#FFXIVWrite

[sea-wolf-coast-to-coast]

FFxiv 30 Day Writing Challenge SEPTEMBER 1st - 30th, 2024

Welcome to YEAR 8 of our annual FFxiv 30 Day Writing Challenge, folks!

Last year we had 7,935 total entries! Which brings us to a total of 50,656 unique written entries over the last 7 years. That is just incredible! And something that I think that we should be super proud of as a creative fan community.

Whether you're new to the FFxivWrite community or a 7-year writing challenge veteran, if you'd like to give perfectionism in your creative writing process a swift kick in the butt, then this challenge was designed for you!

More info is below the cut~

Here’s the gist:

Runs from September 1st - 30th, 2024. During that timeframe:

Visit sea-wolf-coast-to-coast​ once a day at 12:00pm (noon) PDT for the prompt of the day. Convert to your timezone accordingly. All prompts will be one word or brief phrase that you can interpret however you please.

You have 24 hours to write something for that prompt.

Submit the link to your entry post via this Google Form: https://forms.gle/jDWjFKfmeaGnH3PL9

There are no length or skill requirements (short & sweet is fine!).

There will be no 24-hour deadlines for the first week, September 1st - 7th. The deadline will go into effect on September 8th at 11:59am PDT.

Makeup/extra credit days every Sunday.

Every entry posted within its 24-hour deadline will count toward a participation prize raffle at the end.

You can join any time with any prompt #! There’s no need for latecomers to start with prompt #1. Picking up with the most recent prompt is A OK.

If you’re an artist and you would like to volunteer to do a simple black & white illustration as a participation prize at the end of this challenge, you can volunteer here!

RULES & MORE INFO can be found here: https://ffxiv-write.carrd.co/

(( banner art - by @dantinmikannes ))

Rules & Info || Prompt List || #FFxivWrite2024 || kofi

[makiokuta]

A makeup prize for FFXIV Write of @eva-cybele ( @dawnslight-aegis )'s beautiful Au ra, Kaede.

Thank you to @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast all your hard work on this event!

[myreia]

Sketches of Times Lost

Day 01: Steer

ryne x gaia. minor shadowbringers patch & eden raid spoilers. written for ffxivwrites 2024. 943 words. ao3 link.

“Not like that—”

“Then like what? I did it the way you said!”

“You didn’t! You must put your paddle on the other side—”

“What other side? I put it where you told me—”

“The left side!”

“I put it on the left side!”

Voices ring out across the Source, breaking the sleepy Lakeland day. A sturdy little fisher boat bobs haphazardly in its waters. It streams away from the shore, pushed to and fro by the wind despite the best efforts of its occupants.

“You’re not listening to me.”

“I am listening to you, Ryne!”

“If I am steering from the right side, you must paddle on the left—”

“Ugh…” Wood clatters against wood. “…every time… why must you be like this—”

“Gaia, we’re going in circles!”

“I know—ah!”

Splash. With a sad, despairing sound, the paddle hits the water. Ryne jolts upright in her seat and leans over the side, the boat wobbling precariously with her movement. Gaia yelps, her hands flying out to seize the gunwales, frozen in fear as Ryne slides her paddle over the edge. She presses her lips together, brow furrowed with concentration, and attempts to fish the other out.

A few prods later and she has only achieved the opposite.

“Ah!” The boat rocks as Ryne pulls back, red-cheeked and spluttering. “I can’t get to it.”

Gaia sighs, her hands still holding the gunwales in a death-grip, and carefully peers over the side. “Goodbye, you useless old thing,” she drawls, deadpan. “I knew I should never have brought you.”

The paddle floats away, uncaring, and vanishes into the lake.

The girls fall silent. Small waves lap against the boat, calmly, quietly, the only sound for malms save for the wind and the occasional bird call above. The sun beats down, its rays sparkling across the surface of the water. There was a time in her life when she never knew water could be like this—bright and clear, shimmering like the crystals of the Crystal Tower and brimming with life. She can still taste the putrid scents of her childhood, the stink of stagnant water and rotting fish. The green, stinking waters around Eulmore were where one went to drown. If they were lucky.

Ryne sighs and crosses one leg over the other. “All right,” she says, glancing over the side of the boat. The wind is pushing them in circles and they are moving further and further from Sullen by the minute. At this rate, they might as well be pushed clear into the Isle of Ken. Perhaps they could ask Bismarck for another favour. “I admit… perhaps we… made a mistake.”

Gaia snorts. “A mistake? I thought you said you knew how to handle a thing like this.”

“I do! Or… in theory, I do. I haven’t… actually. Done this before.”

Gaia glances over her shoulder, her dark brows drawn together. She would look angrily ferocious if not for the way her lips were moving as if she is about to laugh. “Surprising. You don’t say.”

A small laugh bursts out of her and Ryne slaps a hand to her mouth. Flashing her a grin, Gaia twists around in her seat and stretches out, fluffing out her hair behind her as she settles in to bask. She closes her eyes and throws one leg over her knee, her foot bouncing back and forth. The polished stiletto heel she insisted on wearing glints in the sun.

Ryne smiles, soft and quiet, and looks away. “Regardless,” she says, dipping a hand into the lake, letting the cool waters flow through her fingers. “This is nice, isn’t it? The sun is out, there’s a nice breeze, we have food and water…”

“Spinning in the middle of the lake doesn’t sound very nice to me,” Gaia says. Despite her irritable tone, she is already deeply relaxed. “I’d have rather stayed indoors.”

Ryne raises her eyes, staring across the lake to Sullen’s docks. Villagers mill to and fro, some fishing, others swimming, and moreso out to the enjoy the nice day. Their bright clothing makes them visible even from this distance. Would any notice if she stood up and waved her arms?

A pang squeezes her heart. “Did you know Urianger tried to walk on water once?” she blurts out.

Gaia yawns. “Where?”

“There. Stepped right off the dock.”

Gaia’s eyes open. Slowly, she pushes herself up and twists around, following Ryne’s gaze to the distant shore. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” she declares.

Ryne makes a face. “You don’t believe me—?”

The boat rocks. A warm hand slips into hers. A familiar weight presses into her as Gaia rests her head on her shoulder.

“You miss them a lot today,” she says quietly. No judgement, just simple acknowledgement.

“I miss them everyday.”

“I know.”

“I don’t know when Aureia will be back. I don’t know if Thancred has gone and done something stupid. I don’t know what books Urianger is reading, what theories Y’shtola is pursuing, if Alphinaud and Alisaie are…” She lets out a soft breath. “I’m sorry. I wanted today to be nice.”

“You’re here. How could it not be?”

Sullen fades into the distance.  

“Gaia?” Ryne asks, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Do you think this will ever end? Feeling like this? Feeling like I’m grieving the worst before I know it’s happened? I’m so worried about them, some days I can barely breath.”

“I don’t know the answer to that.” Her hand squeezes hers. “I don’t think anyone knows. But I do know what it is like to feel alone and…”

“And?”

“You’re not, Ryne. You are never alone.”

[ahollowgrave]

Horizon (noun):  1. The apparent intersection of the earth and sky as seen by an observer. 2. The limit or edge of the observable universe. 3. The range of one's knowledge, experience, or interest. A nun. A river. A journey. Who can say?

You tip over the edge of one world and into another.

Sometimes it feels like falling from a cliff, plunging into the hungry maw of the ocean. Sometimes it feels like a river rises around you. Water bubbling over your feet, tugging insistently upon the hem of your dress, flowing over the top of your head. This time it feels like ice cracking beneath your bare feet. A sudden, sharp fear driven like a spike at the base of your skull.

You cannot say for certain what this place is. Words have never been your strong suit and even less so the educated ones a proper scholar might use. You’ve a guess, of course, but it is something you’ve always kept close. This is where you do your work. It is not a difficult leap. 

The water is frigid and pitch-black. You feel hands ghosting over your body, your hair, your face. Thumbs brush your closed eyelids. You see. The currents of the water around you are suddenly illuminated; faint blue, glowing dim against the swallowing darkness around you. They should be brighter. They should be moving with great joy. Yet when you reach for those currents they react slowly and hang limply; dying. They flicker when you reach too far and your cry of anguish escapes your throat in bubbles. Dread spirals out from that point of fear; tendrils wrapping slimy feelers around your spine, your ribs, pulling itself into the hollow of your chest to feast and grow. In that cold, in that dark, among dying, twinkling lights it is easy to curl around it. To see the dread as certainty. As always, you are saved from yourself. The feeling of hands come once more. Impressions of fingers pulling at your limbs, unfolding them, drawing your head up and directing your gaze -- West.

[spotofmummery]

Are you participating in FFXIV Write this year?

You can share your writing on this community just for FFXIV Writers - open to join!

[feelingkoii]

I had the honour of drawing a FFXIVWrite Prize piece, and I'm super proud of how it came out! I don't often do black or white and I experimented a bit but I'm happy with the result!!

@sea-wolf-coast-to-coast

[fair-fae]

FFxivWrite24 Entry #6: Halcyon

FFxivWrite 2024 Prompt #6: Halcyon It was a lazy summer day like any other in the Black Shroud, humid heat hanging heavy in the air outside the Covington manor, a marvel of tall, white marble and manicured gardens that stood in stark contrast to the wild woods surrounding it, either a bastion or a blight of mankind among the expanse of nature. Faye rested upon a bench outside her home, a half-emptied and forgotten cup of tea sat surely now cold beside her as she focused on her embroidery–or tried to, anyway. It was a quiet afternoon, only the birdsongs and the ambient buzzing of insects breaking the silence. That was, until Zularti had found a long, skinny stick and decided to pretend it was a spear. He paced around the garden, thrusting the stick this way and that, adding in sound effects and striking occasionally at a nearby tree, fighting off invisible foes. Faye did her best to tune him out, quite accustomed to his antics by now, and kept her focus on her needlework and the piece of fabric in her hands. Suddenly, however, her attention was stolen away as the boy suddenly exclaimed. “Guhhh! I’m so boooored!” He easily snapped the stick over his knee, tossing the two halves aside and wiping away the sweat that matted his dark auburn hair to his brow before he dramatically collapsed onto the grass. Faye heaved a sigh, giving up on her task and setting her embroidery hoop aside. “You could try doing something useful for once,” she offered helpfully. “You could try shutting up for once,” he muttered in a mockery of her own tone, squinting up at the sun bearing down on him from the cloudless sky. Perhaps she should have appreciated those days more, when life was simple and everything was peaceful, when all the horrors of the world were far away things that happened to other people and there was no cause for pain or want. But the truth was, she was bored, too.

[briar-ffxiv]

FFXIV Write #01 - Steer

FFXIV Write 2024 Master Post

Prompt #1 - Steer

Briar frowned in a mixture of concentration and concern as he watched Jack circle his little herd of sheep. The slim half-Elezen squeezed his fingers around the comforting, smooth wood of his staff and sighed. The bobtailed merle sheepdog was barking now and then while occasionally taking a small charge toward a sheep to get them back in line. For less than a year old, Jack was doing quite well. At least Briar thought so.

The problem came that his sheep had lived in the woods for years and dealt with more than a few predators. So at least some of them were not interested in listening to the barking pup, especially after having known him since he was barely ankle-high. In particular, Imogen, the old matriarch of the herd, and Ajax, the small but stocky ram who made it his personal quest to chase away anything he considered a threat to his herd. The rest of the ewes, at least, were either timid enough or easy-going enough to allow Jack to guide them, if a bit clumsily where Briar directed him.

Imogen, on the other hand, was not dignifying such nonsense. Instead, she stood with her nose up and eyes hard as she watched Jack. She occasionally stomped a hoof at him but refused to budge, no matter how close Jack got to her. This wasn't helped by the fact that any time the sheepdog was too close, Ajax was more than happy to charge at him. While he wasn't a big ram, his horns were impressive, heavy spirals and he'd managed to almost catch Jack a few times.

Briar huffed in frustration as it happened again. Ajax charged, bleating angrily as he swung his horns at Jack. The dog twisted agilely out of the way, facing the ram and ruffling his fur up.

"Lie down!" Briar called, a hint of worry in his voice.

Jack froze and glanced between Briar and the ram before obediently lowering his belly to the grass.

Ajax snorted and stomped, giving Jack a dismissive look as he turned back to the small herd. Ajax won that battle, at least in the sheep's mind. Jack gave a restless whine, giving Briar a puzzled look.

"You are not aiding him, Erdene," said a calm, accented voice.

Briar blinked and turned to look at Tokhtai, the Mol warrior who had made it his business to follow the half-Elezen. Briar had never quite understood why. When asked Tokhtai's response to the question was a calm smile and the reassurance that 'the old gods wish it so'. After a time, Briar had stopped asking. "What do you mean?" he said, tilting his head and lifting a hand to brush strawberry-blond hair out of his eyes.

"If the sheep do not respect the dog, the dog is useless," Tokhtai said serenely. "You must let your Jack show the sheep he is not weak or to be ignored."

Briar grimaced a bit. "But I don't want the sheep to get hurt…or Jack to be hurt either! Ajax is strong."

Tokhtai laughed. "Jack is a fine guardian. He will not harm the sheep. If he has not done so yet, he shall not now. He is frustrated and not once set teeth to them." He turned deep blue eyes to Ajax, lips twitching in a small smile. "Although he is a poor breeder, he is a tough sheep, but he will not catch the dog if you let Jack follow his instincts."

Briar stared a moment, biting his lip nervously. He would admit that he was still learning and, if nothing else, he was grateful to the Mol for teaching him. Books could only give him so much knowledge and there were no finer shepherds on the Azim Steppes than the Mol. And he had certainly never trained a dog for anything, let alone herding. Fortunately, it was in Jack's blood and he seemed to often know just what to do.

"You're s-sure?" Briar asked quietly, a hint of stutter displaying his worry.

"I am sure," Tokhtai nodded. "Let the dog follow his instincts. Encourage him. He knows what must be done."

Briar sighed again and looked at Jack, still lying in the grass, but his mismatched eyes were fastened on the sheep. The poor sheepdog's merle coat practically shivered with the desire to work and Briar felt a touch of guilt. Ajax was still between Jack and the herd, giving the sheepdog a hard look. It was clear that to get to the herd, Jack would have to go through Ajax.

"Okay then," Briar murmured to himself. He straightened, squeezing the staff to help settle his nerves. "Jack," he said, waiting a moment for the sheepdog to look at him. "Walk up."

Jack rose immediately, although he kept his stance low, stalking toward the sheep. Ajax gave an angry meep and dug his hooves in, lowering his head at the dog. He held that position even as Jack came closer and closer. "Steady," Briar called when Jack gave a glance at him to make sure he was not about to be called away like before.

Jack walked forward until he was nearly nose-to-nose with the ram, who pawed and grunted with irritation, shaking his horns. For a few long moments, the sheepdog and ram stared at each other, unmoving. Briar frowned, half-hoping Ajax would take a step back, but the stubborn ram was not budging. Briar glanced at Tokhtai, who nodded with a slightly amused smile.

Briar set his jaw and took a breath before giving the command. "Push." Jack's ears shot up and he glanced at his master if he hadn't heard the half-Elezen right. Briar nodded and called again. "Push, Jack!"

Jack's eyes hardened and he glared at Ajax, hackles rising just a bit. Ajax snorted, but for the first time, a hint of worry showed in the nervous flick of his ears. The ram grunted and swung his head back and forth again in a threat. Instead of backing off as he had before, Jack darted forward, jaws opened. Sharp teeth snapped shut an ilm before the ram's face as Jack gave a surprisingly loud growl for a half-grown pup.

Ajax snorted in surprise and jerked back, head tipping to stare at Jack. Stomping his foot, the ram gave an offended bleat. Ajax tensed and started a charge, only to give a loud baa as Jack snapped at him again. He spun away, heading a few steps toward the herd before turning again. Jack stood tall, nub of a tail wagging wildly as he looked at Briar for confirmation.

"Well done!" Briar said, gesturing toward the herd. "Push, Jack!"

There was no hesitation this time as Jack darted forward, a few more snaps enough to break Ajax's nerve finally. The annoyed ram snorted and trotted toward the herd. He refused to bolt, but the wary glance he gave to the dog displayed a newfound caution in the ram. As they passed Imogen, Jack headed for her as well, eyes intent. Without the backing of Ajax, the old ewe gave an offended meep but also jogged to join the others.

"Come-by," Briar said, giving a little smile as Jack circled the herd, getting the sheep in a tighter group. He opened the gate finally and called to Jack again. "Walk-up!"

Jack slowed to a more sedate pace, occasionally darting to catch a sheep trying to slip away, steering the herd toward the gate and then through. Once they were out into the new grazing area, Briar shut the gate and smiled. "That'll do, Jack!"

With an excited yip, Jack raced to Briar, standing up on his hind legs to put his white paws on the half-Elezen's thigh. Briar was happy to ruffle his ears and scratch his back, leaning to hug him. "Well done! Good boy. What a good lad, you are!" He beamed as Tokhtai happily, ignoring the fact the Mol looked just a little smug.

It wasn't only Jack who needed a little reassurance and guidance to gain confidence.

[umbralaether]

FFXIV WRITE 2024

Day 4: reticent

Erenville was a man of few words.

He preferred being straightforward— saying what you mean, when you mean it, all feelings aside. Feelings were messy, a distraction from your work so he hid them deep within and moved forward. It had worked just fine for him for years.

Then he met Eisha, the warrior of light who's very gaze could pierce through the walls he'd put up. Perhaps it was the healer in her, the way she could pinpoint an injury with focused precision. He hadn't anticipated the scale of her empathy, and his reticent nature began to unwind itself when in her presence.

He had been… unkind, when she came to him in Living Memory. She'd had that look of worry on her face ever since they'd arrived in Yyasulani, and the deeper they dug into this wound, the more horror he'd had to choke down.

His home was gone.

His mother was gone.

Everything he knew was gone.

Erenville, I—

Don't say it, Eisha. Just go.

Curt, barked out words were the only thing he could think of that would keep her away and still she hesitated before returning to the others. He knew as soon as she walked away that being alone was not what he wanted after all.

Now, sitting on the deck of his cabin alone, he ached. A hollow kind, deep inside.

Rain sprinkling from the storming clouds above began to pick up fervor when he heard a voice from behind.

"You'll catch a cold sitting in the rain like that," Eisha says. He turns his head to see her standing a few fulms behind him, arms crossed.

"That is an old myth, one mothers say to their children to keep them inside." He's certain his own mother had said as much, at least once.

"I like to call it 'your local healer's recommendation' but you might be on to something." She makes her way over to sit next to him, close but not quite touching.

They sit in silence for a moment, before eventually she speaks again, "You're not okay. This is know, and yet I stayed away because you told me to."

He stays silent, thinking and not thinking. He had gone to the celebrations, paid his visits where he needed to. She came to his door every night, and he sent her away each time.

"I think you deal with everything by yourself because you've had to, and then you didn't know how not to."

He stops breathing for a second, caught off guard at how easily she reads him. He looks over to her, her soft aqua eyes an ocean of concern.

"I want to be there for you, Erenville. I care about you, and I'm not going anywhere."

She reaches for him, and before he can stop himself he falls into her embrace— letting himself come undone. He clings to her as the tears fall, and she runs her fingers through his wet hair as the sobs wrack his body. She hugs him tightly until he has nothing left to cry, empty but no longer aching.

He pulls away just a bit, "Thank you, Eisha. Words cannot express—" He's interrupted by a violent shiver, their clothes now fully soaked through from the rain.

"Shall we go inside, get dried off?" She asks, lacing her fingers with his own.

He nods, and they make their way inside. While she rummages through the cabinets for towels, he comes to a simple conclusion.

Everything hurt less, when she was around.

[nichroous]

FFXIVWrite2024 Participation Prize

for Linny!

Thank you @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast for organising this event!

Process (6.5h active time):

[irisopranta]

FFXIVWrite 2024 Day 1: Steer

“Baurendouin de Haillenarte? But the man is known to be a hot headed oaf.” Estelle de Durendaire scoffed that she was to marry such a man. “He is barely fit to steer his house to glory that everyone seemly thinks he can do it.”

Lord Charlemend sighed. He was newly appointed to his position in the house. “I understand my sister, however, we can’t find another suited for you in your station. And” he trailed off “Well, he is likely to fight quite well to bring glory to Ishgard and I want you to have a good life from that.”

Estelle could only sigh “Well I guess I can steer him to not destroy his house.”

[sea-wolf-coast-to-coast]

I'd love to see a follow-up after the event is over of people sharing their favorite piece from the event. We just wrote for thirty days! What are we proudest of making?

YES, I love this idea! Now that the challenge's 24-hour deadlines are officially closed:

Writers, what were your proudest moments in FFxivWrite this year?

[katalinhunter]

FFXIV Raffle Prize from @friedsoup - thank you, this came out wonderful!!

[myreia]

Sketches of Times Lost

ao3 | tumblr tag | my writing

short stories include spoilers from a realm reborn to endwalker. all stories are set in aureia malathar's canon. [❤] = fave entry/fic that I am proud of [g] = general (all audiences), [t] = teen (some language, more difficult themes), [m] = mature (implied sex, sensuality, strong language, and/or violence), [e] = explicit (mature themes, explicit sex scenes)

Week I

— 01. Steer | [G] Ryne x Gaia | 943 words — 02. Horizon | [G] Alisaie x Tesleen | 2298 words [❤] — 03. Tempest | [M] Sadu x Y'shtola | 1489 words — 04. Reticent | [G] Minfilia x Aureia | 964 words — 05. Stamp | [T] Fordola x Aureia | 1945 words [❤] — 06. Halcyon | [E] Igeyorhm x Iphigeneia (Azem) | 5424 words — 07. Morsel | [G] Alisaie x Tesleen | 967 words

Week II

— 08. Collapse [FREE DAY] | [T] Thancred POV | 1561 words — 09. Lend an Ear | [T] Aymeric x Aureia | 1617 words — 10. Stable | [T] Sidurgu x Aureia, Rielle | 2086 words [❤] — 11. Surrogate | [E] Thancred x Hilda | 2306 words [❤] — 12. Quarry | [G] Thancred & Ryne | 1408 words [❤] — 13. Butte | [T] Aureia & Avi'li | 820 words — 14. Telling | [T] Aymeric & Artoirel | 1600 words

Week III

— 15. Replacement [FREE DAY] | [G] Emet-Selch POV | 973 words — 16. Third-rate | [G] Lyse & Fordola | 1864 words [❤] — 17. Sally | [T] Rielle POV | 2200 words [❤] — 18. Hackneyed | [G] Thancred x Aureia | 1868 words — 19. Taken | [G] Thancred x Aureia | 1219 words — 20. Duel | [G] Alisaie & Aureia | 2189 words — 21. Shade | [M] Sidurgu x Aureia | 2015 words [❤]

Week IV

— 22. Threshold [FREE DAY] | [M] Aymeric x Aureia | 1273 words [❤] — 23. On Cloud Nine | [E] Aymeric x Aureia | 2504 words — 24. Bar | [E] Fordola x Aureia | 1522 words [❤] — 25. Perpetuity | [T] Hythlodaeus & Iphigeneia (Azem) | 1589 words — 26. Zip | [G] Thancred POV | 1294 words — 27. Memory | [T] Meteion & Aureia | 2135 words [❤] — 28. Deleterious | [G] Venat & Iphigeneia (Azem) | 1409 words — 29. Evaporate | [E] Thancred x Aureia | 2010 words — 30. Two Heads Are Better Than One | [M] Sidurgu x Aureia | 2795 words

[ahollowgrave]

Steer (verb): to direct the course of.  A young nun far from home. Some waterway of Vylbrand.

Wooden plants creak in protest as the ferry glides through water pushing the opposite direction. The ferryman whistles a tune as he gazes forward, his work second nature to him. You marvel at it. Watch as his arm flexes and the ferry effortlessly pivots past an outcropping of bright white stone. The canyon river is narrow and winding and he knows it well. His eyes - a velvety brown - catch yours and his big mustache bends with a smile and a wink.

You look away, embarrassed.  Lean over the edge of the boat. The water here is impossibly clear and you can see the smooth pebbles at the bottom. Schools of fish drift by, and minerals and rocks glint in the afternoon light. You spot and identify several useful water plants before the flow of water begins to make you dizzy. 

You could not bear to catch the ferryman’s eye again. Your stomach clenching at the mere idea. Thankfully, the ferry is full. Farmhands lean against one another, hats pulled low as they doze. Their hands are weathered with dirt packed under the nails, in the knuckles. They breathe in sync. A trio of adventurers in the front have a map out; they’ve been arguing in hushed voices since boarding. They talk over each other in familiar patterns. A child leans over the edge of the boat, their mother’s fingers clutching the back of their tunic. She points out a turtle sunning itself on a rock. Their laughs match.

A sharp, green shoot of yearning sprouts along your rib, pierces the soft muscle of your heart. 

Your pack rests solidly against your legs. A short but effective wall between the seat you claimed and the rest of the passengers. It isn’t personal, you try to say with your expression, you just need your space. 

The ferryman’s hands pull the rudder and the boat responds in a graceful, slowing turn. It comes to a stop with a gentle bump against the dock. There is a chorus of rough laughter from the bow and as you watch the adventurers clap each other on the back, share long-lived grins. They’ve had that argument before and they’ll have it at least twice more before it’s done. The mother and her child are the first ones off, carefully aided by dockworkers. The child squeals with laughter as a worker pulls a flower from behind their ear. You rub at your chest. Falling in behind the farmhands you shoulder your pack. You will lose your fellow passengers soon -- to the crowd and to their paths. You don’t know their names and only some of their faces yet still you grieve these minuscule relationships.

Laughter and song pour out onto the street from an open door. An tavern, bustling and busy in the middle of the day, bards reciting old favorites. From the street you glimpse skirts flaring in the steps of a spirited dance; flowers blooming with each turn. It would be easy enough to slip inside, find a corner to claim, build more tiny relationships between strangers.

The letter you carry -- carefully folded in your chest pocket -- is time-sensitive. And the address it bids you travel to is far from this harbor town. Isolated. You linger. You could delay your trip for a day, perhaps two. 

You leave the open door behind. Guided, as always, by the chilled hand of your most holy bride.

[elizabethrobertajones]

Ffxivwrite 2024

1. Steer.

“Erenville… Can you teach me how to pilot one of those punutiy boats?”

The former Gleaner narrowed his eyes and looked at the widely eager brown and pink eyes pointed down at him from the huge roegadyn. Frog looked earnest, but the problem was that she always seemed such, and therefore it was impossible to judge how much trouble would follow from such innocent requests.

“Why?” he replied, setting down his book beside his plate of tacos.

Frog immediately lit up with delight and sat opposite him, and, injury to insult, reached over and took a nacho from his plate. Aunt Tii always gave a plentiful heap of them but that wasn’t the point. “Well I was thinking, they must be something like hippos, right?”

He nodded, cautiously, very uncertain about that comparison when it came to anything more than superficial similarities of placid aquatic life for enormous grey beasts.

“And I spent a whole summer working for the Hippo Riders in Thavnair. It must be a similar sort of thing, and who knows what may come – if I spend a summer here working on the river, it could be a really interesting experience. Maybe I could even take back what I learn to Thavnair, because the jungles can flood and if they knew – ”

“Alright, you’ve made your point.” He sighed. Rubbed his forehead. “I don’t see any harm in it.”

“Oh, hooray! Thank you!”

“I should warn you, though. The riverboat punutiys are chosen to be very large – the skills you learned with the hippos will only go so far. And they don’t react well if you approach them armed.”

She was nodding eagerly, absorbing everything he said. Maybe she was a good student – wouldn’t she have to be to have learned as many disciplines as she boasted? Perhaps, and only perhaps, this wasn’t a terrible mistake.

“Anything else I should know?”

He shook his head and sighed. “I’ll make arrangements to get us a boat… Maybe a particularly docile punutiy.”

She nodded, took another nacho, and stood. “I’ll see you back here tomorrow, then!”

And with that the Warrior of Light strode away, and Erenville could already feel tomorrow morning’s headache creeping up on him.