#Now we at least know where Nhagi got the idea to go to La Noscea!

[avirael]

FFxivWrite 2024

Day 16 - Third-rate

Nhagi’ra had tried to reason with them all the way to Gridania. Well, first he had tried to reason, then he had gotten angry, then once they had reached the city he had loudly started to protest against his mistreatment. But neither had his captors been swayed, nor had his screaming caused much more than curious looks and murmurs among the townsfolk.

In the end they unceremoniously threw him into a cell, as if he was a petty criminal, and told him that their superior would speak to him once he had time for that - whenever that would be.

As they slammed the iron bars shut in front of his face someone in the cell to his left was stirred from their sleep. Twocolored eyes observed him through the half-dark for a moment before the other person stood up and stepped closer to the bars. It was another Miqo’te, who mustered him with what looked like a mixture of boredom and annoyance.

“Now, what crime brings me the joy of your company?”, the Miqo’te said casually but with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Defensively Nhagi’ra raised his arms. “I swear, I did nothing wrong! All I wanted was to get something to eat when these guys decided to arrest me for no reason!”

The other Miqo’te rolled his eyes.

“Don’t worry, I believe you. I mean, look at you. These idiots prolly just didn’t like your face. Not that it’s an ugly one…”

Nhagi’ra didn’t really know what to answer to that. Of course he knew that most Keeper tribes of the Black Shroud and the authorities of Gridania weren’t on the best terms but he had not yet experienced their prejudices firsthand. So instead he decided to return the same question.

“And what have you done to be here?”

The scowl on the Miqo’te’s face twitched into a smirk.

”Punched one of the tree-huggers in the face.”

“Oh!…”, Nhagi’ra raised his eyebrows and nodded. “Yeah, I‘m sure that works too…”

“Believe me, he had it coming…”, the other guy added. “Was bullying some poor Keeper at the market just because he could…”

Nhagi’ra sighed. “That sounds just as nice as the ones who nicked me…”

“The guy who threw you in here?”, the Miqo’te asked and grinned. “Once I get out of here I could beat him up for you, if you want…”

“Would that not send you right back here?”

The guy in the next cell laughed, a short laugh that sounded more like bark. “Would be worth it though! Now, come a little closer. I won’t bite… prolly.”

Nhagi’ra furrowed his brows but did as he was told. “They will let me out soon, will they? They have to see I did nothing wrong…”

“Good luck with that!”, the Miqo’te said and reached through the bars to clap him on the back. “I’m rotting in here since three days…”

“Well…”, Nhagi’ra grimaced and tried to choose his next words carefully. “Not to be pedantic, but I don’t think that’s comparable. I did nothing wrong, while you attacked one of them…”

The expression on the other Miqo’te’s face darkened. “Oh! Fine, Mr. I-did-nothing-wrong! How about you talk to the cobwebs in your cell then? Have fun on your own, thinking about how naive it is to think they will make a difference between you and me…”

With a slight growl he turned to leave. Hurriedly Nhagi’ra reached through the bars and tried to get a hold of his arm. “No! No, please don’t leave! I am sorry! I didn’t mean to insult you…”

“Alright, Mr. I-did-nothing-wrong, then tell me exactly what happened before you got here. After a while it gets horribly boring in here. I could use someone to chat...”

And so they talked for a while. Nhagi’ra explained the situation in his tribe, how getting food had gotten more and more difficult and what exactly had happened this particular day as he left to hunt. The other Miqo’te listened with a nod or a sharp-tongued remark here and there and when Nhagi’ra asked about him, the other guy offered some sparse information about himself.

Apparently he was an adventurer that had already traveled around Eorzea and beyond a fair bit. His visit to Gridania had only been for pragmatic reasons but he preferred to spent as little time here as possible. Going wherever he wanted and getting gil for jobs along the way sounded enviable to Nhagi’ra. For a while the Miqo’te talked about their travels and Nhagi’ra listened with great interest but even these stories were all told at some point.

After a few hours they simply sat on the floor beside each other, next to the iron bars and stared into the distance with bored expressions on their faces, waiting for something to happen.

“What will you do, once you get out of here?”, Nhagi’ra finally asked, while wondering if anyone of his tribe was already missing him.

“You mean if we get out here alive at all?”, the other one asked.

An alarmed expression appeared on Nhagi’ra’s face. “What do you mean by that?”

“Dalamud?”, the Miqo’te asked and pointed to one of the windows through which the red glow of the lesser moon was visible. “Haven’t you heard? The Garleans want to throw a moon on us. Shouldn’t be long anymore… Not that I would be sad about seeing Gridania go…”

That in fact was news to Nhagi’ra. Puzzled he whispered, “The wise women of my tribe said this was Menphina’s way of punishing us…”

“Oh, that’s cute…”, the other Miqo’te chuckled and shook his head. “But if I really get out of here before the moon falls from the sky, I’ll leave this fucking town as fast as I can… maybe go to Limsa. Get drunk and see what happens… I would really recommend you to do the same. Don’t waste your time in Gridania. They will always just treat you like some third-rate outcast here. Something they can kick around for amusement or to feel important. In Limsa no one cares what shape your ears or tail have or what color your eyes or skin are… I know a few people there, who could get you some jobs to get started…”

“Really?”, Nhagi’ra asked excited and the Miqo’te shrugged. “Why not? You seem like a nice guy. You in Limsa, that should be fun…”

But just as Nhagi’ra was about to ask why he thought so, two Gridanian soldiers entered the room and walked over to their cells.

The two men stopped in front of the other Miqo’te’s cell and unlocked the door.

“Oh, are you bringing me coffee for breakfast? How kind of you, that wouldn’t have been necessary…”, the Miqo’te asked sarcastically.

The men glowered at him.

“Shut up and follow us! Bowlord Lewin wants to see you!”

“Doesn’t that sound like fun?…”, the Miqo’te joked but turned to Nhagi’ra one last time. “If you really go to Limsa, look for a man called Baderon. Tell him, Nyx sends their regards!”

“Thank you!”, Nhagi’ra replied and then added, “Good luck! And try not to punch any more of them.”

Before he left the Miqo’te looked over his shoulder one last time and smirked.

“I can’t promise that…”