#yiune watson

[writeraven]

FFXIVWRITE 2024 — 05: STAMP.

“Whether she is cute or creepy has been oft debated, but all agree it is best not to leave her to her own devices.” — Eorzea Database

TAGS: [ isorawrites. » FFXIVwrite » 2024 ]

FANDOMS: FFXIV | Sherlock Holmes.

VERSE: Heavensward » AU.

STATUS: Submitted; 1 chapter.

GENRES: Draft, Short Story.

SHIPS: Murderomantiques.

MUSES: Sora Holmes, Yiune Watson.

NPC: Zhloe Aliapoh.

stamp /stămp/ intransitive verb 01. To bring down (the foot) forcibly. 02. To bring the foot down onto (an object or surface) forcibly.

Nighttime at Idyllshire was as lively as the day, though with a different kind of crowd. Adventurers would flock through the gate, turning in their spoils from their hunts; disciples of the hand and land would rush to the vendors and fight for their share of the trade.

Further behind from the hubbub, there was an orphanage established by Zhloe Aliapoh, a Moon Keeper with a cheery personality. Even so, there was a time that had turned her smile upside down.

Though small and cramped, the foster home had its fair share of guests—from Miss Rowena, her benefactor, to the Warrior of Light, who had been a great assistance with the custom deliveries. However, this pair who followed behind her, weren’t your ordinary helpers.

The shorter of the two was of Xaela origin: clad in full black, with frills that matched her noble upbringing, except for her unblinking grey eyes that shone with cold intelligence. Her partner, a Veena in maid uniform, though appear meek at first glance, had an air of deadly grace—of someone who was capable of walking across wooden boards without a sound, even with her high heels. They introduced themselves as Sora Holmes and Yiune Watson, respectively, and they were recommended by the Warrior of Light himself.

“Here.” Khloe showed the odd duo into a vacant room on the second floor. “I have moved the children to another chamber, but—”

Before she could finish her sentence, the building shook as a thundering sound spook the poor young lady, causing her to lose her balance. Yiune the maid caught her; she noticed that the Viera had large hands.

“…I see,” Sora spoke, completely unfazed by the stamping noise from above. “So this is the reason why you seek our help.”

“T-The children are scared,” Zhloe replied after she had calmed down a little. “We tried to search for the cause of this��� strange phenomenon, but we couldn’t find any.”

“What’s above this room?”

“The attic,” Khloe answered, now leaving the room and continuing the tour. “It’s where we keep the toys that the children would pick up and play.”

When the trio reached the topmost floor, the stomping sound began to echo through the orphanage. Khloe pursed her lips when her ears picked up the sound of crying.

“I’m sorry, but please excuse me while I need to attend to the children.”

After the distressed Miqo’te had left the scene, Sora turned to her maidservant. “What do you think?”

“I can feel an odd presence behind this door,” Yiune whispered, placing a hand on the attic’s entrance. Her voice sounded deeper than what one would expect from a pretty lady like her. “But… how?”

“Someone must have sneaked them under the guise of presents for the children,” Sora said, rapping on the wooden surface with her scaled fist. “A poor taste for jokes, if you ask me, especially for the month of All Saints’ Wake.”

She pushed open the door, revealing a room full of toys—or more specifically, dolls. Her nose wrinkled at the dust that shimmered in the moonlight streaming through the rooftop window. The loud stamping also ceased the moment the pair entered the attic.

“You don’t scare us, little ones—I suggest showing yourselves now.”

High-pitched giggling bounced off the walls, probably an intent to confuse the stern guests, but Sora merely sighed.

“If you please,” she said, tapping on the Veena’s arm. “Naughty children should be punished, after all.”

With a curt nod, Yiune pulled out a pair of daggers from the under her maid dress. In a flash, she appeared to slice through the air… only for a handful of broken strings to fall slowly onto the floor. Then, with insane precision, she threw her knives at two particular spots from amongst the towering collection of dolls. Walking up to retrieve her weapon, something was stuck to the end of each blade.

Twinning dolls. One in a red dress, the other in blue.

“Calca and Brina.” Sora grimaced at the culprit behind the annoying stomps. “Who in the world would think that these rascals were worth gifting?”

AUTHOR’S NOTE.

I know the ending is a bit rushed, but I think it works for a quick writing exercise.

When I saw the prompt word, I was immediately reminded of a certain dungeon with certain enemies that were doing exactly that… I am sure most people in the community would agree with me that they were pretty annoying, especially when that sound effect booms through headphones.

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[why-raven]

“Men are April when they woo, December when they wed. Maids are May when they are maids, but the sky changes when they are wives.”

― William Shakespeare, As You Like It

[writeraven]

THE HOWLING BARK — 02

CHAPTERS: [ 01 | 02 | 03 ]

TAGS: [ isorawrites. » Sora Holmes Case Files ]

LINKS: [ Tumblr » Story, Project | AO3 » Work, Series ]

SHIPS: Murderomantiques; Laniaitte & Emmanellain.

MUSES: Sora Holmes, Yiune Watson.

NPC: Laniaitte de Haillenarte, Emmanellain de Fortemps.

FFXIVWrite: 2023 — 02.

bark /bɑːk/ noun; archaic・literary a ship or boat.

With the formalities out of the way, Laniaitte ushered Sora and Yiune into a treetop house with a great view of the rolling clouds on the horizon, which also served as the command room for the Rose Knights. In the middle of the cozy interior was a large rectangular table covered with a map. Some charting equipment scattered across the surface with a handful of dried leaves, the latter which Laniaitte swept off to the ground with a graceful wave.

“I shall get straight to the point,” Laniaitte began, moving a chess piece to the only other aetheryte marked on the map. “Even without the threat of the primal Bismarck, we have been maintaining the peaceful relationship with the Vanu Vanu tribes in the Ok’ Zundu village. ’Tis an oath I swore to Ser Syndrei when he came and aided my brethren to end the thousand-year bloodbath—and one I will keep at all costs, with my pride as both a knight of Ishgard and a member of House Haillenarte. And that I did.”

Laniaitte then shifted the pawn towards a small floating island marked with a red scarf. “The Redbills, however, is another story. Though their contributions to stop the ancient voidsent Diabolos from destroying the world were no small feats, these pirates view modus operandi like a poison to the freedom of the clear skies they seek.”

“So they prefer to stay in the gray,” Sora murmured, nodding slowly as she listened to Laniaitte. “A color that’s neither black nor white, its shade changing freely along the spectrum as they see fit.”

Shadows stretched across the room as the sun began to set, the rays streaming through the windows and lighting up the world map with a fiery glow. “Your brother had assured me that the Redbills were no threat—and I am more than happy to keep the current status quo. Aside from coming down to our camp to purchase supplies from time to time, we do not meddle in each other’s affairs unless absolutely necessary.” Laniaitte moved the chessman to a white space marked with an X. “Until this.”

Crossing her arms before her, the lady commander gazed out of the window, the solemn expression on her refined face plain in the setting sun. “Umbral wind is a common occurrence here in the Abalathia’s Spine, but the weather has suddenly taken for the worse in recent times.”

“Something unnatural must have happened,” Sora reasoned, her eyes locked onto the spot marked on the map. “And you believe that the cause is located there?”

“It began when the Redbills came to us one day about a strange sighting,” Laniaitte turned to face the young envoy and replied. “At first, they thought that the Void Ark was reactivated by unknown forces and moved on its own. They flew to the site where the Mhach ships were originally located and found no signs of foul play. Then, the Vanu Vanu tribes from Ok’ Zundu came to us about the story of ‘Tirpitz,’ an entity they believed to be related to Bismarck.”

“And you think they might be connected in some ways?”

Sighing, Laniaitte picked up a spyglass and twirled it in her hands. “I admit that I was skeptical about tall tales—I told my men to stay vigilant, and they were to report to me immediately if they notice any anomalies. It was a moon later when we finally saw it.”

“I-It?” Emmanellain spluttered, accidentally spilling some tea down his front. He had been watching the lady captain silently with unfocused eyes the whole time, and Laniaitte had forgotten that he was even in the room. “What… did you see?”

“The Howling Bark.”

Laniaitte smirked at the fear on Emmanellain’s pale face. She then kicked open a chest and pulled out some fur coats. “It’s going to be a long night, so I suggest that you all should keep yourselves warm. An umbral snowstorm usually accompanies its appearance.”

Sora’s face wrinkled at the winter clothes that Yiune was helping her to put on. “Well, I guess we aren’t able to escape the Ishgardian cold, after all.”

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[writeraven]

THE HOWLING BARK — 01

CHAPTERS: [ 01 | 02 | 03 ]

TAGS: [ isorawrites. » Sora Holmes Case Files ]

LINKS: [ Tumblr » Story, Project | AO3 » Work, Series ]

SHIPS: Murderomantiques; Laniaitte & Emmanellain.

MUSES: Sora Holmes, Yiune Watson.

NPC: Laniaitte de Haillenarte, Emmanellain de Fortemps.

FFXIVWrite: 2023 — 01.

envoy /ˈɛnvɔɪ/ noun a messenger or representative, especially one on a diplomatic mission.

Camp Cloudtop had never been this crowded since the Second Dragonsong War, as far as the commander of the Rose Knights could remember. Narrowing her gaze at a small airship approaching the landing amongst a sea of clouds, Laniaitte de Haillenarte recalled the letter from her brother, Stephanivien, of the Skysteel Manufactory:

Knowing him, I’m sure Inspector Briardien would be most delighted to accept your case and solve such an intriguing mystery for a fellow countryman. Alas, the inspector is still in Thavnair, where he was last sighted with a certain gentleman of light. He did recommended someone who might be equally interested, though Ser Briardien didn’t sound particularly thrilled about this person.

Turning the letter over, Laniaitte scrutinized at the missive attached. While some Ishgardians were acquainted with the Sharlayans in Idyllshire (that was later abandoned), it was the Second Final Days that truly brought the different nations together to combat a common threat. Thanks to the Warrior of Light and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, the song of oblivion had been silenced forevermore, and the realm was slowly but surely recovering from the scars of war and despair. Though Old Sharlayan might have re-opened its borders to foreign trades and talents, Laniaitte would never expect these conservative scholars to skip the political formalities and send an envoy straight to her post.

Once the airship was safely docked at the landing, the lady commander stepped forward with a temple knight’s salute. “Welcome to Camp Cloudtop. I am Laniaitte, captain of the Rose Knights. We have been expecting your arrival.”

“I appreciate the warm welcome.” Amongst the three figures that emerged from the airship, the speaker was a petite Xaela lass in a black Gothic dress. Her short silver hair shimmered under the midday sun, but the heat did not melt the iciness in her gray eyes. “All the more so when you look back at the frigid climate of Ishgard.” Next to her, a Veena maid trailed behind her mistress dutifully, and she appeared to be keeping the third company at a distance. The latter broke Laniaitte’s impassive face into a scowl.

“My lady!” Emmanellain de Fortemps spread his arms upon greeting his not-so-secret crush. His excitement faltered under Laniaitte’s narrow look, and he hastily turned his overbearing gesture into an awkward bow. “I-It’s such an honor to be graced by your radiating presence—”

“You can save the pleasantries for your little party affairs, young lord,” the lady commander cut him off, her tone as hard as her armor plate. “I do not recall requesting any assistance from House Fortemps.”

“Be at ease, Lady Laniaitte,” the Gothic Au Ra drawled with amusement. “We happened to encounter Lord Emmanellain in Old Sharlayan. The poor lad missed the last ferry to Limsa Lominsa, and we decided to take him along, since we have a common destination. Oh,” she paused to glance at her Viera maid. “He also offered to show us around his motherland as a token of gratitude, did he not?”

“Certainly he did, Milady,” the maid replied softly. Laniaitte couldn’t help raising an eyebrow at the mature voice that oddly contrasted with her meek appearance. “The young lord was most enthusiastic to take us to the Gold Saucer. Something about maidens in bunny outfits—”

“T-T-That’s for another time!” Emmanellain squeaked, shuddering at Laniaitte’s look of contempt with guilt. “But beautiful leporine ladies are a rare sight to behold!”

“I’m truly flattered by your gracious praise for my partner, but as you can see, we are here on an important business.” The corner of Laniaitte’s lips twitched slightly, intrigued by the young goth’s elegant comeback. With a curtsey, the horned visitor introduced herself proper.

“I am Sora Holmes, a mystery academician and acting envoy of Sharlayan—and this is my personal assistant, Yiune Watson. I accept your case at the behest of my brother and the Warrior of Light, Syndrei.”

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[writeraven]

THE HOWLING BARK

Lady Laniaitte de Haillenarte of the Rose Knights is a practical commander who does not believe in unfounded rumors of the largely peaceful Sea of Clouds. She has even less patience to deal with a certain young lord of another high house, whom she does not reciprocate his one-sided feelings for her. Until the appearance of a mysterious destroyer-class airship that can make the Void Ark a run for its money.

TAGS: [ isorawrites. » Sora Holmes Case Files ]

LINKS: [ Tumblr » Project | AO3 » Work, Series ]

FANDOMS: FFXIV | Sherlock Holmes.

VERSE: Heavensward » AU.

STATUS: Ongoing; ?? chapters.

GENRES: Crossover, Adventure, Mystery, Dark Humor.

SHIPS: Murderomantiques; Laniaitte & Emmanellain.

MUSES: Sora Holmes, Yiune Watson.

NPC: Laniaitte de Haillenarte, Emmanellain de Fortemps.

WARNING — Both Final Fantasy XIV and Sherlock Holmes series contain dark and mature themes; i.e. blood, death, crime and murder, violence, moral ambiguity, psychological horror, etc. See respective chapters for details.

CHAPTERS.

ENVOY: The Envoy from Old Sharlayan.

BARK: A Tall Tale Revealed.

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DISCLAIMERS.

SHERLOCK HOLMES CREATED BY ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE. FINAL FANTASY XIV © SQUARE ENIX. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.