#just as azem would have wanted

[warlordfelwinter]

fiver thinking about emet here got me fucked up 😭

[sntoot]

still cryign sobbing crying over the newest installment of the ancients au (cannot recommend it enough if u like hyth n hades)

[ravenffxiv]

MiqoMarch Day Three-Free Day

A moment of respite

[wildstar25]

I think my most insane Azem lore point is that Lethe made proto-carbuncle.... and then on the source- before Lethe's aether became Arsay- her soul was an ancient south seas lala (prior to the calamity of frost) who designed the Quaqua, the ancestor to carbuncles.

[akirakirxaa]

how about "Person A taking care of a sick Person B" for solus and valeria, but you pick who is who

[Prompt list here! Thanks for the ask, I love my little royal couple. <3 I'm so sorry it took so long, I knew exactly how I wanted it to go but I couldn't seem to find the words for it. It also ended up longer than I expected so I added a keep reading break.]

"Really, Solus, I don't need to be babied over a sour stomach."

"And I disagree, as your husband I should make sure you're taken care of."

"Ah yes, except outside of being my husband you're also responsible for an entire country."

"I'm also responsible for you. Now stop arguing with me."

Valeria pouted, folding her arms over her (admittedly quite comfortable) duvet as her husband placed a quick kiss on the top of her head. His smirk didn't quite hide the worry in his gaze, though.

They had been having a nice luncheon with some important families when it had happened. Valeria had mostly been quiet as the conversation had turned to military matters, only for her stomach to suddenly rebel against her, and she only barely managed to excuse herself without embarrassing herself.

After she'd cleaned her face and set herself as right as possible, she returned to the group, but knew when she met Solus' gaze that he could clearly see her pallor and how her hands trembled so slightly.

He promptly dismissed his guests and canceled any further meetings for the day, a cacophony of protests coming from his officers. He turned on them with a waspish glare, and the protests became a chorus of 'yes Your Radiance's as he escorted Valeria away, despite her protests.

"Valer-my lady!" her lady-in-waiting and longtime friend, Noelle, burst in, correcting her too-casual greeting upon seeing Solus was there, clinging to a small tin in one hand and pushing up her spectacles with the other. "I came as soon as I heard you were ill!" Valeria's dearest husband continued an intimidating vigil next to her, so she reached out and gently pushed him aside to wave Noelle closer.

"I brought you a blend of herbal tea to help settle your stomach," she cast a nervous glance at Solus before pressing the tin into Valeria's hand. "I'm sure the medicus will have something stronger but I thought it'd help in the meantime."

"Ugh, I do not need a medicus," she grumbled. "Thanks for the tea though. I'm sure it's all I need." Valeria started to get up, only for her resident mother hen of an emperor to pluck the tin out of her hands and tuck her back in.

"I'll take care of that for you," he insisted, and she flopped back with a long suffering sigh. She heard what sounded like a suppressed laugh. Noelle quickly excused herself before scuttling away, and Solus went to the sitting room to presumably make the tea. Valeria glared at the ceiling.

She'd cared for herself perfectly adequately before she became royalty, they didn't need to fuss so much over her. It rankled against her pride to be cared for. She knew it was coming from a good place, but she couldn't help feeling that not taking care of herself was a personal failing. She picked at a loose thread on her dressing gown, only for a few moments later for her to scramble out of bed to once more empty her stomach in their adjacent washroom. She returned to a warm cup of tea on her side table, a Solus with crossed arms and an expression that screamed 'I told you so', and a medicus she wasn't familiar with.

"Really, I don't need-"

"Even if you don't," Solus took her clammy hands in his, pressing his forehead to hers. "Please just humor me?" Her shoulders slumped.

"Oh, fine," Valeria relented, letting him lead her back to bed and settling her in, taking a seat next to her as the medicus pulled over a stool and opened his case of instruments. "But you'll be feeling very foolish when it turns out I just ate something that disagreed with me."

The medicus worked quickly and efficiently and Valeria did her best to pay attention to anything else. She'd not been taken to a proper medicus since before her father died, as her step mother didn't see it as worth the trouble or cost for someone else's child, and she was discovering that watching what he was doing just made her anxiety over it worse. When she felt something sharp on her arm, she flinched away, curling it protectively against her chest.

"What are you doing?" she demanded defensively, eyeing the long needle attached to a syringe in the medicus' hand. He gave what she was sure was meant to be a reassuring smile, but it made her want to flee the room.

"I just need to take a little blood, my lady," he calmly explained. "We want to make sure you haven't been poisoned and, if so, to know what it is so an antidote may be administered. It'll take but a moment." Valeria glanced uneasily to her husband, who took her free hand in his.

"You know I wouldn't let anyone hurt you," he promised, and after a long moment she relinquished her arm back to the medicus. True to his word, after a quick pinch and a few moments to draw the blood it was done, a small bandage fastened around the site. He assured them he'd be back soon with results and excused himself from the room. Valeria finished her tea and, stomach feeling a bit more at ease, settled back against her pillows to wait. Solus removed his boots and settled in next to her, pulling her into his chest and despite her frustration with all this fuss over her, it was nice to pull her husband away from his duties for cuddles. Maybe she should do it more.

Evening was falling when the medicus returned. Solus didn't leave her side, simply calling 'enter' when the man knocked, and he let himself in, devoid of his pack of instruments but looking in quite a good mood.

"Well, my lady, Your Radiance, I have good news and better news," he smiled at them, and the two waited for him to continue. "The good news is the Empress hasn't been poisoned, nor is she sick. The better news requires congratulations. The Empress is carrying the first heir of Garlemald!"

[myrfing]

going like I love elidibus ❤️ In my canon he suffers even more when he dies and he and my wol will never have even an acceptable relationship.

[queseraphita]

Everytime i try to go to bed i must do battle with the creative mania running a hamsterwheel inside my head that puts on a soap opera i know gods damned well i will not be able to write by the time the sun comes up but unable to NOT stop thinking about it

[anarkhebringer]

I'm keeping this for him I think

[neriyon]

Ohhhh perfectly timed wolqotd bc I was just thinking about ancients yesterday~

Hawu'li's ancient is Azem, more intimately known as Eleos. He/him, pan, born on some small, remote village, and around the same age as Hyth and Emet. They all met during their akadaemia years (when Eleos, being himself, caused a big commotion during enterance ceremony), and ended up dating sometime around their graduation. He and Hyth both really get on poor Emet's nerves some days, but they all love each other very much.

Eleos had long (down to around the small of his back), dark purple hair with bright orange highlights, often worn open with a small part gathered up as a ponytail on the left side, and his bangs parted to right. He's also got a mole under his left eye, bright orange eyes reminiscent of sunrise, and is often seen smiling, laughing or playfully smirking. He's bit shorter than Hyth and of similar build.

Thanks to this picrew I finally have somewhat accurate picture of how I image him!

Venat is his beloved mentor and idol - she saved his home village during her Azem years, and Eleos who was just a wee kid back then was so blown away by how amazing and cool she was. Their relationship is generally very close after Venat herself offers student-Eleos to become her apprentice, only taking a turn for the worse when final days start happening (he's not into the whole summoning plan).

He's also in somewhat good terms with other Convocation members during his time as Azem (Lahabrea might've something to say about his behaviour tho...) but seemed extra close to Elidibus whom he seemed to consider as younger brother, often bringing him gifts from his travels.

hm? oh is it wol question time?

who is your wol/oc's ancient?

is it Azem, or someone else? what's their name? what was their relationship to the ancients we know (Venat, Emet Selch, Hythodeus, etc.)? do you have a picture of them?

[capriccio-ffxiv]

I strongly prefer it when the Scions *don't* have Ancient counterparts.

I think it means more if they're part of the new souls born to the star either after Zodiark's first summoning or after the Sundering. Which is a whole thing!

Importantly, those were the souls that the Convocation were going to sacrifice to Zodiark to bring back the Ancients they lost.

To me, I think it's vastly important that G'raha, Y'shtola, Urianger, Thancred, the twins, that all of them are people Emet-Selch would throw away without a second thought. That to him, you're the only one worth half a damn... And broken as you are, only half a damn. And before he lets himself accept that you really are what's left of Azem, you're just someone else he's convinced isn't a person.

But I think these are the very souls Azem left the Convocation to save, even if Azem still didn't want to break the world. And these are the souls that Venat and the Twelve did break the world to save.

To me that's so much more important than any reincarnation romance (much as I adore that kind of story too). That to Azem and to you, these people matter anyway.

[nights-at-crystarium]

DUMPS A MASSIVE STACK OF NOTES IN FRONT OF YOU OKAY SO- No I didn't just wait and hope for someone to ask about them, why'd you think that- I'll omit the details of how they grow close and what pushes them apart, but lemme dive into the broader chemistry. A fair warning for Fragments-spoilers if you wanna experience the comic's story as it unfolds.

Vivi needs An Adult, someone who'd stand up to his unruly character, ground him in reality, protect him. Raha perfectly fills this role, but so does Emet, merely with a different flavor. Vivi needs someone who experiences isolation and dehumanization on his level: being the wol is a lonely experience. He looks for an equal. He's okay with Emet's condescending attitude, his self-esteem doesn't want for coddling, and he can talk back anytime.

The Soulmate Magnet trope's fun, but on its own it's not enough for these two. Well, it obviously is for Emet, who seizes the chance to nibble on some crumbs that are left of Azem, what's dignity in face of all-consuming desperation. Vivi, however, his whole thing is showing middle finger to his destiny, the further it goes, the more allergic he gets to the "ooooohh it was meant to be this way~" bs that gets thrown at him ever so often. Emet's careful with the order and amount of information he discloses to Vivi, like expertly boiling a frog. Manipulation or not, they mutually benefit from this relationship. Emet gets his partner back, even if it's Not Him, half of Him feels pretty damn familiar, and Vivi gets a clear escape route from his destiny. Exchanging meaningful looks and knowing chuckles with you because we can tell that he embraces his overarching, ancient destiny this way, but shhhhhh, let him enjoy his hubris.

Out of the two, it's Emet who's a sad fool making a mistake that'd cost him everything. Of course this relationship has an impact on Vivi, but at least it doesn't kill him, eh- *gets kicked*

More under the cut /o/

Emet knows that he might be sabotaging himself, but he won't stop. He's infinitely more vulnerable to the Soulmate Magnet out of the two. He acknowledges that this could easily fail, that he might have to kill Vivi, but my Emet's killed so many not-azems anyway. He trades the potential pain of tomorrow for the small illusion of comfort today. As time goes on, he dares hoping again, hoping that this time might be different, goes all in with his cards, and, well, *waves vaguely* you'll see how that goes eventually.

The line between wolgraha and wolemet in Fragments is thinner than one may expect, the divergence where Vivi fully sides with Emet hinges on one human impulse. They already feel comfy enough, but Emet still hesitates to bare too much of his heart. They simply need more time together, which they can't have in canon because everyone expects Vivi to keep killing Lightwardens. The moment Vivi sees Emet's genuine smile and realizes that he wants to save him, to make him smile again and again, is when he trades entire world(s) for that. The catastrophic divergence isn't some epic scene, but a quiet click in his head. This decision still doesn't come easy, but Vivi would do it once he's sufficiently invested in Emet. The world owes him so much anyway. Time to take back what's been taken from him.

One important difference between Vivi and his Azem: what they'd do in a trolley problem. Vivi would literally burn worlds for one person dear to him, Azem would do (and actually did) the opposite, he didn't support the Zodiark plan AND left his lovers (Emet and Hyth) because he saw himself belonging to the people as a whole. This's becoming a tangent but Vivi absolutely hates his Azem when he finds out what - who - that infamous betrayal was really about.

But yeah Vivi takes Emet's side once he learns enough about him, he generally finds his company easy and pleasant. Another difference between Vivi and Azem: Vivi's incredibly nonjudgmental, embrace your cringe kinda guy. It takes time (which, again, they don't have in canon) for Emet to stop expecting to get teased at every turn, but even in the canon timeline he grows fond of Vivi, Vivi himself, not Azem, because Vivi's kind to him in a subtle, emotionally intelligent way that Azem's never been, he's casual and easygoing and dismissive, Emet's "tsun" just has no reason to activate. He expects betrayal, and it just. Never happens. (ofc it does in canon, but again, the line between canon and divergence is super thin).

Emet doesn't awaken Azem's memories in Vivi for several reasons. Vivi doesn't remember how they were back in the ancient past, but Emet does, he knows how to hold Vivi, who doesn't need much tbh, just company, just being quiet together. He acts disproportionately tired to the 3 years he's spent being the wol, and Emet, conveniently, just wants to chill with him. Funnily, Raha's regained excitement to be alive ends up being too much for Vivi sometimes, but I'm straying off the topic.

I treat their world as a real world that has literature, fiction, tropes, and Vivi tends to dream of being seduced by a villain. He thinks "enemies to lovers" is hot. He's cringe and he doesn't care. Surely this isn't the main force that drives them together, but it's worth mentioning for giggles.

Perhaps the most deliciously fucked up thing about villain!Vivi is how normal and human he'd remain, and drag Emet back up with him. He has no interest in the unsundered world, but he'd join the labor to make Emet happy. (I think I hit Vivi's chaotic neutral alignment on the head here). As long as Emet's in charge, as long as Vivi has no real pressure of responsibility, as long as he's merely a weapon (ironically, yeah), an instrument in master's hand, he doesn't mind. This pic should make more sense now.

Vivi finds someone who can save him from his destiny, break free from Hydaelyn, he never has to make another decision again if he's with Emet. His manic search for agency loops on itself, but hey, he DOES choose this, so arguably, this's more agency than he has as the wol. Even this early in the comic we can see that he simply wants to vibe, to be left alone. Just for that, Emet's actually better than Raha, if we dismiss the morals and destruction of worlds and all such nonsense.

When Emet's inevitably gone at the end of 5.0, it doesn't spell the end of their story. He lingers in the form of Vivi's obsession, questions that Vivi didn't get to ask him, agony of the Soulmate Magnet that Vivi's now aware of, Raha's bittersweet memories of him. He haunts this story forever. And ofc I'm writing an au on the side where he gets to live. It's not as enticing from the storytelling perspective because it's just "duh Emet lives and gets to be happy", but damn it heals my soul to indulge in that.

[akirakirxaa]

When did your OC first know they were polyamorous? 

Persephone and Hades got together first, through everyone's favorite gremlin bard tricking them into going out on a date, which turned into more. In the days after they became a couple, she noticed that Hyth started to have a sort of sad kind of air about him when he was around them, and she wondered why. She could only come to one conclusion, and started to wonder if she'd known he'd pined for her before she got with Hades, would she have gotten with Hyth instead. And she found that didn't have an easy answer. So, she decided to talk to Hades about it.

That's when she found out he'd been behaving the same way around Hades too. I headcanon that while it probably wasn't taboo in the ancient world it probably also wasn't common either, so it didn't immediately occur to her that there could be an easy solution, but (with much prying and blushes) dragged the suggestion out of Hades and then (in the middle of the night because of course once Azem gets something in her head we're doing it now) proposed the idea to Hyth, who of course was all for it.

I do still struggle with the details but that's about the gist of it.

[misedejem]

While I don’t think everyone should be a shard, nor do I think we should meet every shard we might recognise, I like the idea that the WoL’s soul does just naturally draw in people who they have befriended before in a previous time. Maybe after the Sundering, maybe from their life as Azem.

There’s quite a number of souls we have met more than once, either as shards or in the World Unsundered. The Ancients we knew in the past would know us again in the future, and Azem played a part in many of their lives. It’s possible we’ve even met the friends, allies and foes of people from our past lives on the Source, and Ardbert’s on the First. The worlds are vast and still we always seem to find the people who we already trusted before in a different one, so much so that it could easily not be coincidence if you want to write it that way.

I just like to think that maybe the people we have met multiple shards of were people so deeply impacted by Azem on their travels that even after the Sundering, their souls were still entwined and it was easier for them to find each other again. That on the shards we do visit, some of the people we meet may have once been familiar faces to a reflection of us. And that maybe, as the WoL impacts new souls, they too will meet again and care for each other in a future life. Friendship is such an important part of our story, and others who shared our soul, so it makes sense that it would persist.

It’s probable it’s not even us. Maybe that’s just what souls do when somebody shapes them so intimately, and it just happens so often to us because we are and have always been a traveler.

[voidsentprinces]

Azem: Look...I'm JUST saying! Emet-Selch: Yes, I UNDERSTAND you're "JUST SAYING" but we have more PRESSING MATTERS to attend to! Azem: This is far more important. Emet-Selch: It most certainly is fucking NOT! Hythlodaeus: What is going on? Emet-Selch: Azem discovered a bunch of warrior lizard people in the middle of a plainland and now because they broke the Prime Directive. They are worshiping by them as some sort of Creationist God. I, believe the next step is to report to Convocation. Azem: And I believe, we need to settle who the best Powerpuff Girl is. Emet-Selch: I have already told you that it is BLOSSOM! She has the brain! She has the leadership! And she still has the brawn to toss around the baddie of the week while being restrained! As the mind of the operation, the trio would wander aimless without regard. Elidibus: In times of turmoil, it falls once again to the Emissary to mediate such affairs. Emet-Selch: JESUS FUCKING CHRIST ON A BICYCLE! Don't just appear out of nowhere! Elidibus: I know not who this Jesus person is nor why he is committing adultry with a secondary on a bicycle but I make no promises. Now then, if Emet-Selch is so set on Blossom. We shall now open the room for other opinions on the matter. Igeyohrm: Personally, I have been of the mind that Buttercup is the best. But I am sure there are fools who would disagree. Lahabrea: I must agree with my cousin, Buttercup can kick ass and look cool doing it. Without her, the trio would lack decisive action and would be too restrained in the path forward. Hythlodaeus: Personally, I have been a fan Bubbles. She is kind hearted, speaks several languages, as well as speak with all manner of animals and creatures of the land. She is the soul of the group. Without her, Blossom and Buttercup would be at a lost when times are tougher and the world is unfairer towards them. Loghrif: Her speaking with animals also allows her utilize scouting parties and get a lay of the land quicker for when the trio is operating outside their normal jurisdiction. Lahabrea: You are mistaken whom would have time to rely on such an emotional crybaby? Elidibus: Enough, we have two for Buttercup, two for Bubbles, a single vote from Emet-Selch for Blossom. We must now hear upon which Azem has decided to either make or break the decision. Azem: ...personally I thought Mojo Jojo was best gi-- Emet-Selch: OH HERE WE FUCKING GO! Hythlodaeus: LET US LISTEN TO THE SHEPHERDS R-- Lahabrea: TO HELL WITH THEIR REASONINING! Elidibus: Venat, we might require your experti-- Venat: Professor Utonium. Elidibus: ...so about this lizard person religion. Azem: Hades is just mad I now have an entire Steppe named after me. Emet-Selch: I am mad that you almost got me killed by a tribe chieftain. Azem: She just wanted a friendly chat. Emet-Selch: She survived several meteorite spells to the FACE! Azem: Hehehyeah, the Dotharl are great.

[starrysnowdrop]

Were there any barriers to you establishing your OCs relationship? Perhaps social or cultural stigma? Or a concern that "ships" with that character were already overdone? Or simply a fear of being seen as "cringe"? If so then how did you overcome this?

Ohhh now this is a good one, as this is something that I’ve been told, that I have inspired others to “overcome their fears” of shipping based on certain stigmas in the FFXIV fandom, so let’s get into it shall we? Oh and I will apologize in advance, as this WILL get long.

The Stigmas

Hali x Aymeric

So for Hali x Aymeric, the obvious stigma is that Hali is a lalafell, and Aymeric is not. Though I’ve seen lately that this stigma has waned a bit, especially here on Tumblr where people who infantilize lalas don’t seem to last long, but keep in mind that there is still plenty of lala infantilism on the bird app and other places like Reddit and in game.

For my main ship, that is really the only thing that I see that makes the ship “problematic” to some in the fandom; some people still see lalafells as “child-coded”, despite lalafells being a fantasy race of little people, no different to gnomes, hobbits, dwarves, etc. in other fantasy media, and despite the in game world treating lalafellin adults the same as any other race.

Yume x Zenos

(Yume’s blog: @firelightmuse)

So for Yume x Zenos, but also to a lesser extent Urania (Hali’s Azem) x Hermes, and my other secret ship that I haven’t revealed yet because it’s still in development, these ships fall into the category of being “problematic” because they are Hero x Villain ships at their core, and because Zenos, Hermes, and the secret ship partner are all major antagonists in the story, they have many haters.

Now there isn’t anything wrong with not liking certain characters, as I truly think we all have certain characters that we just don’t vibe with for one reason or another. But there is a problem, however, when people go after villain shippers just because they happen to not like those characters.

Just like with the Lala infantilism problem, villain ships get a lot of hate in the fandom, but for different reasons. I would guess that the main reason is the haters assume that villain shippers either don’t see that the villains have done bad things and/or try to minimize or excuse the villains’ bad behavior. Now I won’t say that there aren’t a few people out there who will truly excuse a villain’s bad behavior and try to make them out to not be as bad of a person as they are written in canon. But I really do think that there’s not as many of them as the haters are likely to believe.

Remember: just because someone is a fan of a villain doesn’t mean they agree with their actions, and a writer is NOT the same as their character. For example, Yume may minimize and/or downright ignore all of the pain and suffering Zenos has inflicted upon not only her, but innumerable others, doesn’t mean that I as Yume’s writer share the same views. I actually consider Yume to ride the thin line between anti-hero and villain herself, just so y’all know.

How to Overcome the Stigmas

So now that the individual stigmas of each of my ships have been outlined, how did I overcome the stigmas? And how difficult was it for me to do?

Well, if you’ve followed me for several years already, you might’ve seen that Hali, my lala WoL, is not the first WoL I have written. That honor goes to Yume, who is a Raen Au Ra and she doesn’t come with the same stigma that Hali does as a lalafell. So I had the privilege for several years of being able to write Yume without the infantilism that Hali would have to fight against in the fandom. But those years gave me enough courage in my own writing to create Hali and to fend off the stigma of lala x non-lala shipping and my own insecurities surrounding it.

Though it was difficult, and it took me a long time to do so, I eventually realized that I was happier and way more fulfilled when I wrote what I wanted to and not what I thought my followers or my friends or anyone else wanted. Trust me, I tried more “popular” and less “problematic” ships before, and even though they were nice at the time, I ultimately dropped them because I realized that I didn’t feel fulfilled, and that I was scared to write for more “problematic” ships because I feared the backlash.

One HUGE thing that I highly recommend is to find yourself a good support system to surround yourself with. Whether that be reaching out to your mutuals here on Tumblr or joining discord servers with like minded individuals, having people there who can help you through your journey in shipping will help greatly! Trust me, I wouldn’t be where I am today without my support system to be there for me when I’m having a bout of anxiety and/or insecurity with my writing.

Another thing that I highly recommend you do is to Unfollow, Hide, and/or Block haters liberally!! Please, it’s for your own mental health and wellbeing to do so! If you’re wanting to ship your lala oc for example, never hesitate to block the lala haters out there! No good will come from seeing the hate all over your feed, because it will just bring you down.

That’s about all I have for now. If you have any other questions on this subject, please do not hesitate to send me a message, DM, or ask!! I am always happy to help with any questions or advice when it comes to shipping! Thank you so much @mimble-sparklepudding for the ask, and thank you all for reading this very long winded answer!! 💖

[gunbun]

FFXIVWrite2024 Day 3: Tempest

“Well. I have been asked to do a great many interesting things since joining the Ironworks,” Nero regarded Urianger and Tiona with a piercing blue gaze, stepping back from his workstation, “but my project manager and her husband has never been one of them.”

“Surprise,” Tiona was making a valiant attempt to look self-assured and unbothered, but she was blushing so deeply that even Nero noticed it under her brown skin and dark clan markings.

“Rest assured that we did, ah, consider the ramifications that such liaisons might impart upon said project. Thy continued work at our laboratory doth remain both desired and required for–” Urianger was no less flustered than his wife, pointy ears beet red and his silvery-blonde eyelashes fluttering against rosy cheeks.

“We're not gonna fire you if you turn us down or if it doesn't work out.” The viera's nose was twitching as she turned her bright red eyes upon him.

Once upon a time, Tiona Eryut was shell-shocked and thrown against the Empire's forces, and she had been a woman of few words and great feats of violence. Now, he looked into her eyes and saw a deeply curious and creative intellect. A woman who, by her own admission, wanted the best people at her side.

And Urianger? The man had a charming, witty whimsy about him, a knack for magitek programming, and was precisely the sort of beautiful, athletic man he'd conjure up for himself on lonely nights.

Everything about this proposition was equally thrilling and terrifying, like riding an airship through a tempest.

“Has your bedroom suffered so greatly from our work here?” A blunt enough question. “I've no desire to be either the cause of or solution to some marital problem.”

“Uri's got a bit of a crush on you and wants to mess around. And I'm willing to join in. It's not that deep. Plus, we've learned a thing or three about working conditions.”

“It had occurred to us both that it was likely thou wert lonely–”

“And our marriage is fine, thank you–”

Nero took a deep breath, scrambling to come up with some sort of smart-arsed retort to hide the fact that Urianger was remarkably and painfully astute about his situation. It's why he'd work until he was just about unconscious; it's why he'd turned his office in the Azem F-1 lab complex into a tiny home for himself.

He was lonely.

“Perhaps,” Urianger continued, “we merely want thee. A balm for thy loneliness and an adventure of a sort for us all.”

“And what makes you think this desire is in any way requited?”

“We don't,” Tiona’s voice was surprisingly soft. “But we figured we'd ask.”

“Gods, Eryut, you could at least take me to dinner, first.” Nero's sarcasm was biting, his last line of defense against all these damnable feelings they were making him feel.

“If that is what thou desirest, it is what we shall aim to give thee.” Urianger stepped closer to Nero and Tiona moved to the other side of the Garlean, hip cocked and resting against the edge of the workstation.

They were closing in on either side of him, but he was no means actually backed into any kind of corner.

“Just tell us yes or no first. So we know to leave you alone if that's what you want.” Nero wasn't sure if Tiona brushed her large and soft ears against the back of his neck on purpose, but her closeness as she spoke was curious and novel.

And then he would turn away from Tiona’s alluring brown curves only to be met with Urianger’s elegance and broad, tanned shoulders and he, too, was so close–

All Nero had to do was stand up and walk away, and they'd never talk about it again.

Tension hung in the air, even through the couple's easygoing smiles. They seemed to have made up their minds about it all, and the only thing left to be settled was his choice.

That he seemed to be their first choice wasn't lost on him.

“Yes,” Nero Scaeva said, changing everything.