#it all comes undone in ShB tho

[windup-dragoon]

Since I'm in more pain than I care to admit (still sick) I'm going to write a few headcanons for Kiri.

Kiri going into Stormblood:

During the finale of the Dragonsong war, Kiri starts to undergo horrible nightmares. Far worse than what she has had before. Although Ishgard is soon to see peace once more and everyone is celebrating this new era, Kiri withdraws into herself quite a bit.

Then the Griffin incident occurs. This is Kiri's breaking point. All of those people, rallied together to see their home liberated, sacrificed in such a barbaric way. She can't save them. There's nothing she can possibly dream of doing that would return them or reverse the summoning. And the loss of Papalymo further deepens the knife already in her chest.

At this point, Kiri is clearly distraught. She keeps away from Alphinaud, whom she had shared just about any troubles with prior to the Wall. She's unusually quiet and distracted during their meetings, only finding herself being able to agree with Alisaie and Lyse when they mention fighting is at hand.

The nightmares keep her up at night. She hasn't slept properly for days now and stays clear of Kyrile in fear that she'll pick up on her distress. Her usual banter with Thancred is clipped and short which clues him in that something is amiss. But Kiri being Kiri, she presses on by herself and ignores him.

At the first encounter with Zenos, Kiri is exhausted but furious at the Garleans for what they had done. Seeing her friends cast aside like dolls by some bored prince has her seeing red. She stands against Zenos, a frenzied animal fighting it's way out of a corner, just as she had done as a child growing up in a cruel world. But Zenos puts her down with ease.

Arriving at Kugane:

Out on the open sea, on their way to Kugane, Kiri deals a bit with her unchecked emotions. The ocean reminds her of all her travels with her adoptive father and his crew which clears her head a bit. The nightmares subside enough to allow her some rest. She begins to piece together the nightmares during this trip, realizing they're more than nightmares. It's a mixture of the Echo trying to recall some of her memories.

A little girl fighting for her life, a wolf snapping its jaws at anyone who threatens it. The nightmares are vague but haunt her.

Again, she keeps her distance from Alphinaud and Alisaie in fear that they may begin to suspect she is unwell. Instead she spends time talking to Yugiri to distract her.

Finding the Prince:

While searching for Gosetsu and Yugiri's prince, Kiri begins to feel a bit of herself return. The injustice the Garleans have placed over Doma has rekindled her need to stand and fight, to protect those who cannot. Her own well being is put aside to help wherever possible.

Finding Hien was incredibly underwhelming to Kiri. She had expected something grand upon meeting him, a man like Aymeric perhaps. But instead she meets this grinning mountain man looking lordling who has ambitions to pluck stars from the night sky. His plan seemed half baked and made Kiri wonder if they should have a back up plan.

Staying with the Mol while at the Steppe did enlighten her a bit. Under such a vast night sky, Kiri felt an ease in her shoulders she hadn't felt in a while. Cirina was a refreshing young woman to talk with, and putting Kiri to work around the camp helped quell her inner demons for the time. Even Hien and Gosetsu became delightful company. They never addressed her as Warrior of Light which was a relief.

Meeting Magnai and his at the Dawn Throne initially had Kiri on edge, but when tasked to find lost lambs with Hien, she could hardly complain.

Besides their friendly banter and desire to challenge one another, the herding of sheep was the first time Kiri spent time alone with Hien. She felt sorry that a prince had to round up animals at first, until she heard him talking to one of the lambs. His voice soft and soothing, coaxing the tiny creature out of hiding alongside its mother. Such gentleness coming from a guy like Hien had Kiri flustered. She couldn't look him in the eyes the rest of the day without getting worked up. Cuteness overload.