#House Orien

[spinaroos-47]

Haunted by the same exact face a million times

[pyuart]

Owien…

[saphiraepona]

Here’s my fe3h oc Orien in the style of the three houses sprites! Pre-timeskip, midskip, and post-timeskip, respectively. These were a lot of work to do but i’m so proud of the outcome!

Since in Three Hopes there's no battle of Garreg Mach, where she got the scars on the upper half of her face, she looks slightly different in that timeline (same as Dima keeping his eye and Dedue not getting his own set of scars!) as shown below.

[the-guild-codex-and-other-things]

Unveiled 4

Saber, to Zak: Let's do what people do. We'll buy a house we can't afford and get a dog that makes us angry.

[myreia]

Sketches of Times Lost

Day Nine: Lend an Ear

at long last, aymeric hears from the one dear to him. aymeric x female warrior of light, mentions of past aymeric/estinien. set during stormblood. written for ffxivwrite2024. rated: teen words: 1617 ao3 link

It is two bells to noon when the linkpearl hums.

At first Aymeric thinks he must be imagining it. The delicate thing has been dormant for weeks, ever since Aureia left on her journey. She was so flushed and bright-eyed when she gifted it to him, pushing it eagerly into his hands on the day she left for Gyr Abania. A token, a private link to keep them connected while she journeyed away from Ishgard.

They have only used it three times. Once when she arrived in Castrum Oriens. A second when she reached Rhalgr’s Reach. And finally, the third not long after the Resistance was raided. She was so silent then, saying little more than a word or two. He prattled on, filling the silence with arbitrary small talk and unimportant politics and Emmanellain’s latest tomfoolery, until she finally blurted it out. She was injured. Badly. And she wished to return to Ishgard.

She was coming home from her foray too soon, bruised and bandaged and broken.

Her injuries healed quickly under the chirurgeons’ care—she had survived much worse, Alphinaud said—but her spirit remained crushed. This was no simple taste of defeat; there was a hollowness inside her that was eating her alive, and gods be damned she could not speak of it. He could not bring himself to ask what happened that horrible, horrible day. He knew the small details, of course—the burning base, the Imperial destruction, the tally of the injured, the tally of the dead.

Zenos yae Galvus stalking the battlefield like a demon summoned from the Void.

Aureia’s silence was uncanny. Unsettling. This was not the first time she had fallen in combat, nor would it be the last. She is no stranger to defeat. And yet the Garlean prince left an undeniable mark on her. Even after her recovery and the plan to travel to Othard was put in place, she felt distanced. Faded. Like an autumn leaf torn from its branch, falling away from the place it called home.

The linkpearl hums again, the delicate white bead pulsing faintly with light.

Aymeric stares at it, certain now that he is not making it up. He wets his lower lip and puts down his pen, stretching out a hand. His fingers hover above the linkpearl’s box, its home since he removed it from his ear. Out of the way, but not forgotten. Housed safely and waiting, ready for when she saw fit to call. There was no expectation for her to call right away. The journey to Othard is long, and the seas are perilous. She has more important things to do than to worry about calling him, just as he does.

His gaze flicks to the chronometer above his mantlepiece. Then back to the linkpearl. The day is still young. A fire crackles in the hearth, staving away the early cold that creeps in through the windows overnight. He returned from morning prayers not that long ago. A pile of paperwork is stacked upon his desk, and this only matters so urgent he must deal with them at home. There will be others waiting in his office at the Congregation of Our Knights Most Heavenly.

That really is a mouthful, you know. Has no one thought of renaming it to something maybe under seven syllables?  

The memory murmurs at the edges of his mind, softened by the haze of reminiscence. They were lying in bed, perhaps. His bed—or was it hers? No. It must have been his. The sun was too bright that morning, flooding through tall windows. She sat up with the sheets pulled around her, her hair a mess, creases in the corners of her eye, all but glowing in that sun.

The linkpearl hums once more.

Aymeric shoves his seat back and rises to his feet, seizing the linkpearl and putting it in his ear.

“Aureia,” he breathes.

Nothing at first. Then—

“Hi.”

Her voice is clearer than expected. He closes his eyes and presses a hand to his chest, as if the pressure can soothe his aching heart. “You called.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner.”

A pause. Faint music echoes from her side, too distant for him to make much sense of. Harmonies played on instruments unfamiliar to his ears. Where is she now? How far has she gone? Has she made it safely? Is she hurt? Halone above, he does not know what he will do if this is how he discovers she has been gravely wounded again— 

“We’re in Hingashi.”

“Hingashi?” His eyes widen. “Then you—”

“Made it, yes.”

He breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank Halone. Your journey was uneventful, I take it?”

“An incident with pirates.” He can envision the playful smile on her lips from her tone alone. “Nothing we couldn’t handle. I suppose one could say Alisaie taught them a lesson or two. Or four.”

“Would that I could have seen that.”

“Would that you could have come with us.” She pauses, the score of the city shifting behind her. The instruments have faded now, but he can hear the rhythm of a busy street, the cacophony of distant gossip. Is she outside? Sitting by a window? If only his tongue wasn’t so tied, she could paint the picture for him. “I think you would like it here in Kugane. The city is wonderful.”

“Any snow?”

“No.” He’s certain he can hear her grinning. “Tataru took us on a tour of the markets. And the tea houses, Aymeric! The tea here… I can’t describe it. I hate to say it, but it puts your Ishgardian brews to shame.”

“I would very much like to argue that. Ishgardians pride ourselves on our tea, you know.”

“You could, but I don’t think you’ll win.”

“That’s hardly fair. I taught you everything you know.”

“And now I have surpassed you.”

He chuckles, a soft smile spreading from ear to ear. Abandoning his desk, he pads across his office and slows to a halt by the hearth, watching the flames dance. It wasn’t so long ago that she was here, curled up on the couch. Her favourite coat—a red leather duster—is still here, hung over the back. “Then I look forward to this tea sparring match upon your return,” he says, warming his hands above the fire. The chronometer ticks, the second hand moving determinedly forward. “Shall you put it in your calendar or shall I?”

“Mm. I think we can think of better things to do than to spar over tea.” Her voice drops to a murmur, low and husky, thick with suggestion. It’s surprisingly forward of her, considering their lack of contact over the past weeks. Or is that another thing he is imagining? “Did you know they have public baths here? Hot springs. Perhaps there are more similarities between Ishgard and Hingashi than we thought. Just like the mountains. They’re beautiful here, Aymeric. I don’t know if I there will be a chance to visit before we move on, but I can see them from my window before the sun sets too far.”

His throat constricts, his breath shallow. “Is the sun setting now?” he asks, leaning a shoulder against the hearth.

“Yes. It’s just gone below the horizon.”

“And it is morning here.”

A pause. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think… I can call again later. If you’re busy—”

“No, no. Please.” He exhales a long breath and rests his forearm along the mantlepiece, his fingers tapping the wood near the chronometer. “It’s good to hear your voice. More than I can say.”

Another pause. “I’m attuned to the aetheryte here now, you know. I could slip away. Come see you in person.” Though there is hopefulness in her voice, it isn’t as much a question as it is a daydream. One where the weight of nations doesn’t weigh on their shoulders. One where their names and faces are unknown. One where he isn’t the Lord Commander and she isn’t the Warrior of Light.

“It would attract too much attention to receive a visitor all the way from Kugane,” he says softly. “I cannot guarantee there wouldn’t be talk, and any talk can find its way back to the Empire. Best stay discreet.”

“I know, I… I miss you. I wish I could see you.”

“But I can hear you. That is more than enough.”

She falls silent. A distant rush of wind—a breeze blowing by her window, perhaps?—and he can hear the faint trail of music once again. “I should let you go,” she murmurs. “Let you get back to work. And I should go to bed. It’s been a long day.”

“Aureia—”

“Yes?”

He flips the chronometer around, pushing it face-down into the mantlepiece. “Stay with me a while?”

She doesn’t answer. In the uncertain space between breaths, he wonders if he is about to find the answer to the question that has haunted him for weeks. How did a Garlean prince—however ferocious—shake her so badly that their relationship feels uneasy? Have they reached that impossible place he fears the most? The immutable point where they begin to break apart, slowly but surely moving away from one another. It has happened before. He was young and foolish when he let Estinien into his heart. Has he learned anything since? Or is she destined to meet a similar end?

There is something about these warriors his heart chooses—bound to wander like distant stars, while he is ever bound to Ishgard.

Aureia’s voice resounds in his ear, warm and firm and with such tenderness he is reminded why exactly he loves her. “I would like that.”

[paeliae-occasionally]

Xaeren Character Intro!

After popular demand (@thecomfywriter) I have made an intro for your favourite magic guy Xaeren. For more info go to the ‘Xaeren lore’ links in my intro, or #xaeren writing.

Ok so I have a list of questions from the number 1 Xaeren fan, but if anyone has further questions feel free to put them in the comments.

Questions:

This man’s sleeping position?

He sleeps on his side, usually his left side unless he is injured. His coat hangs next to him in case he needs to leave quickly and he has other runes on his pyjamas just in case.

His daddy issues?

Xaeren’s biological father (Morden Teyri) was a necromancer from the 3rd Altic Kingdom, when he was taken Xaeren was adopted by an abusive step father from the Ponturesi who used him to study the effect of pain or learning runes. All in all not a great parental situation but when he finally reached Zairel he is quickly welcomed into Hiresias and the hidden king becomes something of a father figure to him so that is nice.

His crippling anxiety?

He fears that he is running out of time, which he is. Xaeren has spent a lot of time and effort protecting himself from the gods but has recently figured out that it was not enough to keep him safe. The concept of the goddess finding him and imprisoning him again is terrifying, if only just because of his utter helplessness and failure at his life goal: magic and survival.

His Runes?

Ok, long story. I have other rune posts, but happy to make more if needed. His runes of choice are ‘Awen’- protection, ‘Xaeren’- souls/banishment (Obviously) ‘Tas’- Binding and ‘Tesellel’- Dispelling magic

Where did his resilience come from?

Xaeren has been running from this goddess since he was 15. Resilience isn’t a choice for him, it is a requirement for his survival, and survival is something he cares deeply about. The people around him in Zairel have helped with this. He can keep going because he knows that he can protect them, and they can help him.

His favourite ice cream flavour

Ooh I hadn’t thought about this one. Probably blackberry. I don’t know why so don’t ask.

Who is in his family?

Wow. Loaded question for him. First family - Altic necromancers Dad (Morden) from the 3rd kingdom and Mum (Saire) from Orien. They were taken by Schaeres for messing with death. She also would have taken Xaeren if she had seen him Second Family - The Ponturesi. Runic cult who experimented on how much loss a person needed to experience to use runes. He sent most of their living souls to a death realm. Third Family - Travelling group as he travelled around the altic lands and down the Wysindi coast to Zairel. They moved on when he decided to settle down in Zairel. Fourth Family - The hidden King and HK’s son Arlei. The crew: Zeudi - resources coordinator Herra and Koi - message runners, lower level hiresias. This later includes Kell. All of these are still currently alive.

Who does he hate?

Himself, the goddess Schaeres, The Ponturesi, sometimes the small council of house Lysandri

Who does he love?

You Naveena. He loves you. (Also his closest friend Arlei)

What inspires him? What terrifies him? What compels him to hide?

He is inspired by magical research. He spend a large portion of his life studying and developing runes so new forms of magic always intrigue him. The feelings of helplessness and eternity terrify him, which is why he is so particularly scared of the abyss. Schaeres scares him because she is an incredibly powerful entity that actively means to harm him. He is compelled to hide by very few things and when he does hide it is incredibly temporary before he goes straight back into the world. This is a common flaw and strength he has.

Who does he trust most in the world. Least?

Most - The hidden king. He can keep a secret and is very dependable when you have his favour. This extends somewhat to Zeudi because she works directly under him and manages his affairs. Least - The small council (House Lysandri leaders)

Could he pick me up

Sigh. Yes. With magic, maybe not physically he isn’t that strong.

How much tea does he drink?

When he was studying he drank copious amounts of tea, now he forgets about basic needs and has to be reminded to drink water.

Who is his love interest? Can they fight?

He doesn’t have one. There is a bit of tension between him and Arlei but they never even begin to explore that. He is single.

What is his full name?

(Deep breath) Xaeren Corin Teyri, Runic of the Ponturesi, Arcani of Hiresias, Silmern and first of his name, the betrayer of Anosel, and binder the goddess Schaeres of Tamir’sul.

He doesn’t always introduce himself like that, just a few titles he has acquired in his travels. And these are only the titles he claims.

Adding the tag list to this one. Leave further questions in the comments.

@thelovelymachinery, @an-indecisive-nerd, @the-letterbox-archives, @oliolioxenfreewrites, @winvyre

@happypup-kitcat24, @wyked-ao3, @leahnardo-da-veggie, @alnaperera, @dearunreliablenarrator

@rumeysawrites, @urnumber1star, @seastarblue, @thecomfywriter

[totowlff]

chapter eleven — realization

➝ the first steps towards something new are always the scariest, but at the same time, the most amazing.

➝ word count: 3,8k

➝ warnings: none

6 WEEKS 

Your baby's heart beats about 105 times a minute. Her nose, mouth, fingers, toes and ears are forming and begin to take shape. You may be experiencing morning sickness and sore breasts.

As she stepped out of the car, Cassie took a few minutes to admire the home in front of her with a little smile on her face.

The house could be described as a small mansion, and it stood out from the others in the neighborhood, with architectural features that made it stand out from the neighboring houses. It was built in a more contemporary design, all of the angles converging into the entryway, which was rounded, like a castle’s turret. The house featured several large windows, which ensured that the inside was bright and well-lit into the evening. In the late afternoon sun, it looked less like a mansion and more like a cottage — warmer and more welcoming than some of the neighboring properties.

Cassie knew that Toto had bought the house when he moved to the UK to start at Mercedes, and he’d had a lot of renovations done. He hadn’t just redone the main building, but the garage and the sumptuous back garden as well. The first time she’d visited, when she and Toto had begun discussing the IVF process, she thought, even then, that it was an ideal home to raise their future child.

Slinging her purse over her shoulder and squeezing the strap a little harder than usual, she walked to the front of the house and pressed the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door opened.

— Good evening, Cassie — Toto said, greeting her with a wide smile, before opening the door wider — Come in.

She brushed past him, planting a chaste kiss on his cheek before heading down the hall. After taking off her shoes and handing her bag to Toto to hang on one of the hooks installed on the wall, Cassie made her way through the foyer, glancing at the compass rose painted into the hardwood. There was something charming about that detail, as well as the way the stairwell that snaked up the round entryway a nautilus shell.

As she glanced around, she could see a little girl coming down the stairs to hug her after a day at work. She could see the toothless smile and the eyes shining with joy, and hear the pride in her daughter’s voice as she presented Cassie a crayon drawing of herself, Cassie, and Toto. “Our family”, the girl would say, before Cassie kissed her and took the drawing to the fridge, along with other drawings. In these imagined flights of fancy Cassie had become prone to, the scenery and setting changed, but the characters were the same: a tall man, a red-haired woman, and a little girl, always holding hands.

Always together.

— Cassie?

Pulled from her thoughts, she smiled at Toto.

— Yeah?

— Shall we go to the kitchen? — Toto asked, smiling — I'm just now finishing dinner.

— Sure, let's go — Cassie replied, following him through the house, trying to shake  off the sadness that had always crept in her after imagining their child growing up there, filling the house with drawings of it with its parents together, little red-crayon hearts flanking the representation of her and Toto.

The rational part of Cassie's brain made her stop those thoughts. They were just friends. Of course, they had a fondness for each other, which had culminated in a single night and, consequently, in the pregnancy they were both anticipating, and eventually, the child they both wanted. That child would bring them together one way or another, but they wouldn't be a conventional family. They never would be, if it were up to Toto. The realization of that was painful to Cassie, especially after the way Toto had acted during her first prenatal ultrasound earlier in the week. 

They both had gone to Cassie’s first appointment with her obstetrician. It was fairly long, because both of them had to go through a sort of miniature orientation about the process, and Toto ended up in a discussion with the doctor about an article he’d read about the incidence of premature birth in babies born to fathers over age 40. They’d also set an appointment for their first ultrasound. It would be the first time they’d see their baby. 

It was a lot to deal with, and when Cassie arrived at the clinic, she was a little tense. It didn’t help that Toto had been trapped in an engineering team meeting in Brackley and had only managed to get out a half an hour before her appointment, at least according to the message he’d sent to Cassie. 

As she waited to be called into an exam room, Cassie felt her chest tighten. She still wondered how or why she thought she’d considered undergoing all of this by herself. She wasn’t sure what she was thinking at the time — now, it seemed impossible that she would have considered doing all of this with no one by her side, holding her hand and telling her that everything would be okay. It was bad enough not having Toto waiting in the waiting room with her, how could she have possibly gone through this entire process alone? It was madness, surely.

— Cassandra Aldersey? — a female voice asked in the waiting room. Looking up, she saw a nurse with a chart in her hand and a smile on her face.

Glancing one last time at the clinic’s entryway in the hopes of seeing Toto walk through it, Cassie got up from her chair, following the medical assistant into the exam room.

— Is this your first ultrasound, Miss Aldersey?

— Yes — she replied, slipping her phone into her purse.

— First child?

— Yes — Cassie said, smiling.

The assistant opened the door to let Cassie in. The room looked like every other ultrasound room she’d been in for the past few months. She’d lost count of how many ultrasounds she’d had by now, in order to monitor her uterus and ovaries during the IVF process. There were two armchairs against one wall, as well as a stretcher in the center of the room, where she would lie down. Next to it was the ultrasound equipment, all set up and ready for her 

— You can settle down on the table, the technician will be arriving soon to perform the exam, okay? — the woman said, her eyes glued to Cassie’s chart.

— Yeah, thank you — Cassie replied, a shy smile on her face.

The nurse left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving her alone to get ready for the ultrasound. Taking the cell phone out of her bag again and placing it in one of the armchairs, Cassie sat on the table for a few seconds, caressing her belly. It wasn’t as if she was visibly pregnant yet at all — it was far too early for that, but Cassie couldn’t wait to feel her baby’s presence inside, in some way other than the daily bout of morning sickness that sometimes stretched into the afternoon.

Cassie had just gotten settled onto the table when a woman wearing a lab coat knocked on the door quickly and opened it, a pleasant smile on her face.

— Miss Aldersey? — she asked, which made Cassie nod. The woman smiled — My name is Leigh, I'm the ultrasound technician that will be doing your exam today.How are you?

— I'm fine.

— Great — Leigh replied, looking at the chart — You're about six weeks pregnant, right?

— That's right.

— Okay. Well, did you drink the recommended amount of water?

— Yes.

— Perfect, if you could, lift up your shirt and pull your pants just down to your pubic bone, please.

As Cassie followed the ultrasound technician's instructions, there was another knock at the door and the medical assistant reentered the room, her eyes meeting Cassie's.

— Miss Aldersey, there's a gentleman at reception saying he's here for your exam. Can I allow him in?

Cassie felt something warm inside her chest.

— Yes, you can — Cassie replied, smiling.

The woman nodded and left the room. A few minutes later, a familiar face with an embarrassed smile appeared in the doorway.

— Excuse me — Toto said, entering the room — Sorry I'm late.

— No problem, we’re just starting the exam. I assume you are the child's father, right?

— That's right — he replied, stopping beside Cassie and taking her hand, bringing it to his lips to press a soft kiss to her fingers. Then he whispered an apology, which she responded to with a smile. What mattered was that he was there, with her.

— Well, shall we begin? — the technician asked, receiving a nod from the two. Putting some gel on Cassie's stomach, Leigh placed the transducer on her skin, pressing her abdomen lightly. After pushing a few buttons, she smiled, turning the screen towards them — Ah, there we go. Here's your baby.

Cassie stared at the screen, and felt a little confused. It wasn’t as if she was expecting to see a fully-formed infant at just under two months pregnant, but she was expecting something closer to the drawings of embryos she’s seen online, not a white blob on a black background.

— Where? — asked Toto. When Cassie glanced at his expression, he looked confused, with one eyebrow raised as he stared at the screen.

— Here — the woman pointed, smiling.

— This little ball? — he asked.

— Well, yes. I don’t think angle is doing us any favors, let me try again — Leigh said, moving the transducer across Cassie's belly until she located the embryo again, which looked like an elongated white spot with no definition — Yeah, that's the best I can do at the moment, considering the gestational age. But I think I can pick up the heartbeats…

Pressing another button, the sound of heartbeats filled the room, fast and rhythmic. It was proof they needed to make sure they had succeeded.

A squeeze on her hand made Cassie look at Toto again. He was staring at the screen, enchanted, a goofy smile on his lips. He looked down at her, their eyes meeting, and he bent down to place a delicate kiss on her forehead.

— Heart rate is as expected for gestational age. You can also see that the little body is forming — Leigh said as she moved the transducer, looking for another angle. Then, she pointed to another spot on the screen — You can see here where the umbilical cord is connected to the placenta, which gives the baby all of its nutrients.

— Does everything look good? — asked Toto.

— So far, I think. Your obstetrician will get the images and will be able to tell you for sure — the technician replied.

— And the sex, can you tell?

The woman smiled.

— Not yet, that only starts to be visible around the third or fourth month of pregnancy — Leigh said, removing the transducer from Cassie's belly and placing it back on its cradle. She took a few sheets of paper wipes out of a box and swiped them over Cassie’s belly to wipe the gel off of her skin — For now, I have all the pictures I need. I will be issuing the report and sending it directly to your doctor.

— Perfect — she replied, smiling.

— Would you be able to give us copies of the pictures? — asked Toto — We'd like to have it for the memories.

The technician smiled.

— Of course

 — Great — he said, as he met Cassie’s smiling gaze.

— Go ahead and finish wiping yourself off, and I will have them waiting for you at check-out — Leigh said, offering Cassie a few more wipes to take care of the residue still on her skin. As the woman left the exam room, she finished wiping her stomach off while she was propped up on one elbow, trying to ensure that none of the gel was left on her belly. After a few seconds of silence, she heard some sniffling.

— Toto? — she said, looking at him. He was sitting in an armchair next to the exam table, his head resting on the palms of his hands. When he looked up, his eyes were shining.

— Yeah? — he said in a choked voice.

— Are you crying? — Cassie asked, sitting up on the gurney.

Toto rubbed a hand over his eyes, wiping away the tears.

— Yes, I am.

— Why?

He stood up from his chair and grasped one of Cassie’s hands again.

— Because I'm going to be a father, Cassie. It's real. It is no longer a dream. There's someone growing inside you. And after seeing so many people with their own children, knowing that mine… ours, I mean, is on the way fills me with a joy so great that I can't describe it. I can only — his voice cracked, his eyes filling with tears again. The sight of him getting emotional made Cassie emotional as well.

— I know — Cassie murmured, bringing her hand to his face, her thumb stroking his skin tenderly — I understand you perfectly.

He grasped the hand that was touching his face, stroking the back of her hand.

— Thank you — Toto whispered, pulling her hand away to place a tender kiss on her palm, sending a shiver through Cassie's body.

She felt the same shiver as she walked into Toto’s kitchen when she saw the ultrasound stuck to the door of his refrigerator. Toto seemed to notice that her eyes were glued to the picture, where it was surrounded with pictures of his family and a calendar — Did you like it?

— You put the ultrasound photo on the fridge?

— Of course. It's the first picture we have of the baby, I thought it was fitting. In fact, I intend to fill the refrigerator with pictures of our baby, until I can’t fit any more — he said, sighing softly — I never thought I'd be able to feel this someday, Cassie...

— What?

— Happiness. Well, this particular kind of happiness. I feel like I could explode at any moment — Toto replied, chuckling — And it's almost overwhelming to think that this is only just the beginning. 

His words were bittersweet. While Cassie was happy knowing that she could make him so happy, there was something sad at the core of it — there was a limit to how happy she would be able to make him. She could only give him a child to co-parent with her, she couldn’t give him the security of a partnership, of love, and she couldn’t take that for herself. He’d said so at the solicitors’ office. She briefly pondered the kinds of love from ancient Greek philosophy. All she could offer him was philia, the love of friendship, and storge, the love of a child. She couldn’t offer him the eros that she felt for him.  

It hurt.

Forcing a smile, Cassie sat down on one of the benches at the kitchen island, still feeling a little wistful. Toto was just finishing dinner, stretching up to take plates out of a cabinet.

— First of all — Toto said, as he served Cassie her plate of roasted chicken and assorted vegetables, a mixture of tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, onions, and broccoli — I wanted to discuss something important with you, now that things are becoming, I guess, real.

— Yes? — Cassie said, spearing a potato with her fork, but waiting to take a bite. A touch of anxiety started brewing in the pit of her stomach at the words “discuss something important”.

— I’ve just been doing a lot of reading since we found out — Toto said, looking at his plate — About pregnancy, parenting blogs, those sorts of things. There’s even sections for fathers-to-be, which is wonderful, but, anyway… From what I’ve read, a lot of women, when they start showing, sometimes have people, including strangers, touching them… You know, their bellies, in the later stages of their pregnancy, sort of in an uninvited, unwanted way, and a lot of them say they don’t want to say anything so they don’t seem rude, or something. As I would imagine, it’s apparently uncomfortable, and kind of humiliating…

Toto sighed deeply, and raised his eyes to look directly into Cassie’s. 

— Please, please tell me if you don’t want me to, you know, touch your belly, or anything else, especially when you start showing. I would hate to assume too much and make you uncomfortable.

Cassie could feel herself blanch momentarily. She certainly wasn’t expecting this discussion to come up, but she didn’t even need to think before responding. 

She could not even begin to imagine a scenario where she would object to Toto Wolff touching her, in any way. How could she say no when his touches were so warm and gentle, and brought her comfort through so many unpleasant moments in the past few months? Through the uncomfortable procedures and pain? Through crushing lows and soaring highs? How could she dislike the way his touches sent immediate tingles down her spine? He’d been there when she needed someone to hold her hand. He’d been there the whole time, pressing soft kisses to the crown of her head, putting a hand on her shoulder or the small of her back to ground her and soothe her. Not to mention, other things…

— Toto, I don’t mind. Really. It’s your child, too.

— Yes, but it’s still your body, even if you’re carrying my child. You being pregnant with our child doesn’t mean you don’t deserve your, um… What's the word in English… I think it’s the same in German — he muttered — Um, autonomy? Does that sound right? I think that’s what I mean. And your privacy. And I wasn’t sure, given that we’re not…

— Toto — Cassie said, trying to cut him off before he could finish that statement— It’s fine. You’re not some random stranger in a shop, you’re the baby’s father. I won’t mind.

A soft smile spread over his features, and Cassie couldn’t help but think he looked a little relieved. 

— Well, promise me that you will tell me if you ever change your mind, or need some privacy or some space. I promised to take care of you, and making sure you’re as comfortable as possible is part of that. 

— I really don’t foresee it being an issue — Cassie said. She noted his expression turned back to a slight frown, and then added — But, I will let you know. I promise.

— And let me know if anyone at work… Or anywhere, I guess, puts an uninvited hand on you, so I can take care of it. Personally.

Cassie giggled.

— I mean, you know I have no problem telling people at work exactly how I feel, but… I will. And, thank you.

As they ate, Cassie listened to him talk about how his mother had asked again for a grandson and he had to bite his tongue not to tell her the news.

— My matka is so looking forward to this happening that I'm sure she won't believe me when I tell her we're expecting a child. Even Ola couldn't believe it...

Cassie raised an eyebrow.

— Ola?

— Yeah… Ola is an executive from the Mercedes-Benz group, and a friend of mine.

— You told someone?

Toto immediately put down his fork and took her hand.

— I know we agreed not to tell anyone, but he came to a meeting at the factory the Monday after you told me and he noticed that I was happy and asked me why, and I ended up blurting it out. It wasn't on purpose, really. But, he was very receptive, Cassie, really…

— Toto, I don't…

— Ola is completely trustworthy, Cassie, he won't tell anyone.

— But — she tried to argue, to no avail.

— He even sent us things! Gifts!

Cassie blinked.

— What?

He smiled.

— Come with me. I wanted to show you this anyway, but I was going to wait, but now seems like as good of a time as any.

Rising from the table, Toto abandoned his plate and took Cassie’s hand, making her drop her fork on her plate. He led her through the foyer, up the stairs to the second floor. Then, after guiding her down the upstairs hallway, he stopped in front of a white door.

— Close your eyes.

— Toto...

— Please, Cassie.

She gave in to his request, closing her eyes. Then, hearing the door open and feeling his fingers come to rest on her waist, Cassie took a few steps forward, a little uncertainly, her senses piqued. She had no idea what to expect, being led blindly into a room in his house.

— Okay. Go ahead and open them.

Upon opening her eyes, Cassie realized she was in a room with white walls and light-colored carpet. It was completely emptied of furniture, and there were divots in the carpeting indicating where furniture used to be. It smelled distinctly of paint, and there were some drop cloths and brushes still scattered around the room. In the middle of the space, there was a gray and aqua green stroller, a car seat in the same color, as well as a diaper bag with the three-pointed star embroidered on it. Inside the stroller, there were a few plush toys — a bear wearing a Mercedes sweater, a red G-Wagen, and the Peter Rabbit toy that Toto had bought at the beginning of the IVF process.

It dawned on Cassie what this room was for. It was their child's room.

— Toto… Is this the nursery? 

— Yes. I cleared it out last week, and I’ve been working on getting ready for decorating, whenever we decide what we want to do with it. Of course, I wanted you to have input on the process, and we will obviously need to get some things, but… Look — Toto said, pointing at the pile of gifts in the middle of the room — We already have a few things! Ola sent them last week. I know I should have waited, but I was so excited to assemble the cart that I made it the same day. And there's more things in the diaper bag, some bibs, some onesies… It’s all gender-neutral colors because we still don’t know what sex the baby will be, but it's all very beautiful, I'm sure we'll use it...

Cassie interrupted him by throwing herself into his arms, giving him a tight hug. Her face was wet with tears, a wave of emotions overwhelming her. Seeing the first ultrasound picture on Toto’s fridge had been one thing, but seeing a nursery in front of her, already filled with things for their baby, meant that things were real. Sometimes she had trouble convincing herself she was pregnant, but standing in the room that would become their nursery made it concrete.

 Feeling Toto's arms wrap around her, she nestled her head on his chest. They stayed that way for a few moments, Toto holding Cassie as they swayed a little in the same spot, Toto rubbing his hand down her back to soothe her. She looked up into his eyes once she felt like she could bear it.

— Thank you for showing me this — she whispered.

— It's the least I could do, Cassie.

— I know, but you have no idea how much this means to me. It’s her… Or his… Bedroom. The baby has a space now. It’s happening.

— Yeah, it’s happening.

— It’s happening — she repeated — And it will be beautiful.

[queenofcandynsoda]

Sol Fertilis: Victory Week and Day

Victory Week and Day

Victory Day, also known as officially the Day of Victory in the Ardens Oriens War, meaning “Blazing East”, celebrates the defeat of Nazi-Ostania and Zandia and the end of the Ardens Oriens War on March 27th. This is a major part of Abbadon’s Inferno War. In the week leading up to Victory Day, Sol Fertilis observes Victory Week, a period of remembrance and celebration dedicated to honoring the nation's triumph in the Ardens Oriens War and the defeat of their enemies. It occurred from the 21st to the 26th of March. 

The Departments of Art Promotion and National Holidays from the Ministry of Celebrations & Festivals would provide each household with Victory Day decorations, along with small Nazi-Ostanian and Zandia flags that look like they’re on fire, PNP Banners, Victory Wreaths, and memorial candles. Streets, Centers, malls, Children’s Palaces, workplaces, government buildings, and many other places would be decorated with Victory Day decorations, along with anti-Nazi Ostanian, anti-Zandian, and pro-Sol Fertilian propaganda. 

On the first day of Victory Week, town squares across Sol Fertilis present documentaries that vividly depict the atrocities committed by Nazi-Ostania and Zandia during the Ardens Oriens War. The documentaries did not spare any graphic details of war crimes and crimes against humanity. There are images of Nazi-Ostanian soldiers killing Sol Fertilian citizens, bombing major cities during air raids, enslavement of citizens, mass murders of the Jews, Roma, Arab, and African Sol Fertilians, Zandian soldiers destroying religious monuments, etc. The purpose of this is to increase rage against Nazi-Ostania, which was already defeated, and Zandia, which has a conditional surrender and is suspected to house escaped Nazi criminals. 

On the second day, citizens are presented with historical footage and audio from their teleautomata, which is a television with automatic activation capabilities, and an automataradio, which is a radio device equipped with automatic activation features. The historical footage consists of Sol Fertilian military leaders, soldiers, supporters, and citizens preparing for war to protect its sovereignty. The purpose of this is to remind the nation’s resilience and defense. 

On the third and fourth days, this is where the Sol Fertilian children would prepare items for the Victory Day Parade. All of the Iuventutis Foederatios, meaning youth leagues, would prepare their decorations. Examples include the Ceres Gaia Junior Harvesters, a Beta Neutral Iuventutis Foederatios focus on agriculture, which would build a cornucopia of ration food that soldiers and citizens eat. Another is the Bona Flora's Bloomers, an Omega Iuventutis Foederatio focusing on floriculture, which would make garlands and bouquets that represent the Supervictus, a term for the survivors of the Nazi-Ostanian and Zandian atrocities. Another example is the Keres Scouts, an all-female Alpha Iuventutis Foederatio, who would build paper-mache figures of Sol Fertilis’ enemies so they would be burned down at the end of the week.

On the fifth day, there are films about major heroes from the Ardens Oriens War. Starting from the Sol Resistance Army to the “Witch of Berlint” Sigal Fleischer, to the Juvenile Soldiers who fought the Hässlich Youth, to the Berlint Theatre Massacre along with the eventual Beheading of Hässlich. These are the most iconic films and would be shown on primetime, depending on which channel. Also, the AlphaVigil, which is a short program for young Alpha children in the Centers and Children’s Palaces to instill a sense of rage towards Sol Fertilis’ enemies, would show recreations of war heroes’ fights to celebrate the triumph over enemies. 

On the sixth day, there would be televised public executions of those who are convicted of High Treason, officially known as Altum Proditio. This type of High Treason mainly connects to Nazi-Ostania and Zandia as these traitors are convicted of being collaborators, terrorists, spies, assassins, seditious criminals, and secessionists. Once they are convicted, they are held in prison until it is the day before Victory Day. They are taken to the April 3rd Square where they are executed by either firing squad, hanging, burning at the stake, and, for the most severe offense, damnatio ad bestias via wolves. In Olympia, most of its citizens would be in person to watch and praise the executions as high-ranking government officials, such as Senators, Justices, and Patriarchs/Matriarchs, would watch them from the balconies. Citizens living outside Olympia are mandated to watch it on the screens in public squares, taverns, workplaces, Centers, post-Center institutions, malls, etc. Omegas, pregnant women, the elderly, and young children are the only ones to be excluded from watching the brutal executions.

On Victory Day itself, there is a massive festival around the nation with a military parade in Olympia. There were presentations on military strength and citizen resilience. There are floats from the Iuventutis Foederatios to show that the nation survived to be fertile. Citizens would eat “Victory Snacks” as they watch the parade. Sol Fertilian leaders and war heroes would watch from balconies and praise the military and Iuventutis Foederatios. Citizens would visit Ardens Oriens war memorials and museums to commemorate the soldiers, heroes, and Supervictus, which is a term for survivors of the Nazi-Ostania invasion of Northeast Sol Ferilis and the enslavement. There is a televised orchestra concert at the Minvera Theater with songs based on battles that Sol Fertilis won. At primetime, citizens would watch a documentary film that shows the entirety of Sol Fertilis’ involvement in the Ardens Oriens War, starting from Nazi Ostantia’s invasion of the north to the death of Hasslich, marking the end.

[nickandros]

so. our 2 year and three month long campaign ended last night. which means i get to post the final playlists for the two most co-dependent capitalist siblings in all of khorvaire.

now we're enemies : a playlist for frederick d'orien, the late head of house orien, the richest man in khorvaire.

your mom called : a playlist for hazel d'orien, the master artificer, the pride and joy of her house.

much love to my beloved players. i hope you enjoyed the campaign as much as i did.

[spinaroos-47]

It’s the lads once again!

I wanted to give a shot at drawing in the show’s style, and what better opportunity to also do full color references of their outfits as well? 

(I might do younger Cain and Salem later)

Bonus comparison between Cain and William. HE’S SO SMALL

[pyuart]

Take it. We heal as one.

[selchwife]

i should type up the pfeil lore tbh since ive changed it up a little bit recently (very minor changes)

so to start off with pfeil was um. a bit of an oopsie. as has been previously discussed his biological father is thancred. his mother was a noblewoman in gridania; she and her husband were like the only keeper family of any real status in the city and so they were very image-concerned, but didn't particularly like each other. thancred did his typical thancred shenanigans and ended up having a brief affair with pfeil's mom. pfeil, when he was born, was clearly thancred's kid and not his dad's, so it was a whole thing. (to clarify a little, pfeil calls the man who raised him his dad and just calls thancred thancred, so i do it too because it's easier lol)

his mom decided the best way to deal with it would be to just forbid pfeil from leaving the house and kind of. hide him. "What baby? It was a stillbirth! I don't have any conspicuously half-hyuran children!" kind of deal. she also kind of tried to ignore him the best she could when he was growing up because she just really wished he'd vanish. his dad was more hands-on and was sometimes okay but was often egregiously abusive. the servants kind of tried to just stay out of it because what do you even do in that kind of situation? this is where the csa part of pfeil's backstory comes from but that doesn't need any further details.

anyway, since pfeil wasn't allowed to like, go outside and play or anything, he was kind of a weird kid in the beginning. he did a lot of reading and both of his parents encouraged it because it meant he was silent and out of sight, so he had access to pretty much any reading material he wanted as long as it was something convenient for his parents. his favorite subjects were history and adventure fiction.

eventually he just could not tolerate how his dad treated him any longer though and ended up getting the idea in his head to run away from home at about ten ("i've read books about Outside. I can handle myself!" mindset). this would have ended disastrously for him but luckily after a little while of his wandering around gridania CLEARLY lost as fuck mother miounne took him in. she agreed to let him stay at the inn at the carline canopy in exchange for work from him (child labor laws who?) and he agreed. he mostly just waited tables and washed up and he was very cute and the patrons loved him.

the calamity happened when he was 12 and he ended up getting injured and trapped. while he was trapped he saw the Vision From Hydaelyn one gets at the beginning of the game of their wol kicking lahabrea's ass. this is when he got his echo, and also when he decided he wanted to be an adventurer and HERO!!!!!!1 so obviously he goes home and is like "mother miounne let me join the adventurers guild" and she's like "ummm....you're 12. how about you uuuhhh go do odd jobs at bentbranch! that's an adventure!"

so he went and lived at bentbranch for the next five years and got Really Good at caring for chocobos, which became his special interest, and also at hunting using a bow and arrow. he was given a little leeway with hunting in his spare time because it was a useful skill in that it helped feed everyone who lived at the stables or worked there for very long periods, especially immediately post-calamity. as discussed earlier he did not like castrum oriens (i got the name wrong last night LOL), it was always something of a risk to go near it armed even though he was just a teenager with hunting equipment, and it disturbed the wildlife in the area which made his life a little harder. he definitely threw rocks when he thought he could get away with it lol. during this time he also ended up developing amnesia for a lot of his early childhood.

once he was 17 he felt confident enough in his skills with archery to join the adventurer's guild. and then everythign in his life went wrong. Actually it went great at first. at the end of ARR he's like "oh i'm the coolest hero boy ever and everyone loves me and i'm hydaelyn's gift to mankind" but the ARR patches were uhh...well they kind of disabused him of that notion. he had a massive mental breakdown at the beginning of heavensward, became a dark knight, and then awful things just Kept Happening! he did not start getting any better mentally until like, the tail end of endwalker, although he had a bit of a false start for winning at mental health during shadowbringers up until mt gulg.

anyway that's the sort of short pfeil primer. i have some more thoughts about individual expansions but we could be here all day

[allaboutjoseph]

The O Antiphons

The importance of O Antiphons is twofold: Each one highlights a title for the Messiah: O Sapientia (O Wisdom), O Adonai (O Lord), O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse), O Clavis David (O Key of David), O Oriens (O Rising Sun), O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations), and O Emmanuel. Also, each one refers to the prophecy of Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah. Lets now look at each antiphon with just a sample of Isaiahs related prophecies.

O Sapientia : O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation. Isaiah had prophesied, The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:2-3), and Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom. (Isaiah 28:29).

O Adonai: O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free. Isaiah had prophesied, But He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the lands afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. (Isaiah 11:4-5); and Indeed the Lord will be there with us, majestic; yes the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our king, he it is who will save us. (Isaiah 33:22).

O Radix Jesse: O Flower of Jesse's stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid. Isaiah had prophesied, But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. (Isaiah 11:1), and A On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious. (Isaiah 11:10). Remember also that Jesse was the father of King David, and Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be of the house and lineage of David and be born in Davids city, Bethlehem (Micah 5:1).

O Clavis David: O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of Heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom. Isaiah had prophesied, AI will place the Key of the House of David on His shoulder; when he opens, no one will shut, when he shuts, no one will open. (Isaiah 22:22), and His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from Davids throne, and over His kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever. (Isaiah 9:6).

O Oriens: O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. Isaiah had prophesied, The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown. (Isaiah 9:1).

O Rex Gentium: O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust. Isaiah had prophesied, For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:5), and He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. (Isaiah 2:4) .

O Emmanuel: O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God. Isaiah had prophesied, The Lord himself will give you this sign: the Virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.  (Isaiah 7:14). Remember Emmanuel means God is with us.

According to Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one - Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia - the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning, Tomorrow, I will come. Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to us, Tomorrow, I will come. So the O Antiphons not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation,but bring it to a joyful conclusion.

[royalmedani]

Comi of Meliore 

The Comitira of Meliore are managed exclusively by the Royal House of Zonara, though it’s more ceremonial than economical at this point in history. The monarchies and nobili of the Little Sisters (Agora, Meliore, and Imbara) generally have the least amount of direct power over their people’s day to day lives. For example, in Viridis the Comi also get a seat in their legislature whereas here in Meliore the royals are not permitted to involve themselves in politics at all. They basically act like rubber stamps for what people vote for and are required by law to see these things are properly enforced. Anyway, now that you have some details, lets talk about the men that currently occupy these positions. 

Prince Reagent Aries Zonara, Comi of Aquili

Starting with him because we’ve met him already somewhat. Meliore is a strict matriarchy for their royal house so despite the fact the previous queen had five children, none of them were girls and could not follow their mother onto the throne. There was a lot of discussion about changing the laws but before anyone made a move on that front Prince Aries’ wife gave birth to the current monarch. As it is taboo in the isles for minors to have a public life she is known to her people as “Our Child Queen.” Her name is Calista, she is fifteen now and very tired of her father’s regency. 

Prince Florian Zonara, Comi of Oriens

A gloomy soul from the start, love seemed to be hard to find for poor Prince Florian. As the oldest of his mother’s sons he had many prospects but always found some reason to avoid the final plunge and thus never produced any children. Despite this he is very popular with the people of Meliore as he is well known for his mental health advocacy and compassionate nature. 

Prince Cosimo Zonara, Comi of Auster

Our final Prince Comi for today is Cosimo. He is best known for being one of the hosts of a popular morning talk show called “Bani Mani.” He comes under scrutiny sometimes for not focusing enough of on his public responsibilities in favor of “frivolous celebrity” so often considers stepping down to let one of his younger brothers take his title. 

Bonus Note about this family: Estra’s mother is their aunt, so they are first cousins with the Princess of Viridis. In addition Aries married one of Estra’s second cousins from the other side of the family so these two nations are VERY linked.

[babybluesquid]

If I get to play another Eberron campaign (not sure when that’ll happen since I don’t want to play online), and the idea will fit, I have been conceptualizing an Orien heir who was manning the teleportation circles on the Day of Mourning. They’d be half-caught in the Mourning while teleporting themselves out last. This would kill their dragonmark and they’d get sent on medical leave by the house, so they’d go out adventuring in search of a way to restore it so they could feel useful again.

Every Squid PC has to be in Cyre on the Day of Mourning. I’m not even doing it on purpose I swear.

[semi-imaginary-place]

red mage: so basically arya should be a thaumaturge or black mage. she's really really good at the destructive magic and terrible at the restorative magics. why find equilibrium when you can min max and be a nuke.

have you heard of ... blue? or perhaps... green?

I really like x'rhun, great character

given x'rhun's history in the ala mhigo im disappointed the 60-70 storyline isn't going there, ah well time to see what idyllshire has in store.

I was just thinking at the end of the level 60 quest if X'ruhn is in his 40s then lambert probably is too and arya looks to be a teenager, wouldn't it be be messed up is she was his daughter or something. the only reason i didn't quite believe it is because lambert said he's been in a magical coma for many years.

fake memories? artificial humans? many possibilities.

i think its pretty interesting that despite its reputation it is not black magic that is the successor to void magic, it is red magic. and this is despite both black and void magic originating from mhach.

irony that the swashbuckling aesthetic class ends up being the demon summoning dark magic storyline.

wait that coffin is why witchdrop is haunted??

hey i happen to know a certain kitty cat that is a mhach specialist. too bad the questlines can't be interdependent.

hmm even the red mage writers get conjury and white magic mixed up

sorry arya but the 50=60 stuff was far more interesting than the 60-70 stuff

dragoon! ... orn khai just ate like 300 times his body mass in flesh

ninja: ok so we got a bunch of hingashi pretending to be from doma to smuggle a scroll out of garlemarld? I'm just waiting for karasu to be involved somehow. wait wasn't the house of sticks dude murdered like at level 20? there's karasu!

2nd? 3rd? time the game has said the doman rebellion was 1 year ago. the other time I remember off the top my head was right after doma castle when you talk to the blacksmith.

I feel so sorry for Akagi. we sent him on a goose chase to the literal opposite side of the planet.

Why is Karasu so focused on Oboro. he cares more about messing with him than literally anything else.

hey if zakuro is a mercenary we could buy out her contract.

oh that's interesting. yomei and all the shinobi we have met implied that ninja are from yanxia. but hanzo is saying that its from hingashi. then again all the shinobi we talked to were domans talking about their specific ancestral villages.

I totally do not remember who master sasuke is. and i don't think karasu is dead (again). oh master sasuke is the founder of oboro's village

whm: castrum oriens is an odd name given how it means east but is situated in the WESTERN part of the garlean empire

huh you can tell who is a padjal at birth. i remember reading in encyclopaedia eorzea or something that children only find out they're a padjal when the horn start growing in at like 10-15.

uh sylphie aren't you like 14. letting at 14 year old run the show and keep secrets from the conjurers guild while void sent are running around sounds like a recipe for disaster.

why not relocate both gatty and sanche to gridania. sanche would get better medical treatment, gatty would remain with her mother, there would be more conjurers on hand to deal with voidsent incidents, and there would be padjal on hand to tutor gatty.

the writers did this to keep sylphie's importance to the plot but this is a massive plot hole that e-sumi is having sylphie be gatty's teacher. first because as e-sumi himself said sylphie is still learning as an acolyte herself, she might have powerful instinctual magic but her learned knowledge isn't that good. second she wouldn't know white magic or padjal specific stuff. this is such a bad decision. also sylphie is still a kid has shown to be overwhelmed by the scale of this problem and having to take care of and be responsible for another kid. i guess the excuse is that it's technically the wol who's suppose to be doing the teaching but we all know that the player isn't going to be doing anything.

uh she jsut summoned a voidsent you sure she doing need more training its been like a couple months at most