#rearranging the timeline of the dancer questline for my own purposes

[inkedinfantasy]

FFXIVWrite #1: Steer

Rowan and Ranaa face their doubts.

Read on AO3 here.

Nashmeira left the two of them alone on that windswept cliff, and his gaze immediately turned to Ranaa. The anxiety, the nagging doubt he saw on her face was all too familiar. Wordlessly, she turned, pacing a few steps closer to the edge of the hillside before sitting, staring over the view of the ocean.

He followed, seating himself beside her. “How are you feeling?”

“Overwhelmed.” She brushed a strand of hair out of her face, one hand propping up her head as she contemplated, her foot tapping out an unheard rhythm on the ground even as she was still. “A tour of Kugane—it’s the opportunity of a lifetime, but…I don’t know how Nashmeira could be so sure I could lead the troupe in her place.”

That, he could understand. Responsibility was often a heavy weight to bear. “I confess I’ve felt much the same lately,” he said. “Unsure. Directionless. Things in Ala Mhigo have been...fraught, I suppose is probably understating it. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

Ranaa’s laugh was humorless. “Gods, if you of all people are still consumed by doubt, what hope is there for the rest of us?”

It was clearly meant to be a lighthearted remark, but the sentiment hit a nerve. “Don’t,” he said, quiet but sure.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, but rather than say anything, she merely tilted her head in question, an invitation to go on, should he wish to.

The Ranaa of but a few weeks ago would have pushed, would have questioned him immediately. He had seen how their all-too-short time together had tempered her headstrong nature with patience and consideration. He wasn’t being asked to justify himself before the Scions or the leaders of nations. He was being given the space to unload some small part of what had been burdening him solely to Ranaa. His troupe mate, his friend.

His dance partner.

“It’s...things like that are part of the problem, I think,” he began, haltingly. “It’s like nobody ever expects me to be unsure, or scared, or have no idea what to do. I’m expected to be so many things to so many people, to have the solution for everything. And maybe...” He sighed. “Maybe I should’ve told them that. Instead, I ran away to join a dance troupe.”

Ranaa couldn’t help but laugh a little at that, the sound warmer this time. “Well. We’ve seen firsthand what the Kriegstanz is capable of. So!” She sprang to her feet, reaching a hand out to pull him up with her. “Dance with me. See if we can’t let go of some of our own doubt, hmm?”

She was already dashing away, chakrams in hand as he stood unhurriedly, stretching out his limbs. “Very well, then. I suppose its worked out for us so far.”

They stood in the middle of the open hillside, gazes locked, poised in their starting positions. A flash of the eyes, the smallest nod from Ranaa, and they burst into motion.

There was something undeniably comforting in the practiced steps, synchronized perfectly with Ranaa in every dip and flourish and twirl. They matched each other footfall for footfall with the confidence born of instinct, and he could feel that security chipping away at his fear little by little.

He wasn’t sure how to tell if the dance was working its magic on him, but perhaps there was something to the thought merely in trying. He stared out at the sun dipping just below the horizon as the dance slowed into its final steps, heart beating strong and vital and his breath coming in cleansing, chest-filling pants. The pink and gold of the sky, the light reflecting off the calm water of the sea filled him with an all too uncommon peace, and he felt more clear-headed than he had in some time.

Ranaa mirrored his bow as they slowed to a stop, a grin spreading across her face. He could feel himself smiling as well.

“Thank you,” he said. “I needed that more than I thought.”

“I think I did, too. It’s moments like these that remind me why I wanted to be a dancer. To uplift others, to aid in chasing their doubts away—it’s the best sort of life I could wish for myself. Thank you, for helping me remember that.” Her gaze turned softer, her smile a touch sadder. “Though I imagine you won’t be sticking around much longer?”

She was right. He had somewhere he needed to be, somewhere he needed to have been for some time now. His uncertainty had not been entirely banished, but right now, the prospect of returning sounded far less daunting. “I…yes. I know where I need to be now.”

She nodded, as if this were exactly what she expected. “Would you at least return with me to Limsa to speak with Nashmeira? See us off?”

“Of course.”

Ranaa beamed, and stepped forward to pull him into a hug. “For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you. Keep dancing, all right? Until we meet again.”

He hugged her back, tears threatening to prick at his eyes. “I will.”

She withdrew, still smiling brightly. “Now, then. Let’s be on our way.”