knows what they had been through. He swallowed a non-existent lump in his throat and closed his eyes. Daring to hold her hand momentarily in thanks

"G'raha? Is the spell you are using mainly to ease Hylnyan's pain? Or is it something complex from your wealth of knowledge?”

The miqo'te ears perked up, at first he looked to Thancred for a cue. "Umm.. it is a basic spell."

"Would you mind that I hold Hylnyan's hand while you and Thancred refresh yourself?" "Uh no. I guess not."

"I'm not going home." Alisaie stated as Ameliance sat down on the floor beside her. Estinien had not follow the other two men but remain far enough from mother and child for privacy. He had Tataru for company instead.

"Not unless you wish to. " Her daughter slumped against her shoulder allowing her to sling her free arm around her shoulders. “I don’t want the cold comfort about Hylnyan's tales of heroics, mama. I don’t want glorifying of the what she has done when the why of it is more important.” Alisaie started while her mother gently rubbed her arm. “I want her hitting me with her tail to get my attention, to focus. I want her singing her silly Ishgardian songs about Estinien and goading him into taking it out the enemy.” “Hylnyan meant a lot to you?” “She’s different from the students here. She made it feel like life is not a chase for better academic results. That one must always compete to be the best. She doesn’t shoot down my ideas just because I’m younger. And she’s willing to find alternate solutions instead blindly following destiny. She makes me feel that I can get the best results when I shoulder part of the burdens of her responsibilities.... She recognise that I am not an extension of Alphi... ”

Her daughter had become much more people aware from her trip. She had no answers that could make her daughter feel better, the most she could do was sit with her for a while and see if brighter minds can come up with a solution. Someone would need to keep an eye on this lot to make sure they don’t hurt themselves in the process.

[musesofawolf]

He was more than happy to respect her boundaries, recognizing she was nervous around him, around, if he had to guess, anyone and everyone. Plus, given how remote and separate the space felt, he had a feeling stepping in would be stepping into her bubble. He did manage to give her a nod and remark with a soft chuckle, "Well I am glad you have so much trust in your skills, and I look forward to seeing them at work."

It was a moment more before she walked into her home, the Miqo'te archer pulling back the feather, staring at it as it waved softly, and finally with a sigh reaching back and sticking it into his quiver again. He just didn't have a better place for it, and he wasn't going to leave it behind. That was good money! His mind idly wandered to the way she had almost skirted him, even when entering her home. It wasn't always he felt a little off...balance, usually able to adapt and handle anything so quickly, but her...she threw his senses out of wack and had him wanting to do everything he could to protect her, which was dumb. He had just met her! And she could clearly handle herself. He was just about to lean against the door frame on the outside, content to wait, when she spoke up, the tremor in her voice had him turning, concern flashing on his face, ears slicked back, fearing she had seen something in her house, only to find her looking at him.

Oh shit what did I do?! Was the porch off limits? Was I supposed to wait down on the roots? He was about to make a move for the steps, to step down, when she finished her initial sentence, and he froze, paused, slowly turned, and his heart broke at the look of nervousness on her face, the tremble of her hand, and he slowly took a step forward. And another. And his boots slowly stepped over the threshold of her cabin, leaving him standing just inside the doorway with her to his side, staring at him, until she excused herself and sped down the hallway, leaving him mouth open, trying to say something, and just barely managing to pop his mouth close and say in a confused whisper, "Ooookay...well, uhm..." He turned slightly, then back towards the now empty hallway, pointing towards it, then pointing to the door, and calling softly after her, "Just gonna...close this!" And did just that, closing the door with a soft shnick and giving it a thumbs up, only to have the feather droop forward over his eyes again.

Which resulted in him grabbing it, strangling it, and shaking it as he growled out, "Why can you not behave!?" He flipped it back over his head, the stubborn thing listening for the moment and staying back, before he turned and actually really looked at the area he was in. His blue eyes slowly slid over the floor, the walls, the little bit of moss creeping in, and the in general...dilapidated state. Well, dilapidated was harsh, maybe more...lived in? Even that seemed like the wrong word, the archer musing on it a moment more, before he shrugged his shoulders and gave up. He wandered slowly down the hall, hearing boards creak, a few dip and give, and he hummed thoughtfully, recalling his brief apprenticeship with his father. They needed to be replaced, and he could likely do it too...but then the mismatched flooring would be an issue, plus without addressing the roof first they would just rot again...he was at the end of the hallway, and he peeked furtively into the next room, sticking his head into it without letting his body cross into it, seeing the bare sitting room, the few small furniture pieces, and then withdrew his head. He kept his gaze away from the next doorway, just in case, turning and heading slowly back down the hallway, a hand reaching up and touching the feather thoughtfully.

Inviting him in had to be...big for his fellow Keeper, given her reaction, and he wanted to thank her for it in someway, encourage her to open up. His fingers brushed that blue feather, and he felt his smile grow as his eyes lit up with moonlight, quickly pulling a knife from his belt with his left hand.

A quick cut, an inch long segment of feather in his hand, and he set to work, slowly folding the flights in and over each other, creating a braided pattern that crossed the calamus. A few cuts here and there, securing the pattern with careful tucks and double tucks, and he had an inch long blue feather braid, one that he thought would look perfect on her red scarf she wore around her neck. He held it up, carefully admiring it, spinning it, making sure it wouldn't fall apart, and then nodding happily at his handy work, leaning back against the wall with a sigh as he waited patiently, little feather trinket clasped in his hand.

"I haven't the opportunity to cast magicks in the midst of battle, but I'm sure enough of my skills that I could keep you out of mortal harm." She let out an amused sigh. Cyra took note of the obvious joy in his eyes. She wasn't sure what had sparked it, but it was nice to have lighter moments to enjoy. Lately, she had her nose stuck in books, and practicing her spellcrafts in solitude. As careful as she was supposed to be when dealing with strangers, this didn't seem so bad.

She watched in silence as he was stricken by it's beauty. Every time she came upon the sight of it, she also found herself caught in a trance. It was like something out of a fairytale. Not to mention the gentle tree that cradled it carefully, and the blessing of the forest made it easy to sleep soundly without the threat of predators knocking down her door. Yet, her solitude had silently been broken now that she had shown another her humble abode. She felt a little sad thinking about saying goodbye to her long days spent entirely quiet and without speaking. Talking to others was certainly a little exhausting, but a necessary evil for her chosen career.

She blinked in surprise as he happily jaunted up to the front of her home. He had much more energy in his movements than a certain someone she knew. Cyra couldn't help but compare him to Bryn. She used him as her template of judging if someone was trustworthy or not. Kaleh'a wasn't Bryn though, and no amount of comparisons would bring him home to her. He was gone again, and this time he didn't say how long for. She closed her eyes slowly, trying to dismiss the thought and proceed with things as planned. There were people waiting for her arrival after all.

At the very least, the fellow Keeper had high respect for her boundaries. That absolutely would not go unnoticed in her eyes. She raised an eyebrow at his feathery fanfare, still keeping enough distance between them to avoid accidental touch as she stepped up to the door. With a gentle creak, the door opened inward towards the sunlit interior. She stepped in and behind the door silently. Her ears anxiously pressed back as she hesitated to close it behind her. She felt rude for not inviting him in. It was customary to offer hospitality to a guest, but she hadn't quite fully cleaned or patched up the various work that needed to be done. The one thing she did have though, was a privacy screen that had held up fairly well against the element of time.

"It..." She hesitated as she looked back into the entry room. "It would be rude of me not to invite you in. I don't mind company as long as you limit yourself to this room. I won't be more than a moment!" She held the door open for him, gesturing shakily with an open hand to the interior.

The front room had quite a few creaky and warped floorboards. Some moss had crept in from the various gaps in the wood, but it made for a wonderful carpet. The interior had left much to be desired, at least in the entryway, but the open hallway had lead to a main sitting room that had more space than furniture. Beyond what they could see of the study, there was another room to the left that was quite spacious and shared a wall with the entryway. That was the room she had turned into her sleeping quarters. Originally it must have been a study of some sort, but Cyra decided she wanted more space for her to relax than study.

"Right, well..." She nervously fidgeted with her words. "I'll be right out." Cyra didn't give him a chance to even protest before she sped back through the hallway and snaked through the study into her bedroom.

[eriyu]

my niche xiv lore obsession is echo translation superpowers and guess what? this is now another place to spill all my headcanons about it!!!!!!

to start off with, this is the canon Encyclopedia Eorzea explanation:

but i refuse to take the "fade and are replaced" part literally. that would mean you're incapable of learning new languages because you physically can't hear them. and that not only raises a ton of practical issues, but also sounds like a curse as much as a gift.

so i prefer to think that instead, when you're talking to someone with the Echo, your brain just tends to gloss over the incongruity between what you're physically hearing and what you're understanding, especially if you're not paying attention. you just assume the other person is speaking your language, because you can understand them. but then maybe you hear a pun, or a song — something that doesn't work in your language — and suddenly you're like "wait, that doesn't rhyme... wait, what did they actually say?"

and maybe it's easier to notice that incongruity the more attuned you are to aether. that would go a long way towards ensuring that every rando NPC you talk to (who would have no reason to know what the Echo is) doesn't freak out about it. i am also working off the assumption that not everyone you meet everywhere you go speaks Eorzean, because why would they?

so really, the Echo would make it easier to learn new languages because you hear a new word and can instantly understand what the other person means by it.

and it is so interesting that it's explicitly about understanding their intentions and not what they actually say. it makes sense, given that ultimately what the Echo does is allow you to "transcend the boundaries of the soul."

but man, there's so much potential there. if someone's having trouble explaining themselves, no worries, you know what they mean. if you're having trouble explaining yourself, they know what you mean! you can listen to someone reciting poetry and understand how they personally interpret the poem... hell, having the Echo means being able to understand Urianger.

i think it would be neat for something like this to become a plot device in canon, even a small one, but it would probably be too confusing to depict. i don't think this is exactly what the writers had in mind anyway; i'm sure they just wanted a way to handwave in-game language barriers. but with the complexity of how language works, it CAN'T be that simple. i really do think that all this is the most logical interpretation of what we're given.

bonus headcanons about ehriyu specifically!!!!!!!

so much of this came about because she's a) Meracydian and didn't speak Eorzean before ARR, and b) a bard.

she relied on the Echo a lot after first coming to Eorzea, but was also hesitant to use it to speak too much, because she didn't know how people would react if they noticed. that's how she got the canon reputation for being silent (insert nod here), even though she's naturally a very loud person.

she loves chatting with people and mildly dislikes reading, because she can't cheat get that extra layer of understanding from the written word. hearing someone tell a story, or recite a poem, gives it so much more life than just seeing ink on a page! that really fueled her love of song that led her to becoming a bard in the first place.

also: she gets literal headaches when people start talking about things she doesn't understand, like advanced academic concepts. because the Echo is trying to make her understand when she doesn't. they're much less acute headaches than the ones that come with visions, but she still has to sit down and have a serious talk with Mikoto about it at one point — like to tell her "you CANNOT keep doing this to me" LMFAO

also also! she is a Miqo'te, and guess what: i ALSO have a lot of thoughts about huntspeak!!!!! canonically, huntspeak involves whistles, and typically in real life, whistled languages are used to communicate long distances!!! and i just think it would be a neat feature to be able to to send whistled messages from malms away that anyone can understand because of the echo. :)

[norhimorovine]

Norhi was half done loading her cart up for the trip north out of Camp Broken Glass. She had supplies she wanted to get to her friends. Garlemald had been harsh. The Final Days were not making it easier. She was grateful for the last letting from her family, saying they were safe.

The family she'd been able to reach, anyhow.

She glances over at some noise and sees a group coming into town. Some of the Garlean soldiers that were working with the Alliance for now. She fidgets and sets the box she held into the cart, before turning to walk over.

She quietly scoots up near one of them, a young man near the edge of the group. "Ummm... hey..."

The man startles for a moment and then blinks at Norhi, seeming to vaguely recognize her after a moment. "Hello?"

Norhi grins sheepishly and says, "Sorry. I'm Norhi. I umm... I was hoping you could... answer a question. I mean... I don't know. I'm not sure if you'd even know. I'm not sure anyone does anymore."

The man frowns in confused worry and then half shrugs. "Ummm... I'm Anthony. And I guess at a minimum, I can give you an I don't know?"

Norhi half smiles then and rubs her hands together. "I'm looking for someone. I know. Everyone is, it seems. My cousin was... brought here, to Garlemald, when I was young. He'd be about thirty now. I don't even know if he's still alive. But... I keep hoping. Maybe."

Anthony sighs and looks back at his patrol squad. "Not seen a lot of miqo'te recently. A few though. What does he look like?"

Norhi scrunches her nose, thinking for a moment. "Well, we were both still kids. But he had grey skin like mine. But ash brown hair and green eyes. Like moss. Both of his parents were very broad shouldered though. So, I imagine he probably would be too. "

Anthony frowns in thought, before nodding softly. "I... I might be misremembering. But there was someone one of my squadmates was talking to at another safehouse, on our patrol. Your description reminds me of him. Let me talk to my squad. Erm... what was your cousin's name?"

Norhi grimaces. "Back home, his name was Misah'to. I don't know if that would have changed here, or not."

Anthony coughs uncomfortably and then nods. "Got it. Misah'to. And... you're Norhi... with... the Twin Adders?"

Norhi quickly shook her head. "Ah. No. I'm a contractor for the Bellworks Manufacturing. We're civilians, really."

Anthony's eyebrows raise in surprise. "They brought civilians?" he mutters more to himself.

He quickly coughs again. "Right. Anyway. I'll let you know. Anyway... I have to catch up."

Norhi nods and steps back. "Of course. Thank you."

She then turns and jogs back to her cart, quietly tamping her hope back down. It was probably someone else.

[thefinalwitness]

had a big ol epiphany about post-6.1. i knew l'aiha's reunion with her family would be tumultuous as FUCK, given their last convo and l'aiha's memory loss, but... i like to think they can find a new way to be a family. this is the first, ludicrously hard step towards that future.

endwalker spoilers, ofc!!

---

"Mistress Kh?"

"Ah, yes...?"

"You have a visitor. A Sharlayan woman. Erm, she's calling you J'nhala Eiha."

"Oh. Let her in."

The Radiant bowed and disappeared with a soft click of the door. L'aiha sighed, anticipating her guest as she turned to tidy her hair in the mirror. The long, long brown locks always startled her; she was beginning to fear she'd never get used to them. Shouldn't it have felt familiar? Welcoming? Yet all she could think was how much of a stranger she looked like.

Soon, there came another knock at the door, followed by the Radiant letting in a small miqo'te woman. Brown-haired, like L'aiha was trying to be, with matching skin and eyes. It suited her far better, L'aiha thought.

"Nhala—"

"What are you doing here, J'lhana?" L'aiha asked, interrupting the woman's relief. "This is a long way from Sharlayan."

"I understand, but—" J'lhana sighed. "May I sit?"

L'aiha furrowed a brow, but moved to join J'lhana at the small table in the suite. Radz-at-Han had been exceptional hosts since she and Y'shtola chose to stay at the Meghaduta, and the accommodations were one of the only places L'aiha felt like she could relax.

At least, when J'lhana wasn't here.

It wasn't that L'aiha disliked her sister's company—quite the opposite. But she was unused to it, and though J'lhana looked at her with eyes of adoring familiarity, L'aiha felt like she barely knew the girl. No matter how much of their youth J'lhana told her about, it didn't feel like her past. Just a nice story she happened to be the protagonist of.

But if J'lhana was in Thavnair, this was about something bigger than a little sister eager to reconnect. L'aiha had a suspicion as to what already.

"I know you're anxious for me to see our parents," L'aiha said. "But I—I just don't think I'm ready, and—"

"They know you're alive, Nhala."

L'aiha froze, struck with unexpected dread, and then hurt. "You told them—?"

"No!" J'lhana said, mortified. "No, they—they heard about the restricted archive. Two Archons were approved entry by the Forum: Y'shtola Rhul, and..."

And J'nhala Eiha. Of course that was the name that'd be attached to the entry, for it was L'aiha's real name, and what she was going by lately. Stupid! How could she not think the name would raise alarums in the city?

L'aiha deflated, averting her eyes. "Of course," she murmured. "I'm sorry."

"Me too," J'lhana said. "I tried to cover for you, but once our parents heard your name, there was no stopping them. I... I told them you were just busy—that you're with the Students of Baldesion, and... Well. And that you're still getting your bearings in the city."

"Right," L'aiha sighed. "Remind me, the last time I spoke to them was...?"

"Twenty summers ago," J'lhana helped. "The day you left with the Circle of Knowing. You'd had a fight with Mama especially—I thought it'd be easiest to explain that you were uneasy about speaking."

"Do they know about the memory loss?"

J'lhana nodded, small and sad. "It was how I convinced them to step back a little. They're so eager to see you, Nhala, but—they understand. We all do. I just..."

L'aiha could guess what she was thinking. "It's cruel to ask that they wait much longer," she said. "Now that they know I'm alive."

J'lhana looked sorry and grateful at once. "Please come back to Sharlayan with me?"

"J'lhana, I have work to do here—"

"Just for a couple of days! Please? I know I'm asking a lot, but—they miss you, Nhala. Mama hasn't been the same since the Calamity. She's spent all these years thinking she'd never get to speak to you again. And Papa..."

L'aiha shut her eyes. The emotion with which J'lhana spoke was heartbreaking, and yet the grief was not L'aiha's own. Try as she might, these people were still unfamiliar to her. She just couldn't remember.

But she'd seen enough grieving fathers and mothers to know what J'nako and Eih'a must have been going through. Slowly, her golden eyes opened, and settled on J'lhana.

"We can leave in the morning," she said. "Is that okay?"

J'lhana looked as if she'd crumble with relief. "That's perfect, Nhala, thank you! Thank you so much—"

She hugged L'aiha, tight and loving; so much so L'aiha couldn't help but melt into it. This young woman loved her so, and she only hoped that one day she'd feel like the sister she was.

---

L'aiha got her affairs in order that night, informing Nidhana and Y'shtola that she'd be making for Sharlayan for a day or two. Each woman gave her a list of things to bring back for their research and experiments, and Y'shtola even offered to accompany her—but L'aiha knew the work would suffer without her, and she also knew this was something between her and her family.

With the help of the aetheryte, L'aiha and J'lhana made quick work of an otherwise lengthy journey to the northwest, where the island nation of Sharlayan rested halfway across the world from Thavnair. It was faintly snowing upon their arrival, making L'aiha all the gladder she packed a coat. Radz-at-Han was hot and humid at all times of year; Sharlayan not so.

L'aiha had seen the small estate of her family's once or twice already from the outside. J'lhana had been trying to make this reunion happen for months, after all, and L'aiha had braved as much as the street it was on before cowering out. Today would be different though, because this time her parents were expecting her.

J'lhana could hardly contain herself. Bouncing on her heels in equal parts excitement and nervousness, she looked as if she'd burst just waiting for the doorman to return.

Still, she must have sensed L'aiha's own anxiety. "It'll be okay," she promised. "I know you're worried about the bad terms, but I promise they're just happy you're home."

L'aiha nodded, but the reassurances did little to unwind the knots in her stomach. So many expectations, good or bad, would avalanche upon her the moment she stepped into that house. A mother and father, whose memories of J'nhala Eiha suffocated L'aiha even beyond the walls.

Her heart raced as the door opened, the servant returning. "The Lord and Lady await you both. If I may—welcome home, Lady J'nhala."

L'aiha mustered a tight smile and polite nod. The doorman stepped aside, permitting both women entry to the estate.

But, kindly, J'lhana waited. "It's okay," she said again. "I'm with you."

L'aiha allowed a tiny sigh, then nodded as the two of them headed in. J'lhana knew the way, of course, but went slow as L'aiha's eyes darted all around the foyer and halls.

Quite blue, the decor, an unsurprising choice in Sharlayan. Even her sister wore the color frequently, and L'aiha wondered if she used to too.

She stopped at a wall of paintings, many small, and one large in the center of the collection. There, in that middle frame, stood a man and a woman—two miqo'te, the woman a Seeker of the Sun with dark hair and skin, and the man a white-haired Keeper of the Moon whose ears, to L'aiha's shock, were dappled just like the ones beneath her hair dye.

Two girls stood in front of them, not fully grown. L'aiha saw the same stranger that'd been living in her reflection; J'nhala Eiha, smiling proudly, her hair dark and loose, her eyes as brown as the younger girl's beside her.

Yet it was the visage of J'nhala's parents—her parents—that struck L'aiha the deepest. Those spots on Eih'a's ears... For the very first time, L'aiha recognized a piece of herself in her long lost family.

"Papa'll be so excited you got his dapples," J'lhana gently teased beside her, pulling L'aiha out of her trance. "When you had brown hair, you couldn't see them. None of us knew you'd inherited it until I saw you blonde."

"I'm told it's a rare trait in Keepers," L'aiha murmured. "Of course I'd have gotten it from a Keeper father..."

She couldn't name the feeling in her chest. It hurt, badly, but she found herself unwilling to let go of it. This was all she'd ever asked for, from the day she awoke in the Lochs without so much as her name.

"Nako—!"

The two startled at a man's call. L'aiha's eyes shot up the hallway, and met with a woman's the same moment hers found the mage's. They froze, at two ends of the corridor.

L'aiha recognized her from the painting. J'nako Rhaq. Her mother.

Grief welled in J'nako's eyes at once. L'aiha thought she might crumble for a moment, but realized how strongly built the woman was, even in her old age. She tried to speak once, twice, but words failed her each time.

A man came around the corner next, equally familiar. White-haired, with spots on his ears fading to age. He gently took J'nako's hand into both his own.

"Nako," he hushed, "let her come to..."

He trailed off, when J'nako didn't react to his touch. He followed her eyes to L'aiha, and instantly teared up. Where J'nako had managed to keep her eyes dry, droplets fell from Eih'a's cheeks at once.

"Nhala," he breathed, shakily.

Suddenly J'nako was across the room. L'aiha barely had a moment to react as the woman threw her arms around her, crushingly strong in physique and emotion both.

L'aiha felt her heart drop to her stomach. She resisted the initial urge to retreat, despite how overwhelming it threatened to be. This was her mother, she told herself, she could muster the selfsame understanding she'd given J'lhana. She could do this. Just breathe.

J'nako leaned back, brushing the hair out of L'aiha's face. "Gods. Azeyma forfend, it's really you."

L'aiha tried to speak, but her throat just shut. Eih'a soon approached too, restraining himself only a little better than J'nako.

"Nhala," he hushed again. "Oh, sweetheart, look how you've grown."

She wanted to run. The attention, the feeling of not being seen as herself, but as an idea, an expectation—it threatened to choke her.

Again, she tried to say anything, but words failed each time.

"Forgive us," Eih'a said. "For—Thaliak, you might not even remember, but—we're so sorry, Nhala—"

"I told you," J'nako said, deadly quiet.

It was as if her words alone had coated the hall in a sheet of ice. L'aiha saw so many things in the woman's eyes—joy, grief, anger, sorrow—

A pain bloomed in L'aiha's brow. "No—" she gasped, gripping her temple.

She heard J'lhana next to her. "Nhala—?"

But it was too late. The scene disappeared to the Echo, as J'nako's and Eih'a's overwhelming memories became L'aiha's own.

"Listen to your mother!" pleaded Eih'a's voice. "Archon Leveilleur, he—he's lost his mind, Nhala!"

"He's the only one that's kept it!" L'aiha felt herself snap back, but the words weren't her own; she recognized J'nhala's presence in place of her own. "Eorzea NEEDS us, Papa! If we don't stand together—"

"Go then." It was J'nako's voice this time, as cold as the words that had triggered the Echo in the estate hallway. The woman brimmed with those same emotions, that grief and anger overflowing. She yelled, sudden and sharp, "Foist yourself into Leveilleur's and Rhul's folly! But know that if you do, you will be our daughter no longer!"

The words struck L'aiha like a knife. She felt herself longing to plead, to cry—no, no, she couldn't lose this family she'd only barely found—

But J'nhala didn't hesitate.

"I've rather be the motherless Archon that stood up for innocents than bend to Sharlayan's callousness!" she screamed, just a beat later. She didn't think about it. She didn't have to. "I will NOT forsake Eorzea! Not for the Forum—not for you!"

"Nhala!" Eih'a cried.

"Thaliak KEEP you!" J'nhala said. "If this is His will, then I want NOTHING to do with it!"

"You're insane!" J'nako snarled. "That wretched realm will KILL you!"

"Your SELFISHNESS will damn them all!"

The Echo fractured and blurred. The pain in L'aiha's head worsened, until she blinked and she was back in that hallway.

Back in J'nako's angry grip, in Eih'a's mournful gaze.

"Nhala?" J'lhana hushed.

It was too much. L'aiha tore free of J'nako's hands, veering away as she gunned straight back out of the estate.

"Nhala!" J'nako called. "Nhala!" Eih'a cried.

Nhala. Nhala. Nhala.

The name was as daggers to her skull. L'aiha bolted into the street, away from that house, from that whole district. Her parents' voices disappeared fast, but one gave chase.

"Nhala, wait!" J'lhana yelled, somewhere behind L'aiha; she didn't dare look back. "What happened? Nhala—"

"Stop it!" L'aiha screamed.

She felt the burn through her boots, as she screeched to a stop and whirled on J'lhana. The woman was closer than she'd thought, and only barely managed not to crash into her.

She looked so lost. "Nhala, I—"

"Do not call me that!" L'aiha snapped. So angry, so miserable; she hated the way J'lhana recoiled. "I'm not J'nhala! Do you understand?! I cannot be her! I will never be her!"

That stranger in the mirror, haunting her, a dead woman L'aiha wanted so, so badly to escape.

"My name is L'aiha!" she cried, not at her sister, but at that dead woman. "I'll NEVER be you again!"

But when that fury cleared, and all that was left was the two of them and the snow, L'aiha realized where she was again. J'lhana stared, petrified, and L'aiha was reminded of herself when that Echo of J'nako had shouted at her.

She hiccuped, wrought with grief. "I'm sorry, Lhana," she said. "I can't do this. I can't be her again."

"Okay," J'lhana said. Tearful, and scared—but even now, in this chaos, she just wanted to have a sister again. "Okay, L'aiha."

It broke her. She gasped, shallow and pained, as her knees gave out and she crumbled to the snow-dusted cobbles.

J'lhana was there a second later, supporting L'aiha's weight for all of a moment before the Seeker hugged her. Tightly, desperately.

Gods. She wanted a sister again too. "I'm so sorry, Lhana."

"Me too," J'lhana hushed. "I... You're not Nhala anymore. You're right. But—but you can still be part of our family. If you want."

"I broke their hearts, didn't I," L'aiha said.

"You did what you believed in," J'lhana said. She cradled L'aiha's head, as the Seeker wept and shook in her arms. "And that wasn't wrong. That's never wrong. I know Mama and Papa see that deep down, but—we'll make them admit it together. Okay?"

L'aiha almost didn't understand, until J'lhana's next words. "I promise, Aiha. C... Can I call you Aiha?"

"Please. I... I'd like that."

"Aiha, then. My sister. Or—my new friend."

"Sister," L'aiha murmured. She sat up, and wiped her eyes, and smiled so easily for the first time today. "Your sister."

To see J'lhana's own eyes fill with tears awoke something fierce in L'aiha. She pulled the Keeper into her arms, letting her cry with relief just as Lhana had a moment before.

This would be hard. But in that heartbreaking Echo, L'aiha felt the hearts of J'nako and Eih'a. She felt them like she felt her own, when Alphinaud and Alisaie disappeared in the storm of despair.

The knowledge that your children were right, and the grief that it might cost them their lives. L'aiha would've done anything to stop it. She tried. She pleaded like Eih'a, and screamed like J'nako.

They deserved to know J'nhala grew up. That she lived. That she was right.

"Let's get you back to Radz-at-Han," J'lhana said, sniffling as she sat up.

L'aiha's ears pinned flat. "What about our parents—?"

"I'll handle it." J'lhana smiled up at her. "I'm sorry I pushed you so much. It wasn't fair of me—of any of us."

L'aiha faltered, grateful though she was. "I want to try again," she said. "Someday soon. I... I want this to work."

It brought fresh tears to J'lhana's eyes, who stubbornly scrubbed them away. "When you're ready this time," she said. "When you're ready to introduce L'aiha."

Whether or not L'aiha could be their daughter, she didn't know. But she felt J'nhala's heart too, in that vision.

L'aiha couldn't be her. But she could try to do right by her.

[murokhan]

FFXIVWrite Prompt #7 - Pawn

The sounds of her heels hitting stone stairs were the only things she could hear as she made her ascent up the tower. Ceres clutched her rapier tight as she wanted to be prepared for this confrontation. Still, something at the back of her mind ebbed a little sense of uncertainty in her. She knew she wasn't going to war against a powerful evil that threatened the land. It was her best friend.

Aldin closed his eyes when he heard the footsteps come closer. With the light clacking of heels against stone, the Xaela only knew one person who decided such footwear was necessary, even on the battlefield. And knowing that such gear did little to hinder the miqo'te's expertise.

"I knew you'd come," Aldin said, his back still turned from her, overlooking the alpine mountain scenery before him. "I had hoped this would never have happened, but I guess you chose this fate for us.

"I can only think of so many others that could stop me, to either put me in my place or have the resolve to kill me when they knew there was no other option. If I fail here, I fail in my mission."

"And there it is again, that damnable mission you keep going about." Aldin finally turned to face her, his hands to his sides. "You've not told a single person this mission. And now I've found out you're the one that disrupted all opportunities whenever we have tried to garner peace within the tribes."

"It's all for the greater good, I promise you."

"There is nothing great about it, Ceres!" Aldin cried out. "Why are you doing this?!"

"I'm sorry... I can't say..."

Aldin could only look at the face of his lost friend. He saw in her eyes that this wasn't a bout of madness or a sudden shift to an ulterior evil motive. On the contrary, she had a just cause for her actions, which pained him dearly. A singular tear rolled down his cheek as he pulled his katana from its sheathe and felt the heat of its aspected fire aether burn magically against the blade.

"It doesn't have to be this way," Aldin said softly, his fiery katana held firmly in his hand. "We can still work together to fix everything. We still have so much time, don't you see? It's not too late, Ceres."

The red mage shuttered softly at his words, but she did not once ease the grip on her rapier. Instead, she took it from its sheathe with her right hand and began focusing her aether into the crystal on her left. The crystal hummed to life as it hovered around her, in tune with her movements. The tip of her blade was pointed in his direction, unshaken, poised and focused on striking. Her nature of a fighter was ready, yet her face had a look of dolefulness on it. Her body was ready; her soul was second-guessing.

Aldin closed his eyes. "So be it."

The samurai dashed forward to meet the steel of the red mage, a trail of embers following his incredible speed. The reverberation of the sound alone pulsed throughout the open air as the two former friends locked eyes with one another, Aldin gauging Ceres one last time to no avail.

Ceres followed through with the next attack as she backflipped a few yalms away, bringing her focus crystal to cast two Verthunders. Aldin saw the telegraph of the cast, avoiding the first jolt effortlessly and narrowly missing the second – he had forgotten just how much power those crystals contained. Ceres followed up the spell casts by jumping forward, slashing away with her rapier with the Redoublement technique, utilizing the sword's swiftness for multiple thrusts.

Aldin parried each thrust and, without delay, gathered some aether within himself and unleashed a couple of strikes against Ceres. The smaller framed miqo'te felt the heat burning off the blade with each parry, her balance almost off while contending to the strikes of the au ra fighter. She stumbled backward to regain her footing, but it offered Aldin enough time to place his gathered aether into his blade and shoot a well-timed Enpi. It struck her hard and caused her to be pushed back another few yalms away.

Ceres cursed herself for having been opened to such a hit and cursed herself forward for letting it come to this. She knew he could defeat her easily if he wanted. He had the skill and the power to do so. However, she had a plan, and she hated every second that the idea came to be within her mind and how it played out. It was for the greater good, she reminded herself.

Another chance to cast, her focus charged and primed, she let out a Veraero. The torrential wind rocked Aldin, but he could withstand its biting blast. After the spell was cast, Ceres dashed toward him as if preparing to strike. Aldin was ready and held his guard up, formulating his own counter to finish this battle swiftly. However, as he was prepared for a slash, he was greeted with a magically created stone to the chest. Verstone. She had kept the stored power and cast her spell at a short distance. The blow caused him to stumble backward this time. His guard was gone, his chest was exposed, and Ceres used this moment to thrust her sword.

Internally she had hoped he would deflect that attack as well. But, instead, it met its mark on his heart. Aldin felt the sudden sting in his breast and saw the shocked expression on her face. But, of course, she didn't expect this outcome either, and he knew what would come next. He looked at her face a moment, then took one last breath.

"I hope this is worth it," he said before walking backward, the blade effortlessly sliding out and finally collapsing to the ground. The fire on his blade faded out beside him.

Ceres, too, dropped her sword, falling to her knees as she openly wept for the man she once called a comrade. Her sobs echoed from the tower. In place of rain, snow began to fall over the area due to the cooler climate, each snowflake caressing her heated face. She wished to die with him or to know a means to convince him of her chosen path. She knew it wouldn't ever be that way to have an ally to walk down this road with her. He would stop her by any means or die trying.

She felt a disruption of the wind coming from behind her. Ceres knew what it was. She didn't need to look. A portal of dark purple emerged, and from its center, a man wearing a black robe and black mask approached her, regarding her as one would a faithful pet. His head turned to her, then to Aldin.

"Then you are wholly committed?" he asked. "Very well, my dear. You will see that I am right and that where we go from here will be for the greater good of this star. We have much to prepare for now. You need only to follow my lead and the will of my masters."

Ceres nodded as she got to her feet. She was too numb now to understand her folly or to reconsider her place in this plan of his. Her path was before her now, and this robed man was the only one who could lead her through it.

[second-chance-stray]

RP Log: Cravs and Lin speak after a successful mission.

Aislinn North After the team returned to Heartwood, dragging the remains of one large bioweapon with them, Aislinn had disappeared into her quarters with little more than a 'see you all later'. The next day she emerged from upstairs as the evening set in, a glass of whiskey in hand, looking more rested and decidedly less tense than the day before. She paused at the bottom of the stairs, and studied the bioweapon spider that now clogged the entryway. She raised an impressed brow. 1/2

Aislinn North Cravendy, Rising and Riylli must have figured out how to get it through the door. A mathematical feat, to be sure. Taking a swallow of her drink, she made her way over to the spider remains and began poking and prodding at it. 2/2

Cravendy Hound had woken up the next afternoon on the couch, her body achy and her head even more so. The rest of the day was spent trying to recover, to limited effect. It took until evening to feel passably alive, and she emerged from her room like a bear waking from hibernation...wearing yesterday’s clothes. Her hair? Don’t even talk about it.

Cravendy Hound notices Lin poking the spider-thing and steps up to join her. “....Hhey,” she says, in a voice raspy like sandpaper.

Aislinn North quickly looked up from her rummaging, caught off guard by the sudden sound of someone's voice. Already too absorbed in the spider's inner workings to notice anyone approaching. "I was just --" she relaxed a bit and let out a breath when she saw it was only Cravendy. "Ahh, alright, Cravendy." she nodded. Then paused and really took a look at the Seawolf. The woman definitely looked a bit rough around the edges. "Actually, aye. *Are* you alright there?"

Cravendy Hound is about to brush off Lin’s question and claim that she’s fine, but stops herself. Looking like this, she couldn’t fool anyone, not even herself. Cravs crosses her arms and grimaces. The sore consequences of tackling a machine twice.

Cravendy Hound: “I, ah, went drinkin’ after the mission yesterday. ‘Ow about yerself? All in one piece still?” She looks over the machine and her frown deepens. Something about how it was both metal and flesh spooked her. Didn't seem right.

Aislinn North "No reason for me not to be in one piece. All I did was stand in the back and keep those two green recruits from being overwhelmed." she replied as she waved off the question. She knocked a boot against the odd flesh covered metal chassis. "Must've been some night of drinking though. Come on, let's head upstairs and get some water in you." she said and turned for the stairs.

Aislinn North Setting her drink on the bar, Aislinn took a moment to sort out the kitchen. Honestly, this was one of the few times she'd been back here. But she soon locates the spigot in short order and pours Cravendy a tall glass of cold water and passes it over to her. "There. That oughta help with all that grit in your throat."

Cravendy Hound waits for Lin to turn her back, and then follows, careful to limp as quietly as she is able. When it seems like she’s about to look, Cravs does her best to not look so beaten up. Internally, an incessant monologue chitters in her head, berating her for being so...pitiful? Weak? It -had- been awhile since she was last in the field though. Completely natural to be sore, she tells herself.

Cravendy Hound: “Thanks.” She downs half the glass in one, prolonged gulp, and then takes a seat on the stool. “So...what’s yer plan with the spider now? Workin’ with Haila?”

Aislinn North shrugged in an almost non-committal fashion. "Honestly, I don't have any plans for it. I think it's all up to Haila from here. I suppose I should get going on making more of those prototypes if this last excursion was any indication." she said with a dry humor. "Those two, Riylli and Evelyn, they're going to need something to keep those bioweapons off them. Because caution sure isn't it."

Cravendy Hound: “I figure magic comes as naturally to them as breathin’, so to tell ‘em to ‘old back...well, that’s what yer shackles are for.” Cravs leans forward on the counter and flinches slightly. She shifts her posture until she’s no longer putting weight on any bruises. “Evelyn is an interestin’ one. What’d she call ‘erself? The third comin’ of the Phoenix?”

Aislinn North lips turned downward at the idea she was creating 'shackles'. And in truth if she hadn't been there picking off the host of small spiders, the two miqo'te -would- have been overwhelmed. "Better than adding another two to the lost list." she returned before taking another swallow of whiskey. She nodded to Cravendy, watching the woman as she flinched. "Something like that. She also referred to herself as a vessel. Figure something powerful has a hold of that one."

Cravendy Hound nods in agreement. “Either they’re completely loony, or they’re tellin’ the truth. And personally, I don’t think it’s the latter.” Cravs holds back a laugh as she remembers Evelyn bragging about (and then failing to deliver on) grandiose feats. “But yer right. I’m glad she’s still with us, and not dragged off to who knows where.”

Aislinn North stared down pensively at the amber liquid in her glass. How long had it been since G'lewra, Vanriri and M'shara disappeared? She shied away from adding up the days. She knew she wouldn't like the sum. "All this waiting is the hardest part. Don't get me wrong, running off and storming this madman's hideout wasn't the best plan G'lewra ever had. But. ..some days, I get it."

Cravendy Hound: “For the missin’ folks. Do ye think there’s still anythin’ left to save?” Cravs wonders aloud. She stares past the water in her glass, unfocused and weary. They had been gone for so long, and her mind had a tendency to wander into dark territory. To assume the worst. “...Shouldn’t rush in, but ‘ells, it feels awful not knowin’.”

Aislinn North "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought the same." she said, inhaling deeply. "But I don't think we can operate like that. This is still a rescue mission until we know otherwise." It was unclear as to whether it was Cravendy or herself that she was reassuring.

Cravendy Hound lets out a sharp breath. “Grah, I know, I just. Sittin’ ‘ere while they could be...I want to do something. Anything. Shit always takes too long to fix.” Impatient frustration builds like hot smoke, filling her lungs, but when she looks back at Lin, it settles. Of course, she wasn’t alone in feeling this way, and that helped somewhat.

Cravendy Hound: “Feels like once ye start to care, ye suddenly can’t stop seein’ how everythin’s on fire. Far too many for one to put out, if yer not burnin’ yerself,” Cravs mumbles before downing the rest of her water.

Aislinn North tilted her head to Cravendy, understanding how the woman felt. "That is the way of it, isn't it? Unless you want to go and hermit up out in the woods somewhere. Or worse, just stop caring all together." she said with a rueful glance. "Suppose that must happen a lot in this mercenary business. Too many fires, not enough water." she paused for a moment, reflecting on the truth in Cravendy's words. Best not to pile on and add to it, in her opinion. 1/2

Aislinn North "Be sure to shoot me if I ever get that way." she told the Seawolf. Most likely, it was a jest. 2/2

Cravendy Hound: “It was nice, not carin’. Just takin’,” Cravs notes wistfully, reflecting on her lawless days at sea. “‘Ey, don’t ye go rattin’ me out for the mistakes I made in my youth. Shit still messes ye up, twofold like a debt unpaid. Would not recommend.”

Cravendy Hound slouches over with a smile. “If I shoot ye, promise me ye’ll shoot me back. Seems a fair trade.

(Cravendy Hound) also - cravs talking about her youth like it was years ago when tbh it was her allll the way up until she woke up ;w; )) (Aislinn North) ((Lol! Practically EONS ago!)) (Cravendy Hound) the distant past *yesterday* ))

Aislinn North shook her head as she drained the whiskey in her glass. "I'm certainly in no place to go ratting anyone out for mistakes made in the past." she told the Seawolf. "Hells, I'm fairly sure I'm still making them." she said darkly. She pushed the empty glass to the far side of the bar. "But alright, it's a deal. Assuming we both decide to stop caring at the same time." Propping an elbow on the counter, she rested her chin in the palm of her hand. 1/2

Aislinn North "Speaking of which, I suppose I should get on those prototypes. Er. ..guess they're just 'types' now. Sans 'proto'." she was rambling and shook her head. "And you could probably do with some more resting up." 2/2

Cravendy Hound makes a sound halfway between confused and amused. “Prototype? Type? What’re ye goin’ off about...Just do what ye ‘ave to do. I won’t keep ye any longer.” Cravs smirks, and turns to face the bar. Since she was here, she may as well indulge. Round two, coming up.

(Cravendy Hound) bad decisions coming up more like )) (Aislinn North) ((Ohhhh Cravs xD))