#serilait

[karoiseka]

6) Ring

((and one more with the Dads, though well before Karo was around at this point! ty Alyx for pushing me into this sappy prompt idea instead of some of the others that bounced around!))

Feophaux was atrocious at keeping a personal secret.  Other’s confidentiality, perfect.  Clients?  No one would ever even suspect a thing.  Seirlait’s deepest confessions–ironclad behind the perfect mask.  His own?  He felt that he screamed suspicion and subterfuge in such a way that whatever he was trying to hide was clear as day.

The rings in his pocket as a result almost burned.  He had had them less than a full day, the goldsmith in Ul’dah having presented his commission to him.  They were only to be in the city for another day–maybe two–before starting the long winding journey back to the Shroud.  The moment had to be perfect though–didn’t it?  All the tales talked about the perfect moment, the sublime feeling, knowing that it was right.  

They didn’t talk about the nerves nearly emptying out one’s stomach or the cold sweat that would break out whenever he thought about presenting the rings to his partner.  Seirlait wasn’t the most refined of men, but his heart was gentle, and his hands were kind.  They made a bit of an odd couple, the bookworm and the hunter, but no one could dispute their success with their little wagon of goods.  They didn’t have the gil that the merchants of the sultanate had, but they had more than enough to cover their expenses with enough left over to be comfortable and happy in their cottage in the woods.

The two bands were situated in his pants pocket, for that perfect moment–creating a bit of a distraction for him.  Feo kept slipping the rings on and off of his fingers, memorizing each engraved ilm.  They were fairly simple, bright silver bands, inlaid with a pale gold design.  The inside had their initials and Nald’thal’s symbol on one side and Menphina’s on the other.  

Being so distracted had its downfalls though, and Feo didn’t hear Seirlait arriving back in their inn room until his voice broke the silence, startling him out of his reverie.  

“Seir! I didn’t hear you come in!” Feo’s hand came out of his pocket in a rush, and with horror, he watched as one of the rings went flying onto the ornate carpet before settling at his love’s feet.  The hunter bent to scoop it up, having watched it’s trajectory, and looked at it with curiosity.  

“Feo–”  his green eyes had gotten wide, even as Feo had gone pale.  This was not how the tales described it going.  This was not–

“Feo,” Somehow Seir was directly in front of him, looking up with a gentle smile–the type he used to calm the chocobos when they were spooked.  He supposed a spooked chocobo was a good description of the way he felt at the moment, panic having set in.  Seir had taken his hands, the ring still pinched between two fingers.

“Is this what I think it is?” his voice had the slightest quiver to it, bringing Feo back to the present.  He opened his mouth to reply, no sound emerging, and instead nodded slowly.

Seir’s smile was like the sun–or at least what Feo could see of it before he was tackled with a bone crushing embrace.  Ah.  There was the part of the tales come to life.  His heart beat steadied as he was able to finally move, wrapping his arms around his love, burning his face into strawberry blonde hair.

“Is that a yes?” his voice raspy.  He pulled back just enough to look into Seir’s face once more, realizing they both had tears in their eyes.

“Of course!” Seir’s voice was equally as thick with emotion, pulling him down into a deep kiss.  Maybe it wasn’t like the tales after all–but he liked this writing of his own.

[karoiseka]

5) Barbarous

((Have some Endwalker MSQ spoilers in the form of Karo's Da and Pa!))

The sky was red.

It wasn’t much past noon, and the brilliant sunsets should not be starting for hours.  yet, the sky burned a deep angry shade, driving fear into all those in the city.  Noise from across the city evoked a panic not unlike when the Towers had first appeared across the land–only so much worse.  This was the sky after all, not some strange magical–but ultimately made by man structure.  

The neighborhood that Serilait and Feophaux had bunkered down in had stayed relatively quiet–people huddled inside, praying to the Sisters.  Occasionally a strange sound echoed down the street, the merchants giving each other a long look.

“That’s it, I have to do something,” Seir had already gone through their packs and found his bow, stringing it with ease and shouldering the full quiver that had been tucked next to it.  They both had strapped long knives to their belts, preparing for—what?

“I’m coming with you,” Feo had his hand on the door, looking down at his spouse.  “I know I’m not the fighter you are, but I can at least help people to safety.”  Lips pursed, Seir nodded.  He was obviously not happy about the idea, but wasn’t going to say no.

The streets nearest the house were empty–houses closed up tight, and an eerie silence permeated the air.  Seir had an arrow nocked and ready on the string as they headed towards the smoke, a rumbling murmur starting to reach their ears.  He wasn’t much of one to play hero–he left that to his daughter–but he could not stay idle.  She was not in the city, having left near a moon ago to start preparing for a trip to Garlemald of all things.  So, it fell to him and others to try and keep people protected.

The thought of her out there in the cold North made Seir shiver despite the heat.  She had fought much more barbarous foes than that of the Empire–and the Empire’s finest besides.  Karo would be okay.  She had to be.  They had just gotten her back.  They couldn’t lose her.  Not again.  So they would fight for her, and at her side if the time came, to protect the same ideals she did.  Anything to make her burden just a little less.

The noise from the markets got louder.  It didn’t matter.  They would save who they could.

[karoiseka]

Happy Father’s Day!  (Okay, so it’s almost over, but I actually had an idea!)