ffxiv-f13ndish

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

A time to heal

(collab. write w/ @sorrel-haven [Kore] and @ro-valerius [Tofu])

Miyu had gotten more accustomed to starting off their days early in the morning, rather than late at night, for the past few months now. The change was especially helpful following their partners’ altercations with Tuturoko. For the past few days, Miyu had gotten up early to make their breakfasts and bring it up to them as they recuperated. 

Miyu resisted the urge to throw their pan as the omelet they attempted to fold only did so halfway. They took a fork and gently nudged the other half of the fold the rest of the way over. There, good as new. At the very least, they were able to keep the omelet mostly together and not burn the bottom this time… as they had done so with the first omelet, and the latter for the second. Third and fourth times seemed to be the charm – and as such, they bid the last two to be appropriate for their beloved ones. 

They set the burnt omelet to the side and plated the omelet-turn-scrambled on the tray alongside the two approved omelets. They finished the tray off with a bowl of raspberries, three cups of coffee, carefully plated and stacked silverware and napkins (which they went through the extra and unnecessary effort of folding), and buttered toast. If the omelets weren’t a challenge enough, carrying everything upstairs and bringing it to the room was another one in itself. Unable to turn the doorknob, they gave a tentative knock with their elbow.

Kore opened the door, a soft smile on her face as she saw Miyu. She took the cups off of the tray to relieve some of their burden. As Miyu entered the room, she nudged the door closed with her foot.

“Thank you, Rainbow,” she said as she leaned over to kiss their cheek.

“Thanks, lovely,” they said as their face warmed, returning the cheek kiss. Miyu carried the tray over and set it at the end of the bed, where they paused to peck Tofu on the forehead in greeting. “You two sleep okay?” Tofu offered a soft smile. 

“I slept fine,” he said, deciding not to bring up the minor episode that had occurred. Morpho took on most of the aether, so there was no blood this time. He really had to do more to thank that Cursebreaker. 

Kore handed Tofu and Miyu their mugs and then climbed into bed on the other side. She curled up and held the mug to her lips, taking in the warmth. She hadn’t slept well, but didn’t want to talk about it just yet. Caffeine first.

Miyu took a sip of their coffee as they moved over to Kore’s side, stepping over the array of pillows and blankets on the ground — where they had been sleeping. They set down their coffee beside them, picking up a brush instead. Miyu sat behind Kore and gently brushed her hair. No rush for her to say anything yet.

“I see. Well, if there’s anything else I can grab for you, just let me know and���” they trailed off as they turned their head to muffle a yawn against their shoulder.Tofu frowned slightly and sighed.

“You two…don’t have to worry so much, you know. Miyu, sleeping on the floor isn’t good for you, nor is it very restful. Sleep somewhere proper,” he murmured. He reached over and brushed a knuckle against Kore’s cheek. “Don’t worry so much that you don’t get any rest…” He tried to offer another smile, but there was a ghost of sadness in his eyes.

“I’m fine, it’s just a few flesh wounds. I’ll be fine.”

“I know you’ll be fine. My worries are… not your injuries this time. My imagination is not playing nice with my dreams,” Kore murmured before taking a sip of her coffee.

“The bench is too far away…” they grumbled, but changed their train of thought. Miyu’s brow tensed. They were more worried about Kore’s sleep, knowing well enough about stress and trauma-induced dreams. They’ve caught some glimpses of said dreams from their partner, but not enough for a full picture.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Miyu inquired. They set the brush down and started to braid her hair. Tofu affixed his gaze on Kore, a solemn yet thoughtful frown across his face. 

If Daen Lad were back, between them and Ro, they could target the troublesome memories and lock them away, like they did for Hana when they brought her home. His frown deepened. The same treatment could be used to aid Miyu with their phantom shoulder pain. But Daen Lad hadn’t returned yet, and there was no telling when they would. They were gone to get someone for his sake, if only they hadn’t found a solution so soon, they would be here to help his dear ones… But they were gone because of him. His hands tightened in his lap as he dropped his gaze, a light wince crossing his features as he tried to will himself to relax his grip.

“You needn’t worry about me either, Tofu. My mind will recover just as your injuries." Kore reached over and placed her hand over Tofu’s hand. He kept his eyes averted.

“The body will do what it must to survive, the mind…is not so easily mended,” he said, memories bubbling just below the surface. 

Miyu gave a faint hum in agreement, absentmindedly holding a hand to their shoulder.

“And it shouldn’t be something you merely have to endure on your own — it is  a heavy burden, and you surely deserve better…” Miyu’s hand stilled at the end of her braid, their eyes dropping. “You both deserve so much better.”

“We all do,” she said with a sad smile.

“If Daen Lad were here, they could help you both…” Tofu sighed. Miyu reached over and rested a hand on his cheek, thumb brushing fondly over his cheekbone.

“I’m fine, nothing I need any help with,” they assure. Their hand dropped with their gaze. Their thoughts wandered to a prior conversation with Virgil. “If anything, I should have been more help to both of you.”

“You’re not fine. You think I haven’t noticed?” Tofu remarked flatly.

Miyu cleared their throat as they took a sip of their coffee.

“Nevertheless, I hope Daen Lad returns soon. I miss their mischief. I do hope both of your breakfasts aren’t cold by the time they arrive, though,” Miyu playfully hummed with an attempt at a grin as they gently teased the two of them.

“I’ll take the hint,” Kore said with a chuckle, as she reached for the tray to scooch it closer. Tofu sighed and reached over, plucking a raspberry off the plate and popping it into his mouth. If Miyu wasn’t ready to talk yet, he’d just have to wait more. He did hope that Miyu hadn’t forgotten that they could trust him and Kore, that they could talk to them, and it might help. 

Miyu picked up their platter and set it on their lap. They poked at their scrambled up omelet with a fork. They were quiet for a moment as they thought. They couldn’t exactly encourage opening up without doing the same.

“It doesn’t… always hurt. Just when I think about him. And everything that happened that day,” Miyu explained after a period of silence. “I want to be better for both of you. I’ll keep on working on it.”

Miyu cracked a little grin.

“You know, I think we should take our vacation soon. Once everyone’s ready and wounds are mended, hm? Where would you two want to go, if you could go anywhere?” They peered up and glanced between Tofu and Kore. 

“You can’t keep saying stuff like that and then brushing it aside like it’s fine,” Tofu said immediately. “You don’t have to be better, you’re wonderful as you are.” He took a deep breath, attempting to settle his emotions. 

“As far as the phantom pain… Do you know about Hana? How she doesn’t remember her past? Daen Lad and Ro…they can help you forget the things that are causing you pain, even temporarily.”

“I don’t want to speak for Miyu, but I don’t wish to forget. I- I was scared, but… I want to remember you saving me,” Kore interjected. He blinked at her in surprise.

The faintest of smiles brushed their lips, and Miyu nodded in agreement. They gave Kore’s shoulder a soft rub.

“Thank you for the suggestion, darling. I’ll need some time to think. I’m not sure what I want to do,” they said. As Miyu took a long sip of their coffee, they appeared to examine Tofu.

“What about you? What do you want to do now?” they tentatively inquired. Tofu looked away, and something heavy weighed in his chest.

“I…do not know,” he murmured. 

For so long, all he knew was the cycle of violence perpetuated by Tuturoko. But now, after more than two decades, he was free from it. And he didn’t know how to move forward just yet. 

“I will go wherever you both go.”

“Then let's make happy memories to drown out the bad.” Kore leaned over and rested her head on Tofu’s shoulder.

A fond smile rested on Miyu’s features as they watched the two of them. Finally, another war was finished.

“I love you both entirely,” they shared with a sheepish lilt in their voice. Tofu reached over and took one of each of their hands in his, though he still kept his eyes averted.

“I treasure you both, please don’t ever think less of yourselves, either one of you… I wouldn’t be human without you,” he said softly. He scoffed lightly to himself. “Actually, I’m hardly human with you, either. When it comes to you two…” 

He trailed off, not really knowing how to articulate what he meant. The number of times he’d been called a monster… by himself, included. But if that was what it took to protect them, that is what he would become.

His thoughts were interrupted when Kore kissed him. She lingered for more than a heartbeat before pulling back. She pressed her forehead against his, letting out a soft sigh through her nose as she smiled.

“You are also our treasure, Poppy.”

“If we can’t think less of ourselves, the same goes for you, darling!” Miyu said with a stern expression, though a giggle escaped them. 

Treasure. A faint gasp escaped them as they recalled something. Without a word, they hopped off the bed and darted out the room.

“I didn’t mean necessarily in a bad wa- and they’re gone…” Tofu started, sighing heavily. Honestly, the miqo’te had more energy than they knew what to do with, with all of the rushing about they did. 

He smiled faintly, reaching over for another raspberry and leaning his head against the wall behind the bed. His eyelids sank slightly as he stared at the ceiling. Kore wasn’t the only one that tried to appear as though she were sleeping when she was not. Not that he had the same reasoning, but it was a bit difficult to sleep when every movement made something flare up. Another sigh escaped him. Maybe he would ask Blomma to find that salve Odetta gave them…

“Tired?” Kore asked as she brushed some hair from his face. “Perhaps we can try and nap.”

“Mm, I’m fine, you can try to nap though. After you eat something,” he said, the last words coming out a little pointed. Kore gave a slight pout before picking up a fork and having some omelet. After a few bites Kore offered Tofu one, giving him her own pointed look.

“Wh-what? Don’t give me that look…” he grumbled, taking the fork from her regardless and taking the bite. He handed it back to her.

“Two. Raspberries.” 

Tofu had the decency to give a sheepish smile. 

“R-right, nothing gets past you, huh?” he asked, almost nervous sounding. Angry Kore was not on his agenda of ‘things he wanted to deal with’ any time soon. She handed him his own fork.

“Ow! Quit biting!” a muffled voice said in the hall, followed by running and the sound of chocobo feet scuttling. 

Miyu quickly opened the door as they stepped inside and swung it closed, but nevertheless took care not to slam it on the excitable chocobo chick outside. They lingered at the door a moment longer as they caught their breath. Joy flapped his wings quickly from his makeshift nest on the desk, as if to be like ‘look how well behaved I am compared to her!’

“Hello, loves. I see you’ve enjoyed your two bites of breakfast,” Miyu said with a tired chuckle. They made their way back to the bed and sat in the middle, straight across from them. It took all their energy not to just flop forward. Miyu held out their hand to present two rings to them — ones which bore what looked to be a red, heart shaped gem in the middle.

Tofu tilted his head, leaning forward and inspecting the rings. A soft smile crossed his lips in recognition; the sea glass from their time at the beach. 

“Look, you were able to make two gifts out of it,” he said, a gentle tone colouring his voice. 

“For my two gifts,” Miyu mumbled as they took their hands one by one, slipping the rings onto their fingers.

“They’re beautiful Miyu,” Kore said as she put her hand next to Tofu’s to look at them together. Tofu stared at the rings quietly for a moment.

“...one for you, too…” a half murmur came out, as if he had only spoken part of a thought out loud.

“Hm?” Kore tilted her head at Tofu. He started slightly, not realizing he had said anything out loud.

“Oh. Uh. Just… you and I have matching rings, now, so I want to…make one for Miyu, too,” he admitted awkwardly. 

Miyu leaned forward, propping their chin up on their outstretched hands as they gazed up at the two of them.

“Hmm. Really, all I wish for in exchange is… some warmth. And my cheeks are awfully cold right now,” Miyu cheekily remarked with a doe-eyed flutter of their eyes. Tofu smiled softly and leaned forward, brushing his lips against their cheek.

“I’m still making you a matching ring,” he said with a half shrug. Kore giggled and kissed Miyu’s other cheek. 

“I love you, you’re so silly.” Kore smiled.

A sheepish smile grew with the rosy bloom across Miyu’s cheeks.

“I… I love you too. Come on now, you two — less flirting, more eating our breakfasts, hm?” the Miqo’te said with a bashful grin as they reached for a slice of toast. Tofu’s face flushed as he looked away.

“Y-you started it…” he grumbled.

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

Get Adored, Idiot

Tofu gets an unexpected (for him) visitor during his recovery (plus sowing the seeds of suspicion about the house being wrong)

Collab write featuring Dolly [@sorrel-haven]

Kore hadn’t left Tofu’s side for days as he recovered from the injuries sustained during the storming of Tuturoko’s hideout, where Kore had been taken. He could understand the concern, really, he could. But he couldn’t help but get that suffocated feeling again. Too long feeling enclosed once more. Though Kore had protested, he had moved to the bench by the window, leaning heavily against it with one knee up as he tilted his head back to watch the clouds roll by slowly. His head spun as his eyelids drooped slightly, as if to minimize the movement. With one hand, he ran his nails over the fabric of the seat below him, while the other rested on his knee.

Downstairs, Fiora sat at the dining room table, though for once, she wasn’t accompanied by heavy tomes. Instead, she had found the time to go back to her roots, combining potions and herbs and powders to see how they reacted. It was with a curious tilt of her head that she looked towards the door as a soft knock sounded.

Dolly didn’t actually wait for an answer. She closed the door softly behind her before walking over to Fiora. She reached up and grabbed onto Fiora’s skirt before turning her head to look at the stairs, then back to Fiora.

“Where is he. . ?” she asked, a hint of concern in her usually monotone voice. Fiora’s curious head tilt deepened slightly. 

“Tofu? He’s in Kore’s room, bed rest. Go straight from the stairs through the first door, then it’ll be the second door on the right,” she said. She had to wonder what brought Dolly to visit him, perhaps word had reached her somehow. Probably Lulu, if she had to guess. That woman knew too many things far too quickly…

“Thank you,” Dolly said with a curtsy before heading quickly upstairs. 

She paused at the door - she shouldn’t just walk in. She took in a breath and knocked, stepping back to resist letting herself in. Kore answered the door and gave a little smile.

“Tofu, I think you have a visitor,” she announced as she let Dolly in. Tofu had to resist the urge to say ‘If it’s Virgil, tell him no’ as he sat up straight, letting his head tilt as his eyes landed on Dolly.

“Oh, what brings you here?” he asked, a bit of curiosity shining through in his tone, but only a bit. He struggled to figure out the polite thing to do in that sort of situation, instead only letting his drawn up leg drop down so that he was sitting like a civilized and proper individual. 

“I heard you got hurt. . . Again,” Dolly frowned. Kore looked between the two and smiled.

“I’m going to go bother Veo,” she said, her grip tightening on the door handle a little as she did but willed herself to relax. Veo was also safety. Tofu’s lips turned down slightly as his brow furrowed in confusion.

“I get hurt a lot, it's nothing new,” he grumbled. “It's not even that bad…”

He looked over Dolly, as if he could understand what she was thinking by looking at her. She looked…concerned? What Odetta had said during their carriage ride ran through his mind. Dolly had been worried then, too, according to Odetta. But he didn't understand it. She hadn't cared about him up until recently. What changed…?

“You shouldn’t downplay your injuries, even if you’ve been in worse condition. . .” Dolly went over and climbed up onto the bench. She sat next to Tofu and looked up at him. “I. . . Am glad you’re not dying anytime soon though.” Though her words confused him further, he allowed a small smile as he looked out the window.

“Not until the kid gets better at assassination,” he said, a poor attempt at a half-joke. He looked back down at her. “I’m not downplaying because I’ve had worse, you know. Only one is particularly deep, and one is just in an inconvenient spot. The rest of my injuries are inconsequential.”

“Still. . . It makes me. . . Sad.” She looked down at her hands in her lap. He allowed his head to tilt once more.

“I don’t get it. Why?” he blurted. Dolly tilted her head this time.

“Well. . . I care about you, so it stands to reason, I am sad when you are hurt,” Dolly reasoned. “It’s the same with Odetta, Fiora, and Hana. I would be just as sad.”

“I do not understand. Why do you care, suddenly?” he asked before he could stop himself. He just couldn’t figure out what had changed, or when. Dolly was quiet for a while fiddling with the hem of her shorts. She looked up at him again.

“The way you continued to protect me. . . Despite my apathy. . . I found it endearing.” She averted her gaze and twirled the ends of her hair. He shook his head.

“You are a person, of course I would protect you. Anyone should,” he responded, looking away as well. His hands tightened in his lap. “I didn’t do anything special.”

“But you did. . . Even those that treat me like a person. . . They know I can’t be hurt like they can so I’m not on their mind to protect like that. Sure, Odetta will do her best to protect everyone, but I wouldn’t be prioritized like the others.” Her voice didn’t betray any emotion, she was simply stating a fact.

Tofu stared down at his hands, opening them and turning them palm up. He couldn’t see his scars through the bandages, but he knew they were there. He didn’t really know how to respond to any of that. It seemed so natural to him to protect Dolly, metal body or not. It was easy to prioritize her over himself, but would he prioritize her over someone else? He let his hands fall limp. It didn’t matter if she was made of metal. If there were multiple people in danger, even if one of them were a doll or unable to be hurt, he would try to protect them all.

“Maybe that is my failing,” he murmured, not realizing he had said as such out loud. When he heard the sound of his own voice, he jolted a little. “T-to want to protect everyone else, no matter what, I mean.”

“That’s what makes you special.” She tilted her head. “You would defy even the gods if told you can only save one. And I. . . I love that.” His face warmed with embarrassment as he turned away to hide it. 

“Y-yes well, who said Gods get to decide who lives and who dies…” he stammered. He was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. “I'm used to you not caring. It's a little jarring…”

Dolly didn’t quite understand why she changed her mind so wholly on people herself. She never questioned it before either. All she knew, all she cared to know, was that she loved Tofu. She scooched closer to him, not looking up at him.

“Odetta has likened my temperament to that of a fickle moogle,” Dolly said as she twirled her hair. “I don’t see it though. . .” Tofu reached over, still not looking at her, and ruffled her hair lightly.

“I have removed all interactions with moogles from my memory, I couldn’t tell you,” he said, trying once more to crack a joke. Humour was not his strong suit. Dolly chuckled lightly, something Tofu had never heard from her before.

“Moogles are not that bad. There are more than a few that are friends of the Sorrel family.” Tofu gave her a look, something between annoyance and disgust, but not directed at her.

“Those things… So many chores for no reason, and not enough time to justify it…” he grumbled. 

With that off his chest, it occurred to him that she had, indeed, laughed. He tilted his head with a furrowed brow, trying to recall if he had heard her laugh before. Or express any emotion vocally. He turned away once more, a soft smile playing at the corners of his lips. The joke had done its job, at least.

“Are you conflating Shroud moogles with Dravanian Moogles? Shroud moogles are much more polite,” Dolly said with a nod punctuating the last statement. Tofu gave another look as his expression fell. 

“...Good King Moggle Mog the XIIth…” he muttered, remembering the encounter with a shudder. Morpho fluttered over, landing on his shoulder, the only warning sign he got for the attack that followed. 

He held a hand to his chest and winced, hoping this one wouldn’t be too bad… Morpho kept the pain from the aether to a minimum, though his head spun like mad and his ears rang so loudly, he had to stop himself from covering them with both hands. What awful timing… Though, he supposed it was better than if Kore and Miyu were both there. He had worried them enough as it was. 

Dolly’s face contorted with worry. She couldn’t help him through the episode, but before she could think, she was wrapping her small arms around his arm closest to her. She hated that her magics couldn’t help him. But she could comfort him. Her “skin” was cool with a warmth just underneath. Her actions surprised him. Fickle as a moogle, indeed…

As the episode faded and the ringing subsided, he reached out and laid his hand on her head, patting her gently. This side of her was certainly different from what he was used to from her. Perhaps this was more akin to her actual personality, and the rest was a mask, but who was he to say. It didn’t really matter. 

“Sorry to worry you, I’m alright now, it didn’t last long,” he murmured. Dolly let out a soft sigh.

“I think most of it was upset that I couldn’t do more to help. . .” She didn’t let go of his arm for a moment longer. “My abilities just would make things worse for you.” He shook his head.

“No one can really do much of anything about it. It’s something I just have to wait out,” he said, trying to offer a reassuring smile. Dolly sighed once more but then smiled in return. 

“I hope you get better soon.” She stood up on the bench and gently patted his head. He met her eyes, a hard to read expression on his face, until he had to avert his gaze. 

“Th-thanks,” he murmured. Dolly tilted her head with a small smile. She gently pushed and prodded until he was in a position to sit in his lap. She looked up at him as she leaned back to rest against him. Tofu barely suppressed a wince as she prodded at some of his injuries, but in her defense, she didn’t know where he was injured.

“You’re silly. . .” she smiled. He gave her a look and titled his head.

“How so…?” he asked.

“Embarrassed by a head pat,” she said with a giggle. Tofu averted his gaze again with a soft groan. 

“I-I’m not… It’s just…” he grumbled, but he didn’t have it in him to finish his thought. He sighed and looked back out the window. Soft clouds billowed across the sky as his eyes drooped, though not from weariness. 

“Is something the matter?” Dolly asked, with a slight frown. He sat in silence as he watched the clouds for a moment, unsure if he could admit it. In the end, he did.

“I never…got treated as a kid. Never got doted upon, stuff like that. I was always a bother, or a punching bag,” he started, reaching up and touching his hair. “I’m not…used to things like head pats.”

He felt silly admitting it, felt silly for it affecting him so. But it wasn’t unpleasant. Confusing, but not unpleasant. He just didn’t see a reason for people to treat him as such, he’s not a kid anymore, the time for all of that had passed. It was indeed embarrassing for someone to do something like give him head pats. 

“Maybe it’s not too late to get used to such things.” She settled back into leaning against him. “Not that you’re a child, but being treated with soft affection is nice every now and then.”

Tofu didn't know how to respond. He definitely felt like it was too late to get used to such things, but he didn't have the heart to disagree with her. It was possible that he was… afraid of being soft, of becoming soft. His world up until then didn't have space for that sort of thing. 

In the world he grew up in, being soft meant death. 

“You could probably allow moments of soft affections now that you have less to worry about,” Dolly said in the face of Tofu’s silence, taking a guess at what he was thinking. Tofu’s expression tensed.

“Maybe…” he murmured, but he wasn’t sure if he meant it. His hands clenched, bringing a flicker of a wince across his features as he had to make an effort to relax them. There was a lot he wasn’t sure if he was ready for. There was much and more of himself that he didn’t know if he could entrust to anyone else just yet. Just because his monster was dead, didn’t mean that he was safe… 

“Mm. Just something to consider. . .” Dolly said, unsure of whether her words were helping or not. “I should let you rest. . . Without my pestering. . .” His eyes narrowed at the clouds billowing past the window.

“It’s not pestering at all. I’ve had plenty of time to rest, I assure you I don’t need more right away,” he grumbled, as if he didn’t want her to leave quite yet.

“. . . If you say so.” She wanted to stay. 

Dolly sat with him for a while in silence. She watched Tofu watching the clouds. Her mind wandered to when he held her after carrying her through the portal out of the library. She felt so safe then. Someday she hoped he could feel that same safety.

“When did you last get some fresh air?”

“Not since Fa-el brought us back,” he said with a sigh, pressing a hand to his upper thigh without realizing it. Between the archer and Tuturoko, putting pressure on his leg was ill-advised, not that it’d stop him if he tried. Dolly looked at Tofu’s hand on his leg and hummed.

“Did you injure your leg?” she asked quietly. He jolted slightly, moving his hand away from his leg. 

“Oh, uh, it’s not that bad,” he said, though he offset his lie with a truth. “I can still walk, at least.” Though Kore had protested his movement from the bed to the window seat, he had managed without his leg crumbling beneath him.

“Perhaps. . .” Dolly looked to a chair in the corner of the room. “If I were to enchant the chair to fly, could you sit in it?” He tilted his head.

“What for?” he asked. 

“To get you out of the house. I would hate it if your leg were to actually get hurt by walking too much, but. . . You keep looking at the clouds so. . .” She trailed off looking away and twirling her hair, suddenly feeling silly for suggesting it. 

Tofu blinked in surprise. Had he been staring so longingly out the window? He hadn’t been paying attention to what he was actually doing. And for her to be so concerned about it… He sheepishly averted his gaze, fiddling with a string on his shirt. 

“A-ah, I…see. N-no need to go through the trouble, I can walk, it’s more of being allowed to get up, I guess,” he stammered. 

“Well you don’t need permission to fly in a chair!” Dolly exclaimed with an intensity not normally in her voice. Tofu didn’t know what to do in the face of that intensity.

“I-I assure you, I can walk, anyone who would raise a brow is most likely otherwise occupied,” he tried to reason. The idea of being carted around on a magic flying chair when he could walk on his own - well or not wasn’t the question - was…mortifying. 

Dolly crossed her arms in thought. Gods, he was prideful… No matter, plan B it would have to be. Dolly stood and moved a little away from Tofu to summon her staff from the compartment in her back. She tapped it twice on the ground as it grew taller to better suit Tofu’s height. 

“Can you at least use this as a walking stick?” she asked, an almost puppy dog look on her face.

He didn't respond as he made an attempt to stand on his own, keeping his gaze averted. Perhaps he did have too much pride, or perhaps he simply was afraid of being weak in front of others. Perhaps it was both. Stubbornly, he made it two steps before his leg buckled slightly. He caught himself on the window seat and glared down at the ground.

“...Hand me the staff...” he grumbled. Dolly gave him a blank look.

“‘Can walk’ huh?” Dolly asked flatly before bonking Tofu with the staff. Not hard but enough that he felt it. 

“H-hey, ow…” he groaned, giving her a look. “I can I just…didn’t brace myself is all…”

“Sure,” she said flatly as she held out the staff for him to take. Tofu sighed and took it from her, using it to stand back up. He glanced at her, as if to indicate for her not to fall behind, and started for the door.

Dolly hopped off the bench and quickly made her way over to the door, opening it for Tofu. She tilted her head as she watched him walk. Though he tried to hide it, he couldn’t stop himself from limping slightly. Her eyes drooped as she wished his injuries would heal quickly, she didn’t like seeing him like this, but he didn’t notice her melancholy as he made his way to the stairs.

He was careful on his way down to keep the majority of his weight off his injured leg, taking the stairs one at a time. He was also careful to keep his expression neutral, though the trek wasn’t comfortable by any means. Fiora looked up from the table as he made it to the ground floor, tilting her head at him. 

“...Your leg-” she started with a murmur.

“Is fine,” he finished for her, turning away from her and making for the door.

“He refused a flying chair,” Dolly huffed as she followed him out. “I got him to accept the staff though.”

“Impressive that you got the stubborn man to agree to anything. Unless it was less about accepting and more because he had no choice…” Her eyes roamed up and down his aether, as if she could discern more than his stance with her limited vision. Tofu refused to look back at her, opening the door and stepping out without a word.

Dolly gave Fiora an exaggerated shrug so that she could see. She put a hand on the door as she looked back at Fiora.

“He needed some fresh air. . .” Dolly said matter-of-factly. Fiora shot her retreating brother a look.

“I’m sure,” she said flatly. 

Tofu ignored them both as he made his way over to the wooden deck off to the side of the yard, trying to sit normally, but plopping heavily onto it with a barely stifled wince. He leaned back against the railing, tiling his head back and closing his eyes. The breeze did much to clear his head. Somehow, being inside the house was starting to make him dizzy. Maybe it was just that he missed the fresh air, but it was starting to feel…odd.

“Feel better?” Dolly asked as she climbed up onto the bench next to him. She took the staff from him and set it nearby so it wouldn’t fall over. He nodded slightly.

“Much clearer…” he murmured, the tension that had been behind his features softening. Dolly scooched closer and gave him a look over. She smiled softly at him with a hint of relief.

“Good. . . Maybe you should get a crutch for while you recover. Outside air does you good, and clearly you shouldn’t push your luck with that leg.” Dolly spoke softly so only he would hear if someone else was in the area.

“I’ll be fine,” he said softly, opening his eyes to stare at the wisps of clouds above. “I won’t push myself too hard.” 

He sat up, turning his attention towards the house. The longer he stared, the more he wondered if it was all in his head. The dizziness, the static. But no one else seemed to feel any of that. He narrowed his eyes at the house.

“Did you…happen to notice anything strange about the house…?” he asked, almost as if he weren’t sure if he should bring it up. She was quiet as she considered his question.

“There- there was something. We. . . Felt something. . . But it wasn’t clear if it was actually felt at all. I thought maybe it was just the general mood making the ambient aether. . . Off?” Dolly said, wrestling with trying to find the words. Her face contorted as she stared hard at the ground, perturbed at the vagueness she was able to get out.

He looked down at her, noting her expression, and sighed slightly. Whatever it was he felt in the house, there was no use in worrying her about it, too. He reached out, patting her softly on the head, offering a slight smile.

“Probably just the mood affecting the aether, yeah. Or something else Ro’s done. I’m sure it’s nothing, no need to fret,” he murmured reassuringly. His eyes did flicker back to the house, and while he didn’t show it on his face, he wasn’t sure if he believed his own words. Something was off, but he was the only one affected. It was something he would have to figure out on his own. 

“Why is it when you say things like ‘no need to fret’ it just. . . Compels me to fret? Even when I wasn’t in the first place!” Dolly said as she gave him a vexed glance and crossed her arms. Tofu drew back his hand slightly, hovering between himself and her awkwardly as he stared at her in surprise.

“I-I seem to get that a lot, though I’m not sure why…” he grumbled, curling his fingers as he pulled his hand back in front of him, turning his hand palm up, as if the hidden faint scars offered an answer. 

“Perhaps. . . You hide too much behind that sentiment? We notice you say not to worry when people should worry. . . at least a little,” Dolly said with a small pout. Tofu frowned slightly. 

“No one should have to worry at all about me,” he said softly, closing his hand and lowering his head. “Besides, it’s just the air in there, it really is probably nothing.”

“Worry is a result of people caring about another’s well being. You’re saying I shouldn’t care?” Dolly asked before she could stop herself.

“Why should anyone care about me?”

“Why should anyone care about anyone?” Dolly retorted back. Tofu opened his mouth to answer but Dolly ran over his words.

“It’s a stupid question! You can’t ask such things without opening yourself up to the same scrutiny.” She stood on the bench and took his face in her hands, squishing his cheeks a little. “Do you care about people? Don’t answer that, cause it’s another stupid question, of course you do! You care deeply, it’s evident in your actions. Everyone cares about something, whether it’s friends, family, lovers or even themself! People. Care. We care because that’s what makes us. . . It’s what makes me. . . a person.”

Dolly felt something in her chest, she brought a hand to where her heart would be. She had heard of people’s hearts skipping a beat, but she didn’t have one, so what…? Dolly’s eyes began to shimmer, first with a soft light, then from the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She reached up to her face and wiped away a tear, looking at it on her finger. 

“Wh-What is this?” Dolly asked as the tears continued to gather and spill over. She was crying. She hadn’t been built to cry, so… How? She dropped to her knees on the bench as she tried to combat the tears rolling down her cheeks.

The denials and arguments died on his lips at her own revelation that she is indeed a person, and all else was gone at the sight of her tears. Gently, he pulled her into his chest, resting his hand on the back of her head. 

“Don't fight the tears. It's okay, don't fight them,” he murmured. “I'm sorry, Dolly…”

Dolly clung to Tofu, burying herself in his embrace. She let out all the pent up emotions she had been accumulating. All the sorrow, the rage, the happiness... They all mixed together as she sobbed into Tofu’s chest. Her body was not made for this, but her soul remembered. The release was a relief, a weight being lifted that she hadn’t realized she carried. 

“I- I don’t understand. . . How is this happening?” she got out between sobs. A thought occurred to him and he chuckled lightly into her hair. 

“Something as miraculous as a doll gaining a soul has already occurred, and you are questioning gaining the ability to cry?” he said softly. He gently pulled her away from his chest, reaching up with both hands to swipe away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. A warm smile crossed his lips. 

“You are so full of miracles and wonders, that it would not surprise me if you even began to grow taller over time.”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous. . .” she said as she looked away with her eyes, the embarrassment clearly written on her face, and though she still lacked the ability to blush, it wasn’t hard to imagine it happening in that moment. Another soft chuckle escaped him as he ruffled her hair, though he immediately smoothed her hair back into place before she could protest. 

He leaned back against the deck railing again, tilting his head back as his eyes trailed along the wispy clouds once more. His head was much clearer out in the yard, and though his injuries settled into a dull throb across his body, he could easily ignore them. But for once, his mind was quiet, the world was quiet. Like this…it was easy to feel at peace. 

His monster was dead. 

And the peace came crashing down around him. With that singular thought, his guilt welled back up in his chest. Yes, his monster was gone. But he still remained a monster. Those who had sided with Tuturoko had done so because Tofu had wronged them, and Tuturoko offered them a chance at vengeance. Loved ones that he had taken, lives he had crumbled to dust in his very hands…

M’ezzo.

He had taken so many lives, why did hers weigh so heavily on his chest? She had tried to kill Kore. She had caused so much suffering for Miyu. His dear ones, affected so heavily by this one woman and yet…

He reached out with one hand towards the sky, watching the light filter between his fingers. Could things have ended up differently? Was there any chance that they could have come to an understanding? Why did it bother him so? He let his hand fall to his side once more, a tension across his expression that he could not shake.

“Tell me. . . what’s on your mind? I’ll cry if you won’t,” Dolly said as she scooched closer again and leaned on Tofu. She was joking about the crying part… Mostly. He didn’t look down at her as he thought about how to answer the question.

“I’m not sure if there’s an easy explanation for that, if I’m being honest,” he mumbled. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. “Uncertainty, mostly.”

“Talking it out helps, I hear. Even if there’s nothing to be done, saying it out loud helps sort through the confusion,” Dolly said as she fiddled with the ends of her hair. Tofu cracked open his eyes to stare up at the sky once more. 

“I am not sure if I could articulate it properly.” He sighed deeply and sat up. “It’s fine, anyway.”

The door opened and Ying stepped out, a tray in hand. She tilted her head curiously at Tofu and Dolly before making her way over and setting the tray on the table. It was topped with a tea set and an assortment of snacks, some sweet, and some savory; she knew Tofu wasn’t particularly fond of sweets. She looked up at Tofu and smiled brightly, signing enthusiastically at him with a soft giggle. 

“Oh, uh, thanks, Ying,” he said, averting his gaze slightly for a brief moment, but looking back over to catch her signing something else at him. He frowned lightly and crossed his arms. “Yeah, yeah. Point taken.” She giggled again, and he sighed. With a light wave, she headed back inside.

“She uh…brought snacks for you, too, even though she wasn’t sure if you could eat,” Tofu said, looking over at Dolly. 

“I don’t need to but I can eat and drink, not sure what happens to it. . . Perhaps my body breaks it down to pure aether? I’ve never questioned it,” she said as she picked up a cookie and began to nibble on it. 

Tofu made a small hum of understanding as he reached out and poured himself a cup of tea. He leaned back and held it with both hands as he stared into the copper depths, letting a silence envelop them. He took a sip, letting the refreshing, floral notes dance across his tongue. He wasn’t much of a connoisseur of teas, but he liked the ones that Blomma tended to bring home. 

“She also told me she wouldn’t carry me if my leg failed,” he said, finally breaking the silence. He had intended for it to be humorous but after the words passed his lips, he realized just how it came out.

“If only you had a flying chair. You wouldn’t need to worry about that then,” Dolly said without looking at him. “Jests aside, it would be a good idea to take it slow getting back up the stairs.” Tofu hummed noncommittally. 

“I’ll be fine,” he murmured. 

He was already dreading going back into the house. He set his cup down and rested his arms on his knees, linking his hands together. He usually did prefer being outside than in the house but the house never made him flat out dizzy before. Maybe one of Ro's warding spells was reacting with his curse. He really didn't know. A soft sigh escaped him.

“Well no need to worry about that at the moment. There’s a nice breeze right now,” she said as she watched the wisteria flowers drift lazily, the sun poking through the boughs.

“A-ah, right. Should just…focus on the present,” he said, glancing warily at the house before leaning back again and turning his eyes back to the clouds. This time, he was more aware of his actions, wondering why indeed he felt so compelled to stare at the sky. As if there were something he desired in that far flung expanse…

Freedom. 

The thought struck him as odd; it wasn’t as if he were particularly restricted. Only when he had heavy injuries to recover from. Perhaps it was the repetitive nature of the Thanalan landscape. He hadn’t ventured out much since Ishgard…

“...Perhaps, when I’ve healed enough, I’ll see about anything Tataru needs of me…” he muttered, though it didn’t seem to be directed at Dolly. It was likely he hadn’t realized he had spoken the words aloud. 

“I’m sure the scions have missed you. Odetta and Nel have been busy with jobs for them,” Dolly said as she grabbed another cookie. “Lament shifted their focus to the Lemures but Odetta dragged them by the ear to help out F'lhaminn the other day.” Tofu jolted slightly as he realized he must have, indeed, said the words aloud. 

“R-right. I do hope I haven’t left too much work for them to do in my absence…” he grumbled, thinking about how often he’d had to take time off due to injury. With any luck, though, with his life long nuisance gone, he wouldn’t have any need for more time off. At least, not for injuries sake. 

“They seem no more busy than normal with Scion work. With most of the Sorrels being Echo blessed, they tend to get a lot of missions.”

“That’s good, then,” he said, though a series of thoughts crept in that brought a light frown across his features. 

If there were others with the Echo, others who were stronger than he, why did the Scions really need him? Why did it matter to them if he got hurt, if there were others who could do a better job? Why did Y’shtola get on his case so hard about not resting between injuries…? They could just replace him, and it would be fine, right?

“They miss you, you know,” Dolly said as she dipped her head into his sight line. Tofu blinked and tilted his head at her. “The Scions. They all miss you, I heard a few asking after you. Tataru was insistent they let you rest.” Tofu’s eyes slid away as the frown returned to his face. 

“I…doubt that it’s anything like that. They probably just have things they need me for, is all,” he murmured. 

“No, it’s exactly like that. They wish for you to get better for the same reason I wish it. You don’t need to put a motive to it, it simply is how we feel,” Dolly said with a bit of a huff. Tofu’s hand clenched in his lap before he had to will himself to loosen it up. 

“I…get it. I do. I just don’t-” His mouth clamped shut with an audible click. He had to stop himself from completing the thought; it would only make her upset if he were to voice it. He’s already made her cry for the first time, he wasn’t keen on making her cry again. 

“You’re probably right. Sorry, Dolly,” he murmured.

“. . . You are very dumb sometimes. Not all the time, you are smart. But ignoring the evidence in front of you that people like you and care about you is a little-” she sighed, that wasn’t a productive train of thought. “I know the world has not always been kind to you, so it’s hard to accept now that people care. . . But people have always cared, unfortunately, you didn’t meet the ones that care first.”

“It’s less ignoring it and more…not understanding it. It’s fine. I’ll figure it out,” he said, leaning back to stare at the sky once more. The sun was starting to set, the sky taking on a gradient of orange to blue. He sighed softly. 

“If a doll can cry. . . I’m sure you will figure it out,” Dolly said as she leaned against him again. Tofu drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Yeah, weirder things have happened, I suppose,” he murmured. 

“You have time. . . We have time. . . To become more acquainted with being people,” Dolly said with a soft sigh.

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

The Futures We Give

Tofu was back in bed again. To be fair, he had taken a lot of damage against Tuturoko and his lot, but it was finally over. He leaned his head against the wall behind the bed and sighed heavily, staring up at the ceiling through half-open eyes. He really hated being relegated to bed…

Kore and Miyu had gone downstairs, so he expected it to be them returning when the door opened. However, a small pink head peeked in carefully instead. He blinked and sat up straighter, tilting his head at Hana as she seemed to hesitate. She stared at him, nose wrinkled at the overwhelming scent of iron. She squared her shoulders and walked in, making her way over to the bed and settling at his side.

After all, she knew now why the smell of iron made her so nauseous. And she wasn’t going to let that stop her from seeing her beloved brother this time. She scooted until she was close enough to feel his body heat, but was careful not to press up against him; she didn’t know where he was hurt and didn’t want to cause him any discomfort. 

Tofu reached over to pat her gently on the head and she leaned into his hand. He pulled her into his chest, avoiding the worst of his injuries. She buried her face in his chest, trying not to think too hard about the smell of iron. 

“What brings you here, Hana? It doesn’t make you sick…?” he murmured gently into her hair. She shook her head and pulled away.

“I won’t lie and say that it doesn’t, but I know why, now. And I won’t let that man keep winning. I won’t let that man stop me from seeing my brother during the scariest times,” she whispered. Tofu’s eyes narrowed at the mention of the man that had once owned Hana, a rage building in his chest. But the man was long dead, Ro was sure of that. He smoothed down Hana’s hair.

“Your big brother is going to be fine, there’s no need to worry about me,” he said softly. Her brow furrowed as a pout spread across her lips, her hand tightening around the fabric of his shirt. 

“Dummy. Stinky. You… You could have died,” she grumbled. Tofu cupped her face gently with both hands, smiling even though he knew she wouldn’t be able to see it. 

“I’m not going anywhere. I have to make sure you have a safe future to look forward to,” he said. Her eyes widened briefly before she went back to pouting at him. 

“You should live for yourself, too, you know…”

“I know, I know,” he sighed, running a thumb across her cheek. “In time, maybe. For now, this is all I’ve got.”

Her expression saddened as she lowered her eyes. After a moment of quiet between them, she lifted her eyes back to him, cupping his face in return, a stubborn and determined expression overtaking her features. 

“Then I will make sure that you have a happy future to look forward to. I promise,” she said, letting a smile shine through brightly. Tofu pulled her back into his chest, resting his chin on the top of her head.

“You make every moment happy, Hana.”

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

Last Stand

Tuturoko doesn't realize just how dangerous Tofu actually is.

He's about to find out.

Semi-collab write with @sorrel-haven [Kore]

Tuturoko had finally figured out the perfect plan. If he couldn’t corner the rabbit alone, he could bait him into coming to him. To enter their hideout, and get at him with everything they had. And what better way to bait the rabbit than by using his most treasured? He had thought for a while about how he would get her, and it finally occurred to him. He was ready. 

--

In the Goblet, a young man, barely into his teenage years, was curled up in the middle of the road, blood pooled around him as he gasped for breath. The sun beat down on him relentlessly as it hung directly above him; mid-afternoon, the height of the day. 

Kore was headed home; she had been training with Noelani for old times' sake. She stretched her arms above her head, looking forward to a hot bath. It was then she saw the young man on the ground. She rushed to his side and gave a cursory look over the boy. She spied the blood and began channeling a small healing spell. She didn’t have her astrolabe on her for anything bigger, but she could at least get him well enough to be moved.

Before the viera could notice that the boy was not actually injured, he reached up with a syringe and a wild smirk, plunging it into the side of her neck and injecting the drug into her. It was fast acting, and the woman was down before she could register what was happening to her. He held a finger to his ear, activating the linkpearl.

“It is done, all as planned,” he said, wiping the fake blood off of his face, though at most all he did was smear it around. He just had to wait for the others to get there to move the woman to their hideout. Then, that man would be theirs. 

--

Fiora and Tofu had been seated at the dining table, her with a thick tome, and him with his knives and a whetstone. For a while, they were silent with their respective tasks. Suddenly, Fiora’s eyes flashed to black, and she was Fa-el. 

“Vira,” she said. Tofu started slightly at the sudden break in the silence and looked at her. “They’re using Vira as a beacon. They want us to find them.” She looked at Tofu and smirked. “Why don’t we give them what they want, then?” Her smirk fell and her brow furrowed. 

“I can get Kor-”

“He has her.”

Tofu’s expression hardened as he stood up quickly. Without another word, he made for the door, Fa-el following immediately after. There wasn’t time to get anyone else, if he didn’t make it in time, Tuturoko would deem her useless and kill her. But he had an indestructible voidsent with him, he had enough for that rat. After a few feet, Fa-el overtook him and led the way. 

--

Tuturoko paced in front of the cage expectantly. He knew the drug wouldn’t last forever, and he did so enjoy the art of torment. The woman looked almost peaceful, curled up as she was in the middle of it. She may not be his target, but pain is pain, and he would revel in it. Now, he just had to wait for her to awaken…

There. She stirred. 

Kore clutched her head as she sat up, the little light in the room piercing her skull. What happened? She was helping that kid and then… She looked around trying to get her bearings. Then her eyes fell on Tuturoko. She clenched her jaw as she stared daggers at him.

“Well well well… You really are too trusting, too helpful. No wonder you let yourself get wrapped up with that rabbit,” he said, almost coyly. 

“Your voice is like nails on chalkboard,” she growled, her accent thickening. A poisonous smile spread across his face.

“Good,” he responded. “It will be easier to torment you than I thought, then.” 

“I’ll rip out your tongue,” she spit back. He leaned forward and tapped on the bar before stepping away again.

“I’d like to see you make the attempt from in there, and with those drugs still coursing through your veins. Speaking of, it might be time for another dose,” he said with a smirk. With a faint whoosh, a dart whizzed by his head and found purchase in her neck once more. He watched with a wide smile as she collapsed once more.

--

The cage had been moved off to the side of the room, and the beast woman allowed a bit of Vira’s aether shine through, along with a message. Surely, this would be a mistake. She knew it was a mistake, to use his dear one against him, to show him the way there. Even with the numbers they had, the rabbit knew no mercy when his loved ones were in danger. In any case, the cage was out of the way. She had no qualms with the woman within, and it would be a shame to trip on the damn thing during the fighting. 

A shout came from the stairwell as a body came tumbling down, landing with a harsh thud, arms at angles they should not be at. That was all the warning the rest got before the rabbit was down the stairs, charging the nearest person and burying his knife up to the hilt in their chest. Nhagi’s eyes narrowed at him as she took slow, deliberate steps towards him, summoning a handful of wolves with her. With a quick gesture, they attacked him at once.

They did not get very far, however, as Fa-el swept through them with a single motion, her claws tearing them easily. She locked eyes with Nhagi, rage evident even in her abyssal eyes. She crouched low before launching herself at Nhagi.

“Your fight is with me, woman,” she growled. “You house my beloved, and she will be returned to me.”

Tofu rushed past them, letting Fior- …Fa-el take care of the beast mage. He grabbed a young man, the one that had served as bait, by the face and slammed him into the ground, barely noticing the crunch of skull under his hand. Before the others could register what had happened, he was up and gunning for the next victim. 

As he placed his hand against the chest that now held his knife to extract it, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. A small hand axe had found purchase. With a growl, he dislodged his knife and turned on the attacker, striking him down with a swipe to his throat. His eyes landed on the cage off to the side, and on Kore lying still within. 

��Kore!” 

His shout echoed through the hideout, and if the chaos hadn’t alerted the others to his presence already, the shout surely did. Two more attackers fell at his blade as he tried to make his way to the cage. A bigger axe barreled down on him from his left. He turned and blocked the blade with his knife, letting the momentum carry the axe to the ground beside him as he leapt up, wrapping his legs around their shoulders before grabbing their head with both hands. With a sickening twist, the body crumpled to the ground beneath him. 

Tofu turned to face another attacker, hearing their footsteps from behind him, eyes widening for but a fraction of a second as the end of a lance met his side. He grabbed the shaft and snapped it at the base of the blade, pulling the attacker closer with it and opening them up from waist to shoulder, then sliding his knife across their neck. 

He felt two arrows dig into his thigh, brushing aside the pain to find the source. There, behind the cage. He sheathed his knife and pulled a throwing knife from the pouch at his hips, aiming for the space between their eyes, but the wound in his shoulder flared and he missed his mark. As he clutched his shoulder with one hand, he sprang forward, ducking under another shot and reaching out, grabbing the woman by the throat and knocking her to the floor. As she glared up at him, he took out another throwing knife and jammed it into her eye.

“Tofu…” Kore murmured as her hand went to her forehead. Tofu’s face changed at the sound of her voice. He turned and put his hands around the bars, eyes scanning her. She seemed mostly unharmed.

“Kore, I’m right here, I’m going to get you out-” he started gently, catching a glint of steel from the corner of his eye and jumping back to avoid the blade. 

His eyes narrowed as he took in the three people that surrounded him; one woman and two men. He ducked under the swing of a hammer, stepped back to avoid a dagger, then winced as the third blade raked across his side. 

He dropped low, knocking the feet out of one of the two men with a swift kick, before popping back up and slamming the heel of his palm into the other man’s nose, ignoring the crack as he whirled to face the woman. He drew his knife once more and stabbed her in the stomach, swiping the blade outward. The man he had knocked down made his way back to his feet, dagger poised and ready to attack. Tofu leaned out of the way and grabbed his hand, squeezing until the bones broke and the dagger clattered to his feet.

Kore heard the dagger slide close to the cage, crawling over and reaching for it. Her fingertips touched the blade and she pulled it closer. She grabbed the hilt and pulled it in with her before pulling back from the bars as she tried to blink the spots in her vision away.

Tofu pulled the man by his broken hand and ran him through with his knife. He had noticed Kore arm herself with a measure of relief. Two more charged at him, one with a mace and the other with a dagger. The one with the mace brought the spiked weapon down, aiming for his head. He stepped back to avoid the hit, then back towards them both, kicking one into the other, sending them both crashing into the cage. 

Kore lunged forward and stabbed both of them through the bars. She took the dagger they had and pulled back again. She flexed her fingers on the hilts and breathed in, trying to focus her vision coming back to her. Her head pounded but the adrenaline brought some clarity.

As soon as Tofu realized that Kore had taken care of the two that had come into her range, he cast a look around. Outside of Tuturoko, there were two left. As they began to charge at him, he sought to take them off guard by charging back. One held a knife, ready to slice him across the chest, but he grabbed the blade and disarmed them easily, bringing his own knife around and burying it in the side of their neck. With force, he followed through, nearly decapitating them in the process, before turning his attention to the last one. 

They froze, a look of wide eyed fear on their face as it sank in that they were alone against this monster. That hesitation brought their swift end as Tofu sheathed his knife again, darting around behind them and snapping their neck easily. But of course, that would not be the end. 

A blast of lightning hit him square in the back, winding him as he staggered forward, his chest flaring in pain. He turned, glaring at Tuturoko as the rat finally decided to face him. Two fire spells were launched in quick succession after, driving Tofu back slightly. He gripped his chest tightly as he growled low in his throat at the lalafell. 

“A shame, I had hoped to torch your new abode as well before I killed you,” Tuturoko said, a smirk on his face. Tofu’s expression darkened, any trace of humanity replaced by rage and hatred. 

“You should have taken that admission to your grave,” he snarled. 

And in that moment, nothing else registered. None of the pain, none of the panic, nothing. There was only rage as Tofu launched towards Tuturoko. The lalafell shot off another spell, a larger fire spell, that knocked Tofu back, but he was back up and rushing at the rat again. Tuturoko’s eyes narrowed as he avoided the first attempt Tofu made at swiping at him, his own knife making its way into his hand as he lashed back, catching Tofu in the ribs and stabbing deeply into his thigh before slashing across and out. A snarl escaped the viera as his eyes locked back onto Tuturoko, going to swipe once more before another blast knocked him back across the floor. Tofu had lost his grip on his knife, but that didn’t deter him. He was up and rushing the lalafell again, faster this time, and finally…

Finally, his hand wrapped around Tuturoko’s face as he slammed him into the wall behind the lalafell. Blood erupted across the wall, drops finding their way to the side of Tofu’s face, and bits of skull bit into his hand. 

Tofu’s hand dropped to his side, and the body fell to the ground. It was over. He pressed a hand to his chest as he staggered over to the cage. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Fa-el had begun to absorb Vira from the corpse of Nhagi. A small smile played at his lips. The lovers were reunited at last. As he drew up to the cage, he dropped to his knees, hand on the lock that held it closed. 

To his relief, it didn’t seem too hard to pick. He pulled a lockpick from his pouch and set to work opening the cage. As soon as the lock came undone and the door swung open, the pick fell from his hands as he dropped them to his lap. He leaned his head against the top of the cage as the adrenaline that had been fueling him began to wane. 

“Kore…” he murmured. Kore dropped the daggers and crawled to Tofu, pulling herself into his lap.

“You came…”

He lifted a hand and held her head against his shoulder gently, barely aware of the blood that smeared in her pale hair.

“Of course I did,” he said softly. For a while, he was quiet, but then he spoke again, things he’d been holding back, things he felt needed to be said sooner than later.

“I have gone my whole life trying to keep people at arm’s length. Misery…was better spent alone, than to subject someone else to it. Yet, in spite of myself, people found cracks in the defenses around my heart and wormed their way in.” He held her tighter as he continued. 

“Callum, who offered me the hand of friendship before I even knew what the word tasted like on my tongue. Nel, Juliana, and Maddock, who gave me the briefest look at what it was like to be a part of a family. Ro, who brought me in broken and worked so hard to make me whole, every one of them showing me that, no matter how stubborn I am, I’m not alone.”

“Then there's you and Miyu, and before I knew it, I became yours. Your woes and worries were my own. And because of you both, for once I… was me. A person, not a weapon. So, even though it meant storming Tuturoko’s hideout, of course I would come for you. I’d fight a whole army if I had to, if that was what it took to get you back. You, and Miyu, are my dearest ones… and I’d do anything for you.”

With his words spent, he pressed his lips to the top of her head, holding her close, for she was his dear one. Kore sank into his arms, all the tension left her. She sobbed as she tightened her arms around him. He was her safe haven in all this.

“I love you,” she said through her shaky breaths.

A faint smile crossed his features as he felt the darkness creeping in. He toppled over sideways as everything caught up to him. As he fell from Kore’s arms, her face contorted with worry. Fa-el made her way over, eyeing him carefully. 

“It is regrettable that the woman housing my beloved took up so much of my time, we were meant to prevent this much damage…” she said, crouching beside them. The darkness faded from her eyes as Fiora took over, having glimpsed his state through Fa-el. She took out a vial and examined it carefully. 

“Fa-el, pour this over anything that looks to be bleeding excessively. He won’t make it home if he keeps bleeding like this. It won’t close anything, so once it’s on and slowing the bleeding, get home, get to Blomma or Miyu,” she said, allowing her eyes to slip back into darkness. 

“Right. Kore, was it? Can you stand? Can you walk?” Fa-el asked, not looking at Kore as she set about pouring the bright blue liquid over his shoulder wound first.

“My legs are still numb. But I think I can limp along till I get the feeling back,” she said, attempting to stand, using the bars of the cage to pull herself up. Fa-el finished covering the deepest of the wounds, frowning at the now empty vial and tucking it away. She stood, lifting Tofu easily onto her back.

“Nonsense, if you cannot feel your legs, grab my shoulders and hang on tight. I have a fun new trick for all of us,” she said, though she still didn’t quite meet Kore’s eyes. 

She didn’t wait for an answer, reaching over and wrapping an arm around Kore’s waist. Taking a deep breath, a pair of wings sprouted from her back; a part of Vira that she could now use. With a brief ‘hold on’, she lifted into the air, carrying them carefully out of the dim hideout. 

Once they were out, she launched straight up into the air with a twirl, casting her eyes around to find the house. With it in her sights, she sped towards it, reveling in her beloved’s ability. In no time at all, she landed in the yard, though her time was spent. As Fa-el faded back into the recesses of Fiora’s aether, Fiora toppled forward under the weight of Tofu and Kore.

“...Useless voidsent,” she grumbled, though she didn’t mean it. After all, Fa-el had gotten them home quickly and had managed to do as asked with the vial. She crawled out from under the two of them and made her way to the door. She had to get someone…

On the ground, Kore looked over at Tofu. She reached a hand over and cupped his cheek. A wave of memories washed over her as she did. Unlike the usual torrent that overtakes her, she waded through pleasant memories. Memories of all his loved ones, of Miyu, of her. The way he saw them. 

She scooched closer and kissed his forehead. She’ll kiss him proper when he wakes up.

The door slammed open as Tio and Blomma rushed out, Fiora not far behind, though Fiora wasn’t looking much better than Kore at this point. The voidsent had taken a lot of her energy. Tio scooped Tofu up over his shoulders as Blomma crouched beside Kore, taking her by the arm and lifting her gently. 

“I’ve got you, Kore, let’s get you both inside,” she murmured, pulling Kore’s arm around her shoulders and getting to her feet.

It was over. Tuturoko was gone. They just had to heal.

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

red flags and doomed yaoi

((collab drabble w/ @sorrel-haven [Lament] ))

The sudden snowfall halted Virgil’s steps on his way up to the front door of the Sorrel house. Having just practiced with Miyu, his energy was spent. Nevertheless, he paused and lifted his head towards the sky. Flecks of snow dashed across his pallid skin, catching in the curve of his blonde lashes and hair. The melting flakes seemed to blend into the white streaks of his hair, which only seemed to be growing by the day.

There was a sickening comfort in a way the cold bit at his skin and chewed up what little warmth remained in his decaying body. It reminded him of home.

Lament spied Virgil from their perch on the roof. They watched him as he let the snow fall on his face, smiling at their stolen moment. They hopped down from the roof landing with a gentle thud. They quietly walked over to Virgil and wrapped their arms around him, looking up at his face.   

Virgil glanced back at the sudden sound of a thud. His head tilted to one side in question at Lament’s embrace.

“Yes? If you are cold, that is likely due to how long you’ve been on the roof — if it was a prolonged period, as I presume,” he greeted, raising a hand and gently resting it on top of their head. Lament smiled with a brow raised.

“Have you been hanging out with Miyu? I don’t need to feign being freezing to embrace you. Besides, I run hotter than you,” they said with a soft huff. Lament reached up a gloved hand and caressed Virgil’s cheek, their eyes drifting to the white streaks for a moment. They met his eyes once more and smiled softly. 

“Hm. Mayhaps I’d equate the arrangement to a hostage situation, rather than ‘hanging out,’” Virgil dryly responded — merely joking, despite how his tone and body language said otherwise. “They insisted I needed additional practice in person, rather than utilizing my puppet. Frankly I believe their claims to the tool lagging behind are unsubstantiated.”

He stared down at them for a moment, watching as flakes of snow delicately adorned their features. Virgil brushed the knuckle of his index finger along the slope of a freckled cheekbone before falling to trace the curve of their jaw, the warmth of their skin radiating against his hand. Certainly, they did run hotter than him. His gaze followed the stretch of their smile, committing each hue and curve to memory. There was a flicker of an expression, Virgil’s brow tensing momentarily.

‘Lament will be so happy to hear you’re willing to sacrifice your memories of them.’  Though spoken some weeks ago, Luluci’s words haunted him in a crisp, biting clarity. Sacrifice. What was it he was willing to Sacrifice?

“Something wrong?” Lament asked, noting that something was on Virgil’s mind. 

Virgil blinked. He gave a brief shake of his head, then leaned down and brushed his lips against theirs. Lament closed their eyes as they shared a brief kiss. As Virgil pulled back their eyes fluttered back open and they gave him a questioning look.

“It is cold. Shall we go indoors?” He said, giving their chin a soft pinch before he pulled away to head back inside. Lament huffed softly but followed suit. 

Inside, Lament shed their jacket, the bandages on their upper arm from their last job with Rika were still present. Must have been a nasty voidsent they fought.

Virgil’s gaze flickered to their arm. He bid them to remain still as he gently took hold of their elbow.

“Have you not had the opportunity to request for Luluci’s assistance?” Virgil inquired as he inspected the bandages. A faint, disapproving hum sounded from him. He knew the most basic of healing magic, as any arcanist would — though without knowing the nature of the injury, he didn’t know if it would be substantial without his Scholar’s stone. Nevertheless, he started to cast a simple Physick spell.

“Luluci looked, but her and Selene couldn’t do much for it. Beatrice will be back home soon, she’ll take a look. The voidsent we fought was particularly caustic. Lulu has a stasis spell on the bandage in the meantime.” Lament smiled. They took Virgil’s hand, lacing their fingers with his. The spell halted.

“Thank you for trying though, caring is cute on you.”

A faint warmth brushed the Elezen’s cheeks as he glanced down to their interlocked fingers. They remained loose in Lament’s hold, but he didn’t pull away immediately.

“Ah… I see. Well, as long as it doesn’t impede on mobility and whatnot…” Virgil said, clearing his throat as he slowly plucked his fingers out from their hold. He picked up their jacket, and stepped away to hang it up. “I do hope both of you were able to properly eliminate it. I know you are capable enough.”

“Of course, the bastard just managed to bite me.” Lament said with a slight grumble.

“And you are fortunate you still have your arm. That’s near approximate to how I’ve lost my foot,” Virgil said in a stern tone, though it was very much out of concern. He tilted his head to one side as he observed Lament.

“Luckily I was enshrouded at the time. My avatar negated a lot of it.” Lament explained to try to provide a small comfort. Virgil only gave a vague hum in response.

“Hm… Would you still be able to play your instruments?” he inquired. Lament tilted their head.

“I should, I didn’t injure my bow arm and I have full movement of my hand.”

“I see. Well then, would you play something for me, songbird?” Virgil requested. He took a seat at a chair and looked up at them expectantly. He’s heard them playing before, but he’s never quite sat down before them to actively listen – let alone make such a request. Lament smiled at him as they adjusted their glasses. They approached the chair and leaned with one hand on the arm of the chair, bringing their face close to Virgil’s.

“What will you have me play?” Lament asked as they once again caressed Virgil’s cheek.

Whatever song titles Virgil knew were immediately swept from his mind with the close proximity and gentle brush against his cheek. His cheeks warmed, and he focused his gaze on Lament’s forehead — rather than looking them directly in the eyes.

“Whichever song you feel calls to you,” Virgil answered with a nod. Lament smiled and kissed Virgil’s cheek before heading to grab their violin. 

They returned and leaned against the chair Virgil sat in as they tuned their instrument. What to play, what to play? Perhaps…

Lament began to play a soft sweet lullaby. One they’ve known since they were a child. They pushed away from the chair as they played circling around in front of Virgil. Their eyes were closed as they lost themself in the music.

Virgil’s eyes followed Lament, trained specifically on their expression as they delved into the gentle melody. A faint smile made its way to his lips. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees and chin propped up on the knuckles of his clasped hands as he listened intently to the lullaby they played. 

As Lament brought the melody to a close they smiled. A soft smile on their lips but with a twinge of sadness in their eyes as they slowly opened. They let out a breath as they straightened up. They dipped into an elegant bow and looked up at Virgil. 

“Well, how was that, dear?” Lament asked.

Virgil tilted his head as he took in Lament’s expression, noting the contradiction between the look in their eyes and their gentle smile. 

“Excellently performed. I take it this melody resonates deeply with you?” Virgil inquired, leaning forward and daintily resting his fingertips beneath their chin as they looked up at him. A barely there smile brushed his features. “Or perhaps have I said something to elicit such a change in your eyes?”

“You haven’t done anything that I know of.” Lament teased with a smile before it softened once more. They stood and set the violin to rest in the other chair before they came to lean against Virgil’s chair. “It was a lullaby that our older brother and sister sang to me and Kore. They learned it from our mother before… well. It’s a sort of sad nostalgia playing that song.”

“Ah… so a melody which resonates deeply, indeed,” Virgil remarked as he reflected back on what Lament shared with him about their family — as well as with what he’s come to learn on his own, given the amount of digging he does on everyone he’s acquainted with. He knew of the situation with the grandmother, but as for what occurred with their mother…

“Before. What was it which had occurred before? If you are willing to share, that is,” Virgil inquired, leaning his head back as he peered up at them beside him. Lament stood there in silence for a while, eyes downcast as they thought about it.

“She died. Poison, it’s unknown if it was accidental or… intentional. But she fell gravely ill after Kore and I were born. I never knew her… But… I know her song.” Lament said as they fiddled with their ring.

Virgil’s eyes softened. Uncertain of what to say — as he didn’t exactly have the best track record of knowing how to comfort people — he fell silent for a long while. He reached over and rested a hand on top of Lament’s.

“With every note of the lullaby, every time you play it, you’ve created a beautiful remembrance for her. And that is not only knowing her, but bringing others to know her as well,” he said, after a long moment of thought. 

Lament solemnly took Virgil’s hand in theirs and brought it to their lips. Virgil felt the tears on his hand before he saw them. Lament couldn’t hold them back. Their silent sobs shook through them, their grasp tightening around Virgil’s hand but not uncomfortably so.

Virgil looked to them in a stunned silence. He had never seen them cry before. After spending an embarrassing amount of time just staring at them, he moved to stand to his feet. Virgil drew them in towards his chest, resting a hand on the back of their head as he embraced them. He remained silent.

Lament melted into Virgil’s arms. They wrapped their arms around Virgil, gripping the back of his shirt. They let out the tension they had been holding onto. The tears stopped but they still held on.

“Thank you… Your words mean a lot.” They spoke softly into his chest.

Virgil let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding in. Good. He said the right thing. Perhaps  he drew from the experience of not knowing his own mother — and then the loss of a mother figure. He kept still for some time, almost an awkward stiffness in his limbs. He broke the stillness with a lowering of his head as he gently pressed his lips to the top of their head.

“Of course. Shall I make you some tea?” he inquired after a brief pause.

Lament took in a deep breath before pulling away enough to look up at Virgil. They smiled, a little embarrassed for crying so easily but grateful that Virgil was there to comfort them. Even if he was a bit awkward about it.

“Tea would be lovely.” Lament said as they wiped the remaining tears away.

Virgil nodded, brushing the crook of his finger against their cheek. Without another word, he stepped away to prepare a kettle of tea. 

As he waited for the water to boil, he leaned up against the counter and closed his eyes as he waited for the world to finish spinning. It was a momentary relief, but it seemed it would only be a brief respite before reality came crashing back in.

Or more so, an axe came crashing through the window — just barely missing his head. Virgil staggered back from the counter as glass shards exploded around him. 

“Virgil?!” Lament shouted as they burst into the kitchen at the sound of the crash.

“Spare your frets, there is no injury – save for the broken state of the window, and the indent in the table,” Virgil assured with a raised hand. He took a step closer to examine the axe that had been thrown through the window. His head twitched to one side upon noticing a slip of paper tucked under a twine that was wrapped around the handle. “It appears that near decapitation was merely part of the message.”

He plucked the paper from the handle to read. As he looked it over, the tea kettle began to whistle.

“If there was no desire to be found, they should have properly aimed for the head. The Doman parchment and corner insignias are already potential indicators for tracking…” he began trailing off as he read silently to himself, appearing to pay no mind to the whistling kettle as he studied the parchment.

Lament walked up and reached around Virgil to turn off the stove. They turned and looked at the glass and snapped their fingers letting the magicked broom get to work on cleaning up. Lament then looked back to Virgil and gently put a hand on his face to get his attention.

“Let’s move away from the broken window. We’ll head to the downstairs sitting room, while we figure this out, hm?” They prompted while they gently pulled on his sleeve to guide him away from the kitchen.

Seeming to forget all about the tea, Virgil followed Lament downstairs without question. Despite going with Lament’s request, Virgil’s gaze was far away. When they arrived at the sitting room, Virgil began to pace.

“It seems that a handful of the culprits pursuing M’ezzo’s child have discovered my investigation into their identities. It was only a warning. Although, the fact that they were able to locate where I’ve been staying is particularly vexing. And the attempt to blackmail me with my past experiments… hm…” Virgil murmured, tapping his fingers together as he spoke. He paused and looked to Lament.

“Lament… if I were to go elsewhere. Would you wait for me?” 

“‘Elsewhere?’ ‘Wait for y-’ Virgil. What are you talking about?” Lament asked with a scrunched brow. “No, you don’t have to go anywhere. Let Rika and I handle these people. Would be but a trivial exercise for us.”

Virgil closed his eyes and gave a faint sigh through his nose. His head tilted to one side in thought.

“I have no question of your capability. Nevertheless, the conditions are not ideal — especially when there is still much more healing to go with the result of your last excursion with Rika,” Virgil said with a pointed glance to Lament’s injury. He folded up the letter and slid it into his pocket. He had half a mind to discuss it with another reckless rabbit later. “Pay what I had said with no mind. I’m sure there are other pressing matters to attend to, and this will be handled at another period.” 

“You mean this?” They asked as they gestured to their arm. “This is fine, besides I planned on sicking Rika on them like an attack dog anyways.”

Lament sighed and leaned against the wall. They looked at Virgil, watching the way he paced. Their eyes traced the curve of his knitted brow, down the slope of his nose. They looked back up to his eyes, noting the colors of them.

“... Whatever happens…” Lament pushed off from the wall and closed the small distance between them. They lightly grabbed onto Virgil’s lapel. “Don’t leave me without saying something first. If you don’t say anything, I will assume you were kidnapped and I just might do something reckless.”

Virgil stalled at Lament’s approach, stunned enough from the advancement that he fell silent for a moment. Once more, Luluci’s words lingered in the back of his mind. And then he thought back to the song Lament played for him, and all the instances they insisted they would stay by his side.

“You’d be reckless regardless of that,” Virgil said as he placed a hand on Lament’s shoulder. “How else would you have gotten into this arrangement?” 

“I know not what you mean,” they said with a coy smile. Lament pressed up against Virgil while they looked up at him. They tightened their grip on his lapel as a worried expression washed over them. “Promise me?”

There was no visible change in Virgil’s expression, but the straightening of his back and the miniscule lean back conveyed the waver in his stubbornness. He made no audible confirmation, responding only with a single nod. Lament leaned in pulling Virgil closer. 

“You are a terrible liar…” Lament said as their lips brushed Virgil’s. They kissed him before he had a chance to retort. When Lament felt the kiss returned, they cracked an eye to make sure his eyes were closed. Lament wrapped their arm around Virgil’s waist as they reached into the pocket Virgil tucked the note in. Lament took the note as they deepened the kiss, slipping it in their own pocket.

If Virgil wasn’t going to tell them what was on that letter, they would find out for themself.

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

Of Dolls and Monsters

Tofu needs to find out more about voidsent and mages, so he turns to the Library to search for information.

Collab write with @sorrel-haven [Dolly]

Tofu stared up at the imposing doors of the Great Gubal Library, having asked Dolly to help him find some information on that beast manipulator woman and her void beasts. Not that he knew if he could even find anything, but perhaps some information on voidsent in general could be of use. He drew a deep breath in and pushed the doors open, holding them open for Dolly to follow him inside. 

“Have you got any ideas of where to start?” he asked, casting a glance around. He’d only been in once before, and had been too busy to actually appreciate the architecture or the literature. 

“It’s deep within. . . We will have to fight quite a few voidsent the deeper we go.” Dolly walked forward as she spoke. She turned to look at Tofu over her shoulder. “Please don’t touch the books before I can check for traps. . . Virgil dropped a bookshelf on me last time.”

Tofu smiled gently at Dolly.

“I’ll make sure nothing like that happens to you while I’m here,” he said. He let her take the lead, following after with careful footsteps, dispatching a small creature with a quick flick of his throwing knife.

“Guess it was too much to hope that something useful would be in the parlour.” 

Dolly led the way, silent for the most part. She occasionally paused as she noticed creatures stir at the pair’s presence. She looked towards the creatures as they were exterminated before they even got close. Tofu really was quite adept at it. She twirled her hair as she waited patiently for him to clear the way before moving on. Already off to a much better start than the last time she was here with someone other than Fiora.

“Don’t tire yourself out too quickly. . . It wouldn’t do to have to drag you out of here. Fiora would be most upset about it,” Dolly said as she walked past Tofu once again.

“I’ll be fine, I assure you. Even if things go south, Ro made me bring Daen Lad’s bell with me,” he said, pulling the small ceramic bell from his pocket to show Dolly before tucking it back away. “Not that I think I’d need it even if something did happen, they’ve taken to following me of late… Just out of sight...”

As they continued, nothing too big jumped out at them, though he was beginning to run low on throwing knives. He’d have to start making an effort soon, and that concerned him with the prospect of traps on the horizon. 

However, as careful as he had tried to be about traps, out of reflex, he threw a knife at a flying beast coming up to their left, sending it crashing into a bookshelf and knocking several books to the floor. He wasn’t sure if it was the actual act of crashing into the bookshelf or one of the books that had been dislodged that caused it, but the hall trembled and the bookshelf began to topple over.

Tofu braced himself, holding his arms up to catch the bookshelf before it could crush his small companion, once more regretting his missing bracers as he felt the bruises already forming. He glanced down at Dolly as books rained on either side of him.

“Move!” 

Dolly moved, but not in the way Tofu intended for her to. She ducked under him and crawled towards where the shelf and the floor met, reaching towards a hidden switch. She flipped it, and the shelf and falling books froze. There was a moment where everything stood still, before it all reversed back into place. A book nearly missed Tofu’s head as it flew back to the shelf. Dolly stood and brushed herself off.

“Are you hurt?” she asked, looking up at him. Tofu brushed himself off as well and gave her an assuring smile.

“I’m fine. You are uninjured?” he asked in response. Dolly shook her head.

“I’m not easily injured. I am made of mostly metal. You needn’t worry about me being crushed by the wooden shelves,” she said with a small shrug. Tofu crouched down and placed a hand gently on her head.

“Well, I’d rather not see you buried under anything, regardless. The books we’re looking for are deeper in?” he asked, setting his hand on his knee as he tilted his head. Dolly tilted her head in confusion.

“I. . . Yes. Not much further. . . Two chambers I believe.” Dolly turned and continued on to their destination. Tofu stood to follow after her.

As she walked, she became lost in her thoughts. She didn’t pay as much attention as she normally would to where she was walking. There was a click under her foot as a tile sank slightly into the floor. With the grinding of stone on stone, a trap door opened up beneath her before she knew what was happening.

She barely had time to process as Tofu’s hand wrapped around hers, his other hand holding both of them up by the edge of the trap door. After a moment to let his nerves settle, he brought her up to his shoulders to grab hold so he could use both hands to pull them back to the surface.

Dolly climbed up over the edge from Tofu’s shoulders and helped him up the rest of the way. She took in a deep breath and let out a relieved sigh as she sank to the ground to let the tension out, before looking next to her and pressing the tile with her hand. The trap door slid closed.

“I’m sorry, that was careless of me. . .” she murmured. Tofu slumped to the ground beside her, reaching out and patting her lightly on the top of her head.

“No worries, we got through it intact, no big deal,” he said, offering her a warm smile. “We can take a minute for our nerves to settle.”

Dolly sat quietly as she drew her knees to her chest. She was so small, and in that moment she felt it. She wasn’t used to being treated like she was…fragile. She frowned at the thought, a rare moment of expression for the doll.

Tofu’s warm smile faded as a curious expression took over, a soft tilt of his head leading his eyes to her face. He thought back to how she was at Eolas, a confusion settling in his mind. She didn’t normally show emotions, did she? Before he could stop himself, he took in a breath to comment on it.

“You… Are you alright? You don’t normally show what you’re feeling." His words were soft, concerned.

“You keep. . . Putting yourself in harms way for me. . . Why?” She looked up at him with a perturbed expression. He blinked slowly, unsure what it was she was asking exactly.

“Why would I not…? Just because you’re made of metal doesn’t mean you’re not still alive, it does not mean that you are not worth protecting,” he said. This was one of those moments where he wished his voice could convey what he wanted it to, but his delivery was as dry as ever. 

“I’m. . . not alive, though. I am a weapon made to look like a child’s plaything. Just because I’m off the shelf doesn’t make me. . . real,” she protested.

Tofu was quiet for a moment after that.

“...But you still feel things. It’s no mere programming. You have your own thoughts and emotions,” he started, trying to find the words. He paused for a moment more. “You feel love for my sister, and that makes you alive.”

He looked down at his hands as he contemplated his next words.

“You say ‘I am not alive’ and ‘I am a weapon’ as if people cannot also be used as weapons. Just because I am made of flesh and blood, does not mean that I am not still just a weapon to be used,” he finally said softly.

“You? A weapon? How can you be a weapon? You wield weapons, sure, but you were not made like I was. You were born. . . You can feel more than mere emotion, you can feel heat, texture, pain. You can cry. . . You can bleed. . . Weapons can’t do any of that. . . I can’t do any of that.” She hugged her knees tighter, looking ahead of her.

“Just because I was born and not made does not mean that I have not been made a weapon. And if those are the requirements for being alive, wouldn’t that make Fiora not alive either? She cannot bleed, cry, feel pain, she feels nothing, sees nothing…” he pointed out. “The things that make someone alive can vary from person to person. Dolly… As far as I am concerned, you are alive, and you are worth protecting.”

Gently, he reached over and brushed a knuckle across her cheek. Dolly looked at him, her expression showed the tears that would be if she could cry.

“You’re worth protecting too! I. . . don’t want to see you get hurt trying to protect me.” Dolly huffed. She took in a breath before she continued. “Fiora loves you, and I can see why. You are kind. It’s a rare thing, not everyone has it. Sure they can be nice, but it’s not like the kindness you have.”

Tofu laughed before he could stop himself.

“I’m not kind, I’m a monster. I’ve killed people for selfish reasons, and even if the reasons were for the protection of others, it is still selfishly choosing my loved ones over someone else’s.” He drew his knees up and rested his arms on them, one on each as he hung his head. When he spoke next, it was barely a whisper, as if Dolly weren’t meant to hear the words.

“If I get hurt, it’s recompense for every sin I have committed…”

The silence between them was almost tangible. Dolly stood and walked closer to Tofu, reaching over to push and prod at him until he was in a position where she could sit in his lap. She settled in and wrapped her small arms around him as best she could, resting her cheek on his chest.

“Protecting those you care about, even if it's selfish, does not make a sin. When it’s kill or have you or someone you love be killed, that is not a choice that damns you. Odetta taught me that, and she’s also very kind,” Dolly said as she squeezed his middle.

“For over a decade, I have been fueled by rage and hatred towards the man that took away the only family I ever knew. And now I have committed the same crime for a child who did nothing to deserve the fate that I have forced upon her. Even if she were ever to forgive me for it, I could never forgive myself,” he murmured, averting his gaze from her.

“If I think that man a monster, then I myself am a monster as well.”

“Was that monster protecting someone when he killed?” Dolly looked up at him. Tofu shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter, I took away her family.” His hands clenched tightly. Dolly stood and took his face in her hands.

“So were you supposed to just let Miyu handle it on their own? Those pirates chose to fight, it’s not your fault that they had a child with them.” Her expression showed her serious tone more so than her voice.

“Of course I wouldn’t just let Miyu handle it alone. I know it’s more complicated than just right or wrong, but it still…eats at me,” he grumbled. “All I can do is protect the kid, and I can’t even do that right…”

Dolly stared at him a moment as she tried to think of what to say. She wanted to tell him he was stupid, but the words were not coming to her. Instead the urge to shake his head won over. She squished his cheeks in her hands and shook his head back and forth. 

“Monsters do not feel bad for their actions!” Dolly raised her voice, “You do what you must to protect the people you love. There is no monster, there’s just tough decisions.”

Tofu stared at her for a long time, not commenting on the shaking. He mulled the words over in his mind. Perhaps there was truth to them, but not one that he could accept so easily at the moment. He lifted her gently and sat her on the ground in front of him, moving to stand back up. 

“We still have tomes to find,” he said, as if he were brushing the topic aside for now. 

He was definitely brushing the topic aside.

Dolly huffed but didn’t press the matter - for now. She silently led the way, paying more attention for traps this time. She pulled out the book on her hip and summoned Odetta’s carbuncle, Ruby, to send ahead so it could check the rooms for creatures. Ruby would trot in the room and trot back out to let them know it was clear.

They continued on like that for a few rooms. The silence once again became heavy as Dolly continued to dwell on the dropped conversation. 

Tofu followed after, his face once more a mask as he kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings. An uncomfortable heaviness settled on the air, and not in a metaphorical sense. It felt as though something had arrived, but he couldn’t see anything yet or sense where it was coming from. His eyes narrowed as he continued to cast his eyes around them. Ruby slowly made its way into the next room. 

“...Is the air always like this the further you get…?” he asked quietly. 

“No. . .” Dolly trailed off. Ruby screeched as it ran back to Dolly and Tofu at full speed. Something was coming.

What approached looked human to the eye, but the air around it rippled and contorted violently. The body was merely a puppet the void commanded. Her eyes were deep, hollow black, the mouth extending far past a normal human smile, the hands ending in long, inky claws. When it spoke, sharp teeth flashed in the lights.

“What an interesting aether that has entered upon these halls. A living doll and…something odd about you, boy,” the creature said in a raspy voice, as if the vocal cords had rotted away. Tofu’s eyes narrowed as a low growl escaped his throat.

Dolly readied her codex as she eyed the creature. With an even tone, she voiced the warning in Tofu's growl. “You would be wise to leave us to our business.”

The unnaturally wide smile only widened.

“And miss out on this fascinating aether? I think not, doll,” the creature purred, a long, pointed tongue running over her lips.

“Very well.” Dolly swiftly cast a shield around Tofu, before turning to throw a Biolysis spell at the creature.

The creature lurched forward, eyes set on Dolly, more interested in the amalgamated soul she possessed that had become its own. As it reached towards her, Tofu grabbed it by the outstretched arm and swung around, throwing it back the direction it had come from.

“Do not touch her.”

Tofu drew his knife and rushed the creature, ducking under a swipe of its claws to slash at it with his blade. The voidsent jumped back, avoiding the edge of the knife entirely. And even though it had moved away, it reached towards him, its arm extending beyond its size. With a retch, it stumbled before it could reach him, the spell taking effect. 

Tofu closed the distance once more, taking advantage of the stumble. The voidsent held up its hand and blasted him back with an explosion of dark magics, sending him tumbling back towards Dolly. For a mercy, the shield took a majority of the impact, and the morpho appeared to settle on his shoulder to absorb some of the aether from the spell.

Dolly flipped the pages of her codex, keeping her eyes on the creature. She stopped and pulled ambient aether into her codex, casting an energy drain spell at the creature before casting another shield on Tofu.

The creature hissed as it staggered again, but shook it off quickly and aimed a beam of condensed darkness at Dolly. Tofu, knowing he was shielded again, was quick to block, sliding back a bit at the force. The shield shattered as he sprang forward, and the creature’s smile widened once more. Its hand extended even more, swiping at him.

Tofu’s foot slipped on a loose paper beneath him as he tried to dodge, the claws raking across his side and tossing him into the wall. The voidsent picked him up and slammed him against the wall, tilting its head at him.

“What is this in your chest? This is not magic of this world, or any other shard adjacent to it,” the creature mused. Tofu glared in response through unfocused eyes. “I must consume it for myself!”

Dolly’s codex came colliding with the side of the creature’s head. As the creature whipped around, Dolly pulled out her staff and summoned her leylines at her feet, performing a triple cast of fire spells to draw it towards herself while she built up her mana for a flare. The creature narrowed its eyes at her.

“You think I cannot see you charging that spell? You would not blast through your friend here,” it growled, turning and holding Tofu between itself and Dolly.

“Guess again,” Dolly said as she released the spell towards them. Daen Lad was quick to realize the doll’s intentions, throwing up two portals, one in front of and one behind Tofu, to redirect the spell through him without hurting him. The sphere of energy hit the creature square in the abdomen, blasting clean through it.

The hold on Tofu weakened and he broke free. If the spell hadn’t done the creature in, a quick swing of his blade made sure it was finished, severing the head clean from the body. The void had already rotted the body most of the way through.

As the body collapsed to the ground, a swirling of darkness emerged from it, vibrating angrily before dissipating away. Tofu let out a breath and held a hand to his still bleeding side. He was pretty sure he had one or two broken ribs, but it could have been worse, if not for Dolly. He turned and faced her, smiling softly in appreciation.

“Thanks, Dolly. And Daen Lad, I know you’re here, just show yourself already,” he said, a tired edge to his voice. Daen Lad appeared behind Dolly with a twirl, huffing at Tofu. 

“Good thing you did what I hoped you would. . .” Dolly said as she turned slightly to look at Daen Lad. “I couldn’t think of a better way. . .” She fiddled with the ends of her hair.

Daen Lad patted Dolly on the head as best as one can with such tiny hands.

“You did great.”

They turned to Tofu and fluttered over, eyes roaming over him, pausing briefly at the blood on his side with a frown before continuing to his chest. Something that thing had said…

“...Not of this world…or of the shards…” they murmured to themself. Something that had transpired with Fiora came to mind and their eyes widened. They quickly buried the shock and gave Tofu a flat look.

“You’re lucky the shields took most of the magic, you’ll have a couple of small episodes, but nothing major-”

“What was that look for?” Tofu cut in.

“What?” they asked, feigning ignorance. Tofu narrowed his eyes at them. They huffed and crossed their arms. “Just…I’ll need to verify something.” They were quiet for a moment. “I think I might know how to solve the issue of your condition, but I’ll have to…make sure.”

Tofu’s eyes took their turn to widen. He stared at Daen Lad quietly, one hand reaching up and brushing against his chest briefly. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. When he opened them again, his face was a mask once more.

“Come, we have yet to find those tomes,” he said, turning back towards the next chamber and starting towards it. Daen Lad stamped their foot as best as one can while flying.

“Oh- you-!” they stammered.

Dolly looked up as Tofu passed her. 

“Wait. . . Isn’t that good? I-” She grabbed onto the fabric of his shirt. “I don’t understand. . . Are you not happy?”

Dolly looked… confused. Tofu paused at her hand on his shirt. He didn’t look at either of them. 

“Whether it is good or not, I cannot be distracted by this now. And if, in the end, Daen Lad’s idea comes to nothing, better to not have my hopes up to begin with,” he said flatly, eyes trained on the corridor ahead of them. Dolly grabbed on with her other hand as well and began to shake him.

“That’s stupid! Hope is there to push you forward, it’s not something that you let be crushed so easily. You put your hopes in more than just one thing to be safe but don’t deny yourself hope at all!”

Dolly pushed him with a surprising amount of strength for someone her size. 

“Daen Lad’s idea is but one working for you. Fiora also labors to find a solution and that… Cursebreaker too. You shouldn’t lay all your hope in Daen Lad, that’s not fair, but place some of it on them.” She crossed her arms and frowned at him.

“I don’t hold any hope at all.” He took a deep breath in through his nose. “...I have a lot of…mental shit to work through, a lifetime of damages that cannot be undone so easily,” he said, though his tone wasn’t harsh. With his shirt thus released, he started back towards the corridor ahead of them. Dolly rushed to catch up and she grabbed his hand but continued to walk with him, looking ahead.

“Then I will hold it for you. Me and everyone else. . . I hope you get better.” Dolly said, decidedly. Tofu faltered for just a brief second, closing his thumb against her hand, holding her hand as best as they could with the…vast height difference. He didn’t look down at her, but he whispered a soft,

“Thank you, Dolly…”

“Of cour...”

Dolly’s hand slipped from Tofu’s as she fell unconscious. She had put too much aether into the spell against the voidsent. Her emotions may have gotten the better of her; her body needed to recharge itself.

Tofu drew in a quick breath, almost a gasp, as her hand slipped from his. He crouched beside her to check her condition, concern clearly written on his face. Daen Lad fluttered down, placing a hand on the doll’s head. Tofu looked at them, his expression clearly asking what his voice could not- was she okay?

“It looks like she used up too much aether, but she should be fine after some time,” they said, sighing with their whole body in relief. They turned to look at Tofu. “I don’t recommend staying here while she’s out of commission like this, let alone carrying on.”

Tofu lifted Dolly up into his arms and stood up, looking at Daen Lad with a nod.

“If you wouldn’t mind, that is, would you take us out?” he asked.

Daen Lad nodded, opening up a portal in front of them, merciful for the sake of Dolly. The other side opened up into the yard of the Flower House. Tofu stepped through, ignoring the pressure in his chest as the sun fell upon him. 

Dolly stirred as the sun touched her. Her eyes opened slightly, irises glowing as her body continued to draw in aether. She looked around with her eyes to see where they were now. She looked up at Tofu and slowly blinked.

“Am I not heavy. . ?” she asked softly.

“Barely a thing,” he muttered, making his way over to the wall and leaning against it heavily, sliding down with a wince. He cradled her gently against his chest, ignoring the claw marks in his side and his broken ribs.

“You’re hurt. . . You should get that checked out. . .” she said as she fought to keep her eyes open. Tofu leaned his head against the wall with a noncommittal hum. 

“It can wait,” he grumbled. Absently, he brushed her hair out of her face, still holding her to his chest. Dolly reached up and placed her hand on his cheek.

“Promise you will?”

“Mhm.” He sounded tired.

As he looked up at the sky, his eyes began to slide closed. The adrenaline was gone and he had nothing left to fuel him. As his eyes closed, so too did Dolly’s once more. 

They both needed to recharge.

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

Virgil is Fucking Stupid

What? He is...

Collab write with @ffxiv-f13ndish [Virgil and Miyu] and @sorrel-haven [Odetta and Luluci]

Virgil didn’t get to talking about what he came over for right away, giving Tofu more time to readjust – not that he believed that Tofu was fragile enough where he needed the time to rest. Really, it was difficult to discuss business with someone when his sister was fawning over him the whole time. Though she didn’t quite seem as he knew her… This must be the voidsent woman she housed.

Once Tofu was settled, Virgil took a seat across from him, Fa-el beginning to make her way to the stairs now that she was no longer needed.

“Now then, I’m sure you’re aware of Nhagi’s association with voidsents. I have a proposal on hunting it down. I have a method of tracking the voidsent within her – the same which may consume it from her being entirely,” Virgil began, sitting back in his chair as he awaited Tofu’s response. 

Fa-el paused, then turned, making her way back over with slow, calculated footsteps. Seemed something Virgil said had caught her attention. There was something akin to fury in the pools of abyss that were her eyes, and her shrouded hands clenched into fists briefly. She kept her gaze steadily on the deteriorating elezen, a cold expression on her face. She hopped up to sit on the dining table between them, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back on her hands. 

“I cannot allow you to let that voidsent be consumed by anyone but me. Nor do I appreciate the implication that you do not believe me capable of tracking down my own… subordinate,” she said, leaning over and hooking a finger under Virgil’s chin to bring his gaze to her eyes. 

“Ah, Fa-el, so nice of you to deign to speak to us,” Tofu remarked dryly. “Do try not to antagonize our guest.” Fa-el turned an impish grin towards Tofu with a shrug, removing her hand from Virgil’s proximity. 

“If you insist, pretty boy,” she said. 

Virgil tilted his head in interest. 

“So you can speak, then. I hadn’t been certain of the nature of your… development,” the elezen remarked. “And it seems you are quite acquainted with the mage’s own little shadow. I cast no disregard to your abilities, though it does beg the question of why you haven’t made your mark yet. Fa-el, yes? A pleasure to speak with you directly.”

Fa-el scowled at him with a near-bored expression. 

“Cannot say it is a pleasure to speak with you. As for why I have done nothing so far, Vira is quite adept at hiding her own aether, and I’m sure that woman that has consumed her has figured out how to use it to her own advantage. The question that I have is how that wretch managed to merge with my beloved so easily… Though that pixie’s revelation gives me something to ponder on that matter,” she said, though most of it was her own thinking out loud, while part of it was ‘I can go on and on, too, rat’. 

“Yes, as far as she presents herself – it appears to be an efficient merge,” Virgil said, voice falling flat just a tad. 

“Aw, jealous~?” she cooed lightly before Tofu smacked her in the arm. 

“Behave.”

“No,” Virgil stated, a pause soon following. “I consider it to be more akin to an inpatient apprehension. I wish to understand her fully. Unfortunately, to dissect her would mean to catch her. As you have mentioned, she is adept at hiding her aether.”

Virgil leaned forward just a bit.

“You wish to consume your beloved. A lover’s spat? Or mere carnal hunger which your type tends to exhibit?”

Fa-el leaned towards him as well, her bored expression remaining.

“It is a mutual desire. We wish to become one, we were merely interrupted when those mages locked me inside this woman,” she corrected, leaning back. 

“And it is good that you are not jealous, you should not be. Their joining… Either Vira will consume that woman, or I will consume Vira, the only uncertainty is which will happen first. While I have come to an accord with Fiora, a mutual understanding, Vira and that woman would not be able to come to a similar accord.”

A quick glance at Tofu could almost be overlooked, if she didn’t have to turn her head slightly to do so. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, his expression clearly indicating that he was done with her shit.

“Nothing~” she purred.

“A mutual understanding? And what would that be?” Virgil inquired, unconsciously tilting his head in the opposite direction now. Fa-el held a finger to her lips and winked, a hushed ‘later~’ barely audible.

Virgil stared back with a blank expression.

“You behave as if it is some sort of secret, but your stare at Tofu and this… cheeky response with him in the room infers that he has something to do with it. And from what I presume, there may not be many later conversations to be had, hm?” Virgil responded in an aloof manner.

Fa-el rolled her eyes; really, stuffy men were just no fun.

“Oh, his involvement is no secret, but the nature of it is between me and Fiora. And what makes you presume that there may not be many later conversations? I do hope you don’t think I’m going anywhere when all of this is over. Unless it is you who might not make it to the other side of this?” she asked with a curious tilt of her head.

“Fa-el, if you have nothing of use to say, stop making my sister’s body do things she would never do, it’s starting to weird me out a little,” Tofu interjected. Fa-el rolled her eyes again, though had the decency to give him a sheepish smile before turning back to Virgil, holding up one hand in a ‘go on’ gesture. 

“Fine, then, have you any productive questions for me, elezen?” she asked. 

“No. I don���t believe the concern of what is left and what is to survive applies to me in this situation,” Virgil responded with a weighted stare — not directed at Fa-el specifically, but to the individual the voidsent bonded to. “I do look forward to future conversations. It seems I have yet to bore you. I am not one to engage in games, however…”

“Would it not be a fascinating game to see who is consumed first? Be if you and your beloved, or them and the beast mage — or perhaps, between the maws of the artificial voidsent I have created myself?” Virgil drew out his last words intentionally, perhaps to hold the attention of the voidsent whom he spoke with.

“You insist you are very well capable of finding her. It should be no competition, as you insist — and yet you intercede on my suggestion. Do you not enjoy games, Fa-el?”

The laughter that erupted out of her bordered on the insulting, a hearty bellow that sounded odd in Fiora’s voice. She turned a toothy smile to Virgil, amused at the nature of his assumptions. 

“Oh, you funny little man. There will be no other outcome. That woman will be eliminated, my beloved and I will be joined. When you brought up consumption before, I thought you had some actual, feasible plan behind it, but an artificial void creation?” she said, her voice light with mirth. She leaned towards him again, a glint even within the shrouded eyes. 

“Darling, an insignificant little thing like you lacks the ability and understanding to create any void being strong enough to consume even Vira. And I am stronger than Vira by far. Your toy would do nothing against us, and I do not speak from overconfidence.” She leaned back, expression dropping as she eyed him. 

“You would do to learn more of the source of your own endeavors rather than going about under-educated experimentation. That is why you are falling apart at the edges. That is why you are doomed to fail, and watch people like Fiora achieve the things you desire without detriment to themselves. You think your toy a success, but your toy is also doomed to failure.”

Virgil’s expression remained stagnant as the voidsent spoke down on him, his eyes icy and calculative while he observed Fa-el.

“A creature caught in an endless stream of time – knowing no beginning nor end – lest struck down prematurely. This is my beginning. My fall may be my creation… The timing is unfortunate presently, given prior agreements I’ve taken responsibility for. Nevertheless, I do intend to proceed to my next stage. You’ve had quite the stages to scale, Fa-el. After all, powerful as you may be, you’ve had your fall of vulnerability when you were interrupted and contained in a vessel,” Virgil responded.

There was a moment of softness in his gaze as his eyes fell.

“Dante… he grows stronger by the day. I sense no instability in him. All that falters is his mind. He continues to be my success. There’s promise in him, he just needs time.”

The stone cold wall of his gaze hardened once more as he met Fa-el’s own once more.

“Regardless of needless competition, it would benefit Tofu to have more than one hand on deck.”

“Do you not listen? Or do you lack the ability to comprehend? I am trying to help you. The way you are going about your ascension will cause you to lose the very things that make you who you are, you will lose the reason for becoming."

"As for your…Dante, while his body is stable, it is exactly his mind you should worry about. Lest he become a mindless thrall to the darkness, educate yourself so that you might still make a success out of him, educate yourself so that you might recall what it is you’re trying to become one with the void for once you achieve that goal. If you do not, you will both be lost,” she said, her eyes taking on a sad edge as she stood from the table.

She started to walk towards the stairs, but paused to look back at him.

“For someone who is supposed to be learned, you’re brash and reckless. It would be a shame to waste that mind of yours carelessly.” Then she continued up the stairs. Tofu buried his head in his hands.

“You both talk too much…” he grumbled.

Virgil went quiet in consideration of Fa-el’s words. He never fully evaluated Dante’s mind. What is to become of him? And what is to become of himself now? Virgil’s eyes fell to his hands, which appeared to flicker in his lap. He clutched his hands together and gave a faint sigh through his nose.

“Uh, sorry about her, I think… Thousands of years old and still can’t figure out how to play nice with others,” Tofu said with a heavy sigh. 

He stood and grabbed a couple of cups and a jug of water, setting a cup in front of Virgil and filling it with water before doing the same for the cup in his spot. He returned the jug to its place and settled back down at the table. Tofu eyed Virgil carefully, but didn’t say anything more.

“If you come to live over a millenia, manners and courtesy tend to become purposeless. No sense in obtaining friends – or enemies, for that matter – if you can simply outlive them all,” Virgil said with a shake of his head. He fidgeted for a moment, snapping his fingers with a tense brow.

He picked up the cup set before him with a nod in thanks, then took a sip. The water spilled from the glass as his hand shook. As he went to set it down, the glass passed through his hand and spilled across the table.

“My apologies. I’ll go get a…cloth,” Virgil apologized as he moved to stand. He took one step from the table before he collapsed.  

Tofu was out of his chair and at Virgil’s side in an instant, checking for a fever…or a pulse. The elezen did have a pulse, but he was cold and clammy to the touch. Tofu had to resist the urge to shake his hand as he couldn’t help but compare the feeling to that of a corpse…

With a sigh, he draped one of Virgil’s arms around his own shoulders and half-carried, half-dragged him to the couch, laying him down with a surprising amount of care. The temptation was there to carry Virgil the way Virgil had carried him, but the man was too tall and gangly for that. He tucked a pillow under Virgil’s head then straightened, pulling out the small ceramic bell and giving it a ring. 

Daen Lad was, of course, not there. He had forgotten. After their excursion to the Library, the pixie had disappeared, gone off to find someone for answers. With another sigh, he went upstairs to drag Fa-el - no, Fiora was back - back down the stairs. She followed without complaint, though he didn’t explain beforehand. He gestured vaguely at the couch. 

“Watch over him a moment, I have to make a run to the Sorrel house to get… one of them, I don’t even care which one at this point…” he asked, a weary edge to his voice.

“Do be careful not to strain yourself, you have two new injuries and I’m not dumb enough to believe that you haven’t exacerbated your older ones,” she said, knowing full well she could not change his mind if she tried. He nodded, then stepped outside.

He took a deep breath to brace himself, then teleported straight to Gridania. The blue glow and the gentle hum greeted him as he staggered into the plaza. Odetta barely caught him from fully stumbling as he appeared right next to her. 

“Oh! Welcome to Gridania, Tofu. Are you well enough to be teleporting like this? Dolly was very concerned about your condition, last I heard,” she asked as she looked him over. Tofu offered a sheepish shake of his head.

“Haven’t…been well enough to teleport for several months, but this might qualify as an emergency? I had to find one of you, Virgil’s passed out at the house and feels like a corpse and I can’t get him back to your home by myself…” he murmured, not realizing that he had pressed a hand to his chest.

“Oh dear… Don’t- Uh this will sound weird- but don’t worry about that too much, he feels like a corpse all the time. The passed out thing is a bit concerning! I shall send Luluci ahead of us.” She snapped her fingers and Eos appeared. She looked to the fairy. “Please ask Lulu to go check on Virgil, my dear?” 

The fairy nodded and flittered off to find Lulu. Odetta looked back to Tofu.

“We should have you sit a moment, Lulu will get there quickly,” she said as she guided Tofu to a nearby bench. Tofu resisted with another shake of his head.

“I should get back before one of the others wakes up, Fiora is already going to give me an earful, I don’t need anyone else getting on my case for- I don’t need them getting on my case,” he said, stopping himself from admitting that this was not the first time he’d teleported in recent times. 

“Then we lie! I will take you home in my carriage, my chocobo is very fast. It will not be as fast as teleporting but it will give you a chance to rest and you can tell them that you met me on the road,” Odetta said with a smile. Tofu gave her a surprised look. 

“...You’d do that?” he questioned softly. 

“What, lie? Oh all the time, sometimes you just gotta lie. But like… Little white lies that don’t actually hurt anyone. I mean… Don’t like lie if you’re like dying or something, but-”

“Yeah okay I get it. Uh, thank you. If it’s all the same to you, can we get going…?” he interrupted, noticing a look in her eyes that reminded him of when Hana was about to go on a rambling tangent.

“Oh! Sure, we’ll have to take the ferry to the Lavender Beds, the one by the Lancer’s guild. This way!” she said as she linked her arm around his, tugging him along. Tofu didn’t have enough fight in him to wrest his arm back from her, begrudgingly allowing himself to be dragged along. 

---

Tofu leaned back against the side of the carriage, allowing his eyes to slide closed, though he wasn’t in danger of slipping out of consciousness. He was worn out, but he could keep going just fine. Odetta looked back at him.

“We’ll be passing into Thanalan soon… So… What did you get yourselves into? Virgil collapsing usually follows him exerting himself,” she prodded.

“Virgil did very little, actually. He came over, carried me halfway home until I got out of his grasp, then he talked with Fa-el for too long probably,” he said with a half shrug, not really elaborating on his own adventures of late. 

“Wait… Who’s Fa-el?” she asked with a tilt of her head. Tofu lifted his head and looked towards Odetta. 

“Oh. Right. The voidsent woman that got sealed inside of Fiora,” he said, realizing that he didn’t actually know how much Odetta knew about Fiora.

“Oh! I vaguely remember something about that… Someone must have mentioned it over a shared meal. Lulu insists on us telling stories at the table whenever we can manage to eat together.” Odetta looked up as she tried to recall.

“Ah, I just don’t keep tabs well on who knows what, got a lot of other things to deal with. If you need clarification on anything, just ask, I’ll do my best to provide it,” he said, leaning back against the side of the carriage again.

“In any case, the most Virgil did in my presence to exert himself was try to carry me back to the house. I…don’t know what caused his collapse.”

Tofu’s hand once more rested against his side as he stared up at the sky from under the canopy of the carriage. Big, billowing clouds drifted lazily across the sky through the last remnants of the boughs of the Shroud. There was something…peaceful about the sight. He could almost get lost in it.

Odetta hung the reins on a hook and turned to look at Tofu fully. She watched him silently for a moment before smiling; a peaceful carriage ride seemed like something he really needed. She spied a moogle coming up to the carriage, probably to chat with her, and put a finger to her lips, shaking her head no. The moogle pouted for a moment before flying off to find someone else to play with. 

The Shroud finally gave way to the Thanalan landscape. The chocobo pulling the carriage chirped in distress as the road changed from the soft Shroud soil to the hard Thanalan road. Odetta turned back to the chocobo.

“There there, Squeak, I know you don’t like this road but you’re a big brave boy,” she cooed.

Tofu narrowed his eyes at the more intense sun of Thanalan and pushed himself to an upright position, resting his arms across his thighs. A faint smile flickered at the corners of his mouth at the name she had given her bird. She seemed the sort for cutesy names like that. He was briefly grateful that she was more worried about Virgil than she was him, since she hadn’t pressed him on matters…at least, not yet. But they had a fair bit of distance yet to cover, so he didn’t hold his breath.

“...How’s Lament?” he asked, finally breaking his silence.  

“Recovering from their latest job with Rika,” she said as she turned back to him. “Things went a little sideways, as things are wont to do. But they’ll be fine! Mostly just over extended their limits. Rika almost got eaten though… She didn’t seem too fazed by it.”

Tofu tilted his head. Rika… Rika… Ah, the woman with the white hair and cold demeanor. 

“No, I don’t think that one would be fazed by much of anything. I am glad that Lament is recovering well from that. They’re not going to be too happy when they find out about Virgil,” he murmured, the last part mostly for himself. “Make Lament carry him back like a princess.” 

That wasn’t meant to be out loud. 

“Ah, forget I said anything,” he said, looking away sheepishly. Odetta couldn’t help but laugh.

“That’s so specific though! What prompted that?” she said, still giggling. Tofu groaned and rolled his eyes.

“That lanky bastard must have thought it would be so funny, even though I told him I just needed a moment…” he grumbled. 

“Ah, hmm.” She sighed lightly. “I’m glad he’s acting his age. He should be goofing off more like that.” She tilted her head as she smiled at him. 

“Honestly, it’s good for you too. To goof off. You have a lot of burdens, so I hear. Having little moments to be silly, they’ll help you not break,” she said softly. Tofu’s hands clenched in his lap as he kept his face turned away from her, though he had to relax his bandaged hand as it burned.

“I am not so fragile that I would break so easily,” he said, his voice so quiet that it wasn’t clear if he intended for Odetta to hear him, though there was a hard edge to it. 

“Never said you were,” she said with an even tone. “But even the strongest metal breaks with enough pressure. We need to let ourselves be in the moment, let the pressure escape through our laughter. Be with our family in times of levity and times of strife. Stand with our family and not stand alone.”

“Trust me, I know, because I am the strong one for my family. I protect them all the best I can. But my strength does not and should not negate their own. My family picks me up when I falter, and I let them. Because to deny their help is to deny their strength and that’s just insulting.”

“I’m trying,” he all but whispered. “Decades old habits don’t relinquish their hold so quickly. Trust…is hard to give, no matter how much I want to, no matter how much I know that I can, I have spent so long being the only person I could rely on that I don’t know how to…accept anything else.”

He got quiet for a moment, watching the road wind away behind them.

“I-” He clamped his mouth shut and shook his head. Odetta smiled softly, not an ounce of judgment in her eyes.

“You don’t need to start with trust, start with acceptance. If someone offers their hand more than once, accept it.” Her ears perked up as she quickly added, “I’m not saying to blindly take the hand either, you can be ready to catch yourself if the hand lets go. But typically if someone really wants to help, they won’t stop holding out their hand after one rejection. Acceptance is the first step in building trust.”

Tofu opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught on a gasp of pain as his chest flared aggressively - he really should not have teleported, though it was impressive that he made it this long without repercussions. He gripped his chest tightly as everything spun around him, dropping to his knees on the carriage floor. Blood dripped heavily between his lips as he struggled to hold himself up.

He had made a string of terrible decisions that day and this was his consequence. 

“Squeak, steady ahead!” Odetta prompted the chocobo. She hopped from the driver's seat to the back of the carriage, her expression focused as her maternal instincts took over. She placed her hands on his shoulders to steady him.

She knew better than to try to do anything more than hold him steady, even though it killed her to simply watch. She waited for the worst of it to pass before she pulled a cloth out of her pocket and offered it to him.

As the pain subsided bit by bit, he leaned heavily against the seat he had vacated, still gasping for air as he took the cloth gratefully. His eyes took an extra moment to focus on her concerned expression. One hand kept him propped up as the other went back against his chest. 

“S-sorry, it’s fine, it’ll pass,” he murmured, trying to offer a comforting smile that was belied by the blood still flecked on his lips. He blinked as he remembered the cloth she had just handed him and attempted to get the blood off his face, at least.

“You have nothing to apologize for. I am a mother by choice, it’s my nature to worry, even for those not my own.” She smiled softly. “That is one nasty curse for sure. I see why Dolly was so concerned.” 

Tofu gave a slight tilt of his head. There it was again. The idea that Dolly, who hadn’t cared about him until that point, could get to the point that she was actively worried confused him. Had something changed at the Library? He hadn’t done anything he would consider special.

“Dolly was…?” he asked, sitting up straighter to grip his shoulder tightly. The bullet wound throbbed from all of the commotion. Odetta frowned as she took away Tofu’s hand to look at the wound. She noted there was no exit wound. It must have gotten stuck on bone, or didn’t have enough powder in the round.

“Squeak, pull over boy,” she called over her shoulder. As the chocobo pulled the carriage off to the side of the road, she dug around under the seat for her medical supplies. “I’m going to put a numbing salve on this till we can get you home.”

He offered what he hoped came across as a reassuring smile.

“It's…kind of treated. Blomma and Ro weren't home so Fiora did her best- well, Fa-el had to because Fiora is blind, but that's a long story. I should have let her wake Miyu but I didn't want to worry them…” he tried to assure. But the injury had definitely bled through, he had felt it under his hand. “Blomma should be home shortly after we get there, she should be done with work…sooooon.”

“... Yeah, I’m putting the salve on and then taking a look when we get there.” Her tone made it clear it was best not to argue. Tofu blinked at her.

“R-right,” he agreed reluctantly. 

—

Shortly after Luluci had stopped by to examine Virgil, Miyu had stepped away and repositioned themself to wait at the door for Tofu’s arrival. They remained at the entryway, holding a medical kit under their arm, as they tapped their foot and kept their eyes straight ahead. Fiora cast a look at them from across the room.

“...Do try not to bombard him as soon as he gets home, alright?” she prompted softly. She did not think that he would arrive…rested.

While she was also not happy with Tofu’s choices, she also knew that he did not need to be chastised as soon as he set foot through the door. Or by multiple people. 

Miyu gave a faint sigh through their nose as they rubbed their shoulder, brow in a tense furrow.

“I’ll behave, promise,” Miyu said with a chuckle. They took in a deep breath, held it for a moment, then let a slow breath out. Yes, they were prepared now. Luluci looked up from tending to Virgil.

“Fiora, Miyu, please prepare a space for Odetta to dig out that bullet left in Tofu’s arm, I can hear her grumbly thoughts from here,” Lulu sighed. Fiora gave a flat look.

“Useless fuckin’ voidsent didn’t even-” she started grumbling before doing as instructed. Her eyes flickered black.

“I heard that.” They returned to normal.

“Good.”

Miyu’s gaze lingered on the door as they let out a soft huff, before moving on to prepare the space. They looked to Fiora and opened their mouth to speak, then reconsidered. Nevermind what they just saw. 

“They’re here, someone go open the door,” Lulu said without looking up. Miyu promptly sped walked towards the door.

“Odetta, good to see you. Tofu… hello, darling,” Miyu greeted upon opening the door. They stepped to the side to allow them in. “Glad to see there’s enough of us now to carry Virgil’s body to the hole we dug.”

They were attempting to lift the mood. Judging by their tense expression, it wasn’t working. At the sound of Miyu’s voice, Tofu moved to walk slightly behind Odetta as they entered the house. He had been really hoping they’d still be asleep…

“H-hello,” he muttered as he passed them. “I sure hope Virgil isn’t a corpse, would be a waste of effort.”

“Yes yes, Virgil’s like a corpse, very funny. Now get over here so I can get that bullet out properly?” Odetta said with a bit of a huff. The mother’s patience began to wane.

“Yeah yeah, I’m coming…” he grumbled, making his way to where Odetta was to treat him. Fiora huffed.

“I thought you got Fa-el because she could see?” she said. 

“I did. No one said she was good at medical treatment,” he responded. Fiora shot him a glare before stomping up the stairs, a ‘stupid rabbit…’ making its way down behind her.

Miyu’s hand remained on their shoulder as their gaze lingered on Tofu’s own. They held their tongue and turned their attention to Odetta.

“Everything should be set up now. Let me know if you need anything else,” they said with a nod. They made their way to the kitchen to grab a bowl of water and some extra towels.

On the other side of the room, a corpse-like elezen began to stir. Luluci put a hand on his chest to prevent him from getting up too fast. She watched him open his eyes for a moment.

“Glad to have you back with us. But what were you up to that caused all this, hm?” she asked, peering into his mind as she did so, in case he was disinclined to answer.

Virgil glanced down at the hand on his chest with a small scowl, but nevertheless made no attempt to sit up. He shut his eyes for a long moment as he fought off the pounding headache that had begun to creep in. As he turned his head away to pinch the bridge of his nose, more silvery locks fell before his eyes.

“Ah, of course he alerted you. I-”

“I thought you were dead,” Tofu called from across the room. 

“He didn’t even need to alert me! I told you I would be checking in on you.” Luluci rolled her eyes.

Virgil shot Tofu a glare. Upon doing so, he noticed Odetta was present, as well.

“Ah yes, let us call the masses, shall we? I-” 

“He didn’t ‘call the masses’, I was at the aetheryte in Gridania. Don’t fret, Lament doesn’t know… Yet,” Odetta interrupted.

“And they won’t have to know. I only had a brief fainting spell after neglecting to grab lunch – it’s fine,” Virgil quickly responded. He turned his attention back to Luluci. “As for what I was doing… I had only come here to speak with Tofu. I found him battered and hopeless on the floor outside and had to carry him back to the house. I suppose I spent much of my energy doing that.” 

“Liar.” To Tofu’s surprise, Lulu said the same thing at the same time, though for clearly different reasons. He raised a brow at her.

“That’s not all that you did. You can’t hide your thoughts from me, I am much more practiced at peering than you are at concealing, young man,” Lulu said, crossing her arms.

“And you didn’t have to carry me, you decided to even though I told you I just needed a moment. And I wasn’t hopeless!” Tofu was tired, and perhaps a bit more immature in the face of it. A hiss of pain and a muttered ‘ow’ escaped him as Odetta dug around in his shoulder.

“Well if you wouldn’t fuckin’ move…” Odetta grumbled.

“Well, you certainly appeared so,” Virgil said with a cough. He cleared his throat and turned his gaze back to Luluci. He supposed it was useless to conceal it.

“There was a change… I felt it. I just needed to draw it out somehow. It hasn’t killed me-”

“Don’t you dare say ‘yet’ or anything of the sort like that!” Lulu snapped. “I am not sure you understand exactly what it is you are trying to achieve. Your single minded pursuit is leaving you blind to what you’re actually doing to yourself. You will not live to achieve your goal on this path.”

“May I finish any of my sentences?” Virgil flatly responded. 

“Not until you stop being stupid with them,” Lulu scolded.

Virgil closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, then slowly let it out.

“My life is not of your responsibility – and before you interrupt me again, I will not be moved from that stance. I know very well what risks come with what I’ve done to myself – I’ve weighed these factors. There is nothing I will stay behind for,” he coldly remarked, voice steady. He opened his eyes again and held his gaze with Luluci’s, but there was a distance in them. 

“Man, you really are, stupid, aren’t you?” a voice from the stairs said. Fiora - no, the shrouded eyes and hands indicated that this was Fa-el - sat upside down on the stairs, hands clasped on her chest. “Doesn’t matter if you die, does it? Does it matter if you remember? What even are you doing this for? To be better? But why? For what purpose? Who are you helping by doing any of this, because this course of yours helps absolutely no one. You won’t even be yourself at the end of this road.”

“Godsdammit Fa-el…” Tofu muttered.

“There is nothing about myself I wish to retain,” Virgil snapped back – for once, he was concise with his reasoning. 

“Not even your mind? Fool.”

“Lament will be so happy to hear you’re willing to sacrifice your memories of them,” Lulu said, narrowing her eyes.

“Okay! I think that’s enough of that for now,” Odetta said as she finally retrieved the bullet. “Miyu, please hold a cloth to his shoulder while I prepare to stitch it now that the bullet is actually out.” Fa-el shrugged as well as one can while sitting upside down on the stairs. 

“I am not medically trained, don’t ask me why he asked me to do it,” she said, no trace of remorse in her tone.

“Could have just woken me up,” Miyu grumbled quietly as they shot Fa-el a look, but they went ahead and held a cloth to Tofu’s shoulder with one hand, while the other fondly smoothed his hair out of his face. They sent a curious glance over to Luluci and Virgil.

Virgil was silent for a long period of time as Luluci’s comment about Lament lingered on his mind.

“...They know what is to occur if they are to be involved with me,” Virgil said, his voice low. He moved to sit up. “Enough of this. I should be heading back now. I’m sure Tofu doesn’t need more of an audience than he already has while being stitched up.”

Luluci rolled her eyes once more.

“Sure, okay. Don’t consider that you are involved with a hopeless romantic that actually hopes for the best,” Lulu said, staring daggers into the elezen. Fa-el sat up, allowing herself to slide down the stairs backwards until she hit the ground floor and stood up.

“Yeah, okay, become a mindless, aether hungry void thrall like the beings that haunt Hawke Manor, I don’t even care anymore. Waste your intelligence, your goals, your aspirations, to become nothing more than a floating eyeball creature with no will of its own outside of ‘consume’. Have fun, moron,” she said as she shrugged and went back up the stairs. Tofu groaned at her as she left. 

Virgil held onto the couch as he stood to his feet. He stared straight ahead. Trouble was, he had considered who he was with. And it was the only reason he hasn’t gone away to pursue his experiments on his own. He wouldn’t say this now, though — especially not in front of everyone. He did, however, show hesitance in his body language by remaining still in one spot for a prolonged period of time. 

“Fa-el…” Virgil began, only to realize she had gone back up the stairs. Never mind that, then. Another time. He continued out the door. Luluci watched as Virgil left and she shook her head.

Stupid child. Whatever was she to do with him?

Odetta meanwhile finished patching Tofu up, with fresh stitches and bandages. She started to clean up the mess of medical supplies she made as she instructed Miyu, still acting as her second pair of hands.

“Oh, and Tofu,” she said, placing a small jar in his hand, “this is that numbing salve. Give it to Blomma as an apology for using her other supplies. It’s very potent so she’ll only need a little. There’s an applicator in the lid.”

Tofu blinked heavily as he took the jar. Numbing salve or not, having someone root around in your shoulder is not the most comfortable sensation, his eyes were still unfocused. He tried to offer a soft smile, but it came out tense still.

“R-right, thanks,” he murmured. 

His hand probably needed to be properly looked at, too, but he would ask Miyu or Blomma to deal with it later, Odetta had done enough already. He made a mental note not to get the voidsent to apply medical treatment in the future.

He brushed his fingers across the bandages around his abdomen; between the incident at the Library and what has transpired today, there was a lot to cover. He couldn't help but think ‘I really am a mess, aren't I?’ as he sighed heavily through his nose.

“Oh don’t think like that,” Lulu said, suddenly by his side, giving his thigh a pat. Tofu jumped a little. “You should have seen the messes Odetta would get in! You would think being a mother might have tempered that, but no.”

“H-hey! Lulu, let's not bring up those stories.” Odetta said quickly, her cheeks a little flushed.

“Well, I’m sure you were able to handle it with a certain grace,” Miyu hummed, though they glanced at Luluci with a raised brow, as if inquiring about what she spoke of.

They absentmindedly reached for Tofu’s hand, but paused upon seeing the bandages — ones which were badly wrapped at that, too. Their brow twisted as they gently took his hand to inspect, though they didn’t unwrap it just yet. They held the back of his hand to their lips for a moment as they gave Tofu a questioning look. 

Tofu tilted his head at their look, then realized the hand they held. Ah, they had already noticed. He looked away sheepishly. He didn't know how to answer their questioning look, so he didn't say anything at all, only shrugging dismissively.

Miyu only gave him a small smile. Rather than taking up a seat to get to work, they took a seat on the corner of the table. They unpacked the medical supplies that Odetta had already cleaned up, and then quickly got to work to tend to his hand. 

“I know Luluci loves to tell stories… I’d love to hear more of them,” Miyu said as a playful smirk danced across their features. Lulu’s eyes sparkled with mischief, as Odetta buried her face in her hands.

“No…” 

“Yes!”

“Shouldn’t you make sure Virgil gets home without collapsing again?” Tofu interjected, hoping to save Odetta some embarrassment. Luluci pouted.

“Fiiiiine.” She stood up and headed towards the door. “But don’t think your stories are only kept by Lament, missy!”

Odetta shook her head as she watched Luluci leave, but said nothing in the hopes of not enticing her to stay. Tofu let out a soft sigh of relief. Mission accomplished.

“I suppose I’ll have to swing by later, then,” Miyu said with a faint giggle, quickly giving a goodbye wiggle of their fingers before returning to stitching Tofu up. Tofu watched for a moment in silence before speaking up.

“You didn’t have to worry about this right away. It would have been fine until everyone went home…” he murmured. Old habits, indeed. He would still rather as few people know about his injuries as possible.

“And leave you opened up like this? No, no. You deserve better than that. And you don’t need a nasty infection,” Miyu said with a tut of their tongue.

They glanced up to him and smiled. For a moment, their eyes lingered on his shoulder again. They averted their gaze back to his hand.

“Besides, I’m almost done here. Keep still for me and maybe I’ll get ya a cookie after.”

“Do I look like Hana to you?” he said with a flat expression. He turned his attention to Odetta briefly. “Thank you, uh, for the ride back.”

“Of course, I’ll be on my way as well. Should uh… get the carriage off your lawn…” She headed towards the door with a sheepish smile. “Take care!” Tofu offered a slight wave goodbye. 

“Take care, Odetta!” Miyu chirped back in response. They turned their gaze back to Tofu and gave him a long stare, squinting as they studied him.

“Hm. Nope, not Hana. Just perfectly you,” they said as they finished wrapping up his hand, topping it off with a quick peck on the knuckle. Tofu felt the heat rise to his cheeks and looked away.

The door swung open as Kore rushed in in a panic. 

“Tofu! I-” She blinked as she took in the scene, “Y-you’re okay? But Virgil said- … Oh I need to go kill an elezen. Be right back.”

She turned to leave again, Miyu and Tofu barely catching a glimpse of rage in her eyes.

“Hi, love! Bye, love! Have fun!” Miyu called out as Kore turned to go hunt down an elezen. 

“Whatever he’s about to get, he deserves.”

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

A Mother's Debts

The two of them really share a taste for seclusion, as much as Moxxie would rather not have anything in common with him.

Collab write with @ffxiv-f13ndish [Moxxie and Virgil]

Tofu sat leaned against the wall, one hand pressed to his side where the void creature from the library had sliced him with its claws and broken his ribs, though he didn’t realize that he was doing so or register the dull pain that throbbed under his hand.

Most of the Flowers were home for the day, and it was so very noisy in the house. He had wandered over to where he had taken Moxxie the first time she had found him after the pirate incident, propped up almost carelessly under the red canopy as he stared out into the mountains surrounding the Goblet.

He had a lot to sort through, a lot of thoughts that needed to be considered carefully before he did anything stupid. 

The sound of footsteps from the direction of the house brought him out of his reverie and he got to his feet quickly, turning his attention towards the sound, body tensed and ready in the event that it was an enemy.

When he realized it was just Moxxie, his shoulders dropped as he flopped back against the wall, nearly regretting the careless action as the almost healed wound on his back reminded him that it wasn’t quite done healing yet.

As his eyelids drooped slightly, he slid down the wall back to a sitting position, once more neglecting to realize that he had pressed his hand to his side again.

Much as she was haunted by the events that came about to introduce her to this secluded spot, Moxxie had taken a liking to hiding out there in spare moments where she could get some time to herself. She was especially in need of some time for herself following a recent interaction with a proposition from a malevolent lalafell.

Unfortunately, it seemed the space was already occupied. 

Moxxie froze upon seeing Tofu. For a moment, a shocked concern broke through her expression. It was quickly brushed away as she recalled a prior conversation – one which regarded Tofu.

Her jaw tightened, a fire in her eyes, though uncertainty remained in the depths of her gaze. Tofu’s eyes drifted over to her briefly, though his head remained turned straight ahead of him. After a moment, he turned his eyes back to the sky in front of him, having noted the fire in her eyes.

“Finally come to take care of your monster?” he said, his voice laden with weariness. 

Moxxie’s expression didn’t change, but her eyes lowered.

“Can’t do that without a weapon, hm?” she said, reluctantly stepping closer. She stood before him, staring down at Tofu, but not quite meeting his gaze.

“It seems like you’ll get that chance before I do,” Moxxie mumbled, referring to Tofu’s way of hardly ever coming back unscathed. A humourless chuckle escaped him, but it was quickly replaced by a wince as his ribs flared. His hand tightened against his side briefly.

“Can’t die until I get rid of that rat, first. After that… doesn’t matter, I guess,” he murmured. Softly, almost inaudibly, he repeated what he had said to Dolly at the library.

“If I get hurt, it’s recompense for every sin I have committed…” He sighed heavily. 

Moxxie’s expression darkened as she recalled her conversation with Tuturoko. Her hands balled into tight fists at her side… until one left her side and swung right at Tofu’s face. He let her fist connect, staring down at the cobblestones with narrowed eyes.

“Don’t be a coward. There’s no fixing anything you’ve done. No amount of bruising is going to bring back any of the lives you’ve taken. Stop wallowing. If you really have some kind of honor, quit being pathetic,” Moxxie snapped. She shut her eyes tight for a moment as they burned, fighting back the wet heat that threatened to spill out.

“I know you hated my mom, but at least-” 

“I didn’t hate her,” he cut in quickly. 

“Then have some dignity!” Moxxie shot back. “It won’t make up for anything. But at least show my mom and myself the honor of not acting like a sad sack of popotoes because I know someone like my mom wasn’t killed by some kind of… pathetic clown.” 

“You think that your situation is the only thing on my mind right this moment? The only thing that weighs on my chest?” Tofu snapped in return before taking in a deep breath to reset. He was quiet for a moment as he centered himself.

“Sorry. Lotta… unpleasant memories have come up lately. You caught me at a bad time.”

“I know,” Moxxie flatly remarked. She swallowed hard as she continued to fight back tears. Her clenched fists shook, and one hand raised.

And then it fell at her side.

“I just… wish you let me die on that ship.” Moxxie turned away, intending to disengage and walk away. Tofu scoffed.

“And that’s any braver?” he grumbled. He sighed, looking up at her. “Your mother loved you more than anything. You were the only thing she cared about as I held her, as she took her last breaths. I swore to protect you, to honor her. And now… it’s less out of obligation and more out of desire to see the woman you grow into. You’re strong.”

His ear twitched. “Honor? That’s such shit-” she began, only to pause upon noticing a shift in Tofu’s attention. 

“...You didn’t bring Nerida, did you?” he asked, making his way to his feet and looking around. He had finally learned the woman’s name and intended to use it.

Moxxie went still, listening closely. She said nothing, but gave a shake of her head. Her posture straightened as she stayed alert of her surroundings. Friends of Tofu, she presumed.

Tofu heard something coming from behind and grabbed Moxxie, pulling her to his chest as he pressed both of them against the wall to avoid the lance that had been thrown at them as it embedded into the ground where she had been standing. Before she could protest, he was away from her and throwing a knife towards the source of the lance.

Footsteps from the other direction caught his attention and he pulled Moxxie behind him protectively, narrowing his eyes at the man that approached.

“Step away from her, rabbit, she has a lot to answer for since that mum of ‘ers is dead and gone,” the man said. Tofu’s eyes narrowed further.

“Like Hells I will,” he growled. 

Moxxie didn’t have much time to react, between being pulled out of the way by Tofu from another flying weapon, to the revelation that it was her being hunted this time. 

Ah yes, she had nearly forgotten of the long list of enemies that her mom had gathered. She pushed back from Tofu and reached over to grab the lance that had been flung her way.

“Piss off! I got nothin’ to do with you!” she snarled, holding up the lance as she squared her feet. 

“Oh, but we got everythin’ ta do with ya, little miss,” another voice said as a woman strode towards them from the other side. Seemed these people had half a mind to surround them. 

“Good for fucking you, you’re not going to touch her,” Tofu said as he drew his knife, darting towards the man that had approached first. 

Moxxie gave a faint scoff under her breath. Even with her mother’s death, she’s left to deal with the burden of her mother’s actions. With her siblings gone, it’s left on her to clean up. She hurled dead ahead towards the woman that approached.  

The au ra just barely had a second to duck as the woman swung a great sword over her head. The point of her lance only left a minuscule scratch at the swordbearer's side. She quickly jumped back to put more space between her and the length of the sword. 

As Tofu swiped at the man, the man leaned back, raising a revolver and aiming it at Tofu. Tofu didn’t have time to think about the consequences, he just grabbed the barrel in the brief second before the trigger was pulled and pressed it to his shoulder - nothing vital on himself, and no chance of hitting Moxxie behind him.

He remembered the look on Miyu’s face as the bullet hit them.

Before the man could reload the gun, Tofu twisted it out of his hand and did as he usually did to disarm his enemies in the Goblet; he threw the gun into the ravine that ran under. 

He swiped at the man again, catching the highlander across the ribs as he jumped back out of range. Tofu followed with another swing, and once more, the man dodged, this time without a scratch.

Before Tofu could take another swing, his chest flared, and though the pain was brief and less intense than some of his other attacks, something about this one left him dizzy. He stumbled slightly as the world spun around him and he dropped to one knee, clutching his chest. What a terrible time for this shit…

“What is your deal?!” Moxxie yelled, once more dodging the swipe of a blade. She growled as she gave another thrust of the lance. This time, there was contact with flesh – the end delving between the woman’s ribs. She twisted the lance as she dug it in.

The action was a short lived and ill advised maneuver. With her attention on the swordswoman, she didn’t have time to move out of the way of a throwing knife, which embedded itself into her knee. 

Moxxie stumbled back in her shock, pulling the lance back with her. Just as she steadied on her feet, the swordswoman swung down.

“The beast took my girl, I’m just repaying the favor, kid.” 

There was a clang! of metal as the sword was met with a knife, and though the force brought Tofu back to one knee in his unsteady state, he was able to redirect the blade harmlessly to the ground beside them. 

“The one with whom you have issue is no longer around to be hurt by your actions. What is the point of murdering a child when your grudge is not with her?” He did not await an answer, knocking the woman back with a surprisingly steady kick.

"Fuck off,” he grumbled. With a groan, he heard more footsteps approaching.

There was no response to be given to Tofu before Moxxie darted forward. She let out a yell as she jumped and drove the lance through the woman’s neck as she landed, gritting her teeth at the pain that shot up her leg with the weight she put on her injured knee. She cursed under her breath as she took the small blade and pulled it out of the soft tissue it had embedded into. 

Under the light of the sun, she noticed what looked to be a strange, murky gleam of an oily substance along the blade, just barely noticeable with the blood which covered it. She huffed through her nose and hurled it back towards the approaching members. No time to examine.

She stood tall, stepping closer to Tofu as she readied her stance. 

Tofu had noted the knife she had removed from her knee, reaching out as she stepped closer and lending a small healing spell to close the wound for now - he had snuck his stone back from Ro finally and was full glad for it. With a frown, he could sense the poison that had begun to make its way through her veins. Another light spell, to start the process of neutralizing the poison. 

As he worked, he had drawn two throwing knives from his pouch, sending them at the two individuals that were closest, catching one in the throat fatally and the other only catching the second in the shoulder.

He could feel himself breathing heavier, but ignored it and launched back towards the man he had disengaged with to protect Moxxie, his speed throwing the highlander off guard as, in a blink, he was on him, knife to its hilt in the man’s chest.

Tofu’s work to neutralize the poison kept Moxxie up on her feet. A heated, nauseating pain still crept through her veins, but began to slow. 

Moxxie, however, did not slow down. She leaned close to the ground as she sped forward. When one of the attackers collapsed to the ground, she jumped off of his back to give herself more distance from the ground as she flung the lance. It flew from her grasp and sunk into the eye of an axe wielding opponent.

She staggered as her feet made contact with the ground again. Her expression tensed, but she nevertheless continued forward to retrieve the lance. She put one foot down on his head as she started to pull out the lance.

A masked figure darted forward and tackled her down just before she could get the weapon out. She started to fight back, until she felt a cold blade against her neck. 

As the highlander fell from Tofu’s blade, he cast a look around, noting one woman with a dagger hanging back from the fight and- His vision ran red as he caught sight of Moxxie. Flashes of the past crossed his mind, and before he could register what was happening, his body acted. 

One moment, he was beside the man he had slain, and in the next instant, his hand was around the blade to Moxxie’s throat, unconcerned with whatever damage it would do to him, as he pulled it away from her. His other hand grabbed the masked figure’s face and forced them off of the child he would do whatever it took to protect.

With a sickening crack, he slammed their head against the cobblestone. Bits of skull protruded as blood pooled beneath the figure. Tofu stood and faced the final attacker, his eyes still holding a dangerous darkness as he stared her down, daring her to try anything.

The woman ran.

Moxxie stared up with a stunned expression. Someone that looked to be in his injured condition wouldn’t be capable of such a blow – shouldn’t be capable. There was a creeping unease as she thought back to her mother.

How did she go? How did everyone that bled at his hands meet their end? 

Perhaps it was remnants of the poison, but Moxxie suddenly felt very, very sick. 

Tofu could ignore the blood dripping from his fingertips, an injury reminiscent of the distant past that danced across his mind. He shook it from his mind, turning to face Moxxie. Instead, his mind focused on her, and the promise he made to her mother to keep her safe.

He had closed her injury, but only just, and the spell to neutralize the poison wasn’t as potent as Ro’s would have been, if he could cast it again, perhaps it would work more quickly- 

Such thoughts ground to a halt as his chest flared again, more aggressively with his own usage of magic compounding with the effects of his endeavors in the Library. Pain flashed through his nerves, and the world spun once more. Blood dripped from his mouth as he dropped to his hands and knees with a barely stifled cry, the effort to keep the ground stable beneath him overriding the usual attempts to alleviate the pain by applying pressure. 

Regardless of her conflicting thoughts regarding Tofu, when he fell to his knees, she rushed to his side. At the end of the day, she was still just a child who wanted to do something right – even though she didn’t know what was right anymore. A reluctant hand reached out to his uninjured shoulder.

No injury from poison or blades could compare to the pain of seeing the life fade from her mother’s eyes in the arms of the man who had just saved her life.

Whatever tears Moxxie had been holding back all this time broke through as a sob ripped through her. The passing of the memory was brief, but it burned into her. She, too, fell to her knees as she wept. 

Through his haze, he could guess as to what happened; another memory shared without consent from either of them. And while he didn’t know for certain what she had seen, the anguish that radiated from her told him with certainty that it was one of two memories, two memories she should never have to witness. 

He wanted to reach out, to apologize, to try and offer some measure of comfort - not that he would be able to do any good at it - but his chest felt as though it were being crushed, his lungs unable to get enough air no matter how he gasped for it through the blood that dripped heavily from his mouth. His vision could not still, and his ears rang harshly until he could hear naught else. Something was wrong, no attack had been like this before. 

As he collapsed to his side, he noticed a heavy presence in the air that suddenly dissipated, and though the effects of his episode faded slightly with it, even if the effects were gone entirely, he had been injured. Not to mention that his previous injuries had reopened in his efforts. Weakly, he managed to lift his hand, stretching towards her, but unable to make contact before it fell limp, dropping back to the ground as he struggled to breathe through the blood.

Whatever that presence had been, it had done a number on him... 

“What a mess. Really, making children cry now, Tofu? I didn’t know if you had it in you.” 

Moxxie stilled at the sound of a familiar voice. She looked up and squinted as she struggled to focus – partly due to the pounding migraine that had begun to creep in, as well as the tears that veiled her vision –  on the figure that suddenly towered nearby.

“You! It’s…”

“Exchanging greetings and pleasantries is unnecessary at the moment – are you to assist in bringing him inside?” Virgil said, leaning down on one knee as he looked Tofu over. 

Moxxie stared down at Tofu for a moment in contemplation. She shook her head and stood.

“Run along, then. Don’t get in the way.” His voice was by no means cold, the elezen merely being direct with the child.

“Now. Shall I spare you your dignity, or do you need the assistance to be carried back?” Virgil addressed Tofu now. 

Tofu watched as Moxxie walked away, reaching out feebly with his torn and bloody hand before it dropped back to the ground again. Virgil had spoken, but Tofu couldn't hear him over the ringing. But the last thing he wanted was to be coddled by Virgil of all people.

He tried to push himself to his feet, making it to his hands and knees before coughing blood harshly onto the ground. He pressed a hand to his chest as he toppled back over the other direction. He turned narrowed eyes to Virgil as he struggled to breathe.

“There was…something here…that made it worse. I don't know what, or how,” he started, pausing to cough once more, before continuing. “It felt like, whatever it was, it was crushing me. The degree has lessened now that it's gone. I just need a moment.” 

Virgil’s head tilted to the side in a quick, bird-like motion.

“And you are certain it is not the burden of the crushing guilt you choose to carry?” Virgil dryly remarked. “That is a joke.” It didn’t seem so funny, however, as he watched Tofu cough up blood and collapse to the ground.

“Ha, funny,” Tofu grumbled.

“It could be your condition taking a turn with the increased intake of magic… or perhaps, the ward could be saturated with a magic energy to weaken you steadily. Nevertheless, peculiar. The latter would be more intriguing… though that isn’t to say that your affliction is not an enticing area of research,” Virgil said, seeming to speak aloud to himself now.

Despite the detached and unnerving statements, he showed some level of care when he leaned down and abruptly scooped Tofu up to carry back to the house.

Tofu’s eyes widened as he tried to wriggle out of the elezen’s grip.

“H-hey I just need-! I’m fine, you don’t need to-” he started to protest, but paused as he noted silver hairs peeking through the blond. Wasn’t Virgil younger than Blomma? He shouldn’t be going gray already…

“...Been using too much aether?” he commented, though he did once more try to get himself back to the ground.

With Tofu’s current condition, Virgil didn’t relent and continued to carry Tofu back towards the house. Though, arguably, it could be said it was partially due to amusement. Might as well find the fun in some things when you are actively deteriorating. There was no overt change in Virgil’s expression following Tofu’s question, though he did seem to hesitate in his response.

“Luluci has informed me that the deterioration continues. The potions and healing spells have reduced in efficacy with the continued use of them. I suspect that I’ve been building a resistance, so to speak. Nevertheless, the treatment is by no means useless presently,” he explained, his steps slowing as he approached the house.

“Then you should be the last person to be trying to carry my ass home, let me down,” Tofu grumbled, finally gathering the strength to make his way out of Virgil’s grasp, though he landed with a heavy thump on the ground before he made his way to his feet with a muttered ‘ow…’. He brushed himself off and gave Virgil a look. 

“Shouldn’t you be under house arrest? Won’t Lament get upset with you?” he asked, holding a hand to his ribs again before quickly dropping his hand to his side - not that he didn’t think Virgil had noticed, but even so, Virgil was the last person he wanted to appear weak in front of. 

“Two things. I wasn’t trying – I was actively doing so – and it wouldn’t have been a very difficult task if it weren’t for you writhing like a toddler. Follow up, Lament is not my keeper. I can very well get around on my own,” Virgil corrected, crossing his arms over his chest and giving a slight tilt of his head while he watched Tofu closely. 

“I could ask you the same question, seeing you are hardly recovered from recent incidents. And it appears you are even further from recovery now, given what had just occurred with your adversary’s band of imbeciles,” he remarked, assuming that the attack had been intended for Tofu. 

”Wouldn’t have resisted so much if you weren’t carrying me like some kind of princess…” Tofu grumbled under his breath. He shrugged. “And to the surprise of everyone, these particular imbeciles weren’t meant for me. What brought you here, Virgil?” 

He was deliberately ignoring the commentary of his own condition. He had actually been nearly recovered before the Library incident, the injury across his back was more of a nuisance than an active pain.

“Very well. I’ll make note to carry you over my shoulder like-”

“Do not carry me at all.”

A faint chuckle escaped Virgil, the corners of his lips forming into a momentary curl of amusement. Virgil decided not to make note of that statement and continued.

“Really? For the child, then? Not surprising at all, given the nature of her mother’s work. The length of the list might as well cover the surface of the seas. She’ll be cleaning up that mess for a long while,” Virgil said, eyes roaming down the road as he recalled where Moxxie ran off to. “If need be, I can attend to finding out who – of considerable concern – could be on said list. However, I’ve come here for matters regarding the mage which hunts you.”

His gaze turned back to Tofu.

“Though it seems I have arrived at ill timing. Shall we go inside before you collapse again? I’ll take care to drag you in by your feet, rather than carry you, this time around.” 

“I said I’m fine,” Tofu growled. “The heavy presence has been gone long enough for the effects to go back to their normal, only mildly annoying state. And I’m used to blood los- I can still stand. You should consider not spreading your own investigations too thin. Drop the beast mage, focus on the child, if you must. I can handle Nhagi on my own.” 

He, too, turned his gaze towards where Moxxie had gone. He hoped she was alright… He squared his shoulders and turned back towards the house, pausing to wait for Virgil with a raised brow. 

“Shall I call for your wardens to confirm the state of your condition – which you insist is fine? I’m certain it would be no trouble to seek out Kore and Miyu right now. I know for certain one of them is sleeping, but it wouldn’t be hard to wake them,” Virgil hummed as he began to speed walk towards the door. “Certainly, you are handling things well!” 

“I do not have ‘wardens’ the way you do, and don’t bother any of my family, I’m walking, aren’t I?” Tofu said with narrowed eyes as he followed the… weirdly speedy Virgil. He must be enjoying tormenting Tofu… This was not a common side of Virgil. Truly, it seemed Tofu brought out a rather strange side to Virgil.

“Certainly. If they were truly wardens, they’d do a better job at keeping you locked up while you’re injured,” Virgil said with a barely audible chuckle. “Now then, come along inside. I have much to suggest in regards to dealing with that mage.”

Virgil gave Tofu little to no time to respond before he disappeared inside. It seems he already made up his mind. With a roll of his eyes, Tofu followed him inside.

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

Message Received

((collab. drabble w/ @sorrel-haven ! [Lament]))

Lament sat at their writing desk, an open journal in front of them as they idly tapped out a rhythm. The blank page mocked them as they stared down at it. Their shoulders rose and fell with their heavy sigh. It seemed writing would not be happening at that moment. They crossed their arms over the book and buried their face as they began to doze off at their desk. Sleep fully took them after a few moments passed.

There were two firm knocks at the door before Virgil let himself into the study. Virgil walked over to stand across from Lament’s desk, setting down a paper before them. 

“I know, bed rest. However –” Virgil set down a piece of paper on the desk and slid it over to Lament. “Do pass this message to Dante at the thaumaturge’s guild. I would rather not have to send off the mimic for such a mundane task.”

Lament hadn’t stirred when Virgil entered the room. They had become a heavy sleeper over the years of living in the loud Sorrel house. Their hair partially obscured their face as they snored softly. 

Virgil gave a tilt of his head at the silence, only to then realize Lament was sleeping soundly. Ah, well it was a good thing he hadn’t continued rambling, else there would be nobody to hear. He glanced to the corner of a book that peeked out from under Lament’s crossed arms. Virgil reached out to give a curious tug, in hopes of reading what Lament had written – which, unbeknownst to Virgil, was presently nothing – but his hand paused nearby Lament’s head as his eyes wandered to their concealed expression. 

The crook of Virgil’s index finger gingerly moved the curtain of Lament’s hair from their face. His eyes scanned over their slumbering visage. They looked to be at peace. There was a charming softness he hadn’t quite noticed before, given how often they twisted their brow at him. Virgil’s gaze lingered.

His finger fondly brushed against the side of their face, sliding down the slope of their freckled cheekbone before he pulled his hand back. He supposed he could take care of this himself. 

Lament’s eyes suddenly shot open as they took in a sharp breath. They clutched their head as a sharp pain coursed through. Panic nearly set in as some of Virgil’s memories flooded in. When the pain subsided they were left out of breath, hands shaky. They looked around to reorient themself and caught sight of Virgil.

“V-Virgil… You startled me.” They tucked their hands away and sat back in their chair. 

Virgil stepped back as Lament had a very alarming awakening. At first, he wondered if it was a dream which caused them distress, but the clear expression of pain said otherwise. It was one he was familiar with.

His eyes widened a fraction.

“Of course… I suppose it isn’t unlikely that such a trait is shared among twins,” he mumbled  in wonder. His gaze fell cold.

“What did you see?” He inquired, stiffly.

“I… I saw a few memories, none too pleasant.” Lament said softly. “I… I didn’t mean to pry… I know that I’ve read your journal… but this is different, I’m sorry.”

Virgil remained silent for a moment. He breathed out slowly. He held up a hand.

“Let us be done with it,” Virgil responded with a stony expression. “Now, I’ve come to inquire of some assistance in delivering a message.”

It seemed Virgil had no intentions on lingering on what had happened, putting up an aloof visage. The barrier had come up. 

“Wait… are you mad? Did you not know?” Lament asked, confused by Virgil trying to shut it down so quickly and with so few words.

Virgil’s brow twitched, but there was no overt display of emotion across the Elezen’s features.

“I was unaware. And of course, I’m furious. Which is why it would benefit the both of us if you go and carry this out for me — or I could go out and do it myself,” Virgil coldly responded. He started to slide the paper back over to Lament, but paused. Virgil picked it back up.

“I’m wasting my time. I’ll do it myself,” he said as he turned towards the door. Lament quickly got up and went around the desk, grabbing Virgil’s sleeve.

“Wait a second, Virgil, don’t shut me out. Please talk to me…” Lament pleaded. 

Virgil stilled at the tug of his sleeve, but he didn’t turn to look at Lament.

“There is nothing to discuss-”

“Clearly there is! You’re upset and I can’t make it right if you keep it in. What are you upset about specifically? The things I saw? That you didn’t know? What?” Lament held on tight.

Virgil said nothing for a long while. His posture remained stiff, his breaths tense and slow as he maintained control. When he finally turned his head to look at Lament, his fiery gaze was set like hot daggers within his icy complexion.

The woe in Lament’s eyes startled him. Virgil’s glare softened, but his countenance remained hardened.

“There is nothing to make right after delving into what you could have possibly seen. There was nothing you controlled, and nothing that could remedy the past. You can not fix this, as there is nothing that you are responsible for fixing,” Virgil steadily responded. His other hand reached up, gently setting on top of their’s as they clutched at his sleeve.

Lament tensed at Virgil’s hand on his but quickly relaxed. They were able to relax for the time being.

“I can apologize for not warning you. My Echo…” Lament took in a breath,  “It’s triggered by skin on skin contact, if I'm aware… I can suppress it. And it’s not all the time if I'm not aware, mind you.”

“Given the nature of my research, it isn’t inexplicable that you and your sister would hide it from me. I had found out early on that she held the gift, and she had insisted you didn’t. I suppose I was misguided, else I’d refrain from… contact,” Virgil said, his gaze lingering on their lips for a moment before he met their eyes once more.

“I understand it is not something many can control. I had barely managed by the time I got a grasp on it, before the blessing had begun to fade,” he finished with a faint sigh, and his hand withdrew from Lament’s. 

“I am nowhere near Kore’s level of control, but I don’t need you to refrain…” Lament said letting it trail off at the end. 

“And I would not want to refrain,” Virgil admitted, a softer lilt in his voice.

“And please, don’t hold it against Kore, she probably was trying to protect me, and then forgot about the whole thing. She’s surprisingly scatterbrained for someone so seemingly put together.” Lament added.

 “Of course. Hiding such information was to be expected, given the circumstances at the time of the conversation. I would have done the same for you.” Virgil’s gaze broke, his head lowering as he pondered what Lament could have seen. 

“Do you understand… no, perhaps not understand, per se. Do you see why I carry out what I do? Why I must become stronger?” Virgil’s voice retained a softness, but there was a menacing linger in his tone. “There is much to rearrange. Much to destroy.” 

“I… I would gladly punish the individuals that wronged you. You needn’t even ask it of me.” Lament lightly touched Virgil’s face. “But I still won’t help raize the entire city. There are more souls there than the evil ones.”

“Even if you cut the rot from a plum, the mold has embedded deep inside. All that is left to do is to discard it,” Virgil said as he placed his hand over Lament’s. “I don’t expect your assistance, regarding that. I know you won’t do that.”

He reached out with his other hand and placed it on the small of their back as he stepped closer.

“Although… I’m certain it will make a thrilling tale for you to tell — isn’t that right, my songbird?” There was a brief flicker of a smile at Virgil’s lips, his head tilting to one side as he addressed the songwriter. 

“It’s still unwritten, we’ll see what turns it takes.” Lament smiled, pressing closer.

Virgil’s head tilted in the other direction as he gave a hum in thought.

“Then I suppose we shall have to see how it develops,” the Elezen said as he drew back. “Now then — will you be able to assist me with another matter?”

Lament pouted, “Which I might be more amenable to if you didn’t just ruin the moment.” 

Virgil’s head tilted once more.

“I’m sorry?” he responded, clearly not understanding.

“You should have kissed first then asked a favor. Just sayin.” Lament huffed. 

Virgil gave a faint ‘oh’ in response, before he proceeded to draw them in once more to give them a kiss. Lament leaned into the kiss. Savoring the moment, they smiled while their lips were still close.

“That’s better, now what’s the favor?”

“Shall I expect that to be necessary every time I must request a favor from now on?” Virgil dryly inquired, though the remark was but a playful jest. He held up the slip of paper once more.

“If you will, I’d like for you to deliver a message to Dante at the thaumaturge’s guild. He’s less inclined to shoot on sight when it is not myself or the mimic,” he requested. 

“Hmm, not sure how keen he’d be to see me after the last few interactions I’ve had with him… but I guess it’ll be better than him trying to attack you,” Lament said with a sigh, taking the paper from Virgil.

“Only a few interactions. Dante is vengeful, but not cruel,” he assured, resting his hands on Lament’s shoulders as he leaned in and kissed them on the forehead. “Thank you.” 

- - -

Lament leaned against a pillar in the Thaumaturge Guild’s public halls. They could have strolled through the guild if they wanted. They visited many times with Odetta in the past. They didn’t want to be alone in a room with Dante however; so when they checked in with the receptionist they asked her to have Dante meet them in the public chamber. Hopefully he’d decide to come out to play, Lament didn’t want to have to go find him.

Upon hearing of Lament’s request to meet with him out in the public chambers, Dante sunk deeper into the shelves of Ghost’s private study. Past interactions with Lament didn’t bode well for this meeting. Frankly, Lament was the last person Dante needed to see.

He busied himself with organizing books as he fought to ignore looming thoughts of the presence who awaited him outside.  Ghost peaked over her book.

“Are you not going to meet with Lament?” she asked as she turned a page.

Dante kept his eyes set on the shelf, scanning for anything out of order. Seemed that everything was set in place – save for himself.

“I just… I-I don’t think it's a good idea. Last time we spoke, they were waving around a scythe and I… well…” Dante apprehensively responded, idly poking at a groove in the bookshelf with a nail. “I don’t think they are here to make friends, anyways.”

“You don’t know why they’re here. Besides, Lament is dramatic, not vindictive.” She set the book down open in front of her and laced her fingers. She leaned forward on her elbows as her tail flicked. “Don’t make me order you to go see them. I will.”

Dante’s eyes and ears lowered. He gave a reluctant nod of his head.

“I’ll be back shortly,” he said with a sigh. Dante reluctantly left the study to go meet Lament.

It took everything in Dante to refrain from hiding behind one of the pillars in the public area. 

“Lament, yeah? Is there… something you need?”  He greeted Lament as he approached them slowly, bearing a nervous smile.

Lament sighed softly as they pulled out a letter from their pocket. They unfolded it and pushed away from the pillar as they began to read out loud.

“Dante, Due to the circumstances, which I will refrain from explaining in full detail, I will be having Lament share this information with you. Lament, please do not stray from details.” Lament scoffed lightly at the last line.

Dante stared in disbelief. Were they seriously just reading him a letter?

“I’m sorry – what? Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I really… really don’t want to hear what he has to say through you-” Dante quickly interjected, before Lament held up a finger to cut him off.

“I acknowledge your frustrations, and how the dissolution of our relationship had set us both on unfavorable courses. Our paths have intertwined once more, with the supposed pretense that for one path to continue, it must overtake the other. Pray, let us discuss a new path,” they continued. 

“Gods, does this man ever keep things brief?” Lament asked under their breath while reading ahead quietly to themself.

“He doesn’t. So he’s made you his messenger, along with being his guard?” Dante said with a breath of frustration. It didn’t seem he was entirely tuned in, and was more so troubled by the fact that it was Lament who had come to deliver Virgil’s message. “I want him. I want him here to deliver these words himself.”

“That’s too bad, he’s on bed rest, and you’re not exactly welcome to visit after the last time.” Lament said coldly. “He wants to help you. It would be good closure for the both of you to accept the help, without taking his eyes.”

Dante’s expression hardened. He crossed his arms, turning his face away as he burned holes into a wall with a glare.

“I’ve accepted his help before. He took more than he could give. It’s not… it’s not fair,” he mumbled, face twisted in distress as he reflected on earlier memories – and what he had seen recently at the Library. It disgusted him that he was still troubled by it.

“The eyes… I need them. He isn’t yours to care for – he isn’t yours to take,” said the Viera in a barely audible mumble, more so lamenting to himself than to Lament. 

“You can’t be serious.” Lament pinched the bridge of their nose. “He’s not yours anymore, it was two years ago. Get over it.”

Dante gritted his teeth in embarrassment.

“Look, it’s not about that. Just…” Dante closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. “Don’t you have a message to read?”

Lament stared at him for a moment. He let out a soft sigh and folded the letter back up. They tucked it in their pocket and sighed once more. Then they grabbed Dante by the shirt and shoved him to the wall, but not with enough force to hurt. Dante’s eyes widened, his gloved hands grabbing Lament’s wrists in defense, but he was too stunned to fully react right away.

“Stop pretending that you’re just after his eyes. I wouldn’t even need the Echo to see what’s in your heart when it’s clearly written on your face.” Lament said, irritation seeping into their words.

“You… you think you know everything. You don’t understand, and you haven’t seen it all. If you could see as clearly as you claim you can, then you need to take a better look at what happened. Because what you see from me is what will happen to you. There will be judgment,” Dante firmly stated as he found his voice once more. He looked up at Lament and held their gaze. 

“I’ve seen enough today. Thing is. I’m not you, what happened with you won’t happen with me,” Lament said with steely confidence.

“You’re right, you’re not me. Because you are just a coward,” Dante coldly spoke back in return. “You are enabling a monster, and you don’t want to see that you are wrong. Believe what you want, but you are truly weak.”

Dante held his tongue for a moment, uncertain if he really wanted to say the phrase that burned within his mind. Would that be too cruel?

He can be a little petty. 

“But by all means, if you’re into picking up my leftovers — go right ahead.”

Lament chuckled. “You are so delusional. I don’t care if he’s been with other people. His past is his past, his future is unwritten, all I care about is his present. And presently, I’m due back to his bed.” 

Lament took the letter out of their pocket and shoved it into Dante’s chest before releasing him. They stepped back and crossed their arms.

“Have Ghost deliver your response. She’ll tell me if you just throw the letter away.” Lament said before turning to walk away.

Dante scowled, holding the letter to his chest. He gave a sigh.

“You’ll tire yourself out protecting him. It’s a lot of work  to try and bring someone out of harm when it's all they pursue. Hells, when I first met him, he had just attempted surgery on himself. He’s not well in the head, but I guess neither are you,” Dante spoke up as Lament walked away. 

“Is that so? Well then what does that say about you?” Lament shouted over their shoulder and they left.

Either Dante didn’t want to entertain a response, or he couldn’t get a word out before he left – but he only shook his head. He stuffed the letter into his pocket and turned to walk back to the study.

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

Target

That damn child again...

The sun beat heavily on the pavement, casting waves of heat off the stone and warping the air slightly. The streets were busy, as usual, Ul’dah usually was. Tuturoko walked along the road, a scowl etched across his face as he nearly stamped his way through the crowd. Too many times, that rabbit had gotten away, too many times had that child come to his defense. Truly, he was the only one who followed through with his hatred. Others had claimed their hatred, only to turn coat and help. Cowards, the lot of them. Especially that damnable child, who claimed to want him dead, only to turn around and save his life. He cursed under his breath. 

He came to a pause a few feet away from a stall, staring for a moment, until a wide smile made its way across his face. Speak of the devil, and all that… He strode over, standing slightly behind her and drawing in a breath. 

“Kora Moxxie, do you have a moment? I’d like a word with you,” he said, keeping a pleasant tone to his voice, a skill he was well rehearsed in.

Moxxie’s expression tensed at the mention of her name – and full one at that. Hardly ever was she addressed by her first name alone. She turned over the apple she was inspecting in her hand. Moxxie glanced over at him over her shoulder.

“Then have your word. Make it fast, I don’t have much of a moment to spare,” Moxxie dryly responded, not budging from her spot to turn and give the lalafell her full attention. Tuturoko hummed slightly, he knew she was smarter than that.

“I have a proposal for you. I am aware of one of my…subordinates having attacked you, and would like to extend my sincerest apologies, first and foremost. However, my proposal is thus. You harbour the desire to kill a man whom I also desire to have killed. He is quite strong, as you know, and killing him by yourself would be near impossible a task. Why don’t you join me, and we can work together to bring him low?” he said evenly, keeping his eyes trained on her, watching for any sort of movement that would betray hostile intentions. 

Moxxie rolled the apple in her hand, the fruit halting in the middle of her palm as her nails clamped hard around it and dug into the tender flesh. Her eyes turned to daggers.

Ah, so it was him. She had wondered if he seemed recognizable somewhere. She said nothing for a long moment as she considered what he had said. Like minded goals aside – a goal she wasn’t even sure she was sold on – the man has caused her a great deal of trouble already.

“You’re getting desperate. Like a wolf coming out of the shadow to beg for scraps. It’s pathetic,” Moxxie coldly remarked. She dug her fingers in, the apple tearing into two with a jaw clenching rip. “I don’t work with pathetic people.” 

“You misunderstand. This proposal is an act of mercy upon you. It would be a shame to have you caught up in the crossfire. After all, didn’t that man already take everything from you? Why should you suffer more on his behalf? Why should you suffer to protect the man who killed your brother, your mother?” he said, not reacting to her words. A child would be a child, after all. And children were bound to say the most uninformed things. 

Memories from the night of the attack crept quickly. It was good that she hadn’t turned to face him yet. Though, she had a feeling that he very well knew what her expression was now.

“Mercy… everything is an act of mercy. It’s all bullshit,” she snarled through her teeth, though her voice remained low and even. He could feel the rage burning in her eyes, see the set of her jaw. 

“Did the man who made you suffer also tell you he was acting out of mercy? A pitiful man, truly. Tell me, what do you gain by thwarting me, Kora Moxxie?” he asked, keeping a neutral tone. 

He was pushing her buttons. He did not expect her to join him, never did. He wanted her to doubt her actions. He wanted her to rethink assisting the rabbit. He wanted her to turn on him. Or at least hesitate enough for the deed to be done. 

Moxxie took in a deep breath and held it – just like she was holding back every urge to scream, or cry, or fight. By the Twelve, she didn’t know what she was going to do. What was even right in this situation?

“What sick game are you playing? What do you expect to gain? I can help kill him, sure. Or I can help him kill you. I don’t care if either of you die, and I won’t hesitate for either one of you,” Moxxie said, turning towards the lalafell with a fire in her gaze.

She took a bite of the apple and spat it out at the man’s feet.

“And I gain nothing from hanging with a pathetic runt looking for scraps. Get your kicks elsewhere, or really show me what would be worth helping you.” 

Tuturoko smiled widely.

“Oh, you’ve already helped me. You’ve helped me plenty. Do be sure this fire of yours stays lit,” he said, turning and walking away. 

The fire burned brighter than ever. Question was, she didn’t know what direction to fan the flames. Moxxie huffed through her nose and turned towards the stall owner. She quickly paid her for the apple and delved into the crowd.

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

Meanwhile in Ul'dah

This guy... Everyone always excuses THIS guy just for being the Warrior of Light. Even murder. Well, Tuturoko has other plans...

Tuturoko stood atop a stack of crates in the Pearl Lane in Ul’dah, gazing out into the murmuring crowd of people he had managed to gather; a rather sizable number, all things considered. He knew most of them had borne witness to the spectacle he was about to address, and those that had not were sure to have heard of it, thanks to the spreading of information by his own followers. He crossed his arms and drew in a breath. It was time.

“My fellow civilians, I have gathered you all here today to make a proposal to you. But first, I shall reiterate the circumstance that brought you all here.

The Warrior of Light has committed a murder in broad daylight, here on these very streets. Not only did he commit a murder, he was let free with naught but a slap on the wrist, if even that. The Sultana herself expedited his release. If he cannot be held accountable for his actions against the individual he murdered, when will he be held accountable? 

Who is to say that his blades do not turn on us, the ordinary citizenry of Ul’dah? Who is to protect us in that instance? If the Sultana herself can excuse his every action simply because he is the Warrior of Light, who holds him responsible for his actions?”

A murmur rippled through the crowd as fearful expressions were exchanged. Tuturoko smiled and held out his hands in a grand gesture. 

“My proposal is thus. We bring the justice to him. We hold him responsible. We seek him out and deliver retribution unto him. The man has been a menace to this city since childhood, I say we rid this world of the blight that he brings.”

A stunned silence hung in the air following his proposal. Slowly, one by one, people in the crowd began to clap, nod, and utter their agreement. And, one by one, shouts emerged, with words such as ‘He cannot be allowed to get away with this!’ or ‘We bring the justice to him!’ and other such affirmations. Tuturoko’s smile morphed into a contented smirk, pleased at the things he was hearing. As the crowd began to discuss amongst themselves, he let his own men mingle with them and hopped down off of the crates. 

He had more fodder for his cause.

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

Treasure in You

(( collab. drabble w/ @ro-valerius [Tofu]! [also credit to ro for gpose shots] ))

And so the world seemed to start to slow down again. After all that had happened with the pirates — and all that had happened directly after — Miyu was finally settling into what felt like some semblance of normalcy. Whatever that really meant. At the very least, they didn’t feel like they were on the brink of panicking at every given moment. Well, it was less frequent that this occurred. Time could only go on further. And with the celebratory gathering coming up, they hoped they’d be able to adjust further to this new normal. Perhaps, one thing that could kickstart that was to finally engage in prior plans. 

They came up behind Tofu as he worked at his desk, resting both hands on the sides of the back of his chair as they leaned forward to look at him from above. 

“Hey. I think you might owe me a date,” they casually greeted him with a proposition. “Come join me for a beach walk tonight? I have snacks… and plenty of firestarters… packed up.” Tofu looked up at them and tilted his head - not in confusion, but in thought.

“...I will apologize in advance. I do not know what exactly it is that people do on ‘dates’. Kore’d be your better option, if you want a good one,” he said before getting quiet and averting his gaze. “Though…if my ineptitude doesn’t bother you, I’d be more than glad to.” 

“You are perfect as you are. And I asked for you, after all,” they hummed, leaning down to playfully brush the tip of their nose against his own. “Good that you’re free. I already bought an airship ticket to get there.” Last thing they wanted to do was force Tofu through a magic portal, anyways.

“Take your time finishing up what you need to do,” Miyu hummed before skipping off to finish preparations. Tofu considered the stacks of papers in front of him, only half filled out, and groaned. There was a valiant attempt to try to bring himself to finish them, but in the end, he stacked the unfinished ones in one pile and the finished in another and got up to find where Miyu had gone.

Daen Lad grabbed him by the ear before he could make it very far, dragging him towards his room. 

“If you’re going to the beach, you can’t be going looking like that!” they exclaimed, fluttering over to his dresser and opening up drawers until they found what they were looking for, ignoring his protests. They threw his beach trunks and the light jacket he used before at him before fluttering to the shoe rack and throwing his sandals at him.

“D-daen Lad I don’t think…”

“Good, don’t think at all, just change!”

--

Miyu had planned ahead and filled a bag with various items — even if Tofu had declined, it seemed they had early intentions of taking themself to the beach alone. Most of the time Miyu spent preparing was them preparing themself. Maybe the makeup and attire was a bit flashy for a beach walk, but they needed the extra boost to mentally prepare themself. It has been awhile, anyways.

They exited their room, nearly bumping right into Tofu in the hall. They flashed him a small smile.

“Right! Ready?” they inquired as they set their bag more comfortably on their hip. They gave a quick look over and sounded a faint ‘awe.’

“Looks ready. Funny, we’re both dressed like we were at the festival,” they mumbled aloud in thought. Well, hopefully this didn’t end like the festival. 

Tofu pulled the jacket more closed as they looked him over, averting his eyes. 

“D-Daen Lad made me change…” he grumbled, hoping the still-healing arrow injury was well obscured by the jacket. He didn’t need to be fully wrapped around his torso anymore, but both injuries still had slabs of gauze taped over as they healed.

Plus, he kind of didn’t like having his chest out. Felt odd. 

“A-anyway, ready when you are?”

---

You’d think that after all the hell that has gone on out at sea, they wouldn’t want to go anywhere near a beach. By the time they arrived, the sun was barely peeking out from the ocean. The bonfire was set up first. Once the fire was going, they wandered closer to where the waves rolled along the shore.

Miyu glanced over their shoulder to Tofu and gave a small smile.

“Sorry to pull you away from work. I figured some… nice outside time was needed. I know this isn’t exactly your thing, so I appreciate you coming out,” Miyu thanked him. Tofu rotated his wrist briefly and pressed a hand to his head.

“A break was probably warranted, in any case. Besides, when was the last time we got to do anything…nice?” he said, offering a brief smile in return. He pulled his sleeve further down on his arm, trying to obscure the bandages as much as possible.

“You…deserve for good things to happen,” he murmured. 

“It really has been awhile, huh,” Miyu mumbled with a sigh. They kneeled, sinking their hand into the water. They wiggled their fingers as the sand and water washed between the digits.

“Well… I’d say that happened the moment you entered my life,” Miyu said as they stood up straight once more. They brushed their hand against their dress to dry it off, then clapped their hands together to get rid of the sand.

“Ah…” Tofu stared deeply into the fire, and though he tried to keep a neutral expression, his eyes betrayed his thoughts. Every single thing that had gone wrong because of him, everything that had been his fault… Because he wasn’t observant enough, fast enough, strong enough. His hands clenched in his lap as his brow furrowed. 

“I’ve caused…so much grief…” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

Miyu frowned. They sat down beside him on the blanket they had set out, then rested both hands atop of Tofu’s own clenched ones. They lifted one hand and leaned their cheek against it.

“There is a lot to grieve for, but not by your doing. Even when there is so much to grieve, my heart hasn’t broken yet,” they said as they craned their head one way, and they rested two of his fingers at the pulse beneath their jaw. “Because you bring so much for a heart to beat for.”

Tofu’s face flushed as he looked at them before averting his eyes. He could only hope they could not feel his own pulse. They were supposed to be there for a good time, yet he struggled to get his mind to let go of his faults and fears. Instead, he defaulted to his usual response when he was too flustered to think, but wanted to assure them that he had heard them.

“R-right…” he murmured. 

In the flickering firelight, they could just barely make the flush that collected in Tofu’s cheeks. 

“Of course I’m right. I chose you,” Miyu agreed, turning their head to give the back of his hand a peck. As they released his hand again, they turned their attention back to their bag. Miyu hummed faintly to themself as they set out an array of finger sandwiches, meat and vegetable skewers, cherries, and two cups. 

Miyu took out a wine bottle and poured themself a serving. Then, they took out another bottle – this time water – and poured it for Tofu.

“I know you don’t drink, so…” They glanced up at Tofu and flashed a cheeky grin. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to carry me back home.”

“Ah, yeah I just…prefer to be ready in case something happens. Can’t do that impaired, I think,” Tofu mumbled sheepishly. He couldn’t meet their eyes, instead focusing on their hands. He reached out and brushed his thumb against the ring he had given them some time back. 

“I think…he would have liked you. Would be glad that I met you,” he whispered.

It was now Miyu’s turn to turn red in the face. A blush bloomed across their face, though there was a bittersweet pang they felt in their heart as they recalled memories of Tofu’s past.

“You think so, huh? I’ve never exactly been the first choice for taking home to meet the family,” Miyu said with a sheepish chuckle. “...Thank you. I’m really glad I met you.” 

Miyu peered down at the ring they had won in a silly little staring contest, a fond smile crossing their features. “I’ll always treasure this gift, just as much as I treasure you.”

“Anyone would be impressed by the one who made a person out of a weapon,” Tofu said softly, pulling his hand back and holding both hands palm up in front of him, taking in the barely visible scars once more, though with only the light of the fire, finding them fell more to habit than sight. “You truly are brilliant enough to fit in amongst the stars, quite why you decided to instead use your radiance to guide a monster out of the dark is beyond me but… I’m glad we met. I’m glad you’re here.”

“Darling Tofu, your humanity has always been there. And frankly, I find it to be quite beautiful,” Miyu insisted. “You’re skilled with weapons, but you’ve always been more than that. So much more.”

A faint ‘oh’ sounded from them when they caught a glint of the firelight shimmer in the ring that they had given Tofu, which it appeared that he still wore. They wrapped their hand around his again and drew it close, this time to inspect the ring.

“You still wear yours! Hm… I think you deserve a better one than this one sometime,” they remark with a soft smile. “Someone who also shines as bright as you do deserves a ring that compliments that.”

“This one is perfect, because it came from you,” Tofu objected, a light frown across his features at the way Miyu spoke of the ring. 

“You do make a good point there, but…” Miyu began, only to trail off at the sight of a sudden divebomb.

From behind them came a fluttering of feathers, followed closely by a soft *thud* as Joy did as close to a tackle as a bird could do against Tofu’s head before nestling on his shoulder against his neck.

“Joy, you’re going to give us both a concussion doing that…” Tofu grumbled, rubbing his head where the bird had collided. 

“Awe… adorable,” Miyu cooed as the little bird cuddled up to Tofu’s neck. “Maybe that’s just his way of giving you a smooch. I know I would do the same – head bashing aside,” Miyu giggled, discreetly wiping their eyes with the other hand, as they still had one grasping at Tofu’s. 

A realization came to Tofu. His face warmed again as he reached over with his free hand, tilting their face to look at him and briefly brushing his lips against theirs. 

“There. A proper one, this time. No blood involved,” he murmured. 

Maybe Tofu wasn’t coughing up blood, but all the blood in their body rushed to their face.

“I… um...” Miyu began, but trailed off as they sheepishly glanced down. They touched their fingertips to their lips and flashed a little smile. “I… hope you know I didn’t not mind.. I mean, did not mind.”

Tofu looked at them with a tilt of his head, his expression one of curiosity and oblivion. As they fumbled with their words, his confusion deepened. They were usually so coy and confident, even with Kore, from what he could tell. He settled his hand on their forehead.

“Are you…alright?” he asked, his voice full of concern. 

Tofu’s concerned actions only flustered the miqo’te further. If it weren’t for the fact that it was cold out, they might just rival the fire with the way their face burned up. And in regards to being cold, they shivered and scooted closer.

“I’m fine, darling. Didn’t think you’d make someone blush before?” Miyu explained with a chuckle, despite their slight embarrassment.

“T-that’s not… I just mean that you seem more…comfortable? When it comes to interactions with Kore. Did I…do something incorrectly?” he asked softly. “I’m sorry, I’m not…very good at this.”

“Not at all incorrect!” they quickly spoke up. Miyu’s lips formed into a pout. “You.. you’re perfect.”

Their eyes lowered, Miyu now fidgeting with the ring on Tofu’s finger. 

“I guess... I was flattered. An honor to receive such a treat when it's rare to come by, at least from you,” Miyu awkwardly explained with a nervous chuckle. “And I mean, plus there was the fact that I was… worried that I was doing too much to overwhelm you. Especially early on, when I knew I had feelings for you, I tried to be discreet. And then I tried to catch your eye, but I wasn’t sure if I would even be capable. I know my actions can be a lot, maybe even confusing. So to get that affirmation… it's nice.”

Tofu was quiet for a long moment, taking in their words and processing them. Joy pecked lightly at his jaw, eliciting a small ‘h-hey!” and a gentle nudge to make him stop. He turned his gaze to Miyu, a soft, contemplative expression on his face. 

“I…wouldn’t call it an honour,” he said with an awkward chuckle. “I definitely had a hard time understanding what your intentions were early on. It was…new, having someone care about me that wasn’t family. I didn’t know what you expected, what you had hoped to gain from it. But it became clear that you didn’t care for the sake of gain, you just… did. I… couldn’t tell you when you started to matter to me, because it caught me by surprise, too. That someone had managed to get through the walls I built…”

He was quiet for another short moment, his next words coming out in a near whisper. “I just knew I wanted you to feel safe. Every time you looked to the entrance with such fear…” 

“Absolutely fair, I didn’t have a full understanding at first – I mean, wasn’t looking for anything but then... I started to see you. And you were strength… warmth… safety,” they said as they idly traced the rough lines of his knuckles. “I think honored is the perfect word to use. You and Kore have brought me something special, something I want to treasure in my life and keep.”

Tofu looked away, another touch of warmth colouring his cheeks. The words ‘I started to see you’ played over and over in his head, an echo of assurance that…he was a person. Right…?

“I am…glad. To bring you safety, to be your strength,” he murmured. 

Miyu smiled and scooted in closer.

“Claiming this shoulder, pardon me, Joy,” they said as they rested their head against his shoulder. “Well, I’m glad you let me be a part of your life.”

Miyu turned their head, resting their chin on his shoulder as they stared up at him. They were quiet for a long while, ruminating over their thoughts, or perhaps just silently admiring him.

“I… I love you, Tofu,” they said after a long moment. 

Tofu’s face further warmed, the thoughts that had been swirling in his head came to an abrupt halt, and his breath caught in his chest. A familiar panic bubbled in him, but he took a deep breath and centered himself. He wanted to say the words back, because he did, but it scared him. 

“I-I… You will always be my most precious treasure. You and Kore,” he stammered.

Even when they didn’t get the same exact words back, the message came across well enough. Their eyes softened, tail giving an excited flick behind them. Miyu parted their lips to speak, but paused when a glimmer in the water caught their eye.

“And that makes you a precious treasure too. One second, something shiny over there,” Miyu said, giving his cheek a peck before they stood up and skipped over to the water.

They stepped into the water, not seeming to care as they wet their dress, while searching for what caught their eye. A faint gasp escaped them before they ducked down to grab something at their feet, managing to wrap their fingers around it just before the wave that washed over them pulled it away. 

Tofu tilted his head at their sudden interest in whatever it was they had found in the water, watching with curious eyes as they scooped something up. 

“What…did you find?” he asked.

Miyu spat out ocean water as they stood up straight. They squinted down into their hand to ensure they had grabbed the object their keen eyes had spotted. Miyu gave a chirp of delight and hastily trudged out of the water.

“Sea glass! It was glowy, for some reason,” they hummed, taking a seat beside Tofu again. They lifted the smooth treasure up to peer at it with the light of the fire. It was red, and looked to be in the shape of a… heart? Diamond? Well, it was really up to interpretation.

Miyu shivered as the cold air washed over them, but an excited smile remained prominent.

“Here, yours,” Miyu said, holding it out for Tofu to take. Tofu smiled and shook his head.

“You found it, it's yours,” he said, shrugging off his jacket and draping it over their shoulders - forgetting what it was for in the face of their shivering.

Miyu gave a little pout when Tofu declined the sea glass. They were about to attempt to hand it back to him once more by tucking it into his hand, but paused as an idea came to mind. Their pout disappeared, and they smiled once more. Without saying another word about it, they tucked the sea glass into their bag. Their hand freed up, they occupied it once more with a clasp at Tofu’s hand. 

It was a cold night, but all they could feel was a comforting warmth.

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

I'll Kill You

((collab drabble w/ @ro-valerius [Tofu] @sorrel-haven [Kore))

Was having three people go to the market for groceries and supplies a bit of an overkill? Maybe so, but Miyu thought of it as safety in numbers and whatnot. Though the last thing the Sapphire Avenue Exchange needed was more people, considering how crowded it was currently. Miyu tried to keep close, but found themself lost in the throngs after spending a little too much time staring at a wall as they tried to calm their nerves. Before they knew it, Kore and Tofu were nowhere to be seen.

They slipped away into an alley to get a breather. They leaned against the wall, closing their eyes for a moment. They rested their hand on their shoulder, brow furrowing at the sharp ache that radiated through their arm. An injury healed some time ago, and yet a ghost of pain still lingered. As they took in deep breaths, it began to fade.

Alright, that’s enough hiding away. Time to find Kore and Tofu and get the hell out. Just as they started to leave the alley, they were halted when they felt a resisting tug on their bag.

They looked back in alarm, a more perplexed expression taking place at the sight of a masked Flame recruit.

“Hey, I swear I haven’t stolen anything,” Miyu blurted. Well, they haven’t taken anything today, at least. Other times, however… 

There was no response from the masked man.

“Do you… need something?” they asked, an uneasy chuckle following as they gave the recruit a nervous smile – which quickly disappeared upon hearing an ominous chuckle from the masked man. A very familiar sounding chuckle.

“Yeah. I know what ya can give me again,” the anonymous recruit remarked, lifting up his mask.

Miyu’s eyes went wide. Groceries be damned, Miyu released their hold on the bag. As they attempted to sprint forward, they felt the roegadyn’s arm lock around their waist. They let out a muffled holler as a hand wrapped over their mouth.

“Got some fight in ya, this time I’ll be sure you remember i-” he was cut off with a yell as Miyu bit down into his hand and twisted back the fingers. 

Startled, the man let go, and they fled into the crowd. 

Tofu had been looking for Miyu, he and Kore having split up to search. He had caught sight of them as they struggled out of the grip of a Flame recruit he didn’t recognize. The way that person held them was not part of the Immortal Flame procedures. He wove through the crowd, making sure that he was between Miyu and the man that had accosted them as he glared the man down. Miyu’s steps faltered when a familiar flash of orange and purple came between them and the false Flame.

Without hesitation, he rammed into the man with his shoulder, knocking him to the ground, and wrapping his hands around the roegadyn’s throat.

“There’s no way you’re a real Flame, your actions are reprehensible. Do not touch them,” he growled.

The roegadyn’s eyes widened momentarily. He held up his hands in what appeared to be surrender.

“Hey, now… I’ll back it off, honest. I’m still in trainin’, I just thought I saw ‘em slip something,” the man attempted to reason, his voice straining.

Miyu, who could only stare in a stunned silence, their limbs shaking as they fought to get the words out to call the man a liar. Their voice wouldn’t budge. They didn’t have to say anything. With a sharp pain in his temple, Tofu winced briefly. The man below him…his memories flowed through his head. And what Tofu saw filled him with rage. He glared down at the informant that had drugged his dear one, his eyes holding a dangerous glint.

“I’ll kill you.” His voice was low, beyond rage. In front of him, there was nothing but red. Red and this man who had dared to take advantage of his dearest one.

Kore’s ears twitched towards the alleyway when she heard Tofu. An angry Tofu. She quickly made her way towards the sound of his voice. She took in the scene in the alleyway and rushed to Miyu’s side and protectively pulled them into her arms.

“What happened?” Kore asked as she looked between Tofu and the roegadyn.

Miyu leaned into Kore’s arms, one arm wrapping around her as they held on tight. 

“It’s him. The informant from that night. He was… he…” Miyu trailed off, wincing as they felt their shoulder throb once more. Was it coincidental timing? Or did they need an actual reason to not being able to speak? “I’m sorry. Sorry,” they apologized quietly, eyes pinned towards the ground.

“What night, Rainbow?” she asked softly as she held them closer.

Miyu watched with an uneasy gaze as the roegadyn tried to fight off Tofu. They were confident in Tofu’s ability, but nevertheless worried for his condition – given the still healing reopened wounds.  In their anxiety, they struggled to give a proper response, but an answer came out – quickly, but faintly.

“Few nights… before Tofu looked for me in Forgotten Springs. I went to him to get some information on the Basilisks. He slipped something into my drink and I think…” They faltered, brows furrowing as they recalled how the informant had addressed them, “... I know… he took advantage.” Ah, so it seemed that Virgil could tell a lie, at least to try and spare their pride. 

The roegadyn heaved as he struggled to breathe. Looks like lying won’t get him out of this one. He reached up and punched Tofu hard in the stomach, then grabbed his shoulders as he attempted to flip over. 

Tofu winced as the fist connected - the arrow wounds in his side weren't healing quickly due to the poison that they had been coated with. The momentary distraction caused by the pain was enough for the roegadyn to flip their positions. 

As the informant sought to strangle him in return, Tofu drew his knife, laws be damned. With force, he drove his knife into the roegadyn’s side and sliced upwards across his chest. As the man's face contorted with surprise and pain, Tofu brought his knife across the man's throat, ignoring the blood that sprayed down on him from both wounds. 

As Tofu shoved the body off of him and stood, two Blades and a Flame approached him, shouting for him to halt. He sheathed his knife and held up his hands, a brow quirked as he gestured to the fallen man.

“You had an imposter problem,” he said dryly. The Flame looked down at the man 

“Regardless, we'll have to hold you until the investigation is finished. I'm sure you're used to this by now,” one of the Blades said. Tofu shrugged.

“Yeah yeah, I'm not runnin’ this time,” he grumbled.

“What? No. We will be going home. We’ll come answer your questions later, but my partners were just attacked. I will be taking them home to rest and recover,” Kore asserted, her voice filled with more authority than Tofu or Miyu ever heard of her. She held herself with more cold confidence than she ever had before. This is who her grandmother raised her to be.

“We can’t let you do that, there’s-“

“No, I don't think you understand,” Kore interrupted. “This villain here got a hold of an Immortal Flame uniform and used it to attack our partner. This man attacked them before, Tofu defended them. You take Tofu into custody, I will personally go to Raubahn and Nanamo and instead of our usual tea and cakes I will be making a formal complaint with them about how easily he managed to impersonate a Flame officer.” 

Kore stared defiantly as she reached over and took Tofu’s hand. Tofu squeezed her hand gently, ducking his head slightly to meet her eyes. 

“It’s fine, a crime is a crime, they’ll get the investigation done and I’ll be good to go. It’s not the first time I’ve spent time in a cell, and it wouldn’t be the longest time, either,” he murmured gently. “If it does take too long, by all means, meet with Nanamo and let her know what has transpired. She wouldn’t let me stay in there long.” He let a sigh through his nose, offering a reassuring smile.

“We can’t expect them to take our word for it at face value. I knew what I was getting myself into. The law is the law,” he said evenly, louder so that other people could hear him for testimonial purposes.

Shaken as they were, Miyu wasn’t about to let Tofu get taken away. While something like this could be taken care of the ‘right’ way, Tofu was in no condition to be away in a cell for Gods know how long. And while Raubahn could be trusted, Miyu held no trust for the other Flame members. They marched up over to the body and spit blood on the ground, before they pointed to the blood left smeared around their lips. Miyu then leaned down, picking up the fallen roegdyn’s hand to show the bite mark left behind from earlier to point at.

“He attacked me first. Tofu protected me. If anything, I made the attack first and made him do it. There’s your investigation,” Miyu stated, their voice cold. They stood up straight, standing closer to Tofu.

“If you need more information, I’ll come,” they wearily said, hand clenched at their side. While they’d rather not recount everything, they’ll try and help how they could to speed up the investigation. The Flame and the Blades looked at each other. 

“...You would have to come in, anyway. Both you, and the strong willed woman. And any other witnesses in the area. It’s an investigation, that is how it works. However, in the meantime, your friend here has still committed a crime, a murder, and will still need to be held until the investigation is finished,” the Flame said calmly. Tofu reached over and brushed his fingers across Miyu’s cheek.

“It’s fine, Miyu. This is how it always goes. They’re not going to hurt me, I’ll be fine, it’ll just be a few hours while they ask questions,” he said softly.

“I don’t like it either, Rainbow…” Kore said under her breath as she took hold of Miyu’s hand. Tofu offered Kore and Miyu a reassuring smile before turning back to the Blades and the Flame.

“Same place as usual?” he asked them with a half shrug. One of the Blades sighed heavily. 

“How did you even end up… Yes, yes same place as usual, let’s go,” the Blade grumbled. No one bothered to restrain Tofu this time; they couldn’t hold him if he were set on escape, but he was going along, so there was no point. Tofu allowed himself to be led to the gaol once more.

Miyu watched with a distraught expression as Tofu was led away, their hand giving Kore’s a tight squeeze. They rubbed at their arm with the other hand and let out a tense breath. 

“I should have dealt with it myself,” they mumbled quietly. “If I hadn’t… said anything… It wasn’t even that import…” Miyu trailed off as a Flame to their right walked a little too close for the panicked miqo’te’s comfort. Miyu let go of Kore’s hand and attempted to swing at him. Kore stopped Miyu before the Flame could notice, pulling them in close. 

“Shh, it’s okay, you’re safe,” she murmured into their hair. “Don’t let go of my hand and I will keep you safe.”

Miyu’s fist relaxed. They leaned in, face buried into her neck as they gave a tired sigh. Kore kissed the top of their head.

“Come darling, we’re going to go see Nanamo.” Kore took Miyu’s hand and marched off towards the Chamber of Rule. She didn’t pay any mind to the Blade’s or Flame’s protests.

---

The Blade shoved Tofu into the cell aggressively enough to knock him off balance and to the ground. Well, he hadn’t been expecting that, but when he thought back to how this particular Blade had been towards him before, his surprise faded as a mild irritation took its place. And of course he had to land on his injured shoulder. With a groan, he pushed himself up and shuffled to the corner, sitting with his uninjured shoulder to the wall. 

---

Some hours passed, though exactly how many, he couldn’t be sure. Enough that he had rested his head against the wall and almost dozed off. After the silence that had fallen, the sudden clatter of the door and footsteps jolted him awake, though he kept his shoulder to the wall. That was a familiar set of small footsteps…

“Well, a gaol cell is no place for the Warrior of Light. Come now, Tofu, up we go,” Nanamo said as one of the Blades unlocked the cell. Tofu pushed himself to his feet and made his way over to her, offering a deep kneel.

“Thanks for coming for me,” he said softly.

“None of that. It’s the least I can do for all of the good you have done for us. Your… partner was quite adamant about this injustice, and I am inclined to agree with her. And do be heartened that there is an ongoing investigation into the Immortal Flames and this… imposter issue. I assure you, it will be taken care of,” Nanamo explained with a warm smile. Tofu offered a relieved smile in return.

“That does hearten me, yes. Thank you, Your Grace,” he said, moving to stand back up, but she stopped him by putting both hands on his face.

“You look… rough. Is everything alright?” she asked, her brow furrowed as concern lit across her eyes. Tofu blinked and lightly pushed her hands away, extending to his full height and looking away.

“Nothing to concern yourself over,” he said. “I should make my way back to my dear ones. If you’ll excuse me…”

She didn’t try to stop him as he stepped around her and walked away.

Miyu hadn’t budged, nor had they let go of Kore’s hand once while the two of them waited for Tofu’s release. They lifted their gaze upon hearing a familiar pattern of footfalls approaching.

“I’m sorry,” they apologized immediately, hoisting themself off the ground to stand on their feet. “I should’ve acted quicker to take care of it myself. This… could have been avoided.” Their eyes searched Tofu’s expression, but never quite met his gaze. Tofu smiled, but there was no trace of happiness in his eyes.

“Oh, it wouldn’t have mattered. The instant I Saw what he did to you, he was a dead man,” he said. His expression softened. “Besides, this was the most pleasant gaol stay I’ve ever had. Not a single loud-mouthed hyur in the cell beside me, nor a single cocky rat lalafel.”

Kore put a hand on Tofu’s face. “How are your injuries? They didn’t reopen… again?” Tofu shook his head gently.

“Not that I’ve noticed,” he murmured.

Miyu was quiet for a long while. They stared at Tofu, though their eyes were distant. They rubbed their shoulder, expression tensing for a moment. They dropped their hand, reaching over to Tofu’s to give it a squeeze of thanks.

“Best to get home and give it a look, hm?” Miyu suggested with a soft smile. “This has been a long grocery shopping trip.”

Running footsteps approached them, but they were light without a trace of armour. Tofu tilted his head and turned towards them, noting a familiar Hyuran woman with brown hair peeking out from under a cloth hat. Katherine, the woman he had stolen food from in his childhood. Well, the woman who let him think he was stealing from her. She came to a stop in front of them and put her hands to her knees to catch her breath. 

“Oh good, I caught you all before you left!” she said between gasps, straightening up and smiling at them. “You were here on shopping business before all of that, right? Please, allow me to finish up for you, and I’ll have my son deliver everything to your estate. Your miqo friend here looks pretty shaken up, you should get them home before they have a full meltdown.”

Tofu blinked at her in surprise before allowing a relieved smile across his features. “...Thank you. I’ll be sure to pay you back in full.”

Miyu glanced over to the woman who ran over and gave a tense smile in thanks. Embarrassed as they were by the statement, they didn’t have it in them to argue. They stared ahead and said nothing. Kore looked over at Tofu.

“You two should start heading home. I should thank Nanamo and then I’ll catch up.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

“Be safe. Don’t make me get arrested again,” he responded, shooting a smile to show jest.

Miyu gave a distracted nod. They stepped closer and gave Kore a quick peck on the cheek. Tofu took Miyu’s hand in his own gently, ducking down to catch their distant eyes to give them a warm smile in what he hoped was an assuring manner. 

“Let’s go home,” he said.

A faint sound of surprise left Miyu when they felt Tofu’s hand grasp around their own. They looked at him with a raise of their brows in wonder. They managed a smile in return and gently squeezed his hand. They lifted his hand to their lips and kissed the back of it, holding it there as they gave a small sigh.

“Mhm.” They glanced over Tofu, noting all the blood that had spilled in the spat that had occurred. “Blomma has a lot of stains to wash out. Maybe I’ll give her a hand, it’s the least I can do after..”

Miyu’s eyes trailed over to Kore, distraught to leave her behind. Nevertheless, they gave Tofu’s hand one more squeeze and started walking.

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

Fight me. Fight a child. Do it. You won't.

((collab write w/ @ro-valerius [Tofu, Blomma] and @sorrel-haven [Nerida]))

Moxxie knew that she’ll have to avenge her family one day. Trouble was, it was very hard to get to that point when her enemy was years ahead of her in experience. It didn’t help that matters regarding the situation were complicated, too. 

The obvious solution to her was to learn from him. During a visit with Nerida to the Flower house, she marched straight up to Tofu.

“Fight me,” Moxxie said, looking the viera over. “You look healed up enough. Show me how you do it.” 

Tofu watched as Blomma opened her mouth to protest and gave a small, nearly imperceptible shake of his head. She looked at him with a pout as she clamped her mouth shut. He turned his attention towards the kid and tilted his head.

“...Alright. To the lawn, then. There’s a dummy- the wooden one, not me- we can use it to start off with your stance and form,” he said, nearly sounding curious, but mostly still devoid of inflection. 

Moxxie furrowed her brows and tilted her chin up in a quick nod, as if she had challenged Tofu and was awaiting his response. And she was pleased with the response she was given. She then nodded her head again, this time motioning towards the door.

“Why start with the dummy? I learn fast. Let’s go,” Moxxie said as she headed towards the yard. 

Tofu gave her a look as he followed her out the door towards the yard. 

“So I can see what I’m working with, and to show you what I noticed in your stance and grip from last time,” he said pointedly as he crossed towards the dummy, patting it on what could be seen as its shoulder. “Not askin’ you to hit it, just ready up like you intend to. I’ll adjust you from there.”

Moxxie gave a faint growl of annoyance, but didn’t voice any complaints. She wordlessly moved into a ready stance to strike. She looked at Tofu and raised one brow in question for any comments. Tofu approached her and tapped her hands and her leading leg.

“Your grip, for starters. Adjust your thumb like this, or it would be all too easy to disarm you. Your stance is too narrow for a polearm, move this leg out a bit,” he said calmly, looking at her to gauge her reaction.

Moxxie pursed her lips together and readjusted as instructed. She rose a brow again. Rather than waiting for a comment, she darted towards the dummy and drove the spear into its abdomen. It caught, but she lost her balance and her hands slipped down the pole. 

“With piercing attacks, you don’t want to follow through. Plant your leading leg before you thrust with your arms, and only let your shoulders move with it. Here, squeeze my hand a moment, I need to see your hand strength,” he said, holding out his hand. “Hard as you can.”

“Is anything I do ever right?” Moxxie flatly remarked, though she made a mental note of what he had said, anyways. She reached out to take his hand and squeezed with all her strength.

And then she froze.

“Ah, you might have to strengthen your- Kid? Hey, are you alright?” he asked, his tone taking on a concerned colour as he leaned down to get a better look at her. 

With a drop in his stomach, he realized what was happening and pulled his hand away, averting his eyes from her. But for the time, he could only wait until his memories played out in her head. He hated the Echo…

The pounding headache compared nothing to the flood of memories which hit her. She stumbled back, eyes wide in shock. 

“I… what…” she began, until her voice began to waver as her eyes filled with tears. Moxxie’s expression twisted, face buried into her hands while her head continued to pound.

“Whatever you saw, I’m still your monster. Don’t let it change your mind about me,” Tofu murmured, still not looking at the kid. 

Nerida ran out the front door and kneeled in front of Moxxie. She put her hands on Moxxie’s shoulders, checking her over frantically.

“Kid? Moxxie? What’s wrong?” Neri asked with concern in her voice.

Moxxie could only just barely hear what Tofu said to her. Unable to speak, Moxxie could only shake her head. She feared that if she spoke, she might just break further. She raised her hand and pointed to Tofu. Neri gave Tofu a questioning, almost angry, look.

“...Kid’s got the Echo. Of fuckin course the kid’s got the Echo,” he explained, grumbling the last part under his breath. He straightened up and raised his voice to be heard again. “Dunno what she saw, but there’s no shortage of…unpleasantness back there. Better left forgotten.” 

Neri pulled Moxxie into an embrace as she stared at Tofu. She knew nothing really about the Echo. 

“What does that mean for her?” Her voice had a slight waiver, even though she tried to keep it even. Moxxie shut her eyes, face tucked away into Neri’s shoulder as she faintly hiccuped.

“I’m sorry– I’m sorry, I.. I didn’t mean to,” she pleaded quietly. Tofu sighed heavily through his nose.

“It’s fine. Not like I know a single person who can fully control their Echo all the time. Damn thing has no sense of respect…” he said softly. He looked at Nerida. 

“The Echo is…a gift? From the…crystal? Inside the planet? Anyway, it shows you glimpses of a person’s past, present, or in some cases, future, though that one is more rare. Most people don’t have a handle on it, so it just kind of…happens whenever, and it makes my head fuckin hurt every time it happens, so I guess that’s part of it, too.”

He shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant about it, but the idea of anyone seeing the things he’d been through… He hated it. No one else should have to witness the things he had. Especially not a kid.

Nerida glanced at Moxxie and her heart sank. This was the last thing the kid needed. Neri scooped Moxxie up. Moxxie gave no fuss, far too overwhelmed by what she had just seen to complain. 

“I take it you can’t train her on it as well as the lance then?” Neri asked. Tofu narrowed his eyes. 

“No one has gotten ‘trained’ on the Echo. Kore happened to figure out how to have more control over hers, but it’s not like… It’s not like weapons skills. And there aren’t a whole lotta people that even have it, from what I know,” he said, refraining from a salty response of ‘I haven’t even gotten trained on the Echo’. 

Really, what did this woman want from him? It’s not like he hurt Moxxie on purpose. He let out a breath through his nose and cleared the thoughts from his head, meeting her with a more neutral expression.

“I don’t know how it works, so I had to ask…” she sighed. Of course it wasn’t that easy.

“Put me down,” Moxxie mumbled, shifting to wiggle out of the grasp. Once she was down on the ground, she dried her eyes again. She looked to Tofu with a steely gaze as she picked up her lance once more. 

Rather than saying another word about what had just happened, she applied his instruction to her movements as she lurched towards the mannequin again, the pointed end embedding into its chest. This time, she was able to keep her feet steady. She continued to do the same movement again, and then once more, as she tuned out Tofu and Nerida.

Tofu watched quietly for a moment. The kid was learning well, and as much as she complained, she was actually listening to him. She'd still have to work on her grip strength, but she had adjusted her form well.

“...Didn't you say you wanted to fight me?” he asked. She had wanted to when she marched up to him, he could only hope that it would make her forget about what she saw to do what she wanted to do.

Moxxie ran back a few steps from the training dummy. She gripped the lance, preparing to drive it into the dummy once more, but paused upon hearing Tofu’s offer. She stared at him a long while in uncertainty. Reluctantly, she gave a nod. Moxxie crouched in preparation as she started to side step, circling around Tofu. 

Nerida stood back as she watched, her spell focus ready in case she needed to heal Moxxie. Tofu glanced at Neri, noting her focus, and tensed; he'd make damn sure she didn't have need for that. 

He discarded her quickly from his mind, watching the kid closely as she circled him. He adjusted his stance to something more ready. He may have the experience and strength to not have to worry too much, but he didn't want to offend the kid by appearing too bored or as if he weren't taking her seriously. And so, he watched. And he waited. 

Moxxie gave a growl as she pounced forward, lance thrusted towards his right side. Tofu moved aside easily, keeping his eyes trained on her as he awaited her next move.

Moxxie’s eyes flicked over Tofu as she studied his movements, following through with the same action to his left. When he dodged again, she repeated the pattern to his right side once more — but this time, she sweeped a leg towards his left and followed up with whipping the lance around to attempt to smack the side of his head with the staff. 

He moved out of the way of the leg sweep and grabbed her lance as she swung it at his head, reaching out and tapping her in the side with his other fist; not enough to hurt, barely a tap at all, but enough to show her how that attack could be easily countered. His intent was to teach by doing. He kept his eyes focused on her expression.

Moxxie gave a faint snarl at the gentle tap. In her frustration, she pulled her lance back and swung at Tofu with it. He grabbed the lance easily once more, keeping a firmer grip on it as he tapped her forehead.

“Emotions in check. If you get frustrated, you become clumsier and open yourself up for counter attacks more easily,” he said. His expression and tone were lacking, but his eyes held a subtle seriousness. He could kind of figure that she was simply attempting to take out her rage on him, but it was an important lesson nonetheless. “And a lance is not a bat. Swinging does little to your opponent.” 

Her jaw tightened as she glared at Tofu, a fire in her eyes despite the misty glaze that remained as she held back her tears. She nodded.

When Tofu let go, Moxxie took several steps back. Rather than lurching towards him again, she leaned back on one foot and twisted her body as she hurled the lance forward from her hands.

The lance flew past his head, between the ears, and embedded itself square in the training dummy’s face. She sniffled and wiped her eyes, though a small smirk of satisfaction formed. He didn't even flinch. His eyes moved towards Neri, affixing her with an even stare.

“Your hover-parenting method won't do the kid any favours. Might even be why she ran off-” He paused as his ear twitched. “...Though for right now, use it to your advantage and watch her or go home.” 

“The hells ar-“ Neri started.

Without another word, he leapt up over the stone fence and onto the raised walkway beside the house, knife in one hand and a throwing knife already making its way into the forehead of an archer in the yard above. He didn't wait to see what the kid and the woman did, he followed the shadows down the arched walkway with steel in his eyes. 

As he sprinted down the dark walkway after two of the shadowy figures, he barely caught sight of a roegadyn man tucked away in the alcove swinging a large hammer at him. He raised his arms to block, forgetting that he no longer had his bracers. To his luck, nothing broke, but he was slammed forcefully into the wall, getting his bearings together just in time to dodge another swing aimed for his head. 

Moxxie’s eyes widened in alarm as Tofu launched into an attack towards the malevolent figures that loomed above. It quickly clicked as she recalled what Tofu had told her the last time before they were attacked, and glimpses of memories she had caught before ached in her head.

“N-Neri, we have to help him. I’m not going home,” Moxxie firmly declared as she pulled her lance out of the training dummy and started towards where Tofu had bolted off. 

Nerida followed after, not bothering to argue. She wasn’t going to waste breath trying to stop Moxxie, she was  going to be there to catch her if she fell. She drew her rapier and spell focus as she ran, steeling herself for whatever laid ahead.

Tofu moved out of the way of another swing of the hammer, readying to move in with his knife to retaliate, catching sight of an axe coming his way from his right. He held up his knife to block, feeling himself slide back from the force of it. He winced; of course they had to swing from the side with his still-healing shoulder. Two arrows thudded into his side from between the two assailants, from a second archer at the end of the hallway. 

With a low growl, he angled the axe away from him and let it slide off of his knife towards the ground, barely ducking under the hammer as it arced towards his head. With his free hand, he threw another throwing knife towards the archer, catching her in the throat. He leapt back out of the way of the axe as it came down, aiming for his head. He stepped back further to avoid the hammer. He did so hate fighting in such a small area…

As the axe came barreling down, Moxxie came rushing in to the man’s right side, her lance driving into his side. Not nearly deep enough as she needed it to be, however. She managed to lean back as the axe swung past her head in retaliation, pulling the lance back with her.

A bolt of red crystallized aether whizzed past Moxxie into the axe wielder. It was quickly followed by a crackling arc of lightning as Nerida was keeping distance to not add another body in the small space. She tried to gauge which of the two assailants would be the bigger problem as she prepared another cast. Tofu gave both of them an incredulous look.

“I told you to go ho-” he started, only to be interrupted by the hammer slamming into his side where the arrows had landed before, knocking the breath out of him. He felt the shafts of the arrows dig deeper and snap, along with the tell-tale crunch of bone - luckily, only two or three, but enough to wind him.

He stumbled back, clutching his side with one hand as he dipped out of the way of another swing of the hammer. The roegadyn with the hammer was strong enough to swing the hammer easily, bringing it back around before Tofu had a chance to retaliate.

“You’re the reason our Lady Iceheart is gone! I’ll never forgive you!” the man bellowed, his voice echoing down the hallway. Tofu dodged another swing.

“You think Ysayle’s death didn’t tear me apart?” Tofu said, and though he tried to keep his tone neutral, there was a pain that coloured his words. He dodged once more. “I wanted her to see the peace forged between Ishgard and the Dravanians!” Another dodge. “But there was nothing I could do! I cannot cast magic, there was nothing I could do…”

The hammer came down at him from above and he sidestepped. As it crumbled the street beside him, he jumped onto the handle and used the roegadyn’s arm to propel himself forward. Before he could change his mind, before the roe could knock him off, he buried his knife deep into the assailant’s eye. 

Tofu jumped off before the man could hit the ground, turning his attention to the axe wielder. Before he could step forward to help the kid, his vision began to swim. He staggered forward a step and dropped to one knee. He knew this feeling. Ah…the arrows must have been poisoned…

Nerida’s eyes flicked to Tofu as he fell. This needed to end quickly. She turned her focus back to Moxxie. After a quick cast, Moxxie could feel a surge of magically enhanced strength. Moxxie’s grip tightened as she crouched and gave one big upwards thrust. She landed a much more solid hit this time, but she didn’t have time to relish in it as the axe wielder grabbed onto her lance. 

He shook Moxxie off onto the ground as he pulled the lance from his stomach and tossed it aside. As he raised the axe an aetherial tether latched on to him. In a flash, Nerida pulled herself along, driving her rapier through the highlander’s exposed side, slipping between the ribs. The axe clattered to the ground as he dropped to his knees. She stood straighter as she pushed him off of her sword with her boot.

“Moxxie, get up, grab your lance, we can’t be sure this was all of them,” Nerida said as evenly as she could. “Tofu, are you able to get back up?”

Moxxie picked up her lance and stood with a flame in her eyes. Her hand seemed to shake as she tightly gripped the weapon. Wordlessly, she marched over to Tofu and held out her other hand to him. 

Tofu couldn't get his legs to push himself up as he pressed his hand to his side, but to his relief, the hover-parent took care of the last of the current attackers. As Moxxie walked over to him and held out a hand, he offered her a weak smile.

“Kid, you could leave me here, you know. Get your wish,” he said. He grimaced and pulled his hand away from his side briefly before pressing back against it. He couldn't be sure which way hurt worse. “Hey, if you can help it, I recommend not getting poisoned…” he grumbled, as if he were trying to make a joke. Neri moved to help Tofu to his feet.

“Kid, I need you to run ahead of us, tell the white haired Miqo’te-“ She paused to remember the name.

“Blomma, tell Blomma to get ready to treat poison. Run straight there, ignore anything else,” Neri instructed as she hoisted up Tofu, supporting him with her shoulder.

“Stupid,” Moxxie said in a faint scoff. She turned on her heel to run off, but not without getting a last word in. “Don’t die and give them what they want while I’m gone. You leave that to me.” 

Moxxie ran straight to the house to find Blomma. 

A hand grabbed Tofu by the ankle. He looked down with an almost bored expression at the roegadyn that had held the hammer. 

“Lady…Iceheart…” the man garbled. 

“Sorry, kid’s got dibs,” Tofu murmured, slamming his foot down on the man's head as best as he could. Luckily, it was enough. 

--

Blomma jumped when the kid burst through the door, looking over her carefully to examine the situation. Moxxie steadied herself as her shoes skidded against the floor.

“Hey, you’ve got a damsel in distress out there. Your… uh… assassin guy got attacked,” the young au’ra explained as she caught her breath. Blomma stared in confusion for a brief second.

“Our…assassin guy? …Tofu? Viera, orange hair, stubborn?” she asked, for clarification. 

Moxxie pursed her lips together and gave a faint sigh. She nodded. Blomma’s demeanor changed abruptly. She went over to the drawers by the stairs and pulled out her medical kit, then went into the dining room to drag a chair over to more of the middle of the space to give her room to work with. 

“How bad is it? What happened?” she asked, keeping an air of calm about her.

“Um.. he got hit by some arrows and a big hammer, I think. He needed help getting back up after the arrows,” Moxxie explained, brow furrowed as she tried to recall what to relay. Her eyes widened as she remembered what Neri had noted.

“And poison. The arrows were poisoned.” There was a brief silence as Blomma processed what the kid said. With a jolt, she moved to the foot of the stairs.

“Fiora! Please tell me you have an antidote leftover from the- that one time,” she called up, the only visual cue giving away her concern being the way she clenched and unclenched her hands. As footsteps came down the stairs, the door opened.

Nerida half carried in Tofu and got him over to the chair in the middle of the room. She backed up to give Blomma room to work, awaiting any instructions for her.

“Tell me what to do to help if you need, I have some medical knowledge.” Neri said, looking over to Blomma.

Moxxie’s eyes roamed over the commotion. She gave a faint sigh and slipped away to go sit outside in the yard. She didn’t want to see all of this. Blomma tilted her head curiously at the kid as she tried to slip out.

“Hey kid. Thank you for looking out for my brother, it’s nice to see he’s got a reliable friend out there,” she called.

“We’re not friends, I’m her monster,” Tofu grumbled.

Moxxie paused, not turning her head to look back as Blomma addressed her. 

“Whatever,” she mumbled quietly, quickly continuing out the door. 

–

Moxxie remained seated outside for some time, her eyes turned to the sky as she watched dusk creep in. She hugged her arms around her body and tucked her legs in as the cold winds picked up. She didn’t bother going inside, though. Not yet, at least.

The door opened carefully then clicked shut softly as Tofu eyed the kid sitting in the yard. Her eyes were fixed on the sky, and she looked so, so small. He held his ribs as he took the two steps down; the antidote was still kicking in and he didn’t quite have it in him to step more carefully, and the movement to step down rippled up his body in a way that was uncomfortable for the still-broken bones. He hoped the deepening dusk light was enough to conceal the way his complexion had paled from the ordeal.

“Still here?” he asked softly, though it was more of a rhetorical question than anything, a mere announcement of his presence. 

Moxxie kept within herself, hugging her legs tighter to her body and tucking her chin away behind her knees. She sighed against the scuffed skin, only giving Tofu a mere glance from the corner of her eyes before she looked out to the distance again. 

“Maybe. Until I get to nowhere. What’s it to you?” Moxxie reluctantly responded. 

Tofu made his way over, keeping close watch over her expression as he settled onto the grass beside her with a wince. He was sure to keep plenty of space between them; he didn’t presume her to be that comfortable with him. For a moment, he stared down at the heavy bruising on his arms. A sigh escaped through his nose as he looked over her. 

“I owe you thanks, again. You…don’t have to get involved in all of that, and yet…” he started, letting himself trail off as he looked away, his eyes narrowing slightly. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “In any case, thank you. I know you aren’t doing it for my sake, but even so…”

“Save it. I don’t want to hear it. I know enough to see when something is unfair. All this time and they still…” Moxxie began, trailing off with a frustrated sigh. She didn’t know what to feel. Everything just felt so confusing, all the time. 

She went quiet for a long while, her brows knotted and jaw tight. 

“I… want to go home. Don’t have one, though. You can settle into one. But you’ll never know the home you came from, and it’s always going to feel out of place.” She looked down, fidgeting with a blade of grass. “I guess that’s how it goes for people like us.”

“There are a lot of things a kid should never have to face…” Tofu murmured. “There's no amount of comfort that I could bring you. I wish I could…” Did he know what he was saying? Not really. He had a lot of thoughts and no sure way to convey them properly. The antidote and poison were still at odds, and though the worst was passed, it still left him foggy in the head. He turned his gaze back to her as he remembered her Echo episode earlier.

Moxxie glanced over to him and gave a faint sigh through her nose. She said nothing. Feeling his gaze on her, however, she anticipated something else to come. 

“Whatever you saw from my past before, it's best left forgotten. The circumstances of my past do not erase the sins of my present,” he said, his voice once more devoid of emotion. 

“No. Two different things. I’m… sorry that happened to you,” Moxxie mumbled. “Still happening.The people that attacked you today… are they really from that same guy that attacked you when you were a kid? Jealousy of an orphan with a life is a lousy excuse. Sounds like this guy needs a hobby.” 

Tofu let out a short, humourless laugh that turned into a low groan at the pain in his side; Blomma had had to dig around to pull out shattered pieces of arrow and that hadn't been the most pleasant of feelings. The nerves were still alight. 

“Unfortunately, I think I am his hobby,” he said, rather bitterly. “I was…an easy target, back then. An easy way for them to feel power. I was sick constantly. And Tuturoko is…somethin’ like three or four years older, so he had a head start on the whole ‘learning what fighting is’ thing.” He exhaled heavily through his nose. “Only thing Etgar and Tuturoko hated more than me was each other.” 

“Huh. That’s stupid,” Moxxie hummed.  She glanced at Tofu again, noting the discomfort in his expression. “Don’t you think you should go-”

“Hey, shouldn’t you two be inside? It’s freezing, not to mention a certain someone got jabbed with a dirty arrow” A voice sounded from the now open doorway. 

Moxxie’s eyes narrowed, hand instinctively reaching for the lance. She peered over her shoulder to the colorful Miqo’te at the door, then quickly looked away. Her jaw tightened with a seething silence.

Miyu gave a faint sigh through their nose and stepped out. They rested a hand on Tofu’s cheek in greeting, but their gaze was set on Moxxie. Without another word, they took off their coat and put it over the au ra’s shoulders.

“Well, dinner is waiting. Come join?” they inquired, looking between Moxxie and Tofu. When Moxxie refused to meet their gaze, they settled their eyes back on Tofu. Tofu regarded Moxxie carefully.

“You are free to join us for dinner, but if you think you would be too uncomfortable, I can see if we can send some home with you and that hover-parent of yours. The choice is yours, kid,” he said softly. 

Moxxie didn’t respond for a long while as she considered her options. After a moment of thought, she stood and turned to go back inside, leaving the coat behind on the ground.

“Wouldn’t be fair to Nerida to kick her out without giving her some food in return for kicking ass today,” Moxxie mumbled. She glanced at Tofu and gave him a nod of acknowledgement. “And hover-parent, really? Don’t call her that.”

She went to step inside, but paused at the door.

“And stop calling me ‘kid!’ I’ve got a name, use it. Moxxie. It's the least you can do, old man,” she finished, before continuing inside.

“Old?” Miyu snorted lightly, tucking an arm around Tofu to help him back up and inside. “Kids are bold these days, huh?” Tofu shrugged.

“I…guess I should have asked for her name at some point, I just didn’t think she’d give it to me,” he said as he allowed Miyu to help him inside - he didn’t particularly need it, but he could understand their desire to help regardless. “Can’t blame her for her disrespect, though. I did kill her family.”

“I was the one who brought you into it. I gave the go ahead to kill her… our… family,” Miyu quickly rebutted. Their expression became hard to read as they recalled that it was indeed their family too that was involved, much as they renounced M’ezzo.

“Now save your energy for dinner. Can’t argue when you’re going to have bread rolls in your mouth!” Tofu gave Miyu a look at their dismissal of their own distress.

“...You…don’t have to pretend to be less affected than you are by things. I’m right here, and I always will be. You can talk to me,” he said softly. 

Miyu gave a small smile of thanks.

“I adore you. Thank you,” they hummed, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Come on now, before the food gets cold… and before M’alia snatches the food right off our plates.” 

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

Chasing Nightmares

Tofu can't stop himself from checking on Berry, not after how he had seen Peach right after the attack.

Tofu didn’t feel… great, but he could at least walk around without issue, and he could put on a brave front. And he had that butterfly from Ghost that would help him if anything happened with magic. His back was… well, it would be in a better condition if it weren’t for a recent run in with that beast woman. But he could walk, though Blomma would argue that point. However, she wasn’t home, and neither were Kore and Miyu. 

So, he did something that he probably shouldn’t have; he took that opportunity to head out, to visit with the Fruit Smoothie Duo. He just hoped they were at the guild house… He lifted his hand and pushed open the door.

Strawberry was curled up in front of the couch on the floor, her fingertips resting on her staff. She seemed to have fallen asleep. Her usual rosy complexion seemed a bit pale, and bags under her eyes betrayed a lack of proper sleep. Her brow scrunched at the sound of approaching footsteps. 

Her eyes flickered open as she grabbed hold of her staff. The split second tension in her shoulders relaxed as she noticed it was only Tofu. She let out a small sigh and then smiled, though it wasn’t as bright as usual.

“Hey Tofu, shouldn’t you be home?” she asked softly.

There were plenty of things that Tofu noticed that made his heart feel heavy; the way she tensed, the panic in her eyes, her complexion, the way she looked like she hadn’t slept properly in days, the immediate grab for her staff, the way her smile didn’t reach her eyes even when she knew she was safe… He shouldn’t have brought them with him that day. He tried to offer a smile in return, but it was a poor mask at best.

“I’m fine to be walking around. Could even take on a few jobs if needed. It has been some time since then, I’d be more concerned if I weren’t well enough to leave the house,” he said, very deliberately ignoring what had happened with that woman… 

He walked over to where she had curled up and settled down on the floor beside her, reaching over and brushing her hair out of her face. She looked even worse up close. His heart felt as lead in his chest. He lifted her chin gently with one hand and leaned over to catch her eyes.

“I’d ask how you’re doing, but I think I can already guess…” he murmured softly.

“I’m okay. Just a bit sleepy,” she said as she rubbed her eye. “Been having a rough go sleeping, but it’ll be fine.”

She looked at Tofu as she sat up a little straighter. She scooched a little closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He was warm, like she always noticed when she got close to him. That was a comfort to her. Something was the same as before. He put his arm around her shoulders and rested his head on hers.

“I’m…sorry. You shouldn’t have had to see all of that,” he murmured, making a guess as to the root of her sleep issues. Berry shook her head.

“No, I wanted to be there, I’m glad I was there. I was able to help!” she protested, her words more confident than her body language as she brought her knees to her chest. Tofu ran his fingers through her hair almost idly. 

“Mm…Yes, you were greatly helpful. But still… you are young, and I should not have placed either of you in such danger,” he said. His mind went back to the story told often at Eolas. He could imagine that the two of them held a lot of unspoken trauma that he rather didn’t want to add to.

“We’re eighteen! You can join the guild at sixteen, we are not children!” Berry shouted, sounding very much like a child. He turned his face to bury it softly in her hair. 

“Berry… Just because you can do things at such a young age, does not make you grown. Let yourself be a child, for just a bit longer. If not for your own sake, then to make up for the childhood I was robbed of,” he said. “There is much and more for you to learn, to experience, and things that you do not yet know that make you naive - not a bad thing, mind you, just the truth of the world.”

“Children don’t get to know that a bad thing is coming until it’s here. I don’t want to be blindsided by things anymore… I don’t want to be a child,” she said softly as she looked down at her hands. “I… I insisted that we go, because I didn’t want to not know what happened. To be told to sit and wait for you and everyone to come back…”

A soft scoff escaped him before he could stop himself. “What makes you think children are blind to the bad things…?” he murmured before straightening up. “Maybe the waiting would have been agony, but at least you wouldn’t have had to see everything that happened. Gods know I…” He clamped his mouth shut before he finished that thought. His jaw tensed as he looked away.

“I’m sorry, Berry. Everything was my fault, for starting it to begin with, for not being strong enough to do it by myself, for not being good enough to protect everyone without…well, without getting hurt,” he said, making a conscious effort to keep the hand that brushed through her hair from tensing.

“No one is that strong. You are strong, yes, but it’s not fair to expect you to be as strong as that. We all need people.” She looked up at him. “If it’s anyone’s fault it’s the asshole that hurt Miyu first.”

A humourless smile crossed his features. He could think of one woman who could have done it alone. Two, if the stories of her namesake were to be believed. He just had to catch up. Even Ser had been able to take on a majority of the pirates without so much as a scratch. He just had to get better, be stronger, work harder. He would not be outdone.

“Right. The fault lies with the dead, so the living shouldn’t dwell, right?” he muttered. He sighed softly. 

“That’s not what I-” she sighed in turn. “The living can’t help but dwell… But you shouldn’t put the blame on yourself either.”

Tofu was beginning to regret leaning against the couch, but he was going to be comforting, dammit. Not that he really knew how to do that, but he was going to try at least. He patted her gently on the head awkwardly. She began to sniffle as her mind began to wander.

“I don’t get it…” she said without really meaning to. Tofu looked down at her, head tilted slightly.

“Get what?” he asked. 

“I… I almost lost my sister. I almost lost you. We almost lost Kore…” She trailed off as she sat up, a pensive look on her face. “Almost… Almost means we didn’t. We made it out, we won. We won and are all alive and okay…” Berry clearly had more to say, more on her mind. Tofu tilted his head to prompt her to continue.

“We won… But if we won… Then why am I having nightmares of everything going wrong?” Berry finished. She looked up at Tofu, her tired eyes starting to glisten. 

Tofu wrapped both arms around her, pulling her into his chest tightly. He kissed the top of her head gently and rubbed her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner. For a moment, he was quiet, deliberating with himself on whether he wanted to admit to his own nightmares or not. But in the end, he hoped that if she knew she weren’t alone with these nightmares, it might bring her comfort. Maybe it wouldn’t, but… The chance was there.

“...Me too,” he murmured softly into her hair. His arms tightened around her. “I still see… my knife in Miyu’s side, that woman’s hands around Kore’s throat, I still wake up feeling like I had just been drowning.” He was quiet a moment longer. “I wake up afraid that she’ll be gone.”

Berry’s tears spilled over as she began to sob in Tofu’s arms. She cried for what felt like forever. She held onto him, not wanting him to go away. Not that he would.

“I just…” she said through her cries. “I just need to see everyone… together in the same room. I need to see that everyone is okay.”

Tofu was quiet for a long moment, gears turning in his head. Perhaps something of the sort was in order. Some kind of resolution, some kind of… something that wasn’t danger or pain. He kept his arms around her as he mulled over the idea that was brewing. 

“What if… we do a get together, for all of us. We have more than one cook now, maybe we can get some kind of picnic or something going. You and Peach can bake sweets if you’d like. We can get the pets out in the yard with us. Would you…like that?” he suggested awkwardly. 

“That… that’s a great idea!” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m surprised I didn’t think of that…”

“I’m surprised I did…” he grumbled, though not bitterly. 

Berry laughed, not as bright as normal, but it was getting there. She settled back into Tofu. He may not think he was capable of much when it came to comfort. But it was enough.

“You have good ideas sometimes I guess.” She smiled. Tofu’s arms tightened around her briefly. When he spoke, there was an edge of sadness.

“...I remain unconvinced.”

“But you just had one!”

“A fluke…”

Berry rolled her eyes, he was so ridiculous. She yawned, that nap really wasn’t enough and all that crying took a lot out of her. Maybe she wouldn’t have any nightmares with Tofu here. 

Much to Tofu’s dismay, she quickly fell asleep on him. Tofu noted the sound of her rhythmic breathing, a light sigh escaping his nose. He leaned his head against hers and allowed his own eyes to close. He wasn’t super ready to go back home and face the others just yet, anyway. 

…Though he did still wish they had chosen a better position for their nap.

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

Domino Effect

Fiora wastes little time getting into that journal Ghost had left with her. She is displeased with what she finds.

Fiora had figured out how to open the journal Ghost had left with her more safely… Well, so that it would only affect her, at least. It could do whatever it wanted to her, it didn’t matter, she wouldn’t feel anything. She had brought them to a secluded cave, one where no one had been in some time. Daen Lad fluttered nearby as she flipped through the pages, brow furrowing as the handwriting grew increasingly more erratic with each page. Her eyes landed on a phrase that caught her attention - “aetherical disruption”. She sat on the ground, not caring about the dirt below her, and read the entry thoroughly.

Her brow furrowed further as she read. She did not like what she read. 

“A man approached me today. He appeared normal, but something about the air around him shone in a way that did not feel of this world. He had smiled at me, as if he knew something that I would not, and he came closer. I was wary, but curious. And he instructed me on a manner of curse unlike any I had seen in this realm. A sigil that would, once written into the aether of a person, absorb the aether from spells and alter it to an alarming degree, amplifying it and making it into something dangerous to the afflicted. He instructed me to use it on ‘a foe I did not think I could defeat’. I know not what he meant, but mayhaps this…curse will be of use.”

There was a written description of how to apply the curse, but some few of the words were foreign to Fiora. She continued reading; a later entry caught her attention as well.

“The woman has been discarded, before she can lose control and devour us all. We did not foresee that the act of throwing her away would bring about such…retribution. How can one man be so powerful? My comrades, one by one, felled before my very eyes. Into this man’s aether, I carved that curse, so that those few of us that remained may live, so that he may perish. And though it tore at his aether, though he could barely see, let alone stand, my comrades fell. I fell. But he did not finish me off. He ran, and I will find him.”

“Daen Lad, come look at this passage. Do these words mean anything to you?” she asked, flipping back to the page with the curse application process. Daen Lad fluttered over, leaning over the journal to take a look. Their brow also furrowed. 

“These words are Fae but…they’re ancient Fae, not like the language used here now. How did he…” they murmured, their hand to their chin in thought. 

“I thought as much. Not necessarily the ancient part, but the Fae part. Can you derive any meaning from them?” Fiora pressed. Daen Lad shook their head.

“The old words are coming out of practice where I’m from, too. Niedra might be able to tell, but I’m not old enough to have learned them, myself,” they said, though referring to their Queen in such an informal manner - a habit they had picked up from the original Ro -  felt wrong. 

Fiora closed the journal and stood. 

“Destroy this. There is nothing more to be learned from it, and the curse upon it only poses a danger to others. Come, we should head home. I have much to ponder,” she said, tossing the journal on the ground behind her as she strode towards the exit to the cave. Mayhaps it was anger that made her want that book destroyed more than the desire to protect anyone from it. The entry about her brother…

Daen Lad crossed their arms and stared after her in concern for a moment before spiriting the journal away to somewhere it wouldn’t cause problems, just in case they needed it later. With a sigh, they followed Fiora out of the cave.

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

Find Another Way

Ghost has been hard at work finding a temporary solution that didn't involve causing Tofu more harm. Naria comes to check on her.

Collab with @ro-valerius

This one is very long I'm so sorry. (not actually sorry)

Ghost sat in her research chambers on the floor against a bookshelf. She had tomes and papers scattered around her. Ghost’s personal grimoire sat in her lap as she scratched out the latest runes she tried working into her latest draft. The torn out pages scattered around her spoke to how well it was going. She sighed and leaned her head back against the shelf as she tore out the page and tossed it aside. 

Ghost couldn’t get the events from her last visit to the Flower house out of her head. She really messed up, her own stubbornness was the true cause of that mess. While she didn’t understand the pushback, she shouldn’t have pushed the issue. Definitely not her most shining moment. She just hoped she could make up for it. She was starting to really like getting to know all the flowers… 

Naria adjusted her grip on the umbrella in her hands as she walked towards the Thaumaturge’s Guild. She didn’t know what had happened between Ghost and Fiora, but the fact remained that Fiora had almost gone full voidsent on the Curse Breaker. It fell on Naria to make amends, seeing as how she had brought the miqo’te to the house to begin with, brought her into the whole curse ordeal with Tofu.

The other members of the guild had come to know Naria by now, gesturing to where Ghost’s research chambers were without much fuss. Naria approached the door and drew in a deep breath. Steeling herself, she reached up and knocked.

Ghost jumped at the sound of the knock. She stood and left behind the grimoire on the floor as she crossed the room to answer the door. She cracked it open to see who was there.

“Oh! Uh… hi Naria. Wha- what brings you here?” she asked sheepishly.

“I brought your umbrella,” Naria said, holding said umbrella up with a sheepish smile. “And… Well, I should apologize for my sister. May I come in?”

“O-oh, ah, yes… Please come in-” She looked around the room as she began to open the door wide enough for Naria. “P-please excuse the mess.”

This time the mess was an actual mess. Naria looked around as she entered, her face not revealing the concern she felt for the state of the place. It was starting to look like Fiora’s room in there…

“I see that the little…spat didn’t deter you much,” she said, trying to sound light-hearted to mask the worry that had formed. She placed the umbrella down carefully on a table as she turned her attention back to Ghost.

Ghost laughed dryly. “I… need to find a better solution,” she said as she crouched down to pick up some stray papers from the floor.

“Well, I don’t know exactly what went down, but…I appreciate that you’re helping. It’s not any of your responsibility, and yet…” Naria said, her voice trailing off as she offered another smile to Ghost.

“But it is… I may not have been originally tasked with breaking his curse specifically, but I was given this research by the guild. I now have… Personal investment sure, but it’s still my job to find the break in this curse.” Ghost was trying to sound objective. Trying. Failing.

Naria let out a soft sigh through her nose. She glanced over the pages of sigils and writing, noting a frantic nature to the more recent notes. 

“Just…don’t overstress yourself, alright? Fiora’s doin’ enough of that on her own- I mean. Fiora’s got that covered,” she said, correcting the light slip into the accent she had begun to pick up from Tio.

Ghost picked up a paper and stared at it. She already had failed Naria’s request - she very much had been stressing about it. She almost didn’t notice the tears welling up in her eyes before one fell onto the paper in her hand. Ghost dropped the papers she had gathered and covered her face with both of her hands.

“I messed everything up!” she said, muffled by her hands. “I should have stopped, but I didn’t and I really upset her…”

Naria closed the distance between them and put her arms around Ghost gently, though she was mindful of the fallen papers. Ghost froze up at the touch, a small gasp escaped her as her breath caught in her throat.

“Hey, stop that… Our…family has a very notorious stubborn streak. It can be hard to get through to most of us from time to time. And when it comes to Tofu, Fiora is the most stubborn of all,” Naria said, patting the miqo’te on the back softly. 

“She spent…what was it, twenty-four years? She spent most of her life being tortured by the cult who’s research you now hold. And she was blind for the latter half of that. Tofu was the one that rescued her from that fate, and…well, he came home with that curse for his troubles. She blames herself… That’s why she works so hard to find a cure for him, why she wants to help him without causing him undue discomfort in the meantime. To her, Hana and Tofu are her world, more so than the rest of us for now.”

Ghost put a hand on Naria’s shoulder as she gently pushed out of Naria’s embrace, but left her hand there. A thread of connection as she digested Naria’s words. She looked at Naria and the freckles that dusted her nose and cheeks. The bags under Ghost’s eyes were even more evident after crying. 

“I’m sorry… the more I learn, the more I think about how much of a jerk I was to push the issue,” Ghost said, dejected. Her shoulders slumped as her eyes drifted to her hand on Naria’s shoulder.

“I just- want to help people.” She looked down, “But… maybe I just cause more problems… maybe they were right…" The last part Ghost said was barely a whisper. Naria took Ghost’s hand in both of hers. 

“You are doing what you feel is right. There is no ‘best way’ to go about doing something to help others. What I can say, though, is that you’re not causing more problems for us. Fiora would still be stuck in her research if not for you and yours. She’s just…touchy. N-not physically, Gods no, don’t try to hug her she might flip, but like- you know what I mean,” she said, stumbling through her attempt at comforting the miqo’te. 

Ghost looked at her hand in Naria’s as her cheeks turned a little pink.

“Thank you, I needed to hear that.” She sniffled, but smiled softly. She looked at the papers she dropped and stooped down to get them. Naria crouched down to help.

“In any case, we’ll figure this out. Together. You, me, and Fiora,” the hyur said with a soft smile. 

Ghost smiled again, “Together…” she murmured, testing how it felt on her lips. She glanced at a page that Naria picked up but then tilted her head. She took it gently from Naria and turned it upside down. “Hmm, maybe I can work with this…”

She wandered over to the work table and pushed aside some books and papers. She took a pin from the pincushion nearby and pricked her finger tip. She drew the sigil on the table in her blood. When she finished, she touched the top of it and it lit up. She lifted her finger and the glowing sigil lifted off the table. With a flick of her finger, she spun it. It glowed brightly before it popped and a butterfly appeared in its place.

Naria stepped closer, examining the butterfly with a curious expression. It fluttered as a shimmering blue with thick black lines and rounded wings. A single orange dot adorned the bottom wing on each side. She tilted her head; it seemed like an ordinary butterfly. Her eyes flickered over to Ghost.

“What…will this do?” she asked. 

“This is going to help with excess mana, before it can attack his organs. Won’t you Morpho?” Ghost said holding a finger under the butterfly for it to have a place to land. She turned back to Naria, “Not all of it mind you, but enough that it should be more manageable.”

She took the butterfly to another part of the chamber where she had a smaller table set up with a small alchemical station. She picked up a crystal and held it out to Morpho. The butterfly flitted from her finger to the crystal which began to dissipate at the butterflies touch. Morpho glowed for a few seconds after the crystal disappeared. She smiled at the results.

“So a…siphon of sorts? Seems promising enough,” Naria said, making her way over to where Ghost was testing. She stared at the butterfly for a moment. “Better you name it than him, he’s got Callum’s sense…might call it ‘Flappy’ or something like that…” she grumbled to herself. 

Ghost giggled, “Unfortunately, my name for it is just Morpho, I named it when I was younger and less creative. But this familiar has served me well.” She smiled for a moment before launching into a bit more explanation. “Morpho will need to feed on a small sample of his blood to create a bio link, but maaaaybe it would be best for someone… else to present the idea to Fiora? Perhaps… someone present… nice… pretty…?” 

“Come now, with as much blood as he’s coughin’ up, you won’t need to hurt him to get any. I think…she will appreciate that you’re trying a different method of mitigation-” Naria started, not even realizing the manner of speech she had fallen into as the last of Ghost’s words settled in belatedly. She blushed. “A-anyway, I think she feels bad, too, so it would be good for both of you to apologize to each other.” 

Ghost’s shoulders slumped a little. She had been hoping that Naria would have agreed. She was terrible at apologizing. Not for a lack of remorse but for an overwhelming need to be liked. The fact that she needed to apologize was bad enough, but what if the recipient rejected her apology? That was far worse.

No use fighting it. If Naria was most likely going to insist, she would acquiesce now.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll do it.” Naria patted Ghost on the head gently.

“It’ll be fine. She’s…more level headed now than she was at the time, I think she’s more ashamed than anything,” she said softly. She offered Ghost a more reassuring smile. “She’s not very good socially, either. I think she’ll understand your intent, so long as you express it earnestly.”

“I just… hope this goes better than my last visit.” Ghost walked over and retrieved her umbrella. “No time like the present right? Would you do me the honor of accompanying me while I try not to make an ass of myself again?” Naria held out her hand for Ghost to take.

“Naturally.”

---

Fiora sat at the dining table, stacks of books scattered around her as she scribbled almost furiously in a notebook, flipping pages in one book, pulling another closer to examine, and knocking over a stack to get a book near the bottom. Her sightless eyes darted across ink that had aether infused into it, a trick Daen Lad had learned that Fiora abused relentlessly. She scowled into the last book, flipping through until she found the page she was looking for, scribbling more notes into her notebook. She didn’t notice the door opening, nor did she register the footsteps behind her. She was too engrossed, too close to a breakthrough…

Ghost looked to Naria, concerned at the idea of interrupting Fiora. She recognized the fervent, singular focus for what it was. It was the moment where something was just at the tips of your fingers, but still grasping at air. She took in a breath, and approached the table.

“Fiora…?”

Fiora jumped, the stacks of books at her elbows toppling over as some fell to the ground along with her inkwell and notebook. All of that, accompanied by a gasp, and then Fiora squared her shoulders and took in a deep breath to compose herself. She cleared her throat. 

“Ahem, yes, can I help you?” she asked, sounding somehow composed in spite of the mess her surprise had made. She did not, however, turn to face Ghost. 

“I uh… came to apologize… for my behavior last time I was here.” Ghost nervously twisted the umbrella in her hands.

“Ah, yes, well, good. Because I…uh… needed to apologize, too. I should not have…lost control like that. You are trying to help, as…unconventional as the proposed method was,” Fiora stated firmly, still not looking over at Ghost. Naria did say that she was just as awkward socially, after all. 

“Still… I was out of line. I still want to help, if you’ll let me.” Ghost paused. “I- I have a new proposal, one that I hope you’ll approve of.”

Fiora glanced over at where Ghost’s aether stood, then at Naria, who was standing by with an almost palpable smile on her face. Fiora didn’t need to see to know it was there. She let out a huff through her nose. 

“Well, let’s hear it,” she finally said, trying to sound more certain of herself than she felt. 

“Do you have a pin? Or a needle… I forgot them. Um it’s for me! I need to summon the familiar, and I use my blood to do it so…” Ghost mentally kicked herself for not bringing a pin with her. 

Fiora stood from the dining table and made her way over to her alchemy table- the mess on the top of it had been too much for her current fervent research escapade- and opened a drawer to pull out a small vial of pins. She did not bleed, so she did not see the point of storing them more carefully. She picked one out and held the sharp end, tossing the vial almost carelessly back into the drawer and pushing it shut with her hip as she made her way back to Ghost. She held it out to the miqo’te.

Ghost took the pin and nodded in thanks. She stepped back to the table and cleared a small section to begin the summoning. As before, she used her blood to draw the sigil. Fiora could see the aether she poured into it as she drew. The sigil glowed as she pulled it off the table to initiate the summoning and the butterfly popped back into existence. 

“This is Morpho, and for now they’re a siphon.” She held out a finger for the butterfly to land on. “They will be able to siphon off a good portion of excess mana from Tofu before it can be used to attack his organs… after consuming some of his blood to create a bio link.”

“It hurts my eyes to look at. But if it works, it works. The blood…if he is coughing up blood already, will that work? I will not allow for further injury, not while he’s already so bad off…” The last of Fiora’s words were soft, scared even. It was plain to see that she was terrified of losing him, even if she wouldn’t say it.

Ghost nodded. “That would suffice, the fresher the better however so we will need to wait for a coughing fit.” Fiora nodded as well.

“I can…accept that,” the au ra said. Her following words were spoken softly, as if she didn’t want Ghost to actually hear them. “Thank you…for looking for another way…”

“Of course,” Ghost said, equally as quiet. She let Morpho flitter off of her finger as she turned from the table. “So, where is the sickroom? The sooner we can get his blood the better.”

Fiora was quiet for a long moment. “Naria, why don’t you lead her…?” she murmured softly. As much as she loved her brother, or rather, because of how much she loved her brother, she didn’t think she could handle being around him in that state. It would break her. Naria walked over to her, resting a hand on her head as she pulled Fiora closer, kissing her forehead gently.

“Yeah, I gotcha, I’ll let you know how he’s doing, too,” she whispered quietly into the au ra’s bangs. Naria turned a brighter smile to Ghost, but it didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Follow me.” With a last brush of her fingers against Fiora’s cheek, Naria stepped towards the stairs, pausing for Ghost to follow.

Ghost and Morpho followed suit. She looked around as they walked through the hallways. A curiosity began to overtake her about where Naria might reside. A thought that would have to be entertained later as they got to their destination.

Naria drew up to Kore’s door and knocked softly, but didn’t await an answer before she let herself in. A small gasp escaped her as she found Tofu leaned over the edge of the bed, blood dripping from his mouth. At the sound of the door, he wiped as much as he could off of his face with his hand and tried to smile at Naria.

“You have…the worst timing,” he tried to joke.

“Or the best,” Naria and Ghost both piped up. Naria looked over at Ghost and smiled lightly, gesturing for the miqo’te to explain.

“I need your blood.” Ghost said simply.

“Frightening,” Tofu muttered without any hint of inflection.

Ghost quickly crossed the room and took Tofu’s hand, examining how much blood was there. 

“Yes this should suffice,” she said as she directed Morpho to land on his hand and take in the blood. “Let Morpho here take care of that, it will just be a moment.”

“You know, without context, this is very alarming for me,” Tofu said, though he watched with curiosity as the butterfly landed on him. “What is this thing? Why does it need my blood?”

“Sorry, I needed it to be as fresh as possible.” Ghost looked up at Tofu now that Morpho was at work. “Um, so I’m not sure how much you may have heard about me… I’m Ghost, a Cursebreaker with the Thaumaturge Guild, pleasure to finally meet properly. This is Morpho, my familiar who will be taking in excess mana that is attacking your organs… Enough of it that it will be less of a concern for the time being.” 

“Rrrrright I absorbed about half of that. Ghost, huh? Nice to uh…meet you, I guess? I guess you probably know my name already, huh… Tofu, regardless,” the viera said, taking advantage of the fact that their abrupt and confusing entrance had distracted him from the pain in his- Nope, there it was. He winced and put a hand to his chest. “Dammit, knew I had gone too long being able to ignore it…”

He straightened up, pushing the pain aside again, and tried to smile politely at Ghost. 

“Sounds like you’ve been hard at work, as well. Sorry you got all wrapped up in this, but…thank you,” he said. 

“Well I was assigned the case by the guild, this was even before I met Naria and learned you were affected. Having a living person affected by a curse I was researching… Made this particular case take precedence.” She smiled.

Morpho finished consuming and left a clean spot on his hand. It then flitted over to rest on Tofu’s shoulder. Ghost smiled and noticed a pile of clean towels and handed one to Tofu for the rest of the blood. Tofu took it gratefully and got what blood he could feel on his face wiped off and wiped off his hands as well. Naria walked over and took the towel from him, dabbing lightly at his eyebrow.

“Did this one wake you up, too? It’s in your hair…” she murmured gently, glancing at his pillow and noting the blood there as well. “I’ll get one of the other pillows while Blomma takes care of that one.” Tofu averted his gaze. 

“It’s…fine,” he grumbled. 

“Nonsense, wait here, I’ll be right back,” she said, cupping his face gently with one hand and smiling before making her way out the door. “Stay or follow, up to you, Ghost!”

Ghost looked between Tofu and Naria a moment before flashing Tofu a nervous smile and following Naria. She furrowed her brows but said nothing. Until they were out of the room.

“Are you alright?” Ghost asked softly. Naria tilted her head at Ghost and tried to smile, but it was a poor mask at best.

“I…wasn’t here when they came home, and I haven’t been in with him much since… I didn’t know how bad it was,” she said, her voice almost a whisper. She turned back to face in front of her, placing a hand to her chest as she walked. She tried to keep the false smile on her face. “Gods, he looks bad…and this is after some time, I can only imagine…how bad it was.”

She stopped and turned, clasping her hands behind her back as she let out a rather humourless laugh. “But! He’ll be fine now. Blomma says his wound is…healing. Slowly, but it’s healing. And now he’s got that butterfly. Daen Lad says he’s got a few heavy episodes left, then smaller ones for a while longer, and then his curse is in the clear until…” A heavy sigh escaped her as her smile dropped slightly. “Until he gets into it with another mage. He’d better not…”

“Naria…” Ghost closed the distance between the two of them and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay… to not be okay.” 

Though she tried to keep the smile on her face, Naria’s eyes welled with tears. She knelt on the floor and buried her face with one hand as she cried softly, her other arm wrapped around her knees, as if being curled up like that was the only thing keeping her together. Ghost knelt beside her and pulled Naria into a tight embrace, resting her chin on Naria’s head. 

“I know… I know he’ll be alright. I know he’s strong, and stubborn, but I still… I still…!” Naria hiccuped. “It still hurts… But I have to be strong, too. Everyone has so much to worry about…” 

“You can’t help anyone if you break. Holding it all in causes cracks, you can’t ignore your feelings for the sake of others…” Ghost murmured as she softly stroked her hair.

“I…I know. I wouldn’t accept my behavior from anyone else, but I was raised this way, it’s ingrained in me, and it’s hard to break out of that line of thinking,” Naria said, looking up at Ghost with a soft smile even as tears still streamed down her face. “‘Everything for the good of the family’, you know? Anything to keep their spotless image pristine…even if it meant throwing their own daughter away.”

“‘Why must you have been born to us?’ is what I used to hear…” Ghost laughed bitterly. “I wasn’t allowed to be… part of the family for the most part…”

Naria scoffed and turned her face away. “Useless nobles, am I right?” she grumbled. She reached up and dried her eyes, gently pushing away from Ghost to stand up. 

“But! That is why I’m here, now. Why Fiora and Tofu brought me here. Not only to protect me from Tuturoko, but to give me a second chance at a family. I’ll never be able to repay Ro for what she’s done for me, but hey, I can at least try. And the first step of that for now is to get Tofu a spare pillow.”

Naria smiled and held out her hand to Ghost to help her up, a cheeky ‘shall we?’ to accompany her. Ghost let her fingertips touch Naria’s hand but didn’t fully take it just yet.

“Just… also take care of you, yeah?” she said as she fully clasped Naria’s hand. Naria offered a more genuine smile.

“Of course. I can do both! Take care of myself and also Tofu, I mean. Pillow time!”