#oc: kaoru ejinn

[inkedinfantasy]

FFXVIWrite #2: Horizon

The night after the outsiders braved Bardam's Mettle, Magnai finds Kaoru on the roof of the Dawn Throne.

Read on AO3 here.

Magnai found Kaoru on the roof of the throne room, seated on the ledge. A massive yol sat perched before her as she gave it a gentle once-over, occasionally offering it a bit of food for its cooperation. It would almost be a peaceful scene if not for the large slab of freshly killed meat she was carving the bird’s treats from, her hands still bloody.

“Your yol will be safe in our care so long as you remain with us,” he said by way of greeting, a touch defensive. Did she think them incapable?

“I’m sure she will,” Kaoru replied, not looking up from where she smoothed a few feathers into place. “Thought I might get in a bit of bonding, is all. She’s still freshly tamed.”

“Even so, most would not wish to forgo their rest so close to the Naadam.”

She glanced at him then, grinning. “Are you kidding? As a child I dreamed of the day I’d conquer Bardam’s Mettle and earn a yol of my own. Never thought I’d get the chance after I left the steppe.” Her yol nudged at her shoulder and she fed it another scrap. “Are you so concerned for our welfare?”

Magnai bristled. “No. Merely making an observation.”

“Of course.”

Silence fell, broken only by the sound of the bird tearing apart its meat.

“So which one’s yours? Does it have a name?” she asked, looking out over the other yols roosting on the roof for the night, several of them watching her bird eating jealously. He searched the gathered birds until he spotted his.

“There,” he said, pointing to a large yol nestled in the corner between two others, already sleeping. “Her name is Sokhatai.”

Kaoru looked her over as best she could from a distance, humming in approval. “She’s a big one. And clearly well cared for.”

“Of course. One must treat one’s partner with the same respect they would treat themself.”

“Very true.” She carved the last bit of meat off of whatever creature she’d hunted down, and her yol snapped it up as she began to clean her hands. “It was never just about the status, for me. That was part of it, sure, but that idea of flight, that freedom you could grasp at with the yol you bonded with…I wanted it all. I wanted it to be like the stories. And when I finally got the chance, when I faced the trials and we found each other, it was like…”

“Like nothing else,” he finished softly, still staring at Sokha. He turned back to see her smiling at him, wryly. Her good mood had not dimmed, lit by the faint glow of the camp’s lights below them, the brightness of the stars, the thinnest sliver of the waning moon as it rose above the distant mountains.

“You know, you make a far more agreeable conversation partner when you’re not being imperious and demanding.” Her tone was teasing. She hopped down from the ledge and giving her yol a final pat. “Well, I should be off to bed. Wouldn’t want to forgo my rest.” Her smile turned just a touch more genuine as she passed him. “Good night, Magnai.”

“Good night,” he echoed automatically. He watched her walk away, the night descending into silence once more.

[inkedinfantasy]

FFXIVWrite #26: Zip

Kaoru grabs aggro.

Read on AO3 here.

The Warrior of Light had moved to seize the ovoo. This much, he'd anticipated. The Mol had recruited capable allies, but in turn had placed an even larger target on their backs.

Channeling his aether, Magnai conjured a chain that ensnared the warrior, dragging him away from the ovoo and into striking distance. Before he could pull him completely in range, however, a shot rang out and the aetherial chain broke.

He did not have time to keep his attention on the Warrior, as a second shot whizzed just past him and he turned instead to face his attacker.

The xaela woman from the Warrior's party, Kaoru, was bearing down on him, her gunblade drawn and ready. She dodged his first swipe, and he felt a heavier blow than he had been expecting glance off his armor as he twisted to avoid her incoming attack.

She was not his match in size or strength, but neither could he match her speed as she danced in and out of range, alternating blows of her blade with shots from the barrel of her weapon. It was surprisingly difficult to knock her off balance, most of the blows he managed to land glancing off her shields as she channeled aether into her attacks.

The clamor around them grew as the shouts of a new group of combatants entering the battlefield rose over the hill. Her attention was diverted just long enough for him to land a proper blow, sending her skidding away. He recognized one particular voice among the shouts, however, and looked to the incoming warriors.

Sadu and the rest of her Dotharl had arrived, and were currently bearing down on both the Warrior of Light and the ovoo. He glanced back at Kaoru at the same moment she turned back to him, the both of them braced for another attack.

When neither of them made a move, Kaoru gave him a short nod before launching herself at the Dotharl. He followed, Sadu in his sights, intending to take full advantage of this momentary truce.

[inkedinfantasy]

and 7 - Monster AU for the first meetings!!!

(first meeting au prompts)

thanks for the ask!

filled this one for one of my non-WOL OCs, kaoru. I haven't 100% decided on a ship for her yet, but magnai was one of the spur-of-the-moment "what if" options I considered and this was the idea my brain decided to take and run with, haha.

notes for this one: content warning for mild blood/violence

Something was amiss in Azim Khaat.

For several days now, Oronir who ventured to the bottom of the Dawn Throne had been reporting to Magnai with strange occurrences. Fishermen who insisted they had been quite alone found their equipment stolen or missing. A toy one of the children had dropped into the water showed up soaking wet but no worse for wear at the base of the Throne. One warrior even claimed to have caught a brief glimpse of some large creature lurking beneath the water. After that final report, several warriors were sent to investigate but found nothing out of the ordinary.

The mystery of it irked him. All of it represented a potential threat already too long unconfronted, and that he could not stand for.

He descended from the Dawn Throne alone that night, bathed in the full moon’s comforting glow. The strange reports had come from lone fishermen and errant gateguards, so perhaps alone he would have a better chance of confronting whatever lurked beneath the waters.

He crossed the bridge at a leisurely pace, neither seeing nor hearing any disturbance in the dark, calm water. Even on such a bright night, he could see little beneath the surface. Even this close to the shore, the khaat dropped off sharply into deceptive depths.

He paused just at the shoreline, looking out over the whole of Azim Khaat as he absentmindedly fiddled with the strap of his bracer, running a thumb over the bent clasp that had been the result of an unlucky strike while sparring. Under his touch, the damaged clasp suddenly loosened and gave way, the bracer falling into the water before he could catch it.

Magnai cursed under his breath. He knelt by the water’s edge, peering into the depths to see if he could spot it. If he was lucky, perhaps it had caught on a rock not too far beneath the surface. “Unusual to see anyone else out here this time of night.”

The voice nearly startled him into unbalancing straight into the water. He looked up to a decidedly odd sight: an auri woman in the water, chin resting on folded arms where they rested on one of the rocks at the shore’s edge.

“I could say the same of you.”

She laughed. “Fair enough. I’m Kaoru, of the Ejinn. Who might you be?”

Ejinn. That would explain it. As infrequently as he saw them in these parts of the Steppe, he’d never seen them out of the water.

“Are the Ejinn so out of touch to not recognize the Oronir’s khan?” he asked haughtily.

“Not by face, at least. You’d be Magnai, then?”

“Yes.” Strange as she was, he looked to her eyes out of habit. They were a cool, silvery grey, limbal rings glowing in a lighter shade almost as bright as the moonlight above. His heart sped up.

“Your eyes are filled with all the moon’s radiance. Tell me, do you see Azim in my eyes? Are you my Nhaama?”

She blinked. “Forward, aren’t we? You ought to let me get a proper look, then.” Her tone was light, teasing.

Magnai eagerly shuffled forward, still kneeling on the rock just at the water’s edge. She unfolded her arms, pushing herself up and out of the water, a charming smile on her face…

He felt a sudden hard yank on the front of his coat, and he was pulled headfirst into the water.

Only instinct saw him hold his breath as he plunged beneath the surface. His eyes flew open, and he recoiled as far as he could from the sight before him.

He could see her in her entirety now. Fins lined with wicked-looking spines flared along her arms and down her spine. Her moon-bright eyes were now black as night, glinting with predatory hunger, and she bared a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. The hands that still gripped at him were webbed and clawed, tearing furrows into the fabric of his coat.

Most of all, here in the water he could see she had no legs, only a sea creature’s tail, scales glinting with a more malleable shine than any Au Ra’s.

She was much more nimble in the water than him, and even as he recoiled, her clawed hands dug into his sleeve and her teeth clamped down on the arm now unprotected by his fallen bracer. His growl of pain came out only as bubbles, and his blood began to cloud the water.

He lashed out as best he could with the water slowing his movement, driving a knee into her chest and pushing her head away, feeling her teeth tearing a fresh gash in his skin as she was propelled backwards. The motion pushed him towards the surface, and he was able to grasp at the lip of the shore, hauling himself up and over the rocks as fast as he could. He scrambled away, putting a generous distance between himself and the water before allowing himself to collapse onto the grass, taking in deep, heaving breaths as his body still thrummed with adrenaline.

He jerked upright into a sitting position as he heard something clatter across the stone and thump gently into the grass. Sitting at his feet was the bracer he’d dropped. When he looked up, Kaoru was staring at him from the water, grinning.

“Well fought, most radiant brother.” Her tone was not spiteful or frustrated at losing out on prey, merely amused. A smear of blood still streaked her face, and as he watched, she wiped it away and licked her hand clean, savoring the taste. “Figure that was worth a return of what you lost, at least.”

With a cheeky wink, she dove back beneath the water, a quick flick of her tail above the surface the last he saw of her before she vanished.

[inkedinfantasy]

FFXIVWrite #16: Third Rate

Just another day at the interdimensional office.

Read on AO3 here.

Kaoru took a sip of her coffee and grimaced. “Who refilled the pot last? This tastes like shit.”

Nero looked up from his workstation to glare at her. “It’s an all too short reprieve from the swill you all have been serving. That is an imported dark roast, and I’ll have you know it came from my own personal supply.”

“Yeah, and it tastes like shit.”

She saw Cid’s expression twitch as he attempted to suppress a smile. Kaoru sighed and looked back down at her cup in distaste. Even she had to admit it felt a bit petty to be sniping at each other about the coffee when they were set up in an actual interdimensional rift with the opportunity to gather up-close data on Omega, but well, she’d call this multitasking. “Tell me you’ve at least got the measurements ready for your little anti-gravity device.”

“He hasn’t,” Cid chimed in.

“My—how did you even know about that?”

“If you’re going to be so precious about it, don’t leave your notes all scattered about. Now, are you in an ‘accepting feedback’ stage, or are you going to get all pissy if I say anything?”

“Feedback? And just what do you think you could possibly add—”

“Pissy it is, then.”

Cid was unable to stifle a laugh this time. Nero turned his sour expression on him. “Something funny, Garlond?”

“Just grateful you’ve found someone else to argue with for once.”

“I’d remind you I’m still your senior in the Ironworks, Nero,” Kaoru said. “You’ve been with us for all of a few days.”

“And perhaps if seniority directly translated to experience, that would mean something to me.”

“As a supervising engineer, Kaoru has the right to review the work of our junior recruits,” Cid said, a touch smugly.

“Oh, for the love of—fine. If you insist on offering whatever dubious advice you may have, at least try to come up with something insightful about the drive motors.”

“Still having trouble tweaking the algorithms, then?”

“I wasn’t talking to you, Garlond.”

[inkedinfantasy]

Kaoru shares a canon with my primary WOL Rowan.

Kaoru was born and raised as a member of the Ejinn tribe on the Azim Steppe. From a young age, she was interested in figuring out how things worked. Her interest in the small mechanical crafts that occasionally made their way to Reunion from other parts of Othard eventually led to her accepting an apprenticeship with a craftsman in Kugane, her family relocating from the Steppe when she was fourteen years old.

The scope and scale of her desire to learn only grew as she got older, and her aging mentor eventually suggested that she consider seeking a position with Ishgard's Skysteel Manufactory, where he himself had apprenticed. Though hesitant to leave her family and her homeland, Kaoru eventually decided to take the chance, making the journey to Eorzea.

Kaoru spent several years with the Manufactory, broadening her knowledge of craftsmanship and engineering. Not content to rest on her laurels, she eventually sought a referral for a position with the Garlond Ironworks to further expand her studies into Imperial magitek.

She first crossed paths with the Warrior of Light while stationed at the Ironworks workshop in Mor Dohna, seeking information regarding whether or not her parents were among the Far Eastern refugees the Scions were aiding. While dismayed to find no mention of her parents among the refugees, Kaoru and Rowan became fast friends. She later accompanied him to the Far East to provide further support to the Doman resistance and seek out her family.

[inkedinfantasy]

FFXIVWrite #17: Novel

A young Au Ra finds her interest captured by a mechanical toy. 

Read on AO3 here.

Kaoru promptly decided not long after their arrival that she loved Reunion.

It was only recently that her parents had decided that, at nine summers, she was old enough not to run off and get into trouble if they brought her along. So the next time her father mentioned he would be making a trade run, she jumped at the chance to go.

There were so many people, and so many things to see! With a reminder from her father not to wander out past the bounds of Reunion at her heels, she set off, determined to explore everything the small settlement had on offer. There were countless curiosities that she’d never seen before from other parts of Othard, and while many of the stalls of produce and animal goods failed to keep her interest for long, her attention was soon captured by a stall with what appeared to be a small collection of toys.

She admired the lot of them, but one item in particular stood out to her: a creation that looked to be made of an assortment of tiny metal parts, in the shape of a sheep small enough to fit in the palm of her hand.

“What’s this?” she asked the Raen woman manning the stall.

“Ah, that’s one of a collection of little trinkets I picked up from a goldsmith in Kugane. It’s a wind-up sheep. Here…”

The merchant picked up the sheep, gave its curly tail a few twists, and set it back down. To Kaoru’s amazement, the sheep began to walk across the counter all on its own, a charming, lopsided gait accompanied by the soft whirring and clicking of all the little pieces within.

“How does it do that?” she asked in awe.

The merchant smiled indulgently. “I’m no goldsmith myself, so I can’t say I know all the details. But I know when you twist the creature’s tail, it winds up whatever springs and gears and cylinders are inside it, and those are put together just so to make it move.”

“Are there other ones like this? Can you make them look like other things?”

“I imagine a talented enough craftsman could fashion a toy like this that looked like just about anything. And yes, the goldsmith I picked this one up from had a whole collection of little toys like this, though I’ve already sold all the others.”

    Kaoru peppered the merchant with more questions about the toy, poking and prodding and examining it under her watchful eye. She was almost startled when she felt her father’s hand on her shoulder. “There you are, Kaoru. It’s about time we head home.”

    “Look at this!” she said, holding the little sheep up as high as she could for him to inspect. “It’s a toy sheep! And it moves! I didn't know toys could move! Can we get it?"

Her father hummed thoughtfully. "How much?" 

The merchant waved her hand. "It's yours. I've made more than enough to cover the cost of it, and the artisan will be glad to know it went to someone who'll appreciate it."

"Really?" Kaoru picked up the tiny sheep, cradling it in her hands in awe.

"Kaoru?" her father prompted.

"Oh, right." She smiled up at the merchant. "Thank you!"

The merchant smiled back. "You're very welcome."

Kaoru spent most of the journey home turning the toy over and over in her hands, running her fingers over the impossibly tiny joints and pieces as her father's hand on her back steered her away from tripping over rocks or riverbanks in her distraction. As soon as their tribe's camp appeared on the horizon, she snapped back to attention, taking off running towards their tent.

"Mama! Mama! Look what I got!"

She nearly crashed directly into her mother as she exited the tent, holding up the toy proudly.

Her mother made a show of inspecting it. "A little clockwork sheep? It looks very well made."

"The lady said she got it in Kugane. Did you ever see things like this there?"

"Sometimes. Usually a bit bigger than this, though. It's easier to work with fewer pieces this small."

"Do you know how it works? Can anyone learn how to make them?"

Her mother didn't know much more of the specifics than the merchant had, but Kaoru questioned her exuberantly nonetheless.

Later that night, by the light of a lantern, Kaoru's curiosity got the better of her. She carefully and patiently pulled and pried at the casing of the little toy until part of it came away in her hand, exposing the wind-up's delicate, intricate innards. She spent a few minutes just inspecting the pieces, manually turning the tiny gears and watching how they all moved with each other in a perfect interconnected web, how the wind up key of the tail tightened the spring that powered the whole mechanism. It was fascinating how such a small thing could be so complex.

She carefully fit the piece of the casing she had removed back into place, pressing gently until she heard a click and it held. Twisting the sheep's tail a few times, she set it down.

The toy remained still. Kaoru's heart dropped. She gave it a small prod. Nothing. She started to panic.

Her mother noticed her distress first. “Kaoru, what’s wrong?” She looked down at the small toy, still unmoving. “Ah. Is your sheep not working?”

“I just wanted to see what it looked like inside!” Kaoru burst out. “I didn’t even take any parts out or anything and I put the casing back on but now it’s not moving!”

“You need to be careful with little things like this. Their mechanisms can be very delicate.”

“I won’t do it again, I promise! Do you think it can be fixed?”

"The best I can think to do is see if the same merchant is there next time we go to Reunion and asking if she would take it to the craftsman who made it to repair it.”

It was an anxious few weeks until they were due to make another supply run. Kaoru once again accompanied her father, clinging protectively to the tiny sheep the whole way. Luck was on her side, for she spotted the merchant who'd given her the toy in her first frantic scan of the stalls.

The woman's eyes lit up with recognition as Kaoru approached. "Ah, hello again! I've no more mechanical toys on offer this time, I'm afraid."

"That's ok. I wanted to ask about this one." She held the sheep out. "I, uh…opened it up a little to look at the inside and now it doesn't work. I was gonna ask if you could take it back to the person who made it and they can fix it? My father said we could pay. I didn't mean to break it, I just wanted to see how it worked."

The woman's expression softened. "Of course. It'll be a few weeks yet until I'm back in Kugane, though, so it might be a while before I can get it back to you."

"Ok. Thank you." Kaoru handed the tiny sheep over with the utmost care, afraid to potentially jostle anything else loose.

"I'll take good care of it," the woman promised.

Kaoru nodded solemnly. Her important business concluded, she left the stall to go find her father.

Time passed at a crawl. Two trips to Reunion that Kaoru insisted on tagging along with proved fruitless, the Raen merchant not even present among the crowds of people selling their goods. The third time, however, Kaoru spotted the woman almost as soon as they passed through the gates, waving cheerfully at her from her stall. Kaoru immediately broke into a run, ignoring her mother's questioning call behind her.

"The operation was a success," the merchant said as Kaoru skidded to a stop in front of her stall. She reached back and produced the tiny sheep, turning its key and setting it down to make its jaunty, wobbly way across the counter.

"Thank you so much!" Kaoru said.

"We appreciate it." Kaoru's mother had caught up with her, and she smiled at the merchant. "How much do we owe you?"

"The man who made it specifically insisted there was no charge after I told him about the little girl who was so taken with his creation," the merchant said. "He appreciates curiosity, and asked me to pass on his name if she ever wanted to learn more about how little machines like this tick." She passed a small card over the counter to Kaoru's mother. 

"This is all very generous, of both of you," her mother said. " Please pass on our thanks when you speak to him again."

"Of course."

Kaoru made sure to be extra-careful with the little sheep on her way home, winding it up and watching it strut across the floor of their tent.

“She said that card she gave you was from the man who made this. Could he really teach me to make things like this?” she asked her mother as ran a tiny, gentle finger over the polished metal of the toy’s back.

“It’s certainly possible. Maybe when you’re a bit older, if you’re still interested, we can talk about it.”

Kaoru huffed. It seemed like everything needed to wait until she was older. This, though, she suspected, just might be worth the wait.

[inkedinfantasy]

about me

syd | 30 | they/them

FFXIV

Since I've been posting more about FFXIV, I'll include my info about that here.

I'm on Behemoth if you ever wanna come say hi!

OC profiles & tags

Rowan Rhize | Profile | Tag | Keeper Miqo'te; my primary WOL

N’mhaya Mhox | Profile | Tag | Seeker Miqo’te; shares a canon with Rowan

Kaoru Ejinn | Profile | Tag | Xaela Au Ra; shares a canon with Rowan

other links

Writing/Fanfic Tag

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