#and like that synaia is born!

[mai-takeda]

Diverging Paths of Sorrow

The noise cut into her sleep making Mai’s eyes creep open. It had gone on for a minute before she finally groaned in sleepless frustration and hurled the blanket aside. She tied her robe tight while her puppy, Kari, continued to bark in the front of the apartment.

“This better be important, Kari,” she called out walking into the front area. “I was finally getting some decent sleep and then you just had to wake me and probably because you want food. Do you ever stop eating?”

Stepping in the front area she watched an overly excited Kari bounding around the front door. She looked at it perplexed then something caught her attention out the corner of her eye. A letter sat upon her working desk making her face scrunch up in confusion. She had finished some scribe work earlier and cleared her desk so nothing should have been there. Her curiosity took her to the desk and pick up the letter to read only to realize there were two pieces of parchment.

Dear Mai,

You will find my Starlight gift to you on the other paper. It is the deed to a new house completely in your name in Limsa Lominsa. I do not need questions on how this came to be. Just accept it because it is done. This will give you an easier path to Doma to visit your mother when you seek. 

I have a journey of my own I must partake. Do not seek to find me. I will find you when it is done. Mai, you and your mother have truly been family to me like your father and brother before they left this world. I am thankful to have met you both and to know I have a home with you when I return. This journey I take is my own. You cannot follow for what I intend to see done would darken a heart too precious to this world for me to allow. So here our path diverge for now. It has nothing to do with your ability to stand by my side. I have no doubt in your skill. Only know that this is not something I want for your spirit.

Be safe Mai and know that I am proud to call you sister. Blood does not always define who we call family. 

Your Sister Always,

Synaia Moonstone

Mai’s eyes had widened upon reading the letter. She slowly slid the front letter out of the way and saw the deed naming her own estate and let both letter and deed drift from her hands and to the floor. The reasoning behind Kari’s actions born a light in her thoughts and she darted for the door finding the knob still warm from someone’s touch. Cinching her robe tight again and ignoring her lack of footwear she yanked the door open and sprinted out into the corridor. 

Soon she was outside in the night running with eyes moving everywhere in frantic search of a sign of Synaia. Leaping over a rail she trekked quickly through someone’s yard and leaped over their fence onto the stone walkway. A wince came when she felt something pinch the bottom of her right foot but ignore the pain not realizing she had cut the sole of her foot. 

“Syn!” she screamed at the top of her voice leaping over another fence and hurrying down the ramp. 

Finally, she stopped. Her head whipped right and left, tears flying from her eyes at the jerking movement. Those eyes were widening in a nervous fear that she was too late. She had screamed Synaia’s name louder again but only found silence in response. In despair she fell to her knees without caring how hard they banged upon the pavement beneath her.

“No! Not again!” she bellowed. “Please! Everyone always leaves me behind! Please come back! I want to go with you! Please, please, please!”

Her tears streamed harder. Memories of the time her father and brother left her behind to return to Doma birthing in her mind. She curled herself forward. Her chest heaving with the desperate sobs.

“They always leave...” she said softer. “They always leave me behind. W-What good is a house if you are alone...”

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Standing at a vantage point above Synaia listens to the calls for her name. She hears the cries. She carries the pleads. Crossing her arms over her breasts she tries to keep her expression stern but a single tear rolls down her cheek. Remaining there she looks downward without turning her head to the presence that stood distant from her to the rear.

“I hate you for this,” she said through gritted teeth. “I hate you to the void and back.”

There was no response.

“You are killing her. You...you’re making me hurt her. She showed me nothing but love and opened her home and heart to me and you’re making me...making me do this.”

“No, I am not,” a gruff male voice said. “We are protecting her. She is not made for what we are going to do and you know it. She deserves better than where we walk.”

“And I don’t, right?” Synaia said reaching up and wiping the tear from her cheek. “All I deserve is-”

“You marched with the Garleans,” he said cutting her off. “How much blood is on your hands, Synaia?”

Synaia’s hands balled into fist. It took every bit of restraint in her to not spin around and punch her fist into his jaw. Instead she took a deep breath to calm herself though it did nothing for the storm and pain she felt spinning inside of her.

“Once this is done so are we and I am telling her the truth, Kenji Takeda,” she said simply. “I am telling her that her older brother didn’t die that day with her father and chose to be a coward instead of the honorable man that his father had raised him to be.”

With that said Synaia turned and began walking away. Kenji Takeda watched her, turned toward the point he knew Mai still sat below in her misery and then turned to follow the highlander while speaking softly under his breath.

“I’m sorry, sister...”

[mai-takeda]

MEET THE CHARACTER: Mai Takeda

► Name ➔   "Mai Takeda"

► Are you single ➔ “Yes if meaning am I married. I am dating Vylette now though and, well, it seems like saying we are dating isn’t even close to strong enough for what we feel and what we are to each other soooo, umm, yeah. I am no where near on the market!“ Mai flushes slightly while answering, a beaming smile coming to her lips.

► Are you happy ➔   “Things have been, well, difficult? I mean in the recent past! But I am VERY happy now! Err, did that even make sense? I just, well, went through some things. I was abandoned again, went on a great voyage and got cut where I bled heavily, having issues wanting to pick up my katana again with the nightmares about those I have slain, then I am ecstatic again because I met Vy and fell in love and, err, am I rambling? It feels like I am rambling? I am probably rambling. Well, I am DEFINITELY rambling now huh? Sorry! I get that way.”

► Are you angry? ➔   “No. I, well, I have moments of frustration when those I care about turn their back and leave me behind but never angry. I think the last person I was angry at was myself actually.”

► Are your parents still married ➔  Pauses a moment with her smile faltering. Finally, she speaks in a small voice. “Th-They are married in the heart and spirit. My father is no longer here but their love and their marriage held day after day. They showed me what love could be for me one day.”

NINE FACTS

► Birth Place ➔ “I was born in Ul'dah after my family fled Doma and found a caravan that got them to the merchant city. It’s an interesting city one must admit but it is the one I have known all my life.” 

► Hair Color ➔ “Red.” 

► Eye Color ➔ “Pale gold with black limral rings.” 

► Birthday ➔ “10th Sun Day of the Sixth Umbral Moon so had a birthday recently!”

► Mood ➔ “Oh wow. Interesting inquiry there. If I must choose one I will say determined. I’m rather focused on some things and a certain individual going on right now.” 

► Gender ➔ “Female.”

► Summer or winter ➔ “Summer.” 

► Morning or afternoon ➔ "Morning because it means a new day to capture new memories, experiences and to be with those who you hold closes to your heart.”

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

► Are you in love ➔ “YES!” Mai blinks at her own outburst, blushes and smooths the lines in her dress.”Umm, I mean yes. I am in love currently. It’s a feeling I would wish on anyone and everyone. That happiness she births in my heart I will never take for granted and always treasure.”

► Do you believe in love at first sight ➔ “I don’t know about at first sight because that is only the physical. What about the person’s spirit? What about the make of their heart? You can’t know those ONLY from sight. I do believe you can find a pull to someone upon seeing them that is more than you experienced before.”

► Who ended your last relationship ➔ “No one? I mean, well, I never saw her again. She probably traveled on a hunt or something, I’m not sure, and I never saw or heard from her again. I hope Kami has helped her find peace in her spirit and happiness in her heart. Then again she would probably be happier with gold in her purse and bodies beneath her axe!”

► Have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔  “I highly doubt it. I’m just Mai.”

► Are you afraid of commitments ➔ “By Kami no.“

► Have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ “Do dogs count?” Mai gives a short laugh but nods her head. "Yes, I have hugged someone other than my puppy in the last week. It’s a simple contact but one that can mean so much. Vy and I hug quite a lot. If we don’t then we have probably been body snatched! That’s one way to find out if we are who we say we are. Remember that!”

► Have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ “Erm, well, if they are secret how would I know? But no. I have never had an admirer of any sort.“

► Have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ “Y-Yes. I did when I walked away from a previous partner so she couldn’t see the tears my own words caused me.”

SIX CHOICES

► Love or lust ➔ “Love. In so many words, in so many ways….love. I think love would enhance the pleasure of lust. To know the one you with loves you and that you love them. That you long for their touch in way no one else can imagine to compare. In a way your brain cannot comprehend but your soul? Your heart? Your spirit? They know. They know what that touch means. They know what that person means!“ 

► Lemonade or iced tea ➔ “Iced tea though both are great on a hot day.”

► Cats or Dogs ➔ Mai grins wickedly, looks around, and then whispers in a conspiring manner, “Cats.” Suddenly a loud barking sound can be heard from another part of the house and Mai bursts into laughter. “Both are wonderful but if I answer anything but dogs and my puppy Kari will hide my shoes from me! If Kenta was her he’d just chew my shoes up and look at me like ‘You deserved that!’”

► A few best friends or many regular friends ➔ “I, well, I don’t have many friends. I’m making some now I believe. I, well, only one I have really other than Vy is probably Kimi and I haven’t seen her in so many suns passed. I…i don’t know about that. Time will tell. But I think I would take a few best friends.” 

► Wild night out or romantic night in ➔ “Oh that definitely depends on the definition of a wild night. But on general purposes I am going romantic! Candles, rose petals, dancing by the ocean, anything! I just absolutely LOVE romance. Wild nights have their place too! We have to enjoy ourselves right?” 

► Day or night ➔ "Oh that’s a tough one! Day you have the light of the sun and the world is seemingly alive before you. But at night there are the stars and the moon shining down upon you and a sense of tranquility. Both? Am I cheating? Okay, okay, I’ll go with day then.”

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

► Been caught sneaking out ➔ "Never snuck out. Have you seen my mother with a katana?”

► Fallen down/up the stairs ➔ “No comment!“ Absently reaches down and rubs her backside.

► Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ “Yes..in different ways. I, well, I have times I want to just hear my father call me his little lily again that it makes me feel empty inside. Like something is missing. And then there is the moment like I had the other evening but that’s all I’m going to say about that one. Wait, have you ever seen the most moist chocolately chocolate cake and want it so bad your teeth ached? Add that too!” 

“Lately I find myself aching to say I love you so much that it hurts and sometimes I wonder am I saying it too much? I-I don’t know. I feel it that strongly. Or the need to kiss my Vy that I take her face in my hands and pull her to me and, erm, is it getting hot in here? Can you open a window?”

► Wanted to disappear ➔ “No. Never. I have spent enough time feeling like I am not being seen. I rather be up front and present. I want to live and experience what it means to open your eyes every day. To see the world, to explore and have my own adventures. To love and be loved. So no. Never disappearing.“  

FOUR PREFERENCES

► Smile or eyes ➔ "Oh that’s tough! I don’t care what you say. I’m cheating and saying both!”

► Shorter or Taller ➔ “Erm, huh? Oh do I prefer to be taller? Only when reaching for a book on the top shelf! Or do you mean in a partner? That hardly matters to me at all!” 

► Intelligence or Attraction ➔  “Meaning intelligence or physical attraction? Why not both? One does not need to be a scholar to be a beautiful person. One does not need to a picture of physical beauty to be a keen mind….wait…does that even make sense? It did in my head.” 

► Hook-up or Relationship ➔ “Relationship. I rather give my time to someone that I will see the next day. Someone that will want to see me the next day. A person that makes my heart yearn and makes my mind wander onto them when they are away. A, erm, hookup wouldn’t do that. It would be a blink and the moment is over.”

FAMILY

► Do you and your family get along ➔ “Only have my mother and adopted sister. Well, adopted not in some official stance but that we just made her family. B-But she left to do something she felt I could not accompany her to do. She bought me a house and said she will return so yes…we get along and my mother means the world to me. Family means a lot.” 

► Would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ "No. I have a life. Are there falls in it? Of course. That is what makes life what it is. But then it comes down to the fact are you going to let those moments you fall define you or are you going to get up on your feet, look life right in the eye and challenge it to stop you from being all that you desire and that you are meant to be. So I don’t have a messed up life. I have a life and I’m going to live it.” 

► Have you ever ran away from home ➔ “Have you ever seen my mother run and her katana?”

► Have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ “Again, mother, katana, swinging steel, me, bleed, pain, breathing. Put it all together and the answer is definitely no!“

FRIENDS

► Do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ “I don’t really have a lot of friends like I said before. Even so, why would I hate my friends? That would mean they aren’t my friends and I would also wonder what is wrong with me to feel such a way about someone yet try to label them my friend.”

► Do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ "The ones I consider a friend are good ones because that is what makes them my friend. They care about me and know that I care about them. We’re comfortable around each other and trust in each other.”

► Who is your best friend ➔ “Does a book count? Chocolate cake maybe? Oh what about a nice tea cup since I kiss it often when I drink tea from it!” Giggles at her own joke. “I have Master Kaelivh and his twin Asande, Nattai and Kimi is a friend and of course Vylette is my best friend now though. I think it’s important to be friends with the one you love. I met this wonderful friend of Vy’s named Ivy! There’s Synaia, who I consider to be like a sister, but I have not seen or heard from her in many suns which is having grow more and more worried.”

► Who knows everything about you ➔ “Mama is the only one but something tells me that’s going to be changing soon the more I am with Vy.”

Okay this is an OLD prompt that I had to re-touch for current times since I was tagged by the WONDERFUL @theshieldedhero

So I will tag peeps but you may have done this way back when so I’m sowwy! *snickers* I’ll try for some new faces! Hehe let’s get some AMAZING peeps named here why don’t we though you ALL are wonderful!

@vylette-elakha @lizard-grandma @under-the-blood-moonlight @ivyffxiv @yuki-yukichan @voidwife @lareine-kira @company-in-rose @resistance-ranger @abyssalnobleknight @miqojak @scales-and-steppes @khaamara @handofcards @a-sharlayan-abroad @eorzeanwildrose @mountainfists @ithaerielbrenagh @savona-drake @arabeka-ffxiv @white-marionette @oathswornshield @rei-sei @ghostlyfoxangel @raifenrir @jenpants @the-hawkeyes @lalaliya @aigiarnqestir-ffxiv @roxinova @wooddancer-ffxiv @savagedancer-ffxiv @shinnoni @kikyo-mihata @isuke-ejinn@lukelxiv @jadestormbrand @red-hare

P.S. HOLY CRAP this is long! LOL

[mai-takeda]

The Lingering Aftermath (Part 3)

Mai turned in her sleep. The depths of slumber seemed to allude her every reach for it's clutch. A scene continued to replay itself within her thoughts, within her dreams over and over. She could still feel her blade entering the bandit's body, puncturing through flesh and muscle. She could still hear the breath escaping him and how it seemed like his entire body just froze at that instant. Did time stop somehow? No, she knew it didn't but that was what it felt like.

And then there were the eyes staring at her. Accusing her. Judging her.

Mai's eyes leaped open while she laid curled in a ball in the bed of her inn room. The nightmare was nothing new since the encounter on the open road. She had understood what her friend, the Daiymo Hide, had spoken when she accepted his wisdom and experience. She had understood what her sister, Synaia, had said and even her mother. Her actions were honorable and the death was in protection of others and herself yet still she felt the weight of the death upon her like iron chains wrapped around her body.

"But without the chance to live, the chance to see the next day, I stole from that man the chance a redemption!" Mai had argued to Synaia one evening who wouldn't hear a word of such talk.

"We are speaking of a man who attacked a family with children and spoke openly of causing you harm to his mere enjoyment? Just making sure I understand because this smell worse than a pile of chocobo dung. If want proof there is a pile outside I'm certain so take a fucking whiff.

"The little shit got what he deserved, Mai. It's simple like that. I know it's hard and I really didn't want you alone when that moment came but it did. You did the right thing. You will learn some don't want redemption. Some leave you no choice. In those moments you must act. You must decide swiftly. You must leave no quarter. To do so is folly and foolishness and I swear by Rhalgr if you get yourself killed behind that kind heart of yours I will find you in the after planes, stalk you and kill you again my damned self twice over!"

A soft smile came to Mai remembering the threat that she knew came from the love the two woman have grown. Synaia was from Ala Mhiga, conscripted into the Garlean ranks until Mai's father gave her a new path. She was Mai's opposite in so many ways yet their bond was a sisterhood that wasn't defined by blood. Mai knew that the words spoken reflected the way Synaia showed her feelings since caring for another had proven something new to the Ala Mhigan.

Mai slid out of the bed and stretched her frame. Her ribs had finally healed fully from the fight with the bandits. She had broken a few of them but now she felt more herself once more. The sound of the patter of raindrops upon the inn caught her attention and a brief smile came to her again. Grabbing some light clothing, tossing it on, she ran out her room and past the innkeeper who startled at her movement. Soon she was outside opening her palms to let the drops fall upon her skin.

She felt the solitude around her. Felt the blanket the rain made upon her body and she closed her eyes. In this element she let the pain bubble to the surface. She let the grief seep through. She let the sorrow touch her heart. And there, beneath those raindrops falling upon her she let her knees crumple to the ground and her head bow. She let the tears run like they had yearned for freedom but no sound came from her. They were silent tears that mingled with the rain drops but they made good their escape. Her hanging arms would wrap around her body one time to hug herself before falling free again.

And she let the sorrow go. She spoke in her mind knowing she would do the same thing again if a similar situation rose. Did she take pride in removing a life from this realm? No. Not at all. She cried for a man who would rather have violated her own soul. One that would have harmed and killed innocent people. A man who lost his way and knew nothing better.

So there, in the rain, Mai cried for him. She cried for his pain. His sadness. His grief. His chaos. She cried because even as a man who would stand across her he was still a person. He is still someone who was once born a babe in this world and full of innocence and seeking love and attention while seasons passed. The path was lost but the spirit remained and she cried for it.

Finally, grief slipping away with the sadness and the memory of the first person she had ever killed fading to the recesses of her thoughts, she began to rise. Then, with no mirth to it, she smiled and did what she did when alone. She knew eyes could peer from houses or someone could witness but right now she did not care.

For Mai danced while the rain pelted her and the ground beneath her feet. She twirled, she stepped, and she let her body not just go through the motions but feel them too. Her release of the pain was seeping free with every movement, every step. She would be free of it. She would be Mai Takeda once more and be stronger for what she endured. She had to be for her father and brother had set the path.

Now she had to walk the path while forging it into her own with the honor the bearer of the Sword of the Takeda could possible do.

@eastraen for the mention even if brief :-p

[mai-takeda]

🐙 - They are crossing the ocean. What are the circumstances and how did they get there?

“Doma!” she blurts out before a red flush creeps up along her cheeks in embarrassment at the outburst. “I-I would say Doma where my family originates from. You see, they came here before I was born to escape the occupation and I have never been to Doma.”

Mai pauses a moment. Her head turns away staring at the wall though in truth her eye hold no focus point. Finally she turns back around with a small smile.

“My father and brother died there when they returned to help the rebellion. I want to go and visit where they fell and where my new sister, Synaia, buried them. We were to go together and visit it along with mama so we may pay our final respects and I can see what they gave their lives and honor in defending. I-I feel it is the honorable thing to do and I just -need- it for myself if that makes sense. I need to see the home my parents loved and shared tears over. I need to see what brought my father and brother back willing to stand and fight against the odds and put their very own lives on the line for. I need to respect that. I need to honor that. I need...I need to feel like I’m a part of it.”

Thank you for the ask hun! @aguynamedxiros