#endwalker is f killing me

[fleshacker]

Memories of a friend

[ecosystem-administrator]

Mayhem Moondrop

WoL/OC tag meme! thanks @anneapocalypse for the tag!

Tagging in turn: @elizabethrobertajones, @tinygamertris, @gachabastard, @thesingingscorpio, @vitaecryptid, and @grahatiasravetower just in case you see this in a few months when you remember to log in again

(Choose whichever WoL/OC you want, do it more than once, ignore me entirely. what am I, a cop?)

B A S I C S

Name: Mayhem Moondrop

Nicknames: Mayhem is already a stage name and doesn't really need abbreviating. They will respond readily to whatever non-obscene epithets you choose to bestow, though.

Age: mid to late 20s at this point? 23 at the start of ARR

Nameday: 18th sun of the 4th astral moon

Race: Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te

Gender: No (agender)

Sexuality: Yes (pansexual and polyamorous)

Profession: Bard (actor, folklorist, and historian all in one word, what more do you need?)

P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C T S

Hair: Black, currently worn short but growing it back out - they had to cut most of it off after nearly losing an ear at the edge of the universe.

Eyes: Silver - Moon Keeper eyes are slightly reflective

Skin: Grey

Tattoos/scars: I don't mod aside from reshade so until they give us a fashion accessory, you'll just have to imagine an Archon mark on their right cheek post-Endwalker. They have relatively few scars - the most prominent is along their scalp, mostly covered by the hair that's still growing back in from when it was left.

F A M I L Y

Parents: Their mother was a poacher-turned-bandit in the Black Shroud; she was killed by Wood Wailers when Mayhem was barely old enough to say their own name, and they don't remember anything about her, or the gang she traveled with. Father unknown, and considering how Keeper culture works, was likely never expected to participate in parenthood beyond the siring of a child anyway.

Siblings: Due to how Moon Keeper naming conventions work, Mayhem is aware based on their original name that they were not their mother's first "son". No siblings have ever come forward to be associated, and they've never been interested enough to go looking.

Grandparents: Under the circumstances, good luck. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Emotionally they sort of consider Jehantel to be their grandfather, although it's not something they've ever discussed outright.

In-laws and other: No in-laws, although Count Edmont would be perfectly willing to consider himself for the role even though they were never married to Haurchefant; Mayhem is polite but keeps their distance a little bit because they don't want to explain to him their opinion on the Fortemps family dramas. Post-Endwalker the adult Scions are involved in a polycule which technically would add Wilfsunn and Bloewyda (as Urianger's adoptive parents) to the potential in-law list (excellent) but might also add Matoya (terrifying), so we're just not going there. As far as other blood relatives, in theory Mayhem could go back to the Shroud and find their mother's clan in hopes of reaching out to find some, but they're not interested in participating in traditional Keeper culture (which is highly gendered), and none of those people came looking for them when they were getting raised in Gridania, so they don't feel like there's much point.

Pets: None; they're not really an animal person

S K I L L S

Abilities: They've always been good with a bow, which was how they got their start as a wagon guard for some traveling performers, and gradually invited to participate in performances as their interest became clear. Over time, they've started to learn a few other fighting styles: red mage for when they want to take center stage rather than play narrator, astrologian for when the path of the story needs a little help to get on the right track, and most recently warrior so that they can pick up where someone else left off. They trained a little with firearms when they were in Ishgard, since Stephanivien had access to the best practice shooting range that would actually welcome outsiders, but ultimately they prefer archery.

Hobbies: Reading, writing, crafting, performing. For all that their formal education was pretty basic and perfunctory, Mayhem is a deeply curious person and loves to learn, and to share the knowledge they've gained in turn. They have a knack for understanding how to connect to an audience and meet them where they're at in order to draw them into a story or an explanation. While they were with the performers they also learned to make and repair costumes, and have kept up the practice enough that they're now a fairly accomplished weaver. Naturally, as a bard, they also sing and dance, and relish the chance to get back up on the stage from time to time to put on a proper show.

T R A I T S

Most positive trait: I would say their curiosity. The drive to learn and keep learning, to never assume they know everything, has kept them humble and compassionate throughout their journey.

Most negative trait: Avoidance and deflection. They love learning about other people but they rarely talk about themself, and especially early in their journey they took a very long time to bond with others in a way that would actually make them want to stick around. It wasn't until near the end of Heavensward that "run away and change your name and try to never look back" stopped being an option in the back of their mind.

L I K E S

Colors: They usually default to green for clothing choices, but they really love vivid colors in general, especially in intricate patterns. Thavnair was a delight.

Smells: Subtle, natural smells, mostly - flowers on the breeze, the forest after a rain

Textures: Soft and fuzzy, squishy and comfortable. They like the subtle roughness of old paper, too.

Drinks: Usually favors cool and sweet and fruity. Still has a melancholy weakness for hot chocolate.

O T H E R    D E T A I L S

Smokes: Nah, too much risk of messing with their voice

Drinks: Enthusiastically at social gatherings. Has been carried to bed more than once.

Drugs: Doesn't seek them out but is willing to partake if offered.

Mount Issuance: Their Grand Company mount has lived a pampered courier's life at the Rising Stones ever since the Scions moved in, and has most recently been transferred into Tataru's possession. Mischief, the black chocobo they consider their primary mount and companion, was a gift from Haurchefant, and is technically a little too big for them because Ishgard breeds chocobos meant for Elezen and Hyuran riders. They love her anyway.

Been Arrested: They've always managed to talk themselves out of trouble, aside from MSQ incidents.

[chainsofaether]

Horror, more specifically body horror.

TW // Body horror, death, suicide

Uh, yeah that's your trigger warning. Let me know if I did it wrong. Nothing I write is likely going to be overly bad, but then I have pretty high tolerance for things and I could be wildly misjudging how bad these random thoughts could be.

So enjoy reading if you want to see what I've been thinking about Nyxathe/my other random thoughts. Or just enjoy your day if you don't read. Thoughts below the cut. Blame @thefreelanceangel though that isn't entirely ture/fair. Still Anna is amazing. Also thanks for being my soundboard tumblr and friends.

So Final Fantasy doesn't really jump in to body horror. It touches it here and there and then dips in during Shadowbringers, and Endwalker to a lesser degree. But some of the events in the game REALLY could be body horror. I think the first instance is Sastasha Hard. Or maybe a bit earlier in the main story finding out about what primals can do to their servants. Specifically what Leviathan does to the pirates he's displeased with.

In game it's pretty mild, likely to save on budget honestly. Just changed heads mostly. The rare new model. But the implication is there. A primal can utterly warp the form of a person without killing them.

So why is does that matter?

Actually first lets back up. About a six month ago now? I played a game that will stay unnamed. If you really want the name DM me and I'll tell you. But to be less coy about it it was an adult game. But with the twist of being horror themed. Lots of death and forced change so on. But it made me realize there's something there I wanted to explore.

That's not super weird. I've spent a lot of time thinking about death. I've spent years, a decade plus, being extremely suicidal some years much much worse then others. So it isn't odd that I'd find a medium that explores death via murder or suicide kind of interesting.

But that wasn't what kicked all this up. That was the horror. I've never really payed much attention to horror, my deepest experiences were my sibling talking about Worm. But this game triggered something in my head? Suddenly this topic was more interesting.

Then more recently I watched a video about queer people and body horror. That gave me a piece of the puzzle at least.

So back to the present. What does any of this matter?

Well Nyxathe, formerly Yrys, was made to be a summoner. I really like summoner. Aesthetically at least. So for rp I needed a story that could justify her ability to be one. She didn't need to be one at the moment but she needed the potential. So the one thing she needs to have done is 'bath' in the aether of a primal. Typically you do that by not getting enthralled and killing said primal. Congrats you now have the potential.

The primal was easy. I mean Ifrit was the obvious choice. Little level 20 Yrys going up against a god of fire after being captured pretty much settled that.

Problem though, this is late Shadowbringers era. No one is really summoning primals anymore. Sure you can do a lot in rp but I struggle a lot with sticking to rules, even if they are just made up rules in my head. RP is a lot easier if we are all following mostly the same rules.

So it needs to be in her past. This big encounter with Ifrit. Fortunately the Amalja seemed to be interesting in capturing people and giving them over to Ifrit. So she gets captured at some point in her history after moving to Ul'Dah. Immortal Flames, or some group, shows up and kills Ifrit with much sacrifice. Yay, Nyxathe is saved. How did she bath in the aether though? The Echo is an easy, if complicated, answer. Ifrit enthralled a bunch of people but she was simply immune. Then present for his death.

But you ask what does any of this have to do with body horror the title of this post?

That was a deeply traumatic event for Nyxathe. Her mother died, by her own hands. It was a moment of utter powerlessness against a god being. Only through much blood and force was she saved. Force, power, magic. Whatever you want to call it became something of an obsession.

Primals, these god beings, are aether made manifest. So aether became her goal. To understand it. To gain power over it. To become it even. But first she had to learn. So she was a good girl and went to study like a starving beast at a piece of meat. Learned her letters and numbers. Kept up with her lessons on magic. Became productive but useful. Eventually becoming an adult and gaining some freedom.

Freedom and obsession. Over the years Nyxathe refined exactly what she wanted. She started to study aether and more specifically aether and it's effects on living beings.

This is about where two years ago and now diverge. Originally Yrys's aether was odd because it was the result of her study. She'd learned to manipulate her own aether to a minor but important degree. Nothing that gave her real power, just proof that she could change a living beings aether without killing them.

When I came back I decided that needed a change. Her aether is odd out of necessity, because some years past she did something to herself that very nearly killed her. Effectively trying to recreate what a Primal can do on herself. Her aether was already very slightly changed from meeting Ifrit. She pushed it further. Much further. To the point that she did damage. She made her natural aether extremely tuned to fire and polarized to Darkness.

This kills a person. Rapidly changing someone aether, or pushing it to extreme makes the body fail. It changes in a way that it can't live anymore. So very suddenly Nyxathe was changing and dying.

Long story short Nyxathe got a handle on this and 'fixed' her aether but the natural balance is still fire and darkness. It wants to be there. So she has to constantly maintain a balance that won't kill her. Hence her fucky aether that is perfectly balanced. That ties in to the weakness ask I answered a bit ago.

So that's where the body horror suddenly comes in. Even with her fix her hair still grows at a silly rate. The closer she gets to her natural balance the more changes start to happen. Her body temperature starts to go up, like a fever. Her hair and nails start growing rapidly. Her mental state gets volatile. She's been at that point a few times and she knows how to drag herself back to safety.

But what comes next? What is she couldn't drag herself back? It's not likely to pretty. It probably starts at her messed up eye. It pops. A wet goopy mess that gets replaced by the heat, heat that builds up to fire. The bones start to break as they try to reform in to new shapes.

Limbs getting longer, less human.

At this point she's probably dead or soon to be. This isn't a primal doing it after all. It just a experiment gone wrong. But Nyxathe hasn't just ignored the issue. Eventually she'll find a solution. What if she didn't die here? What if she became something else?

I think at this point her face probably splits? Right down the center of the jaw to give her something more like mandibles. A bigger, wider bite. Tongue growing to dip out her mouth. Teath growing longer, sharper. She can pull it all together to look more 'human' but eventually her aether breaks down more.

Her hands are more like claws at this point. For Rending and tearing, not holding. Her legs and feet are twisted, but stronger. Longer gait so she can chase things down.

Eventually the heat of her body become overwhelming and she ignites. I pictures her a bit like Ifrit in how he looms over you, bent to tower over you. But she isn't as bulky as Ifrit and unlike Ifrit she isn't just using fire, she is fire. Burned flesh and burning hair.

At this point my imagination start failing me because I'm trying to entirely mentally draw a character that is so beyond a visible reference that I struggle to keep it detailed and interesting.

I imagine lots of screaming. Burning alive is super painful after all. Plus having your bone reformed like a new puzzle being put together is probably painful and noisy. And thanks to the darkness in her she can't really die just an endlessly changing, growing, monster that's mind is broken or nearing it. Oh and she's probably hungry. Change requires energy after all.

Guess that's what the new jaw is for. The better to eat, you, with. I don't know if she'd actually eat physical things so much as just aether. But animals and people have lots of aether. So is she voidsent at that point? Probably not. She can't eat JUST aether. Hence the people or animals. She's still a physical being just a messed up one. I doubt she survives very long with out further change. Probably killed or just starves to death.

I do wonder if her mind could survive that level of transformation. Would she feel horror at her body? Would the hunger break down logic? Exaltation at her new form and power? Unlikely that last one.

Either way this is not Nyxathe's goal. This is a terrible tragedy that could happen under the right circumstances.

What is Nyxathe's goal then? Honestly it's a bit theoretical. She see's primals as a form of ultimate power. Can a person become a a primal but stay themselves? Become nothing more then aether like elementals? What happens to the soul and the mind?

One day she might find the answer. One day the world might have a new god being.

Should the world shudder at that thought? Who knows. For now Nyxathe isn't really a threat to anyone. She still understands compassion, though every day she wonders more if matters. Her experiments are still careful and measured. She learned her lesson and she has plenty of time. But someone obsessed as she is eventually will slip again. Hopefully she has people to catch her.

Or you know she becomes a terrible monster that willingly experiments on captured victims to find the answer she seeks. Looking to feel unimaginable pain, horror and then die? Donate yourself to Nyx now and push her down that dark road. Dying might not even be required, she's gotten pretty good. She promises.

She could meet Anna and get some idea's in her head. Assuming she could survive five minutes in a room with Anna.

Anyway. There's my thoughts for the moment. It's not terribly actionable information at the moment unless you want to do something awful to my character. I kind of don't want her to die yet though? So maybe pass on that.

If you somehow made it this far I hope it was a little interesting?

[motheatenscarf]

I think I'm almost done with Post-Shadowbringers stuff

I just did Paglth'an, so here are some catchup thoughts.

Holy shit, Alisaie figured out the cure for Tempering and between her, G'raha, Y'shtola, and Master Matoya, they've figured out how to mass produce this shit so that Tempering is basically no longer an obstacle. Go team!! Ga Bu's! little! voice! He sounds like he's about to ask if please, sir, he can he have some more porridge. Tragic little urchin. Outright Dickensian. So cute ;_; But more importantly,

This has led to the Alliance leaders finally, F I N A L L Y, making peace with and inviting the Beast Tribes to the table. They all seemed to start moving in on it at the same time, but credit still goes to Lyse imo for being the first one to insist, no, we mean everyone gets a seat at the table with the Ala Mhigan republic they're creating. Granted, they modled that on the republic Aymeric built and he was also talking to the Vanu, so. My goodest noodles. I love them so much! I liked Merlwyb getting some character development, but also the entire time she was talking about how to make amends to the Kobolds, I just sat there going, "Land back. You can give their land back. Land back???" But she managed to get them to agree to join up anyway, so... fine :T

Estinien's back! \o/ And he's maybe staying this time? We freed Tiamat and watching Talia, Estinien, and Alphinaud try to figure out how to put a software update on a 3,000 year old phone was way funnier than it had any right to be. Buncha dingdongs. Also, holy shit, Estinien meeting Alisaie was everything I hoped it would be and more. He mistook her for Alphinaud and gave her a noogie. She fucking H A T E S him. It was clear she was envisioning a heroic knight based on Alphinaud's descriptions and then Estinien made the worst mistake of his life. Amazing restraint on her part that she only yelled at him, I thought for sure that was the end for him. But he's actually grown a lot and had a good moment with Fordola where he basically said, "There are enough assholes out there who are good at killing like you and me, but what the world NEEDS is idealists like Alphinaud who actually plan to BUILD something out of the ashes we leave behind." Out of the Scions, I think Estinien is the one who groks Talia the most for this reason alone. That mentality of, I am not good. But you are. I was mostly joking when I said Estinien is her best friend/wingman now and he doesn't get a say in this, but yeah, they would definitely be the "We still never talk sometimes" kind of friends who can just chill in comfortable silence because they're on such a similar wavelength. Which I will say, did make me start to wonder about him and Aymeric and that very gay religious art way he was carried back to Ishgard. Like, oh no, do they maybe have some history there? But then Estinien said, verbatim, "I don't want to go to the Alliance meeting, Aymeric will be there and I don't want to be lectured," so... probably not! Also, the one instance where Talia can't relate to Estinien. Keeping the people you care about at arms' length because you're scared to let anyone in after what you've lost? Tired. Recklessly devoting yourself body and soul to protecting the people you care about because you'd rather die than be alone again after what you've lost? Wired. Get on her level, Estinien, in this house we listen to the Moogles' advice that the fuel powering dark edgelord shit is love.

Anyway, with the Tempering cure in the works, a LOT is shifting in the status quo, which I like. Fandaniel is boring and continues to be just... the fucking most, and I'm tired of him. I'm so tired of him. I have thoughts, but that's for another post.

Zenos keeps making a big deal about wanting a new weapon and they keep deliberately not showing it, and I know Reaper was introduced in Endwalker, so I think that's what they're teasing there, and if he winds up going Reaper I am going to SCREAM. He's already Talia's dark mirror and I already headcanon that her dumb Dark Knight sword that's too big for her was yoinked out of his stupid golf bag. So if he just goes "uno reverse, bitch!" and is now copying her by going Reaper, they are going to be in danger of being legit frenemies and I don't know how to feel about that! That is the exact kind of escalating rivalry I've wanted out of a good nemesis for her!

But also like, Zenos' plans seem so fucking stupid. I don't know what he's got in the works with Fandaniel, he says all he wants is to fight the WoL again, but I don't get how facilitating the apocalypse accomplishes that?

Like, buddy, if you want a fight, roll up and ask her. I brought a character who started her existence as a fucking Sith into this game, you are never gonna find another WoL more eager to drop whatever she's doing just to kick your ass.

[catboynutsack]

Random hopes for FFXIV Dawntrail in no particular order from a person who's currently about to start the title quest Endwalker (so don't spoil the dungeon/fights and any post EW content)

New playable species outside of female Hrothgar; specifically another animalistic species similar to Miqo'te/Viera in that they're much more humanoid with animal features rather than anthropomorphic animals (like Hrothgar.) Biggest hopes are for a bird like race (similar to Meteion, I love harpies so much and while I know she's a familiar it would be cool to see a playable species based on her) or fish people (similar to Dungeons and Dragons Tritons, again I love mermaids and fish-like people so much.)

Random and small, I'd like to see canonical ages established within the game, maybe with like nameday celebrations of some kind for some characters. It would be so cute to have a birthday party for Alisaie and Alphinaud, I would die for those little dweebs and they're still technically kids and you KNOW their mom would go nuts for a celebration for them. I know there's been canon age mentions in additional content like books and such but ingame would be nice.

Viera hats for the love of God. I'm not a 3D artist and idk the process but it can't be that hard can it?? I know there's a whole design aspect involved bc Big Ol Ears but like. Square Enix is a huge company, surely they can allocate some resources to actually make clothing appear on an entire very popular race. If it's more complicated than I know then forgive me 3D artists, I love what y'all do I'm just uneducated on it 💛

Random as hell again and probably more suited towards an update than a new expansion but. I'd really like them to sorta retcon (is that the right word? Idk it's 3:20 am and I cant sleep) primal weapons so all primals have weapons for all classes. I'd kill for an ice scythe from the Extreme Shiva battle from HW or a pair of Leviathan Chakrams for my Dancer. I know that levelling is an issue but if they were, say, available via trading totems from the fight and synced to their class's lowest level I'd think that could work. Idk as someone who loves primal themed glams but mains Dancer and Reaper it drives me bananas that it's so limited.

A new Important female character that Doesn't Fucking Die or is somehow written off in the same pack for the love of God I swear they disproportionately kill off/write off female characters (I miss Moenbryda and Ysayle every day)

More romantic emotes/activities outside of the ceremony of eternal bonding! Not only is my partner very busy and we often have little FFXIV dates rather than in person things, I'm in a polycule and by the time I started playing my partner was already married ingame to my metamor (my partner's other partner) so I'm locked out of some emotes like the embrace emote while they aren't and it kinda sucks. It would be nice to be able to be romantic with them outside of /blowkiss and /hug and to be able to do couples content outside of the ceremony of eternal bonding. Maybe just a me problem though.

Un-gender all clothing items. I want my male character to wear a craftable bikini top goddamnit, it's fun. Plus it's a beachy-themed expansion afaik so it would make sense to un-gender the bathing suits

Speaking of craftable bikini tops, more craftable clothing for glams and not just combat!!! Cute bathing suits and the such that are level 1 and meant exclusively for glams would be amazing. We have a few already but with the upcoming theme being seemingly being beaches it seems appropriate.

Longer hairstyles. Clipping be damned my miqo'te would rock a long hair look (and his braid, which is the same hairstyle as Fourchenault's, already clips into every top ever so like. C'mon)

Number 1 on this list is the new species being humanoid with animal features. I eat that shit up with a spoon. I love making OCs and a new alt devoted to a species I like is absolutely in the books. Already have done it twice lol.

Improve Aurum Vale for the love of God that dungeon is a nightmare and it's like one of three that ever shows up on rouls on Dynamis

Anyways if any of this bothers you for any reason please just scroll by, these are my middle of the night daydreams when I can't sleep of things that I personally would enjoy in the game, I know my ideas don't apply to everyone and all of them wouldn't really make sense for one reason or another but it's fun to write them down and put them out into the world. And obviously this post isnt gonna make a difference in the game itself, I'm just a rando on Tumblr lol. Thank you <3

[silvaswiftcast]

FFxivWrite2023 Prompt #1: Envoy

Characters: Silva Cataracta, Ricmorn Cataracta, Hien Rijin, Yugiri Mistwalker

Rating: Teen

Notes: Potential Endwalker Spoilers. Words inside [brackets] are in another language (Doman.)

Content Warnings: Angst, Mentions of Fantasy Violence, Mentions of Death, Polyamory Relationship (V Relationship), M/F/M relationship

Silva wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she and Ricmorn entered the room known as the Sundrop to the Radiant Host of Radz-at-Han. Ever since the skies above Thavnair turned deep scarlet, dread sat heavy in her belly. Her mind repeated the blasphemous, stalking nightmares walking through the thick jungles and the open city streets, turning people into living horrors — ones she and the others had to kill to save those left standing.

The last thing she wanted to do right now was talk to a bunch of other people when there were more pressing matters at hand. All she wanted to do was find a quiet corner and cry, being held tightly by Ricmorn and listening to his comforting words whispered beside her horn.

To think she would witness her other homeland become ruins before her very eyes. She was grateful her mother wasn’t alive to watch.

Sure enough, the moment the tall doors opened and the Auri couple stepped inside, several people were scattered about doing various things. Some spoke with one another, while others peered over lengthy documents or stood off to the side, waiting in silence. The first thing she noticed, however, was everyone in the room — minus those belonging to the Radiant Host — was wearing clothing from the nation they hailed from.

That meant… No—

She felt her heart fall to her feet.

“This room is for meetings with diplomats and envoys from other nations regarding trading, alliances, and anything else that falls under that banner,” Shirabaht explained as Silva and Ricmorn gazed around, crossing her arms. “And wouldn’t you know it, all of their leaders requested a few words with you specifically about the state of the world. You’re a woman of high demand, eh?” The moment she caught Ricmorn’s frown, she rushed to clarify further. “A-and you too, of course, sir. Forgive me.”

The sage shook his head. “I know how the leaders of the other nations are when it comes to Silva."

“Right. Warrior of Light duties and this and that,” Silva sighed, not surprised by the information. “Our work is never done. Isn’t that right, my dear?”

“At least not today,” he agreed. “One of these days, things will be easier for the both of us.” 

At least, he could hope for such days. They and their Scion companions needed to prevent the Final Days from happening to achieve that goal.

He tucked the depressing thought away for later, gently squeezing her shoulder in comfort when his beige horns heard her sad hum. “Come— We should update them on what happened here and find out what is going on across the realm before we head to the First.”

She nodded, her long ivory tail twitching curiously. “Ah— Yes, we should. Who knows how long we’ll be there.”

His hand moved from her shoulder to her slender waist, guiding her toward the long table in the center of the room, exchanging quick greetings with those they walked past. Everyone else moved to take their seats around the table, eager to hear what the two Warriors of Light had to report.

※

The impromptu meeting lasted nearly a bell, and when Silva glanced at the chronometer on the wall, it was almost six in the evening. The sun would be starting its descent in Doma by now, bathing the land in rich shades of gold and oranges. As expected, the news shared with her and Ricmorn was far from favorable. It was no surprise given the events of the long day.

But even so, the Auri pair had many people they loved and cared about all over the world and would do their best to help where and when they could — no matter what.

She wondered how Hien was fairing considering everything… She quickly made a mental note to call him through their private linkshell later.

Many of the diplomats returned to what they were doing before they had walked in. Ricmorn was quickly approached by the envoys from Ul’dah and Ala Mhigo and stood to the side with them to investigate further. While no one had come over to her yet, Silva took this as a chance to stretch her weary legs and try to sort out her thoughts. She picked a spot close to the door, cracking her knuckles and rolling her shoulders, the loud pops of her joints echoing throughout the room.

And by the time she turned back around, the delegate from Doma stood a fulm away from her, waiting patiently. 

Did… did that mean—

The dancer felt her cheeks warm, offering the young Hyur an apologetic smile for not noticing him soon. He grinned in return, appearing not to mind the minor wait, and bowed to her.

“My lady.”

Silva lightly laughed, dismissing him with a wave. “Please— Just Silva will do,” she said to him. “What can I help you with? My horns are yours for the moment.”

His dark eyes sparkled. “Lord Hien has urgently requested your assistance with the hunt for a fell beast believed to be a blasphemy.” He then handed her a small piece of folded cardstock.

She murmured her thanks as she took it, unfolding the thick paper. Her sea-green eyes scanned over the Doman letters before her written in shimmering orange ink. The same ink she had made for him before she and Ricmorn left to go find the others on the First almost a year ago, she realized.

[Wildflower,]

[To think the next time we went on an adventure together, it would be for something like this? I know you are busy, and the thought of adding even more pressure to the weight on your shoulders pains me greatly. But there is no one else I can turn to for this in these trying times. Forgive me.]

[I hope to see you soon.]

— Hien

A strange sense of giddiness and worry filled her at her other lover’s brief letter, her heart thundering in her chest. She folded the paper again as she looked up. “Tell me more,” she pleaded.

He kept the conversation short, only giving her the important details she needed to hear. She listened intently, nodding in agreement and asking a few questions, which he was happy to give her. And by the time he finished explaining, even before he handed her the letter, her mind had already decided where she needed to be.

“Heading to Doma, are you, Silv?” a deep voice teased to her left.

Silva looked over to see Ricmorn smirking at her, his sky-blue eyes dancing in amusement as she regarded him. She cleared her voice, forcing herself to ignore how the heat in her cheeks bled into her neck. “I am — things seem to be dire there,” she answered, knowing it was like that everywhere. 

Quiet chuckles shook his tall frame as he came over to her. “Tell Hien I said hello.”

“Of course. Where are you headed, Ricmorn?”

“Ala Mhigo,” was his quick reply. “They need healers, and what few they have left stationed there are spread too thin.”

She frowned at his words, unable to stop herself from worrying about what lay ahead for her husband on the other side of the star. “Be careful, okay?” she murmured, reaching for his hand. He twined his fingers through hers before she could, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. “Look after yourself and keep me updated on things. And if you need me—”

“I will call, I promise,” he reassured. “And you will keep me in the loop about things in Doma. Yes?” He smiled when she nodded. “Good.”

With their destinations set and their duties known, the Auri couple exchanged soft goodbyes and a few sweet kisses before teleporting to where they needed to be.

※

The second her feet touched the stone pathway surrounding the aetheryte in the Doman Enclave, Silva sprinted over to Kienkan. Thankfully, it was a short distance between the house the Lord of Doma claimed as his and the towering blue crystal humming low with magic behind her. A familiar face caught her eye, but not the one she expected to see.

“Silva! You’re here!” Yugiri gasped when she saw Silva run up to her. “I didn’t— We didn’t think you would—”

The Raen scoffed at her friend. “I would what? Not come when asked?” she questioned, her long ivory tail swishing. “The world is going to absolute shit! Of course, I came!”

Even if she wasn’t in a relationship with Hien, she would have come — Doma was her home, too.

Yugiri rolled her eyes. “Wait here. I’ll tell him you’ve arrived.”

Silva waited anxiously for the shinobi warrior to return, hopefully with the young lord running after her. She didn’t have to wait too long. The dancer barely counted to ninety in her head before the heavy wooden doors of the house flew open. She bit her lip to stop herself from laughing when Hien stumbled out, nearly breaking his neck as he looked around for her, his long, unruly ponytail swaying from the quick motion.

And the moment his hazel eyes landed on her, the tension in his shoulders melted away.

“[Wildflower,]” he breathed, walking over.

She grinned. “[Hello, my heart,]” she greeted in return. “[It’s great to see you.]”

A noise of surprise left her when his arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. It took Silva a few seconds for her brain to connect the dots, but she happily returned his hug, sighing as she relaxed into him.

Oh, how much she missed this. A month had passed since they last saw each other in person, but to her, it felt like a lifetime ago. The selfish part of her never wanted to leave the warmth and safety he never failed to provide.

“Thank the kami— You came,” he whispered beside her horn. Hien smiled into her purple and magenta hair when he heard her muffled snort. “You’re here.”

“Gods— Not you too,” she joked. Silva loved how his chest and shoulders shook with quiet laughter. She could tell he needed this hug just as much as she did. “You called for me. I will answer it — always,” she promised.

She felt him press a chaste kiss to her temple, his lips soft and warm and lifting her spirits a little. “Thank you, Silva.”

“Of course.”