#alphinaud at the end of the second chapter is so me actually

[noxtivagus]

i screamed.

[echodrops]

Endwalker Trailer German to English Translation

I got impatient waiting to see if someone would post the transcription and just decided to take a crack at translating the German trailer by ear myself.

Text is below, please pardon any mistakes; some of the lines were extremely hard to make out with all the background noise and music playing over them. I made some guesses at who each voice may be, but I normally play in JP so I’m not 100% confident. Also, I naturally took a few grammatical liberties with the translation to make it sound more organic in English. If you notice any big mistakes, feel free to let me know!

- - -

Emet-Selch: And so, another journey begins. Yet there’s no way to foresee its outcome. The future of this world remains… uncertain.

Tataru: Have a good journey, my friends!

Emet-Selch: All that lives must pass away. Love blooms and withers. All beginnings have endings. Enjoy every moment of your existence—because, at the end of your journey, there where souls and stars rest, the truth awaits you.

This chapter tells of the road to the end…

Alphinaud: I… I also don’t know. But we can’t leave them here in the cold.

Every word a wish, every word a legacy.

Lady of Light: It will be your guide and grant you insight into the hearts of others.

Seal each one within your heart and step forward… (1)

Lady of Light: In the darkest hours, seek joy. Only those who press ever onwards will find the true light within. (2)

Krile???: Let us end the suffering. What else can we hope for?

Alisaie: The sky’s in flames. By Nymeia, it really is the Final Days. 

For the final hour has struck.

Mystery Garlean???: The noose tightens, slowly but surely…

????: You won’t take a single life!

Alisaie: Is fleeing really our only option? (This line is really hard to make out, iffy on this one.)

????: That’s why this end is coming much too early. 

Zenos: One thing can be relied upon: where suffering and despair occur, you appear and play your ridiculous role as the protector of this planet. (3)

Warriors of Light,

do you hear the tolling

of the beginning of the end?

Fandaniel: Oh Zodiark, god made by our own hands, please, hear our prayers! Lead us back to better days! (4)

????: Do you really want to destroy such a beautiful world? (5)

Alphinaud: Today, I am once again about to embark on a journey into the unknown. But this time I know I have friends by my side. Thank you, everyone. That means more to me than I can express here. The end is near. Why not share the hours with those close to us?

- - -

Couple of Notes:

1. Several times this trailer uses “schreitet voran” or various forms thereof; this phrase has like a milion translations in English: progress, advance, move forward, step forward, march on, stride ahead... The basic gist is just “moving forward” or “putting your feet one in front of the other” to keep advancing.

2. Fuck Lady of Light, her voice is so unclear lol. I listened to her lines so much I already never want to hear her ever again. Hear, Feel, Think my ass. I am not super confident I got any of her lines 100% correct. Revisions appreciated!

3. Zenos’s line might actually be: Wherever suffering and despair wane, it’s because you’re there and playing your ridiculous role as the protector of this planet. (I can’t tell if he’s saying “passieren” or “versiegen” or something else entirely...)

4. In the English trailer, the first half of the Zodiark line and the second half are delivered by different voice actors! I suspect the second half of the English line is actually being delivered by Fourchenault and is spliced in from another scene in the actual game.

5. Emet-Selch delivers the end title card lines in English, but this line is delivered by someone else in both the German and Japanese trailers. (Whoever delivered this line in German has a fun voice to listen to.)

Biggest differences from English:

1. Lady of Light’s line in English “test and proof of your conviction” doesn’t appear in German. Her line “In darkness, seek joy” also has a very different connotation than the German “In the darkest hours, seek joy.” What does she mean by “true light”?

2. I’m not sure who voices the line after LoL’s lines; in JP it does sound like Krile, in English it doesn’t really, but right now Krile or a new female character would be my guess. Anyway, this line has totally different feeling to it from English to German. “Let me relieve you of your burden; you’ve suffered enough,” being played over the image of the WoL and Azem crystal really makes it seems like that line is directed at WoL; however, the German version is significantly more despairing and seems to be directed in general toward possibly a group of suffering people.

3. Alisaie is more religious in German than in English lol.

4. The mystery Garlean, if he actually is the one speaking, has a completely different line in German than in English. In German, it’s unclear whether the noose is tightening on him--or if he’s about to spring a trap on someone else.

5. German Fandaniel sounds completely strung out in his line to Zodiark. He’s either very tempered, very drugged, or very much making a mockery of the Unsundered.

6. That last line before Alphinaud’s monologue is super mysterious! Who is saying this and to whom? Much more interesting than Emet-Selch’s continued narration from the English trailer, although of course I always love to hear Emet. Emet’s extended narration in English is definitely in-keeping with the pattern of how he is written to be way more of a stage hog in English media, though.

7. Alphinaud’s lines are way, way less death flag-like in German. In fact, it really sounds like he’s reading out a letter (probably written by the WoL), rather than actually saying these things himself. Interestingly, the French version matches the English for death flags, while the JP seems closer to the German version, I think.

Phew, that’s all!

[alvaar-aldaviir]

Close Call

Anon requested the following:

Fog - hearing stay awake as they are carried to safety.

Repair - being confined to bed due to injury or illness and hating every second of it.

Misfit - getting out of bed too soon, insisting they feel much better, and collapsing / passing out.

All three: In which both twins are sidelined and Alvaar has to care for them?

Time Frame: Post Canon. No Spoilers

Notes: Established Alvaar/Alphinaud/Alisaie. Prompt fill for the Rest Prompts.

Cross posted to Ao3.

-

Alisaie wasn’t entirely certain what happened. She remembers rushing ahead, trying to reach one of the Brass Blades further away from them. A young hyur, newly recruited and eager to prove himself on the field. Undoubtedly the sort to find themselves into the most trouble. From there it’s... hazy.

Fire. A very loud noise that felt like it was still echoing in her skull. And what seemed like far, far too much blood but from where she wasn’t...

She wasn’t...

Gods she was exhausted. Exhausted and cold and sorely wishing whatever she was curled up on would just stop with the bouncing about already.

Distantly she hears something familiar. Something important. Something demanding she pay attention.

There’s a flicker of red and white robes in her blurred vision. A gentle touch to her head that reminds her of years long past. Of the Ruby Sea and one of those rare times she finally felt like someone had approved of and been genuinely proud of her. Alvaar’s hand settling into her still damp hair after she’d successfully distracted and escaped the Red Kojin, and the warm and approving smile he’d given her that had soothed the ache of past failures even for just a moment...

It’s not Alvaar she sees. This hyur woman is too short, a long and wild mane of russet hair framing a stubborn but gentle face.

“Stay awake,” the woman murmurs, voice low but calm even as she issues the order with the maternal confidence of a seasoned healer.

“What?” Alisaie asks, or tries to at least, as the word catches in her throat and wheezes out instead.

“It’s not time for you yet,” she explains simply, hand still settled against her hair and ruffling pale strands with a familiar motion. “You need to-”

“-STAY AWAKE!”

It jars her from her thoughts, some of the fog lifting to look up at the Bard currently carrying her. The grim set of his determined expression as he drags in air with deep and almost bestial breaths while the battlefield blurs past them.

Distantly she can hear music. Feel the warm breeze that usually follows him when he’s worked his Bardic abilities to full swing.

“Stay with me you hear? Keep listening to my voice and don’t drift off. I mean it!” Alvaar demands, voice louder than normal and rough from the sprint he’s making.

She wants to listen to him. This is probably the most demanding he’s ever been in her presence. The last thought she has before she slips under is that he and that White Mage seem very alike.

-

Alisaie wakes up to a steady and deep ache in almost everything, but especially focused on her right side. Propped up slightly against pillows and a modestly comfortable bed in a darkened room. When she tries to feel out the damage, she comes to the puzzled realization her right arm is in a sling and her left hand is tangled up with someone else’s. Before she can even try and push herself up to sort things out there’s a warm palm settling to her collarbone and pressing her back down.

“Don’t,” Alvaar murmurs from somewhere in the dark before the bed she’s laying on dips a bit as he perches beside her. Pulling away he fussed with something nearby before the strike and hiss of a match sounds as he lights the bedside lamp.

It throws a warm light about the rustic room they’re in, setting shadows to dancing across wooden supports and plastered stone. Some small study converted into a makeshift private medical ward.

“You look terrible,” she remarks without thought after meeting Alvaar’s pale gaze, the Bard still a bit bleary eyed and the shadows emphasizing the fatigue on his face.

“Yea? Well you don’t look like roses and kittens either,” he remarks flatly before a weak grin tugs at his mouth in spite of himself, brushing her short hair back with a careful touch. “But I’m glad to see you awake. You gave us all a scare.”

“Did I? Where’s Alphinaud?” she asks, glancing around. “He should be here any minute to harp on me about staying in bed and recovering...”

“Next to you.”

That makes her blink, finally looking down and noticing the second lump under the thin blanket beside her. Settled as close as he could get without disturbing her, fingers threaded tight with her own even as he slept.

“You’re very lucky. You only got hit with shrapnel. Barely missed your lung, but you were bleeding so badly... Alphinaud drained every drop of aether he had getting you stabilized before I could get you back to the chirurgeons,” Alvaar whispered.

“What happened?” she asked, still not looking away from the face of her twin and the worried set of his brow even as he slept.

“Stray magitek shot hit one of the ceruleam tanks on a broken reaper,” Alvaar murmured. “Sent metal shards everywhere.” The toughened fingers that soothe over her hair draws her attention back to him, studying the tight look of concern on his face. Cupping her jaw gently, he strokes the rough edge of his thumb along her cheek, a tender gesture she shifts into without thought. Shutting her eyes as he leans in closer, she stays quiet as he presses a kiss to the top of her head and nuzzles into her hair before going still and savoring the closeness. It speaks more of his concern than any amount of chastising or flowery words. Evoking a quiet and soft sort of warmth in her heart that almost always gentled the sharper edges of her words and personality.

“M’ okay,” she mumbles. “You don’t need to fuss. I wanted to sleep anyway.”

“Good... Could you humor me? Just a moment longer,” he whispers, words soft and airy as they’re breathed so close against her skin and it makes her heart thump despite herself. Giving an answering hum before he’s cradling her face in both hands and pressing another kiss to her nose. Her brow. A few more feather-soft presses of lips against her cheeks as his fingers brush along her ears before his forehead and nose nudge against hers and stay. Warm and tender and filled with the all-consuming love the Bard just seemed to give as naturally as breathing.

“I love you,” she murmurs without thought, wishing she could wrap her arms around him even as she thinks it doesn’t matter when they still feel that close anyway.

“Love you too, my dearest chevalier. Please, for just a bit, no brave heroics? I know that’s your default, but you probably shaved a year or three off my life today and this world needs you,” Alvaar returned quietly.

It ruffles her ire just a little, as being sick or injured always does. But she’s tired and sore and the warmth and patient intimacy of the moment win her over in the end.

“Alright... But I expect fresh tarts and tea tomorrow,” she breathes, smirking faintly at the huff of amusement that leaves him.

“I’ll do my best with what I’ve got. Get some rest, I’ll be here if you need anything.”

-

“You know I hate being bedridden,” Alisaie huffs the next morning, even as her injuries throb faintly as she remains leaned into Alvaar’s side with her cheek resting against his shoulder. She heaves a slow breath and waits for him to turn the page of his book given her reading speed is faster than his own. There’s a temptation to tease him for only having romance novels and sheet music on him, but the opening chapter had been enjoyable enough to still her tongue.

“I do. What page do you think the smut scene happens on?” he asked lightly.

“How long is it?”

He paused to flip to the back. “... 432.”

“Mmm I bet 120,” she answered frowning a bit at his following snort.

“Amateur,” he remarked lightly, smirking with amusement.

“Oh? Pray tell what’s your guess?”

Holding the page with a finger he flipped the book closed to study the thickness a moment before checking the page number of a seemingly random section. “They’ll do a cocktease at around 250 to build tension but won’t do the actual act for at least another 50 pages. It’s too slow burn even for a one off to happen a quarter in. Too much focus on a plot and world setting.”

It earned a faint chuckle from her. “I’d place a bet on that but somehow I’m inclined to believe you’ve read enough of these sordid tales to know.”

“It’s something to do and the novels are cheap,” he answered before they both perked up at the third occupant of the bed as he stirred with a soft noise of protest.

Pushing himself up to sitting, Alphinaud groaned faintly as he rubbed at his face sleepily, long hair ruffled and sticking up from where he slept on it. It made Alisaie unconsciously reach over to pet it smooth with her good arm given Alvaar was too far away to beat her to it.

“Good morning Alphinaud,” she announced simply, studying him blankly when he gave a start and looked back at her with wide eyes.

“Alisaie,” he whispered, staring at her in disbelief a moment before he reached up to grip her hand in his and give a brave if slightly teary-eyed smile. “I am glad to see you awake and well dear sister. I... we both were concerned for you.”

“I’ll be a sight better when Alvaar lets me out of this bed,” she huffed but gave her twin a faint smile anyway even as he frowned faintly.

“You had best stay put until the chirurgeons give you leave of it,” he chided flatly.

“Or what? You’ll park a carbuncle on me?” she challenged wryly.

“I very well may.” Casting his gaze over to Alvaar, his expression softened further. “I see you are up and about as well my friend. I’m sorry to have left everything to you by falling asleep. It was not my intention.”

A shrug rolled off a broad shoulder flippantly as the Bard tossed a hand in nonchalance. “Don’t worry about it. I just had to assist your spell with Bardsong, not dump my everything into it. You needed the rest more than I did.”

“But neither was I the one that returned to the fray to lead a decisive charge,” the Scholar shot back frankly.

Meeting the scrutinizing stare, Alvaar offered another faint shrug. “And here I am, resting. I would suggest you do likewise. I brought you breakfast. I would have done your hair too, but you were quite content where you were. Hold still and let me fix it for you.” Snapping the book shut once he’d tossed a bookmark in place, he set the paperback aside and eased away from Alisaie’s side.

Squinting out the open window and the daylight blazing outside Alphinaud shook his head. “No, it seems to be well past noon as is. I should gather the reports and the recent status of our positions,” he countered, already slipping out from the covers and sweeping his hair back into some rough sense of order.

“Hold up a second would you? At least take a moment to eat something,” Alvaar chided, slipping to his feet and starting to round the bed.

“Knowing you? It’s likely something I can eat on the way,” he returned with dry amusement. “I’ll be alright, but undoubtedly Raubahn will be interested in my insight and I shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

The Bard paused at the corner of the bed, frowning faintly at the Scholar who now stood an easy two inches above him.

“If it makes you feel better, I can bring them back here to review?” Alphinaud offered, smoothing the wrinkles out of his shirt before moving for his longcoat draped over the back of a nearby chair. He’d made it all of three steps before his knee buckled, Alvaar swooping in abruptly and catching him before his head could meet the floor.

Studying him with a flat look, Alvaar tsked under his breath. Shifting his grip so he can release a hand and press the back of it to the Scholar’s brow. “You’re running cold. Aether deprivation... Come on, Raubahn and the Alliance will make do without us. Let’s get you back in bed where you’re going to eat something alright? I’ve got a potion or three in my bag.”

“I’m fine... just... slipped,” Alphinaud huffed.

“You almost smashed your skull on the floor Alphinaud, I would do as Alvaar says,” Alisaie remarked flatly from the bed, now parked towards the center of it where she’d yanked herself on reflex in fright.

“Come on love, don’t be stubborn,” Alvaar murmured, scooping him up in his arms and lifting him easily. A slight amused grin tugged at his face as the Scholar glowered at him.

“I’m fine,” he insisted again.

“Sure. Humor me anyway? I don’t need any more scares today. My heart can’t take it,” Alvaar argued lightly, getting the man situated back on the bed and fussing the blankets back over him.

Alphinaud was less than happy about it, even as a small plate of cinnamon rolls was held out to him and accepted.

“This is far too sweet for breakfast,” he snipped softly.

“It will help give you a boost. If I’d known when you’d be waking up, I would have had a drink ready for you. But cold tea or coffee is the worst, so what do you want me to fetch you?” Alvaar asked lightly, ignoring the Scholar’s sour mood.

“Coffee. ... thank you.”

“Tea for me please,” Alisaie chirped, mostly because she knew Alvaar was about to ask anyway.

“Alright. Stay in bed the both of you. I come back and you’re gone, I’ll tell Y’shtola,” Alvaar threatened as he collected a few empty glasses and plates before excusing himself.

“... Pest,” Alphinaud remarked after the Bard’s steps had faded.

“Definitely,” Alisaie agreed as she leaned into him, plucking a cinnamon roll off his plate and taking a delicate bite. “But I suppose we both have to suffer being bedridden together,” she murmured after swallowing and taking another bite.

He made a noncommittal noise, but even then he leaned back into her shoulder gently. The pair sharing a silent reassurance that the other was fine.

“Y’shtola’s not even here,” Alisaie commented lightly.

“I’m not taking chances,” Alphinaud returned promptly.

“Me neither.”

-

Curled back up in bed with the pair a few hours later, Alphinaud on his third ether with his hair freshly brushed and braided, and Alisaie having just had her wound checked and another wash of restorative magic on her deeper wounds, Alvaar casually flipped the page of his book. Alisaie was slouched down enough to rest warm and cozy against his right shoulder and Alphinaud mirrored on his left. It was almost, if he ignored the circumstances entirely, like a weekend morning when things were relatively peaceful. Those rare times they could all lounge in bed late into the day and be comfortable together. Something so innocuously domestic he could still scarcely believe it possible for him.

It was a thought that left his heart soft and warm, and given the fright of the last day the Bard hoarded it close as he often did with these quiet moments.

“So, when do you think the smut scene happens?” he asked lightly on reflex.

“I still think it’s sooner,” Alisaie pointed out. “There’s no way it doesn’t happen before page 200.”

“No, there’s too much world building, it will take longer than that,” Alphinaud commented, puzzled at Alvaar’s soft chuckle and his sisters look of betrayed disbelief.

[jane-fucking-seymour]

I've been a huge fan of LoTS for a while now, and one thing that I really admire about it is how you've built a world steeped in history both inspired by our world and unique to LoTS' world. How did you go about balancing both history and magick throughout the story alongside the characterisations from Six? As well as that, with Skyrim and FFXIV being noted influences on LoTS, in what ways, in your view, are concepts such as Light and Dark different in LoTS compared to said influences?

Tudor History helped to form the relationships between each of the characters, what type of magicks and abilities they had, and how they fit into the story.

I’ll make this a Read More since there’s a lot to cover here!

The Queens, History, and Afigmia

Catherine of Aragon was the most religious and led the country through war, so it made sense for her to be the one closest to (a) god and one of the strongest people in the Realm, let alone Afigmia (the name of the world btw; the Realm is a country in the world of Afigmia). She was also the one that survived the longest marriage with Henry, which only served to bolster her strength and have her naturally lead the party, as she was the one that was the most in tune with Henry’s tricks (even if she is shocked and horrified by the information she’s constantly getting).

Anne Boleyn was seem as a sneaky temptress and while she did have her charms, her knowledge and beliefs are what seemed to drive her in history, so she was more based on that. Plus her extremely tense relationship with Catherine (at first) made her being a shadowmancer a really nice foil to Catherine’s light-based Blessed abilities.

Jane Seymour was always in either a good or a “plain jane” sort of vibe and I really didn’t want her to be boring. At the time of first writing the story, Jane was always seen as a good person (through my own fault as well) when I knew she had just as much bite and coldness to her as a “Heart of Stone” would suggest. I also still see her as bound to obey and serve her husband regardless of what she truly thinks about him; I don’t think she really understands just how manipulated she was. Her necrotic magicks were a direct reflection of how she’s not a angel by any means, though I think people can hopefully have some sympathy for her; if this was another life, she could have been an incredible cleric and healer, if only she hadn’t been so manipulated.

Anna of Cleves was one of the toughest for me to write, but at the end of the day the musical and research taught me how badass she was, so I figured she should have the most badass powers of being wielder of a dragon’s literal soul. She was highly underestimated despite being more than capable to take on the duties required of her. She also is a really quick thinker and knows when to engage and when not to (see: historically, Anna of Cleves knowing when to leave when she’s fucked over by Henry), so she made a really good second in command of the Six outside of Catherine. I’ve got more plans for her, but she is, I would argue, the one that got away with more than she parted with when she left Henry’s side (historically speaking as well!).

Katherine Howard was a child but also seen as a temptress like her cousin historically. In LotS, she’s simply really good at illusion and charm magicks because she needed them to survive. She had a coming of age arc in LotS (kind of, it’s still ongoing) because she was just a kid. She’s not fully grown into her powers yet. She was at first a Druid because I think she’d want to just chill and watch everything and enjoy the time she had if she hadn’t been roped into what she was forced into. 

Catherine Parr is one of if not the most brilliant of mages in Afigmia, and a lot of her background is based in the fact that she literally talked her way out of being executed historically. I, like a lot of the fandom, would consider her to be the most progressive of the Six, though her historical and LotS parallels haven’t completely finished yet.

The Ladies are moreso reflections of their main queens - Maria is extremely close to Catherine, Maggie would follow Anne to the edge of the earth (and to another realm heh), Joan is very much in Jane’s corner (more than Henry realizes) and Bessie is being trusted with, essentially, the fate of the Holbein troops in the area. They all compliment their queens in ways we haven’t fully seen yet.

It should be noted that the only actual OC of the entire piece, Avril, also compliments her “assigned” queen and current partner, Anna. Avril originally started as a OC from another story I did, where she played the major villain. The idea to include her was because I wanted to bridge universes in my own stories. I also think her relationship with Anna allows for some depth that would help with making the queens a bit more human, while also avoiding any queen/LiW shipping of any kind. I was hoping that it would help to flesh out the world, too, as Avril could be anything I wanted, and could lend some feeling of “other stuff is happening too you know” in the world.

The Light, the Dark, and the Inspirations

The Light and the Dark being not so black and white was always a concept that appealed to me for a majority of reasons. I really dislike how “light means good” and “dark means bad” in traditional stories, so I wanted to turn it on its head.

You see that through the majority of our “bad” characters being somehow associated with the Light - Mary used to be a Blessed, Malus Vir (the guy that tried to take over Hidden Gem - was a Light priest. Necromancy is a corruption of LIGHT, not of Dark.

That’s not to say that the Dark can’t be bad either - obviously it can - but we’re currently in a period of history in Afigmia where the mask is being torn off of the “light is good” norm, and we’re seeing the cracks starting to shine through. Henry claims to be doing this for the good of the realm, and many believe that he is Light incarnate. They’re blinded by their own faith and the stereotypical norms; they cannot see the truth.

Final Fantasy’s Lifestream and the lore around that also helped with creating Katherine’s return as a Blessed in particular, as well as helped to bolster what necromancy could do.

I have only written two chapters since starting and finishing up Shadowbringers (well, up to 5.3) and while I’m happy to be validated in the “turn it all upside down” sort of strategy with the light and the dark, the main inspiration where FFXIV is concerned is the Fae Lands arc. There’s a big reveal coming that, if you’ve played the game or know of Il Mheg, you might be able to clue into early. It’s not the same by any means, but it’s in the same vein.

That being said, if I had to equate one of the six to the FFXIV main cast, I’d say:

Aragon: Y’shtola

Boleyn: Alisae

Seymour: Urianger

Cleves: Thancred

Howard: Ryne

Parr: Alphinaud

But again, I only just started playing that game a few months ago, whereas LotS has been in development/actively updating for over a year now.

Skyrim helped with the magicks, the dragons, and how the gods play into each other and interact. They’re a bit more human than what people think they are, basically. A lot of the magicks that you see in LotS are what I wish I could do in Skyrim, and of course the dragons are kind of very much in tune with that game as well.

There’s other inspirations as well: Runescape, Game of Thrones, Avatar: The Last Airbender, etc. 

[vividreminisce]

I Want - Chapter 2

Here’s the second chapter to my series, “I Want”. Thank you so, so much for all of the reception that I received from the first chapter! It makes me very happy to see that people enjoyed it and that there’s still some activity here in Tumblr, haha. I’ll keep posting chapters here, so please stick around!

Also, I have this series finished in ao3, so if you’d like to read all of them in one go, hop on over there and give it a read! I also gave shoutouts to authors, works, and artists that really inspired me for this series after each chapter. I feel like there’s not enough attention/shoutouts to content creators, and when I finished this series, I vowed to do that from so many of them inspiring me and giving all of us gifts for free. Still not sure if I’ll do the same on this platform, but that’s another thought for another time.

Before we continue, this chapter was written and posted before the Shadowbringers artbook, so some of the content on here will be incorrect, if you can find it, haha. Don’t want to spoil it, so I’ll keep it vague and if you can’t find it but are curious, reply to this post or send me a message and I’d love to speak about it :)

Here’s Chapter 1 if you missed it!

If you’d like to see some screenshots of A’viloh, here they are! Excuse the crappiness, I’m not the best with gpose, haha.

Okie dokie, let’s get this show on the road! Below are the tags, chapter summary, and story! Please enjoy :)

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Chapter Summary: Finally arriving at the Crystarium, the Warrior of Darkness prepares to heal his friend, some companions helping him start the process.

Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV

Ship: G’raha Tia/Crystal Exarch x OC

Rating: Mature, SFW

Writing Tags: Some depictions of medical procedures (not medically trained, some factors will be medically incorrect, but it’s all for the story), Slow burn, Angst, Hurt, Healing, Comfort, Acceptance, Fluff.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

“A’viloh… are you absolutely certain…?”

“I will be fine, Alphinaud. My wounds are starting to mend, and I have the energy to keep going.”

Everything that the Warrior of Darkness had instructed had thankfully gone according to plan. Lyna did have soldiers posted at each entrance to the crystal city and the ones at the Amaro launch were overjoyed at seeing the twins descend. Y’shtola and Urianger were quickly taken by Chessamile and the other healers, while Alisaie preferred to take her time walking there. Her brother could only shake his head at how stubborn she was to the very end, but she was quickly carried to an empty bed once the eldest healer saw her limping into the Spagyrics. By the time A’viloh and G’raha had arrived, Lyna was waiting for them, along with the Overseers of the city. The Warrior of Darkness shared a few words with them, telling them that he would bring the Exarch to the Tower and care for him there, and let them know of his progress as time went on. The ride to the Crystarium gave him ample time to check his wounds via healing magic (bless having his soul stones on hand rather than his bag), the damage not being as severe as he originally thought. He was grateful for the hood that obscured his friend’s face, though from their expressions, they knew of their leader’s condition. Still, they would not question the hero’s reasoning, that being on the perks that A’viloh was grateful for.

He followed the Captain up the stairs of the Dossal Gate and she opened the door without another word. They swiftly ascended the stairs to the Ocular and used the key that the Exarch bestowed to Lyna to open the room where A’viloh had the vision of the Exarch’s plans. Surveying the room, he was surprised at seeing a bed in the corner, somehow missing it when he first went in. When Lyna saw the Warrior’s surprised expression, she explained in not so many words that she found it when moving some of the Exarch’s books. Not one to question, he nodded and went to lay his friend on it. The Exarch’s breathing was still rasped, but it was much deeper, relieving the Warrior. Having felt his quick breathing against his back as they flew more than unnerved him, that being enough to realize how close the Exarch was to losing his life. Sharing a look with Lyna, he explained how the Exarch did not want to reveal his face to his people, at least not yet. He further explained that he had asked the Exarch permission to heal him, which was granted to him. A’viloh would have continued were it not for Lyna lifting a hand up to stop him. Her pink eyes never left the Exarch’s hooded face, his breathing almost deafening, despite the sound barely reaching the door.

“You have more than proven yourself to the people of Norvrandt, Warrior. If I may speak on behalf of the people of the Crystarium… do all that you can to make him as hale as he was when he left these walls. Any materials that you need, they will be yours. He is our first priority and always will be.” Despite how clear her words were, her expression said otherwise. She wanted to be strong for the Exarch… for her paternal family member. She needed to be strong. But it was so hard when she saw him in that state. What happened to have left him so weak? What little skin she could see, there was blood, dirty, sand, and wounds. His sandals had come undone, the leather straps on his left arm were slipping off, and whatever God was out there would know if his tunic could be mended. She forced her gaze back to the Warrior, stepping closer to speak for his ears only.

“He trusts you more than anyone else I know. As do I. So please… please see to him. Call me whenever you wish, and I will come running. Ask anything of me, and I will do it. It is the least I…  could do for the one that I see as family. If I can see the smile that he gave your way the first time that he laid eyes on you once more… That will be all that I will ever need in my lifetime.” The Captain finished.

A’viloh didn’t know whether to give Lyna a handkerchief from the tears that spilled at that revelation, or embrace her in reassurance. That look in her eyes told him that she needed none of those and only wanted to say her piece; she wanted to say that to him before he left to rescue the Exarch, and now she could. Schooling back his expression, he nodded and promised what was in his heart and mind. Using the back of a parchment that he found on the floor (which he hoped was to be tossed), he wrote down everything that he needed for the time being, along with what could be brought early in the morning. Lyna assured him that he would have the latter in no more than 2 bells and that she would personally bring the former in less than 1. It was in the middle of the first one that A’viloh had the brilliant idea of trying out the Linkpearl to speak with the male Leveilleur. It thankfully worked and they spoke in length of what had transpired when him and Alisaie arrived.

“I understand that the Exarch trusts you, as do we, my friend, but you shouldn’t heal him on your own… Is there naught that the chirugeons here can do…?”

“From what I can see, we should not worry as much about what can be seen. There are some cuts that I can disinfect and bandage up myself. What I am more worried about is…” A’viloh trailed off. His hand was on G’raha’s ankle, having taken off his sandals as soon as Lyna had left the room. The bed was nothing grand, only fitting one body and having a single sheet and pillow. It had some dust, most likely from the books that Lyna lifted off, but it sufficed for the time being. A’viloh sat at the very edge of the bed, not wanting to take up any more space than necessary. He knew that the leader needed to be in the Tower from how linked they were to one another, but he wasn’t entirely sure how; and he didn’t want to disrupt that flow.

Alphinaud noticed his friend’s silence, understanding his hesitation. That scene was one that everyone wished they could forget. How the Exarch was more than willing to give up his life for the Warrior to be relieved of the Light. How Emet-Selch appeared, and stopped those actions, but at the cost of a bullet to the back. Alphinaud knew of the man’s crystal condition, and he suspected it was the crystal that saved his life. As far as he knew, that bullet was still embedded there…

A’viloh blinked when the Elezen’s quiet question came through the linkpearl. “Do you perchance know how deep the wound is…?” Slowly getting off the bed, his hand came up behind the sleeping miqo’te, pressing down on the cushion as he leaned over to try to get a better look at the wound. A sharp exhale came out, not being able to see much of the wound from the fabric sticking close to the found. Running a hand through his brown hair, he carefully sat back down, hand coming back to rest on his friend’s cold ankle.

“I unfortunately cannot. I am waiting on Lyna to come back with the immediate medical supplies before I undress him. She will be coming any moment, and I do not want to keep you from resting. Before I forget… Alphinaud, please, do not tell anyone of the Exarch’s appearance, nor his name. I am sure that he would like to tell everyone in person, or at least… confront those that have already seen him.”

“Be at ease, my friend. Not a single word will come out of my lips in regards to the Exarch. I will relay our conversation with the rest of the Scions in private. Do tell Chessamile if you are in need of her assistance in getting that bullet out of him, or if not. That knowledge is not just for our relief but for theirs. Some of the healers are already talking amongst themselves and I would not be surprised if they request access into the Tower to tend to their leader.”

The Warrior of Darkness couldn’t help but smile sadly. They truly did love him. How could they not? The Crystal Exarch gave them the home that they needed when the Sin Eaters came to be. The Tower was their refuge, the actual light that they needed. It was the beacon of hope that G’raha Tia had hoped the Tower could become. And become it did.

“I will tell her immediately. Please, rest for now. You have done admirably, and I… I am grateful to all of the Twelve that you are all alive. Talk can happen another day. Please, get comfortable and let the healers do their work.” A’viloh’s eyes softened. Here he was saying that talk should happen another day, getting deja vu. Just as he did with his friend, he let out his gratitude. One last bit should be enough, along with some endearment.

“And… Thank you, Alphy. For all that you have done and for all that I know you will do. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Have pleasant dreams..” The Leveilleur twin did his best to stifle his gasp but it could still be heard via the linkpearl. The Warrior’s relationship with the twins was a strong one and he knew that they looked up to him immensely, which is why he would always praise the twins, not only because he truly meant it, but also from them deserving to hear it. They did more for him and the Scions than they let on and would only say half of their accomplishments; when he found that out, he made damn sure to take them under his wing. He treated them with the same respect that he gave the other “adults” but also coddled them every now and then. He hoped that his words hit the male twin’s heart just as much as if his sister had told them to him, his smile going soft.

“...A… A good night to you as well, my friend. Do not stay up too late and please… may you also rest. Twelve knows that you need it.” Came Alphinaud’s reply, voice cracking halfway before the connection was broken.

Quick footsteps were heard towards the direction of the Ocular, Lyna pushing the door open with her shoulder. A heavy looking box along with a large bag was obscuring her vision, but she set everything down as if it was only parchment paper. She was breathing heavily through her nose, that being the only indication of the box’s true weight and placed the bag in front of A’viloh. Using a heavy knife, she quickly opened the box and pointed to each item, fumbling with the ones that could not be seen immediately.

“We are in luck, Warrior. The chirurgeons had in hand everything that you listed. In that bag are the ingredients that you requested and here are the tools used for minor surgery. In that box are sterile bandages and rags, while that box contains antiseptics. The smaller bags contain the empty bottles and the like. The more… flammable contents are at the bottom, protected by minor magick. Is there anything else that you require?”

Caramel ears perked up at all of the different goodies that he was brought, his scholar self already formulating the different ways that he could use all of the materials. The Bunsen burner must be at the bottom… Oh, there was the pestle and mortar. It wasn’t until his tail accidentally bumped into the person sleeping next to him that he realized how much he was gawking at everything. Lyna did not interrupt his thoughts, gaze expectant from awaiting more orders. Shaking his head quickly, the Warrior rose and set to sheepishly taking out the contents of the box.

“This should be more than enough for the moment. Thank you, Lyna. I will keep you posted on all of the developments with him. So far, he has been sleeping as well as one could with the wounds that he has. I checked some of them, and the external ones seem to be minor. What he truly needs is rest.” Lyna once again kept her eyes on her sleeping guardian when A’viloh gave his report. Her eyes were clear, but still largely unreadable. After a breath, she nodded.

“I will come back a few bells after the sun rises. You know what line I am on should you need me, correct?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Good. Before I forget.” Lyna stepped forward, bringing her right hand out and into A’viloh’s view. He blinked a few times when he saw the fist and lifted his head from the box. Slowly, he brought up his palm. A small weight landed on it and when he brought the item into view, he saw that it was a small crystal key. It was the same color as the Ocular’s walls and he made the connection instantly: it was the same key that G’raha had bestowed to Lyna before he left. Small as it was, it was still warm and held more than it showed.

Trust. She was fully trusting him with the contents of the Tower.

“Are you… are you sure in giving this to me…?” A’viloh asked quietly. He knew that he was stepping way over his boundaries. First he was keeping the Exarch away from his people. Next, he was being given the key to answering many of his questions. How much more would he be given…?

“Full sure, Warrior. This key… I believe that he wanted you to have it. I just happen to be the first to reach him,” came Lyna’s stern reply. 

“Remember, I will come late in the morning. Do not hesitate to call me should you need anything else.” And with that, she turned on her heel, quietly closing the door behind her.

Now alone in the room, A’viloh waited until he could no longer hear the Captain’s footsteps. Turning his head to look at the sleeping leader, he lifted his hand from his ankle and inspected his wounds once more. Several cuts were on his legs and arms, still dirty with blood and salt despite the long dip they had in the sea.

‘You can be yourself now.’ A’viloh paused, hand hovering over his pocket. Icy relief flooded into his veins, shuddering from the voice. They were getting stronger, something that he welcomed with open arms. However, their words made them slightly weary. Yes, they were alone, but--

‘She will not come back until morning. Be at ease.’

He trusted him. If Esteem told him it was alright, then it was. His tired shoulders relaxed, swiveling ears slowing down. Yes, yes, it will be alright.

“Let’s get you out of those clothes, shall we…” Standing a bit aways, he dipped his hand into his inner coat pocket and pulled out the soul stone belonging to that of the former Scholars, tucking his dark knight soul stone away. He thanked Fray for giving him strength in transporting the Exarch, as well as for the reassurance. With his magic now heightened, he laid his hands just ilms away from the sleeping Miqo’te, and let his aether do a more thorough inspection. Hands slowly moved to the Exarch’s backside and they stiffened when he felt the corrupted aether. It was undeniable that the bullet belonged to that of the Ascian, the foreign object feeling wrong. He brought his hands back down, sleeves lightly brushing against the Exarch’s red tattered tunic.

‘This bed is not enough. Surely… surely there must be other rooms in the Tower…’

He shoved his hand back into his coat pocket, picking out his summoner soul stone. He would not leave his friend alone, and he knew just the partner that would keep his friend company.

“Come on out, Lizette.” Writing out the necessary spell, his partner in crime appeared from a rainbow of colors. The red carbuncle shook her coat once, getting accustomed to the room around her before finally sitting obediently on her owner’s feet. A’viloh smiled brightly at the first friend that joined him on his long journey all of those years ago. Despite him using Esteem more often these days, it seemed that his other friend did not mind and was still willing to follow him to the ends of the earth. Bending down, he lovingly scratched her ears and then under her chin. She chirruped in glee, tail curling up around her feet.

“Lizette, I need to find a more suitable room for him. Stay at his side and keep him warm, will you? If anything happens, you come straight to me.” He scratched behind her ears again, her chirruping once more in understanding. “Come around his feet, he has a nasty wound on his back.” He picked up his furry friend and placed her close to them as she did as she was told. The Warrior nodded at her and swiftly left the room, making sure to keep the door wide open for Lizette to get out should anything happen. He hoped that nothing would.

Running across the Ocular, he inserted the key into the other door as gently as he could, hearing a faint click. As he pressed against the wooden door, he was quickly met with an immovable wall. He shoved a few more times, finding nothing to pull. Bracing himself against the door, he attempted to transfer some of his aether into the golden opening--nothing. Was he only allowed into that tiny room…?

“You… you said that you wouldn’t deny my request… So… so why…? Why won’t you let me in…?” The Tower was connected to him. He said back on the shores of Kholusia that he would let A’viloh treat him. Why was he being denied? Were those words just for that moment…? A’viloh could no longer see the door in front of him, vision clouded by tears. He wanted to help his friend and give him just as much as what he was given here in the First. He deserved that and more. He needed that and more. Trembling hands fisted against the door and A’viloh put some of his weight on the contraption, forehead thumping lightly on the crystal.

“G’raha Tia… I beseech you… Let me in… That room… It’s too small. Let me find something more suitable for your recovery. I swear to only touch that what is needed and nothing more. Please. Please, please, please… Just let me in--�� By some grace of the Twelve did the doors finally open. Or maybe it was because of much A’viloh pleaded. Whatever the case, A’viloh caught himself before he cut open his chin and ran straight inside, only coming back to pull out the key if he needed it.

A room similar to the Ocular laid on the other side, but much larger and with more doors. With pinned back ears, A’viloh looked around, seeing how much larger everything was. The crystal walls were dimmer but did naught to make the room feel smaller. Natural light, or so he thought it could be deemed that, filtered in from a small opening on the ceiling. On his right, a grand pillar tried to hide the humongous golden elevator that led who knows where. On his left, four identical doors called to him. And in front of him was an incredible staircase, the top obscured by shadows. He decided to go clockwise with his investigation, the first door leading into what could only be described as some type of lounging area. The area was mostly barren with the exception of a couch, a few potted plants, and a table with two chairs. The second door led to a bathroom. His eyes flew open at the ginormous pool that took up a third of the room. Closest to the door was a wash basin, toilet, and shower head that any normal person could use. There was barely any personality in that room as well.

The third door took him to what he needed. A room befitting a historian laid inside, a still too large bed some ways in front of him that seemed largely untouched, but the room was filled to the brim with life. Books were stacked as far as a Miqo’te could still reach the top, all various sizes and colors. On the right of the large desk closest to the door were more books, some opened while others carefully stacked. All types of parchment were on the left, some having fallen and laying unceremoniously on the floor. Even the small chair was stacked with books. A’viloh only took note of what was closest to him and sprinted to the last room. He had left his two friends alone for too much time, and counted his blessings at Lizette not scampering in. He only had to peek in to see that it was the kitchen area and promptly closed it, full on running back to the red-haired Miqo’te.

He sighed deeply in relief that finding Lizette right where he left her. Judging from her relaxed position, G’raha’s condition did not change for the worse, but it was not for the better either. With a flick of his wrist, Lizette’s form changed to that of the Titan-egi, the two of them working together to place the Exarch on A’viloh’s back. They took their time with the process, quick pants being their only indication of the Exarch’s pain. He still didn’t wake, no matter how much they jostled him. A’viloh didn’t want to imagine the leader’s pained cries or tears either; he had seen enough of pain for one day. Ordering Titan to stack the bag of ingredients on the large box, it took even longer for A’viloh and Titan to get back to the bedroom A’viloh found from how difficult it was to control Titan’s movements and his own. They had to be gentle with everything they carried, the summoner needing to look down at his feet and state out loud which foot to place over the other. By the time they arrived, the Warrior of Darkness was exhausted mentally.

Placing the Exarch on his side, the Warrior began the painstaking task in removing the ornaments on the tunic along with the clothing itself. He refused to leave his friend with any remnants of the battle that they just won; a Miqo’te’s nose was more potent than a normal nose and he couldn’t count the number of times he wished that someone would remove his battered armor from him when being healed. He didn’t need that reminder of the battles that he could have lost or how much he went through to win them. He always held his tongue, knowing that he should be grateful in receiving any healing at all, but that didn’t mean that anyone else should have to suffer through his same fate.

He found a pair of clean cotton trousers in his bag and slipped them on the Exarch. Changing once more to his scholar form, he summoned Eos for the extra light and helping hand that he knew that he needed. But even then, that wasn’t enough. Looking around the room, he found lamps but no light source to them.

‘He must be able to control the light in here, and only him.’ Rubbing a finger under his chin in thought, he pondered at what else he could use as a light source.

‘Parchment paper is out of the question, I’ll just create an uncontrollable fire… The Bunsen burner would be too dangerous…’

Eos saw how deep in thought her master was in and bobbed around the room here and there to get accustomed to the space, just like how Lizette did. A’viloh’s tired eyes followed his fairy, more furniture coming into view but he did not keep tabs on all that was illuminated.

‘Illuminated…’

Snapping his fingers, Eos quickly came back to him from thinking that he needed her. Muttering an apology, A’viloh placed a hand on his chest as he began to conjure up the image of a warm friend. One that would always create a fiery glow on his tomes when he needed it, and its counterpart cast a gentle hue to help him sleep at night when the day’s events were too distracting in his mind. Within seconds, his Wind-up-Sun appeared, nearly blinding him until he moved it farther up. If he could not turn on a light, then he would just have to create it.

In a matter of minutes, he washed his hands as thoroughly as he could, changed into the cleanest clothes that he could find, and set about extracting the bullet from G’raha’s back. It was at this time that he really inspected his friend’s back, more so how far the crystallization spread to his body. As he thought, his right side was mostly covered, such as his hand, arm, shoulder, and part of his neck. The crystal took over the entire top portion of his back, that being what saved him, and then decided to slow down it’s path on his left side. His left shoulder was starting to get enveloped, judging from how thin the crystal appeared, and stopped on the left side of his neck. Nape and Adam’s apple remain largely untouched, surprising A’viloh with the relief he felt from that. Going back down, the crystal took over his right hip entirely but no more than that. His entire front, at least what he could see in the darkness, remained that of flesh and blood.

He made a point to only pay attention to what was needed. His friend’s body was not a specimen. He was a man that still had a heart beat, still had a conscience, and was his own person. If G’raha wished to show him what he had become, he would accept the decision with open arms. If he did not, A’viloh would accept that too. All that he was, all that he became… it was for him. It was for the Warrior of Darkness that he tried so desperately to bring to the First. It was for that hero that was written in those books and talked about while the Eighth Umbral Calamity was happening around them. It was all for that person. And he would be that person for G’raha. It is the least that he deserved after all of the sacrifices that he made.

Shaking his head, A’viloh knew that precious time was ticking as he let those frivolous thoughts overtake his mind. He knew that it was also from the nerves overtaking him. The large wound on G’raha’s back was horrendous,, cracked crystal surrounding the wound as different hues of red seemed to pulsate underneath. It was G’raha’s aether trying to mend itself and A’viloh imagined that it was the will of the Tower making it so too. Taking a deep breath, he began to make the anesthetic potion to hopefully numb whatever flesh was under the crystal, formulating a plan in his mind on how to extract that bullet.

[nullanythorm-ao3]

Hiccup/Hiro/Varian OT3 FFXIV Headcanons

Stuck on my next fanfiction update? Time to bust out one of my OT3 headcanon posts again! The next chapter of Chemistry in Motion IS on the way, I promise you. But for the time being I’m a bit braindead - and being obsessed with playing Final Fantasy XIV with my friends isn’t helping. Instead of Variro and Varian & Honey Lemon sibling fluff, my brain has thought, “Okay, but what if the OT3 either played FFXIV or just existed in Eorzea?” and hasn’t stopped. 

So, instead of the Camp Halfbood concepts I was planning on doing next, you get this. 

Let’s start with easy mode: races

This part was simple. The only one that really gave me any trouble was Varian, really. I have certain things I associate each of the boys with - and two of those things just so happen to have races in Final Fantasy, so let’s go!

Hiccup is an Au Ra. They’re half-dragon, all-awesome, and Au Ra males are some of the tallest characters in the game!!! Second only to Roegadyn, I think. So Hiccup is TOL. If this is a concept of an AU where they exist in Eorzea as Warriors of Light - I feel like Hiccup’s the type that seems intimidating at first, the tall half-dragon man - but is actually just a soft cinnamon roll who’s hopelessly in love with his two boyfriends, but we’ll get to that part, eventually.

Hiro is a Mi’qote! Maybe because of Mochi, but I just can’t stop associating him with cats. So, naturally, I’m just going to keep doing it. Mi’qote are a moderate, slightly below-average height race. Also cat ears and tails, and the “mission complete” screen after dungeons has male mi’qote do a little happy ear wriggle, and it’s cute. I feel like Hiccup and Varian play with his ears a lot - like, a lot of scratching behind them or rubbing them for cute, fluffy, affectionate moments. He’s small, sassy, and about to get some world-saving s*** done, okay?

Varian. Varian was difficult. On one end I considered Hyur - just a simple smol human (though you can’t really make Male Hyur that short in-game, closer to average height really). But then I thought maybe Lalafell, make him super smol and cute. But actually, I’m going with my favorite race in the game: Varian’s an Elezen. For two reasons. 1) if this is a matter of them playing the game - Varian’s the type I could see wanting to play a character taller than he is, and Elezen are pretty darn tall. 2) As for if they exist in Eorzea, we’ve seen through the examples of Alphinaud and Alisaie that young Elezen can be quite small!!! Varian with pointy elf ears is also adorable fight me. Anyway. I feel like he’d definitely be a “runt of the litter” Elezen. Taller than Hiro, but still on the short side. Maybe it comes from Ulla (if you include 7k in this) being an Elezen, but Quirin being a Hyur or another shorter race that kind of dwarfs his growth a bit? 

Okay, so let’s talk roles

Note: roles. Not classes. For the FFXIV uninitiated, one of the coolest things about this MMO is that you’re not tied down to one class. There are several classes within certain roles - Healer, Tank, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS, Magical DPS - and you can swap between those classes freely. There’s even disciple of the hand - crafting classes. And disciple of the land - gathering classes. We won’t talk about those as rolls, but I’ll bring them up when I talk about the squad’s main classes later. For now, let’s talk about the roles they prefer for adventuring, dungeons, raids, etc. 

Hiccup is a tank! Tank classes are his first choice, without a doubt. He’s kind of the leader of the squad without meaning to be. He protects Hiro and Varian, and kind of keeps the other two in line and out of trouble with the rest of the party (because these two are SASSY and will cause trouble, trust me), whether it’s only one other person just running a dungeon or a whole raid alliance. In large parties, he’s quick to defer to someone else if they want to be the main tank. He’s not the ‘fighting for dominance’ type. Other than tanking, he enjoys melee DPS and healing, and uses magic DPS the least.

Hiro usually plays ranged DPS! Honestly, his central roles are basically all the DPS roles, but he likes Ranged most because of mobility, and ability to take things out from afar without worrying about his DPS dropping too much from dodging big attacks. Other than that, he enjoys magical DPS for range and Melee for mobility. His least-used role is healing, because caretaker he is NOT. Some of his ranged DPS classes have utility, and that’s good enough for him. 

Then, for a well-rounded team, Varian’s main role is Healer. This comes mostly from his tendency to be “support” in most situations. He is, overall, a sweet boy who wants to look out for and help his friends (even if he can be self-centered). He’s definitely the sassy healer that will get passive aggressive with bad tanks in big parties or if Hiccup isn’t tanking. “I couldn’t keep up. So sorry, I’ll try harder next time if you try harder not to over-extend. Okay, thanks”, “The Dragoon is floor tanking? Guess who’s going back to the start of the dungeon because I’m not ressurecting them”, “Hiro, for the last time. We DODGE attacks first, shoot later. If you get hit for extensive damage because of a dumb mistake again I am NOT healing you”. THAT Healer. He’s also the best technical player of the three though (if this is the ‘they’re just playing the game’ situation), so he has the skill to back up the sass. Also, he flirts with Hiccup whenever he clutch heals him, or whenever Hiccup thanks him for heals, and it breaks Hiccup’s brain. Outside of healing, I think he’d like magical DPS and ranged DPS, and tanks the least.

On to actual classes/jobs now!

So here’s how this is going to work. We’ll be talking about the classes in their primary roles. What’s their main class, and ranking the classes within their main role in order of most to least used. After that, we’ll talk about some outlier classes. Classes from other roles they enjoy playing that they might play often or that I think suit them(A note: we’ll only be going over a couple, and no matter what outliers I mention, the role rankings from the previous section are the priority in knowing what and how they play). Then we’ll talk about their crafting/gathering classes of choice. 

Hiccup

 So, we mostly see Hiccup with a sword and shield, so naturally his main job is Paladin. It was what stuck out in my head, especially since I wanted him to main tank. It’s the balanced, all-rounder tank as well - which I think suits Hiccup. After that, there’s Warrior. Our big, brutal axe swingers. This one’s focused more on his viking heritage. Battle Axes run in that blood, don’t they? Then, there’s Dark Knight. The enormous sword is cool, but Hiccup isn’t really the ‘dark, brooding, edgy’ type. So I don’t think DK would really be his style aesthetically. Gunbreaker is the one he’d use least. It’s a cool class, but the more modern gunblade just doesn’t scream “Hiccup” to me. I think he’d enjoy the damage output, but feels better with normal weapons like swords and axes in his hands. 

So the first outlier for Hiccup is something FFXIV fans might see coming. Dragoon. Hiccup with a spear is cool, but this is mostly for the lore. For those who don’t know - Dragoon’s lore is all about dragon slaying. They’re spearmen trained in Ishgard as part of the Dragonsong war - valiant defender of the city and slayers of dragons. Sound familiar? Similar to his actual story, I love Hiccup picking up the spear and being ready to fight dragons - but he’s a sweet bean and still tries his best to broker a peace when he learns how intelligent dragons are. 

The other outlier I’d like to discuss for Hiccup is White Mage. The ‘taking from the spirits and nature’ vibe I think really suits his personality. He loves his island, and the dragons that live there, and everything around him. Not QUITE a tree hugger or anything, but preserving nature and caring for its creatures would definitely be important to him. It’s probably his main healer role.  

As for crafting and gathering. Blacksmithing and Armorsmithing are probably his central crafts, so he probably does a lot of mining as his gathering class. He spends a lot of time in the forge, after all! I could also see him delving into a little carpentry, what with all the tinkering and mechanics he works with. 

Hiro

When I thought about Hiro, my first thought was “machinist”. The steampunk vibe it has fits Hiro being the most modern of the three boys, I think. Also, a robotic/automaton partner/minion? YES. After that is Dancer. He probably picked it up for a laugh, not expecting much, then wound up hooked. He enjoys making either Hiccup or Varian his dance partner and flirting with whoever it is incessantly. With Varian, it’s just a back-and-forth of witty flirting and laughing. With Hiccup, he actively takes up a two-sided flirting front with Varian and well... if Hiccup breaks with just Varian flirting, adding Hiro makes it worse. He plays Bard the least, but still enjoys it. “He’s not much of a singer”, he often jokes whenever he stretches his Bard muscles. In the ‘they’re just playing the game’ universe, I feel like he forgets his song utility a lot and just focuses on doing as much damage as possible. Because that’s kind of his schtick. 

An outlier for him would be Red Mage. I think he’d like the quick, easy casting with Dualcast, and the fun melee rotation. He’d be the type that enjoys using Displacement just for the flair - and always gets a talking to from Varian whenever he accidentally flips off the edge of a platform. So, you’re not allowed to play Dragoon, Hiro (he plays it anyway).

And the other outlier is Gunbreaker. Again with giving the guns to the more modern member of the squad. However (and I’ve hardly touched my tank  classes so I can’t say anything here), it’s a running joke that Gunbreaker is for “people who want to try tank, but still kind of want to be DPS”, and I love that. It’s kind of perfect for Hiro. 

So for crafting and gathering. Hiro would probably be a Goldsmith and Leatherworker. Leatherworker for practicality - because I think Hiro’s definitely the most practical  of the three. Goldsmith because he likes to tinker with things and I can definitely see the precision work of accessory making suiting him. Now, normally that would probably mean he’d spend most of his time mining - but there are exactly three gathering classes in the game, so I like to think they’d try to round each other out. So, Hiro’s going to spend most of his time fishing. One, because cats and fish jokes. Two, because it’s just kind of chill and less work (or at least labor) and knowing Hiro I could see him going for that.

Varian

Varian’s main class would most DEFINITELY be scholar. He just seems to gravitate toward my favorite things. I think of all the magic-based classes. The arcanist set would be his favorite since it focuses more on logic and strategy. Scholar, especially, deals with hunting down a centuries-old plague on an ancient civilization and a lot of things I can very easily equate to the black rocks and dark kingdom. Also, he gets to summon a fairy and COME ON. That’s adorable. He probably talks to the fairy (usually Eos), because that’s just him. Second main healing class is White Mage, similar to Hiccup. The nature vibe just seems to suit him. He seems good with animals and the whole natural element just works since he seems to enjoy the outdoors and comes from a farming family/village, let’s not forget! Then Astrologian would be last. He wouldn’t really be into the astrology/future sight but I think he would have fun with the star vibes and (in Eorzea universe) would learn the uses of the future reading and get more invested in it, eventually. 

An outlier of mention for Varian is Summoner. I mentioned before that he enjoys arcanima for its focus on logic, strategy, and value of intelligence, so, naturally, Scholar’s opposite would work well with him too. Also the carbuncles make me think of Ruddiger for whatever reason. Look at him! I love the concept of him summoning his carbuncle and it just crawling up his back and wrapping around his shoulders. He summons the Egis too! He knows how to play his job! He just really loves the carbuncles. 

The other outlier for him of special mention is Bard. I think he’d like it, because he can be DPS but still give the party utility. Also. Come on, this boy can SING and he’s going to take advantage of it. God-tier bard for his singing voice alone, right here. Hiccup and Hiro low-key get excited whenever he pulls out the bow, because it means they get to hear their boy sing (because even in the universe where it’s just a game, Varian totally sings on whatever method of call they use for a lot of the dungeon whenever he plays bard). 

Crafting classes. It surprises no one. He’s an Alchemist. Possibly a culinarian. His gathering class is botanist, the only one left. He spends a lot of time with plants, natural elements, and alchemy to make potions and all that jazz. He is very passionate about his crafting job and is probably the biggest crafter of the group. ALCHEMY!

And now for some miscellaneous headcanons

So, if it’s just the OT3 playing the game - Varian is the biggest roleplayer, no question. He slips into character ALL the time and it makes Hiro and Hiccup chuckle a little, but they always play along. He got the two of them to enjoy the roleplaying aspect, even. 

They each have their own squads/groups they play/adventure with, and they almost always change up their roles with those groups. 

For Hiccup - he’s basically in a group full of people who want to be tanks. It’s a constant battle for dominance (that Astrid almost always wins, unless she gives a pity win to Snotlout occasionally or lets Hiccup take out of respect for his tanking ability). Most of the time, Hiccup just shrugs it off and goes DPS or healer depending on if Fishlegs is there to heal or not.

Hiro usually tanks for his team. Mostly because Gogo refuses to level anything but DPS, Wasabi suffers from tanxiety and usually either heals or goes ranged, Honey Lemon does whatever Wasabi isn’t doing, and Fred is... Fred. 

Varian’s group is well-balanced, but they each have their preferences. Cass or Lance are usually the tank, Eugene’s usually a melee DPS (probably ninja), and Rapunzel is almost always the squad healer (tho she defers to Varian for that role occasionally). So he’s usually DPS in that group. 

Still, they work best together in their main roles. Their favorite times are when they’re adventuring together, as much as they love their friends. 

Hiccup and Varian occasionally tease Hiro for being the shortest of the group - to which he usually groans and complains. But they use their tank/healer status to prevent him from messing with them because “I can always turn off my tank stance you know”, or “I mean if you don’t want healing, by all means”. He hates it when they do that.

They usually make up for it by giving him a TON of presents, though. They’re both frugal with gil compared to him, so if there’s some new shiny, expensive thing on the market he wants and doesn’t have the money for, Varian or Hiccup can usually swing it for him.

Hiccup likes to surprise Varian with gifts too. It’s the one one time he can make Varian flustered, and he quite enjoys it. 

If any Elezen bully Varian for being a runt (in the setting where they’re adventurers in Eorzea), they can expect to meet with the business end of Hiccup or Hiro’s weapons. They won’t hesitate. 

[kaoru-takaida]

Valentione's Day Special Chapter

SIDE: TIUS MASON

*may contain Spoilers*

Tius sighs, looking at the outifit... He'd aided the Valentione group with ease. And using all the facts and info he knew of the candidates, vouched for Astrid. She'd been the most obvious choice in his mind and her reasoning for the man's request was sound. But this outfit... He wasn't so sure how he'd go about wearing it... He removes the cleanly pressed shirt and tosses it onto the bed.

He sighs. He looks over at the bed stand next to the bed. This was Hope, Kaoru, and Alisaie's house. He'd been away to Garlemald when they'd bought it. And apparently Hope and Kaoru had to actually get married in order to house Alisaie here. They did it of course for legal purposes. The ceremony was pretty private and Tius has always had a grain of salt when thinking of the situation.

This had been the year he had planned to...

Tius shakes his head, looking over at the Baron earrings on the bedstand, placed with the Baron Circlet. 2 months, huh? Time on the First and The Source was beginning to equal out again according to the Crystal Exarch. It's been fluctuating constantly, but it seems to only ever be speeding up on the Souce. Tius's calendar has been thrown off considerably due to his travel back and forth. Hopefully with the progress being made, the Scions can return home soon. "I wanna be there when that happens!" Kaoru had said, with such a determined look in her eyes. But that was right before the battle with Emet-Selch.

A good while ago... Tonite would be the Valentione's Day party that was insisted on being held. On the First so the Scions could enjoy it if they wanted. But considering how busy things have been on that star, it would be doubtful that some of them would make it. Tius sighs.

Deciding that being stuffed in this house was too painful, Tius elected to sort through the paperwork flooding Alphinaud's desk on his office. Unused for the most part, yet still active. Ready for Alphinaud when he returns. It was meant as a surprise birthday present for him that the girls threw together. But he'd ended up leaving for Garlemald before they could reveal it to him. And with that came the Call. Tius wipes sweat from his face, finishing his stacking papers and forms and letters.

He couldn't help his racing thoughts. (Dammit... why today of all days?)

Tius sits himself down next to the waters. The swimming area in the Lavendar Beds was empty except for him. The waters are generally too cold for normal people to swim in, though Tius knows a dip on the chilly water might knock him outta this funk. He shakes his head, removing the thought. He can't risk getting sick. Not when there's a load of work that needs to be done. The sounds of chimes and some sparkles shimmer over his right shoulder, and Feo Ul glimmers into view.

"My [strong sapling]!" They say. "Hope sent me to remind you that the party is tonight." They place their hands on their hips. "So you better not be late!" Tius nods.

"I'll be there."

Feo Ul tilts their head. "Laddy... Are you okay?" Feo Ul asks. They take a second and then sigh. They land gently on his shoulder. "Ah. The festivities are getting you down, aye?" Tius nods once. Feo Ul smiles. "She's still out there and out of reach. I won't stop looking for your [one true blossom]. Not for one second." Tius smiles.

He rubs his cheek against Feo Ul. "Thank you, my precious king..." Tius scowls slightly. "I got this. She stayed for me when I left her. It was far worse then for her. So this?" He smiles again to Feo Ul. "This is nothing..."

Feo Ul rubs against Tius's cheek now. "There ya go, sapling."

A delivery Moogle awaits Tius at the reception desk of the Pendants Inn. Tius's ears perk up. "Hello." He says as it flys over to him.

"Good morning, kupo!" It says. It reaches into the pouch, removing a small box and a pink envelope. "You have a package and a letter that's paired with it from Kaoru Takaida!" Tius chokes. The Moogle hands him the small box and the envelope. "Have a splendid day, kupo!" It flies away, leaving a dumbfounded Tius to stare at the items in his hands. In the Inn room, he sits on the bed and sighs. He opens the envelope and smiles. Her quick yet refined handwriting is there.

And the words written makes him smile. He looks down at the box, and slides the lid off. In it was a silver Circlet. One of Doman origin that had piqued Tius's interest. An old story of the Monkey King. Kaoru used to tell him about it. And this Circlet was definitely an exact replica.

One that makes him gasp. He excitedly slides it onto his head, and leaves the room with a big smile on his blushing face.

[kaoru-takaida]

Shadowbringers chapter: Afterwards

FINALE PART 4 OF 4

*contains Shadowbringers spoilers*

Kaoru looks out the window of the Garlean Airship. Ingrid finishes her talk with Eagan. He salutes her and looks to Kaoru. Kaoru looks at him with an unwavering glower. He scoffs and walks away. Ingrid walks over to Kaoru. "I trust you're not one for second thoughts?" Ingrid asks. Kaoru lifts her hands, showing them bound by shackles.

"The cuffs are already on." She sighs. "I haven't the luxury to back out. Not when so much is at stake." Ingrid sits on the bench next to her. "You lot seemed troubled." Ingrid nods slowly, looking at the ground. "Is aught amiss?"

Ingrid sighs. "Evidently, we're unable to contact our base in the Capital." She replies. Kaoru scowls. Ingrid leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Speak plainly." Kaoru says. "Meaning what exactly?"

"Meaning things might be harder than we had first surmised." She looks over at Kaoru. "And harder still for an Eorzean prisoner..." Kaoru chokes in alarm before glancing down at the shackles on her wrists. Ingrid senses the worry from Kaoru. The Xeala swallows hard, deep in thought. Ingrid sighs. "Do you truly mean to continue? I might not be able to promise your safety like we had agreed if things were to worsen."

Kaoru shakes her head. "I'm aware of the risks, aye." Kaoru closes her eyes. "But my mind is made up..." She stands up and looks out the window. They're passing over the Garlean Border on the Eorzean side. It makes her stomach sink. But she was determined. "I'll clear Alphinaud's name with haste and find my way back home... Somehow..."

Tius steps through the portal with Hope. G'raha stands there to greet them. "Welcome back." He says. He waits a second before glancing at the portal behind them, expecting one more person. After a second he tilts his head to the side a bit before his eyebrows raise. "Is Kaoru not with you?" Hope glances at Tius meaningfully.

"I'll meet you back at Eulmore." Tius tells her. Hope nods before walking away to leave the Ocular. G'raha watches her leave. And ince the doors close, he faces Tius.

"Is aught amiss?" G'raha asks.

Tius sighs. "Kaoru's not coming back for a while..." G'raha's ears twitch a bit, falling down and a bitter looks comes over his face. "Shs went to Garlemald."

G'raha chokes. "What reason would possess her to do such a thing?!" He asks, alarmed. "What happened on the Source?"

A bell later, Tius and G'raha stand in silence after Tius had explained what had unfolded. Tius leans against the wall. G'raha stares into the portal. "So yeah... I'll be taking over her duties as a Scion while she's gone to Garlemald..."

G'raha sighs. "Were that I was able to help in some way..." He says, his voice breaking a bit. Tius can feel his worry. But he knew it was deeper than that.

"Kaoru never told me about the day you went back into the Crystal Tower to sleep..." Tius says. G'raha gasps slightly, looking over at him. "I know you still have those feelings for her. And that was before I had met her..." Tius closes his eyes. "If she had told you not to... would you have still left?"

G'raha purses his eyebrows. "In all honesty, yes..." Tius doesn't say anything. G'raha gave a sad smile. "Depite Hope wishing me well and the determined promises of Cid and the others, Kaoru was the one who begged me to reconsider. She'd been in tears when the doors began to close. And it honestly took everything I had to turn my back towards her to walk ever further into the Crystal Tower." G'raha closes his eyes. "But I had a duty to my bloodline and a destiny that could not be refuted. One more important than the feelings she and I had developed. And she had accepted it bitterly in the end." G'raha looks at Tius. "In which you can see she too has a journey to make that is important to her as well as the others."

Tius exhales a bit, closing his eyes.

Alphinaud hands Kai-Shirr some documents. "Here are the documents for Master Chai. Be sure he gets these?" Kai-Shirr nods.

"Right away, mate." He turns to leave the office just as Hope walks in. "Oh, Hope! You're returned!" Hope smiles at him.

"Hey, Kai-Shirr." She says.

Kai-Shirr smiles smugly, leaning forward. "He's been right beside himself with worry. Hopin' you were fine and all. Even mentioned something about trying to get Feo Ul to spy on you lot, or something of the sort."

"I-." Alphinaud begins, blushing. "I most definitely was not!"

Kai-Shirr sheepishly laughs, hands on hips. "What a bloody liar, this one." He teases. "I could have sworn it was you who said you felt like you were 'dying without her'." He says with air quotes. Hope giggles as Alphinaud's jaw drops. "Going on about how you couldn't even sleep at night without her next to you and cuddling-."

"K-Kai-Shirr say another word and I will be sure to pummel you!" Alphinaud stammered, both hands flat on the desk in front of him. His face his beet red and his shoulders were tensed. Kai-Shirr grimaces, raising both hands surrendering.

"Aye, mate. Message received..." He says slowly. "And I thought it was the sister with the violent urges~..."

"Oh, I'll show you violent if you don't deliver those documents right this instant..." Alphinaud chides. Kai-Shirr chuckles, giving a big grin and racing out the door with his tail wagging. Alphinaud closes his eyes, correcting his posture and gathering his composure. He inhales sharply, and exhales while opening his eyes. He smiles at Hope. "Tell me. How did you fare?"

Hope gives him a small smile. "Well, I can't give you the complete details. But you're all safe on the Source." Hope tells him. "Nothing more for you to worry about." Hope walks forward. "Though... there's still some loose ends and more developments that you and the other Scions will have to know." Alphinaud walks around the desk.

"I'm sorry that we're unable to help in any way..." He tells her. He leans against the desk, crossing his arms. "However, while we remain here on the First, we will endeavour to do what we can to help." Hope stops in front of him. "Whatever way that would mean. Mayhap we can try to-." Hope leans forward and presses her lips against his, taking him by surprise and interrupting him.

She pulls away from Alphinaud with a smug smile. "You talk too much." She says, before leaning in to kiss him again.

Tius spots Alisaie walking into the Market Area. She greets him with a gentle wave. "Welcome back." She tells him. Alisaie stops walking. "You said you had something you wished to discuss with me?" Tius nods.

Moments later, they're seated on the stone floor, leaning against a wall away from the foot traffic of the market place. Alisaie is deep in thought. "So, what do you think?" He asks.

"The idea definitely has merit." She replies. She places her hand on her knee, her legs tucked under her. "Tis the same means by which Kaoru can summon her aetherial weapons and I conjured my swords." She looks at him, looking a bit concerned. "However, aetherial manipulation like this takes practice. Not to mention time. Before Kaoru studied with Master Matoya, she along with my brother and I had extensive and strict training in those arts via the Studium and our Sharlayan upbringing."

Tius frowns. "And those are all something I don't have."

Alisaie nods. "However, being able to use Force Field the way you had told me isn't that bad of a start."

Tius scowls. "But they weren't really that strong... They shattered pretty easily, actually. Like thick, thick glass."

Alisaie chuckles. "Not everybody can get on the same level as Kaoru over night." Alisaie explains. "Yes. Glass is an excellent way to put it. And hers was like metal, correct?" Tius nods. "It took years of training and study for her to get to that point. And so it will take time for you to develop your aetherial manipulation as well." Tius sighs dramatically.

"Gods, that sucks..." He says, resting his head against the wall. He looks up. "But I guess we start somewhere."

Alisaie feels her smile fade. "But after all that discussion, you still dain to keep us in the dark what had transpired?"

Tius crosses his arms. "We'll tell you sometime later, okay?" Alisaie sighs. Tius drops his hands to the ground. "Actually, there is one thing..." Alisaie looks at him. "Kaoru won't be coming back for a while."

Alphinaud scowls at the news. "For how long?" Hope had been in Alphinaud's arms as he leaned against the desk, his arms around her waist. Her arms were interlocked on his shoulders behind his head, their faces a fulm away from each other.

Hope sighs. "Unclear. Probably not even after you guys return to the Source..." Hope answers. "I'm not sure if I should tell you guys the where and why. But Tius promised to pick up her work on the Source and here on the First as best as he can." Hope smiles. "I'm sure he'll do great."

"Damn straight I will." Tius's voice comes from the doorway. Alphinaud and Hope look at him, leaning in the doorway. Both of them blush and Hope pulls away from Alphinaud.

She fusses with her hair, looking away. Alphinaud clears his throat. "Tius~! What brings you here?" Alphinaud asks, his voice shaking.

Tius laughs once at their fretting. He walks into the office now. "Actually, I came to say a few things before I leave." He stops, crossing his arms. "Hope was right. I'll be taking over Kaoru's duties as a Scion as well as wrapping mine up. But to do that, Hope will have to help Ryne, Urianger, and Thancred in the Empty on my behalf."

Hope purses her eyebrows. "Are you really sure about this, Tius?" Hope asks. "Weren't you training with Thancred?"

Tius shrugs. "Yeah. But training can wait when there are more important things to do on the Source." Tius looks down. "I don't want her to be backed up with work and to worry about it when she gets back. Whenever that may be." He faces them. "But if you guys need me for any reason, just send Feo Ul." Hope gives a small smile to Tius.

Alphinaud sighs a small sigh to himself. He looks at Hope. "Hope, my love." She looks at him now. "Would you be so kind as to let Tius and I have a moment to ourselves? I've something to discuss with him." Hope nods at him.

"Don't be too long. I'll go catch up with the Chais." Hope tells him. She leans forward and pecks him on the cheek.

Alphinaud watches her leave the room. And once she's out of sight, Alphinaud gives Tius a skeptical look. "What's up?" Tius asks.

Alphinaud inhales. "Alisaie told you and Hope about our little connections to the Source and how at times, we can still feel our bodies, even though we're a world apart..." Tius nods. Alphinaud crosses his arms, closing his eyes. "She and I both felt something just last night." Tius's heart skips a beat. Alphinaud scowls, looking down at the floor. "Alisaie's experience wasn't as vivid as my own. She had heard muffled shouting she couldn't make out. We'd both been asleep when it happened you see. Her at the Pendants in the Crystarium. And I here in Eulmore."

Tius is silent a moment. He clears his throat. "What did you experience then?" He asks, hoping not too much.

Alphinaud's arms slip down and he looks insecure a moment. "I felt a pressure on my chest, as if I were being pulled back or held tightly by something." Tius scowls. (When Eagan had him in a death grip ready to kill him...) Tius thinks. (Alphy felt that? Let's hope there wasn't too much more than that...) Alphinaud exhales. "It was only me who felt that. Alisaie was sure she'd only just heard voices. But I for my part experienced more than that. I felt that restricting feeling... and then..." Alphinaud points at Tius. "But then I felt you..."

Tius gives an alarmed look. "Pardon?"

Alphinaud puts a hand to his chin, thinking. "That's the only way I can describe it. A warm feeling of protection and I somehow knew it was coming from you." Tius swallows, looking away. "Am I wrong?"

Tius shakes his head. "Nope. You're right. That was me." Tius answers. Alphinaud exhales a shaking breathe, as if he was relieved. "Something happened. And I had to protect you." Tius points to the scar on his cheek. "That's how this happened." Alphinaud nods slowly. He then stands straight. He then bows a deep bow, right hand on his heart. Tius chokes at this. "W-W-What are you doing?!" He stammers.

"Thank you so much..." Alphinaud tells him, his braid falling from the side of his shoulder. "I can't express how thankful I am for you protecting my body." Tius blushes looking away.

"It was nothing. Really. Stand normally." He tells him. Alphinaud stands straight. "Besides, I drew on your face. So we're pretty even..."

Alphinaud gasped. "You did NOT!"

Tius laughs, giving him a sly smile. He guessed this was okay...

At least... for now...

*******************

So this was a long chapter...

As I'm sure some people will see, Kaoru will be taking a hiatus as my muse for a spell. When will she return? Hard to say when...

When I feel like it! >:3 Anyway, the narrative is now going to focus on Tius Mason and Hope Gallant for the time being. I hope you all give my catboi a warm welcome.

[kaoru-takaida]

Shadowbringers: After the First

Note: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD

*This chapter takes place after the final battle.

The celebration continues into the night. The twins had resigned early to sleep due to over exhaustion, but the Warriors of Darkness and the remaining Scions remain to enjoy the festivities. The rejoicing people of the Crystarium dance around a huge bonfire at the foot of the stairs of the Dossal Gate. From atop the steps, Hope, Kaoru, and Tius sit watching over them all. G'raha exits the Crystal Tower, waving the guard away with a kind smile. He salutes and strides down the steps to join the party.

He inhales closing his eyes. "Words cannot describe what relief and content I feel in this moment." He looks down at the three of them. "You have my gratitude, now and forever more." Hope smiles.

"You can stop thanking us, G'raha. We did what we needed. Nothing more or less." Hope replies.

G'raha chuckles once. "That you did. Nevertheless, you three will always be welcome here at the Crystarium. In hopes to lessen my infinite debt, I shall endeavor to seek out a way to return the other Scions' souls to the Source. And the portal shall remain accessible for when you choose to return."

Hope sighs. "Actually, about that..." Tius and Kaoru both look at her. Hope smiles at them, a determined look on her face. "I've decided to stay a while." All three of their jaws drop, them taken aback at the sudden change of decision on Hope's part.

Kaoru is the first to speak. "You mean to stay?" She asks. "But what of the Empire? And the issues arising back home?"

Hope purses her eyebrows. "This world still needs me..." She looks at Kaoru. "There are still lingering sin eaters. And with us not being any closer to a solution to bringing our friends back, we can't engage the Empire." Hope looks at her hands in her lap. "I missed an entire year with Alphinaud... but not a second longer." Kaoru looks away, almost sad.

But she gives Hope a sad small smile. "Alright then. I shall not stop you." Tius looks down to Thancred, Ryne, and Urianger all mingling with Y'Shtola and Runar. His smile fades. Kaoru notices and gives Tius a concerned look. "Love? Is aught amiss?"

Tius looks at them both before smiling nervously. "I guess now might be a good time to mention that I'm gonna be going with Thancred, Ryne, and Urianger." Kaoru chokes a bit. Hope cocks an eyebrow.

"What for?"

Tius gets a serious look on his face. "Thancred mentioned Ryne sensing a presence faintly in the Empty."

"The desolate wastes past the walls?" Kaoru asks. Tius nods. Kaoru puts a hand on her chin, considering this. "Hells, I thought nothing could survive out their in risk of having their aether corrupted by the light." Kaoru puts out a hand of reasoning. "Alisaie would be better suited for such an expedition, however, considering her experience with sin eaters and her knowledge on their corruption and the light-."

Tius takes Kaoru's hand. He shakes his head. "You and I both know that it would be far too risky to send Alisaie." Kaoru realizes this and looks away, almost in guilt or as if she were sulking.

G'raha tilts his head. "For what reason does that elect you to deal with this threat in Alisaie's stead?" He asks. "Surely the three of them could handle the situation without."

Tius shakes his head. "It's more than that." He looks at G'raha. "I want to become stronger. And before we were Called, Thancred was my teacher. I want to pick up where I left off with him." Kaoru purses her lips a bit, not looking at him. "Kaoru?"

Hope puts a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, we won't be here forever." Hope tries to reassure her. But Kaoru gently slides Hope's hand off of her shoulder, her eyes slightly hurt. She stands up and looks away.

"Forgive me. I need a few moments to myself." She says. Without saying anything more, she strides away. Tius stands to follow, but G'raha grabs his elbow, stopping him.

Tius looks at him, slightly annoyed. G'raha shakes his head. "Let her be. She once told me she had a plan... Now that things have changed, she needs time to think things over." Tius and Hope exchange glances.

Kaoru sits down on the steps of the Crystarium Exit. She sighs, trying to relax. Without warning, a sparkle of light and a musical chime happened to her right. Feo Ul appears, carrying an envelope. "Well, if it isn't my adorable little sapling~." They sing. Kaoru gives them a weak smile. "I'm so happy you're safe and sound!"

Kaoru sighs and smiles again at the faerie. "Thanks for your help, Feo Ul..." She notices the envelope. "What is this?"

Feo Ul hands it to Kaoru. "Oh, a crude old hag gave this to me to give to you." Kaoru takes it from them. Feo Ul shrugs. "She was so bleeding rude too! 'Be sure she gets this' she said." Feo Ul says in a mocking tone, shaking their hips in insult. "'Or I'll pluck off those gaudy wings of yours.' Bah! What a cruel thing to say!"

Kaoru rips the envelope open. "I wouldn't test her, my dear branch." She gives them a smirk. "She'd do it."

Feo Ul crosses their arms, sticking their nose in the air. "Hmph! I welcome her to try it and face my wrath..." Kaoru chuckles once at the thought. She looks down at the letter that was inside and begins to read. The further she reads on, the more her smile fades. Until her mouth was agape at the end of the letter, jaw dropped. Feo Ul looks over with concern. "What is it, flower?" Kaoru takes a second with a look of concern. She then scowls, a look of determination crossing her face.

"Can you send her a message for me?"

(Part 2 coming soon)

@louderthanthedj