#i spent so much god damn time in horizon doing leves on free trial

[pr1ncesspopstar]

Returning to Roots - FFXIV Write 2024 - Day 2: Horizon

(No Ao3 link as the site is down, lmao)

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It had been much too long since the roe woman had stepped through the familiar stone gates of Horizon.

She tried to remember last she came here on foot, rather than flying over at a glance or teleporting through via aetheryte. It had to have been… Three or four years now.

Gods, how much changed for the world and Halditar. She would have been blonde then, and still a gladiator far too aggressive to properly protect anyone. Moondrop would have still been yellow, and not the silvery-white her favorite fruits lended to her plumage. Back when the word ‘echo’ only held one meaning. The ‘Warrior of Light’ had been a story about others, no thought to it being a title she would one day carry.

And yet Horizon stood, ever the same as she left it. It was comforting. Nostalgic. Painful.

Old memories flooded her mind. It was only in retrospect now that she could realize, for some short time, Horizon had been a home to her. How many days and nights she entered and left the gates under the title of several different jobs. Miner, fisher, botanist, hunter… Scion. She blazed the paths connecting to Vesper Bay and Ul’dah more times than she could count. Spent all day in the sun, burning her pale complexion red and then collapsing into the comfort of watered down, ice-cold mead and a too-small bed at the inn. A place of small solace, even in the face of the looming tragedies, the terrors of war and apocalypse… The doorstep to the biggest changes in her life.

She pulled the modest hood of her sage’s coat higher, trying to fight off the sand whipped up by the howling winds. She could feel the grains tangle in her red locks, which would be hell to shake out later. Moondrop was none too happy herself. Constantly puffing and ruffling her feathers in discomfort.

Halditar chose one hell of a day to visit, a storm off the coast kicking up one of the nastiest sandstorms of the season. It wasn’t bad enough to deter most merchants and warriors from braving the cloud of dust, but the stock of Thanalan was a different breed. Only the end of the world itself would put a pause to any manner that involved coin.

“...Halditar? Is that you?!”

She jolted in surprise, hearing her name carried on the wind. She turned to see a small figure race out from the clouds of dust. Short, clad in green with a familiar beret. She gave a toothy, grin pulling her hood back just enough for her face to be seen.

“Totonowa! I’m surprised you recognized me, it’s been so long.” She greeted the man. He had practically been a daily part of her routine when she first arrived in Horizon. Leves had been something she did daily, the cash simply too good to pass up as a no-name adventurer.

“I was a bit unsure at first, how could I forget one of my best drinking buddies? It’s wonderful to see you again after all this time. How’s it feel, being a big hero and all that now?”

“It’s the best pain in the ass I could have ever asked for! Though, I’m trying my hand at just being an adventurer again for a while, no more going around and causing trouble on purpose. I was handling a hunt in the nearby area and decided to stop by, feeling a bit nostalgic and all that.”

“I’m glad I caught you then. Say, I was thinking of clocking out early. Why not let me treat you to a good mug of mead at the old watering hole and we can catch up?” “Ah, you still know the way to soften me up, I see. Well, I won’t say no!” With a laugh she followed the green-clad man through the stone street, seeing a familiar stone building come into sight. To see the Old Viper was still running was a relief, knowing what trouble the owner had paying off some gambling debt last they talked. All that had changed in the past few years was the paint on the sign seemed a bit sun-bleached and chipped. The door hinges no longer creaking with rust as they pushed their way in, new and freshly oiled it sounded like. Moondrop kweh’d in relief as she hid in the stables, no doubt shaking off all that sands

Through the scent of sand and salt, she could pick up hints of smoke and spice. They were preparing for dinner, no doubt. She once hadn’t been able to stomach the spice that dripped off every Thanalanese dish initially. But now she was nostalgic for the taste. Maybe she could swindle Totonowa into buying her a meal too…

The short furniture spoke to the mostly Lalafell clientele, but for now it was just the two of them as they pulled into the bar. The dim light of fire-crystals in the glass domes on each table casting low, warm light and long shadows. The colored shadows of the various glasses on the shelves danced in the flickering. With no orchestration player or typical bar murmuring to drown out the sound of the sand storm. Just the soft sounds of cooking in the back room and the hums of the Lalafell tending the bar.

“A honey mead for me, and some of that Amal’jaa liquor that just came in for my friend please. No need to water it down, I’m positive she can handle it.” Totonowa asked the barkeep she didn’t recognize, who nodded and ducked into the back, returning with two different mugs. One smelling sweet as could be, and the other… it lacked odor. A tell-tale sign whatever it had been crafted from was pure, and deadly.

“Amal’jaa liquor being sold in bars! Never thought I’d see the day.” Halditar was all smiles as she took her first sip.

Yup, it tasted pure, and rightfully terrible. The only field of reference she could conjure was the Garlond Ironworks Shop, it tasted like how their machines smelled. Pure fuel, burning down her gullet and sitting hot and angry in her gut. Swirling into a burning buzz that woke her right up. Oh, how her head would pound come morning, and how she wouldn’t regret it. It was awful. But probably expensive. Meaning it was the best of the best by Ul’dah standards.

“All thanks to you and your friends for that. Been getting a few that come by for small jobs. Most are looking for combat work, but a few have been inquiring about stone work and mining jobs. They got a nose for jewels, I’ll tell ya.”

The leve-master of Horizon then went into detail to her what all had happened in the near half-decade she had been away. The good and bad Brass Blades that came and went, new adventuring faces that left the place better than they found it, including plenty she had met in her travels across Eorzea mastering the crafts. Alcohol may have warmed her stomach, but the tales she was regaled with warmed her soul. Even getting a small glimpse into Totonowa’s life, as he went on about a baby sister she never knew he had and her apparent talent for alchemy the guild was looking to foster. “I’m just worried, I heard strange things about that guild master and alchemy as a whole. Don’t want her getting tangled up in something nasty.” He confided in the Warrior of Light. Halditar nodded, munching on slices of cooked cactuar the barkeep brought out when he realized he was in the presence of someone quite famous.

“I won’t deny Severian can be a right bastard even in the best of situations, but don’t let one bad egg make you act all overprotective. If she likes the craft and is good at it, there’s good money and work to be found in the field. Hells, from what it sounds she might get a missive from Radz-at-Han.” Halditar recalled fondly her time in the Hannish city, and all she was fortunate enough to meet. The adventure of learning about the origin of her Alchemist medal. It finally encouraged her to sit and work at making an income outside of the random bounties that came from treasures and hunts, good as those paid.

“Oh, sounds like you finally took my advice on how to make some extra dosh, eh? Good on ya. Hope crafting all that junk you gather has earned you some good coin.” Totonowa rubbed under his nose, looking all too pleased.

She just rolled her eyes. Couldn’t blame him though, he’d been entirely right. She had just been too stubborn and too impatient to learn to craft or barter, seeing the materials raw to the first person. How much more coin she could have had is she only slowed down for a second.

“Aye, been saving for a house. Got a spot of land on a nice island off Sharlayan, already have a workshop and foundation set up. Just have to follow through on the plans. The work in Tural’s been generous enough that I’m only a few months away from finally making that a reality.” Her stomach couldn’t help fluttering at the thought. Or maybe that was her gut trying to rebel against the alcohol. Either way, the idea of having a place of sanctuary and rest was something she didn’t know she had missed. Simple peace… like the kind that washed over her now, back in familiar stomping grounds.

Totonowa seemed to agree, nodding as he sipped his sweet mead… Before nearly spitting it out with wide eyes when her words settled in. “T-Tural?! You mean to tell me you’ve been across the salt?!” he choked and sputtered, coughing in sheer surprise. “Well, fuck me, thinking I had heard all your tales already! Enough of this small talk, tell me about the New World! I want to hear it all straight from the chocobo’s beak.”

Halditar was filled with mirth and glee as he asked, warning she would probably give him the worst version of the tale. But he didn’t care, and honestly she was glad for it. Just glad to talk to him about whatever. With the constant, steady buzz of alcohol in her veins, she spun him some tale of Tural. Of the Third Promise she had gone in support of, the wonderful environments and culture (and drinks, she probably went on far too much about the drinks).

She told anything, everything. It flowed from her mouth as freely as the drinks in their cups. At one point the roegadyn remembered a few people, or maybe a crowd of other travelers that came in to escape from the sand storm. All listening to her rave and rant on about the marvels to be seen in a land that to most may have very well been legend. Maybe. It could have been an alcohol induced haze, for all the sage knew.

What she did know was that come morning, she had a massive headache.

She groaned sitting up, hearing wood creak and squeal, all but scream. A look down revealed the perpetrator, a bed made for one much smaller than she, with a blanket that matched. The faintest, pale light streamed in from the window. The only signs of the sandstorm the day before being a few errant grains clinging to the thick, uneven glass. Across the room, Totonowa was splayed across the bed much more comfortably, sawing logs.

With a bit of magic and medicine, her head was right as rain as she left the inn. Paying and tipping well the barkeep that had tended to them the night before, despite any insistence it wasn’t necessary. Moondrop sang her little song in greeting to her partner, head bobbing and munching eagerly on a hearts breakfast of greens and insects. As Halditar pet the bird, she looked around at Horizon once more. She knew it would not be her first time leaving. It would not be her last time coming.

And yet, a bitter-sweet ache panged her in the chest. Nostalgia and thankfulness was an odd blend, so happy with where she was now, yet still longing for what seemed like simpler times. She could almost laugh at the idea. She was still so green, even after going to the edge of existence and back. Perhaps that was for the best. She’d rather have something new to grow into than become jaded by it all.

In a single, smooth movement she saddled up onto her bird, and rode off from Horizon. The dawn air was so crisp and clear that when she looked to the sea, she could see Vylbrand silhouetted in the distance. Her first stop was Ul’dah to drop off her hunt marks. And after that? Somewhere far, far beyond.