#but after the calamity he gained more confidence in speaking | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

feliix · 4 years

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in his arms ↠ hhj (18+)

↠ Hyunjin x Reader

↠ Genre: Established Relationship!AU, Smut Fluff, Angst if you squint

↠ Rating: M

↠ Word Count: 5.3k

↠ Summary: The average Netflix & chill night is just not doing it for you anymore. After conducting some research and gaining the confidence you needed, it’s finally time to suggest the idea of having sex to your boyfriend.

↠ Warnings: explicit sexual content, soft sex, unprotected sex, first time sex, virgin sex, multiple orgasms, oral (f receiving), fingering, nipple play, creampie, praise, aftercare?

↠ A/N: @moonlightlino this is for you for being the best support system a girl could ask for, I literally would not have been able to write or post this without you AH I love you♡ and thank you to @jinterlude for beta reading this♡

It’s only been a few months since Hyunjin asked you to be his girlfriend. Needless to say, things between you have been a bit slow. Not that there was anything wrong with that, you loved getting to spend time with Hyunjin. Any time you get to spend together is greatly appreciated, but at this point you want more.

To put things into perspective, you are a virgin. And you know for sure that Hyunjin is not, making it difficult for either of you to bring up in conversation. He cares for you deeply, wanting to make sure that your first time is ‘perfect’ or something.

It’s not like you haven't tried to bring it up before. When make out sessions got a little too heated, Hyunjin would back away, wanting to take a break and ruining any shot you had to go further.

But by this point you are too exhausted from trying to suggest the desired deed, exhausting all options and being dodged each time. You aren’t sure if he’s doing it on purpose, or if he’s just really bad at getting the hint.

Taking it upon yourself, you decide to conduct some research of your own. If anything, you don’t want to embarrass yourself during your first time. You know that Hyunjin is experienced, and no, that’s not something that you’ve ever held against him. You're just a later bloomer than he is, and there's nothing wrong with that. What matters is that you’re ready now, you’re in love with him and you’re ready to take your relationship to the next level.

“So I’ve been thinking,” you begin, hands placed gently on your lap as your eyes meet his.

“Thinking about?” He questions, raising a brow in your direction as you nervously chew your lip.

“I think,” your shoulders tense, taking a deep breath and closing your eyes to get some composure, “I think that we should have sex.”

The statement is blunt, catching Hyunjin completely off guard that he nearly chokes on the air he breathes. Not giving him much of a chance to calm down from his coughing fit you speak up again, not able to bear the awkward tension.

“I’ve been doing some research and-”

“You’ve what?” His voice stammers out as he suppresses another cough from leaving his throat, his cheeks puffed out in an attempt to hold it back, “Research on what?”

Noticing the palms of your hands are quickly becoming clammy, you drag them across the fabric of your jeans, doing your best to coax yourself into relaxing instead of dwelling on how unbelievably awkward this conversation is.

“I’ve just been looking up some stuff online about how to like… I don’t know.”

Hands quickly covering your eyes, you sink into yourself. Maybe this isn’t something that you should have brought up. The internet has some mixed reviews, some saying to let it happen naturally while others say to make a plan. You’ve always been more of the spontaneous type, but alas, here you are, making a plan.

Hyunjin doesn’t interrupt you, but simply waits for you to finish what you have to say. It's painful. Having him just sit there with his brows furrowed while your face heats up with nerves.

“I just wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing when we...I mean if we...you know.”

It’s beyond impossible to make eye contact with him now, especially when he knows exactly what you mean now. There isn’t anything else that you have to say. But thank god he doesnt let an awkward silence take over, quickly jumping to take your hands in his before speaking up.

“Y/N,” his soft voice instantly brings you comfort, his thumb stroking over your hand to ease your anxiety, “there's nothing you have to be worried about, I love you. You know that?”

A nod is all that you can manage in response, doing your best to just focus on your breathing before getting yourself all worked up. There is nothing to be worried about. It’s Hyunjin, he knows you better than anyone else and would never want to make you uncomfortable.

“We don’t have to do anything that you’re not comfortable with, baby. We don’t have to have sex if you’re not ready–”

“I am,” you’re quick to interrupt him, not wanting him to ramble on anymore. The nerves that once consumed you are now gone, your body props up straight as you make eye contact with him now. Confidence is key, and if you don’t show him you’re sure about this you know there’s no way he’d go through with it.

A gentle hand tucks a loose strand of hair behind your ear, exposing your supple cheek to him before placing a soft kiss on it. He’s being extra gentle today – taking his time to let you think about each of his movements and words before he moves forward. There’s nothing he wants more than to make sure that you’re comfortable.

Hyunjin waits a few moments, relishing in your gaze before his fingers take place on your hips, pulling you closer to him until you’re adjusting yourself on his lap. Nothing so far has been anything new, just his newfound calamity and regard for your comfort. His eyes wander between your forehead, eyes, and lips, visually confirming that you’re showing no signs of discomfort.

Sighing in acknowledgement, you rest your head on his shoulder, the earthy smell of his cologne consuming your senses as your nose brushes against his neck.

Hyunjin shivers in reaction; his neck is one of his most sensitive areas – something you figured out quite quickly. He finches each time your fingers brush his neck, whether it's accidental or on purpose, Hyunjin always gets a chill from it.

Rubbing your back soothingly, his hands gently roam to the swell of your ass, giving it a subtle squeeze. It's not something that you expect, your back stiffening in reaction as your head snaps up to him wide eyes. He’s not normally this cheeky with you, but as things are you can tell that this is a good sign. The smirk on his face says it all.

Hyunjin moves in slowly, his lips meeting yours with pure desire while your heart pounds against your chest. A gasp leaves your mouth when his lips start to move gently against yours, his tongue tenderly brushing across your bottom lip as he notices the part in your lips. The kisses he gives you are delicate, so faint and sweet to show you how careful he’s being with you. It's something you appreciate, smiling into the kiss as you begin to lose yourself in the thought of him.

Pulling away for a breather, his warm breath fans across your face. You take this opportunity to open your eyes to glance at his expression, but you can’t see much as he rests his forehead against yours. The look in his eyes was endearing yet filled with lust; it's unclear if he’s holding himself back for not. But he’s being extremely cautious, more so than usual.

“I want you, Hyunjin,” your whisper lands on his lips, your thighs unconsciously pushing together to ease the growing throb of your core. In an instant Hyunjin is adjusting himself beside you, his hips shifting backwards slightly as his thighs tense. A hand is placed on your thigh, tugging you in his direction to shift yourself onto his lap. That's when you can feel it – his hard erection pushing up against your clothed core.

“Y/N,” your name sounds breathtaking as it leaves his lips, “I want to know that you’re sure about this.”

He doesn’t give you much time to respond, cutting you off in the nicest way possible as his mouth brushes lightly against yours. You pull away slowly though, savoring every moment of this build up that you can. You are sure, you’ve never been so sure about something in your life. It’s Hyunjin, it always has been.

Nodding your head in agreement, your peak up at him through your eyelashes. “I’m sure, Hyunjin.” Your voice sounds so innocent, a stark contrast to the filthy things that are racing through your mind.

Hyunjin’s eyes are looking at you like you’re holding his entire world in your fingertips, doting on your every feature. To him, you’re perfect, and he can’t help but want you in this moment, accepting that now is finally the right moment to kick things up a notch.

In one swift motion Hyunjin is placing an arm under your knees, the other stretching to support your back when he sweeps you off the couch. You follow his movements accordingly, wrapping your arms around his neck to hold yourself against him. As your head falls into his chest you take a deep breath, the comforting smell of his cologne consuming you once again. You aren’t nervous, he’s your safe-haven – his arms holding you tightly as his smell calms your nerves.

As he makes his way into the bedroom he lies down carefully on the mattress, resting your head on the massive heap of throw pillows it's decorated with. His stare is wandering your body, eyes raking up and down your figure in disbelief. It's not like he hasn’t thought of you this way before – but this time it's for real.

Shifting awkwardly in your place, you curl your lips into an apprehensive smile and tilt your head to the side, hoping that he’ll say something to ease the awkward energy beginning to fill the room.

“I’m sorry I would have made this like...better if I knew you wanted to do this tonight,” a defeated sigh leaves his lips as his hand reaches for the back of his neck. His fingers graze the skin, scratching it lightly and pushing his head forward to avoid eye contact. So much for easing the awkward tension.

“Better?”

Hyunjin had always planned on making your first time special, probably more than you would have realized. He wanted all of that stereotypical romantic stuff. Taking you out to a nice dinner, lining the hall with candles, having mood music playing in the background, he wanted it all. But you caught him off guard, which was okay. It's much more natural for things to happen like this; but he can't help but think about how he could have made your first time just a little bit more special.

“Yeah like, something more romantic, I guess.”

The disappointed look on his face makes your stomach twist. He’s always so hard on himself to be the best for you, when one thing doesn’t go his way he takes it to heart. You know the only way he’ll get over it is with reassurance, which luckily is something you’re always willing to give Hyunjin.

“This is romantic,” you smile, pushing yourself up onto your knees to place a soft kiss on his cheek. Hyunjin releases a sigh of relief, or displeasure, it was a little hard to tell with the disappointment still evident on his face. Either way, your instinct is to calm his nerves, hoping that it could also settle your own in the process.

“Can I?”

Your voice comes out stronger than expected, hiding the nervous feelings wracking at your brain. It's not until your eyes are wandering down to his crotch until he picks up on what your question is really about; staring at the semi-hard on that you can make out through his sweatpants. Not able to stare for long, your eyes quickly shift back up to his – wide in disbelief.

It takes everything in you to not curl into a ball of embarrassment the second the words leave your lips. It's evident he’s nervous too, for different reasons than you, but still. Hyunjin’s lips begin to roll in between his teeth, bearing back a laugh. That's when you feel your cheeks heating up, immediately bringing up your hands to shield your eyes, far too humiliated to look at him any longer.

“You’re so cute,” a soft chuckle leaves Hyunjin’s lips following his words, grabbing ahold of each of your wrists in his hands. The barrier separating your embarrassed eyes from his looming stare is broken. A slight smirk present on his lips, quite contrasting to the pout overtaking your features. So you let your shoulders fall, sinking into yourself while you inhale deeply.

“I’m sorry,” you whine, letting a gush of air press out of your nostrils. Hyunjin’s reaction immediately changes, his hand letting go of your wrist to climb onto the bed with you.

“Sorry for what?”

It was a genuine question. There was nothing you had to apologize for, but the sliver of anxiety riddling your system is making your brain act out of whack. Hyunjin’s been nothing but patient with you, he always is, but for some reason you can’t get out of your head and just let things happen in the moment.

“I feel like I’m being weird now and you don’t want to do it anymore.”

“So you think that I don’t want to have sex with you right now?” He asks, his eyebrows raising in question.

“Maybe I’m just–” Hyunjin’s arms meet the backs of your bent knees, pulling them out from under you so you’re laying flat on your back. In that split second he is now hovering over you, your chest heaving for air as adrenaline begins to pump through your veins.

Hyunjin’s face is just inches from yours, his hot breath fanning over your flushed cheeks as he moves his lips closer to your ear, “Do you have no idea how hard I am for you right now?”

Breath catches in your throat as Hyunjin’s teeth nip your ear– arousal suddenly begins to gush from your core. You can’t see him but you know he’s wearing a shit eating grin, pleased with your reaction. He’s enjoying this effect he has on you.

Shivers run down your spine as lips graze your jawline, peppering kisses down to your neck until he reaches the collar of your shirt. In one quick motion, his fingers are sliding underneath the fabric and pulling it over your head. Goosebumps litter the surface of your skin as your torso is exposed to the cold air of the room. You’re flooded with emotions. Yes, things between you and Hyunjin had gotten hot and heavy before; the only difference is this time you know where things are heading. As you watch his eyes devour your figure, your legs unwillingly begin to cross. The arousal flooding from your center is far too prominent to ignore now.

Your core throbs in desire as Hyunjin’s lips meet the skin of your chest. His hands roam over your sides as you roll your head back. Mind racing with dirty thoughts, all you can think about is how badly you need him right now. It’s better to amp yourself up now than to dwell on the small fears swirling in the back of your mind.

Soon Hyunjin is ridding himself of his own clothing and tossing the fabric aside, getting back onto the bed completely nude before he rests his body over yours again. You swallow thickly, unsure what to do now that he is naked and on top of you. The google search history definitely does not have anything to guide you through a situation like this.

“Babygirl?” He’s quickly able to sense your sudden change in demeanor as he looks down at you with cautious eyes, “you okay?”

His words snap you out of your thoughts, shaking your head as if you’re physically removing your worries from your brain. “I'm just…not really sure what to do now,” you say as you break eye contact with him, your eyes wandering down his naked figure.

With a gentle kiss placed to your lips, Hyunjin sits back on his heels, pulling your arms so you're sitting up in front of him. “Well normally this is the part where we get undressed, but if you’re not comfortable with that…”

He doesn't have to finish his sentence before a smile is creeping onto your face. Thankfully his lighthearted commentary is soothing your worries. It doesn’t hit you that this doesn't need to be as big of a deal as you’ve made it out to be. It's just you and Hyunjin here.

A small nod of your head gives him the go ahead; one of his hands reaches slowly towards your back to fiddle with the clasp of your bra. The feeling of sweet relief consumes you as the elastic releases from your body – there really is nothing like taking your bra off after a long day.

But Hyunjin doesn't stop there. Like the princess you are, you wait for him to finish undressing you; pulling your pants and underwear down your legs and throwing them off to the side of his bed and into a messy pile on the floor. You’re getting over that sense of anxiety now, there is absolutely no desire that you have to cover yourself from him. The way his eyes gloss over your figure with such admiration makes you feel safe under his touch – his touch that trails from the tops of your thigh and traces the curve of your side.

“Beautiful,” mumbles past his lips. Heat rises to your cheeks once again, fighting the instinct to cover your face as you blush at his compliment.

“You’re sure you want to do this?” Hyunjin asks one last time, one hand brushing your hair back as the other supports his body weight. You hum in response, lifting up to peck his lips tenderly. He looks so angelic over you, a slight blush tinting his cheeks the longer he looks at you.

In one swift movement he’s rocking back into a kneeling position. Tilting your head, you watch his slender fingers wrap around his hardening member, watching in awe as it grows with each slow pump of his wrist, the collection of bracelets adorning his wrist swaying with each movement.

Soon he’s pushing your knees up so your feet are placed flat on the mattress. The cool air washes over your dripping core sending shivers through your body. And just like that, Hyunjin’s lips are moving south, his tongue diving into the soaking depths of your cunt. Involuntarily your hips buck towards him, unable to control your own desire from the pleasure his mouth is bringing you. Hyunjin’s thumb soon meets your clit, circling the bundle of nerves gently as his tongue presses flat along your slit.

A moan escapes your lips as his tongue moves faster. Mind flooding with filthy thoughts about how good his mouth feels on you; you’re clueless to how anyone could manage to form a coherent sentence during something like this.

You let out an airy gasp as his fingers move down to your entrance, circling around it a few times before dipping inside. Unable to resist the urge, your hips jump up towards him, bucking into his touch. A hand flies up to cover your mouth, shocked at your own body’s response to his touch.

“Hm?” he smirks, well aware of the effect he's having on you. If he didn’t want to rub it in even more he’d give you a second to calm down, but you have barely enough time to react before his index finger is slowly pushing into you. Your eyes flutter shut as his finger draws outwards. Bliss consumes your body, the outside world slowly seeming to fade away with each motion of his wrist.

Your walls squeeze his finger deliciously as they adjust to the new sensation. And Hyunjin’s eyes are kept on you, taking into account your comfort and keeping track of how your body reacts to each of his movements. Another finger is soon added; your body reacting to the extra pressure by tensing for a moment, the greater size doing a number on you. But luckily the mild discomfort is quick to disappear. All thanks to the soft kisses being pressed to the inside of your thigh.

Your hips jut forward as Hyunjin’s fingers begin to separate, stretching your walls as they move in scissor-like motion. For a moment you think you’re seeing stars, the breath trying to escape your throat getting caught in reaction.

Hyunjin places his other on your lower stomach as his lips begin to trail up and down your thigh. A path of residual saliva is left in his tracks; the cool air meeting with your supple skin gives you a quick chill. But the scissor-like motions pick up in pace, your walls constricting and contracting around him as your arousal coats his fingers. You know he has to keep going. You’ll never be able to take his size if he doesn’t prep you enough.

As your hand reaches down to rake through his long blonde locks he picks up his head to meet eyes with you. The satisfaction from the way you take his fingers is written all over his face, as well as some residual arousal coating his lips. The expression on his face is unfamiliar to you – his eyes are so dark and filled with desire they look like they could swallow you whole.

Your stomach churns with anticipation as his fingers reach new depths inside of you. All prior pain is morphed into sweet pleasure, all thoughts in your brain swirling with Hyunjin and his control over your desire.

“Hyunjin,” you breathe out, a raspy moan-like sound closely following his name. You’re in need of more than just his attention, the cries of pleasure leaving your lips says it all. He narrows his eyes in response, his eyes still locked on your expression as he waits for you to continue.

“I-I think I’m–”

Euphoria consumes your body all at once. Back arching off the bed, your cunt squeezes over his fingers tightly. Hyunjin’s praises fall on deaf ears while your body enters the ultimate state of bliss.The pulse of your orgasm is unforgiving, rendering you immobile for what feels like eternity as you ride out your high.

It takes a minute for you to come down, but once you do you’re too in shock to even say a word. His eyes are pooling with desire after watching you cum on his fingers; you have no idea how long he’s wanted to see you like this.

“Think you can make it for another?”

The quick nod of your head is more eager than you anticipate, earning a satisfied chuckle from Hyunjin. Again, he’s rocking back onto his heels before leaving one last kiss to your clit. Oversensitivity makes you squirm in his touch, wondering if you’ll be able to last very long once he’s inside you for real this time.

His nimble fingers return back to their place on his cock. You can’t help but admire how pretty and delicate they look wrapped around his fully hardened member. His slender digits using the arousal from your orgasm to slide graciously down his shaft. Its mesmerising, eyes wandering up and down his toned figure and sneaking a peak at his facial features; eyebrows furrowed and eyes clamped shut.

He’s focused, caught in the moment of making sure he’s harder than he’s ever been. It gives you a minute to regroup as well, still quite sensitive from your previous orgasm. Hyunjin’s eyelids flutter open gently before locking eyes on you – it’s finally time for the main event.

Hyunjin moves carefully to adjust you, taking your hips in his hands and scooting you until you're in a comfortable position and he can kneel between your legs. One last glance grazes over you to make sure you still want to go through with this. All that's evident is your eyes heavy with lust and your chest heaving as you wait for him to push forward.

Slowly, the tip of his cock presses against your entrance. Adrenaline courses through your veins as the thick sound of blood pumping fills your ears. Is it nerves or excitement – perhaps it could be touch of both? But you’re sure to give Hyunjin a reassuring nod paired with your hand reaching out for his to hold.

Hyunjin accepts the gesture, interlacing his fingers with yours. And now it’s time for what you have been waiting for all along.

Hyunjin pushes into you slowly, your velvet walls surrounding his hardened member all at once. A muffled grunt leaves his lips, quickly disguising it as a cough as he tries to refrain from moaning loudly in satisfaction. He’d feel too selfish crying out in pleasure so soon while you’re still trying to adjust. You feel so tight around him it's hard for him to keep his composure, it's unlike anything he has ever felt before.

“Feels so good babygirl,” he moans as he begins to pull backward, gripping you tighter as he pushes back into you slowly, “so fucking tight.”

You keen at his praise, but the discomfort in your lower half is prevalent. Tears begin to prick at the sides of your eyes before you squeeze them shut, desperate to hide it from Hyunjin. You know it would worry him too much but you didn’t want it to stop. If it was anything like before the mild discomfort would soon turn to pleasure, you just need to give it some time.

Though your expression doesn’t go unnoticed by Hyunjin, who has been studying every inch of your body since the moment he undressed you. Out of instinct he’s leaning forward, placing a soft comforting kiss to your forehead and then your lips before tilting his head to your ear.

“You’re doing great, babygirl,” his whispering tone quickly brings you comfort. The sensation of his smooth, deep voice ignites a fire through your body. With a deep breath you’re finding yourself relaxing more, wanting more. But he doesn’t move, just waits for you to adjust to his size and strokes his thumb over your joined hands.

It's all in your head – the underlying nerves you still carry cause you to restrict yourself from living in the moment. Hyunjin had prepped you well enough – you’ve already cum once tonight. You’re ready.

Hyunjin is looking at you with apprehension, you notice once your eyes are languidly opening to meet his stare. A subtle smile graces his lips, his blonde hair pushed back by the hand that's not holding yours. He’s patient and he doesn’t mind – not as long as you’re comfortable.

You let him know you're ready with a soft smile and a squeeze of your hand.

With a determined look on his face, Hyunjin’s cock draws back once again. Your velvety walls squeeze him deliciously as he returns, this time the stretch more bearable than the last. It's becoming easier for you to let your body relax under Hyunjin. Just focusing on the way the soft skin of his hips graze against yours while his long blonde hair sways gently is bringing you back down.

With a few more slow thrusts, the uncomfortable stretch is no longer as noticeable. Hyunjin’s fingers roam your body to distract you from the pressure, finding other areas to pleasure you in accordance. A small gasp leaves your lips as his thumb finds its way to your mouth, dragging it down your bottom lip to coat it in saliva. Your eyes follow it closely as he makes his way down your body, stopping at your nipple and rolling the perky bud between his fingers.

“Fuck.”

You can’t hold back as his mouth takes the place of his finders. Hyunjin’s tongue washes over your sensitive bud greedily, your back arching off the bed in reaction. It's so much stimulation at once – your mind won’t stop buzzing. His cock glides in and out of you so effortlessly; like you were made just for him. Hyunjin doesn’t let that go unnoticed either. Words of praise leave his lips in the form of mumbles, only amplifying the sense of your arousal.

The pleasure you’re feeling is unmatched. Heart pounding in your chest and sweat beading down your chest, your need for him intensified. Slowly, your hips swivel downwards, meeting his eager thrusts into you. Desire consumes you, the mild ache in your core completely gone and replaced with lust. Your drive for him is only building; shifting and grinding your hips into his until you can feel yourself on the brink of white hot pleasure.

“So good for me,” he groans, his thrusts quickening, growing deeper to match your motions. A mutual moan is shared between you, his tip hitting new territory in your center.

This build up is much more intense than the last. The feeling of your muscles tightening beneath your skin and throbbing of your cunt only rises as his cock meets a space that hadn’t been touched before. Unable to control yourself you’re left screaming his name into his neck. It's impossible to get a grasp on your own body. The need to chase your high is much too strong to slow down now.

And now you know what everyone talks about. Yet all of the mindless google searches and skimmed over articles you read have nothing on this feeling. That much desired knot was tightening, begging to be tugged and snapped to lead you to your end.

The sweat that gathers on Hyunjin’s brow glimmers in the dim light as his hips buck harder into yours. You can’t help but notice how breathtaking he looks like this; pleasure squeezing his eyes shut and pursing his soft lips into a tight line.

“Cum with me?”

His voice is raspy, winded even. It's phrased as a question but you take it as an order, nodding your head although Hyunjin isn't able to register your response at this time. He can tell where you are from the pulse of your walls wrapped around his cock, whether it's intentional or not. His thrusts soon become sudden, craving a high so deeply that he’s not able to move fast enough.

Changing positions quickly, Hyunjin rests his arms on either side of your head. His hair comes untucked from behind his ears, shadowing his eyes from your view. Swiftly, you bring your hand up to brush it backward to read his expression; his soft features now morphed with determination. Sweat beads down the sides of his face with each surge of his hips.

Before you have any time to catch a break he was moving upwards, straightening his back and driving his hips into yours, chasing his high. Extending your neck back, you let out a muted cry – the force of his tip against a sensitive spot inside you beginning to push you over the edge.

“Fuck, Hyunjin!”

The tight band in your stomach snaps as you chase your release, Hyunjin’s name repeated from your mouth like a mantra as your back arches off the mattress. It was unlike anything you had felt before; your body felt numb yet so sensitive all at once. Pussy throbbing sporadically around Hyunjin’s cock, he isn’t able to hold on any longer.

Hyunjin’s head is thrown back in pleasure, an airy moan leaving his lips simultaneously. You can feel his release painting your walls; the white, hot spurts of cum making you feel so unbelievably full. You have never felt closer to Hyunjin as you have in this moment, his body collapsing over yours. A deep breath leaves your lips as his arms wrap around your tired frame, holding you close as you come down from your highs.

“I love you, Y/N.”

The words are whispered beside your ear, it's not the first time that you’ve heard him say it but something about hearing it now seems different. Soft kisses grace the clammy skin on your neck; your blissed out figure unable to move much more than a gentle smile.

“I love you.”

And for the rest of the night this is how you remained, wrapped in each other’s arms before passing off into a blissful slumber. Your heart is warm, satisfied with the night and the beautiful man you were lying beneath. Needless to say, it was worth the wait.

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buoyfriend · 2 years

Text

18 - Ruthlessly Truthful

I considered the earnestness of his voice, the kindness in his eyes as he spoke to me. I accepted his profuse, genuine apologies. He continued, he had been swept up by the events of the day, by the relief of his life's war won, his enthusiasm. I believed it, I softened. I asked what he wanted to know about me and answered about half of many questions.

After some time, my fingertips' memory began to forget the curves of Aymeric's body. His missives were few, and they arrived with longer weeks in between until the very last. After the first month, I thought it was simply the difficulty of receiving anything from across the sea. Perhaps they were lost like Tataru's packages had been, perhaps she forgot to notify me as they came in. The few I did receive were curt descriptions of his day, rushed and tired. I was then reminded that he was a Lord of many titles and I was the Warrior of Light.

When his last missive arrived to me, I cried for some time. I didn't understand his explanation besides his insistence on friendship and nation building. I didn't question the validity of it or consider arguing with him, I just wanted to forget. I'm at my best when I'm escaping.

Life moved quickly since our arrival in Kugane. Hunting down a wayward prince, indulging his requests to gain the strength of the Azim Steppe. His requests had merit, he had no army to speak of unless we won the Naddam. The Steppe was beautiful, endless sky kissing the earth. I continued painting, keeping the pieces for myself. I stuffed them into my books as I read by candlelight about far off calamities and escapes from a ruined star. I had two of that topic and I considered how fun I must have been at parties if two of the three books I had packed in my last life were so dark.

"I'm safe now. I found it again. I'm home."

I didn't have the heart to dispense of my paintings of Aymeric. I left those between the pages of the book he had read aloud in my bed and left both with my belongings at the East Aldenard Trading Company. I wouldn't need them for some time, perhaps not again.

Instead, I read about Lauren urging her people to prepare for the coming end. Begging to be taken seriously before everyone she loved failed to survive.

Gosetsu's laugh is my strongest memory of him. His arms and legs would make a smooth motion in a way that I still cannot imitate. Yugiri, ever present in the shadows, would give herself away as she chuckled at the sight of him.

Hien was an enigma at first. In one moment, he would be smooth and measured. He carried himself as a man raised to lead, picking up his task with ease. In another moment, an absolute child. Laughing louder than Gosetsu, throwing his head back as he was taken by a joke. Laughing at the silliest of jokes, the crudest of jokes. I'd wished Thancred was there to repeat the filthiest jokes he had told me in the months prior, my retelling could not do them justice.

In other, smaller moments, I saw Hien's doubt. He had hidden it away to the furthest corners of his mind some time after we brought him back to Namai. It annoyed me at our first meeting. We had searched for quite some time to reach him, only to find a man just as broken as his nation. In truth, I had pictured someone like Lyse. I thought he would howl with fury for the lost souls of his homeland, eager to pick up where failed revolutionaries had left off. Sword in hand, blazing a trail through the bodies of his oppressors. Perhaps I was imagining someone more like Aymeric, battered and broken but ready to take up the fight once more.

I could feel his suspicion early, but more subtle than Yugiri's. My company until my time in Othard was satisfied with my few explanations for my life before becoming an adventurer. They saw me as a "young, upstart lass", satisfied with nods and silence. Anyone I had confided to was satisfied with the length of time it took for me to learn honesty.

Hien was ruthlessly truthful, demonstrating his honesty with just an onze of tact. The only thing that saved him from being perceived as rude was the genuine kindness that accompanied his raw assessments of people, situations, moments. Simply truthful if not a little wild, his eyes could only hold kindness.

"I had hoped that my honesty would inspire your own." he sighed as he approached me, sitting alone. Fireworks marked the sky above us. I watched them rise and fall, my body moving not an ilm. He sat down beside me at the edge of the dock, taking in the sight of celebration within the Doman Enclave.

"It was my hope that I could win your friendship now that my fight for Doma has drawn to a close."

"We still have military engagements in Ala Mhigo. The Empire will be nosing around again ere long. You'll have many more fights in the coming months, I assure you."

"Shrewd as ever. But you are changing the subject. What does it take to know you as more than a comrade in arms?"

His scent was heavy around me, embracing me, begging me to turn to face him. Sweat, blood, the night's drinks. When I did turn to meet his eyes, his face was closer than I had thought. The kindness in his eyes, I regretted my tone as soon as it escaped me, "You don't corner me into answering personal questions in front of everyone we know. That's how you avoid becoming friends with me."

"I apologize, I regret making you uncomfortable. I simply... I have noticed your unfamiliarity. Not only in Othard, but to your Eorzea. I hear it in your comrades' voices, as if they were teaching you how your own nation works." He laughed lightly, catching himself. "The Aetherytes, Lua. You didn't know why you had to come to Othard by boat rather than Aetheryte on your first visit."

His chuckle escaped him once again as he leaned in to say, "As strange as it may be, I thought you might be a traveler from much further than Eorzea."

"You're not wrong."

"In time, if you'll have me, it would be a great pleasure to meet as friends. Oh, the tales you must have!"

I considered the earnestness of his voice, the kindness in his eyes as he spoke to me. I accepted his profuse, genuine apologies. That he had been swept up by the events of the day, by the relief of his life's war won, his enthusiasm. I believed it, I softened. I asked what he wanted to know about me and answered about half of many questions.

The fireworks continued, and he slung me over his shoulder to carry me back to our celebrations. Breaking into a run, vowing to break my foul mood. We danced until our legs grew tired, our eyes heavy. In the days and nights of celebration that followed, I let sake carry me to the Kienkan and drop me onto Hien's bed. On my following trips to Doma, I found myself there every time. I felt his curious hands, rough and scarred search me finding less than he sought.

#hien headcanon #ffxiv fanfic #ffxiv fanfiction #ffxiv headcanon #hien x wol #wol x npc #wol x hien

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hyrule-kingdom-updates · 3 years

Note

ALL of the emojis for Siv :D

What is the kindest thing your OC has ever done for someone? What is the kindest thing someone has ever done for them? On the flip side, what is the worst thing your OC has done to another person?

I don’t think I can point out a *single* ultimate kind act, but Siv raising and caring for his brother throughout their whole childhood is definitely one of the kindest periods of his life. Spoilers, but: Siv didn’t actually believe himself to be capable of being a knight, in fact Ligero was specifically trying to keep him out of Larc’s life, letting them grow to be more independent, giving Siv every reason to be jealous and spiteful. But Siv trained to be a knight anyways because he didn’t want his brother to be alone through it all. He would never admit it, but Siv is a really kind and soft person. He cared for everyone of LinkLink’s scars and scabs when they went shield surfing, he took Zavis to a surprise party when his mother didn’t bother to throw anything that special. He wrote Revali letters, he sewed little rat plushies for Aryll to add to her collection—and I think it all stems from his childhood, where the only thing that he was certain of, the only choice that he could without a doubt claim was a good and kind thing that he didn’t mess up on, was caring and loving for someone that he by all other means didn’t have to.

As for the kindest thing someone has done for him, well honestly I think Siv would consider anyone giving him a basic amount of respect and appreciation as the “kindest” thing. Although once, Zavis allowed himself to team up with Link to plan a perfect party for Siv, which is to say, a very notable feat.

As for the worst thing Siv has done to someone: that’s probably spoilers. :3

What does your OC do when they see others upset or in pain? An upset friend? A stranger?

If a stranger was upset, Siv would probably just think, “Sucks to suck!” and move on. Unless they were like, REALLY sobbing, to the point where it would be impossible to ignore. Then he might stop walking, chat them up and buy them a drink, maybe hear their woes, but that’s probably it.

If it was a friend, he’d be immediately on their case, but would still try to play it off as him being an apathetic, disgruntled guy. But you know, Siv didn’t become an official royal Branch Buddy for nothing.

What is something true about your OC that they refuse to admit about themselves? Is there any reason to this besides embarrassment?

Under absolutely no circumstances will Siv admit that he is shorter than anyone. He finds it completely unfair that BOTH of his brothers are taller than him. He would hate it if you told him so, but Siv without a doubt has inherited a bit of his father’s ego, so calling him short, or even complimenting his hot royal guard brother when Siv is right there would ruffle his feathers to say the least

Describe a regular day for your OC. What is their schedule (if they have one).

Pre-Orator days, Siv basically wakes up whenever he wants (usually past noon), feeds the pet rats in the alleyways, then heads to the underground. Everyday is scraping enough rupees for a hot meal and a drink by selling illegal tickets to the underground monster fights, maybe organize a rigged gambling ring or two, and obviously scam any ten year olds that were looking to enter the world of pocket monster fighting themselves. Then when the “work” day is done, he’ll pop by an adequate tavern (the only one that would tolerate letting someone like him around) and eat and drink, and...that’s pretty much it.

As the Royal Orator, Siv wakes up and immediately heads to the dining hall, then hauls all the food and drink over to his office by 10am, cause that’s when his official work hours kick in. He then has to just sit there, listen to people’s grievances and input that will promptly be ignored (by either his hand, or most certainly by his superiors) while also posting out the important announcements and rat doodles with the Quill of Roost(both pre and post consumption). He might grab lunch in between and do fuck all, but by 9pm he’s gone out and about, doing whatever it takes to get as little sleep as possible because he doesn’t really like the sort of dreams he’s been having.

Current Siv doesn’t have a schedule, but he does have an agenda.

How does your OC think they will die? Does death scare them? Is there any reason for this?

Siv isn’t thinking about death. In truth, he thought he would have died much, MUCH earlier. Maybe get stabbed or executed? Maybe have a poor run in with an ex or particularly angry victim of his scams? But hey, now that’s he’s living the high life with all this power, he doesn’t care about death! For all he knows, he could live forever as long as he sticks with Ganon! All he has to do is follow what he says, and he’ll be happy forever and never have to fear anything ever again.

What is your OC’s most traumatic experience? (If they don’t have just one traumatic experience either pick one or describe them all!)

The Asunder Incident.

Siv constantly questions himself after that, “Why would I do that? Was I really capable of killing someone? Surely not, I’m not...I’m not that bad...” but the facts obviously stated otherwise. This was basically the incident that cemented himself as the person he is at the start of hku, apathetic and broken. He wouldn’t admit it then, but this singular event basically solidified everyone’s prejudice and perception of him, and rightfully proved them correct. It was his own actions that left him hated, abandoned, and alone, so yeah, he can’t complain now, it’s all his fault.

How would your OC react to the death of a friend/family member/loved one? Is there anyone they can confide in?

If Ligero died he would throw a fucking party for the ages.

Other than that, yeah, if someone he knew and cared about died he would be very heart broken about it. I think the only person he would really confide in about it would be Larc, but if it WAS Larc that died...I can only assume he would at the very least be severely depressed. He’s his favourite, cherished, little brat brother, after all.

What would your OC be like if they were evil. Or if they’re already evil what would they be like as the good guy?

This is an interesting question given that...I’ve already shown both sides to this, haven’t I? Maybe I’ll just let the story speak for itself...

How would your OC react to somebody telling them that they love them? (+ bonus give another characters/OC name!)

Siv would first play it off as a joke because defense mechanism! “Haha, yeah, and you know what I love? The bathroom!” and he would be off escape the situation. But if they were persistent, he would be very flustered and very...vulnerable, and scarily sentimental in his opinion. It would take some time, but I believe eventually he would really, truly accept it, in the end. Although patience is certainly a virtue, it took an entire childhood for him to use the L word for his brother.

What does your OC hate about themself? What lies about themself do they believe? On the flip side, What does your OC love about themself?

He hates being a bad person. He does not believe himself to be good or worthy of anything, thus he internalizes it wholeheartedly in order to gain that sense of control. So now that Siv’s accepted he will never be truly happy, he’s like, “Great! I can just not care about anyone else now.”

Thankfully, that’s changed recently, and he now believes, “You know what? I’m NOT a bad person! It’s everyone else that’s been wronging me! The problem with me is that I’ve been way to much of a coward to take what I deserve, so now I’m gonna do it, no matter what! I deserve to not be hurt anymore, and if I can’t do whatever it takes to achieve that, then how can I say I deserve to be happy in the first place?” Be sure to thank Calamity Ganon for that pep talk.

Right now Siv loves his power. He’s had the most control and power in this one relationship with Ganon than he’s ever had with anyone else in his entire life. He’s finally on top! Number one! He has something to really be proud of about himself! The old Siv hated themselves, but now that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Does your OC have any scars? How and when did they get them?

He doesn’t have any notable scars, especially given that he’s got the power o’ malice, baby! Malice is a representation of many things, one of them being time and memory, so it’s pretty easy for it to heal and return skin, flesh, and bone to a prior state. Perfect for healing and repairing people and objects, alike! Of course, malice is more famous for doing the opposite, sucking your soul out from you prematurely, feeling yourself die rapidly, your last breath being snatched and forced out of your lungs, a thousand breaths meant for a lifetime suddenly sapped out in a few minutes. But I don’t know why I’m talking about that, that’s not relevant haha

What is something your OC blames themself for and is it really their fault? Does it keep them up at night and is there any lingering trauma?

The Asunder Incident, he blames his actions for leading him to basically abandon his brother for like fifteen years. But that’s all I’m gonna say as I have plans to talk about his feelings on it further in the actual story.

In what situation would your OC be pushed to commit an act of violence? Would they go as far to kill someone if they had to? How would this affect them and their relationships with others?

Why, I can’t answer this in detail! That’d be giving away the story :3

Ok, maybe I’ll say this: Siv tells himself that he would do anything to get what he wants, of course he would do anything, because if he can’t, well then that just means he’s a pathetic coward who doesn’t deserve happiness anyways. So of course he claims that he will do anything, even killing someone.

What would your OC do if they were given god-like powers or the ability to change anything about the world for a whole day?

Siv would eliminate all shitty parents, maybe also give revive some dead people, and also permanently have a giant neon green tattoo of a dick be on Ligero’s forehead. Assivus would do the first thing, but he might also make everyone who has ever wronged him suffer for a very long time on top of that.

Describe one of your OC’s worst nightmares.

- Oh no, made a ficlet.

The first night he was in the castle, he had a dream.

There was a man, sitting across from him, dressed in glittering gold, with a green sash wrapped across his chest and waist. He was tapping his long nails against a desk, HIS desk, the white and purple quill still in the cup of ink, and blank parchment in front of him.

The man looked very out of place, and that was ignoring the fact that he was a withering corpse.

You’re dashing, aren’t you? The man said, still tapping his fingers. That’s when Siv realized that he was just sitting opposite to him, in the seat where guests were supposed to be. He tried to speak, but couldn’t. He tried to move, but couldn’t. He tried to blink, but didn’t.

He sat there and listened to the man, attentively.

Do you know what you’re doing here, Asunder? the man asked. Asivus didn’t. Do you know why I’ve allowed you here? What you are?

Siv didn’t know, but he couldn’t exactly express as such.

That’s because you don’t need to know. At least for now. The man leaned forward like mist, disappearing as Siv felt something pass through him, he couldn’t turn to look behind him as a delicate hand was on his shoulder. You’ll know things when I want you to know. You’ll say things when I want them to be said. And you will do things when I want them to be done. Because I own you. Err...

The man suddenly stopped to think, leaning on the right arm of Siv’s chair, tapping his bony chin, as if he had made a casual slip of the tongue. Because...you owe me. Yes, that’s the word. I’ve helped you so much Assivus Asunder. Or “will?” “Have?” “Am currently?” Futures and times are a funny thing. I apologize, I’ll have my words sorted out into something more professional and proper in our future.

The man spun around, and suddenly, he was no longer a corpse, but a dashing Gerudo man, dressed brilliantly and handsomely. His eyes were no longer a hollow gold, but green, somehow familiar.

The room was no longer some dinky orator office, but the sanctum of the castle, the apex of the kingdom. The man snapped his head towards him.

Let me ask you something, Assivus Asunder: Would you rather be here?

He gestured to the grand view of the sanctum, the sunset casting striking shades of red, black, and gold across the towering walls.

Or here?

The world spun once again, and they were suddenly on a dark street. The houses of Rauru diced the stone brick pavement. Siv glanced around and saw himself, sitting on the ground. There were two knights, one of them cursing loudly, and the other laying down beside him. There was so much blood and he could feel himself floating closer and—

No. NO. Wait. STOP. PLEASE! He tried to speak, scream, anything. No sound came. He saw a sword, a dark and rich puddle that seemed to even reflect his own face and—

They were suddenly back in the office.

Which is better? What do you prefer, of the two? I’m assuming the former? The man looked at him. I will allow you to nod yes or no to the former.

Siv immediately nodded a yes.

Trick question!The man boomed. Both are fantastic places, environments that you should love and cherish. There is so much good hiding in the places you would least expect, Assivus. I’ll help you remember that.

The world was suddenly nothing. Nothing but black. Just him, in a chair, staring at this smiling, pleasant, scary, red haired man.

Don’t you want help, Assivus? I think there’s something you want, that you need help attaining? Isn’t there something? There’s no shame in admitting.

Siv thought for a moment, then slowly nodded a yes.

Do you want MY help?

Uhh...Siv wasn’t sure what to make of that.

Perhaps you can do a favor for me?

Fuck no! was Siv’s immediate thought. Who the fuck—First off, I don’t think I really like you, actually, so—

Oh that’s alright! The man was suddenly very close to his face. Oh shit, could he hear my thoughts? Assivus, you can do whatever you want to do to be happy. I don’t want to force anything from you. He patted his cheek with a very cold hand.

In fact, I’ve now decided you don’t have to do anything for me. I am going to help you, and you don’t need to do anything in return. The man stood back, clasping his hands together. How does that sound?

I... He tried to speak, but remembered he couldn’t even move his lips.

I’m sorry again, Asunder. Here, I’ll allow you to speak now. The man didn’t even wave a hand, but Siv could suddenly feel how hoarse and dry his throat was.

So how about it, Assivus Asunder? I want you to be in charge of your destiny, I want you to be in total control. I would never force anything from you, I will simply be here, by your side, helping here and there, as you...figure it all out. How is that? Does that sound alright?

Siv opened his mouth, but couldn’t decide the words. If I say yes can I go back to sleep? Hella tired...

The man didn’t move, but Siv someone sensed a whisper beckoning somewhere with a “Yes. We’re all tired of many things, aren’t we?”

“O-Ok...” Siv finally said. “Alright, sure. I don’t see why n—”

Before the words were fully out of his mouth, the world suddenly stopped dead, as quick as a snap. He awoke from his bed with a jolt, his heart racing like he had just run a marathon, even though he didn’t find those last moments to be that thrilling or terrifying.

Siv sat for a moment longer, trying to contemplate the dream. But as most dreams are, the memory of it fell out of his grasp like loose sand between his fingers, and soon enough, it was already gone.

He flopped back into bed with a sigh.

Whatever it was, it was probably nothing.

What advice would your OC give to their younger self? What advice does your OC need now?

Already answered in a previous ask c:

#oc ask game #out of character #Asivus Hartell #hku spoilers #Yes the ficlet at the end I'd consider canon

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damn-stark · 3 years

Text

As the World Caves in last pt.

Bucky Barnes x reader

Requested by @aventureisoutthere98

Summary- when you’re close to meeting your soulmate you begin to see flashes of shared actions. No matter where in the galaxy either of you are. The closer you are physically, it all gets stronger, you get their same injuries and at times hear what they hear. The only questions are who they are and how does it stop?

Warning- fluff, talks of violence and death, angst and FLUFF

———

*5 years later*

Where there was supposed endless darkness. Light reappeared in a matter of an instant.

Or at least for you. For those who had disappeared.

Once again your mind and perspective was taken over by the familiarity and flashes of someone else—of Bucky’s point of view as you both did the same actions; seeing the calm greenery that surrounded you and then each other. Knowing as the flashes disappeared that the same utter confusion began to seep within one another, while what happened before you were taken to darkness hit you. Thanos had done it. He had gotten the stones.

How are you here?

“What’s going on?” You gasp, your eyes scanning the area in search for an answer and for Natasha.

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

Sam’s voice answered from behind you, causing Bucky and you both to turn and face him. Noticing no Natasha yet.

“Where’s Steve?” Bucky asked, “I saw him and now he’s not here.”

“A lot of people aren’t.” Sam countered.

Something felt off, everything was too quiet. The tension from the fight you were fighting before was gone. The ground that was once destroyed was now restored, all you saw was more and more people returning in the distance and close by. The pain from your wounds and the exhaustion that had once annoyed you was gone too. You felt in some ways resorted, like you had just taken a long sleep.

You sigh and turn back to head towards where you had seen Steve last, spotting not far ahead in your started path, Wanda on the ground with her hands feeling the ground beneath her as her body appeared to shake. You glanced at the boys at your side before walking towards her, gently grabbing her shoulder to gain her attention.

“Wanda.” You muttered.

Said girl stopped and slowly up at you, showing her glossy eyes and tear stained face. It took her a moment to respond, but as she did she stood to her feet to speak with a crack in her voice. “He did it. Vision is gone.”

A deep frown appears on your lips and tears sting in your eyes at the sound of her voice and look on her face. “I’m so sorry, Wanda.”

Right before she could have a chance to reply suddenly a sparking gold circle began to open, growing larger and larger until from within it the scenery changed from trees and dirt to a rocky terrain, exiting out of it, a tall man with what appeared to be blue robes and a red cloak.

You ball your hands at your sides into tight fists and begin to let fire spark and just lightly engulf your fists.

“They need you.”

That’s what he started off with, nothing else, just that. It didn’t help, or make your guard drop whatsoever. In fact his presence just confused you more.

“Who’s they?” You question while you let the flames surrounding you grow more.

The strange man noticed and raised his hands, “I’m not a threat, I’m here to help….you’ve all been gone for five years.”

Your shoulders drop and your lips part in new found disbelief, your mind begins to run with different thoughts and wonder, tuning out what the man from the portal was explaining. How can anyone comprehend that right away? Or even believe it?

Even as you tuned back into the conversation, the situation was still hard to understand. The only tiny bit of sense cheesy enough was Bucky. His words fully pulled you back. “Are you okay?”

You nod, even if you didn’t mean it. “Yeah, it’s just…I’m trying to wrap my mind around what we just heard, that's all. But I’ll be alright. Are you?”

His lips formed into a straight line and he grips onto his gun tighter, “never better.”

After the man named Doctor Strange leaves, you all have to walk back to the field to walk through a portal...he was going to open. Leading yet to another fight.

“Another day. Another battle.” You say with feigned enthusiasm as you cross your arms over your chest, “you know you’d think after coming back from disappearing for five years that one would at least rest, but no.”

“We’re far too important.” Sam adds trying to ease the tension that had built after the news. “We don’t rest.”

A groan escapes your lips and as your eyes spot a portal opening in the field you also see the hundreds of people that began to gather around again, looking like they did in the past, ready for battle. It was a chilling sight. It made you grow stiff and feel a hundred times more unready than the time before, like it all relied on you to once and for all get rid of the invasive threat—Even if it didn’t rely on just you.

And somehow in all this upcoming calamity, Bucky knew what to say to help your jumping nerves.

Perhaps he had felt in the connection you shared, or it was just painfully obvious, but he helped.

“We’re going to finish this. We are.” He assured you, making you look to him and meet his warm gaze.

You smile softly, “is your offer still up about the date? If we make it out of this battle I mean?”

Bucky nods and his lips pull into a half smile, “of course.”

“Good,” you sigh before you look back to the portal and see people beginning to enter it, doubling your nerves; “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Nothing else is muttered, you’re left hesitantly heading towards the portal, with each step bringing closer to what was contained past them. All the thousands of different kinds of strange people and a lot you recognized. And the moment you stepped past the portals you saw the huge army Thanos had behind him, all as menacing as the first time you fought what to you seemed only hours ago.

Every portal open brought more people and left you awe-struck—even if the scene in front of you was all destruction.

Overall it was fascinating and something that made you feel chills scatter all over your body, just like all the shouting and war chants.

Yet nothing else brought you more confidence than seeing Steve in the front of it all, shouting a war cry that set everyone off. “Avengers!” You were ready. You had to be. “Assemble.”

Not even wasting a second you alongside Bucky and the rest of the people behind you and beside you ran ahead towards the army, all breaking off as the enemy headed towards you too. With one of them directly sprinting towards you, lifting their blade and swinging down, but missing as you rose your hand and lifted a piece of the ground to throw it at them and send them flying back. Having to repeat the process with fire and earth as more terrifying aliens ran towards you. All set to want to kill you. All failing.

Leaving you to wonder as you fought, albeit that amongst the sea of people fighting you've yet to see one person in particular.

With that in mind as you spot Steve, you run towards him, manueving past the approaching enemy and blasting fire at one of those alien dogs to stop it from sneaking up on Steve.

Said man turns back and his distinguishable blue eyes study you, a small smile tugging on his lips. “You’re back.”

You nod and smile, “yeah, apparently it’s been five years. Hopefully you haven’t missed me too much.”

Steve doesn’t say anything, his smile just widens. Finally letting you question your only wander.

“Steve, where’s Nat?”

Steve's smile falls completely and his shoulders stiffen once again. His blue eyes seem to lose their light and drop to examine the ground as if his answer was contained within the dirt.

His now long features make you frown too, feel your heart begin to panic in your chest while you hesitantly follow up on your still unanswered question. “Steve?”

——

“You know, I wish there was a way that I could let her know. That we won.” Clint says gloomily as he looks away from the calm soothing lake to look at Wanda and then you, “we did it.”

Your turn away from the water and meet his glossy gaze, “she knows.”

“They both do.” Wanda interjects softly

Clint moves his arms to wrap one around your shoulders while he wraps the other around Wandas. Letting you wrap your arm around his waist and also hold onto Wanda's arm as the three of you stay watching the lake in silence, remembering each in your way those who you had lost. Feeling the grief and pain that came with remembering. Trying to grasp that there was no way to bring them back, they were only going to be kept alive in your memories.

Natasha was a great and the best friend you had. Now she was gone. Forever.

——

“Take care, y/n.” Steve said to you with a faint smile, “take care of each other.”

Your lips twitch and before you could reply you blink. Really trying to understand Steve’s odd words. Ultimately not questioning them, instead leading with something else. “Come back in one piece, Steve. I can’t afford to lose someone else.”

“I will. I promise.”

With nothing else to say he turns and walks onto the machine, clicking on something that made a suit just suddenly appear on him and let Sam question Bruce...hulk—it doesn’t matter. Sam questioned him. “How long is this gonna take?”

“For him, as long as he needs. For us, five seconds.”

Steve turns to face the three of you one last time, putting his helmet on and only taking three seconds before he just vanished. Setting the count down again.

Only not returning.

Making Sam and Bruce begin to panic and Steve’s oldest friend to remain silent until he spotted something. “Sam.”

The panicked man joins Bucky's side like you do too. Noticing that on the bench was...Steve. Old Steve. Which oddly enough didn’t surprise you.

His “until later” was actually a goodbye.

Bucky turns to a baffled Sam and urges him to join the old man on the bench, which Sam doesn’t hesitate to do so. Leaving Bucky and you behind to watch their interaction.

Which you actually didn’t pay much attention to as you broke your silence with a question to Bucky. “So, I know it maybe too soon, but I’m actually up for that date whenever you want...I just think life is crazy and takes unexpected turns. Anything could happen. I want to enjoy the good things. As small as they are.”

Bucky turns to meet your gaze and smiles softly whilst he answers, “you’re right...yeah. I want to do that too...with you.”

Your breath hitches and your smile turns goofy. “Good.”

“But I was thinking...how about we go dancing?” He suggests almost shyly, “I think it would be more fun,” his eyebrows furrow, “people still do that right? Go dancing?”

You nod with a grin decorating your lips. “yes they do.”

“Then what do you say? Are you up for it?”

You take a step closer towards him and nod while you also try to keep your cheeks from burning up too much and keep your words from rambling. “I’d love to go dance.” You take another step closer and briefly glance to the ground before you muster up the courage to lean in and press a soft kiss on his lips. Feeling his surprise at your unexpected gesture for only a couple of seconds before he regained his composure and pulled his hand out of his pocket to cup your face. Pulling you closer to deepen the kiss.

To get the feeling that everything fell into place. That sparks flew and it was solely just him and you even if the kiss wasn’t long.

Even if lately life has darkened and took too much. Bucky was the light to bring you peace in a crazy world.

“For such an old man,” you begin to tease as you pull away, “you’re actually a good kisser.”

Bucky chuckles, “I’m glad you think so, I thought I’d lost that part of myself.”

You chuckle and completely pull away to see Sam and Steve turned to face you. Both with smiles on their faces. Albeit Steve’s looked more genuine. A complete contrast to Sam and his teasing words.

“So where are we going to go guys? Drink a coffee at a nice cafe? Or watch a movie? I’m down for anything.”

“Sam.” You warn. “Don’t.”

Said man chuckles, “Natasha may be gone, but I’m still here to provide the fun. So really where are we going?”

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bexplaysffxiv · 3 years

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I’ve been thinking a lot about Roscoe’s temporary Hyur transformation and how it’s interesting for his story. I’m super happy with where he’s at as a character, and this has been a really interesting idea to play around with, especially where I’m at post-ShB. BIG 5.3 SPOILERS BELOW!

So since Fantasia doesn’t seem to exist in-game as far as I can tell (there’s never been a mention of it, and surely if it existed, we wouldn’t need disguises for our various missions), I don’t know how a person would decide what they want to become when they drink it. I imagine they need to have a clear image in their mind.

So since when Roscoe drank it, he wasn’t thinking of anything like that since he presumed it was coffee, the transformation was instinctive in a way. He took on aspects of Ardbert since their rejoining, but also those of the other shards of him that have collided over the last seven calamities. It’s like when you overlay a bunch of photos until you have an entirely new face made out of all of them. Hyur!Roscoe is an amalgamation of everyone he could have been. I feel this was exacerbated by his recent discovery of his past existence as Azem (one of two souls who took the Azem seat, since in our version of the story, his niece Yuyuka took the other). The bombshell of this discovery is still reverberating in his mind when he takes the Fantasia and that has a physical impact. He’s feeling wobbly, fragmented, unsure of who he is. This makes him more sensitive to the existence of these other souls - he doesn’t know who they are, not like Ardbert (and Esteem, who is also a very distinct presence in there), but he can feel them more strongly.

There is also a strong sense of deja vu that feels somehow comfortable and disquieting all at once - he had this height difference with Yuyuka once before, in the unsundered world. It feels right and wrong all at the same time.

He would feel quite conflicted over his time as a Hyur, looking in the mirror and seeing a face that is not his own looking back, and speaking to the Scions, knowing that they know it’s Roscoe but wondering if they feel differently about him since all of this took place. He feels less confident in this body, but he covers it up well. He’s having some fun for sure - it’s nice to be able to carry Yuyuka around, and kiss his husband without asking him to bend down - but this isn’t who he is.

I feel perhaps things lined up and he was destined to wake up to his previous lives in this one because this is the one that fits him the best. So even though he has some moments of doubt, as time passes and Lanre manages to get the supplies together to get another Fantasia to change him back, his belief that he's making the right decision grows. This was fun, but he is his own person. An entire person. Not just a 'half-broken thing' like Emet said when he refused to acknowledge that he saw his friend in Roscoe. And though he wants to hold the memories of the other shards of himself inside, he doesn't want to wear their faces. He wore a mask back in Amaurot and that's not him any more. The only 'mask' he'll still wear is the dark stripe across his eyes that signals his connection to his darkside, the part of him that helped him make piece with himself and everything he's done in this lifetime. And so when he finally drinks the second Fantasia, he will do so with no doubts about returning to the body he’s had for 33 years, with all its scars and imperfections. Because he knows even more surely who he is now.

In addition, Roscoe has had many names in this lifetime, and many before that, so names are very important to him and I like how important they become in the story (Minfilia and Ryne, for example). He has debated going back to his lalafell name, but Roscoe Bramblewood is a name gained entirely on his travels, and it’s one that has helped to shape his identity. After all, as Temelun said back on the Azim Steppe, where a legend of his past self still lingers: “You are a traveller, are you not?”

#ffxiv #ff14 #shadowbringers #shadowbringers spoilers #5.3 spoilers #sorry this is rambly but i had a lot of thoughts

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loruleanheart · 3 years

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Desired Fate, Chapter 8

Read on ff.net

Read on AO3

The sky was an overcast grey, giving little light to Zelda’s chambers as the princess sat on a small settee, trying to focus on the book she held which contained her carefully written research notes. Urbosa, Link, and Impa had left that morning for Gerudo Desert where they would all board the Divine Beast, Vah Naboris, and set out for the Yiga Hideout.

There was a light knock at her door.

“Come in.”

Zelda turned her head to see one of her ladies-in-waiting holding a tray with a teapot and a cup for her.

“Thought this might lift your spirits, Your Highness.”

This gave Zelda pause. Was it that apparent she was feeling low?

“That’s very thoughtful of you, thank you.” The Princess acknowledged but barely smiled.

The attendant poured her a cup and gave a bow before turning to leave.

The tea gave off a pleasant earthy aroma, and as Zelda waited for it to cool she anxiously wondered what sort of news her champions would return with.

She redirected her attention back to her research which she’d gathered from books at the Royal Tech Lab as well as the castle’s library. She skimmed what she’d written down, finding it helpful to return to these notes every so often. Perhaps she’d add more soon where she’d record everything she’d learned thanks to the little Guardian with knowledge of the future.

This made her recall records that Robbie and Purah had shared with her before the arrival of that mysterious Guardian. These records indicated that there were many different types of Guardians stored in five giant columns that rested beneath the castle. These Guardians would be key in combating the Calamity, just as they had 10,000 years ago.

But how do I access them? Despite knowing every inch of the castle, I’ve never seen these columns. They must be buried deep underground, but I can’t give up looking… Even if I can’t find the columns themselves, maybe there’s something to activate them?

She thought she’d go insane from the feeling of impending doom if she didn’t do everything she could. Especially after being excluded from accompanying Urbosa to the Yiga Hideout, Zelda was feeling especially useless. She couldn’t afford to waste a single moment. She could at least agree with her father on that, even if they didn’t see eye to eye on what constituted a waste of time.

As unproductive as she was feeling, she forced herself towards the first area that came to mind for her to begin her search. She made her way to the secret passage in the library that led to the docks, praying she wouldn’t cross paths with her father on the way there.

After traversing the castle’s long hallways, she reached her destination and breathed a sigh of relief that she had gone unnoticed by castle staff. She began to descend the darkened staircase, illuminated only by torches that lined the natural rock walls.

As she rounded the corner and began to descend the last flight of steps she froze. She wasn’t alone down here. Her heart leapt and she audibly exhaled when she perceived who it was. The strange variation of the Gerudo emblem on the back of the Prophet of Doom’s robe had been etched into her mind both from her meeting with him in Korok Forest as well as the newest image on the Sheikah Slate.

“Halt! Take down your hood.” The princess ordered.

Astor turned to her slowly, appearing caught off guard by her presence. He rolled his eyes and smirked, doing as she asked.

His collarbone length dark hair nearly covered his Hylian ears. He gave her a look as if to say ‘Are you satisfied?’

Zelda stared at the man before her, speechless. A little in relief that he hadn’t put up a fight, but also feeling that he wasn’t as intimidating without his hood. She wondered if he ever got distracted by the braid that hung in front of his right eye. Still, he was undeniably beautiful to her, and she hated herself for thinking so, given who he was and what he’d done and probably would do if she couldn’t stop him

This man is going to be the death of me… If not literally, then figuratively… He seeks to revive Calamity Ganon. You should find him repulsive just from that fact alone. Ugh… What is WRONG with me… I truly am just a failure in more ways than one… I’m just broken… Horribly and irrevocably broken...

Astor was transfixed by the princess’s serene expression as she descended the stairs coming into the light of a nearby torch. She looked at him imploringly, and it unnerved him how she held him in her gaze. She only averted her intense gaze away for a brief moment to sweep a lock of her golden blonde hair away from her face before folding her hands in front of herself in a self-conscious manner. The luxurious fabric of her royal blue dress melded nicely to her figure. This girl, a woman and a queen-in-practice really, was the picture of Hylian beauty, not that Astor would allow himself to acknowledge that. She appeared so out of place in this dark, underground environment. The urge to look away was strong, but still, Astor held her gaze. He almost felt ashamed that this delicate girl was his mortal enemy. She didn’t look capable of sealing Calamity Ganon. She didn’t look like she was capable of sealing anything really, even though he’d so clearly seen it play out in prophetic dreams - more like nightmares, really - and he knew better. It would have been so easy to call upon his Hollows to end her existence right then and there, but something stopped him.

Zelda spoke softly. “Astor… How did you get in here?”

It had been such a long time since Astor had been addressed by name. Hearing it on the princess’s lips was somehow sweet.

“You think it would be difficult for me? Don’t insult me! This isn’t my first time.” He said in an intimidating manner, his voice smooth. He’d been called here before by Calamity Ganon. That was when he’d found his Harbinger. He now sensed something or someone different calling him to this place. Normally he’d disregard such a calling. It was just a distraction from his purpose as Calamity Ganon’s chosen. But the pull towards this place on this occasion was so strong, he couldn’t deny he was curious. And it had led him to the princess of Hyrule.

The Princess continued to hold him in her gaze, her voice taking on a more serious intonation. “Here to make another attempt on my life?”

Astor gave a wicked smile, questioning the vision he’d seen of her. Pathetic girl is being run ragged by fate… She’s practically begging to have her thread cut.

“Are you inviting me to do so? The princess with the blood of the goddess volunteering herself as a blood sacrifice to the Calamity… Exquisite… Your power could be mine for the taking forever.” His irises constricted in desire, and then his expressions darkened. “Then maybe I could, at last, get you off my mind….”

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. It was a morbid sentiment, of course, but hearing him say it sent her reeling. There was a strange energy between them, a sort of magnetism.

“It’s not mine to give. I have my own destiny to fulfill.”

“Your answer doesn’t sound very confident, Your Highness.” He purred.

He’d seen right through her somehow. The Princess’s eyes widened and her face paled a bit in shame. Her lips parted to speak, but she said nothing.

“You… Certainly aren’t what I was expecting. I could never foresee that Hyrule’s princess would spare me, a disciple of Calamity Ganon.” Astor said, his voice held a sense of awe. “I wonder what your appointed knight had to say about that? Where is that despicable little pest? I thought he never left your side.”

Zelda bit the inside of her cheek. “Well, I… I couldn’t just stand by and watch you get killed.”

“Why not? I nearly succeeded in killing you. And you know I am bound by fate to try again…”

The princess sensed his words were just as hollow as hers. She narrowed her eyes at him, taking a few steps closer to the Prophet of Doom.

He takes a step back, his smile faltering. “You dare to test -” But it was too late, as he was hit with a multitude of images flashing through his mind's eye’. He recoiled, holding his head.

Zelda looked on with concern. “What was that?”

Astor tried to clear his mind, shaking. For a moment he had been back in that strange place that seemed to be an amalgamation of Korok Forest and the Lost Woods. A surreal place where the Silent Princess flowers grow abundant.

“Stay away from me….” He growled.

Zelda blinked, perplexed as to what had just overtaken the prophet. “Astor… Why would you want to destroy Hyrule? This is your home, too. What have you to gain from destroying it?”

Astor bristled at the question. This foolish royal girl wouldn't be able to comprehend his motivation given her station and role in this world, so he just answered simply, “This world is rightfully Calamity Ganon’s.”

Zelda reflected on this a moment. His answer was off-putting for her to hear, but still, she was determined to better understand what had led him down such a dark path. “But, why devote yourself to Calamity Ganon? How do you even know Calamity Ganon isn’t using you? Or do you plan to sacrifice yourself for this insane cause?”

Astor recalled Sooga’s words. He wanted so much to lie through his teeth and say yes, but he honestly wasn’t satisfied with that answer. But, to answer truthfully would be a weakness and disloyalty to Lord Ganon. Not that he was ready to accept that the Great Calamity would ever require such a thing of him, or worse betray him.

Instead, he simply said, “My fate is to be at the right hand of Calamity Ganon.”

“I see…” Zelda said unconvinced. “I’m no prophet, but if you continue on your current path you’re almost certainly going to fall, either by the sword that seals the darkness or by your master when your usefulness has ended. Please stop what you’re doing… I… I don’t want to see this dark fate consume you.” Her answer sounded so confident this time.

The prophet’s insides twisted up. He hadn’t been prepared for the princess of Hyrule herself to beseech him in such a forthright manner. No, he had just expected her to oppose him with only righteous anger and nothing else. Why did she care so much? Why did she have to make this so complicated… and even uncomfortable. It was one thing to hear such a warning from Sooga, as rudely as he had put it. But it was another to hear it again from his mortal enemy, and he was so unaccustomed to kindness. And here she was… She wasn’t begging for her life. She was begging for his. This wasn’t going how he expected. No, she just felt like an unwanted distraction, perhaps even.... a temptation?

“Spare me, Your Highness, “ He spat. “I don’t need pity from the weakest chain in the goddesses’ bloodline!”

Zelda shifted her posture, turning her head slightly away from him, wounded by his words. He might as well have stabbed her in the heart and left her to bleed. But she held back. If he thought she was going to cry over insults she’d heard before and internalized, he had another thing coming.

“It’s so much more than pity...” Zelda said softly as she looked at the ground, her voice wavering.

However, It was painfully obvious he was a force she wasn’t going to be able to persuade, she thought, losing hope. Not that she was surprised.

Astor turned to go and Zelda let out a little gasp, knowing where he might be going. “Wait… Please, don’t leave…”

He turned and gave her a strange look.

Zelda chose her words carefully, knowing her champions were still in the middle of a dangerous mission at the Yiga Hideout, and she couldn’t put them at risk.

“Astor… If you don’t heed my warning... you will almost certainly face defeat… And it may come sooner than you think…” Zelda wished her final warning wasn’t so cold, so sterile, even vaguely threatening, but it was the best she could do all things considered. Still, she knew the moment he left she’d be in a world of self-loathing and regret. Self-loathing that she cared a little too much for him, and regret that she had failed to stop him.

He scoffed at her warning. “Your pleas are meaningless to me. I am a great seer and prophet of the Calamity. And you… are but a mere nuisance in my path. You will not impede my fate any further. Farewell, Your Highness…” He paused a moment as if hesitant to leave. He almost looked a little sorry. “If you should survive the Calamity... What will I do with you?” And with that, he vanished.

#Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity #Age of Calamity #HWAOC #Astor #fanfiction #Some real interaction here between the two #I can just imagine all the Zelda's of the past judging AOC Zelda and being like #"Don't despair he's got plot armor and he'll be around at least until the final battle.#Zelast

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beardycarrot · 3 years

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It is entirely possible that tomorrow, we’ll finally get a real look at the Breath of the Wild sequel. I’d like to make a few called shots... or at least state what I would like to see.

So, in my mind, that scene from the teaser was right at the beginning of the game, almost definitely in some catacombs under Hyrule Castle. Ganon launched his attack from down there, and it seems that up until the calamity began, his influence could only reach so far, right? I don’t have a solid guess as to why Link and Zelda have gone down there... maybe there have been strange rumblings from under the castle, maybe they’re doing research on ancient Sheikah tech, who knows.

I think this is going to be the very start of the game, with you immediately taking control of Link and leading the way through the underground ruins. You’ll occasionally have to fight small enemies like rats, Keese and Chuchus, and use the companion button (formerly the “whistle to horse” button) to sooth your pack animal. A couple times, you’ll have to take control of Zelda (OR, your friend will control her, because this game has co-op) and use the Sheikah Slate to solve simple puzzles. Maybe hold the companion button down to switch characters? At some point, Zelda suggests that you make camp for the night, and you get a cutscene with a bit of exposition.

After you resume, you eventually find your way to Ganondorf’s mummified remains, and... I don’t even know, man. Maybe Zelda, overcome with scholarly curiosity, accidentally disengages the magic holding him in place. Maybe the Triforce, which was basically not even mentioned in BotW, allows him to break free. Sheikah techology? Whatever the case, Ganon escapes, and the magic that was used to seal him latches onto Link’s arm for some reason. Ganon, freed, then... I guess raises Hyrule Castle from the ground? That’s what it looked like the original trailer was ending with. Who knows what he does then, hopefully time travel is involved and he sends them into a future fully controlled by him a la Samurai Jack, or into the distant past, or an alternate reality, or a dream world, or SOMETHING. So long as it’s not an ugly dreary Dark World (I likes me some green grass and blue skies) I’ll be happy... and speaking of, it would be cool to be able to travel between that setting and the one from BotW, just to do Tarrey Town-esque projects and rebuild the ruins of Hyrule. Or the ruins of whatever this new setting is.

Anyway, it’s only after this short tutorial area, maybe during the scene of Hyrule Castle being... whatever’d, that you get the title screen. The Legend of Zelda: Reach of the Abyss. Or uh. Hand of Eternity. Or maybe... Grasp at Some Straws. Yeah, the title could be anything, depending on the setting and plot. That magic hand power Link gets is definitely going to be a major gameplay mechanic though, so I feel like it’s probably going to be part of the title.

I’m fairly confident that the hand is going to be the new version of dungeon items, with Link gaining new powers for it throughout the game, while Zelda has the Sheikah Slate. Ideally, you’d have the ability to control both of them the entire time, with Zelda also getting new Sheikah Slate abilities... but that’s probably wishful thinking. I can also definitely see the revived Ganon just straight up kidnapping Zelda. Anyway, the most obvious use for the arm is having it stretch, to work like a hookshot. It’s glowy, so maybe it just naturally functions as a torch? Big fist to act as a hammer, maybe an ability to repel Ganon’s malice? An ability to stop time would be neat.

What else... the ability to enlist the help of a wide array of characters and creatures would be cool, as would expanded cooking and outfits consisting of more pieces. I also like to see underwater stuff in games, especially with free movement... and I’ve always wanted Nintendo to do another thing where Link can take on various different forms. It was cool in Majora’s Mask, it was cool in Kameo: Elements of Power, it was cool in Summoner: A Goddess Reborn, it... actually looks kinda lame in Balan Wonderworld, but that could just be me not liking the NiGHTS Into Dreams style. I’m pretty sure that glowy hand is the game’s major gameplay mechanic though, so unless they pull a Super Mario Odyssey and allow Link to turn into any creature he touches, I unfortunately can’t see this happening.

Just think... by this time tomorrow, we could know what the next Zelda game’s like. If they’re doing a Direct now, they could also tease Pokemon Diamond/Peal remakes, promising a closer look on the anniversary in like a week and a half... or even just do a full reveal, since the presentation is nearly an hour long. We could get Mario Odyssey 2, a new Donkey Kong game... hell, now that I think about it, wasn’t Smash was mentioned in the announcement of the Direct? Sephiroth was two months ago, and Steve two months before that... who’s next?

The safe bet is Crash Bandicoot, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Direct announced a new Fire Emblem, and its protagonist was in Smash. I’d be... annoyed, frustrated, underwhelmed... but not surprised. Dr. Eggman’s another likely choice, especially with a moveset reliant on robotic vehicles, but if I were to choose a character I actually wanted... I would go with Goemon, who isn’t going to happen because he’s already in as a costume, or Alis Landale, who isn’t going to happen because nobody knows who she is.

Honestly, I’m expecting another Capcom, Sega, or Namco character. Crono or Sora would be great, but two Squeenix characters in a row seems unlikely. I want Monster Hunter or Phoenix Wright, but y’know what? Namco’s kinda owed another character, in my opinion, so my official guess for the next Smash character is either Klonoa or Lloyd Irving. I don’t know that either of them would have a really unique, compelling play style, but the alternative is, what... someone from Tekken or Soul Calibur? Meh. I’m sure they could do something clever with Klonoa if they wanted. Like, how many people seriously thought Steve would have mining, crafting, and building as part of a fighting game moveset?

#zelda #breath of the wild #botw #ssbu #nintendo direct

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thebmatt · 3 years

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Another set of Character Development questions, this time very specific to FFXIV

I cam across another set of character development questions on the Emet-Selch Bookclub discord, and since I love these things, I’m going to answer all 35 of them for all 4 of my crew! Ready? Let’s go!

1. Where were they during the Calamity?

Franks had not yet made the journey between their worlds yet, he only did so about a year into the Seventh Umbral Era.

Fearless was still living on Aerslant, which I don’t know if there’s any canonical description of how the Calamity affected that region, but I’m going to go with “they felt the effects, but it wasn’t quite mass chaos like it was in Eorzea”

Dahkar and Rheika were both living in the Black Shroud but were mostly spared the direct effects.

2. How did they acquire their Echo?

All four of them received the Echo as it plays out in the MSQ. Dahkar and Rheika got it after dealing with the enraged treants at Lifemend Stump, Fearless and Franks after fighting the frenzied Mossback at the Seasong Grotto

3. Does their Echo function like it does in the MSQ? Or is there a twist to it?

For the most part it functions like it does in the MSQ, but there’s some extra abilities that it provides that I’m planning on exploring in a future fic. To summarize: the Armory system is represented as a pocket dimension the Warriors can store clothing, weapons, and tools in. The Echo also allows them to “pause and save” any learning they have done in a particular discipline and resume it as if no time had passed whenever they choose

4. Do they have a canon mount or minion? What's its name(s)?

All four of them have their chocobos, which I don’t have names for yet (the ones in game aren’t canon, as they’re mostly inside jokes). Aside from those, two of my crew have a couple of mounts special to them.

Franks has kept Maggie, the Magitek Armor liberated by the Garlond Ironworks. Most recently, he’s taken to using a Gabriel Alpha magitek unit that he liberated and rebuilt from the Bozjan Southern Front

Rheika is incredibly fond of the True Griffin she befriended while helping the Ananta at Castellum Velodyna.

5. Where are they from? What was their childhood like?

I’ve covered this in some of my “Details!” posts I’ve done for them all, so I’ll be brief here

Franks - from another world, grew up on a farm, pretty normal farmer’s childhood

Rheika - grew up outside of Gridania in a Keeper of the Moon community, a middleish child of a large number of sisters. Aside from being made to understand WAY too early that the Wood Wailers will always treat her like a second class citizen because she is a Keeper of the Moon, she had a pretty happy childhood

Dahkar - Born on the Azim Steppe, mother took him to Gridania after his tribe was killed. Similarly treated like outsider, but otherwise kept mostly to himself, only meeting a couple of friends growing up.

Fearless - born and raised in Aerslant, the Sea Wolf Roegadyn homeland. Child of wealthy parents, she had a privileged upbringing but no choice in anything.

6. How did they deal with the massacre on the Waking Sands?

All of them were horrified and angry by it. Franks had never really experienced the Garlean Empire’s brutality firsthand before this, and it cemented a personal desire to fight them. Fearless, who’d begun to develop serious feelings for Minfilia, was almost beside herself with worry.

7. How did they deal with Haurchefant's death?

All of them took it pretty hard, but Dahkar, who’d been romantically involved with him by this point, was almost broken by it. His grief nearly consumed him in rage, quite literally, but “Fray” managed to help him hold it together until he could process and grieve.

8. How did they feel about the liberation of Ala Mhigo? Do they feel it could have been handled differently? Where they at all bothered by how they were involved?

I get the sense from the way this question was worded that the original author doesn’t care for the Stormblood storyline much, but honestly, I don’t have a problem with it. None of my crew are native Ala Mhigans, but they were all too happy to participate when it became clear that the time for it to happen had been chosen for everyone by Ilberd’s actions. Plus, y’know, there was that whole potential Bahamut-level primal they needed to deal with. Losing so handily to Zenos was a serious morale blow that messed them all up quite a bit, but all four of them went along with the plan. It offered them a chance to get better, to weaken the Empire and strengthen themselves.

9. How do they feel about Zenos?

THey all hate the guy for nearly killing so many of their friends and injuring them so badly. Later, pretty much universal relief when he died, pissed off that he didn’t stay that way, and now hell-bent on ending him once and for all. All of them pretty much agree that bastard needs to die.

10. How do they feel about their relationship with Hydaelyn? Midgarsormr?

Initially they accepted that Hydaelyn was a benevolent force, but once they learned of her origin, especially that she was a primal, a private debate broke out among them all the first chance they got to talk about it (which was after the Shadowbringers 5.0 MSQ when Rheika finally got back to the Source). Franks is very concerned that they’ve been tempered. Dahkar is now extremely wary of her, but isn’t certain their free will has been removed. Rheika and Fearless are unwilling to give up on her, but don’t understand why she stopped speaking to them.

Initially, they were all furious at Midgardsormr, but came to realize that his deeds in severing their connection to Hydaelyn definitely made them stronger. They now regard him as a friend and a source of wisdom.

11. Were they more sympathetic to the dragons, Ishgardians, neither or both?

Franks wasn’t certain of this, having known sentient dragons that had absolutely been wronged by mortals in his homeworld, but he didn’t see a way to fix this on his own, so he went along with helping the Ishgardians. He was absolutely on board with Alphinaud’s plan to try and end it, however.

The others had far less experience with Dragons, and initially accepted their version of events without much thought. They immediately turned on the whole idea when the deception was exposed, though.

12. How has their job affected whatever headcanon version is of the MSQ if any?

As I’ve explained in previous posts, I’ve parsed out all of the jobs (except Monk) to my characters, with the aim of balancing the following ideas.

○ At all times during the story, one of them should be capable of tanking, one healing, and the others DPSing ○ If possible no one should have more than 1 job from any of the 5 roles ○ Obviously, don’t give jobs to characters that make no sense for them to pick up

It’s taken a few revisions, but I’m currently happy with the setup they have. For the most part, they’re extremely proficient with their chosen fighting styles and don’t mind swapping around to fill whatever need is present. For Heavensward, the trio who got their new jobs in Ishgard chose to stick with them for the most part, and for much of the Far Eastern parts of Stormblood, Rheika and Fearless chose to stay Ninja and Samurai for the most part, since it felt “right” to them to use those arts when fighting for Doma’s liberation.

13. Are they close with any of the other Scions? Who do they get along with the best?

Franks gets along best with the more scholarly minded members of the Scions, specifically Y’shtola, Urianger, Krile, and G’raha when he later joins.

Rheika and Tataru have become the best of friends since she joined. She’s always encouraged Tataru to better herself however she wants, and really loves the newfound confidence she’s gained

Dahkar is closest to Thancred among the senior scions. Among the other members, he’s flirted with Ephemie a fair amount, and is considering whether or not he wants to deepen that to something more serious.

Fearless is probably closest to Alisaie. She admires her confidence a great deal.

14. Of the Scions, who are they most worried for?

Franks is most worried for Y’shtola and her “aethersight” draining her life force. He’s actively trying to modify the SCH magicks that cured the tonberry plague to restore her eyesight (and Thancred’s ability to manipulate aether)

Rheika is probably most worried about Urianger, as he’s shown a very disturbing pattern for pursuing a hidden agenda to further the scion’s goals, He claims to be done with that, but she’s worried he might slip into old habits in the future.

Dahkar and Fearless aren’t particularly worried about any of the Scions, beyond the default “these are my adopted family and I don’t want anything to happen to them” level of fear.

15. Is your WoL promiscuous? Celibate? Or just waiting for the right person?

Franks has so far been unable to move past the death of his wife to consider any new relationships. He’s also far older (if only mentally) than anyone who’d be interested, which also blocks him from considering anything new.

Rheika is aromantic, but pansexual. Romance does nothing for her, she just likes having fun with anyone she considers attractive and will respect her rule. She’s got a number of paramours in various parts of the world.

Dahkar is bi, and willing to engage in casual liaisons but at his heart, he really wants a committed relationship. After Haurchefant died, he hasn’t been involved in anything serious since, only crushing on people emotionally unavailable, such as Yugiri (bound by her oath to HIen) or Kurenai (bound by the oath of the Ruby Princess). He’s recently come to realize that this was a form of self-sabotage and is trying to open up again.

Fearless crushes on every pretty girl she has come across, but is usually too shy or lacking in self-confidence to follow up on them. She greatly regrets never telling Minfilia how she felt about her. Her time as a Warrior of LIght and the friendship she’s built with her fellows has helped tremendously. She’s currently involved in a poly triad with two other women.

16. What does your WoL do to relax? What sorts of distractions do they seek? Do they foster any bad habits as a result?

They enjoy spending time together or with the other Scions. If they’re at a point when they need to be alone, they’ll do the following.

Franks likes to tinker, build things, or solve arcanima problems. He can sometimes get wrapped up in any of those and lose track of time. He’s also prone to hiding away to avoid socializing.

Rheika will generally find someone to take to bed if she’s really stressed, otherwise she’s fine just hanging with people

Depending on his mood, Dahkar will either find a monster to fight (never something he’s not confident he can beat) or leap to whatever the highest place he can find is and just enjoy the view.

Fearless enjoys reading novels, but as of late prefers spending time with her girlfriends.

17. Who is their favorite Alliance leader? Who do they get along with the best out of them?

Counting only the 5 members of the Eorzean Alliance, in order from most to least.... 1. Lyse - because she’s one of them, come on 2. (tie) Merlwyb/Aymeric - because they are good people who have the strength to move their nation forward to a better place 3. Nanamo - she’s trying to make Ul’dah better, at least, even if she isn’t able to affect change. Plus she’s not doing enough to address corruption in the Brass Blades 4. Kan-E-Senna - she seems entirely content to leave her people at the mercy of elementals and isn’t doing NEAR enough to address racial inequality in Gridania

18. Does your WoL fully embrace their role as the WoL or do they try to remain humble?

For the most part, they’re humble, but all of them are not afraid to use their titles/fame to get what they need or to make someone’s life better if they can do so.

19. What do they think of the Heaven's Ward?

The only ones they really got to know were the two that tried to condemn Alphinaud and Tataru for “heresy” and the one who attacked them when they were meeting with Hilda. Those were...not positive experiences. That, coupled with the fact that all of them willingly followed the Archbishop into summoning Primals into themselves pretty much sealed their opinion on the rest.

20. Of all the places they've been to, which is their favorite? Do they like to go back there?

Franks enjoys spending time in Ishgard, both because the manufactory is there and he enjoys collaborating with the other machinists and because he really enjoys working on the Restoration of the Firmament.

Rheika enjoys being in Mor Dhona and the Crystarium the most. It’s full of people all working together for the same end, and she’s happy being a part of it and doing her part to help.

Dahkar also loves Mor Dhona, but he’s found going back to the Far East oddly soothing. He feels a connection to the Azim Steppe, despite not really knowing what it means to live there, he wants to learn.

Fearless has made Kugane her home, thanks in part to her one of her girlfriends living there and the other currently on an extended tour there as well.

21. Are there any raid storylines (Ivalice, Coil of Bahamut, Werlyt, etc.) you consider to be canon for your WoL? Which ones don't you consider canon?

I consider all of them to be canon, save potentially the NieR crossover alliance raids. Honestly, the entire story of that place just felt so odd and out of place that I didn’t really enjoy it, and I’m tempted just to say it didn’t happen. Everything else, though? Absolutely canonical.

22. Do you have a unique tale for their job class or is it pretty much like what it is in the game?

Most of them are pretty much as they were in the game, though I have some personal headcanons on how Arcanima and the Paladin job work, the latter of which I’ve explored in one of my fics. The former will be somewhat explained in the current longform fic I’m working on.

23. Are there any side quest storylines that you're particularly fond of or think of as being canon to your WoL's experiences?

Aside from the raids, alliance raids, and trial series, which 21 covered, I’d say all of the Beast tribe quests, the Scholasticate quests (which I suppose means Hildibrand has to be canon too), and most of the sidequesting in Sui-no-Sato are all canon experiences.

24. Does your WoL have any phobias?

None of them have any real strange or irrational fears of note, not that I’ve been able to think of that make sense to the characters, anyway.

25. Do they have any habits or rituals that they do to soothe themselves? I.e. Playing with their hair, chewing their lip, fidgeting, etc.

Franks will absentmindedly fidget with a tool or some spare parts. He’s actually built a small gadget that has some switches and buttons that do nothing for this purpose.

Rheika is restless and prefers to move while thinking. She tends to bounce a leg if she has to sit still too long.

Dahkar is pretty capable of concentrating without needing any kind of habit to aid in it.

Fearless tends to bottle it up until she can release it in private, either by meditating or dancing, depending on her level of anxiety and privacy expectations

26. Do they suffer any traumas from any of their adventures? How do you foresee this affecting them going forward?

Fearless was actually persuaded to pick of the Astrologian job thanks to the trauma of the banquet. She wanted to be able to predict anything that awful from happening to her and her friends again.

LIkewise Dahkar was so traumatized by that (and the Braves’ betrayal), it was the final catalyst needed for him to be open to his Darkside and become a Dark Knight. He’s also the one most affected by Haurchefant’s death, and as I explained earlier, it’s subconsciously kept him from going after other romantic relationships

Rheika had nightmares about Tesleen for months, and they were made worse when she herself nearly became a sin eater. She practiced quick drawing her bow and hitting accurate long distance shots for a long time after that, wanting to be prepared to save someone from that kind of distance if she had to.

Franks has dealt with enough trauma in his previous life that a lot of what he’s seen on Hydaelyn doesn’t affect him as much as it otherwise might.

27. How did the events of Shadowbringers impact them?

Rheika was the only one present for the events of 5.0, and my headcanon is that she wasn’t able to get home until after Hades was defeated. She felt alone and adrift without her fellow Warriors, and the trauma she endured did not help matters. Seeing them summoned to aid her was a balm on her soul, and when Franks figured out how to get the others to the First a little before the events of the Eden raid, she was overjoyed.

28. Were they suspicious or open to Emet-Selch's presence when he first appeared?

Rheika never believed he had good intentions. She always expected him to betray them at some point, but there didn’t seem to be much she COULD do before that happened. Even after he rescued Y’shtola, that was never enough for her trust.

29. Did your WoL suspect anything was amiss with Urianger or the Crystal Exarch? Did they feel betrayed? Upset? When the truth finally emerged?

Rheika immediately recognized G’raha Tia (”I mean he wasn’t even TRYING to change his voice!”), but she assumed there was a reason he was hiding from her, and she trusted Urianger’s vision. When the truth came out, she was angry about being lied to. She understood their reasoning, but threated to beat the crap out of both of them if they ever tried something like that again.

30. What was their highest point in Shadowbringers? Their lowest? What caused it?

High point - ending Hades. Low Point - failing to save Tesleen

31. What were their first impressions of Hien?

Aside from Rheika and Dahkar finding him very hot, they were all very impressed by his willingness to sacrifice his own life if his people chose not to fight any longer

32. Did they trust Asahi right away? Why or why not?

Not right away, no. None of them are quick to trust Garlean officials, and Asahi felt way too slimy. None of them were all together surprised with how things turned out, save for when Maxima agreed to abide by the exchange after everything went south.

33. How did they feel about what happened with Yotsuyu? Did they feel like she was justified in her actions?

All of them felt bad for Yotsuyu’s horrible upbringing (and have made it VERY clear to Hien that he needs to make sure the new Doma does NOT allow for this to happen again), but accept that she made the choices she did and that ultimately, she needed to be stopped.

34. Would you say your WoL is fundamentally a good person? Or are they a bad person that's been persuaded to do the right things?

All of them are absolutely good people fundamentally. They know they’re the only ones that can fight the ridiculous battles they get into, and they’re okay with doing it, because ultimately, they want to save lives.

35. How do they feel about the fact that they've killed a lot of people and/or things?

They all understand that for every life they have to take, it means more are safe, sound, and happy down the road. All of their choices are made with that goal in mind.

#Final Fantasy XIV #oldmanfranks #Rheika Aliapoh #Fearless Willow #Dahkar Darkspear

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twotonedechoes · 4 years

Text

Midnight Oil

//I finally come back to post writing and it’s just a blurb of pre-sundering/tempering Emet-Selch and Lahabrea working late. Truly, I am a master of fiction. Anyway, enjoy?

The growing crick in his neck awoke him, alerting Hades to the awkward position he had fallen asleep in, nigh collapsed over his desk. With a groan, he blinked back sleep, pushing himself upright in a shuffle of papers and shimmering concept crystals. His mask had fallen away as he slept, but alone in the illustrious office of Emet-Selch, he did not immediately bother to replace it. Rather he fell back against his chair, his hood falling away as well to leave both his fair features and snowy hair exposed.

Scandalous, to be sure, but he couldn’t be arsed to care at the moment. His golden eyes glimmered, reflecting the shifting stars above, clearly visible though the tiered glass ceiling so far above him. A beautiful night, and he had nigh spent the entirety of it locked away in his office. It was not an uncommon occurrence in these chaotic, uncertain days.

Following that thought, his gaze drifted down and out his open office door, settling on the closed and locked one directly across the hall from his own. Not so very long ago, that door as well would have stood open in ever ready invitation, and she might well have been there, even at this hour. Seated at her own desk, she might have looked up as he did, and after ensuring there were no witnesses to be seen, slid her mask away momentarily to spare him a scandalous wink and shared smile.

His eyes softened as he pictured her there, his own lips turning up in the present as he imagined blowing her a kiss in return, weaving a bubbly heart of aether to float across the hall and burst gently against her cheek in a flood of perfume and warmth. He could almost hear her laughter at his sappiness, see her lips form the words, “silly man”, as she shook her head in fondness before they both returned to their work with renewed vigor, and a lingering shared smile.

A scene that had played out countless times, and yet one he had never tired of enacting. And oh, how he missed it now. The smile faded as his thoughts returned to the present, and the door across the hall remained closed, the office within sterile and empty. She was no longer welcome therein, having rescinded her station in such anger and haste. 14 were now 13, and there was no time to fill the vacant office, and so it remained empty, a hollow reminder of the schism between them all and the heavy choice they had made.

It was only the first of many high prices they would pay along the path they had chosen, and the ever-present knowledge of the sacrifice that was to come burned as an uncomfortable coal in his breast.

How, oh how, could it have come to this?

He had not yet given up hope of finding another way… but the plans must carry on. Preparations must be made, and it would require all they had and more to ensure all went as planned. Never before had creation on such a grand and lasting scale been attempted, not since those first mythical days of yore and lore when their ancestors had first gained thought, and formed earth of tumultuous star. Those beings who had formed themselves of wild aether, forging sentience and melding into existence the very laws of reality… would they know what caused this calamity, were they still around to be questioned?

In desperation, he had tried to find them, searching the Underworld for traces of the first of them–the most ancient of Ancients–in hopes they might yet hold knowledge of the fell Sound that heralded their doom, but if traces remained still, they did not care to answer his calls.

With a sigh so deep and heavy he felt it within his very core, Hades stood, taking his mask in hand, but leaving the mass of theoretical composites, prototype concepts, and aetherological formulations in a jumbled mess atop his desk. There was little need to see them filed away. He would be returning to them once more all too soon. His shoulders pressed heavy with the weight of both responsibility and the hopes that his people had placed upon him–upon all of the members of the Convocation–and it was with a tired shuffle he made his way down the long, gilded corridor. The people even now believed in their leaders, believed in their ability to find a way to save them all from what seemed certain doom.

He desperately hoped he could prove worthy of that faith.

He had nigh reached the end of the corridor, hand reaching forth to open the grand double doors that led from the Hall of the Offices of the Convocation to the entrance hall of the Capitol when a sound from behind caught his ear. He could not be certain, but it had seemed to be the sound of a concept synthesis failing to catch, followed by a quiet swear. He half turned, looking back down the corridor whence he had come. The hour was unholy late, and tho the Convocation members–dedicated men and women all–had ever been known to work long into the night, surely no others had been fool enough to remain this late…

Or so he thought. From further down, beyond his own office, a faint flickering glow passed into the hall, as of that of a form moving before a dim light. For a moment, he considered shrugging it off, and continuing on, but curiosity got the better of him. Leaving the doors unopened, he turned, replacing his mask and hood as he made his way once more down the long hall. Once he had reached his own office once more, with that of the 14th standing locked and empty across from it, he could make out which of the others the glow emanated from, and it came as no further shock to see it confirmed once he arrived to peer in the open doorway.

The Esteeemed Lahabrea stood, hands pressed to either side of his desk as he leaned heavily, staring down at the shattered remnants of a broken concept crystal. That would be the failed synthesis then. Tho his back was turned, Hades could clearly see the man’s frustration in the rigid set of his shoulders, and the harsh grip of his hands against the lip of the desk. It would seem all was not going to plan.

“The idea, I believe, is to keep the concept within the crystal. ” Hades drawled by way of greeting, leaning against the door frame with arms crossed, “Not to spill it willy-nilly across your desk. Tho I suppose it does make for a fetching conversation piece. Very abstract. Emotional. A heartfelt expression of the turmoil of our time. Well done, really. I hadn’t thought you the artistic sort, but I suppose such times bring out the artiste in all of us, ay?”

Lahabrea’s shoulders stiffened yet further at the uninvited intrusion, and it was only the most rigid of ingrained manners that graced him to turn and bow a stiff and most unwelcoming greeting in return. “The most honored Emet-Selch,” he said, voice clipped and carefully clear of all emotion, aside from mayhap a touch of annoyance. “To what do I owe the late pleasure of your visit?”

Despite it all, Hades’ lips twitched up into a smirk as he watched his comrade in his careful and meticulous observation of politeness. Even so startled, even with agitation clear at hand, let no man say Lahabrea ever lacked for the right words, the textbook perfect reactions. In gentler times, it had been something of a game for Hades, trying to needle and poke at the man in an attempt to provoke him into loosening that unshakable reserve, and commit a faux pas. Yet tho Lahabrea’s tone often belayed his annoyance, and his body language might turn stiff and sharp, never had his words been aught less than polite and proper. One might as well be speaking to a recording or a retrieval program, for all the variance he showed. As if he was actually incapable of replying in a manner inconsistent with less than perfect manners and social graces.

It had been an endless source of amusement to Hades, when there was time yet for such frivolity as a bit of light hazing. Not that it had ever come from a place of dislike. Far from it. The esteemed Lahabrea, or at least he who wore the title at present, was an earnest and nigh bafflingly brilliant young man. Far younger than would normally be considered for nomination to the Convocation, in fact. His theoretical work and aetherological postulations had raised many a brow for their unconventional demonstration of universal connectivity and advanced understanding of the nature of elemental convergence. Even as but a student of the Akademia, he had caught attention for his confidence in debating his elders, making himself no stranger to discourse within the Hall of Rhetoric long before most grew bold enough to do more than spectate. Soon enough, he was giving lectures of his own, and drawing no small crowds.

The attention was not unwarranted. His grasp of the very fundamentals of creation were on a level far beyond that which all but the most dedicated of researchers could hope to attain, and yet for him the understanding had seemed to come naturally. Soon enough he had attained professorship within the Akademia itself. His ambition matched his brilliance however, and was not to be placated. When the previous Lahabrea had made her decision to gracefully step away, the young man had put his name forth for consideration, presented with no shortage of letters of recommendation, and documentations of his qualifications.

In the end, nigh the sole detraction against voting for him to fill the empty shoes had been his age. That, and a demonstrated rashness in action. Perhaps due to his seeming instinctual understanding of creation magics, he was quick to use them. Sometimes a bit too quick. This however had ultimately been attributed to a simple quirk of youth, and it had been counter-argued that surrounded by his elders, and with the pressure of office looming above him, it was unlikely to become an issue.

Nor had it, in most cases. It was but one of his few flaws that being so accustomed to his brilliance seeing him through, on the rare occasions when his calculations or theories were incorrect and failure followed, he did not take it well in stride. Thus was surely the root of his annoyance this night. To have not only failed in synthesizing whatever concept he had intended to encapsulate, but to so immediately after have the failure verbalized in so demeaning a manner surely did not sit at ease upon his pricked pride.

Considering how high tensions had been running of late, Hades chose the course of prudence, and relented from any further teasing.

On that matter at least.

Pushing off from the wall, he invited himself further into the office, picking up the shattered crystal shards to inspect them as he answered. “I was curious to see who else could possibly be fool enough to choose their desk over their bed. I was not expecting to find you. Have you naught else to do with your time? Surely a man of your age has other amusements to be chasing late into the night?”

Posture rigid and alert, Lahabrea tracked his guest’s movements, the harsh set of his mask giving the appearance of hostility, even when it was not intended. “Even if I were to, would you not agree that those of our station have no time to dedicate to frivolity? With all due respect, Emet-Selch, if I have time for amusement, then I have time for work.”

Hades allowed the man’s words to hang in silence a moment, seemingly more interested in investigating the shard of crystal he held to the light. “Spoken like a true believer,” he said at last, making a game of reflecting a spot of rainbow light onto the desk. “Surely your dedication to our chosen course is unwavering, unrelenting… Unsurprising, given as it was–as I recall–your idea.”

It seemed a hint of relief touched the harsh set of Lahabrea’s shoulders as he nodded. “It was and remains the single best chance we hold. There is no erring from our set course. No room for uncertainty.”

“So you say,” drawled Hades, holding the shard higher. “And yet…” His eyes drifted out of focus as his vision shifted, tracking the paths of aether that had been woven and shattered, rather than the simple sight of the remains. “This concept was for an advanced aetherial binding, was it not? The same sort used to wick away the imaginary phantoms called forth by unsettled children in slumber. Albeit on a much larger scale. How… curious that you might be found working on such a niche application, when you hold such certainty in the power of this… Zodiark.”

He half turned as he spoke, maneuvering the crystal shard in his hand to shine an almost playful splash of rainbow light on the harsh mask of his comrade. The tension returned to Lahabrea’s stance, as his lips tightened into a thin line for a brief heartbeat, before he bowed.

“My esteemed and honored colleague, forgive my indelicacy in bringing it to word, but you will find a strand of your hair has once again escaped its bindings, and is visible for all to see. I would not wish you to dishonor yourself with this indiscretion, plague you as I know it often does.”

Keep your mind to your own business. He could not have said it more politely… or plainly. Hades reached up, pulling the errant strand through his thumb and forefinger. It had ever been a stubborn one. With a sigh, he set the shard back upon the desk, tucking the hair back behind his mask once more before he made as if to leave, only for the movement to stall err he followed through. Rather, half turned, he reached out, placing a hand on his comrade’s shoulder.

“Have care, Lahabrea. We all wish for a solution which weighs less heavy in cost, but you benefit no one by working yourself to the bone in search of one. Go home. Rest. See to your loved ones. All too soon they–” He stopped himself from going on, from voicing it. They all, every one, had those they knew and held dear who would be among those to step forward that final day. How could they possibly forget, even for a moment, when Elidibus himself–

“Get some rest, my friend.” He said again, giving the younger man’s shoulder a soft squeeze as he shuffled off.

It seemed there would be no reply, but as Hades reached the door, Lahabrea turned and spoke again, and for once there was a thread of emotion within it, a plea filled with regret. “Emet-Selch! Please, tell her I–”

Regathering himself, Lahabrea shook his head, and bowed once more. “A good night to you as well, my esteemed comrade.”

Hades paused at the doorway, and then nodded. He would not push. Not on that matter. “Good night.”

In the corridor behind him as he made his way once more to the grand double doors, he heard the familiar sounds of another concept crystal being readied for synthesis. He was not surprised to find his advice unheeded, nor did he doubt in the least that the man would yet be here when he again arrived in the morn. They all had their own ways of coping with what loomed ahead. For Hades however, what was most important awaited him at home, and he would keep her waiting no longer this night. The darkness of night was too great to spend alone.

#{muse:Ancient}#FFXIV #Emet-Selch #Lahabrea

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ever-searching · 4 years

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Companion piece to FFXIVWrite #30

Since my writing for the FFXIVWrite prompt #30: Splinter (which can be found here) included a lot of different AUs which I’ve never talked about, I thought that I could write a companion piece which tells a bit more about them. I decided to also add short descriptions of each character's “main universe” versions for clarity.

Short summaries can be found below. Be warned that the text may contain minor story spoilers for the FFXIV main scenario story line until the early bits of Shadowbringers, though.

(MU = "main universe" (roleplay-verse), WoL = Warrior of Light (canon storyline), First = Norvrandt version)

Cain

MU Cain: An adventurer/odd-jobs from Thanalan who is trying to make his mark and struggles with impostor syndrome a bit. Lived on the streets from Calamity until roughly 7th Astral Era. Somewhat snarky at times, but at his core an awkward nerd. Thaumaturge with basic knife-fighting skills.

WoL Cain: Starts off very enthusiastic but gradually gets tired of everyone expecting that he solves their problems and nobody giving him even a small break. Got off the streets a year or two earlier than the MU Cain but still inherited his self-negligent ascetic lifestyle. Possibly snarkier than the other versions. Black Mage / Dark Knight.

First Cain / “Kayneth”: Son of a miner couple from Twine who left to seek better life in Eulmore; he either wasn't taken along or didn’t manage to become a bonded citizen. Eventually, his path lead him to Crystarium, where he became an adventurer. Lost his eyesight at some point when something clawed him in the face but navigates using aether.

Narangelel

MU Narangelel: A wanderer/hunter from the Azim Steppe who came to Azeroth to sate her wanderlust and find something that would fill the emptiness she feels. Placid and polite but sometimes a bit apathetic, perhaps. Lancer, though also somewhat effective with knives.

WoL Narangelel: Leaves the Steppe a few years earlier than MU Nara. Still hasn't found what she is looking for, but although her work is hard, she feels oddly at peace with it. Possibly fascinated by dragons after acquiring a dragoon soulstone. Represents Kha tribe rather than Mol during the Naadam (possibly negotiating a temporary alliance between the two tribes beforehand) and turns down Magnai’s proposal, though politely (because he'd definitely make one). Dragoon / Rogue.

First Narangelel / “Naldia”: Adventurer who hunts monsters and sin eaters as her profession. Has traced her origins to the Kingdom of Voeburt but hasn’t yet managed to visit Il Mheg. A bit more world-weary than the other two versions.

Storm

MU Storm: Former magical murder machine / Garlean conscript from Gyr Abania, current book merchant / artisan living in Ul'dah. Nicknamed ‘Stoneface' for a reason. Aether sensitive. Has a fairly strict code of honour. Helps the downtrodden when he can, particularly if they are magically capable. Arcanist with elemental spells and no carbuncles.

WoL Storm: Ends up helping Momodi with something, and somehow that leads to Storm becoming the Warrior of Light. Has a lot of conflicted feelings for a very long time, particularly when the events take him to Gyr Abania; eventually, the Ala Mhigans (some of who might recognize him) forgive him for his past deeds. Possible dad figure for some Scions. Summoner / Gunbreaker; still rarely uses egis or healing spells.

First Storm / “Forgiven Remorse”: An unfortunate Hume who got turned into a sin eater. Might have been a powerful mage and/or a powerful soldier, but he is doomed to get struck down. (A short post about this version can be found here.)

G’ilas

MU G’ilas: A cheerful adventurer/treasure hunter from Abalathia’s Spine who served the Maelstrom as a field medic until Cartenau. Usually an optimist and even something of a joker, but dislikes being pressured and doesn’t take it well if he is unable to save someone. Conjurer, though he does carry a knife.

WoL G’ilas: As the MU one, except that his adventuring path lead him to meet with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. While he remains fairly cheerful and smiles often, the losses and failures he has suffered in the course of his journeys have given his optimism a slightly desperate edge at times: he might not have met any of his closest companions in this timeline, which gives him a shakier foundation. White Mage, and possibly a Samurai.

First G’ilas / “Gae-Satt”: A relaxed Mystel living a life of luxury in Eulmore. Still friendly and happy-go-lucky, but doesn’t seem to be interested in adventuring in the least.

Merces

MU Merces: Allagan bodyguard/soldier clone who slumbered in Azys Lla for millennia before getting freed by a band of adventurers (namely G‘ilas and his friends). Chose G’ilas as his new master, but is slowly learning to live without constantly serving someone. Still sometimes feel like a fish out of (temporal) water. Polite, somewhat curious and very serious-minded. Gladiator, but adequate with more or less all melee weapons.

WoL Merces: Rather than having been forgotten or left in Azys Lla, this version of Merces was placed in the Crystal Tower and awakened after the beginning of the 7th Umbral Era. As he never found a master, he might feel and act even more detached from the world than the MU Merces. Gladiator / Lancer / Samurai.

First Merces: Doesn’t exist. Allagan Empire never existed in Norvrandt, and the person he was based on probably lived and died centuries earlier.

Sasameru

MU Sasameru: A Dunesfolk researcher with a passion for studying magic, though his own aetherial capabilities are almost non-existent. Amiable but a bit absent-minded at times. Runs a bookshop. May or may not do some shady business as an informant and a code cracker as a side-business, encouraged by his family.

WoL Sasameru: Doesn't exist. Would require Sasameru more capable in manipulating aether, and if that was the case, his backstory might have taken quite a different turn.

First Sasameru / "Samugg"?? "Samsard"??: A researcher working at the Cabinet of Curiosity in Crystarium. While I originally intended to keep his race the same, Lalafells/Dwarves are quite rare and reclusive, which made me reconsider... so it's also possible that First Sasameru would in fact be a Galdjent (as their naming scheme would work well with his name).

Lumien

MU Lumien: A soft-hearted, somewhat clumsy and insecure Elezen from Gridania who struggled and failed to become a Wood Wailer, then ran from home and tried to become a Gladiator in Ul'dah, and then became a retainer. Has some aptitude with conjury but doesn't (yet) know how to utilize his potential nor fully believe in it. Writes poems and likes cats. Gladiator / Conjurer, though both only on very basic levels.

WoL Lumien: Didn’t give up on Gladiator training before he encountered Thancred and so remained one. After he gets introduced to the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, he doesn’t initially realize (or accept) that he is the Warrior of Light. Learns to control his nerves to a degree, which makes him less clumsy in battle, and that in turn helps him to become a bit more confident; still writes poetry and remains fairly shy. Knows that he can't save everyone but still tries, even though it hurts. Paladin / Conjurer.

First Lumien / "Lyriath": The son of bandits/poachers who has been dragged into the life of crime; hates what he is doing but doesn't think he can escape it. Insecure and downhearted, and has an occasional tendency to make a martyr of himself.

Haldswys

All three versions follow roughly the same theme of "boisterous bruiser", though the WoL version and particularly the First version have probably gained quite bit more scars than the MU version.

Chaz

MU Chaz: Self-proclaimed "wisdom hunter" who left Ishgard after he wasn't allowed to study in the Scholasticate. Loves books and does anything and everything to get them, including stealing. Somewhat bratty and arrogant, but still probably a jerk with a heart of gold. Rogue with some improvised Astrologian skills.

WoL Chaz: At some point, his paths crossed with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, and one thing lead to another until he found himself being the saviour of Eorzea. Still sometimes puts an act of a know-it-all, speaks snarkily and/or refuses to do things that he doesn't like, but he is surprisingly dedicated to saving the world. Besides, being a hero has given him a way into some restricted libraries, so he can't really complain, can he? Astrologian / Ninja.

First Chaz / "Sawes": A guard defending Crystarium. While he doesn't exactly love fighting, has become somewhat nonchalant about fighting over the course of years, at least as long as he isn't in mortal danger. Visits the Cabinet of Curiosity on his days off and has probably read a large number of the books there.

Brenda

MU Brenda: A travelling minstrel who carries their father's Red Mage soulstone in the hopes that it will either react to them or that they will find someone worthy of it. A bit awkward but strives to look and act like a hero. Archer.

WoL Brenda: Runs into the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and accompanies them, thinking that one of them might be the worthy holder of the soulstone. In general, they probably spend a good while thinking that they're just accompanying the real heroes to record their story or being the replacement hero until the real one is found; they are convinced only when the soulstone ends up choosing them. Red Mage / Bard.

First Brenda / "Brinaette": A citizen of the Crystarium known to perform at the Wandering Stairs. Probably very knowledgeable or at least interested in the history of Norvrandt. Might also be an adventurer although singing and playing guitar are their biggest passions.

#FFXIVWrite 2020 #Cain #Narangelel #Nara #Storm #G'ilas #Merces #Sasameru #Lumien #Haldswys #Chaz #Brenda #(tagging all characters for possible future reference)#(also using the FFXIVWrite tag so I can find this with the prompt if needed)#hopefully this clarifies at least something #as this turned wayyy longer than I exptected #no pictures because I ran out of energy //orz #I guess I'm not that invested in Haldswys's AU ahaha...

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teenynyxpersonal · 5 years

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When first they told him everything, he could scarce believe it. So many years, decades, lives, come and gone. They explained how they came to find him, how much time had passed from the beginning of his isolation until now, and then finally, of the Eight Umbral Calamity.

The mention of it, however surprising it might be to others, was not what he had wanted to hear right away. Certainly, it was a predictable thing. Umbral comes after Astral, a slate wiped clean, and people rebuild, as was the case with earlier civilizations. It is only when he hears the part she played in it that he feels dizzy, sick, and an inconsolable despair swells his chest.

His crystalized hand comes to cover his mouth, red eyes screwed tightly shut as he listens. He doesn’t want to hear it, doesn’t want to know the details, and yet he knows this is important.

“How...?” He manages quietly as the man across from him, Biggs, not the first of his name but a descendant, finishes describing the devastation. “I don’t understand how she could have died. She should not have been able to die so easily...”

“Ah, then you know about that.” He sits down, sighs and takes a drink of the warm tea he had poured them. G’Raha had yet to touch his beyond the first sip. “It wasn’t common knowledge, but yes, The Warrior of Light was essentially immortal. Both her and her sibling were blessed with finding those crystals long ago, which gave them strength and longevity. The ability to rise to any occassion and from any wound, no matter how fatal. They were to become Her champions, and Nyxia did follow that for the most part.”

“I am told after the mess with Ala Mhigo, she wandered, saw many things, touched many lives. Reverence for her actions grew in those who she met, and it is those who come from the ones she saved that labor today to pick up the pieces.”

He pauses, looks at his cup. It seems his words are too heavy, and G’Raha waits with bated breath, unable to look up from the floor.

“In the end, she was alone. Her sister Taja had perished from the corruption of Aether that seeped into the crystal she beared. Her comrades suffered a similar fate. Perhaps because she was the Warrior of Light, she did not suffer that. Hers was worse. The effects of that which caused the Calamity was that aether no longer flowed, was stopped, and stagnated. She could not recover, could not draw from outside sources, and so she had to use her own.”

“Alone with the looming of a terror too large to handle, she gave everything to put an end to it. I am told it was a beautiful and sorrowful event. The energy she harnessed and used was likened to starlight, and they say it did not stop raining the stuff for a month. At the end, when the dust settled and rescue crews could finally enter that empty ground, there lay her belongings, but not a trace of her.”

The miqo’tes hands clench in his robe, and he feels hot wetness welling behind his eyes. How scared, she must have felt at that moment, knowing she was about to die. Alone, afraid, desperate, she did what she had to. It saved many, but at such a cost... such an inexcusable cost!

“Eorzea plunged into darkness from then on. Riots broke out, the Grand Companies collapsed, chaos took hold. Garlemald ruled for a time, then perished, and order was never restored no matter who tried to take control. Murders happened in the streets, the world crumbled with her loss. Yet here, in this final place, you will hear stories of her, songs sung of her final moments and of her bravery.”

“Bravery.” G’Raha scoffs, angered, hurt. “Not a single thing to be said about the woman behind the Hero. Even then, even in our time, they held not a thought for her, but for what she could do for them!” His jaw clenches, teeth grating as he stands. He is furious, the most angry he has felt in such a long time. Even longer than he realizes perhaps, but that is beyond the point.

“She was more than a Champion to Eorzea! More than the Warrior of Light! More than anything, she was-! She was My Inspiration! My everything! Before she was a Hero, she was Nyxia, the woman who I-!” He chokes, his chest tight, and he sputters, coughs.

“Easy, easy, calm yourself. Getting worked up will only hurt you.” Biggs encourages, a big hand guiding him back onto the sofa. G’Raha lets him, only because he has not the strength now to stop it. He had only just woken up a day ago.

Nothing but the sound of labored breathing fills the room for a time, and then a choked gasp, a near silent sob. G’Raha shakes as he does his best to gain composure back.

“I knew... I knew I would likely never see her again.” From all those years ago, the events from then reoccur before his eyes. Bright ruby eyes to match his, snowy hair, a brave smile sitting on too tight lips. But she had smiled for him, had told him she would wait.

“Just you wait to hear what I tell you when you wake, ‘Raha! You’ll have so much to catch up on, it’ll make your head spin!”

“I wanted to believe that I would wake to find her waiting, but knew it was impossible. Still... still to know that she has been forgotten, that she left the world in such a cruel way...”

“Hey now, she hasn’t been forgotten. Did I not tell you that they still tell stories of her?” Biggs says and he snorts, shakes his head.

“Of her actions as a Hero. Not the actions of Nyxia Oni.” Not the life of his greatest companion, only distorted memories of her battles.

“I wouldn’t be so quick to judge. Was that a flaw of yours from before? I think I read in a journal somewhere about your stubbornness, and your habit of jumping to conclusions, but this is excessive.”

Another flare of rage flashes through him, and he looks up, mouth open and ready to give a few choice words, but he is met with an old, leather bound book instead. He blinks, looking at the detailing, the dragon pressed into the cover, the title neatly inscribed in silver ink. Heavensward, penned by Count Edmont de Fortemps.

“Give this a read, will ya? Before you go off again, why not play a bit of catch up?” Biggs says, handing it over. G’Raha examines the tome, the old but preserved pages, and huffs. He’s of course interested, but is now really the time? He flips it open, reads the dedication page, and therefore loses himself to the words penned.

The author paints an intimate picture of the time, of the snowy landscape he had never seen first hand, a civil war taking a nation by storm, and in the middle of all of it, she was there. Count Edmont writes of her fondly, dearly, like a father of his child. His pride and care for her tear his heart at times, and make him laugh at others. The scolding tone when addressing her fashion sense, his adoration when recounting their conversations...

Several times, he has to wipe his eyes, pause to catch his breath, but by the end of it, he too is proud, triumphant. He had been wrong. His earlier hope, that she would be remembered in full, it was all here in this book. It is but a shame that he could not speak with the Count himself, praise his accurate depiction.

History had remembered her, and not just what she was. His earlier anger was misplaced, and from then on, he involved himself with the others, learned more of her deeds. In each tale he heard, her personality, her generosity, her self was present, and his heart swells with each new one.

“Each life she touched, she left for the better. Each action she made, she left a piece of herself to remember. History did not forget her. I am... so very thankful.” he finally confides to Biggs, the man who but a week ago, he was ready to brawl. In hindsight, he might not have gotten far... and he is embarrassed that he allowed his temper to get the best of him in such a moment.

With time to cool off, and the situation now clear to him, he thinks on what the true purpose of the dive into the Crystal Tower had been.

“Using technology from her foray into Alexander, and that of Ancient Allag, you and yours seek a way to undo that past Calamity.”

“That is correct. We had not expected to find you before we found our answer, though the Cid from years ago did leave record of your sealing.” Biggs tells him, and a lalafellin girl, Wawaru, she is called, nods. “We are still searching, for it is only a matter of time before this place too falls.”

The threat that she gave her life to stop had only been delayed. That is the true unfair outcome from all of this. Why should she have had to die not only alone, but for nothing? G’Raha will not stand for such a thing, oh no, and now that he is mostly over his despair, he is ready to get to work.

“I will be blunt. Even should you find a way to traverse time, it will not undo the Calamity, for that is not an action that was brought on by our particular star. The same events would simply repeat, perhaps with increasing consequences.” G’Raha begins. “In order to fix that which caused the death of the Warrior of Light, one must first look to the source of it, which is to say, which shard was destroyed.”

He lifts his hand, and a grid of light forms, showing thirteen orbs, and a fourteenth at the center. “Each Calamity that befalls us is the death of a shard. We here on the source suffer for the tragedy that engulfs another world. In order to prevent such a thing here, we would need to fix the problem of that shard. The question is... which do we start with, and ultimately, how.”

“We had hoped that using the Tower, we might gain insight to find a good solution. Is there not a way to single out which shard brought on the Eighth Umbral Calamity?” Wawaru asks, and G’Raha considers, going through the vast knowledge he had accumulated through his years. While he slept, he had absorbed much knowledge about the Tower. As the only one capable of using it in present times, surely there must be something...

“Ah. Yes. There is a way to single it out, and I do believe there is a way to even traverse that aetherial sea that lies betwixt each shard. Or rather there should still be.” He looks up, smiles smugly. “In fact, it has been managed before and none other than our Champion had made the leap.”

“You mean-!” Biggs is beside himself with excitement, and G’Raha nods.

“That is right. Nyxia had traveled to one of the shards before. The one that had fallen to Darkness to become the Void, home to Cloud of Darkness. The Allagan ruler from centuries before had found a way to patch into that dimension, and it held for all those years. If he can manage it, then surely I could as well.”

“Amazing... that you should know so much is truly something.”

He grins, ears twitching as he crosses his arms and sits back.

“I was told long ago that a man could study for two lifetimes and never know as much as I do. Let us put that knowledge to work then, and fix that which should never have happened. It will be an ultimate test, a message sent back to her from all of us. She was remembered, she was loved, and she is still needed.”

He will save her from that, surely. No one else will do to deliver the her from that fate.

“History is my passion, the study of ancients thrilling and endlessly entertaining, but if we must undo everything that has happened since the Calamity, then I will be the first to strike it from the books. There is no way I can allow it to happen, if it can be prevented.”

#Hi this is a mess and I lost steam toward the end because everyone was yelling but lol #FFXIV #Shadowbringers #G'Raha Tia #I think I was going somewhere with this #I might write more later who knows #also I guess if anyone wants I could find the post where I explain what I mean y immortal #but I doubt anyone wants that much depth lol

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bffhreprise · 4 years

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Entry 317

Shaking my head, I knew this would be another open-and-shut case that would be attributed to me, despite everyone knowing how little I needed to do here. Getting credit I didn’t earn irked me. Yes, I probably could have closed many of the cases without assistance, but I hadn’t. Everyone knew it. Luckily, most of them understood my feelings on the matter.

These cases were attributed to me due to politics. The force couldn’t openly acknowledge a vigilante’s aid, even one so well-liked as this one. Since the arrival of Calamity in our city, crime rates had plummeted. Convictions, on the other hand, had skyrocketed. There was an abundance of evidence waiting for us wherever Calamity appeared with detailed instructions on how to corroborate the more questionable parts. Learning how she managed to get so much information would be invaluable for police work worldwide, but sitting still for a chat wasn’t her style. Of course, we were officially tasked with arresting her, though there was no pressure to try.

Catching sight of someone out-of-place, I smiled and made my way over to him. James Michael Somerset III was very likely to be behind our vigilante. He was wealthy and incredibly well-connected for someone so young. Weirder yet, I never found even a trace of dirty dealings involving his company, save for one report where a drug runner had attempted to use him as a patsy. One run-in with James had led the man to confess everything, but that was months before Calamity came to town.

“James Michael Somerset III. Were you here for this one?” I questioned after he noticed me walking toward him.

“No. I just finished helping Mrs. Coleman with her painting back that way.” he replied, pointing back to where he had come from.

“Hear anything new about Calamity?” I questioned with a smile, certain he had.

“Calamity?” he asked, looking perfectly confused.

I didn’t buy it. Nodding, I said, “Oh yeah. The city apparently has a vigilante using that as her name. Strange choice if you ask me.”

“I agree. Sounds ominous.” he smoothly replied.

“It does. It does. This is the second… no, third time you just happened to be walking by a crime scene after she appeared.” I pointed out, certain he could work out how strange that was. Most police officers hadn’t even seen her that much.

“She? I thought this umm… Calamity, was it?” he asked, waiting for my nod. “Was a he.”

“No. Calamity is definitely a she. Hard to miss in that new suit she has. White hair from what we’ve been told.” I explained, watching for any sign of the truth.

“White hair? Not a wig?” he asked, still sounding uncertain.

I laughed and said, “Would you believe people claim to have seen part of her head shot off? Well, not recently. Lately, they’ve claimed she’s bulletproof. Whatever the case, she has to have some expensive tech to survive some of the things she’s supposedly been through.”

“I bet she would.” he acknowledged, looking as if he was considering the idea thoroughly. Was he adding up the cost?

“I also noticed that you have an employee with white hair. Portentia, I believe her name was. Unusual name. Your website says she’s deaf though.” I prodded.

“She was born deaf from what I was told. Very friendly girl. Would you like to meet her?” he offered.

“I would. I really would, but I’m afraid I can’t. People might believe I’m investigating your business.” I explained, still wishing I knew what had transpired to make the brass so careful around James.

“That might look bad if my business was associated with criminal activity, but I’ll gladly help law enforcement where I can.” he sincerely insisted.

Letting the irony of the statement show on my face, I said, “Funny. Would you believe I was called immediately by my boss’ boss right after I ran your plates that day we met? He directly ordered me not to investigate you and informed me that investigating your business was considered investigating you.”

“You’re a detective now, aren’t you? Sorry. I had been wondering why you weren’t in uniform. Congratulations on the promotion.” he told me, sounding perfectly sincere again.

“Thank you.” I told him, wondering if he had arranged that as well. I felt I was on the verge of promotion before I had met James, but a word from him might’ve sealed the deal. If that word had been given, why? What would he gain?

“Though I find what you just told me somewhat surprising, I can’t claim any knowledge as to why he would tell you that.” he assured me, interrupting my thoughts. “Perhaps there could be some sort of international problem considering that a foreign dignitary resides in my home.”

“Your fiancée.” I replied. “Congratulations.”

He didn’t seem remotely surprised that I knew, but he said, “Thank you. For someone who isn’t investigating me, you’re very well informed.”

I shrugged and reminded him “Your wedding is a big event. I heard that the mayor and even the governor are going to be attending.”

“I honestly haven’t seen the guest list, but I would imagine it’s quite extensive.” he admitted.

“You obviously don’t have to answer, but do you know sign language, James?” I asked, unable to resist poking this bear.

“Yes. Several forms, actually. With someone who is deaf working for me, I felt obligated to learn. If you ever run into Portentia, don’t worry. She can read lips just fine. Make sure she’s facing you when you’re speaking though. She has a tendency to turn her head when you’re saying something she doesn’t want to hear.” he explained, sounding amused at his employee’s antics.

Nodding and holding out my hand, I said, “Sorry if I’m keeping you from anything, but I appreciate your time, Mr. Somerset.” She was probably a great actress, capable of mimicking deafness perfectly. There was no one who would back having a deaf girl tested for deafness, and Portentia’s life was a mystery, with almost no presence since she entered this country as an infant.

He shook my hand with a smile. “No trouble. With an hour between jobs, I thought a nice walk would be a good way to kill some time. I might have to call a taxi if I take too much longer.”

“Would you want a ride? I don’t have a DB5 like yours, but my car still runs.” I told him, knowing what was sitting on my passenger seat..

“I wouldn’t want to trouble you.” he replied.

“No trouble, not after I took up your time. I’m the green one just up the street.” I insisted as I showed him the way.

He followed, jokingly saying, “There are green taxis around.”

I humored him with a smile, knocking loose some of the papers as I moved the folder. “Let me get that out of your way.”

No reaction at all, though I was certain he saw the picture of his employee in costume at a recent convention. He simply explained where we were going, commenting on how he wished his client was more forthcoming about what he was to be doing.

As we sat in silence, I reconsidered my approach. I was certain James knew what his employee was doing, just as I was certain Portentia was Calamity. I needed his help if I was going to get information on her investigative process. Finally, I said, “Sorry if I might have seemed a little suspicious of your employee, James. The Calamity thing is a bit of a thorn in our side. She’s a criminal, breaking the law, we’re required to catch her, but she’s also busted a large number of cases open for us. The amount of evidence left for us at some of the crime scenes is staggering. Full videos of crimes in action on microSD cards sitting on top of pictures. There are even printed reports at times connecting the dots easily enough for kindergarteners.”

“That sounds incredible. I’m a little concerned though. If you do pin her down eventually, how are you supposed to bring her in if she’s capable of taking on large groups who don’t play by a rulebook?” he asked, the picture of concern.

“Can I get your word that you won’t mention this?” I questioned, feeling confident that I could trust his given word. Despite the strangeness of his connections and his incredible poker face, James was a good man.

“Of course. Confidentiality is in my contract.” he replied as if prepared to show me the contract.

I laughed and said, “I can imagine, given the people you rub shoulders with. No one even organizes the evidence we have on her. It’s just a bunch of reports from witnesses. She’s officially a myth, since few of the reports sound remotely credible.”

“Even though she’s been seen multiple times?” he questioned in surprise. “That sounds hard to believe.”

“Fighting crime is tough. Even the people we protect are against us half the time. Having someone actually working to help us doesn’t make any of us too inclined to bring her in.” I confided.

“So what are you after?” he asked curiously.

I shrugged, deciding what to tell him. Going for the straightforward route, I said, “I’d like to meet her and understand how she does it. Collecting the evidence as she does might revolutionize police work.”

He nodded, but didn’t comment. Hopefully, he was considering what he could share.

When we arrived without further exchange, I said, “Here we are. I’ve got a new card if you want one, just in case you hear something.”

“Sure. Thanks for the ride!” he replied, taking the card. Stepping out of the car, he pulled out his phone, probably checking for an update on his job. Then he sighed, seeming annoyed by something.

“Is something wrong?” I questioned, leaning down to look up at him through the passenger door.

“Just looks like my day is going to be even busier. Thanks again.” he replied with a wave. After quickly looking around, he stepped over to an open area where he could plainly be seen. Seconds passed. He glanced up, and I could hear the faint sound of a plane, which quickly grew to a loud roar.

The last I saw of James, he looked annoyed as a giant cylinder closed around him. Marvelous Max was in the city again, kidnapping one of our most esteemed residents. Had James known she was coming? Was this way he seemed annoyed? What was the connection between them? She was infamous, but mainly acted farther West. Should I call this in? I knew there would be consequences, since I was seen giving James a lift, but...

A blur of red streaked by, jumping over my vehicle. Calamity was already in pursuit just seconds after her boss was abducted. I had no clue how she’d catch that flying mech of “Marvelous” Max, but I was less inclined to call this in. Marvelous Max was known for casualties and collateral damage. If my fellow officers attempted to support Calamity, we’d probably just be in the way. Our helicopters weren’t equipped to deal with the type of firepower that mech used.

#Best Friend For Hire Reprise #Best #Friend #For #Hire #Reprise #Jovial #Times #Jovial Times #Fantasy #Fiction #Story

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