#nothing more romantic than bonding through a near-death adventure and having your crush carry you to safety

[morocosmos]

Febuwhump Prompt: 08 - No Anesthesia Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV Characters/Relationships: Warrior of Light/Haurchefant Greystone (pre-relationship) Trigger/Content Warning(s): Major injury, blood, intense pain

White fur glittered with a thousand specks of ice before Moro'a as he came to his senses. With clarity came pain: sharp and strong at his lower abdomen with every shaky breath. Snatches of memory trickled in as he winced – Mirka bellowing out a mighty roar as his magic had struck her square in the back, hoping to give Haurchefant an opening; the yeti barreling towards him far faster than he'd anticipated, time too scarce to dodge out of the way –

Mirka was dead. The yeti lay slumped before him, blood oozing out from a deep wound at the base of her skull like a grotesque fountain, already solidifying. With growing horror, Moro'a traced a path from the corner of the yeti's mouth where one scarlet tusk began, all the way to where it had embedded itself deep into his side. Just a bit higher and it would have been through his heart. He tore his gaze away; looking at it made it hurt all the more.

“Moro'a!” Haurchefant was at his side the next instant. He looked disheveled and winded, and sported an unenviable number of scrapes and bruises, but to Moro'a's relief he seemed otherwise unharmed. The length of his sword was stained crimson.

“You're –” The pain turned the rest of his words into a groan; it was all he could do to grit his teeth till it died down to something barely sufferable. It hurt to breathe at all; by now he could feel his own blood, warm and seeping through the fabric of his robes. Alive, he'd meant to say. It seemed a miracle that he still was.

“Please, do not exert yourself.” Haurchefant knelt down close to him. “Fury,” he cursed as he stared at Moro'a's bloodied, ruined side. “'Tis a blessing that you yet live, but we must bring you aid as swiftly as we can!”

How? Far from Falcon's Nest and exposed to the harsh elements, there was little time before the wound took an irreparable toll on him. Haurchefant was so close that Moro'a could feel his breath, hot against his cheek. Their eyes met; he could tell that his friend was doing his best to put on a brave face, but in truth, he'd never seen the knight look so frightened. It threatened to undo his own nerves then and there.

He couldn't panic and die, not here. Not when Tataru and Alphinaud needed him; not when the rest of the Scions had yet to be found and the Dragonsong War yet raged on. The light of hope, Minfillia had called him, moments before she'd bid him run...though it still stung bitterly to be relied upon in such a way. 

“We have to...get this out,” Moro'a gasped in between bursts of pain as he examined Mirka's tusk. It seemed enormous. “Once it's out, I can – agh – seal the wound, stop the bleeding.”

Haurchefant frowned, his expression grave. “I do not doubt your healing capabilities in the slightest, but the pain...we have no numbing potions.”

Moro'a tried not to think about it; about the agony to come. The sooner they started, the less time he'd have to hesitate. “Do we have a choice?” he said weakly.

The knight closed his eyes. “Fury,” he said again, but conceded, “You're right; we have little time as it is. But if there is a way I can help you, however difficult it may be...” To Moro'a's surprise, the knight reached for his hand and held it tight in his own. “Say the word and it shall be done. I will not have you die when you have suffered so much to make it this far.”

“I…” Moro'a tried to ignore the way his cheeks had begun to burn. Absurd, how the elezen’s sincere loyalty could make him feel in the middle of such a predicament. When they were out of this, if he made it out of this…perhaps…for now, he shoved aside his feelings. 

“Cut some cloth off my robes and roll it up,” he instructed instead, gritting his teeth. “Need to make sure I...don't bite my tongue off.”

Haurchefant complied, sawing off a length of fabric with the edge of his blade. He looked grim, but worked swiftly. “'Tis done,” he said, holding up the long piece of cloth in one hand. “How do you intend to free yourself?”

Moro'a took a deep, slow breath. “Right. I'll...push the tusk out from the base. You push it out from the sides of the head.” He grimaced at the tremor in his voice.

To Haurchefant's credit, the knight did not falter, but shifted around Moro’a till he was in position. “Very well, then.” A short pause, and then a glance. “The cloth?” Moro’a nodded, watching Haurchefant roll up the silk into a tight bundle before holding it out. He took it into his mouth – the gesture was strangely intimate, his thoughts remarked unhelpfully. 

“Are you ready?” Haurchefant asked as he placed his hands on either side of Mirka’s large head and braced himself. For a man larger than life on the regular, to hear him speak so quietly was...comforting. Moro'a ran through his training with Leveva, repeating the instructions for the spell he needed like a mantra; focus. He nodded.

They started slow, as slowly as they could manage, but Moro’a still threw his head back, screwing his eyes shut; the cloth subdued his voice, letting him cry out freely. The tusk had barely moved. Another push, harder this time, and his arms shook as his body screamed. 

Ilm by ilm, Haurchefant worked with him in tandem, careful to go only as far as he did. Despite the cold, Moro’a felt more than a trickle of sweat slide down his face. His tail whipped from side to side through the snow, and he yelled till his throat was hoarse. Gods, how much more of this could he take –

“You’re almost there! Hold on, Moro’a,” Haurchefant beseeched him. He couldn’t look; with one last burst of determination, he adjusted his hands around the tusk and pushed – and it was wrenched out from his body.

Heal, heal! Moro’a clasped his hands over the wound and cast Essential Dignity, shuddering violently as his flesh knit itself back together with inhuman speed. But the pain carried on – recovery debt, he realised too late as his vision went white. 

It was all he could do to curl up and wait desperately for it to subside. Agony became burning, before ebbing away into a throb. He felt formless and heavy.

“Moro’a…” A distant voice, so distraught he felt all but compelled to comfort them. He cracked one eye open and saw chainmail, red with blood – his or Mirka’s, he hadn’t a clue.

“Moro’a.” He could hear Haurchefant’s voice clearly now. The elezen had pulled him into his lap, one hand over his arm while the other cradled his head, careful to lay him on his side so he could breathe properly. 

He was too out of it to feel flustered, despite their close contact. Tilting his head as far as he could, he made out Haurchefant’s concerned expression. Menphina’s love, he was a wonderful sight to see.

“I’ll be alright,” he murmured, jaw sore and voice broken from overuse. They’d succeeded. Though he was too exhausted to truly feel it, he knew he would live.

An audible sigh of relief. “Can you move?” Moro’a shook his head. “Worry not,” Haurchefant assured him. With exceeding care, the knight wrapped his arms around Moro’a and got up slowly, carrying him with ease. “Rest. We shall have returned to Falcon’s Nest before you know it.”

[shadeflare-sisters]

Plot & Story Meme

Ellie Shadeflare

(SPOILERS FOR EVENTUAL VILLAINS)

One Place

♦Ul’dah Ellie’s birthplace and home, and many of her most treasured memories. Ul’dah holds particular value to the Keeper, even with all of its flaws, bad tastes and internal politicking. Between her sister Madison Shadeflare’s service to the Immortal Flames and her apartment in the Goblet, there’s not much that could convince Ellie to abandon her home.

Two Villains

♦Auvax Sheapain, Insolens Dryadalis   Before the monster known simply as Insolens Dryadalis was born, he was merely a corrupt Duskwight merchant, selling Garlean wares to the highest bidder. Captured whilst smuggling his goods through Baelsar’s Wall, Gaius van Baelsar had him arrested and held for treason and theft of national secrets. Although Baelsar had plans for execution, a surprisingly violent solution for a reasonable Legatus, more pressing matters were at hand leading to his death in the Praetorium. Were that Baelsar’s execution to have been carried out, Sheapin would have been spared a fate worse than death as Baelsar’s successor as viceroy to Ala Mhigo, Zenos yae Galvus would authorize several inhumane treatments upon the Duskwight. Firstly, a Black Mage’s Soul Crystal was forcibly fused into his body, granting him untold potential for destruction. This potential would be tempered as all of his limbs were amputated and replaced with Magitek limbs, and his torso melded with steel, turning him into a walking Magitek engine of annihilation. Finally, like so many others placed under the knife by Aulus mal Asina, he was granted the power of Resonance, granting him not only disturbing prescience but also the memories of all he was commanded to slaughter, driving the man mad with a new bloodthirst.

Two women have the Insolens Dryadalis’s ire in particular. Madison Shadeflare, whom he knew and enjoyed when he was a normal, Duskwight, and his bastard daughter, birthed by Madison’s mother, Elatus Shadeflare. The anger, pain and trickery that had caused so much financial hardship and stress that he was caught in his smuggling is the whitest flame in his core, as his Black Magitek weapon systems are constantly prepared for him to eliminate the stench of his most hated mistakes once and for all.

♦Glysoria Glysoria has been a constant threat to Ellie ever since she had ever set foot into the idea of adventuring. A Succubus-type voidsent, Glysoria at first tried to lead Ellie to her death, but failed. Eventually, she would choose to wait for Ellie’s death rather than trying to causing it. She’d begin her direct reign of terror when she possessed Ellie, began to control her life and instincts. Eventually, she was exorcised, but had left her touch upon Ellie, placing voidal siphons to absorb her aether... and would change her body.

Despite her removal from Ellie’s body, Glysoria kept eyeing Ellie’s body, even as another being took interest in Ellie as a host...

Three Relationships

♦Kira Shadeflare It would be a lie to say that Ellie’s romantic history has been anything but tumultuous. In fact, her original meeting with Kira was actually a result of her trying to court a friend of Kira’s, failing, but still trying to establish a friendship. In its stead, however, Ellie and Kira would begin to fall deeply in love, and would even have a child together.

♦V’danya Tykha Ellie’s second partner was met a good deal more casually, but said causality became intimate as Kira would facilitate a polygamous relationship between the three. V’danya and Ellie would hit it off, and became quite close when in absence of Kira, and remained close with her around. Ellie feels that the triumvirate of love is quite pure and the most positive experience she’s ever had.

♦Mara Ileres, formerly Lucia aan Aeolius The first ally Ellie had discovered whilst adventuring, Mara had been a constant force of encouragement to Ellie, even with her own inner turmoils and conflicts. In particular, Ellie believes that she owes Mara her life as the Midlander healed her from near fatal burns, which had the unfortunate side effect of allowing Glysoria into Ellie’s form... but neither Ellie nor Mara could have predicted this. The two have constantly been quick to each others’ side, and Ellie once had feelings for the woman which had faded as time went on.

As an ironic twist of fate, Ellie holds a particular hatred toward the soldier who sliced her sister’s eye into blindness. She does not know their name, nor their appearance but her hatred exists. That being said, it is Mara, then known as Lucia aan Aeolius, who had cut Madison’s eye, but the two had settled their differences, Madison not holding a grudge in the first place.

Four Items

♦Satchel of Soul Crystals Black Mage, White Mage, Scholar, Summoner, Astrologian and Red Mage. Each has their own history, and each are used by Ellie using her latent Echo to tap into their arts. Though it leads to damaged sanity, it’s still something she utilizes to enhance her fighting.

♦Infant Supplies  Though Ellie doesn’t always have these, she certainly does when she has Priscilla with her. Diapers, milk, adorable sets of tiny replicas of Ellie’s gear are a constant for the supplies she keeps in these bags.

♦Pouch of Glamour Crystals She constantly uses Glamour Crystals in order to change her outfits, and it’s unlikely to see her wearing the same outfit twice. Many of the outfits that she wears highly contrast from the last, and she seemingly has one for every occasion.

♦Painted Memories There are five, small paintings Ellie holds at all times. One, is of her, Maddie and their mother. Another is of her, Mara and her Contacts. The third is of Ellie, V’danya and Kira. The fourth is of her Free Company. The last image is of her infant daughter, with the caption of “Do it for her.”

Five Characters

♦Madison Shadeflare (Alt) Ellie’s trusted sister, and a paragon of virtue to Ellie... or so the younger Keeper believes.

♦Priscilla Shadeflare (NPC) Ellie’s beloved daughter, with white hair, crimson eyes and grey skin like her mother, but taking on aspects of Kira, her horns, tail, and scales resembling Kira, but with furred patches. Ellie loves her almost more than she loves her own life... even if Priscilla would grow quite distant and rude.

♦Kensei Hokuto Ellie’s (presumably former) adoptive mother, a woman she highly respected and looked up to. The Keeper wishes to see the Xaela again, but has a feeling she won’t.

♦Siovah Dawnhammer Ellie’s adoptive aunt, Ellie holds a large amount of trust towards the woman, and is a more consistent figure in the Keeper’s life.

♦Alyx Quintessence Alyx is a woman that Ellie wishes to learn more about, in particular for her skills with fencing so that she may learn Red Magic as efficiently as possible and also the knowledge her library holds. She also holds curiosity to the woman’s soulkin nature... even if it might be considered rude. 

Six Moments

♦ The Calamity At the age of ten, Ellie started hearing an eerie yet calming song wherever she went. Her mother tried to convince that it was nothing, until that fateful day the Dreadwyrm ascended over Carteneau. Though her sister who was serving in the Immortal Flames survived, she returned home with a slashed out eye, causing a deep seated resentment toward the Garleans.

♦ “Who Am I?” After swallowing a Glamour Crystal and falling off a cliff, she had taken the appearance of one Auvax Sheapin, but would keep her name. However, her memories were lost but she had a new focus to discover what she originally thought was to be her soulmate. This crush was due to the machinations of the Voidsent Glysoria, as she would soon find out once she regained her true form and eventually her memories.

♦ Possession At one point, on a rainy day in the Mist, Ellie smelled some sort of enticing aroma from a Valentione’s Day torch, and soon fell asleep inside of it. If it weren’t for her aether protecting her and the rain slowing the burn, Ellie would have died before she had the ability to request healing. In fact, she had briefly died whilst Mara was treating her... but as her soul reentered her body, so too did Glysoria, who would plague her life forever, even when she was exorcised.

♦ Meeting Kira Kanzaki After a failed attempt to court a woman of the C Tribe, and deciding to learn hunting with the woman’s sister, the three were camping in the woods and Kira eventually joined them. After teasing by the sisters, Ellie and Kira would eventually end the night cuddling together. Eventually they started dating. And soon became intimate after the two were certain Ellie could have her libido under control, and that she truly loved Kira.

♦ Assumed Betrayal, and Joining the Dragon Army As Ellie left her previous Free Company, she would soon find herself assaulted as she was gathering her possessions. In her desperation, she would drag herself to the headquarters of Dragon Army, and would be immediately interred into the infirmary to heal. Kira was a supportive presence in her life as she recovered.

♦ The birth of Priscilla Nine months after Ellie and Kira Eternally Bonded, Priscilla Shadeflare was born, being a mix of Ellie and Kira’s features, with Ellie’s hues, shades and fur and Kira’s Xaela form. Due to what Ellie called “the girl’s beauty”, she became more incensed to adventure, to form a better world for her daughter and other children, but also to obtain the gil to sustain the growing family.

Seven Quotes

♦ “I... I never thought I could trust myself to love again... but then I met you, Kira... I am yours...” -Paraphrased from Ellie and Kira’s Eternal Bond.

♦ “At the very least, to relieve myself of the guilt of being on your Company's  estate, eating your food, having medical attention on me... and frankly... it's always good to have someone or something to fight for. I have Miss Kensei, I have my friends, I have family, but... a cause is still something I desperately need above all else...  I know I don't look like much, and I'm almost worried that I may have deserved the attack on me... but I doubt you'll have a member more loyal than I... ” -Ellie as she joined Dragon Army. 

♦ "I love you both as well... You are so wonderful, and I'm lucky to have met you both..." -Ellie... constantly to Kira and V’danya.

♦ "I am Elatus Shadeflare, Jack of Magic... but you can call me Ellie!" -Ellie’s introduction.

♦ "This... is MY body. You don’t belong in MY body!" -Ellie versus Gylsoria.

♦ "...did I do a bad?" -Constantly Ellie due to her social awkwardness.

♦ "Mara, you saved me when I was nearly dead. There’s no way I can repay it, but I’ll try!" -Ellie to Mara, paraphrased.

Tagged by: @xylaquint

Tagging: @kayaffxiv @sirissinunh @knifewaifu and anyone else who’d like to do this!