#cliff being confused as to why this very pretty farmer keeps talking to him every day

[kodie-ffxiv]

Prompt 30 Close

~Burning Wall, Eastern Thanalan Three Years Ago~

It was the Rising, which meant Kodie was at his usual spot, cliffside overlooking the Burning Wall. Four glasses on the ground as the Midlander poured Limonian Rum to each, grabbing one of the glasses he held it up to the sky looking upward. “Abel, Elly, Pell. Miss you guys,” With that he took a quick swig of the drink, clearing his throat.

Kodie made every effort to visit the site at least every Rising, it’s where he lost his family with the exception of Rhyn, who had since retired and disappeared. Sharing a bottle of their mutually favorite drink, while Kodie talked about how things were going.

His attention turned towards the sounds of footsteps, one hand reaching for his gun, just incase the visitor was hostile, standing up. But there stood just a man, a tall one not too far from him. He was dressed in common clothing that looked as if he was a farmer of sort, a bandana over his head. Right away he noticed Kodie was going for a weapon, and quickly raised his hands.

“Forgive me for startling you. I come in peace. I’m also unarmed...” His accent didn’t seem typical for one to be in Thanalan though.

The Midlander nodded as his hand moved away from his firearm, reaching for the bottle of rum and pouring some more in the glass. “Ah sorry about, you never know around here who might pop up. How can I help you?”

The farmer replied with a headshake. “Oh nothing, just wanted visit here, it’s been awhile for myself...still remember here like it was yesterday.”

Kodie’s head tilted at the farmer curiously, his eyes studying the man’s features. The farmer moved closer towards the cliff, looking over to the otherworldly structure close by. “Just like that, everything stopped that day. The battles we were in, meant nothing for that very moment.” He removed his bandana and faced Kodie, revealing the Garlean eye.

The Midlander’s eyebrows furrowed, but he made no movement to his weapon. Stepping closer to the Garlean, his eyes narrowed studying him. “You were the one I saw….” He kept a certain distance between them, though by now he didn’t deem the other man a threat. “Just when I had awoken, I remember seeing a Garlean soldier, looking just as confused, scared, and wounded as I was…”

The Garlean turned back to face the Wall as he nodded. “And we both realized that moment, our fight was meaningless, and turned towards opposite directions...I was glad you didn’t come after me, I was wounded pretty badly, I barely stood up…”

“Heh that made two of us...was usin my bow as a crutch…” He took a full swig of his drink, clearing his throat again as he refilled the glass and offered it to the Garlean. “Though I’m surprised you came back here, long way from home.”

The Garlean took the glass and nodded in thanks as he took a few sips.  “Actually I’m not far from home now...I live in a village nearby. After leaving here, I fell unconscious soon after, I was ready to make peace, but then I had awoken and found myself in a small house, decorated in bandages, arm slinged, and a not so kind nurse telling me that I should be grateful that the other villagers found me, as she would have left me to rot….we married two years later,” He grinned as he finished off the drink.

“So you ended up stayin….what about where you were from?”

“What about it? No one came to search for me, or our lost. That village ended up burying the bodies of my fallen troops. The Empire didn’t even consider sending anyone to recover them our personal effects to our family. Like many villages in the Calamity, they were also in dire need, but no one would assist them. So when I recovered enough, I did what I could to help them. It was the least I could do. I was going to leave, but they asked me to stay, it was then I realized my home was there and no longer Garlemald.”

“Guess that explains the bandana huh?”

The Garlean nodded. “It’s easier to conceal it than explain to anyone who traveled to the village. Not many come by though, but I keep it on just incase. I rarely leave the village anyways, and I intend to the remain that way for the rest of my days if possible. Though today my wife insist I visit here, she knew that thinking about the past continues to plague me, and said maybe visiting here would bring me closure. I constantly ask myself why did I survive when so many of my friends, didn’t. What made me so special compared to them…”

Kodie shrugged as he grabbed another glass handing it to the Garlean as he poured more rum in it. “I ain’t gonna lie, I still ask that question myself. You got people that’ll tell you, maybe you’re needed for a bigger purpose, or you were just lucky, but I guess it can be both. I guess you figure out what you wanna do with your life after something like that..” Sitting back down on the ground, he poured more rum into his own glass.

“May I join you?” The Garlean asked, which was quickly met by a nod from the Midlander. He lowered to sit next nearby, acknowledging the other drinks glasses nearby. “I guess I found my place, didn’t imagine my fate would end up here. But I at least wanted to give here one last look before finally moving on. I’m sorry if I was responsible for the loss of any of your allies here..”

“Don’t be, it was war. I probably killed a fair share of your colleagues too. We both probably did things we ain’t proud of, but I don’t see you a an enemy now.”

The Garlean again took a sip of his drink. “One day I hope my people will realize the mistake they are making by trying to conquer the world. Perhaps one day we can all drink together when the wounds have fully healed, though I expect such a thing wouldn’t happen for a long time.”

“Eh maybe sooner than you think..” Kodie held up his glass. “To those who fought and died here, be they Alliance or Empire...maybe they be all drinking together now, and all sides being annoyed with a piss drunk Abel.”

The Garlean tapped his glass with his own. “For those we had lost."

[strawberryrockyroad]

Hey if i wrote soft Cliff/Pete(Jack) fanfiction would y'all be into that