#Letisya Dagasi

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Fluffvember #2: Working (out) Together

“When I asked if you wanted to exercise with me, this is not what I had in mind.”

“Well, you are always complaining that I do not have adequate weights in my apartment. Further, this will help to improve my balance and posture. It is win-win for the both of us.” 

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Auraugust Day 14: DPS

“Over time, I have come to realize that the martial arts I have chosen to pursue are echoes of those who have played a vital role in my life. 

My father. A member of Knights Dragoon of Ishgard, who found a frightened little girl in the midst of an unjustified massacre he had taken part in, and sought penance through giving her a happy life. 

Venat. A beloved mentor in a long forgotten life, and an ever watchful mother in another. Kind and determined and gentle. She loved all too much and suffered for it, enduring countless lifetimes of anguish and sorrow for the sake of a world she loved. 

Zenos. Self-proclaimed dearest friend. A twisted, violent, bloodstained soul who snapped at my heels like a hellhound. His atrocities are too many to count, and to forgive him would be, I think, a disservice to the lives he ground into the dust. I mourn for the man he could have been, had he been dealt a gentler hand.”

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Auraugust Day 5: Color

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Auraugust Day 7: Family

Her hand lingered at the door knob, arm suddenly frozen with uncertainty. Absently, Letisya brushed her fingers over the platinum blonde locks. Just a few short moons ago, her hair had been ebony black and her eyes a royal purple. The Light had stained her eyes gold and bleached her hair platinum-blond; a permanent reminder of just how close she had forgotten to becoming a monster.  

“Don’t be ridiculous,” She scolded herself. “It is Papa and Father; they will not bite.”  Even still, she had to take a deep breath before opening the door with a soft click.  The inside of her family’s cottage was warm and inviting, the smell of Coerthan-style popotoes and pheasant roasting in the oven wafting through the air.  Father -Vallerin- turned his head towards Letisya as soon as she stepped through the threshold. Papa -Lulont- abandoned the green onions he had on the cutting board to round the counter.

“What happened?” Vallerin broke the silence first. 

Letisya’s composure shattered like porcelain. In between great rembling breaths, she only just managed to choke out; “I- I thought that I would-” before tears smothered what she had wanted to say.  Vallerin had rounded the couch and taken Letisya into his arms in a heartbeat, smoothing his hand over her hair as she sobbed into his chest. 

“Oh, Mon poussin. What has life thrown at you now?” She clung onto him like he would slip through her fingers like water.  Lulont quietly made his way over to the two, wrapping an arm around both and settling his cheek gently on Vallerin’s shoulder. 

“If you must weep, then weep. Do not hold it in. We are here for you.”

Letisya cried herself hoarse and dehydrated that night. It was one of the most peaceful nights she had ever had in recent memor.  

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Auraugust Day 4: Tank

The blade of the ax bit into the side of the stone practice dummy with a deep, reverberating crack that sent shockwaves up Letisya’s arms and stuck. The fire aether enhanced edges simmered in the damp, cool morning air as she sunk onto her bottom and wiped the sweat from her brow. 

“You’re swing’s gotten better,” Ardbert’s voice commented from deep within her soul. Letisya opened her eyes weakly and looked to her right with sweat-soaked bangs. She could almost see the phantom outline of her counterpart beside the dummy, examining the damage done with an appraising eye. It was gone the next time she blinked; a trick of the light. “Question: how do you plan on getting the axe out?” 

“That is a dilemma for Future Letisya,” the au ra murmured as she fumbled for the waterskin at her belt.  She took a few long, deep pulls before dumping the rest of its contents over her head. Ardbert chuckled and, graciously, did not offer any more remarks. 

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Auraugust Day 2: Home

“My home? That is a rather difficult question to answer. You would think it would not be, but given who I am...  If you define home as “Place where you grew up” then I have two; I lived in Ishgard for a number of years in my early childhood, before my fathers and I moved to Gridania. 

My time in Ishgard was spent inside by myself, for the most part. This was before the Holy See acknowledged that Au Ra were not Dragonkin, you understand. If it ever became public that a member of the Knights Dragoon had rescued a Dragon-Spawned abomination, he would have never been able to live peacefully. 

I spent my life in Gridania trying to chase the stars, convinced if I ran fast enough I’d be able to catch one and bring it with me. I collected chocobo feathers and pretty pebbles like they had any actual worth, and terrorized Elezen boys with sticks I pretended were lances.  

My fathers still live in that small cottage by the riverbank. I should visit them.”

(Excerpt from In The Light of The Crystal- Interview with Letisya Dagasi,  17th Sun of the  8th  Umbral Moon. 7th Umbral Era year 07)

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​The Kiss but make it Wolchefant

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Auraugust Day 17: Astral

She was so easily amused by The Exarch’s little light show, smiling widely and laughing like a newborn at his feeble, pathetic recreation of the night sky.  For all the effort the Exarch had put into this display, he couldn’t be bothered to actually try and recreate even a fraction of the night sky’s grandeur? Neatly tucked away in the shadows, unseen by the Exarch or the Hero, Emet-Selch audibly scoffed. 

This was a mockery of the stars Azem loved so much. This was an insult to her magick. She could recreate entire star systems and not even expend a fourth of the aether; astrology came as easily to her as breathing. As if to further grind Azem’s legacy into the muck, The Hero couldn’t even use astral magic- the concept something she simply could not grasp, despite Azem being the mother of the art. 

It was beyond sickening. 

Emet-Selch’s waved the image with a languid wave of his hand, The Hero’s laughter ringing through the dark like ripples on a lake. 

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Auraugust Day 12: Stars

Herein I commit the chronicle of the traveler. Shepherd to the stars in the dark. Though the world be sundered and our souls set adrift, where you walk, my dearest friend, fate shall surely follow. For yours is the Fourteenth seat—the seat of Azem.

It had been difficult to hide the way Azem’s memory crystal glowed -warm and bright- once Letisya had been granted a tangible form in Elpis. With some reluctance, she unlooped the cord securing it around her neck and tucked it away in in her bag. She slipped quietly away into the night as soon as she could, traveling just far enough outside Anagnorisis that none of the researchers -or the beasts for that matter- would bother her. 

Azem’s crystal was almost warm in Letisya’s hand as she pulled it out, its light flickering like an open flame.

“Did you spend time here with them?” Letisya asked aloud. “Making creatures and admiring the stars?”

The crystal flickered, twinkling like the stars above, but said nothing. 

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Auraugust Day 10: Date Night

Letisya glanced over as Lyse dropped on the wooden planks beside her with a heavy, long-suffering sigh. Her hair had only just barely managed to remain in a shape that even slightly resembled a ponytail, and the red splotches on her stomach indicated that she had not-quite-gracefully fallen into the ocean more than once.

“That tower is a demon,” Lyse grumbled, trying to wring the salt water out of her ponytail. “D’you know what I’ve heard? There isn’t even a prize at the top. And yet people are still trying to reach it.” She fell onto her back, arms spread out on either side of her. 

“You have been trying to climb the tower for the better part of three bells,” Letisya informed her. Lyse let out a groan,

“It’s a matter of pride at this point! That tower has attacked me personally, and I need to teach it a lesson.”

“Oh? How so?”

Lyse opened her mouth to start her explanation on how the Moonfire Faire Tower had personally offended her, her pride, and (probably) her mother, before her brows furrowed in thought. She covered her face with her hands and groaned. “I’ll tell you when I figure it out.” She said lamely.  Letisya patted her knee consolingly.

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Fireworks painted the sky in dazzling shades of red, orange, blue and green as they exploded over Costa del Sol. Some insanely foolish people were still attempting The Tower, but a vast majority had migrated to the edge of the boardwalk or down to the shore in order to watch the fireworks. Letisya licked sticky-sweet  soy sauce glaze off her fingers as she set her dango skewer down on the plate beside her. 

“You know, I keep telling myself I need to try that. Dango, I mean.” Lyse said, nodding to the second skewer Letisya had delicately picked up from her plate. “No time like the present, they say.”  Without warning, Lyse grabbed Letisya’s hand and brought it towards her. The topmost dumpling disappeared into Lyse’s mouth with a hum and satisfied smack of her lips. “It’s different,” Lyse mused as she chewed, ignoring any and all decorum about eating and talking. 

All Letisya could focus on were those lips; perfectly shaped and blissfully soft. The tip of Lyse’s tongue darted out to swipe her bottom lip. She felt the blush all the way at the tips of her horns and forceed herself to look away. 

Lyse, cheekily, scooted just a fraction closer and wrapped an arm around Letisya’s waist. 

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Auraugust Day 24: Love

The ring he was going to give me is nothing extravagant. I find “giant diamond rings” tacky, and he would not be allowed to give me House Fortemps’s family ring for obvious reasons.

My engagement ring is beautiful in its simplicity: a polished lapis lazuli stone set in a silver band.  I can almost picture him agonizing over every single detail for hours, driving the goldsmiths mad because even the tiniest little aspect had to be perfect. 

He had been planning on proposing to me for moons -so Artoirel says- but he could never find the perfect moment. I was too busy; too busy saving my friends from an unfair trial. Chasing the heretic leader over hill and over dale; running off to Dravania for almost an entire month. There was never a good time. 

Am I a bad person, for almost being glad he never got to ask me? Losing him as a lover almost broke me. I do not think I would have ever recovered if I had lost him as a husband-to-be.  Am I heartless, for seeing comfort in Hilda’s bed before the snow even settled on Haurchefant’s grave?

...Is it wrong for me to find love with Estinien and Aymeric? 

 I wish I could ask him -beg for forgiveness mayhap- but I cannot. 

Because he is gone. 

And I am still here. 

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Auraugust Day 16: Sorrow

“For those we have lost, and for those we can yet save.”  Mayhap, I tell myself, if I cling onto that oath as if my life depended on it, it will make the pain worth it. That so long as I can hold a lance or a staff or a gunblade, the people we have lost will not have died in vain.  

Urianger sobbed himself to sleep the night of Moenbryda’s death- and he did so again on the anniversary of her passing. Every now and then, I catch Thancred looking at Minfilia’s spot at the dining table, a pained, longing look in his eyes. F’lhaminn says she does not blame me, but she cannot look me in the eyes. Yda cannot even mention Papalymo in passing without nearly being choked by her own tears. I have heard Alphinaud cry out for Ysayle and Estinien in his sleep. While I can soothe away his fears and assure him that Estinien is alive and well, no amount of gentle words and comforting touches can bring Ysayle back. 

In a happier life, I would be Mistress Letisya Greystone. But it is not, and I am not. Regardless, Count Fortemps embraced me as a daughter, even as I all but presented his son’s corpse to him.  Artoirel has not barely spoken to me. I have the distinct impression that Emmanellain’s lashing out at Thancred was more specifically for me, rather than him or the other Scions. Months of resentment finally boiling over because his brother had died protecting someone who should have been able to protect herself. 

I have been told that no blood in on my hands. Mayhap someday I will be able to believe that. 

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Auraugust Day 14: World

I love this world. Truly. I love how big, and varied, and weird it is. I love that everyone can come together for a beach festival. I love that entire countries can come together and change for a brighter tomorrow. I love how it’s teeming with life, and magic, and marvels I have not even seen yet. 

It is not perfect. But it is ours.

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Is is sacrilegious to go into a church and start casting holy magic indiscriminately? Asking for a friend

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Dragoon Courtship Ritual (Aka what if I trusted and respected you  enough to help me slay Nidhogg 👀 And we were both Azure Dragoons 😏)

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Auraugust Day 9: Battle

“Ishgard has suffered your pointless war long enough!” Letisya called to the wyrm, voice loud and stern. Gae Bolg seemed to come to life in her hands, echoes of it’s full power thrumming in time with her heartbeat as her comrades -fellow warriors who had come to defend the Holy See- readied their own weapons. Healing magic sang through the air as a conjurer prepared a spell. An Ifrit egi scraped its talons against the cobblestone in anticipation. A paladin had already gotten into a fighting stance, legs tense in preparation of her charge. 

“Ishgard’s suffering will not cease 'til it is naught but rubble and blood!” Nidhogg roared in retaliation. His voice thundered through Letisya’s core, wicked tendrils clenching at her heart and sinking its claws into her mind. She grit her teeth against his creeping influence. Her inner dragon, likewise, bared their fangs in defiance of Nidhogg’s song. “Flaying thou alive and casting thine corpse to the flames shalt make mine revenge all the sweeter. You and yours slaughtered mine consort, Azure Dragoon, tis only fitting that I butcher his.”

Letisya felt Estinien’s aether flare up  -he was still alive, praise Halone- before it was quickly smothered like a candle fighting against a torrential storm. Her jaw clicked as she dipped into her battle stance, golden eyes flashing fiercely. 

For the fate of the land she had come to call home, she would fight until the flesh fell from her bones.