#wolemet au

[nights-at-crystarium]

⊹ ˚ . ★ WE ARE ANGELS ★ . ˚ ⊹

[misswarrioroflight]

my friend asked me to draw this while she was delirious from sleep meds at 4 am

who am I to deny such an earnest request so have my fashion designing lizard harassing a freshly woken up Emet

[akirakirxaa]

Day 21: Melody

The river always finds the sea So helplessly Like you find me We are paper boats floating on a stream And it would seem We'll never be apart

Paper Boats, Darren Korb (Transistor OST)

[smol-lizord]

Bad (?) Ending Angst

[nights-at-crystarium]

attack dog

[nights-at-crystarium]

wolemet au where they're having the most mundane, humanizing slice of life moments in the downtime between calamities

[akirakirxaa]

Auraugust Day 15: Rainy Day

Akira was soaked through. No one spared her a single glance; in the weeks since her return, her hair had grown out to the point that no one recognized her unless they were a friend or were looking closely.

No one in Labyrinthos was looking closely, and she was actively avoiding friends.

She heard footsteps approach behind her, closer and less harried than the scholars bustling quickly through the rain, desperately trying to keep their tomes dry. She was unsurprised when she turned slightly to see Hades, holding the umbrella she never used and looking very distinctly annoyed.

"It's foolish enough that you took off without a word, but you didn't even bring an umbrella in this weather?"

"In my defense-" Akira countered with the faintest of smirks that didn't reach her eyes. "It wasn't raining when I left." Hades gave a heavy sigh, moving closer to cover them both with the umbrella, despite the fact that she was already soaked to the bone.

"Do you realize how worried Hythlodaeus and your friends are?" It was chastisement, but his tone didn't quite match, softening as one snap later Akira was as dry as if she had been lying in the sun.

Yes, I'm sure they were the only ones worried. The sarcastic thought came unbidden, but she was absolutely sure she was right. She was learning Hades didn't really like to acknowledge his own feelings. Perhaps he'd had to bury them for so long it was hard for him to.

"I'm sorry," she didn't turn fully to him, not trusting the stinging in her eyes not to become something more. "I just needed to get out of Sharlayan for a little bit."

They stood quietly in the rain, listening to the patter on grass and pavement as they both struggled with their own thoughts.

"I just feel so useless," the words came out as a whisper, Akira clenching her fists at her side. "I've climbed mountains and fought dragons and now I can barely take a walk through Labyrinthos without-"

Without becoming too exhausted to walk back. Or to even find shelter from the rain. The pain in her limbs and her back that she thought had eased came roaring back with a vengeance and returning to Sharlayan had become an impossibility and it was embarrassing.

She didn't know if she turned to him first or if he pulled her to him, but then they were leaning into each other. He spoke of worrying others, but he was the one that came here to find her.

His grip was tight, though not enough to hurt, and it said So do I.

"Let's get you back, Hero," though the words were light, his voice was rough with some unspoken emotion. "Before anyone does anything drastic."

"Indeed," she agreed with a small huff of almost-laughter. "We wouldn't want anyone doing anything dramatic after all."

[akirakirxaa]

There's a ghost in my lungs And it sighs in my sleep Wraps itself around my tongue As it softly speaks Then it walks then it walks with my legs To fall at your feet

-I'm Not Calling You a Liar; Florence and the Machine

[akirakirxaa]

FFXIVWrite Prompt 26: Last

Rating: T

Word Count: 861

Warnings: Nightmares, past character death

Summary: Hades woke Akira from a nightmare and tries to be supportive, even if it's not really his strong suit. [Hythwolemet, Hyth and Hades Stay AU. Direct continuation of Prompt 25, read that first for setup.]

Master Post

They stayed like that for several moments, Akira’s eyes wide as she struggled to make sense of the sudden calm around her, a stark contrast to the urgency and fear of just moments before.

“I would appreciate if you would drop your weapon,” Hades snipped, not moving. His voice was sharp, but his eyes betrayed his concern. She blinked a few more times before dropping the dagger to the side, drawing back just a little, horrified at her own reaction.

“I…what were you doing in here?” Akira’s voice wavered as she tried to recenter herself.

“Who could sleep with all that tossing and turning you were doing?” Again, his words were sharp, but there was no true bite to them. As she finally released his arm to draw her hand back, he took the opportunity to grab her hand in his, pushing himself into a sitting position with the other. “So what had the great Warrior of Light in such a state?”

"I, uh," Akira started dumbly, realizing that, with the shift in position, she was now straddling his lap, but his grip on her hand kept her from pulling away. Not that it was so firm she couldn't break it, but it would take more force than she'd prefer to use against someone she…cared about. "Just a nightmare. That's all." He raised his eyebrows at her slightly, clearly waiting for her to continue. When she didn't, he scoffed.

"Do you really expect me to believe a simple nightmare brought you low, Hero?" 

"I never said it was simple."

"...Tell me about it." He phrased it like a statement, but his eyes asked like a question. She could still just go back to bed and keep her secrets to herself. But he didn't want her to.

Maybe she didn't want to, either. 

"I… There was a meteor shower," she started, and she knew she didn't have to specify that it was that meteor shower. "There were sineaters and blasphemies, but they were all wearing masks. Ancient masks. And… You were there. Not like this. The way you were when…” The way he tensed told her she didn’t need to elaborate further.

“I…see,” he released her arm and made no move to keep her where she was, glaring into a distant corner at nothing. “It should come as no shock that you should fear—“

“Wha— no!” Akira clenched her fists into the sleep shirt he wore. “It wasn’t because I was afraid. I didn’t want to kill you, I never wanted to kill you. I wanted you to stop and listen so we could find another way! I’m so, so tired of being forced to…to…” She grit her teeth as the tears she’d fought so hard against, was so determined to hide, slipped free. They sat like that, in the dark, for several moments before Hades sighed and pulled her close, letting her bury her face in his chest.

“Always the hero, hm?” he mumbled quietly, as if not wanting anyone to overhear. “You know you can’t save everyone, don’t you?”

“Some days it feels like I can’t save anyone,” Akira confessed, not looking up. He sighed again, carefully pulling her face up to look him in the eye.

“Now that’s just ridiculous. All you have to do is walk outside and look around and you’ll see a whole neighborhood of people you saved. A city you saved. A whole star’s worth of people you saved. That some of us are beyond saving is not your fault.” She sniffled, but couldn’t stop the smirk that escaped.

“I’ll believe that,” she said carefully. “When you believe you’re not beyond saving.”

“Now that’s just ridiculous,” Hades scoffed, adjusting so that the couch was now behind him, supporting his back. They sat like that for a bit, Akira resting her head back on his chest (taking care to not knick him with her horns), his hand soothingly working through her hair.

“Do you think you can go back to sleep, Hero?” he asked quietly, not moving a muscle. She was quiet for a long moment.

“…Not alone, I don’t think,” she admitted. He gave a long-suffering sigh.

“You say that as if you would not be welcome.” To anyone else, it would sound admonishing, but Akira could hear the loving familiarity in Hades’ voice. “It is your own bed that you offered to let us stay in, after all.” She hesitated, remembering the last time she’d given in to her own longing, and the pain that followed when it hadn’t lasted. But this is different, she told herself. Everything is different now. She hid her face in his chest, but gave a slight nod, half of her demanding to know what it was she thought she was doing and the other half telling that half to shove off. Together they staggered back to their feet (legs asleep from having been in the same position for so long), and Hades led Akira by the hand back to her bedroom, leaving her nest of pillows and blankets on the couch.

It would be the last night she would be using it, after all.

[akirakirxaa]

I want to teach you a lesson in the worst kind of way Still I'd trade all my tomorrows for just one yesterday (I know I'm bad news, I saved it all for you.)

[akirakirxaa]

Broken Pieces Shine: Chapter 1

Rating: Mature

Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV

Relationship: Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light, Azem/Emet-Selch

Tags: Named Warrior of Light, Female Warrior of Light, Au Ra Xaela, Suicide, Character Death, Bad Ending, Shadowbringers Spoilers, Lightwarden AU, Depression, Soulmates, Reincarnation, Possession, Body Horror

Summary: The Warrior of Light is out of options, and ventures to the Tempest alone to bargain for her friends' safety.

[akirakirxaa]

Broken Pieces Shine: Chapter 2

Rating: Mature

Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV

Relationship: Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light, Azem/Emet-Selch

Tags: Named Warrior of Light, Female Warrior of Light, Au Ra Xaela, Suicide, Character Death, Bad Ending, Shadowbringers Spoilers, Lightwarden AU, Depression, Soulmates, Reincarnation, Possession, Body Horror

Summary: Akira's having to come to terms with her fate.

[akirakirxaa]

Broken Pieces Shine: Chapter 3

Rating: Mature

Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV

Relationship: Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light, Azem/Emet-Selch

Tags: Named Warrior of Light, Female Warrior of Light, Au Ra Xaela, Suicide, Character Death, Bad Ending, Shadowbringers Spoilers, Lightwarden AU, Depression, Soulmates, Reincarnation, Possession, Body Horror

Summary: Akira wonders if there might be another path she might take, but the light will not wait much longer.

[akirakirxaa]

Broken Pieces Shine: Chapter 4

Rating: Mature

Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV

Relationship: Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light, Azem/Emet-Selch

Tags: Named Warrior of Light, Female Warrior of Light, Au Ra Xaela, Suicide, Character Death, Bad Ending, Shadowbringers Spoilers, Lightwarden AU, Depression, Soulmates, Reincarnation, Possession, Body Horror

Summary: Akira's soul has been set adrift.