#gomen i'll edit later too tired

[thesilverdragoon]

Little Ladies’ Day

“I’LL KILL HIM- LET GO-”

“FOR BLOODY SAKE SOMEONE GRAB HOLD OF THAT SHRIEKIN’ DEVIL-”

And grab hold of the miqo’te, they did. Well… the bravest roegadyn they had anyway.

“SHE’S A LUNATIC, I’M NOT FIGHTING THAT- IT WOULDN’T EVEN BE A FAIR RIGHT!!” Some young punk had the wind knocked out of his sails.

Ul’dah’s arena was always lively, but this was a bit much. The host of this particular venue (or event or whichever it was)made a noise of annoyance or disapproval or both, and then stomped over towards the hurricane of claws. “Get a hold of yourself yeah?!? Ya see what ya bloody do? I’m tryin’ ta run a business here and all YOU’RE doin’ is scarin’ away all the competition, and if there’s none of THAT,” He grabbed the back of her shirt roughly from the guard and jostled her around. “Then there ain’t any GIL comin’ in!! Yer runnin’ me damned DRY!!”

“Then get me someone who can FIGHT who’s not such a CRY BABY AND WE’LL-” Cat hissed.

“I’ll not be bargaining with the likes of a devil. Much less you!!! Now you go cool off or else yer goin’ ta take that stub of yers an’ shove th’rest of it up yer arse!!”

They tossed her back out into the street with that final word.

Cat sprang to her feet and puffed up, ready to start screaming at the door, but she thought better of it at the end.

Instead she grabbed a nearby empty crate off a whole stack of them and threw it into the street before storming off, back to the main walkway of the city.

Cool off… how dare they. It wasn’t her fault they could hardly find anyone brave enough to face her AND her wrath.

Despite it being later in the evening, many people were out and about. The city was still lively. Not like Ul’dah ever slept anyway.

There were blossom trees that had been brought in big pots up and down the street, ribbons tied everywhere, colorful confetti and flowers all over the place too. Everything she hated. Except the flowers. Maybe.

The sights made her bitter if anything. Fathers out with daughters, husbands with wives, siblings with one another, all having what looked to be a good time.

Many of the girls had flower crowns made of daisies, in all sorts of colors. And they were fragrant too. It smelled like flowers all over the place. Cat wrinkled her nose.

Why did she even walk in this direction? It only made her more upset than she already was, though for entirely different reasons.

So she stomped on past, looking for a side street to occupy. And when she found one, she sat down and fell back against one of the stone walls, closing her eyes, brows furrowed angrily.

She could still hear the crowds. But that was as good as it was going to get.

Then her stomach rumbled.

And no coin meant no food. Or a place to stay. Or anything.

Everything, well, nearly everything Lowrey said would happen, did. She could hardly keep a job, the law was on her ass constantly with all of the brawling, and she was usually a slave to whatever work she could find. Like now. But even they were at their wits end. She didn’t have any skills, any talents. Nothing. Only fighting.

And screaming.

She’d have rather died than telling that idiot he was right.

Besides… it wasn’t like she hadn’t lived this way before. She could do it.

Then why was it such a pain?

Hesitantly, she got up again and meandered towards the market place. At least she could steal something to eat, if they weren’t making any holiday snacks for free already.

Food stalls lined the bazaar, cooking away as usual. Cat easily slipped back into the crowds, eventually eyeballing a really busy kabob stand. Perfect.

She pushed her way to the front and waited. Everything looked so tasty… and orange. But it looked like it would be hard to reach from where she was.

Cat frowned. Maybe it wasn’t worth it.

She turned and immediately crashed face first into a whole lot of blue. “OW-” It didn’t hurt, but that was what came out. Followed by a strangled hiss.

When she looked up, her ears flattened. “You-”

“Sorry, you should be more careful on where you are-”

“YOU’RE THE SON OF A BITCH WITH THE BIKE!!!” Cat shrieked angrily. If it wasn’t for that damned thing Lowrey wouldn’t have taken it-

“Excuse me??” The elezen looked down at her before realizing. “Wait- I know you-”

“LIKE HELL YA DO-” Before Cat could fly directly towards his face, the knight picked her up by the back of her shirt and held her up like a helpless kitten.

“I had wondered where you had gotten off to after the whole incident back there by the Ruby Sea. Your companion said you came back to Eorzea.”

“LET GO OF ME-”

Some of the locals nearby recognized the yelling, and even saw it from afar. And they said nothing.

Anyone who could render Cat useless was good in their books.

“Stop shouting. I would like to hear what you have been up to. Not here, though.” Vesevont glanced around before making his way out of the crowd by the food stands and heading towards the nearest city gate.

They left Ul’dah behind, stepping out into the dry lands with nothing but the crickets and other things that lived out there.

Only then did he put Cat down. They sat on the edge of a crumbling wall nearby, looking out over the craggy hills.

Cat kept her arms crossed defensively. “This is so fucking stupid. This is all YOUR fault this happened. If it hadn’t been for your dumbass bike then we wouldn’t have BEEN IN that MESS.”

Ves hardly reacted. Being verbally abused like this was comforting in a twisted way. It reminded him of Mischa. If anything, he missed it. “Your friend, loathe as I am to call him as such, stole the device from me. And the trouble that came with it. I did not set the Garleans on you.”

“I DON’T CARE!! I LOST MY STUPID TAIL CUZ OF YOU IF YOU AIN’T NOTICED YET!!” Cat sprang up again, clenching her fists tightly.

Ves looked down at them, and then up at her. “I’m sorry.” He had nothing to be sorry for and he knew it.

But saying so thankfully defused the miqo’te’s growing temper, for the time being. Instead, she looked away and threw her arms in the air momentarily before letting them drop in defeat.

Neither of them spoke for several minutes, until Cat decided to sit back down once more.

“....Guess none of it fucking matters now anyway. I don’t work for that ungrateful fuck anymore. Or that lousy cheat.”

“I heard.” Ves answered.

“Yeah? What ELSE did you hear?” She snapped.

“Nothing beyond that.” The knight scratched at his face idly. “I had just found it odd, or maybe surprising to hear at the time was all.”

“Hmph.”

The silence came again.

“This holiday they’re having in the city is interesting. I’ve never seen one like it before.”

Cat glanced over at the elezen again. “What?? Oh. I dunno. Little Ladies’ Day or something. It’s so dumb.”

“I think it’s quite lovely actually.”

“Lovely. You think it’s ‘lovely’???” Here was this scarred up Ishgardian dragon slayer calling the holiday ‘lovely.’ It didn’t make any sense to her, and she laughed in disbelief at that. “Ok well I guess if you got a girlfriend or a wife or a kid then fine, I guess.”

Ves sighed. “I do not. No. Only a son.”

“Well there, see? Good for you.”

“I don’t think he would be interested in many of the things I’ve come across in my travels around Eorzea.” There was a note of defeat in there somewhere.

Cat’s ear twitched. “Well… kinda hard to like old-people things. They’re pretty boring.”

Ves made no facial reaction in particular. “If we all liked the same things, that WOULD be boring. Yes. Though.. I would not say I am terribly exciting. You are correct.”

The miqo’te gave a smug grin of satisfaction. “Yup.”

“Regardless,” Ves leaned back, looking up to the night sky. “If you were not happy there, then better that you left. There’s no point in staying in a place that doesn’t make you happy. ..Provided you have no one counting on you to stay.”

Cat frowned. “...I guess.”

The elezen nodded, before standing again. “So, have you had anything to eat? We can go back, now that you’ve calmed down.”

Cat’s stomach grumbled on cue, and her face flushed red. “Shut up.” She growled.

Ves shrugged, and turned back to head into the city. And Cat, not wanting to be alone, reluctantly followed.

They went back to the marketplace, and he offered to buy her something to eat. Anything she wanted. And she most certainly pointed out some of the more expensive snacks in an attempt to get him to snap at her and tell her that it cost too much money.

But he didn’t. And she got everything she wanted.

If anything, it confused her. And made her angrier, but it fizzled out once they had finished eating and gone back to the main plaza in Ul’dah. There were still a considerable amount of people out, though, it was clear that they would start turning in for the evening soon.

A few lalafell stood nearby handing out flower crowns to anyone who wanted one. “We’re not leaving until we’re out of supplies! Which will be very soon! Come get one!!” Ves’ ear twitched, as did Cat’s (and at about the same time no less.) He looked down at her, and she quickly looked elsewhere, again, giving the most sour expression she possibly could. “Would you like one??” “HUH?? NO FLOWER CROWNS ARE FOR BIG BABIES!”

Ves pursed his lips with a half lidded gaze. He didn’t buy it. “Wait here.” “What??? NO! No that’s so EMBARRASSING! STOP IT! NOO!!-” Cat shrieked and went after him, but there was little she could do.

“I’ll take one.” “Of course sir! Lucky you, this one is second to the last! But no lesser than the others! And who is your lucky maiden tonight?-” “STOP-” “There she is.” “Ah, I see.” Cat crashed into the elezen again as he turned around, almost knocking herself completely to the ground. “I don’t WANT it, put it BACK! Give it to someone ELSE! People will laugh at me if they saw me wearing something like that!!-” “What, this??” Ves held up the flower crown and looked down at her, clueless look and all. “Why? I’m sure it would look very pretty on you.” “W-Well it WON’T!! And I’m NOT little so it wouldn’t even WORK-” She was growing more and more flustered by the minute.

“With all due respect miss, the crowns are for any maiden! Both large and small! And you seem very lucky to have a seneschal of your own here this day!- EEP-” The lalafell chimed in before hiding behind his other companion as Cat hissed in their direction.

Ves sighed. “Close your eyes.” “I swear if you put that thing anywhere NEAR ME-” “Just do it.” “I MEAN IT I’LL KILL YOU-” “No you won’t.”

Despite being so monotone about it, there was something behind it. An immense amount of power or authority, or something else- something to be feared maybe. Or...or maybe it was just a very dad-ish flavor. Cat had no idea what it was, but she hated it. Reluctantly, she closed her eyes, teeth bared and ears flat.

“I mean it.” She snarled. There was a slight weight on her head and the smell of daisies then. Damn it. Damn it all. She kept her eyes shut and could feel her lip quivering already, face about as hot as a bed of coals.

“All right. You can open your eyes now.” When she did, she couldn’t see anything. Everything was blurry and full of globby tears and a tonz of upset.

Ves seemed unperturbed by the crying. Not in a bad way though. “I told you. You look lovely.”

“Shut up,” Cat sniffed, sounding all stuffed up.

“I will. I was just about to be on my way. I was not sure what I would find here in Ul’dah, but I didn’t mind accidentally becoming your seneschal for the evening. Even if you did.” The miqo’te wiped at her eyes furiously. She suddenly felt sad that he was going to leave. But her pride be damned if she said anything now. So she didn’t. “Yeah well…” She still refused to look at him.

Ves understood though. He’d been through this song and dance before. And he smiled gently. “Likewise thank you for being my young maiden for the night.” It sounded a little awkward but Cat knew what he meant. He even stood at attention and offered a very formal and graceful bow.

“Ok ok… Just...fine, whatever…”

Ves knew there was a thank you in there somewhere. Like Mischa, it was probably physically killing her to say it. But he wasn’t cruel.

With one more nod, they parted ways. Or rather, the knight did. Cat stayed standing where she was for a while longer before meandering off towards an alleyway. The sky overhead looked dark and gloomy. The clouds had rolled in, and it started sprinkling.

Once she found a place to sit, she took off the crown and turned it over a few times, trying very hard not to cry again. Instead, she just buried her face into her knees as she hugged them tight, feeling very, very lonely.