#Greening Coerthas

[impossible-rat-babies]

vierapril day 18--favorite zone

"in the long loneliness of the freezing nights following the calamity--when the dead had all been laid to rest--there was always some small company to be had."

[hermits-hovel]

JUNELEZEN DAY 10 || Summer

“Mother was telling the truth," Fletcher remarks. "It is far chillier in Coerthas than it is in the Black Shroud, even this time of year. How can dragons stand it without any fur?”

After a pause, Fletcher smiles and trots closer to his step brother. “Actually, Ancel... do you suppose we’ll see any? Dragons, I mean.”

“… They keep warm with fire, Fletcher," Ancel answers with a frown. "I certainly hope not.”

[wildstar25]

MiqoMarch Day 30 - Winter

Arsay: "Seven hells its cold! How do you suppose the Ishgardians get anything done in this weather, eh Y'shtola?" Y'shtola: "I'd wager more suitable garb could have a hand in it."

Arsay: "Huh? What's not suitable about my jacket?" Y'shtola: *sighs*

[rigil-kentauris]

could a depressed person make THIS *holds up nine pages of handwritten notes about final fantasy 14 1.0's universally hated long-dead forced diplomacy minigame*

[eemamminy-art]

Estimeric Week 2023 Day 1 - "Firsts"

Back when Coerthas was still green and they were still just temple knights, unimportant to all but each other. In moments like this they felt truly free.

[voidsentprinces]

Coerthas Western Highlands is such a tragic area. The Central Highlands definitely feel like a triumph of Ishgard. They have a couple crumbling vigils but they are entrenched and mostly untested. The Western Highlands though? It all use to be warm green fields, wind mill farms, and the brightness of the Dusk Vigil along with Ishgard's arm to look over it. But when we arrive after the Seventh Umbral Calamity? Hay stacks frost bitten, wind mills frozen to a stop, a ship wrecked in the middle of a now frozen lake, the Dusk Vigil forced into cannibalism and the hauntings of the Holy See's corruption, and whats more, dragon and elezen corpses line the roads and the cliff sides.

[starrysnowdrop]

Lalapril 2024 🌬️ Day 12: Zephyr

One of Hali’s favorite places in Eorzea is the Sea of Clouds, where she loves to relax and take in the cool, gentle breezes high in the skies above Coerthas. It is also where an interesting weather phenomenon occurs: the Umbral Wind, in which an abundance of umbrally charged wind-aspected aether turns the sky a glowing green color.

[iona-xiv]

— B A S I C S

Name: Iona Edelweiss

Nicknames: Little Sparrow, Edelweiss, Rabbit.

Age: 30+

Nameday: 13th Sun of First Umbral Moon

Race: Viera, Veena

Gender: Female 

Orientation: Bicurious

Profession: Retired Dancer, Adventurer, Barkeeper

— P H Y S I C A L A S P E C T S

Hair: Chocolate brown hair, natural hair color is white

Eyes: Light Violet

Skin: Fair skin 

Tattoos/scars: a few scars from martial arts training but nothing to write home about.

— F A M I L Y

Parents: unknown, but believes they are dead - has an adoptive father whose whereabouts are unknown as well.

Siblings: No siblings that she's aware of.

Grandparents: None that she's aware of

 In-laws and Other:  She's in a complicated situation with her estranged husband, who's been missing in action for a while. She's torn between waiting for her husband and embracing the Pirate who's managed to mend a piece of her heart. Juggling between waiting for his return and exploring this unexpected new connection. She's caught amid tangled emotions. (lol I got carried away)

Pets: not really her pet but a small sparrow that appears once in a while.

— S K I L L S

Abilities: Dance, Martial arts, Mixing drinks, making people feel comfortable. 

Hobbies: performing morning callisthenics, crafting new drink recipes, shopping.

— T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: open-minded, imaginative and creative, empathetic and compassionate towards others, energetic and enthusiastic.

Most Negative Trait: restless and quick to feel dissatisfied, can get emotionally overwhelmed, impulsive.

— L I K E S

Colors: Hunter Green, Jet Black, Pearl White, Dalamud Red, Gloom Purple

Smells: Vanilla, crisp air of the forest, Rain, Fresh bread, and sea air

Textures: smooth, soft, slick and fuzzy 

Drinks: Gridanian and Coerthas Coffees, Doman Tea, Ishgardian Mulled Wine

— O T H E R D E T A I L S

Smokes: No, but doesn't mind if others do it around her. 

Drinks: Yes, she is a social drinker and can be an emotional drinker (It's a rare happening when she feels she is in the depths of despair and needs an escape)

Drugs: Has had no reason to want to try or do any.

Mount Issuance:  She prefers to walk, but It would be her Chocobo - Melonge

Been Arrested: Yes but escaped before booking

------------------ Thanks for the tag! @ardberts (I've been wanting to do an updated one of these!) Tag your it! @onburdenedwings, @zanse-the-gunner @candideangel @hydaelynshimbos @ciel-xiv @sparto @sie-sharp @peacock-mooncat @aethericfist @eorzeanflowers @uldahstreetrat @starforger @nyxvaledoeswriting @vazaymir @glendurgrodar @alixennial @kyrie-kahkol @sunneflower @notarchonzachlol

Sorry if you've been tagged :O and if anyone sees this and is inspired to try please do so tag me :D I'd love to learn more about your character/s!

[umbralaether]

Kiss prompts: In the rain/snow 💜

Living in Coerthas was not unlike living in a snow-globe.

She awoke to a new dusting of snow every morning, and as someone who had spent most of her life in warm climates, it was more than an adjustment. She wasn’t sure how the people of Ishgard survived in such a world— endless snow and cold, nothing but grey and white covering every surface. It had been days since she’d seen a blue sky, and weeks since she’d seen the sun and felt it’s warmth.

Needless to say, the snow was beginning to freeze even her spirit.

Haurchefant, the only true sun in this unbearable climate, was not slow to notice her distaste for snow. He made sure the fire in her room was always blazing, had fitted her bed with the warmest of blankets, and made sure warm meals always found their way to her if he was unable to bring them himself.

So when he had told her he wanted to take her on a hike before dawn, she had almost spit out her drink.

“I assure you, my sweet Eisha, it will be worth the trip.” He said, taking her hand in his to kiss it gently.

In the end, she agreed. After all he had done for her, romantic intentions aside, she could give him this small thing. When he woke her an hour or so before the break of dawn, she crawled her way out of the cozy bed and dressed as warmly as she could.

The trek was not to be very far, he had assured her. Noir, his chocobo, did most of the work as he carried both of them up the summit. She was grateful to cling to Haurchefant’s body heat as they went, sleep still hovering around her mind.

“I know the snow has not been your favorite part of Ishgard, or Coerthas for that matter. I hope this can show you there is beauty to be found in even the most dismal of climates.”

They dismount Noir, the bird chirruping happily as Haurchefant feeds her a palmful of Gysahl greens. Eisha takes a moment to look around. He’s taken her to a mountaintop overlooking Ishgard, freshly fallen snow piled high and moments away from falling off the branches of the pine trees nearby. The sky is already a bruising purple as the sun begins it’s ascent.

“So what is it you wanted me to see?”

Haurchefant comes up behind her, wrapping his arms around her body, “The sunrise, my sweet.”

It only takes a few minutes for the sun to peek over the horizon, a dazzling show of sparkles as the light hits the freshly fallen snow. Eisha cant help but find it breathtaking— most of the time Ishgard was just grey and white and bland.

This was something entirely new.

“This… I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Haurchefant chuckles, “It’s rare we have clear skies, especially this late in the season. I’m glad I get to be the first to witness you seeing it.”

Eisha turns towards him, and just as she does the wind blows glittering snowflakes all around them. They dance briefly before landing in their hair, on their coats, and she grins before leaning up to kiss him. He meets her with the same softness, a gentle thing, and she swears she could kiss him all day if it weren’t for the cold.

“Thank you, for showing me this,” she leans her head against his chest, “I won’t ever forget it.”

“Anything for you, my sweetest love.”

[tsunael]

×—ʙᴀꜱɪᴄꜱ—×

ɴᴀᴍᴇ:

Tsuna Wasaishi

ɴɪᴄᴋɴᴀᴍᴇ(ꜱ):

none.

ᴛɪᴛʟᴇ(ꜱ):

'of the Eastern skies' // 'The Seventh Dawn'

ɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀ / ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇʏ ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪꜰʏ:

Cis female.

ʀᴀᴄᴇ:

Au Ra / Raen

ᴀɢᴇ: 32

ʙɪʀᴛʜᴅᴀʏ:

10th Sun of the 3rd Umbral Moon // (6/9)

ʙɪʀᴛʜᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ:

Yanxia

ɢᴜᴀʀᴅɪᴀɴ ꜱɪɢɴ:

Oschon // Gemini

ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ:

Yanxian

×—ᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀᴀɴᴄᴇ—×

ʜᴇɪɢʜᴛ:

4'11

ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ:

130 lbs

ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴛʏᴘᴇ:

Hourglass with a dancer physique

ʜᴀɪʀ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀ:

Black (purple undertone)

ᴇʏᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀ:

Heterochromia (blue and green)

ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇxɪᴏɴ:

Fair

ʙɪʀᴛʜᴍᴀʀᴋꜱ:

Back of shoulder, inner thigh.

ꜱᴄᴀʀꜱ:

Undecided.

ᴛᴀᴛᴛᴏᴏꜱ:

None.

ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ 🇺​​🇳​​🇮​​🇶​​🇺​​🇪 ꜰᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇꜱ:

More scutes than an average Au Ra. Sides are covered from thigh-to-breasts.

ᴄʟᴇᴀɴʟɪɴᴇꜱꜱ / ɢʀᴏᴏᴍɪɴɢ:

Thorough.

ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴅᴀʏ ᴄʟᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇ:

Femme. Skirts and loose, cotton dresses.

ᴀᴄᴄᴇꜱꜱᴏʀɪᴇꜱ:

Her mother's gold ring & a gold chain for her horns.

×—ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜ—×

ᴀʟʟᴇʀɢɪᴇꜱ:

Undecided.

ɪʟʟɴᴇꜱꜱᴇꜱ:

Undecided.

ᴅɪꜱᴀʙɪʟɪᴛɪᴇꜱ:

wol-only: Infertile from SHB. Weak leg from injury post-EW. Hard of hearing post-EW.

ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ ʟᴇᴠᴇʟꜱ:

Med to high.

ᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴀʙɪᴛꜱ:

Hearty. Vegetarian.

ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘɪɴɢ ʜᴀʙɪᴛꜱ:

Early to bed, early to rise.

ꜰɪᴛɴᴇꜱꜱ:

Good.

×—ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ—×

ɪɴᴛʀᴏᴠᴇʀᴛ / ᴇxᴛʀᴏᴠᴇʀᴛ:

Extrovert.

ᴛᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴀᴍᴇɴᴛ:

Easy to anger.

ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇ:

Avoidant.

ɢᴏᴀʟꜱ / ᴅᴇꜱɪʀᴇꜱ:

Domesticity. A life that is hers.

ᴠɪʀᴛᴜᴇꜱ:

Kindness, chastity, charity.

ꜰʟᴀᴡꜱ:

❂ will not ask for help.

❂ burns herself to keep others warm.

❂ naive and an idealist about love.

❂ is a bit of a prude & a traditionalist.

ꜱᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜꜱ:

❂ Altruistic. Merciful.

❂ Pacifist.

❂ A romantic.

ᴡᴇᴀᴋɴᴇꜱꜱᴇꜱ:

Can't tell a lie.

ꜰᴇᴀʀꜱ:

Being alone, losing control of a situation.

ᴏʙꜱᴇꜱꜱɪᴏɴꜱ:

Love and being loved.

Qᴜɪʀᴋꜱ / ᴛɪᴄꜱ:

Her tail exposes her emotions.

ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛꜱ:

❂ The reason for leaving her homeland.

❂ wol-only: Her relationship.

ʀᴇɢʀᴇᴛꜱ:

Not cherishing the time she had with people who are no longer there.

×—ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘꜱ ɪ—×

ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ:

Suzume Sui Wasaishi

ꜰᴀᴛʜᴇʀ:

Kartal bin Yildiz

ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴘᴀʀᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ꜰɪɢᴜʀᴇ(ꜱ):

Her 'mother' at the Okiya.

ꜱɪʙʟɪɴɢ(ꜱ):

Her 'sisters' at the Okiya.

A half-sister on her father's side.

ɢʀᴀɴᴅᴘᴀʀᴇɴᴛꜱ:

Undecided.

ᴄʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ:

None.

ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ:

A family friend who smuggled her into Kugane.

×—ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘꜱ ɪɪ—×

ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴛɪᴄ / ꜱᴇxᴜᴀʟ ᴏʀɪᴇɴᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ:

Romantic / possibly bisexual.

ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘ ꜱᴛᴀᴛᴜꜱ:

Single.

ꜱᴘᴏᴜꜱᴇ:

None.

ᴘᴀʀᴛɴᴇʀ/ ꜱɪɢɴɪꜰɪᴄᴀɴᴛ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ(ꜱ):

None.

ʟᴏᴠᴇʀ(ꜱ):

None.

ᴄʟᴏꜱᴇꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ:

Wol: Alisaie, Thancred, Tataru.

Non-wol: Sierra Gamduhla

ᴀᴄQᴜᴀɪɴᴛᴀɴᴄᴇꜱ:

Valtyrja Eruyt

Leofard Myste

Sidurgu Orl

Cirina Mol

ᴄᴏᴡᴏʀᴋᴇʀꜱ/ᴄᴏᴍʀᴀᴅᴇꜱ:

The Scions.

ʀɪᴠᴀʟꜱ:

Yotsuyu Naeuri.

ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇꜱ:

Gestures vaguely.

×—ʟɪꜰᴇꜱᴛʏʟᴇ—×

ᴏᴄᴄᴜᴘᴀᴛɪᴏɴ:

Dancer-turned-conjurer/white mage.

ꜱᴏᴄɪᴀʟ ᴄʟᴀꜱꜱ:

Lower-Middle.

ᴇᴅᴜᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ:

Learned basic academics with emphasis on the performing arts.

ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ʀᴇꜱɪᴅᴇɴᴄᴇ:

Gridania

ʜᴏʙʙɪᴇꜱ:

Salve-making, embroidery.

ᴠɪᴄᴇꜱ:

Sweets, smoking.

ᴄʀɪᴍɪɴᴀʟ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅ:

Voluntary manslaughter, resisting arrest & a fugitive from justice.

ꜱᴘᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ʜᴀʙɪᴛꜱ:

Frugal.

ꜱᴏᴄɪᴀʟ ᴏʀ ʟᴏɴᴇʀ:

Loner.

ꜰᴀɪᴛʜ / ʀᴇʟɪɢɪᴏɴ:

Pious. Worships the Kami & Elementals.

×—ʟɪᴋᴇꜱ & ᴅɪꜱʟɪᴋᴇꜱ—×

ꜰᴏᴏᴅꜱ:

Likes: Bavarois, custard, peach tarts, mushrooms...

Dislikes: Meat.

ᴄᴏʟᴏʀꜱ:

Likes: Rolanberry red & currant purple.

Dislikes: Void blue

ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇꜱ:

Likes: Gridania, Vylbrand.

Dislikes: Coerthas, Garlemald.

ꜱᴏᴜɴᴅꜱ:

Likes: Crickets & morning birds.

Dislikes: Loud noises / gunfire.

ꜱᴍᴇʟʟꜱ:

Likes: Sandalwood & florals.

Dislikes: Iron, blood, gunpowder.

ᴛᴇxᴛᴜʀᴇꜱ:

Likes: silk & leather.

Dislikes: none.

ᴡᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀ:

Likes: sun & rain.

Dislikes: snow.

ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ:

none.

×—ᴄᴏᴍʙᴀᴛ—×

ᴊᴏʙ / ᴄʟᴀꜱꜱ:

White mage & Dancer.

ᴀʀᴍᴏʀ ᴛʏᴘᴇ:

Light leather armor, something easy to move in.

ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴ(ꜱ):

Nirvana & Gyosei.

ꜰɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇ:

Kiting. Agile.

ᴍᴇʟᴇᴇ ᴄᴏᴍʙᴀᴛ ꜱᴋɪʟʟꜱ:

n/a

ʀᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ᴄᴏᴍʙᴀᴛ ꜱᴋɪʟʟꜱ:

n/a

ᴏꜰꜰᴇɴꜱɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ ꜱᴋɪʟʟꜱ:

n/a

ᴅᴇꜰᴇɴꜱɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ ꜱᴋɪʟʟꜱ:

n/a

ꜱɪɢɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ:

Wishing star.

×—ᴍɪꜱᴄᴇʟʟᴀɴᴇᴏᴜꜱ—×

ᴘᴇᴛꜱ / ᴀɴɪᴍᴀʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴɪᴏɴꜱ:

Chuchu, her red 'horsebird'.

ᴘʀɪᴢᴇᴅ / ᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴘᴏꜱꜱᴇꜱꜱɪᴏɴꜱ:

Her mother's ring.

ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇꜱ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ:

'Hingan' & the common tongue.

ꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ᴛᴀʟᴇɴᴛꜱ:

Playing the shamisen & lute

ᴘʀᴇꜰᴇʀʀᴇᴅ ᴍᴇᴛʜᴏᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴛʀᴀᴠᴇʟ:

By carriage.

ɴᴏᴛᴀʙʟᴇ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪꜱʜᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ:

❂ Graduated to Geiko at age twenty.

❂ Received a patron by age twenty-one.

❂ Gained passage into Gridania.

❂ wol-only: Received A-Towa-Cant's will.

ᴀɴ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜᴀᴘᴇᴅ ᴡʜᴏ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ:

Her mother's kidnapping.

OG template by @alannah-corvaine !!

[asteriasfallingstarsandtears]

Obviously XIV gives us a point of reference for character clothing through the use of glamours. However, beyond that, how does your character dress? Are their fabrics they prefer (cotton over wool, satin, silk, etc), do they tailor their clothes a certain way or do they tend to dress in certain colours? Is fashion and clothing something they care about, or is it more for function? Do they know how to repair their clothes if they get holes? What about things like shoes and accessories?

Thanks for the question! I love answering stuff like this about Mina and Theia!

General:

It ultimately depends on where she is. She grew up in Garlemald so she is most likely wearing lighter clothing than everyone else weather wise, but she's also rather insistent on wearing some sort of armour where she can.

Cotton wouldn't have been part of her standard clothing before she was twenty, since it is not good for cold weather, wool was probably something she wore often under her armour and jackets.

When she ended up in Eorzea she had the nightmare of adapting to hot and temperate weather and often wore as light clothing as she could safely get away with.

In her adventures she is always wearing some form of light armour, likely leather or cermet plate (this is a real material used in body armour!) once Cid is able to get it imported/recovered, enough to protect her from basic injury but not too heavy she can't move freely.

Places she can't or doesn't need armour:

She does have a soft spot for dresses, they're usually too impractical for her to wear though. The softer the material the happier she is, because she likes to pet it, so velvet and silk are her favourite indulgences that she rarely allows herself to have. Usually these fabrics are saved for state events she's been forced to go to due to Scion business.

Shoes: a good pair of leather boots are her favorite, something made to fit her foot and able to withstand a lot of travel and be comfortable. If it has a sole that is grippy for uneven terrain and support for her ankles, she's pretty happy. Think a construction work boot.

Accessories and little things about her:

She always wears a flower clip in her hair, she knows it's impractical, but her hair is one of the few indulgences she lets herself keep.

She also likes braids and plaits and learned how to do them. The gyr abanian plait was her standard hair style up until recently, briefly used Lyse's hair style and settled on Durante's going forward. She also dyes the blond parts of her hair green since arriving in Eorzea, much to a certain character's irritation later.

She always wears a single earring in places where it's warm, she removed them and most jewelry when she journeyed to cold regions such as Coerthas and Garlemald, to prevent frostbite. After Heavensward she wears a ring on her ring finger, the one she would have received from Haurchefant if things had gone differently and a necklace with two small crystals, a dark aspected one from Lahabrea and a ice aspected one from Ysayle. She also has a ring on that necklace after Shadowbringers from Emet-selch, which was something she had made him as Azem.

Can she fix her own clothes? Yes, it may not look fantastic on the inside, but it will be fully functional. She did get better at it from pre-ARR to Endwalker, Tataru got annoyed and sat her down and made her learn proper mending.

Colours: Mostly shades of green where she can. She has a few outfits in blue and reds, but she primarily wears green where she can. Tataru once again said she couldn't have every item be green and started making her wear other colours.

[sharlayandropout]

New Adventure

5.3, the return from the Tower.

Fic excerpt below!

 'Behold: my riding bird, and my battle bird'. As if on cue, the huge green chocobo pawed the ground with a massive talon, puffing out his chest proudly.  As Zefiris moved to hand G'raha the reins of the smaller black bird, she hesitated, an uncertain look shadowing her eyes; but she shook her head, dispelling whatever thought had troubled her. 'No, you should take Kuro. He'll take care of you. This monster will be pissed off enough at having to carry anyone at all, never mind someone who isn't me.'

  'What became of the chocobo you had before, if it's not too sad a tale? It seemed a dependable sort, any time I saw you riding.'

 'This is him,' she laughed, giving the green bird an affectionate clap on the neck.

 G'raha frowned, sudden uneasiness rising in the pit of his stomach. 'Is…is my memory at fault? I'm sure I recall your chocobo being the common sandy-coloured palfrey.' If his memories were awry–if the blending was incomplete, or had…altered him somehow…

‘Raha.’ Zefiris grasped his shoulder gently. 'Your memory is just fine,' she reassured him.  'We've got a well meaning idiot of an Ishgardian noble to thank for his change in plumage. Thought he could get back on my good side after wasting my time across half the Sea of Clouds by feeding my bird up with some expensive fodder while I had him stabled at Fortemps Manor. It changed his colour, turned him bloodthirsty as all hells and now the bugger won't eat anything else. It costs a fortune to import, too.' For all her words, it was a fond smile that chased across her lips at the memory.

The smaller, dantier black bird was nosing at G'raha curiously, keen for attention, and he reached up to scratch the pinfeathers on its cheek, murmuring soft nonsense to it as Zefiris continued her tale.

  'He was completely unrideable for a while, but luckily this one came along at just the right time.' The black bird was leaning into his ministrations and creeling quietly, so G'raha raised his free hand and began working on the other side of its head, behind its ear. 'Kuro was a gift, and I've ridden him instead, since…since I was given him.'  She fell silent, and he turned back to look at her. She was smiling at them both, softly, a little sadly. 'He likes you.'

  'He's a fine bird,' G'raha grinned, not bothering to hide his delight at the obvious favour the chocobo was showing him. Remembering his manners - and the fact he was well within talonsreach - he glanced over his shoulder and added pointedly: 'You are both very fine birds.' It came too late, it seemed, and he flinched under the baleful gaze of the green beast behind him, who had raised his crest in an unimpressed display.

'Shall we, then?' The nervousness in G'raha's smile held nothing to the excitement in his eyes, afire and eager. Kuro stood patiently for him, head bowed, but G'raha's swing into the saddle was surprisingly effortless, for all his limbs must still have ached. The bird craned his neck around, as if checking his passenger was secure, and was rewarded with another pat on the beak. Zefiris swore that if a chocobo could blush, he'd be red as his rider's hair.

She followed suit. Kokapetl snorted and stamped, making his usual overdramatic fuss, but Zefiris cautioned him with a low 'Oiiiii,' and he grudgingly subsided. Settling herself, she looked out over the broken, shimmering landscape of Mor Dhona. Towards the peaks; towards Coerthas. 'I'm going to take this as a sign that you approve,' she murmured quietly into the empty air.

G'raha had moved off, turning Kuro in a wide circle, getting a feel for his gait. She observed the easy way he sat the saddle; his relaxed, one-handed grip on the reins; noted the spring in the bird's step, responsive under a considerate rider. 'You would have loved him, too,' she whispered with a smile, and with a last look back at the snow-covered hills on the horizon, she urged her own bird down to meet him.

  'Are you ready?' she asked, heart swelling.

  G'raha paused a moment - but when he looked up at her, he showed no trace of hesitation, and his voice was low and bold as he declared: 'I am.'

   Zefiris nodded.  'Then let's go home.'

[vahalia-cress-ffxiv]

Of Gift and Gossip

It was new to see the old Slater estate as it was now, parts of it missing and being rebuilt. The piled lumber and brick within the courtyard was enough to keep Vahalia on her toes and ensure she wasn't skirting into a mess of materials. She would have much rather keep it where it was than tracking more back to the Cress estate with her.

Osric had been gone when she arrived back to the house earlier that day and she knew there was one place he was destined to be.

Back to his roots. This…house.

She felt no true distaste for it and the sentiment was never mirrored from her Husband but she was well aware in how these walls had been much like a prison for him. To her, it was just another house built up with stone and bricks.

Soon to be a repurposed and suitable lodging for others. 

Through the clangor of chisels and hammering nearby, she ventured into the core of the building itself. It was chilly but far better than being outside in the elements.

"There you are." Her voice purred out, a song through the still of the abode, "I was beginning to wonder if you had changed your mind about being a Cress with how much time you spend here." She teased.

There was something oddly satisfying at being responsible for tearing down the place that held so many negative memories. 

A few steps away, Osric stood, a small group of workers standing nearby as he slammed the sledgehammer in his hands into the nearby wall before glancing over his shoulder at his wife’s voice. “Vahalia?” He was confused for a moment before he scoffed, reaching a hand up to brush some of the dust from his hair as the other hand pulled the hammer from the wall, handing it off to one of the nearby workers.

“Hardly - simply making sure the work gets done,” he turned, eyes narrowing at the group - who were slowly gathering their equipment, “-correctly. This wall is supposed to come down. Will I need to speak with your supervisor a second time, gentlemen?” He barely waited for the response before wandering over to her - sleeves rolled up, a bit disheveled, it seemed he’d been working as much as the workers.

"A handyman now, are we?" She japed.

“Something like that. Just needed to make a point - putting the hole in the wall was the fastest way to make it happen.” He shrugged easily, offering her a small smile.

The parasol in Vahalia’s hand lowered and closed, handed off to rest along a nearby wall, "Are you well today?"

He gave a quick nod as he dusted the rest of his clothes off. “Well enough. I’m quickly finding that keeping our..construction workers on task is a full time job in and of itself, but everything remains on schedule, so all is well. And you, this afternoon?” He pressed a light kiss to her forehead- mindful not to get any dust on her. “What brings you to this…particular zone of chaos?”

The kiss to her head had given her pause, a small twitch of the corner of her lips at the gesture – his fondness and adoration but a foreign concept even to her and thus she merely allowed him to express it despite her distaste, “I’ve come to see how you’ve been. Also bearing a bit of a gift.” a gloved hand reached within the confines of her cloak pulling out a folded piece of paper and handing it towards Osric.

The paper was gently taken from her as he opened it and read the contents carefully, his eyebrows raising slightly as his eyes scanned the paper. 

“I have eight Dravanian hatchlings arriving in the coming days and they will be transported to the keep in Coerthas that I’ve rented out for their keep and training until you have somewhere more suitable for them.” A hand motioned to the paper he held, “All the information should be there, time and date, pedigrees of each. Whistles and barding for them can be discussed at a later time but I’ve also gone ahead and ensured enough greens to outfit the Keep for the rest of the winter and the deliveries should be made weekly.”

“Vahalia…a bit of a gift is an understatement. Chocobos of this pedigree - one or two alone would be a gift. This many of this quality is exceptional.”  There was a brief moment where he shook his head before reading over the paper a second time. Convinced that he wasn’t misreading the information he moved around her to the plans for the renovation of the grounds that were laid out on a table nearby. 

“There had already been plans to renovate what stables were present here…but I believe we can expedite those plans, and expand on the plans some to accommodate additional birds, especially birds of that quality…” His hands smoothed over the plans as he leaned against the table, his gaze looking across to meet hers for a moment,  “Where on earth did you find someone who has hatchlings like these?”

A finely sculpted brow rose as she had watched Osric move about the blueprints, “I’ve come across two different people willing to work with my desires. They were costly but I believe raising them from infancy would be monumental and this was their final flock for the season. Especially if we wish to see them bred for those under our banner. We can rear them, care for them and then when they are able, breed them as we need considering they’re from about three different flocks. I know little of Chocobo’s and ranching or breeding but I know some people that do and Valeria has it on good authority that Lord Gray is familiar with avians. Hire breeders to handle the business in-house and we’ll be helping to promote more jobs within the city.”

A thoughtful hum resonated from him as he quickly jotted something down on a small sheet of paper, tucking it into his pocket before glancing up. “I know a bit about them, but certainly not enough to feel comfortable being responsible for them - certainly a stable master as well as those you listed - breeders and the like -  would be necessary for a flock to thrive the way we would want and need.”

Vahalia loomed inward along the table to get a better look at Osric, “I believe it would be a good token of our welcoming and gratitude if we were to offer one to Ser Taka for his commitment. Good will, have the hatchling imprint with him and be raised as his. For the time being however, they will be well cared for in Coerthas.”

Another nod as his gaze met hers, his fingers drumming against the table. “A sound plan - I haven’t had the opportunity to speak with him yet about residing at the estate or here at the barracks once they’re complete, but between living arrangements and offering such a quality companion I do think we’re showing that we are as committed to him as he is to us and our cause.” 

He paused for a moment as if a thought had just struck him, head tilting ever so slightly, “Lord Gray is familiar with chocobos?”

"Quite. As Valeria had put it some time ago, he enjoys seeing them race. He has even recently gifted she and I falcons, I always assume there is knowledge where there is a passion."

“It seems the interest extends beyond just chocobos then.” His brow furrowed for a moment as he straightened, idly brushing off the front of his shirt. “He enjoys seeing them race…have we any knowledge as to whether the man oversees breeding of racing chocobos, or is he ‘watching’ in terms of betting on the races?” 

A quick shake of his head and he looked up with a small smile, “Not that it matters, the birds we would require would be of a different stock than those needed for racing. And every individual has their vices - but I suppose good to know the habits of potential business partners, or those Valeria is spending time with.”

"Was." She promptly corrected him before continuing, “I’m not sure if he knows anything about breeding, but like I said, there is typical knowledge in a person so long as they have a passion for something. It seems to me, that in general, Damien has a passion for chocobos and just birds all around. It wouldn’t be amiss to speak with him on habits, feeding, care and the like to incorporate along with what a typical Keeper might suggest or do.” there was a skeptical and almost judgmental gaze cast over her shoulder to the wall behind her that the few had been working on. With each smash of the hammers came more and more of the stone that gave way. Surely a very hefty wall, thick and almost unmoveable given how large the stone slaves had been. The Houses in Ishgard made of said stone were practically fortresses. And yet, here Osric was, assisting with it though he had little know-how of carpentry and construction but he had a passion in his project to see it through.

With a swift blink, honey-colored eyes averted back to Osric. There was a small silence that followed in the wake of her stare, perhaps a lingering slew of doubt and questions but she had kept those to herself. She could have discussed more and further touched on things the pair likely needed to speak about but….perhaps it was best left for another time. That wheelhouse of hers was never at rest.

Being able to read her had always been a struggle - and today was no exception. Osric watched her gaze shift from the wall back to him and couldn’t help but wonder what thoughts laid behind those gold eyes. He cleared his throat gently. “I’ll have to make a point of speaking with the man - there was some belief on his part that we’ve some shared interests, it would give me an opportunity to see if that’s true and see who he knows in the field of Chocobo care as well…”

A small step was taken back from the table and he motioned for her to follow. “Walk with me a ways? They’ve been working on this part of the building fairly extensively, but there are other areas that are a bit more private, we can talk without dust and falling stone everywhere, and without the constant hammering.”

Casually her eyes looked him over when he stepped back and Vahalia motioned a hand towards him as she would follow in tow, “At your leisure.” she offered.

The Slater estate was looking a little more empty than she remembered it being – some bits of decor still remained which painted remnants of how she remembered it. It wasn’t all that long ago that she had been within the halls but the amount of times she had ventured into his estate was very few compared to the times he had spent within the Cress Household.

A low hum escaped her as she followed after Osric, “Did you have anything further you wanted to discuss and go over?” He did have a point, in the open and the hammering of mallets and chisels wasn’t exactly a cozy welcome to any conversation.

“Just a question that I felt was more suited to a bit more privacy. I’ve gotten quite used to the noise and the chaos, but I realize that it can be quite abrasive, not at all suited for calm conversation.” He nudged a door open with his shoulder, leading the pair into a small empty room. 

He waited for her to pass before closing the door behind her. “What’s your honest opinion of Lord Gray, Vahalia? Outside of his supposed passion for birds, what your sister has told you or what anyone else has told you. The only impression I have of the man is the commentary between himself and Lady Gray at dinner several weeks ago and well, it left something to be desired. That being said, I’m willing to give the man the opportunity to prove me wrong and realize that you certainly have more business sense than I do…”

For a brief moment, the Cress woman looked confused, almost insulted as she watched Osric close the door and pose the question that he did. One hand had been at work of removing her gloves as she pinned her attention dangerously to her husband, “I know very little of the man aside from his passions but if your sister is anything to go off of, I am keenly aware how some people present themselves isn’t how they are on the inside or in private. He’s cordial with me and I with him. I respect him and Cordelia until they give me a reason not to. I’ve warned Valeria about getting too far on the inside while there is a rift between Damien and Cordelia and that we, as in House Cress, cannot afford to be caught in the middle of it with the Court of Sanguine so fresh.”

Vahalia layered her gloves, holding them within the crook of her thumb and palm, “I’m not sure what you’re implying or why you’re asking as if though there is some underlying, alternative motive. There isn’t one. I don’t sway one way or another with him or Cordelia but first and foremost I protect my own. All others can be left to their own devices and I intend for business to carry on as normal.”

“I’m not implying anything, I was simply seeking to hear your assessment of the man. You’ve spent more time with him than I have. There’s no ulterior motive.” He ran a hand over his face before slipping both hands into his pockets, meeting her gaze. “And I don’t think that you have some hidden agenda. I value your opinion and your judgment, Vahalia. That being said, I also recognize the precariousness of our position and how whatever ongoing spat is happening within House Gray could impact us. We’ve discussed that - I understand that.”

“I’ve spoken with him once outside of the dinner that one evening. Aside from that, that has been it.” she looked at him, taking note of the pointed tone he held at the end before he seemingly continued.

He exhaled slowly, “Before I consider approaching the man for a discussion, I’m trying to consider the parameters, that’s all. If there were some details to be considered that I had not thought of. I know people can be duplicitous. I realize they’re out for their own interests - the Grays are no different. You don’t need me to tell you you’re an intelligent woman, Vahalia - is it truly so surprising that I’d want to hear your view on individuals or matters?” 

“There are no parameters, you’re certainly free to draw your own conclusions about him. I certainly implore it as you are your own man and Lord of a noble House. Some proactive approach is appreciated.” her brow twitched slightly as her attention drew over his mien.

He appeared frustrated - not with her, but with himself, perhaps - or maybe the situation. “I’m trying to figure out how best to be useful beyond just knocking down walls, or not even that, just overseeing the knocking down of walls.”

“In truth, I’d rather you do what you feel you need to or would like to. As stated, be proactive which I feel you have been when it comes to…” she motioned to the door, “ – knocking down walls. I cannot tell you how to be useful or coddle you. I’m assuming you don’t expect that anyway. I’d rather us discuss more meaningful things than have you close me in a room and needle me about a man you can learn about if you just went and met him yourself. I needn’t guide you or hand-hold you down that path. However; I do appreciate your willingness to learn but one best learns when they put oneself into the thick of something and draws from one's own experience and not from others. Maybe then when you’ve come to your own conclusions, we can revisit this.”

Vahalia’s shoulders came to square and the grip along her gloves tightened, “I understand you mean well, do not mistake me for misreading as I haven’t been blind to your attempts. I’ve been patient and even still – I understand. New way of adjusting to new things around you, finding your footing..” she waved her hand slightly as she spoke, “It’s all new and as I said before, you’ll get the hang of it soon enough. I’m certainly not chiding you for anything.”

Attempts. Something about the word sat heavy in his chest and the irony of having the conversation in the room where he’d spent much of his youth was not lost on him. But it was information that mattered little to the conversation at hand. 

“My intent was only to move away from the gaggle of workers who have a habit of gossiping more than some of the groups that gather around the Cozier on warmer afternoons - not to needle you, or for you to feel closed in in any way. I simply - “ He cut himself off, feeling the rambling beginning. It didn’t matter that he wanted to present a united front, or that her perspective on the man was important because he had found the man’s behavior at the dinner to be…difficult - in his opinion private matters needed to remain private, rather than being aired in front of possible business partners. But saying it didn’t matter. 

He simply needed to do better. 

There was a momentary pause as he gathered his thoughts. “I realize you’ve been patient. And you shouldn’t need to be - not in this.” Osric swallowed roughly ignoring the ache around his scar as he met her gaze once more. “I feel that I have, whether inadvertently or not, taken up more of your time than intended with issues that are not pressing. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss this afternoon?”

Half there, half elsewhere, Vahalia’s attention drifted between Osric when he spoke and the door, a warm swell had been in the center of her chest almost angry and frantic, exhausted and irritated and she wasn’t sure why. It consumed her thoughts for a brief moment, the sensation had only mounted since she had been in the room, the door closed and the pair exchanging words. A look of confusion washed over her and she held her gloves tighter in hand trying to dispel any discomfort. Pinned attention had been caught to Osric’s mien. She heard his words clearly but it was almost like a buzz within her ears, “What? Oh. – either way you spin it, we’re gossiping now are we not in regards to Damien and this unintentional judgment of him?” she tried to set herself in the right frame of mind and stay on track, “I can only offer you what I have already suggested and to simply seek him out and speak with him to draw your own conclusions. I’m sure you might enjoy his company and that you two might find something in common. You would do well to find suitable folk with some like-minded tendencies and partake in something other than dealing with a constant slew of people or workers that grate on you.”

His brow furrowed, her confused look catching him off guard and it appeared, for a moment, as though he might start to speak, but stopped himself - instead moving to the door and pulling it open. “We’re not anymore.” The concern was clear on his face - but he had been the one to suggest they move to this isolated room, he had been the one to begin the frivolous discussion - had he left well enough alone she likely would have been well on her way to her next task at this moment - he didn’t press.  “Your suggestion is duly noted, both in regards to Lord Gray in other like-minded individuals - and I’ll try to speak to the man when time allows.” 

Osric had been in Ishgard a majority of his life - like-minded individuals were few and far between, work was far easier to focus on and left him with far fewer headaches. But there was nothing to be gained in arguing the point, especially not when she seemed…confused. “We can head back, if you like…I didn’t mean to derail things today.”

His dismissal of the subject and her, by extension was all that she needed and she moved for the door, her hand dropping to her side. There was a brief pause as she stopped just short of the door and in front of Osric, no words were shared but golden eyes met deep blue for a stint and she finally pulled away to be on her way.

‘We’re not anymore’. Solidified. ‘Duly noted.’ Yes. ‘When time allows.’ Sure.

Her scent lingered in the air long after her departure from the stuffy room and towards the stairs, Vahalia not missing a beat in grabbing her parasol on the way out, frame and all deadset on making her exit almost as swiftly as she had arrived without so much as a goodbye to the workers who spared a moment to watch her be on her way. She worried less about the conversation they had coming to an abrupt halt with Osric’s trademark discharging knowing full well how the short response was often his go-to, and more about the knot in her chest and the sizeable panic she had been feeling while in the room that she was slowly subsiding.

The chill of Ishgard was a welcome reprieve from the boil she felt in her veins.

Collab with: @osric-cress-ffxiv Mention(s): @promethea-silk - @damien-gray-ffxiv

[zoetic-tome]

Prompt 21: Vigil

Prompt: Grave - FFXIV Write 2023  Characters: Helionne Content Warning: Mentions of death. 

Once, Coerthas had been beautiful. It’s trees were green, its landscape painted the self same. Now, snow and the cold that came with it littered the landscape, leaving it frozen and devoid. Not just devoid. Afflicted. 

The brown haired woman tightened her grip on the reins in her hands, and drew her chocobo to a stop. It had not been a painfully long ride, from Whitebrim to where she and Argent now stopped, but it had been a long enough ride that she was eager to give the bird a break and a chance to rest. 

No mission, suspicion of heretics, or sighting of dragons had brought here to the icy field at the base of Snowcloak. This time, she was visiting a person. If that person knew they were visited, only the Fury could speak of it. For many, Snowcloak had been an obstacle. A preventative that kept people from parts of the Coerthan highlands. 

For Helionne, it served as a painful reminder. For her husband Ardenant, it served as his grave. It had been years since the Calamity had claimed his life, and the massive shifts the event had brought to Coerthas had plunged it into the snowy landscape that she had traversed to reach here. He had been on the other side of the pass, him and the company of knights he served with. 

They hadn’t even been married an entire year. He had never made it home. 

And now as she did once a year every year, Helionne swept the cloak fastened about her back so she could kneel into the snow. Despite the chill, it barely even bit through the heavy greaves she wore. Her head bowed, and fingers wrapped around the rosary she usually kept tucked inside her armor. 

She prayed. That he had found his place in the Fury’s halls. That he was well and content and that he did not linger behind amid the snow and the cold and the lost.  More importantly, she prayed that he would forgive her for not being on the other side of the pass with him that day. 

A half a bell passed like that, the woman in quiet recitation, until Argent lowered his head and bumped against her back, reminding her that while she might not be cold, he was. She turned, lifting a hand to place it atop her birds head, before she pushed to stand.

“I know." She smiled up at the bird, but the expression was sad. She paced a few steps to ease the subtle ache that the chill had brought with it. A moment later she moved to swing up into the saddle, turning to direct Argent back towards Whitebrim.

"We’ll go home.” She murmured down to the bird as she leaned to run a hand down his feathered neck. She had done her duty. And next year, she would find herself once more, kneeling at the base of the great glacier of ice, head bowed and lips parted in prayer. Some day, she would move on. Some day, she might no longer come to mourn her first love.

But not today.

[dawnslight-aegis]

1. envoy

As the snow of Coerthas slowly gave way to the forests of the Northern Shroud, howling mountain winds replaced with the rustle of leaves and the sigh of the breeze, warmth spread slowly through Kaede’s body, recovering sensation and feeling in the tips of her fingers and the ends of her toes. She sighed as the gentle rise and fall of her companions’ conversation washed over her, though she was not truly paying it any mind. Her mind was elsewhere – or it was trying to be, and she was doing everything in her power to keep it anchored firmly on the uneven path under her chocobo’s talons.

A task made all the more difficult by the fact that every few moments she could feel Aymeric’s gaze lingering on her, warmer and more intense than even the sun on the back of her neck. Gods help her, the man was staring, and it was infinitely more distracting than it had any right to be.

They were on their way to a war council, there simply wasn’t time to be mooning about like a maiden, no matter how recently they’d become…whatever it was they were. Every time she had attempted to locate a word to encapsulate the nascent relationship, she had found her vocabulary wanting, all the options too shallow or too saccharine.

After a particularly long moment of silence, a sound from Aymeric’s other side caught Kaede’s attention as Lucia cleared her throat. “Lord Commander.” From her tone, she had been waiting some time for a response that had yet to come, and had grown impatient enough to let it filter into her voice.

“Ah… yes? My deepest apologies, Lucia. My mind wandered for a moment,” Aymeric murmured, somewhat sheepishly, but without even the slightest hint of regret.

The stoic Garlean made a noise that from someone else, Kaede might have been tempted to call a snort, then shook her head and urged her chocobo forward. “I can see that, my lord,” she muttered flatly. “By your leave, I will make directly for the city and see to our lodgings – I trust that I will see you both at the council this evening?”

A sharp green eye studied Aymeric and Kaede in turn, and the raen fought the rather ridiculous urge to salute as Aymeric nodded.

“Thank you, Second Commander. We shall endeavor not to be late.”

Skepticism flashed across Lucia’s stern features and then was gone as she spurred her bird into a canter, disappearing into the Shroud.

Kaede had scarce lost sight of her when a long-fingered hand shot out and caught Rose’s bridle, tugging the black chocobo closer to his own mount. As the birds bumped into one another with a quiet kweh of protest, Aymeric’s other hand slid against her jaw and tipped her head back, his mouth covering hers before she had time to react. Tenderness spread through her like sun-warmed honey, thick and sweet and golden, leaving her helpless to do aught but return his affections in kind.

When he finally released her, there was a hint of mischief in his expression – something that she was still unused to seeing in him, but that she was growing to cherish more every time she saw it. “Forgive me, my lady, but I have been thinking about doing that since before we left Ishgard, and I found myself unable to wait a moment longer.”

“Hmm. Well. I suppose I could be convinced not to hold it against you, but I don’t know that I can say the same about Lucia.” Kaede grinned at Aymeric as she nudged her chocobo back into parallel with his own, rather than risk the barding becoming entangled, but a full fulm closer than she’d been before the Second Commander’s departure. “You might have been a bit less obvious, you know.”

“I might have, but then I would not have been afforded a half-bell of peace and quiet with you.” The spark of mischief in his eyes flared into full-blown amusement, laced with pride.

Kaede shot him an incredulous sidelong glance, stifling a laugh behind her hand. “Are you telling me that you were intentionally acting the lovestruck fool in order to annoy your second in command into leaving us alone? All so you could kiss me? Halone forfend, ser.”

“’Tis not much of an act, I fear.” His smile turned a touch rueful as he caught her hand and brushed a kiss across the back of it.

Linking her fingers with his, they let the chocobos meander towards the city at their own pace as they soaked in the dappled sunlight and late spring warmth.

Though a part of her was loath to break the peaceful silence, the greater portion did not want to waste the few stolen moments before they assumed their roles, and so Kaede squeezed his hand and tipped her head in curiosity. “Have you visited the Shroud before? I must say, it’s somewhat strange for me to see you surrounded by anything but stone or snow.”

“I have, though I have not had the pleasure in some time. I have always been fond of it – Gridania is beautiful.” A faint look of melancholy touched his features and he sighed. “Coerthas was not always so gloomy, you know. I wish I could show it to you as it was. Cold, still, but green, with lakes warm enough to swim without losing fingers to frostbite. We used to spend summers in the country, my parents and I. They are among my fondest memories.”

Not for the first time, but perhaps the fiercest, Kaede wished she could control when the Echo triggered, so she could see through his eyes what he longed to show her – but whatever it was that made the visions overtake her sight lay quiet in the back of her mind. All that was left was her imagination, and try as she might, she could not picture the highlands as anything but austere, cold and harsh and magnificent.

Kaede let out a long breath and peered up through the pale green leaves above them, to the blue sky beyond. “It sounds beautiful. But I like the way it is now, too.” Ishgard’s cold made the warmth of her hearths all the more inviting, the standoffishness of her people making their welcome a treasure dearer to her than any gold.

They rounded a corner on the path, and the Yellow Serpent gate stood before them, Gridania all but hidden by the trees beyond. As if of the same mind, they both brought their chocobos to a stop, the reminder of exactly why they had departed Ishgard unable to be avoided any longer.

War was on the horizon once again, and the Twelve only knew what it would require from each of them, but it was near a certainty that their moments together would be shorter and less frequent than even now. Kaede could see in his eyes the same ache that clenched like a fist around her heart, the wish that the world could stop – or at least slow – for a while. But the Keeper waited for no man, and the Spinner had decreed their paths soon diverge once more.

Aymeric dismounted and stepped over, holding his hand out to Kaede. From anyone else, she might have been tempted to be insulted at the insinuation that she required help, but from him, the courteous gesture seemed as natural as breathing. As he pulled her from the saddle, he tugged her into his arms, and they stood clinging to each other for a long moment, barely daring to breathe for fear of disturbing the last gasp of calm before the storm.

Eventually, Kaede forced herself to loosen her grip around Aymeric’s waist, and in turn he stepped back and briefly caught her hands in his own. “Well, shall we?”

Summoning a faint smile to her face, Kaede nodded. “I suppose we must.”

It seemed to Kaede the first in what would be a long series of farewells, driven not by desperation, but by the inexorable tug of duty. To stand still in one another’s presence, but parted as surely as if there were malms between them.

Together but apart, they walked into Gridania, to face whatever awaited them on the horizon, beyond Baelsar’s Wall.

[starrysnowdrop]

Never Good Enough

Hali x Aymeric

Immediately following “Misunderstandings”; Hali runs away from Fortemps Manor in a panic after hearing Artoirel and Aymeric’s conversation about her, and she is compelled to write her feelings out in her diary.

1,105 Words

Content Warning: Description of a panic attack and its symptoms

~**~

As her heart pounded so hard in her chest that she could hear her heartbeat in her ears, and with Ishgard tumbling and twisting around her, Hali ran a few fulms to the Fortemps Manor’s gazebo before she collapsed onto the nearest wooden bench.

The familiar yet unforgiving icy winds of Coerthas blew around her body, making the act of trying to catch her breath damn near impossible. Hali knew that this wasn’t the best spot to calm herself down from her panic, as Aymeric could leave the Manor and walk right past her at any moment, and allowing him to see her in this condition was not an option. No, she had to go somewhere where he wouldn’t find her, but where?

Her first thought was Camp Cloudtop, as the Sea of Clouds had some of the most beautiful sights she had ever witnessed, but Lady Laniaitte and the Rose Knights were sure to find her there and ask too many questions. Her mind soon drifted to the Churning Mists, where she marveled at the stunning ruins of the once great civilization where man and dragon lived in peace for centuries, but the moogles of Moghome would certainly see her and that would be a headache she didn’t need on top of everything else. No, it had to be elsewhere…

Then it came to her. The perfect spot. The one place in Eorzea that reminded her of home. Hali placed a hand over her chest, as if to steady her frantically beating heart, and she channeled the teleportation magick.

As soon as she arrived, she opened her eyes and her breath began to slow immediately. The ruins of the long abandoned Sharlayan colony in the Dravanian Hinterlands, now known as Idyllshire, was always a welcome sight to her. The familiar marble facades of the buildings, the green mollusk shell all aglow in the starlit sky, the sound of water flowing from the nearby fountains, it all soothed her aching soul just a bit, yet it was enough to pull herself together and wipe away the tears from her wet cheeks.

With a deep sigh, Hali picked her head up and walked towards her destination. Crossing the Aetheryte plaza, passing by the stalls of the goblin merchants, she strode the thoroughfare with purpose, not making eye contact with a single soul. Only the welcoming embrace of solitude could comfort her now.

The pink-haired lalafellin woman grabbed small handfuls of the fabric of her astrologian robes as she hopped down the marble staircase towards an empty courtyard behind the merchants’ stalls where there was nothing but a sea of flowers and an inviting stone fountain at the center.

Hali smiled momentarily as she breathed in the scent of wildflowers and misty air, and she sat on the edge of the fountain, her feet dangling just a couple of fulms shy of the water’s edge.

The mist rising from the falling waters gently tickled her face as she pulled out a small pink moogle adorned notebook and matching pink feather quill from her adventuring bag.

With quill held tight in her slightly shaky hand, Hali began to write out all of her thoughts and feelings in the moment.

~**~

Aymeric,

How dare you? How dare you be so unbelievably kind, and understanding, and so very sweet to me? You actually made me believe that I was special to you, that you perhaps had feelings for me, and that we might’ve been more than friends. But I was such an idiot, so blinded by love that I had forgotten just why I had fallen for you in the first place: that you are kind to everyone you meet. That is just who you are. How could I ever fault you for that?

No, it’s me. It’s my mistake. I should never have been so curious to overhear what you truly think of me. I should’ve just went straight to my room in blissful ignorance. But no, I now know that we will never be more than friends. You said it yourself; good friends, nothing more.

But what about Artoirel? He said you were distancing yourself from me… what did he mean by that? Am I annoying you and you are way too polite to ever say so? Have I pushed myself on you when you didn’t want me around?

No, that doesn’t make sense… does it? I mean, I was told by Captain Whitecape that you were calling out for me in the infirmary, that you needed me by your side. And then the private dinner… you invited me, that wasn’t my idea. And you seemed so happy then, and I could’ve sworn that you had something important to say to me.

There’s only one answer: I’m the problem here. No one’s ever loved me like that before, why should you feel any differently than all the rest? How could you ever want someone like me? I’m so godsdamned short that I barely come up to your hips, I am fat in the stomach and legs, but flat in the chest, so I don’t have the curves in the right places. I’m a complete outsider to everything Ishgardian, and I’m not even a great warrior. I am the healer in the back flinging cards while barely keeping up with the true warriors on the battlefield. How can the leader of the greatest military force in Eorzea ever bother to even consider me as a potential love interest? When I lay out all the facts, it all sounds completely absurd, doesn’t it?

I should just give up. I need to let you go. I’ll never be good enough for you. And you have your own life to live in Ishgard. Go find a good, upstanding partner from the home that you love so much, someone who can be your equal. I can name about a dozen people right off the top my head that would jump at the chance to be with you.

So why do I still want to run right into your arms and tell you that I love you and I want you to choose me? Gods, I’m just completely hopeless after all. Maybe I need to hear it from you directly. To tell me to my face that you don’t love me. So go on, Aymeric. Tell me. Or I’ll be waiting around for the rest of my life for you. In the meantime, I’m going to try to wipe away my tears long enough to pretend that I don’t love you, so I can preserve some tiny speck of dignity at least.

~ Hali