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last-flight-of-fancy · 1 month

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The twins visit Hallima at their Island Sanctuary

“So, an Island, huh?”

Alisaie’s voice carries across the beach easily, muffled only by the gentle rolling tide, still low at this time of day. Birds call in the distance, and Alphinaud hefts his bag a little higher on his shoulder.

“So it seems. For being a hero to all the realm, or simply being on Tataru’s good side, I wonder?”

“Both.” Hallima strides down the rough stone walkway to greet them, grinning widely as they turn to face him. Both twins light up with equal delight, shucking their bags to wrap the former adventurer in tight simultaneous hugs. “Miss me?”

“Always!”

“Of course!”

The twin exclamations were tied in fervour, differing only slightly in tone. Hallima ruffles their hair and then bends down to return their hug with enthusiasm.

“You picked a great day to come,” Hallima says when they pull back. “It’s been raining all week, I was worried you might arrive to nothing but squalls.”

“As if we haven’t dealt with worse.” Alisaie snorts.

“Indeed.” Alphinaud nods. “Though I will admit that some nice weather shan’t go amiss either, after months of Garlemald's unending snows. And hearing all about your exploits in farming, I’m quite eager to see the fruits of your labours myself.”

“How has Island life been treating you?” Alisaie asks. “Your letters painted a fair glowing picture, but forgive me if I wish to hear it from the dragons mouth.”

Hallima chuckles.

“It’s no replacement for wandering the worlds, but it keeps my hands busy when the guilds tell me I’ve done enough for one week.” He says, gesturing them to follow as he turns back to the stone walkway.

“Oh yes, because you certainly haven’t been doing any wandering, have you.” Alisaie raises a delicate eyebrow at Hallima as she stoops to pick up her dropped bags. Hallima coughs and looks away.

“And defy chirurgeons orders? I wouldn’t dare.”

“Chocobo hock, you most certainly would.” Alisaie rightly scoffs.

“And any sightings of you at Radz-at-Han or Gridania are mere fictions, I’m sure.” Alphinaud is clearly just as convinced.

“Of course.” The truth is of course that they have a personal transport crystal in Gridania, and Radz-at-Han is set as their home point, so aetheric travel to those places are less strenuous than most others.

They still weren't supposed to be teleporting at all, but it was more of a gray area. Kind of.

“Hallima…” Alphinaud sighs, but his exasperation is short lived, too happy to see their friend and sibling again. “I don’t know what we expected, honestly. You never were one to let anything keep you down.”

“And glad are we for it, even if it can be infuriating at times.” Alisaie agrees. “Come, show us this Island Paradise you’ve been building these last few months.”

“With pleasure.”

"And this one? What's her name?" Alisaie hefts the karakul in both arms like one would a stuffed toy, beaming widely. Hallima grins despite himself- the typically ornery beast was being astoundingly docile at the treatment.

"Pibby."

"And this one?" Alphinaud crouches next to another one, which looks up from it's doze to sniff at his nose curiously.

"Foof."

"Has anyone told you that you are terrible at names?" Alisaie snorts.

"Yes, you. Repeatedly."

"To be fair… You are really terrible at it." Alphinaud says with a wry grin. "How about the Auroch on the far end?"

"Gigatusk. I name a baby couerl Kitten on time and I never hear the end of it."

"Once, sure, sure." Alisaie sets Pibby down and hefts a dodo nearly bigger than she is up to Hallima. "What's her name again?"

"…. Carl."

"How is Kitten doing?" Alphinaud asks, Foof whining and nudging his hand when he pauses scratching behind her ears. He resumes his task dutifully.

"Still growing, somehow. Might have to move it out here if it keeps going, it barely fits through doors anymore." Hallima grimaces. His retainers would not be happy with that, they were both just as attached to Kitten as he was. Minhe would probably just show up on the Island the next day with bags packed and his usual lazy grin, the red of his long Viera ears burning bright in the tropical sun, but T'ona would twist his ear for putting them through the trouble… regardless of whether he actually asked them to or not. But she would still come, all dark slitted glares matching her fur but gentle touches, in her usual manner of her actions and words never quite matching up completely.

"Is she still convinced she's a lap cat?" Alisaie releases Carl, who blinks blankly at the change in circumstances, squawks once, and then flutters off to join her mate, Numbnuts, further off in the pasture.

"Considering no one has told it to stop… Yes." Hallima takes no responsibility for that one. That was entirely Minhe's doing.

"Well, no one has come to harm over it, he can be a lap cat if he wants to." Alphinaud says primly. Alisaie glares at him. It was a long standing debate as to Kitten's actual sex, but early in their adventuring careers they hadn't the time or resources to find an animal expert willing to deal with the notoriously dangerous Couerl species, and though Hallima probably could now, this is far more entertaining.

Actually, chances were high one of the Island's resident mammets probably could do it, there are several tasked with the care of the pasture animals for that very reason, but Hallima decides not to enlighten either twin of this possibility.

"Oh now well aren't you a pretty beastie." Alisaie coo's, prompting Hallima to drag themself out of their thoughts and see Alisaie petting along the neck of their rare Gold Back. Before they can utter a word of warning Alisaie yelps as her arm is suddenly clamped in the creature's jaws, nestled between it's long teeth.

"Alisaie!" Alphinaud stands sharply, aether percolating in the air as he readies a spell, but Hallima gestures him to wait, and to his credit he does.

"You okay, Alisaie?" Hallima calls, and Alisaie pulls out of her instinctual shock to pull on her arm a little, finding it securely held but otherwise unharmed.

"I'm fine. Just.. Stuck. I guess."

"Yeah, she does that." Hallima jogs down the hill. "Sorry, she was on the far end and doesn't usually approach strangers, so I didn't think to warn you unless we went closer."

"Well, as long as she just wants to hold me and not eat me, I shan't complain." Alisaie grins ruefully. "Though It is rather… wet."

"Yeah." Hallima chuckles, petting the Gold Back's beak gently before reaching past it to her jaw, looking for a particular pressure point. "Talk to Creature Comforter on the way out, he keeps towels on hand because of exactly this."

"Ah, ow!" Alisaie yips, startling both Alphinaud and the Gold Back, the latter of which freezes entirely.

"Sorry, sorry." Hallima says, moving to get a better view of their work. "I'm more used to being the one pinned… And the mammets never say anything if I poke them by accident. Apparently."

"I don't remember your claws being that sharp." Alisaie flexes her pinned hand in an attempt to shake away the lingering pain.

"Forgot to file them down before you got here." Hallima says, a hint of chagrin in their voice. Alphinaud makes a thoughtful face.

"Why do you do that, anyroad? I've always meant to ask. The Au ra students we knew back at the Studium often did, being as they are involved in research and academics for the most part, but all those who led more dangerous lives such as those of the Steppe or Yugiri tend not to. I am aware that you are more than capable in the field, but surely even so small a natural advantage would be a boon?"

"'S a hassle. Ah!" The Gold Back's mouth opens and releases Alisaie's arm, which emerges sticky but unhurt. "There we go, that's a good Limestone. You don't mean no harm, do ya? You're just a mama at heart." Hallima coo's, petting the creature, and Limestone shakes her head and neck happily at the attention.

"That's right, Blue Back's carry their young in their mouths, don't they?" Alphinaud recalls. He's not entirely sure where he'd read that, animal husbandry wasn't something he had ever studied in truth, so it must be some tidbit of information he had picked up in passing.

"Yup." Hallima nods, giving Limestone another pat. "The teeth look long and dangerous, but they're more like handles for their babies to grip than any kind of offensive tool."

"What did you mean by it being a hassle?" Alisaie asks, curious, unconsciously rubbing at the thin red line that now crosses the bridge of her thumb. Hallima glances down at it pointedly.

"Scratching things I don't want to scratch."

"It's really not that bad," Alisaie waves her hand as if to demonstrate its veracity. "But I see your point. Now, where were those towels?"

She struts off without waiting for an answer, spotting the Creature Comforter by the gate quickly. Alphinaud looks up at Hallima, thoughtful, but whatever he's thinking he ultimately chooses to keep to himself, and the two follow her at a leisurely pace. Hallima is grateful, he hasn't thought about the last time he used his claws deliberately in a very long time, and would prefer to keep it that way.

The low thump-thump of heavy feet behind them tells them that Limestone has chosen to come along- at least so far as she is able. As they approach the gate she nudges and nuzzles at Alphinaud insistently, which he doesn't seem to know how to react to, shoulders stiff and gently pushing her beak away when it blocks his vision. Hallima chuckles, and reaches into a pocket for some greens.

"Catch." Is the only warning Alphinaud gets, and to his credit he does manage to catch the bundle, if ungracefully. Limestone trills in delight, feathers and webbed scaling alike flapping in excitement at the sight of it. "Go on, give her a treat."

"Ah, alright, um. Here?" Alphinaud turns and holds up the greens, which despite her obvious excitement Limestone only nibbles at the ends of. After a moment she nudges at his closed fist with her beak in frustration.

"Open your hand, let it rest in your palms." Hallima instructs. "She's trying not to get your fingers."

"Oh. Right." Alphinaud does so, and Limestone proceeds to gobble up the treat with abandon.

"Nicer than many animals, then." Alisaie approaches, still wiping down her arm with her newly acquired towel. "And good thing too, Alphinaud would definitely lose some appendages otherwise."

"Hey." Alphinaud scowls at her, but cannot find any true rebuttal to it. It was true after all, he generally fared much better with creatures capable of speech.

"Like I said, she may be shy- usually anyway- but she's a mama at heart."

"We're not that young." Alisaie is the one to protest this time. And there is some truth to that these days; the twins have yet to hit the majority of their growth, but the way their frames have filled out and necks lengthened indicates it's likely not far off.

"You're young enough." Hallima shrugs. "She does it to me too, remember?"

"Right." Alphinaud says, a smile crossing his face and his stance starting to relax. "'Mama at heart.' We know the sort."

It should by all rights have been a short tour. The Island, while big enough to sustain a small village, isn’t that large, but the three are continuously stopped by some anecdote or shenanigan and by the time they finish the sky has grown long dark and lanterns light the paths.

It’s for this reason that Alisaie doesn’t notice right away, hearing the faltering step more than seeing it, and the sound makes her pause in concern.

“Are you all right?" She asks, looking towards Hallima. "We can stop for a while if you need a break.”

"Huh?" Hallima pauses, confused, before a dawning realization crosses their face. “Oh, no I’m fine.”

“You’re limping.” Alphinaud has noticed too, probably at near the same moment she had, she’d simply spoken first.

“It’s nothing, just a rock in my boot.” Hallima tries to turn away but only makes it a few steps before realizing neither twin is following them. When they meet the twins gazes, it is to one full of hurt anger and one of aggrieved betrayal.

“You’re really going to lie to us? Now?” Alisaie demands. “After everything we’ve-“ She cuts herself off, biting her tongue lest she say something she regrets.

Alphinaud approaches Hallima slowly, and inside something complicated and bitter writhes at how it’s like he would approach an injured animal.

“Sit down, let me see.” He says, a healer to his core. Hallima shakes his head.

“There’s nothing to see. I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Well congratulations, now we’re worried.” Alisaie crosses her arms. “So?”

Hallima looks away, and then lets themself lean against a nearby fencepost.

“There really is nothing to see.” They say again, as Alphinaud starts checking them over. “It’s been like that ever since…”

They trail off, but there’s no need to finish. They all know what events they’re referencing. Alphinaud’s hands drop, the pieces falling into place.

“Why try to hide it though?” Alisaie asks, frustrated. “It’s not like we haven’t all some lingering malady or other from our adventures. Alphinaud’s hands ache when it rains, Krile suffers from memory echoes, Y’shtola’s blind, and if I recall correctly even your dragoon mentor has a limp of his own!“

“None of whom are the Warrior of Light!” Hallima snaps, unthinking. Two stunned faces stare up at them in shock, and they turn their head away from the rush of shame that heats their cheeks.

"Hallima…" Alisaie says, the word strangled and unsure.

“I’m- sorry." Hallima pushes off the fence post and tries to meet their gazes but fails, scrubbing a rough palm through their hair in guilt and frustration.

Alphinaud casts his gaze downward, lips pursed in thought, before reaching out and taking Hallima’s comparatively massive hands in his.

“Too much has been put on you over these long years, hasn’t it my friend?” He says slowly. “It is something we have oft acknowledged but failed to address. I vowed never to view or wield you as a tool again, and though I have tried my utmost to hold to that it appears I have still failed. I am sorry, my friend.”

"You haven't failed." Hallima shakes their head sharply. They turn their hands so they can return Alphinaud's grip, mindful of their claws. "It's not you, and you don't deserve me taking it out on you. It's just… I've become the saviour of the realm, the universe itself, and I would do it all again if I had to, but there is always a part of me convinced that I'm.. Not worthy of it. That one day my weakness will become obvious to all."

"We all have weaknesses, Hallima." Alphinaud says, the soft quaver in his voice speaking to his understanding more than words ever could.

"I know. I do." Hallima says. "it's a bit absurd, isn't it? It would be easier were they to simply turn on me like the bloody banquet. It hurts but it's straightforward, I know how to handle a fight. It's the disappointment that scares me."

Alisaie’s anger and frustration melt away in understanding, and she stands next to Alphinaud, with wide, shining eyes.

“You are the Warrior of Light, yes.” She says, the effort to keep her voice from shaking. “But you are also a man. No more or less than the rest of us. I know you have been made a symbol to the masses but to us-“

She stops, biting her tongue again, this time to keep her composure than to restrain her anger.

“To us you are family.” Alphinaud finishes for her, and she nods, grateful. “You need not maintain a veneer of perfection with us. Please, we would gladly share your struggles as you have shared in ours.”

"Whatever may come, we will be there for you, as you have been for us." Alisaie continues. "So forget the disappointment of the masses. We have seen you with scissors stuck in your hair and your horns caught in your shirts, you won't be getting rid of us that easily."

“Heh.” Hallima lets a wry smile slip onto their lips, and when the twins look up there is a distinct shine to their already bright eyes, nearly glowing in the ambient dimness. “You’d think I would know better by now than to hide from you.”

“Clearly we’ve been away too long.” Alisaie teases gently, the tension slipping away. “We will have to check in more often.”

“I would like that.” Hallima admits. “You know me, I keep busy, but I have missed everyone.”

Even remodelling an entire Island could only keep their wanderlust at bay for so long.

“We will be sure to send the word out once we have adjourned here.” Alphinaud nods decisively, ever the planner. Alisaie knocks a fist to her palm in agreement.

“That we shall. But first, let us adjourn to the cabin before the bugs make meals of all of us.”

"It has a lovely view, doesn't it?" Alisaie comments, staring out across the tops of trees and listening to the waves lapping at the beach below. In the distance thunder rumbles, though not so much as a breeze yet disturbs the thick foliage.

"The lights along the path help." Alphinaud says, taking a seat on a bench next to where she stands. "Else I imagine you wouldn't see much of anything right now."

"The sunsets from here are incredible." Hallima chuckles, emerging from the stairwell with a tray of snacks in hand, courtesy of the workshop. "I had planned to show you once we finished our tour, but we got a bit distracted with everything else."

"As we always seem to." Alisaie laughs, taking some preserved meats from the tray when Hallima offers it. "Oh well, we're here for at least another day, perhaps tomorrow we will get to see it."

"Assuming it doesn't rain again." Hallima says, taking their own seat on the bench and setting the tray of snacks between them and Alphinaud. There is another rumble of distant thunder, and a brisk wind begins to wind its way through the plaza. "Which it might."

"A whole day spent indoors with people we love while a storm rages outside. However will we survive." Alisaie says drily, taking a bite from her jerky.

"We could teach you some of the games we've learned in Ilsabard!" Alphinaud lights up, always excited to impart new knowledge. He appears to have already forgotten about the slice of jerky he had taken from the tray. "Being in such inclement climes as they are, they have a veritable wealth of games and pastimes for the express purpose of wiling away the hours indoors, often with little to no power."

"Many of them serve as excellent bonding excersizes as well." Alisaie nods. "Particularly for the children who were more wary of us at first."

"They're doing so well, despite everything they've been through, truly." Alphinaud says. "There's one in particular who has taken to asking us for stories about you every time we see him. Perhaps when next you visit we could introduce you…"

He hesitates, recalling how just earlier the Warrior of Light had revealed lingering insecurities over their titles of heroism, but Hallima smiles.

"I'd love that."

"You better not just be saying that to be a people pleaser like always." Alisaie points at them, and they raise their hands defensively. Honestly, she could give Esteem a run for his money.

"Honest. Kids are different, they need hero's. Especially after everything they've been through." Hallima says. "And I don't really mind being the hero and saviour and etcetera. It's the whole… Being put on a pedestal thing that bothers me. Pedestals have a tendency to crumble."

"That's fair, I suppose." Alphinaud says, finally remembering his snack and nibbling on it.

Silence reigns for all of five seconds, mostly comfortably, and then-

"Is that why it took you and G'raha so long to sort yourselves out?"

"Alisaie!" Alphinaud reprimands, but she pays no heed. Hallima laughs.

"It's not the only reason, but it is one of them, yes." They say, taking one of the jerky slices for themself. They didn't mind the devotion, that's just how G'raha is really, devoted to a fault- whether it be to the Students, his scholarly work, or the people in his life. But he'd had centuries to build that pedestal to the Warrior of Light in his mind and Hallima needed to be sure that the destruction of the pedestal would not mean the destruction of G'raha's esteem.

Turns out, they needn't have worried. G'raha was well aware of the pedestal, and surprisingly adept at separating it from Hallima themself, even if dismantling it would likely remain a work in progress in perpetuity.

"Enough about me, we've spent all day talking about me." Hallima continues. "Tell me more about how things have been going in Garlemald."

scrtch-scrtch scrtch-scrtch

It's this sound that draws Alisaie back into the world of the waking, along with the persistent patter of rain on glass. She yawns fitfully, stretching and attempting futily to assuage the new crick in her neck. Next to her Alphinaud mutters something sleepily, disturbed by the loss of his impromptu pillow, eventually letting out a yawn of his own and rubbing at the crust that has gathered around his eyes.

"Hng… What time is it?" He says, words only slightly slurred.

"Not as late as it probably feels." Hallima says, putting the nail file- the source of the scratching noise earlier, aside. "It's only been maybe a half bell since you dozed off. Much longer and I was going to cart the two of you off to bed."

"Might be a good idea anyway." Alisaie yawns again. "Goodness, who knew a vacation tour could be so tiring?"

"It does rather- awuh- defy belief." Alphinaud concurs, Alisaie's yawn contagious. The two stand and it's hard to miss the way Alphinaud attempts to massage his palms.

"Would heat help?" Hallima asks, taking Alphinaud off guard.

"Huh?"

"Your hands. Alisaie mentioned they ache when it rains. Would heat help? Hot cocoa maybe?"

"That sounds incredible, truth be told, aches or no." Alphinaud smiles gratefully.

The kitchenette in the cabin is about as basic as it gets, the culinary arts being one of the few the Hallima hasn't explored in depth, but the ingredients are there- most fresh from the Island pastures and farmland- and it is a simple thing to make. Simpler still with two hangers on with all sorts of advice to give.

"Careful of the temperature! Don't let the milk bubble!"

"Make sure the cinnamon is finely ground now-"

"Do you have any mallow bits in here…?"

Or perhaps that made it much less simple. It was welcome all the same.

"Ahhhh, that's the stuff." Alisaie sighs in contentment as she takes the first sip of her cocoa. Alphinaud for his part holds off, holding his mug in both hands, blowing gently across its still steaming contents.

"Indeed." Alphinaud closes his eyes and takes a deep inhale, the picture of relaxed contentment.

Hallima just smiles, content, and picks up their file again. Alisaie watches, deep in thought, before something occurs to her.

"You know if you- hm. May I?" She sets aside her drink and holds out her hands to Hallima.

"Uh. Sure." Hallima gives her the file, confused as to what she intends to do but trusting her intent. Carefully she drags the file across Hallima's claws, and after only a few deft swipes it seems entirely changed; still sharp and pointed, but somehow less obtrusive.

"Where did you learn that?" Hallima asks, curious. Alisaie grows sombre for a brief moment before she shakes it off resolutely.

"At the Inn. Tesleen taught me, while we were taking care of Halric." She says, quiet but unfaltering. "One of the other carers had taught her I guess. It makes them easier to use day to day without blunting them entirely. Or so I was told. You'll have to tell me how well it works."

She files each claw quickly and efficiently as she talks, taking Hallima's other hand when she's done in a movement so smooth as to be muscle memory. Hallima flexes his fingers, forming a fist, and marvels a little at how much a difference the small changes in shape made.

"I'll have to test them out, but I like it already." Hallima smiles. "Thank you."

Alisaie grins at the praise, finishing the last claw with a perfunctory movement.

"Anytime." She says.

"So, Alphin- ah." Hallima stops mid-sentence. They'd thought the boy was being unusually quiet, and it turns out for good reason. Alphinaud is sound asleep, sitting upright and hands still cupped around the warm mug. "Right. It is late, isn't it?"

"A little." Alisaie gives in to the urge to giggle at the sight, reaching out to take the mug from her brother before it spills. Alphinaud murmurs in discontent but doesn't wake, nor does he when Hallima gently maneuvers him into a bridal carry… Though he does take the opportunity to dig his hands under Hallima's shirt, seeking the warmth beneath.

"He deserves some rest." Alisaie says, falling into step with Hallima towards their guest rooms. "There's so much left to do in Garlemald, it feels nigh endless, but he's hardly let that stop him."

"Or you." Hallima adds. "You say that like you're not right there with him, carrying the reconstruction of a nation on your shoulders."

"Oh I am, make no mistake." Alisaie says. "And I won't say it hasn't been tiresome, gruelling work at times, but… It's good work."

Hallima nudges the door open with a heel and slips into the darkened room easily, setting Alphinaud onto the cot. Alphinaud has to be pried off Hallima's neck, and the Au Ra has to struggle to not laugh and wake the boy at how young he seems in his sleep haze.

"Stay with us?" Alisaie asks. Once that question would have been uncertain, or carried a certain shame at asking for something so juvenile, but now it is anything but. Her voice is quiet but confident; simply a question.

"Of course." Hallima nods. The bed was big enough, and they tended to sleep sitting up more often than not anyway. "Any reason?"

"Not really." Alisaie shakes her head, doffing her footwear and jacket. "Just nice to do it while we can. We certainly miss it during the colder nights, I'll tell you."

"I beleive that." Hallima chuckles. They reach down to remove Alphinaud's sandals- definitely not comfortable to sleep in, and nudges the boy until all three of them fit comfortably. "I'll have to visit once I'm cleared for Aetheryte travel again."

"Oh please, we all know how much you hate the cold." Alisaie says, laying her head against Hallima's thigh as a pillow. She already sounds half asleep. "Didn't mean to set up on one of the coldest places in Eorzea, honest."

"I know." Hallima chuckles. "It'll be worth it though."

Silence reigns, and Hallima doesn't need to look down to know that Alisaie's breathing has slowed into the soft snores of sleep. They smile.

"Goodnight Alisaie, Alphinaud."

#i have been poking at this thing pretty much since i finished the endwalker msq i needed it to be DONE #which is why hallima's pronouns are all over the place. w/e its just a really fluid day for them its fine #borrowing kip's hc that alphinaud's hands hurt when it rains due to the whole nidhogg's eye incident #bc that shit is S-tier hc material #yes there is a story behind the claw thing but i wanted this one to stay (mostly) light #hallima will be fine (re: the insecurity) theyve just been left alone with their thoughts (and wanderlust) too long #the mammets are nice but not stellar conversationalists #flight's making things again #fanfic #ff14 #ff14 endwalker #flight's wol tag

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sharlayandropout · 10 months

Text

Mount

Some weeks after the Vault

Snip from a fic:

It was a long time before she was able to do much of anything again, except weep, and rage, and stare dully into nothingness. The cold fury which had carried her from the steps of the Vault to Azys Lla and beyond had melted away, and she with it. She had collapsed, knew nothing of her return to the Manor. When she awoke, hours or days later, in her room - her room, not his - something within her had snapped, decisive as a killing blow, severing her self from her self. Zefiris Winterheart watched herself contorted in a silent, screaming agony of loss with the same detached gaze she turned out to the vacuum of the world. It was all the same, now; there was nothing to be done.

Nothing in Fortemps Manor was as it had been. Familiar faces were replaced with strangers, households servants having been given leave to attend to their grief. Strange, really, how someone kept so firmly ostracised on the margins of the House should turn out to be such a fundamental part of it. The heart of it, perhaps.

When Zefiris finally emerged from her room and wound her way back to the stables, she was unsurprised to find her old companion gone, too. The world was empty, now, after all.

Like the household servants, the stable hands had also been given leave. In their place was a big man, burly, gruff. He was carrying an old trowel, a bucket and scrubbing brush as he came towards her. He looked vaguely familiar.

'Excuse me.' Zefiris’ voice was hollow, cracked from disuse. 'Where's the bird that was stabled here?'

The man turned to her, contempt in his eyes. If he recognised her, he gave no sign. 'The big meanie greenie?’ he growled. ‘He yours?'

His pointless hostility rolled off her; she wasn’t interested, wouldn’t engage. It was all so distant, now. 'I’m not sure what you mean. My bird was in here, yes, but he's a standard palfrey.'

The man snorted, muttering: ‘Not any more, he ain't. Who’s idea was it to stuff a riding palfrey full o’ Mamook mix for a month straight? That’s feed for battle-birds, that is - you’ll be lucky if you get your arse up on that one ever again.’ Recalling himself, he added an insincere, ‘Begging your pardon, o’ course.’ Uncaring, she simply stared at him; she heard his words well enough, but they weren’t relevant to her question. When she didn’t react, he went on with his rant. ‘Bloody nobles and their hirelelings, no idea about the proper care of chocobos, none of ‘em. Now, Lord Haurchefant, on the other hand…’

At the sound of his name she winced as if struck; that, at least, still penetrated. The man saw as much, and frowned. He nodded towards the empty stall. 'Anyway, that one’s been kicking the doors all morning, making a right racket, just as he has every morning for the last two weeks, so we’ve taken him down to the big paddock the Temple Knights use so he can run himself ragged, and give us all peace.’

The ringing in her ears subsided a little. Camp Dragonhead, she realised. That’s where she knew the man from - he was stablemaster there. She’d seen him from a distance, but never spoken with him. Haurche had…Lord Haurchefant had thought highly of him, too.

‘I warn you, feed like that changes a bird, and now he’s got a taste for it, you’ll never get him off the stuff. Best accept it.’

‘The Temple Knights paddock.’ she repeated the only part that had any relevance for her. ‘I thank you.’ Turning, she hefted the heavy Ul’dahn-barded saddle and bridle from the tack stand at the end of the room. It seemed a relic from another age.

Struck by sudden pity, the burly man called out to her as she passed through the gates, out into the city streets. ‘Careful, lass. Your bird’s not as he was.’ Zefiris gave no indication that she heard him, and disappeared down the stairs, out of sight. With a sigh, he opened the door of the vacant stall, and went about the grim task he’d been about to commence when the lady had arrived. Six dead rats to clean up, maybe seven - it was hard to tell, eviscerated as they were, entrails smeared on the floor, bloody splashes where they’d been dashed against the walls.

—

Zefiris found Kokapetl just where the wrangler had said; pacing the fence of the large training paddock used by the Temple Knights, out behind the proving Grounds. The yard was quiet, the arena empty of other birds.

At her call, he turned, crest raised in greeting. It tugged the barest of smiles to her lips, as he trotted over to her. Before he reached the fence, though, he cut sharply sideways, charging off to the left and arcing around the arena at a heavy lope, talons pounding the earth. Less a greeting, she realised, than a challenge.

‘Fair enough,’ she said colourlessly. ‘I’d be angry with me too.’

As he looped back towards her, his posture was low, predatory; for a moment she strongly considered jumping back over the fence. But there was no way he would harm her. This was justified chastisement for her neglect, no more. He stopped about three yalms clear of her, and dropped low on his haunches, shrugging his wings, feathers ruffled. A low gurgling growl resonated in his throat, and he bobbed his head at her with manic fury. The display would have alarmed her, were it not entirely deserved. As if anything could alarm her, anymore.

The wrangler from Dragonhead had spoken true; there were unmistakable patches of dark green slashed through his sandy plumage, lending him a scruffy, feral look. ‘Oi.’ she said firmly, palm up. ‘Calm’. Snaking his neck once more before subsiding, he lowered his crest, settled his feathers. Zefiris had never had to take such a tone with him before. ‘That’s better. Good boy.’ Reaching up to stroke his head, she remained tensed to pull her hand away, but he submitted to the touch, and dipped lower to allow her access to the accustomed spot. ‘There now, it’s all right.’

As if anything was alright, anymore.

#zefwrites #zefstory #elezen #duskwight #heavensward spoilers #gpose #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #heavensward

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shivasdarknight · 9 months

Note

I'd like to know about canon mounts and minions for your FFXIV OCs! If you haven't answered that already

THE MOUNTS AND MINION STUFF IS FUN and it's pretty obvious as to who has the most convoluted answer. and that's all down below - I'll cover as many as I can remember :O

Surkie's first "minion" was the coeurl kit, but it's the black coeurl kit with the normal one's story. She rescued both the coeurl kit and the wolf puppy during that one 15 quest in Aleport, but she couldn't take care of the both of them and only took the kit with her - who she named Henri! She genuinely thought this was a boy, she was wrong, that is her baby girl. Henri has traveled with her since the start and has grown up into that dark knight tank mount coeurl, and she follows Surkie around through most of her adventures. Obviously there's stuff she can't join in on so she ends up as a sort of semi-permanent fixture of the Rising Stones, but she also winds up living at the Borel Manor and is a terror upon Aymeric's cat. She's very gentle with Surkie's allies (and yes, her kids too), and is just this big lovebug despite being a huge fucking coeurl. Her first mount was Prompto, her chocobo. He's a big percheron (as in the massive feral ishgardian breed that can carry 2 people) with natural black feathers, and a really nasty attitude. He's about as stubborn as Surkie is and she's gotten into a fair number of verbal arguments with this bird, it's funny. He doesn't see as much travel as he used to due to transporting issues, but he's very well loved regardless. He's very calm around Henri (especially since he's known her since she was a cub + he could very easily do damage back if she tried anything) and they have a routine where Henri plays dead on his back to sneak her through cities. Surkie canonically has Fenrir, as she found him after the events of Azys Lla still alive and recovering from even more wounds than the ones that should have killed him when they went through Snowcloak. Even in spite of what he did to Seraphin, Surkie can't bring herself to put him down since he's one of the last remnants of Ysayle (in her eyes at this point) and heals him up and they end up fairly close. Hoarhounds can act like familiars with people they grow close to, and this bond often extends to people that the owner was close to - so he's quick to warm up to Surkie, and he winds up a much better "mount" than Prompto since Hoarhounds weird and can just find you wherever; even across the Rift. He's a trans-affirming misandrist, but he puts up with Surkie's male partners and her sons. He's very affectionate with her and Ysayle, he's grown fond of Allie, and is a big murder puppy.

Surkie has other hoarhounds which include a puppy (has grown beyond the size of the minion now) named Hati that she rescued, and Hrodvitnir from the Zadnor skirmishes who is another rescue. He's smaller and skinnier than Fenrir and also doesn't have that issue with men, so Estinien's able to help with this one without being constantly glared and growled at (at least he's not Gaius, tho, because Fenrir nearly killed him upon seeing him). She also has a LYKAON PUPPY that she smuggled out of Elpis per Hermes' request. He saw how well she handled Fenrir (even in spite of him nearly mauling Emet-Selch) and asked her for a favor. While all the adults had been put down, he didn't tell the other researchers about the den of pups. She can't take all of them, but she does take one and that's Skoll. She keeps her tucked into her armor until they can leave (she was so fkn tiny) and she's very good with the hoarhounds thankfully. Yes, there's a theme here with the names. Surkie picked Hati and Skoll because of stuff she read up on the Old Gods when Ysayle introduced her to their existence. She also has a Hellhound (that varies in size) named Sétanta, who she summons whenever she so feels like. I'm thinking about making the faepup canon to her too, but she has the Hellpup which is also a big Hellhound. Turns out, this was a voidsent that used to be under the Morrigna but responded better to Surkie. I need to decide on which one, but she does have a canon motorcycle she got from Cid back in post ARR, and she's fucking obsessed with it. I just don't know if I wanna go with what I actually use (the SDS Fenrir), or the Garlond one from the Island Sanctuary. There's also a mod I have that turns the SDS Fenrir into an Omega themed bike, and that's a strong consideration... Recently canonized the Hydaelyn lynx as something that was a gift from Venat, as that's a familiar based on her own powers. Sassy fucker, but Surkie keeps her close. If we wanna get technical, the Starbird counts here, too; except that's not the Starbird that is Actually Meteion and chills with Surkie a lot because that's....kind of her aunt in a really weird way? It's complicated, but Surkie's not complaining because she'd rather Meteion do that than....y'know. Endwalker's plot. Last thing that I'll mention is that she does have a canon mammet, but that's not her fault. During post HVW, Altan sat down and worked on a Wind-Up Iceheart mammet for Surkie and gave it to her. She figured that since Eorzeans use them as ways to immortalize loved ones and remember notable people, she thought it'd be a good thing to do for her since she was really struggling with the fact she wasn't allowed space to grieve while Katsuro (wrt Haurchefant) was. Katsuro - naturally - had less than welcomed opinions about if she should have something like that because "not good coping" but she kept it with her regardless. This does, however, make Ysayle's return in 5.3 kind of fucking funny because now there's a fkn toy version of her that Surkie just has. And yes, Altan threatened to make one for her other partners when she learned of them, and she nearly got her ass beat (they do not exist, but the threat is there).

Katsuro is the one who adopted the wolf pup after Surkie left that one behind, and that boy's name is Kerberos - which was the name of a familiar that Charon had. He has other dogs and some kamuy that I still need to figure out the names of, but he's just got so many fucking dogs and Kerberos is just. Not the wolf/direwolf model we see in game, but just this big fucking more realistic wolf that won't leave him alone he's such a needy brat. Kamuy could count as a canon mount, but I don't really think about that with him very often.

Gwendoline collects those creepy voidsent dolls that were made by that one goldsmith. She knows they're haunted, she knows the Wood Wailers wanted them destroyed, but she doesn't care and has managed to get all of them. Why. Why does she bring them along, the group finds them weird. Someone get her to stop. SHE EVEN HAS CALCA AND BRINA. For mounts, Gwendoline does have a Chocobo but I need to design them...whoops. But she did rescue that Unicorn from the cnj30 quest, and her name is Hemlock. However, the unicorn came paired with a Voidsent that wouldn't leave the unicorn's side. So two for one deal since Hemlock likes Gwen, thus she also has the Nightmare, Rosemary. They're both girls. They seem to like each other. The lesbian has lesbian horses.

Seraphin has Camilla, who he raised since she hatched. Camilla is a true griffin that he found when she was an egg, given to him by Hamujj Gah when he accidentally stumbled upon a recovery effort by the Amalj'aa after some of their drake eggs and their own eggs were stolen by an Ul'dahn black market type. Hamujj Gah found the griffin egg amongst the others and knew he was from Little Ala Mhigo, so he gave the egg as a sort of way of peace gesture that even the adults would get to deter any potential retaliation from perceiving this child as in danger, and this wound up fostering positive sentiments towards the Amalj'aa in Seraphin. Camilla was raised in Little Ala Mhigo alongside him, and his parents did what they could to get him barding for her so he could have her as a regular steed, and she basically goes wherever with him (except across the rift).

Lillith has a griffin that I need to work on because there's an obvious tie in there with his mom, but he does have a big destrier chocobo by the name of Agni. Agni is named for his fiery plumage, and is just as energetic as his owner. He's also got that Hayate puppy that needs to be named, and honest to god I'm leaning towards Dogmeat because hey do i need to remind people that he was originally a Lone Wanderer agaiiinnn or is it still obvious. Dogmeat isn't the name he picked, his dad picked it as a sort of morbid joke based on the conditions Sulivaughn found him in.

Altan mooches off of her siblings minions and mounts, but she has a lot of stuff that she tinkers with. Most notably, she made herself a Cruise Chaser that she uses in combat and as a mount. She likely also made the Rubellite Weapon minion because she thought it'd be interesting to recreate it and Allie wound up stealing it for herself (Altan...cant complain too much). She also may have helped Allie build the big Landerwaffe.

Zirnghota has Spriggan familiars that double as minions and mounts! They chill out as earrings for her, and brings them out as she needs them.

Glyndwr rescued an Alkonost that's very attached to him. He wanted to release it because ethics, but he's now stuck because it's very dependent on him now (gee i wonder why he has a bird thing).

I need to decide on if the others have anything, but for the most part these are the big notable ones. I've cycled through stuff for Surkie like the fox kit, the grani, kamuy of the nine tails, ehll tou, etc. but they got cycled out for varying reasons (eg the Grani, who WAS MY MAIN MOUNT THROUGH HVW BEFORE FUCKING ENW CAME OUT AND RUINED THAT. that lore used to be a voidsent that got attached to her, but now i can't use it without people going "emet mount". so thats Fucking Fun.). Either way, Fenrir is baby and she loves him.

THANKS FOR ASKING AND TY FOR THE INTEREST ;A;

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holiday-in-eorzea · 1 year

Text

Bitter Medicine

Morning light crossed my eyes, as I awoke within the common room of the Quicksand. Folks around me were already setting about their business, or were choosing to rest for longer, each being careful as to not disturb others too much as they passed through the room. I stretched before rising, and made myself ready to start another day. Finding a private moment, I attempted to planeswalk again, hoping that whatever force was keeping me here had subsided, but to no avail. It was not like the influence of the Immortal Sun during the invasion of Ravnica, this was as though I had no ability at all. No fading away, no pull of the soul, nothing. If I couldn’t feel that energy within that indicated my spark, the source of my power and abilities, I would believe that I had never had such a gift. Resigned, I made my way to the bar, and set about obtaining a morning meal. Momodi, to my surprise was already hard at work. I wondered if the woman ever rested, as she walked over.

“Well, younglin', how are you findin' our fine Ul'dah, then? Got your bearin's about you yet? If so, mayhap it's time you ventured beyond the city walls. The bustlin' streets of UI'dah are one thing, but the wilds of Thanalan - that's another altogether.”

“Somewhat, yes. Though I didn’t get much of an opportunity to wander last night.”

Momodi laughed. “Unless you’re one of them that walk in their sleep, I hear you. Mind, I’m not kickin’ you out or naught, but I know a bloke you might fancy speakin' to, and he you. Name of Papashan, You'll find him over at the UI'dah Dispatch Yard. No doubt he'll have some work for you.” She pointed towards the main entrance of the building. “The Dispatch Yard's over in central Thanalan. Just head out the door across the hall and you'll see the Gate of Nald staring right back at you. Pass through it and head east. You'll come upon it 'fore long.” Her face took on a serious look. “There's dangers beyond the wall, though. More than I'd care to count. Nothin' too terrible, mind you, but feisty enough to attack if you draw near. Don't say nobody cared enough to warn you.”

I nodded. “Thank you for the warning, and for all your hospitality so far. Should I have the coin, I will assuredly return to this fine establishment.”

Momodi smiled broadly and winked. “See that you do!”

The morning sun was bright and warm. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the difference in light, but it was nothing I was not used to; from what I had seen thus far, Ul’dah was similar in weather to my home plane of Melenas, though it was a close call for which had more greenery.

Indeed, across from the Quicksand, a large open gate stood. The very same gate I had entered through on my arrival via wagon. Next to the gate, a Lalafell man stood next to one of the riding birds I had witnessed, adorned in a costume designed to emulate their appearance. As I approached, the man shook his head, and held out a hand.

“If you came looking to hire a chocobo porter, I’m afraid I must disappoint you. Our birds are very fickle creatures, and tend to become agitated around those with a certain lack of demeanor. Return once you have proven you can handle yourself, and I will personally see that you are assigned our best bird.”

“Sorry? Ah, I was just curious about these birds in general. You called them ‘chocobo’?”

The man gave a confused look; one I had started to become familiar with. It was the look of someone who was encountering an abnormality; I should clearly know this already in his eyes.

“Yes, these are chocobo. And normally, you could find an attendant in practically any city in a similar uniform to hire one to assist in traversing the open plains of Eorzea. But... where did you say you were from?”

I cleared my throat hurriedly, knowing I had made another misstep. “Um, I didn’t actually. I’m new in town, you see. First time to Ul’dah.”

“And they don’t have...?” Luckily, the man was cut off by another who presented a paper to him, and he left to attend to saddling one of the birds, the chocobo, to serve the newcomer. I took the momentary distraction to slip away. Mentally, I cursed myself. This was exactly the kind of thing the tomestone was meant to be for; finding out information without the need to show my hand to others. Too many innocents had been exposed to the scope of the Multiverse before, and I wasn’t about to increase that number, if I could help it. The knowledge of the existence of other worlds could be harmful to some people, if they couldn’t accept or understand the idea.

Remembering I had promised to return to the guildhall, I made my way through the already bustling streets of the city to the Coliseum. As I parted the imposing door to the entrance, I all but collided with a Lalafell, as she attempted to exit at the same time. If not for the height difference, it might have ended another way.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” I asked. Aside from a fresh amount of dust on her clothing, signifying her as a guild member, she appeared no worse for wear.

“Aye, I’m fine. But you-” She paused from dusting herself off and squinted slightly at my face. “You’re Liya, right?”

“Um... yes? That’s me. Sorry.”

“I was just sent to fetch you for the guildmaster, so my thanks for making my job easier! She’s expecting you.” The woman waved a hand gesturing to follow. The guildmaster herself maintained her watch over the training pit, but had also taken a larger blade to oil and sharpen the edge.

“Good that you return, Liya, though it is somewhat a shame you chose to do so in the early morn, rather than the evening. Not many would welcome letting loose when there is much of the day ahead.” Mylla gave a look of resignation and weariness towards me. I got the impression an amount of people were looking forward to the excuse of the freeing attitude a welcoming party might consist of, and I imagined the guildmaster had her share of worries to put aside, even for a moment.

“I apologise, guildmaster. The hour grew late despite me, and by the end of my errand for Miss Momodi, the toll of our exercise and the day prior asked that I take a rest before rejoining you and your companions.” I bowed my head, hoping the sincerity would be evident.

“Our companions, gladiator. Remember well, you are welcomed here among our number.” Mylla flashed an accepting smile as I raised my head to face her. “Jovialities aside, there is much to be done before you could count yourself a master of the art. You may have exceeded my expectations in our match, but rest assured there will be far greater challenges to come. If you wish to truly master the sword, you must test yourself against a wide variety of foes. To this end, I present to you this hunting log.” She moved over to the guildhall wall, and pulled a leather-bound tome from a small shelf, along with a wax-coated stick of charcoal, before handing them to me.

“It contains information on creatures ideal for a gladiator-in-training. You will doubtless gain valuable experience should you seek out and slay them. It is only with such practice that you will recognize and eliminate the deficiencies in your technique. Feel free to mark the pages as you see fit, and should your insights prove educational, they will be added to the pages of future logs. We all benefit when one does.”

I turned the charcoal in my hands; it felt vastly different to the sticks I had used in a number of lives before, but I held my tongue. Already I had made missteps I was not keen to repeat. Mylla spoke again, refocusing my attention.

“I will now instruct you on another fundamental aspect of what it means to be a gladiator: commanding an opponent's attention. As gladiators, we are trained to engage enemies at close range, weathering their attacks as we deliver our own. This is where some of your skills lie. However, there are times when we must do battle alongside allies whose talents are not the same as our own. In such a situation, your role is not to slay the enemy in front of you, but rather to defend the man beside you. We do this by eliciting the enmity of our opponents through attacks and techniques designed to incite their hatred. Whoever oversaw your training prior knew of these skills, but evidently chose to focus on other areas.”

Once more, my thoughts returned to the past, and the morning sun of Tarkir; the Khan of the Abzan instructing on the traditional forms.

“You must learn to draw the enemy's attention to yourself and to trust in your stout constitution to endure, In so doing, you protect your weaker comrades who would otherwise perish. To help you better understand this, there is a task I would have you perform.”

“Of course, guildmaster.”

“Just Mylla is fine. We are all brothers and sisters in arms, so it would not do to be constantly so far above when battle is done shoulder-to-shoulder. Regardless, it just so happens that Momodi of the Quicksand has requested our assistance—a gang of Lominsan marauders has paraded into town and begun harassing people outside her establishment. We recieved the dispatch not long afore your arrival, and in fact I had tasked a messenger to seek you out.”

“Not that I am not honoured, but surely others are equally capable, if not more so?”

”First, many here have already practiced these techniques in their training, having come to us with less ability than you displayed prior. Second, commanding focused attention is a deficiency I noted during our contest that you would be well served to learn and master. And finally, I am your guildmaster, and if you wish to remain here, you would do well to heed instruction when it is given.”

I could feel my face grow warm, as nearby onlookers witnessed this public dressing-down. “Yes guildmaster, sorry.”

Mylla waved her hand dismissively. “There is no need for apologies, Liya. You came to learn, and part of my role is to teach. What good would it do to turn away promising recruits for such trifles? But as for these marauders, men like these prey on the weak, but will turn tail and flee at the first sign of defiance. You need not resort to violence - it will suffice to show them that you are not afraid of them, and will not tolerate their behavior.”

I nodded. Regrettably, I had encountered such instigators across many worlds.

Mylla continued. “Seek out the Lominsans and make your presence known by bellowing, 'Face me, marauder!' In this way, you will protect the people of Ul'dah, as you would your allies in battle.”

“And if they fight back?”

“They won’t. But if they choose such a ridiculous option, provisions have been taken care of so as to free you from potential problems with the Brass Blades. Now, go and show those Lominsans what a Gladiator looks like!”

I gave a quick salute, adjusted my scabbard, and exited into the oppressive heat of the day.

Returning to the Quicksand, I rather quickly spotted the marauders Mylla had informed me about. About as wide as they were tall, several men, or Roegadyn as the Tomestone informed me, with broad axes strapped to their backs, each wearing salt-dried leathers and loose cotton clothing, had dispersed around the main promenade. I took a deep breath, and firmed up my posture before approaching the closest. The marauder had cornered a young lady, who was glancing around in fright, eager for an escape.

“Alls I’m saying, is ye don’t know what yer missin’. I know ‘ow to treat a girl right, an’ you can show me ‘round ‘fore takin’ me home an’ all.”

‘Pardon me,” I said, trying my best to reach up and tap the man on his shoulder.

He turned around, and gave a brief look towards me, before sneering dismissively “...Just turn around an' walk away, 'venturer.” Steadfast, I refused to budge.

“Are ye deaf? Get lost!” He began to turn back to the young lady.

“Excuse me! I was talking to you!” I grabbed his arm, and pulled him back towards me.

“The 'ells is yer problem!? Maybe she likes 'er men rough! What're ye s'posed to be, 'er bleedin' lady-in-waitin'!?” He squared up, posturing, but noticed the blade at my hip. Suddenly, that bravado retreated. He gave a look over his shoulder at the lady, before returning his attention to me.

“Bah. It don't matter, ye've gone an' spoiled the mood...” The marauder walked off, taking the extra step to leave space as to not even touch me. I watched as he made his way towards the other districts before turning to the young lady.

“Are you alright?” I asked. She nodded gratefully.

“T- thank you. He... wouldn’t take no for an answer, and I got so scared I couldn’t even move.”

“It’s okay now. Just make sure you get home safe, alright?”

She nodded again. “I will. Thank you again.” She ran down the steps leading to the Quicksand’s doors, fixing her top as she went.

“Ye think ye can get away wit’ this!?” A roar of anger from further down the street pulled my attention, and I walked over. Another of the marauders was towering over a merchant beside an overturned cart, a variety of crafted trinkets scattered to the ground.

“What’s going on here?” I called out on approach. The Roegadyn glanced over his shoulder at me.

“The 'ells ye want? This don't concern ye, so bugger off!”

"You know, I think it will concern me in a second.” I assumed my stance, ready to draw my blade if necessary. The marauder turned, seeming ready to continue the argument, before taking in the scene. I could see the quick mental arithmetic running through his head before he took a step backwards.

“Ye know yer friend 'ere's a Twelve-damned cheat!? Thinks 'e can charge us more 'cause we're foreigners! But 'e'll get 'is own back, mark me words!” The marauder shot a dark look towards the merchant before retreating along the street, following the same path his fellow had taken.

I helped the merchant to his feet. “Here, let me give you a hand.” Between the two of us, we managed to right the cart, and retrieve most of the trinkets. He was visibly shaken, but seemed to be recovering quickly.

“I appreciate your intercession there.” he said.

“Just doing the right thing. You have a good day, and look after yourself.”

“Can I interest you, while you’re here, in a lovely brooch or pendant?” The merchant held up a brass piece of work, dusting it off slightly.

I had to hand it to the man; always hunting for the next sale is one of the primary tenants of the merchant life. “Ha, no thank you. I have business elsewhere and shouldn’t linger.”

He gave a flashy smile. “Worth a try at least. My thanks again.”

I mopped my brow. The temperature had increased since I had left the guildhall. I could see why so much of the open space here was as shaded as it was. A shrill yelp drove that thought from my mind as I followed the sound. Sure enough, another of the Lominsan marauders. This time, they had an arm leaned against a wall, intimidating a Lalafell man, standing in a way to suggest violence if he ran.

“Come on now, just let him go. It’s too warm for either of us to be doing this.” I said, my breath coming slightly harder than before. The marauder looked over, barely taking his eyes off his victim.

“Bugger off! Can't ye see I'm 'avin' a civilized conversation with this poxy whoreson!?”

“What did you call me?” the Lalafell piped up. The marauder growled, and the man squeaked and fell silent.

“There’s no need for this. But if you insist on this path, I’m afraid you will be contending with me.” I said, trying to remain calm with an even tone. The marauder tried to fake a lunge at me, but the previous encounters had established they wouldn’t dare try anything against an armed individual of unknown skill.

“What? Ye blamin' me 'cause this little shite shat 'is own pants!? Well, bugger 'im, an' bugger you, too!” He puffed himself up, but then carefully extracted himself from the scene, giving me a wide berth. I was starting to think this was more about building confidence than martial practice.

“I’m fine, by the way!” the Lalafell exclaimed as I watched the marauder leave for peace of mind.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want him to come back?” I replied, still watching the retreating Roegadyn.

“Eep! N-no, assuredly not! A thousand pardons, my lady!” the Lalafell begged, as he scurried away.

I hoped that was the end of them, until I heard a cry of pain and the sound of splintering wood. Tucked into a private corner, just off the main street, yet another marauder was harassing an average citizen, though this encounter had turned violent. A man was lying in amongst the pieces of broken boxes, cradling an arm.

“Ye gots a lot o' nerve, thinkin' ye can talk to me like that!” The marauder yelled, stepping back to deliver a kick to the man’s ribs.

“HEY!” I cried out, sword drawn, all but throwing myself in the way, causing the marauder to hesitate. “If it’s a fight you want, then just try me!”

The marauder raised his hands. “Oi, come on now, 'e was disrespectin' me proud Sea Wolf 'eritage!” He paused to spit on the ground, aiming towards me enough that I could tell it was trying to intimidate, but far enough that he had no intention of pushing forward with the idea. “Fine, I'll leave the bastard be, but we ain't finished!”

“Leave. Now.” I pivoted to the aggressive form I had been taught, preparing to strike, but the marauder took the out I had left, and swiftly withdrew from the scene.

I carefully helped the man up, taking particular care of the arm, which looked broken. “Do you need assistance in getting some help for that?”

Through gritted teeth and clear pain, the man shook his head. “Nay, I’ll be right. I can get to the Alchemist’s guild an' have this taken care of, right quick. He attempted a smile, but it was swiftly twisted into a grimace of pain.”

“No, I’ll get some help for you. Just hold on.” I ran towards the aetheryte plaza, and enlisted the aid of one of the Brass Blades, who helped the injured man off the street.

Looking around, I couldn’t see or hear any further distractions, so I could call this a job done. That was, until a breaking of glass and a yell came from inside the Quicksand. I sighed, but climbed the stairs to investigate.

#mtg oc #fanwalker #ffxiv rp #Liya al-Amundi #long post #fiction

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razieltwelve · 2 years

Text

Menagerie (Rebirth)

If there was something that Atalanta - who had once been Taylor Hebert - had noticed it was that animals played a much more prominent role in Remnant’s society than they did on Earth. It was probably due to Remnant being a death world where the Grimm and various species of mega fauna would absolutely murder anyone who wasn’t prepared. Forming alliances with animals or outright domesticating them had allowed humans and Faunus to survive.

There was also the somewhat scary fact that many of the animals here were way smarter than their Earth counterparts.

“Um... why is your crow staring at me?” Atalanta asked.

Aquila glanced up from the picture book she was reading to several young crows. “Which crow? There are at least three of them keeping an eye on you.”

“Really?” Atalanta asked. She’d only noticed the one crow staring at her, not that it was easy to miss. The crow in question was perched on Aquila’s shoulder and glaring at her balefully.

“Yeah.” Aquila pointed. “There’s Beaky on my shoulder here, and Whisper-Wing and Captain Caw are also watching you.”

“Oh.” Atalanta looked to where Aquila was pointing. There were indeed another two crows watching her. One was a particularly large and vigorous looking fellow whilst the other had somehow managed to stay completely unnoticed despite sitting on top of a bare branch. “That’s kind of scary.”

“It probably is to most people. But what’s scarier is what Beaky did to the last person to try to attack me.”

“Do I even want to know?” Atalanta asked.

Aquila reached over to grab some food to feed to the young crows who cawed happily and waited patiently for their turn to eat. “The crows and ravens that follow me and my mom around aren’t like regular crows. They can use Aura a lot better than regular crows, which makes them quicker, stronger, and a lot smarter. Beaky here gets his name from how good he is at enhancing his beak for fighting. It turns out that, yes, a crow can punch right through someone’s skull with his beak if he knows what he’s doing.”

“Ewww...” Atalanta made a face... and a mental note to keep a closer eye on Beaky who just gave her what passed for a smile amongst crows.

“He’s pretty tough too. Sure, he can’t stand there and take a bazooka shot, but Beaky can shrug off a few bullets without much trouble. Given how fast he can fly and how agile he is in the air, that’s usually enough for him to get close. And, hey, anyone who really wants to go after me is going to have to bring a lot of people, and the crows and ravens will notice that.”

“You basically have a gang of birds willing to murder anyone who tries to hurt you.”

“Basically, yeah.” Aquila shrugged. “They’re pretty friendly, though, provided you don’t try anything stupid. I suppose it’s probably a bit intimidating, especially in Paddra since there are way more of them there than here.” She chuckled. “Whenever my mom or I leave the city, some of them insist on coming along. When she was young, she once tried to sneak onto a transport without them noticing. They clung onto the transport and followed her once it landed. Ever since then, she’s just accepted they’ll follow her. Now, they get a spot inside the transport.”

“Huh... that’s kind of cool, though. It must be nice having them around.” Atalanta nodded thoughtfully. “Kind of like how Taren always has Fury around.”

Aquila giggled. “Don’t get them started on Fury.” She gestured at the crows who all shook their heads in unison. “I don’t think they like him very much. It might be because Fury is kind of a jerk, or maybe it’s because Fury tried to build a nest on my head once.”

“He does that to everybody he likes. If he didn’t like you, he’d just sit on your head and peck you.”

“True.” Aquila’s smiled widened. “It really irks them that Fury is bigger than they are now too. I mean, yes, they understand he'sa chocobo, but it’s still annoying since now they can’t really pick on him.”

Fury was the size of a pony, and he was only going to get bigger. “Yeah, he can definitely fight off at least a few of your crows. I don’t know how he’d do if the rest of them turned up.”

“Oh, he’d be doomed. There are hundreds upon hundreds of crows and ravens back home. Actually... I think it’s probably somewhere between ten to thirty thousand of them. It’s hard to get completely accurate numbers since we don’t know all of them personally.”

“Really?” Whenever Aquila had come to visit, the crows she’d brought had always seemed more like close friends than random acquaintances.

“They have a whole hierarchy and organisation of their own. Even mom isn’t entirely sure how it works. But there’s a system for promoting crows and ravens from those that just keep an eye on things in the city up to the ones that spend time with me and mom directly.”

“That’s definitely a bit scary.”

“Your sister runs an actual gang of multiple kinds of animals that she equips with advanced weaponry.”

Atalanta smirked. “Technically, it’s my gang now.” Once her sister had started attending Beacon Senior Academy in earnest, she hadn’t been around enough to command her gang of animals properly. Instead, she’d given command to Atalanta. Having a small army of geese, raccoons, squirrels, and other animals at her command was really cool.

In fact, she had several of those geese with her now. They were keeping a polite distance, but she knew that if any of the crows went after her, the geese would be happy to wade into battle on her behalf. Of course, while the crows might glare, Aquila had them well in hand. They wouldn’t attack without a good reason or her approval. That, and they knew exactly what would happen to them if they attacked Atalanta.

The crows might be scary, but Atalanta’s mother was the wielder of invincible levels of tyranny that did not discriminate between species. Lightning Farron was an equal opportunity tyrant.

“Have you decided that you’re going to do?” Aquila asked, changing the subject.

Atalanta nodded. She’d been attending regular school for some time now, but it was time to make a decision about what she wanted to do in the future. The Junior Academies were still a few years away, but the Pre-Academies were coming up. For people who were interested in becoming hunters, they offered a much more hunter-focused program than regular schools.

“Pre-Academy,” she said. “I want to be a hunter.”

“I thought so.” Aquila looked at her for a moment, and Atalanta shivered as the other girl’s gaze grew distant, locked onto something only her eyes could see. On her shoulder, Beaky stirred, feathers puffing out as Aquila’s Aura flexed. Her lips curved up into a smile. “I think you’ll do rather well.”

“Is that my friend talking or the next Grand Seeress talking?”

“Both. Your friend has every confidence in your ability to become a skilled hunter. The next Grand Seeress knows you’ll become one unless you do something extraordinarily stupid like trying to punch an Ancient Beowolf sometime in the next week.”

Atalanta’s eye twitched. “Really?” An Ancient Beowolf would be a formidable foe for even an experienced hunter. “I meet one in the next week?”

“You do, so you should probably just let your mother handle it.”

“I think I will.” Atalanta paused. “You know, you visit us here pretty often.”

Aquila laughed. “There’s a good reason for that. Outside of Paddra, this might be the safest place on the planet for me. There’s your parents, your aunts and uncle, and there are your siblings and cousins. That’s not even mentioning all of the stuff Diana leaves around to help keep the neighbourhood safe.”

“Good point.”

“You know,” Aquila said. “You’re very mature for your age.”

Atalanta grimaced. Aquila was only two years younger than Diana, so it might have seemed a bit odd for her to be such good friends with Atalanta, but Atalanta had never really had problems connecting with people a bit older than her. It might have had something to do with the fifteen years she’d lived as Taylor. “Yeah, I get that a lot.”

Aquila turned a keen eye on her. “You know,” she said quietly. “Trajan says that he sees a tall girl standing behind you. She has large eyes, long, curly black hair, and wears glasses. She looks very sad but proud when she looks at you. But she rarely speaks to him, and when she does, it’s with a voice that sounds an awful lot like yours.”

“...” Atalanta went still and silent. Her geese snapped to attention, and a raccoon lazily ambled out into the open with a pair of squirrels. They could feel the tension running through her. “Has... has he said anything to anyone else?”

“He has spoken to our parents.” Seeing the panic on Atalanta’s face, Aquila continued. “But they haven’t said a word to anyone else.” She reached out and took Atalanta’s hand. “It’s okay. He was just worried. That girl... she wasn’t like the ghosts he’s used to seeing. He wanted to make sure you weren’t being harmed.”

“I...”

“That girl is linked to you in a way no ghost should be,” Aquila said quietly. “It’s like she’s a part of you. When my mother looked into the ghost’s past, all she saw was you.”

Atalanta took a deep breath. Did she trust Aquila enough to tell her the truth? She did. She did trust her. “I think we need to go back inside,” she said. “There’s something I want to tell you.”

X X X

Author’s Notes

Yeah, keeping secrets from a family that can see dead people and the past is pretty much impossible. That said, there are few people better equipped to understand where Taylor/Atalanta is coming from than the Ballad family. What Trajan is seeing is actually part of Taylor’s soul. Despite being reborn as Atalanta, the part of her that is Taylor still exists. It’s why she can return to her original world after dying of old age as Atalanta. Because it’s a part of her, it doesn’t act like a regular ghost would, which is why Trajan was worried about it.

#rebirth #fanfiction #atalanta #taylor hebert #aquila

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wives-natlho · 3 months

Text

Fate (Carmen Weaver part 5)

“Yes, I’m sure. Thank you for the opportunity and the support. It has been very enlightening.” Carmen gave her goodbyes to Thubyrgeim, who was trying desperately to get her to stay. The Highlander had been a good student despite her troubles, and the guild was making good use of her talents when it came to dealing with customs disputes. After her encounter with Athena, she returned to the guild for a while, taking a few leves and working with the guild to make sure the shipments are safe and legal. Bookish folk that could stare down an axe-wielding former pirate twice their size were in short supply. Carmen was able to give the iciest of stares when needed, and the raw power behind her magic was a sight to behold. She will be missed.

“Very well. You can keep your tome, and if you end up wanting to continue your work here, please don’t hesitate to come and see me.” Thubyrgeim responded.

Carmen nodded, smiled, and left the room.

Her profession had changed 3 times in as many months. From student, to Arcanist, and now Adventurer. However, her goal of learning remained. She decided she will join this group of adventurers that Athena had spoken about, to get into their good graces, and learn the ways of adventuring and helping others. Hopefully along the way she would discover something worthy of bringing back to Sharlayan. Time will tell.

Her travel would be convoluted. She’d take a ship from Limsa Lominsa to Vesper bay, then a rail car to Camp Bluefog in Northern Thanalan. From there, she would need to travel by cart past the ceruleum processing plants and through the abandoned Garlean Castrum to Mor Dhona, then it’s on foot from there. That was the plan anyways.

—------------

How was I supposed to know that the railcar hasn’t run in Thanalan since the Calamity? She thought, while a Lalafellin merchant in Vesper Bay just laughed at her.

“Okay, fine. How much for a chocobo porter?” Carmen sighed as she spoke.

“No porters today, Miss. These two behind me are boarded. That one over there is for sale.” The middle-aged merchant woman pointed from atop her box across the plaza to a single white-feathered chocobo tied up to a post, with a Hellsguard Roegadyn man tending to it. “Thanks for the help.” Carmen said with some level of venom to her voice. She didn’t appreciate being laughed at.

Across the way, she went to take a good look at the bird. It was old. She could tell by its beak and feathers. The white coloration was half from diet, and half from age. Carmen leaned down and inspected further. The old bird was a girl, and had unkempt claws.

“Oy! Can I help you?” That Roegadyn man from earlier approached behind Carmen.

“Yes, please. I’m looking to buy.” It was either that or walking the whole way.

“Hah! Are ya, now? She cannae lift my oversized arse no more, so I’m lookin’ ta sell.” The man had a smile on his face. Carmen knew Thanalan was famous for its merchants, shrewd to the last breath. The good news is, since Carmen was a Sharlayan student, she was well-trained in debate and logical fallacy, and the man had already misplayed his first card.

“She can’t, huh? Well, then…”

—

One spirited bout of haggling later, Carmen was packing up her pouches on the saddle of her new old bird. And for less than what she had budgeted for the railcar and carriage rides.

“Let’s give you a name.” She looked into the bird’s black eyes, against the white canvas of its feathers. The light and dark reminded her of the threads of fate, and the goddess Nymia. The good and the bad intermingling. The light and the dark. “How about Fate?”

The aged chocobo chirped in pleasure and nuzzled into her new rider. Carmen actually giggled. Out loud!

“Fate…” She smiled and petted Fate’s neck. “I think I’m gonna like you.”

—---------------

Carmen and Fate got along nicely. Carmen would talk to her, and tell her stories of everything she had done since leaving Sharlayan. Fate seemed to enjoy how light Carmen was compared to the mountain of a man she had been carrying before, and would even chirp happily during pauses in Carmen’s stories. She wasn’t sure, but Carmen liked to think Fate could understand her. The irony was palpable at times, as fate had usually been cruel to her.

The ride was brisk and smooth. The old nag of a chocobo was practiced in carrying, and did so with grace. The two stopped at Black Brush station to get some Gysahl Greens for Fate, some dried meats for Carmen, and some water for both. She hitched Fate to a post and gathered a pouch of supplies for the road.

“Afternoon. Where ya’ headed?” The Highlander man looked like he’d been left out in the sun too long. He was scarred and ragged, most likely from battle, Carmen assumed. He was friendly, though, and wore a kind smile. His greying black hair connected to a thick beard across his jaw, but not his upper lip.

“North. Ishgard eventually.” Carmen replied. “Careful with foot travel. There’s rumor some kinda’ beast has holed up in the old Garlean castrum. Not sure what exactly.” “Thanks. I’ll be careful.” Carmen paid for items and went back to Fate. KWEH!

“Yeah. Me, too.”

—-------------

The ride through Northern Thanalan was uneventful, aside from Carmen’s constant vigilance. The air was filled with blue ceruleum and created a sunset that would have been beautiful except for the fact that Carmen could not bring herself to forget about the gassy pollution. She decided to stop at the edge of a long bridge that spans across the gap from Thanalan into Mor Dhona. The other end led straight into Castrum Centri, the dangerous one if that merchant was to be believed.

She unhooked the saddle from Fate and made camp, alone on the edge of the cliff. A small fire lit the pair and kept them warm. Fate snacked on greens laid out by Carmen, and the Hyur kept herself filled with dried meats and fruits. It was unsatisfying, but would have to do. The northern stretch of Thanalan did not allow much for game animals except for those trained in hunting. Carmen was not.

Overnight, Carmen and Fate snuggled up together and kept warm. The downy feathers under Fate’s small wings made for an excellent pillow.

The following morning, Carmen and Fate crossed the long bridge over the ravine into Mor Dhona. Castrum Centuri on the other side was previously a heavily fortified base for Garlean activity in the area. Since the fall of the empire, it has been abandoned, and opened up. Adventurers made short work of looting the place and uncovering all the valuables. Now, the gates remain open and travel through the Castrum is free for all, including the less-desirable.

As she crossed into the courtyard of the Castrum, she saw something moving. One of the corners had been overgrown with greenery, vines, and colorful aetherically-bloated flowers. When she turned to look, the movement was gone. She pulled Fate’s reins and came to a stop and then dismounted.

She was certain she saw something move. She stared at the viney mass for nearly a full minute, pacing slowly towards it.

KWEH!

Fate was panicked. Carmen spun around to see another mossy shape, but this one was mobile, and advancing on the chocobo. It stood on long, thick vines or tentacles. Carmen wasn’t sure. She’d heard of a Morbol, but had not expected it to be this big, or have this many teeth. Or smell this bad.

Carmen reached up and slapped Fate on the haunch, causing her to shake free of her panic and take off, running away from the area. Carmen spun on her heels and did the same, sprinting away. The trouble was that the Morbol was between her and the exit to Revenant’s Toll. Her hair started to come out of place as she leapt behind a pile of rubble and started to plan.

She was wearing her rucksack, which had her tome in it. What luck! She fished it out along with her quill, and peeked over the rubble pile. She watched the Morbol thrash about, and started planning.

Top heavy, but lots of legs, hard to tip over.

Big mouth - Attack when open?

Smells bad, cover nose

Nouliths on saddle, must use tome

FATE!

Carmen smiled and realized that even though she was the only person here, she wasn’t alone. She watched Fate on the other side, running in circles and keeping the Morbol’s attention. She took the moment to focus energy into a familiar creature, her Carbuncle.

She scribbled the word “Teamwork” at the top of the page and underlined it. Time to jump into action.

—

A sharp whistle cut through the air, and the Morbol’s attention was drawn across the courtyard. Carmen stood in the middle of the way, ready to fight. Her right hand held her tome of spells, and her plan.

The Morbol charged at her. A series of wet slaps was heard against the metal roadway as the tentacle vines carried the creature faster than Carmen expected. Fate watched from behind, finally able to catch a breath. Carmen figured the creature’s constant wetness was something that kept it mobile and stout. To deal with that, she needed heat.

She started focusing a spell in her open hand, one of stone aether. The quick spell rocketed a blast of sharp gravel towards the creature and slammed in its face. It did nothing to harm it, but just to slow it down. Perfect.

Just then, the Carbuncle came out from the side, aspected with fire and colored bright red. It left a trail of flame in the air behind it as it rocketed in a straight line to the base of the creature’s footing. It ran quickly enough to lodge itself in the thick mass of vines at its base. After a moment’s pause, the fire belched out from every opening within the tangled web of tentacles. The moisture in the creature’s base evaporated, and the creature slowed to a crawl.

From behind, Fate found her breath and started sprinting towards the Morbol. Before it got there, Carmen focused another spell, a long, slow build of fire energies, ready to be released all at once. Timing would be key. If she channeled too long, then the fire could explode in her hand. If she released it too early, then it wouldn’t be strong enough. It had to be perfect.

Three seconds.The Morbol started to move again, slow, but angry. It growled, and dark green viscous slime spilled from its maw. She could smell it from here.

Two.

Fate approached right on time. Carmen saw her head dip down. She was going into attack mode. The fire was starting to burn Carmen’s fingers.

One.

The chocobo took a short hop and lifted her right leg behind her, and extended her claws. She kicked with every bit of force she could muster. The Morbol’s mouth opened wide and it roared in pain.

NOW!

Carmen released the Ruby Ruin spell directly at the creature’s open throat. The fire collided with the back of the mouth and seared through the back of its head. The Morbol roared, spat, and cried before falling over. Its tentacles curled up and it stopped moving. At least for a moment.

One thick vine twitched and began to slide over to the side. Carmen and Fate both prepared for more. A moment later, the Carbuncle finished pushing its way out of the mass. The moving stopped entirely after that.

The three gathered up about twenty yalms from the dead Morbol. After a quick breath, Fate let out a tired Kweh, and the carbuncle dissipated into aether. Carmen slid down to sitting and let the stress from her shoulders. The book fell to the ground, and an airy silence overtook the Castrum.

“We did it, Fate.” Carmen said, between heavy breaths. “Good teamwork.”

—------------

She spent the night in Revenant’s Toll before riding onward to Ishgard. Fate earned double greens that night. She was literally a lifesaver. Carmen treated herself to a white wine. She’d had better, but this one was tasty nonetheless. The taste of the victory was sweeter than the wine.

A couple days later, Carmen and Fate arrived in Ishgard. After taking some time to adjust to the cold. She boarded Fate and rented a room at the Forgotten Knight, and headed out to the Empyrium to find the end of her journey:

The Sweet and Savoury Tavern.

#ffxiv #ffxiv roleplay #ffxiv oc #ff14 #final fantasy 14 #ffxiv rp #gpose #Carmen Weaver #oc fic #fanfiction #ffxiv fanfiction #ffxiv fanfic #ffxiv fic #original character

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nightowlfandom · 3 years

Text

Noctis Lucis Caelum- Anything For You

CHECK OUT MY MASTERLIST HERE!

More Final Fantasy content....YYYYYYAAAAYY

Leggo

...

“Good girl.” you smiled as the yellow feathered Chocobo ate from your hand. “Eat up, you need your energy.” you scratched the top of her head as she squawked gratefully.

“Y/N are you still here?” the farmhand, Faye emerged from the stables to find you. “Do you not have any other plans?”

“Trust me.” you began to laugh. “I’d much rather scoop up giant bird poops than deal with my personal life right now...or lack thereof.”

“Well isn’t that somethin- Is that the crown prince I see?” she looked past you which made you follow her eyes. “It is?! Prince Noctis on my Chocobo farm. Quick! How do I look?”

“Like a farmer.” you laughed in reply. “Perhaps get the shit off your boots.”

“Damnit! I should have worn my new ones.” She began wiping the bottoms of her shoes against the grass.

“Faye, he’s just a prince. I don’t know what’s so great about him anyways.” you rolled your eyes. “He seems like an asshole from what I’ve seen of him.”

“You’ve never even met him.” she put her hands on her hips. “Maybe you’ll like him!”

“Sure, whatever you say, Faye.” you laughed. “That’ll happen.”

...

“Ugh why are we here anyways?” Noctis rolled his eyes as Ignis pulled up to the famous Chocobo farm.

“Because!” Prompto snapped in reply. The blond male didn’t even wait for the car to fully stop before he jumped out. “The eggs are supposed to be hatching today and I want to be the first to capture a picture of those featherless faces!”

“Of course.” he scoffed. Noctis liked Chocobos, sure. He just didn’t think an idea of a good Saturday morning was to spend the day at a bunch of dirty, smelly, stables, for a bunch of unhatched eggs no less. “Great.”

“I suggest you fix your face, the farmhand is here.” Gladio grunted, hopping out of the car. “Wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings.”

“Whateve-” Noctis turned his head towards the loud squawking when his eyes landed on you. You were feeding a random Chocobo while talking to that farmgirl who ran the stables. “Woah.” he felt his heart flutter. Who were you?! He heard you laugh from where he was and felt his heart stop. Your laugh, it was beautiful.

“Yo? Who is that girl?” Noctis scrambled out of the car, nearly falling on his face. He tried desperately to fix himself up. “Specs?”

“I believe she frequents the shops not too far from here.” Ignis replied in his usually cool manner. “I believe she is also a friend of that Dino character we run into from time to time.”

“No way. Her?! Friends with that-” Noctis shook his head in disbelief. He found it impossible to walk forward. Gravity was stopping him. He didn’t even notice everyone else walking ahead of him. He had never seen you around before but he wished he had. “Woah....”

...

You were still chatting with Faye when a group of guys ran up. One of them held a camera and looked as if he were about to explode. You had no time to register the camera flash. Good think he captured your good side.

“I AM HERE FOR THE EGGS!” he declared. His abrasiveness surprised you. Was he talking about the new hatchlings?

“Ummm-” Faye looked scared. “You here to volunteer?”

“Heck yeah I am!” he explosive blonde looked as if he was about to piss himself from excitement. “I WANT TO HOLD YOUR CHOCOBOS!”

“Alright! Keep your pants on. Follow me. Y/N, you’ll be good here right?” Faye asked, seemingly frightened by the giddy young man.

“Yeah.” you stifled a laugh. “I’ll be just fine here.” you shook your head as the man ran full force for the stables. You were about to go about your business when a black haired boy stumbled up to you. “For a royal, you’re pretty clumsy.” you stifled laughter.

“Huh?!” he looked taken aback. “You know who I am?”

“...I mean aren’t I supposed to?” you turned back towards the Chocobo. “Prince Noctis?” you tried to hold in your distaste, but he caught up on it instantly.

“Is there an issue with me-”

“As a matter of fact there is. Don’t think I didn’t notice that face you were making when you pulled up with your friends.” you cut him off. “Big and bad prince man can’t be seen around a few Chocobos?”

“Oh, no that’s not it at all.” Noctis tried to explain himself in the best way he could.

“Then what exactly is it?” you turned towards him again. “I mean really?”

“Okay so I admit my attitude isn’t the best-”:

“So you admit it?” you held back harsh laugh. “Hm, It’s a start.” you shrugged.

“I mean, you aren’t really giving me a fair chance. You only know me from the papers.” he explained. “You don’t really know me as a person. For all I know you could be a stalker.”

“I am no a stalker!” you looked him up and down.

“I wouldn’t know that.” he winked. “So maybe we both have it all wrong.”

“And what do you wanna do to fix that, go on a date or something?” you scoffed.

“Yes!” he replied honestly. “Let me prove I’m not some asshole!”

“Is it that imperative that you go out of your way to prove to me that you aren’t an asshole?” you raised a brow.

“Yes!” he nodded quickly.

...

You boredly sat at the restaurant table. He was late. 15 minutes to be exact.

“I knew this was a load of-” you prepared yourself to stand up when a man frantically rushed in.

“I’M HERE!” Noctis yelled, grabbing the attention of the other patrons. He practically fell into the chair right across from you.

“Nice of you to show.” you sat back down. You decided to humor this guy. “Care to explain?”

“Sorry! Stupid Prompto gave me the wrong address and...woah...” he nearly drooled all over the place seeing you in your tight black dress. “You look...amazing.”

“Sure I do.” you scoffed. “I’m sure I still have dried up chocobo shit in my hair,” you turned away from him, feeling your insecurity creep up on you, tons more than usual. “But thank you.” you relaxed in your chair.

“No I mean it! Even when I saw you...I thought you were beautiful.” he expressed.

“Really?” you paused to look him in the eye.

“Really.” he smiled. “You’re the best looking girl here.”

“I definitely don’t believe that...but thank you.” you said shyly. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

....

“What about that one?” you pointed to a random star.

“That one, there’s a legend that it’s a parallel version of this world.”

You both sat at the edge of the lake, staring into the moonlit sky. After dinner, Noctis had taken you to the docks on Galdin Quay.

“No way. “You stared at the star in wonder. “How many worlds do you think there are?”

“Infinite, my dad says so.” Noctis replied. “All different versions of us doing different things.” he smiled to himself. “Maybe there’s a version of me that...is actually proud to be a prince.” he glowered.

“Maybe there’s a version of me whose the royal instead.” you nudged him. That made him chuckle a bit.

“If that’s the case...I’d be happy to bow down to you.” he flirted. He looked back at the sky. “Try that one.” he pointed.

“I know that one.” you beamed a little. “There’s a legend called the Lover’s Star, if a couple sees it on their first date...they’ll be together forever.” you mused romantically. It was only then you had realized your fingers had laced into Noctis’s.

“Maybe today was our lucky day.” he winked. After a second of silence, you decided to confess.

“I was wrong about you.” you said honestly a while. “I think you’re pretty amazing, Noct.” you chuckled.

“So...” he smiled deviously. “Are ya gonna say I’m sorry?” he mocked.

“You wish. You’re still a stuck up prince to me...you’re just not an asshole prince.” you stuck your tongue out at him. “You’re not like most guys around here.” you shyly looked away from him you dug your toes into the sand.

“Well I’m not from around here.” he replied. “You’re different from everyone around here. You’re not all into me because I’m The Prince Noctis- that’s all I want. I want someone to see me for who I am...not what I am.”

You shyly kicked your legs in the water, looking at the ripples in the water.. “I’m glad I could be that person for you Noctis.” you smiled.

“Guess this means you’re gonna be part of my team now?” he bit his lip. “You’ll be my...ummm...I’ll think of something.”

“I look forward to it.” you giggled.

“Hm for now...come here.” he winked, gently holding the side of your face. Noctis kissed you. You felt your senses go off. You instantly grabbed his face, kissing him back.

...

You fell back on the hotel bed, refusing to disconnect from a feverish prince throwing himself at you. He kissed you with urgency, as if you would disappear before his eyes. He tore a rip up your dress hastily.

Your tongues clashed together as you kissed, the air was getting heavy. You helped Noctis out of his jacket. Your dress had turned to ribbons and your panties weren’t too far behind.

“N-noctis..” you hissed, feeling his hands explore every inch of your body.

“You feel even better than I imagined you would.” he kissed your bare stomach. “You’re so beautiful.” he moaned. It was like you were the goddess, the royal, and he was the peasant.

You felt shy under his gaze. He stared up at you, biting his lip. “I don’t think I can wait...” he groaned. “A-are you okay with this?”

“God, yes.” you mewled as he kissed your thighs.

“I wanna worship you.” he moaned, ghosting his lips over your center. You shyly stared down at Noctis who looked up at you with a shit eating grin.

He sunk his tongue into you, lashing against your pussy. You instantly grabbed a fist full of his hair. You and him both were a mess. Hisses and prolonged moans escaped your lungs along with his name. You were sure the people in the next room could hear you.

Noctis crawled over you again, a predatory glare in his eyes. He bit his lip, staring down at you. “You’re so fucking cute...”

...

“I’d do anything for you.” he moaned against your lips. “I’ll take care of you for the rest of my life.” he whimpered, his thrusts growing sloppily. He bucked his hips rhythmically, your bodies moving and grinding in sweet friction. His cock twitched inside of you as he grew near his release, but he wanted to wait. He wanted to cum to the sounds of your cries and screams. ”Gonna make you my queen and w-we’ll rule together until our hearts give out baby. F-FUUUCCKK.”

“Noctis.” you croaked. Hearing his words in your ear made you hiss in delight. This alone caused him to dig his nails into your sides and thrust even deeper into your heat. You didn’t know what else do you but let a stream of cries escape your lungs.

“I love it when you say my name.” he grunted. “Say it again.”

“N-noctis.” your insides lurched as you tightened around his length. “I wanna- I’m gonna-”

“Again.” he barked. “Never stop saying my name. Never say another man’s name!” he sank his teeth into the crook of your neck. “You’re mine, baby. You’re all mine.” he growled.

“Noctisss.” you arched your back. “F-fu-” you whimpered, at the impact. “S-shit!”

Noctis yanked himself from you, spraying his cum all over your stomach. Shortly before, you came too, feeling your water run down your leg. He fell forward, burying his head into your neck. “Baby, I’d fucking do everything for you.”

You shook under his body, whimpering at his gentle touches. You felt him kiss your need lovingly as you both drifted off to sleep.

...

#noctis x reader #noctis lucis caelum #noctis lucis caelum x reader #ffxv x reader #ffxv imagines #ffxv lemon #ffxv scenarios #final fantasy 15 #noctis final fantasy #x reader #noctis imagines #noctis lucis caelum imagines #noctis smut #noctis imagine #ffxv headcanons #imagines #x readers #multifandom

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second-chance-stray · 2 years

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RP Log: Cravs and Lin collect seashells.

Cravendy Hound - With a rare lull between work, Cravs turns to her inherited wall of post-it notes and pulls a random one off. In cursive, bubbly handwriting embellished with little stars, she has written "collect shells!" That should be easy enough. Note crumbled in her fist, she heads over to ask (demand) Lin to accompany her to a trip to Costa Del Sol. For once, it's sunny!

Aislinn North didn't really mind the demand (ask) too much. She needed a break from her work and honestly the sound of sunnier climes and ocean tradewinds was a godsend. And now, as she strolled along the golden sand, kicking her toes into it here and there as she searched for shells, she wasn't sure why she didn't come back to La Noscea sooner. She glanced over at Cravendy, curious. This hardly seemed to be up the gruff Seawolf's alley. "Been awhile. Why'd you pick seashell collecting?" she asked.

Cravendy Hound: "It was the closest one to me," Cravs notes with a wide grin. And that was the truth, though perhaps some unconscious part of her had gravitated towards this particular idea. She kicks off a layer of wet sand to reveal a broken sea dollar and then smushes it back into the ground. "Ye ever done this before?"

Aislinn North watches her a moment and takes note. She doesn't care for broken dollars, apparently. "Oh, a time or two. It's always something to do while I need to think. Better than sitting still." she moves along the shore and kneels down, picking through the debris at the shoreline. She holds a small, pretty pale pink shell up to the sunlight before looking over at Cravendy with a trace of a smile. "What about you? Big shell collector? Got a collection of 'em back at the House?"

Cravendy Hound kneels down and begins to dig a hole in the sand, the tide washing her work away and filling it slowly with seawater. Little horseshoe crabs frantically burrow themselves back under as Cravs keeps this up, not finding shells but finding a simple kind of satisfaction regardless. "Eh, I 'aven't done this in a long while. But used to all the time with the old crew. When ye spend most of yer day at sea or on an island, there's only so many past times to choose from."

Cravendy Hound glances up and catches sight of the shell Lin is holding up. "That's a nice one! Punch a 'ole through it and it'd look right around yer neck."

Aislinn North Tilts her head as she considers it, picturing such a necklace. She pockets the shell. While Cravendy digs a hole, she comes over and peers into it to see if the Seawolf knew a trick she didn't. No. Just a hole full of seawater. "One of your favorite things to do with them? Or did you enjoy something else?" she pauses. "Hmm...drinking. I'm gonna go with drinking." she said with a low laugh as she sits and starts building a retaining wall around the shore edge of the hole that's been dug.

Cravendy Hound pauses from digging to snort, one eye narrowed in an almost-wink. "Hah. Ye know me too well. No better friend than the bottle." She gently palms a horseshoe crab before it's able to escape and sits down, thoroughly covered in sand. The crustacean does little loops in her hand and eventually tumbles off on its own.

Cravendy Hound: "Lots of card games, too, but don't recall winnin' much. Barnable was always an old cheat...never caught 'er, though," she continues, the tips of her boot being tickled by the wave every few seconds. "Oy, that's the name of yer chocobo ain't it? Barnabas."

Aislinn North Nods as she continues expanding her little wall. "Aye. And I'm sure he's not above cheating if need be either. Still an ornery bastard." she says it with a touch of fondness though. It's clear the bird means a great deal to her. "But if she was always cheating and you were losing, it wasn't a real level playing field if you were always playing straight with her."

Aislinn North looks over at her with a hint of dry humor in her eye "Downright noble of you."

Cravendy Hound notices Lin's sandy fortifications and tries to help, working on the opposite end of the wall. "Ye always one for rough-round-the-edges rouges like yer chocobo and I?" She sends Lin a toothy grin as she works. "Hmph, I tried, but she caught me. And then the games turns into somethin' else when that 'appens."

Cravendy Hound: "She 'ad a mean right 'ook..." Cravs trails off, feeling phantom pain in her cheek.

Aislinn North Tips her head, a small, almost shy smile her only reply to Cravs' question. But as Cravs keeps talking, Aislinn softly snorts. "What? So she could dish it out but couldn't take it?" shakes her head, incensed on Cravs' behalf. She opens her mouth to say something else but stops, deciding at the last minute it might be best not to insult a lost member of Cravs' old crew. "You and I should play cards sometime. No cheating."

Aislinn North reaches for the scuttling horseshoe crab and places it in the seawater den they had made. Now she starts decorating the wall with broken bits of sand dollars and small shells. She scours the sand around them for more.

Cravendy Hound: "Pff, well, we 'ad no reason to start a fight with 'er when we couldn't catch 'er in the act! I mean. It's possible she /wasn't/ cheatin', but I don't want to believe that I got beat by a stiff all those times," she replies, now moving on to adding decorations to the wall. Little sticks and gross pieces of seaweed, as flags. "They're still kickin' round in the east somewhere, after bein' cured of their temperin'. Wonder 'ow they're doin'...Barnable and Perry."

Cravendy Hound nibbles guiltily on her lower lip. That she wasn't there with them was something she didn't want to think about. Her place was here with Heartwood now, but that was an excuse in a way. To avoid what was sure to be an incredibly awkward confrontation. She glances to Lin. "Aye. What games do ye know?"

Aislinn North "Triple triad." she says almost primly, pausing to glance at Cravendy to see her reaction before she breaks into a grin. "Poker, of course. 21 high. Goldfish if you really want to get crazy." she tips her head up towards the sun drenched sky. Cravendy obviously wanted to see her old mates. Lin just wasn't sure why she never did. Was it the same sort of situation like Aislinn and her cartel? She couldn't imagine it was. "Would it be so bad to go see how they are?"

Cravendy Hound mouth twists into a frown at the mention of Triple Triad. "Piss n' wind, not that bloody game...could never wrap my 'ead around it. But maybe poker sometime. I'll show ye 'ow bad I am at bluffin'." The sour expression fades from her face as it's replaced with a smile, though that falls when Lin asks her next question.

Cravendy Hound: "...they'll be fine. They've got their mess, and me, mine. Don't want to get in their way," she mutters, avoiding the question. The fact that her old crew's mess was clearly hers as well.

Aislinn North can relate. She shifts, stretching her legs out in front of her and digging her toes into the sand. "Alright, then." a beat and then she smiles as something someone once said comes bubbling up from her memory. "Ain't about to tell you how to live your life. Besides, I guess it's not like you don't have your hands full with Heartwood." Or vice versa. But why split hairs? "Whatever mess you all got into, the fallout has been nonstop lately."

(Cravendy Hound) lort speaking of fallout )) (Cravendy Hound) I am very afraid )) (Aislinn North) ((why?)) (Cravendy Hound) afraid but EXCITED )) (Cravendy Hound) Haila is full to the brim with sus energy )) (Aislinn North) ((Isn't she always? xD)) (Aislinn North) ((But I know what you mean)) (Aislinn North) ((She's being way too chill about dottering around the Company House like a grandma bun)) (Cravendy Hound) ohhhh I can feel it in my bones )) (Cravendy Hound) something bad is gonna happen )) (Aislinn North) ((KNitting sweaters. And plushies. Very sus))

Cravendy Hound releases a breath, thankful that Lin doesn't push the subject. "And I ain't gonna tell ye 'ow to live yers, unless ye go and do somethin' unacceptably dumb. Somehow, I don't think yer the type." She grins back at Lin, though the conversation they had moons ago echoes in her mind. Her aether troubles and the lack of action on Crav's part. The Seawolf sighs and looks over to the pulsing tide. In and out.

Cravendy Hound: "Aye, I wish we could stop bein' in disaster mode. But. Guess that's just 'ow Heartwood functions, eh? Out of one mess and right into another."

Aislinn North shrugs like she's come to accept that's just the way it is. "I'm not sure we'd know what to do with ourselves otherwise. We'd get bored. And then just make our own mess. At least this way, we're cleaning up -other- people's messes." she sighs. "But at least things are...calmer? For now." One Garlean and two mischievous AI aside. But surely that wasn't anything they couldn't handle, right? "Hear you've been going out and handling the business end of things here and there. "Resigning to your officer fate?" she teased lightly.

Cravendy Hound feels her mouth twitch into a smile. It had taken a while to accept, but yeah. She was finally beginning to go soft and it wasn't all that bad. "We're all a bit messed up but I wouldn't 'ave it any other way, so messmakers it is. Just....yeah. At least 'ave the courtesy of lettin' us catch our breath before tossin' us into the fire again."

Cravendy Hound: "Mhnn..." Cravs finds it difficult to admit to what Lin is saying, a mental block preventing her from speaking more. Words broken, she opts to nod instead. "I get these real bad allergy attacks lately, so been keepin' indoors. Then I found out paperwork ain't....so bad. Ye better not go 'round gloatin' 'bout this to anyone though!"

Aislinn North eyes widen in a feigned 'I would never!' look. "Your secret's safe with me." she promises. "Also, not sure anyone would believe me, anyroads." Seeing the crab struggling, she leans forward and helps it out of the sandy hole. It begins to scuttle on its way. "We didn't get much shell collecting done." she noted. "Do you think she'd mind?"

Cravendy Hound laughs at that. "Thanks for steppin' round my pride. It feels nowadays I keep gettin' walked on, like that drinkin' incident..." She shakes her head, not bothered by it, and lets the ocean speak for an extended period of time. The gentle breeze warm against her skin, salt-soaked and soft, wrapping herself around them like a blanket.

Cravendy Hound: "I don't think she'd mind."

Aislinn North lets her gaze drift out across the lazy waves. As the breeze gently sweeps in, a soft smile comes over her, at perfect ease. She leans back towards the sky. "You're probably right."

#ff14 rp logs #Aislinn North #Cravendy Hound #ask (demand)#demand (ask)#these two finding soft comfort in each other ;_;#and the ending...#-chefs kiss-#really nice to get this in before Endwalker and before the CHAOS that follows #Cravs is growing up and finally becoming....somewhat responsible #tho she did drunkenly break bottles in the yard not long before this lmao #maybe that was the final straw to sober her up a lil

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p-artsypants · 3 years

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I Do...I Guess (2)

Mushroom Rock

Ao3 | FF.net

The chocobo eater was a great team building exercise, though Yuna’s new Aeon did a lot of the leg work.

What was the name again? Ifeert? Oh well, Hot Dog it would be to Tidus.

Zanarkand was really missing out on those Chocobos though. They were fun to ride, and pretty easy to handle...though they were a little smelly.

Of course, Tidus tried to imagine riding one around back home, among the motorcycles and the cars...and thought that maybe the chocobos were fine here in Spira.

The birds allowed for much quicker travel of the High Road, and they made it to the crusaders blockade before lunch.

“A blockade?” Wakka wondered aloud. “But how else are we supposed to get to Djose?”

“I’m sorry folks,” one of the nearby crusaders explained. “The road will be closed off during our operation. We’re very sorry for the inconvenience.”

“We have to get through,” argued Lulu. “This is Summoner Yuna, and you are hindering her pilgrimage.”

“I’m sorry. Summoner or not, I have strict orders not to let anyone pass.”

It was then that Wakka made the startling discovery. “Hey, there’s Al Bhed here.”

“The Al Bhed and the Crusaders are teaming up?” Asked Yuna.

Wakka frowned. “What kind of operation needs the Al Bhed a part of it?”

“I find myself asking the same question.” A wispy voice interrupted.

The party turned to see Maester Seymour joining the fray. He seemed none too bothered by the presence of those so-called heathens.

He almost looked excited.

“Lady Yuna? Is there something the matter?”

Tidus felt an uncomfortable crawling sensation in his veins. This blue haired clown really made his skin crawl. Jealousy, the others might say. But no, he could read those sleazy bedroom eyes from a mile away.

How old was this dude anyway? Should he be allowed to look at Yuna like that?

Why did he care? He wondered. He was a guardian now, so obviously he was watching out for her.

And a pending marriage proposal, his subconscious reminded him politely. He had managed to forget about that all morning.

“We need to get through to continue my pilgrimage,” Yuna said simply.

Tidus really admired that she didn’t try any persuasion at that moment. No beating her enchanting mismatched eyes, or pitching her voice up like so many girls had done to him.

She didn’t even say please.

“I’ll take care of it.” Seymour smiled.

Tidus mimed a gagging motion at Kimahri, but the joke was wasted on the stoic ronso.

Miraculously, Seymour did take care of it. They were waved on almost immediately, much to the chagrin of Dona, who was asked to stay back.

They were prompted forward, down the Mushroom Rock trail, to the beach and the command post, where everything was going down.

The Mi’ihen Highroad was lush with greens. A perfect day with ideal blue skies, with happy chocobos fluttering around.

But the closer they got to the operation, the grayer the sky, the drier the ground, and the more fierce the fiends.

Yuna shivered slightly as they entered a valley.

“You okay, Yuna?” Tidus asked.

“Oh, yes. Just got a chill up my spine.” She came a little closer to him and admitted. “I don’t know why, but I got a sense of dread all of a sudden.”

“What’s the operation all about, anyway?”

“I’m not sure. But I suppose we’ll find out more when we reach the command post.”

They found out plenty when they crested the hill and found a half a dozen machina canons all lined up and pointed out to sea.

The horror on his teammates faces proved that whatever was going on was likely very heretical.

“What are all these Machina doing here?” Asked Wakka.

A crusader answered. “We Crusaders and Al Bhed share the same dream. To be rid of Sin forever! And if we can take the burden away from the summoners, we’re going to try!”

It was a noble cause, Tidus thought. He had seen the devastation that Sin was capable of. Were these little canons good enough?”

They were explained the situation. A huge canon sat on the cliff side, easily big enough to wipe out a city if they weren’t careful. And there was an army on the beach, ready to fight and distract with swords.

He hoped this would all work, maybe then Yuna could stop her journey.

Maybe Sin would come to shore and he would go home, and then he wouldn’t have to come up with an answer for Yuna’s marriage proposal.

He felt like maybe all these things were unlikely, and that only the worst was to come.

The army was still preparing, and there was no sign of Sin, though the bait was set and waiting.

Tidus spotted a familiar merchant standing back, behind the cliff wall.

“O’aka, right?”

“Ah, so my name is catching on, eh?”

“Well...maybe. We rode in the boat over from Kilika, remember?”

“Oh yes. I never forget a face! You lent me a pretty penny, and for that, I’m grateful. Are you after anything? I have a special rate because of the operation.”

“Do you...have any rings?”

“Rings? Ah yes, all sorts of magic wards. And they’re pretty too!”

Tidus had been given an allowance for such an occasion.

O’aka displayed his tray of jewelry, with about a dozen different choices on it. Golds and silvers, with all sorts of jewels.

“What about this one?” He pointed to a silver and blue one, with a very intricate design.

“Excellent choice! A real heavy hitter! Stone, water, fire, and lightning proof, and it's blessed!”

“How much?”

“For you my friend, only 9999!”

Tidus opened and closed his mouth in shock. “Uhhh...”

“What are you doing?” Auron asked, coming up behind him.

He yelped in surprise, and then tried to school his expression into something that didn’t look like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Uhh...just looking at rings.”

“For Yuna?”

O’aka’s eyes widened. “For Lady Summoner Yuna? My my, how interesting!”

“Mind your own business!” Tidus scolded with a blush.

“So you decided to say yes?” Auron asked.

“Not...completely. I’m still thinking things through...I just want to be prepared. You know? I thought, maybe having it would help me think.”

“A wise decision.” Auron took out a sack of Gil and handed it to O’aka, then took the ring, and a thicker, plainer band. “You get one too.”

“Oh. Right.” For now, Tidus just pocketed them, and decided to concentrate on the mission.

A mission that was doomed to fail, according to Maester Seymour and Kinoc.

“Let them keep dreaming.” They said. It was almost an admission to a genocide.

Everybody here, crusaders, Al Bhed, and a few Yevonites, they were all fighting for peace. For calm.

And yet, these ‘Holy Men’ had laughed behind their backs.

Tidus had nothing against the temples. Faith and prayer were vital in keeping hope in such a dismal world. But these Maesters smelled heavily of nepotism and flagrant thirst for power.

In Zanarkand, such men would find places of power. In government, in business, on boards and councils. But of the religions back home, he thought of them as pious and self sacrificing.

Not whatever these two men were.

How many others were like this? How many others were willing to sacrifice people?

Why wasn’t anyone speaking up?

They shouldn’t have come. They should have stayed at the blockade, or gone back to stay another night at the Travel Agency.

But no. Now Tidus was in the water, rapidly chasing down his old man. The beach was littered with bodies and shrapnel of destroyed Machina. The operation had failed catastrophically, and yet, all he could do was swim on, chasing.

He wouldn’t let this opportunity pass him by.

But Sin was gone. Just as Jecht had vanished from his life, so had the beast once again. Giving no answers, leaving more questions, and leaving oblivion it's wake.

How long had he been passed out for? Minutes? Hours? He wasn’t sure. The wet sand pressed against his back as he washed ashore. All his chasing and he was back.

“There you are! You good, brudda?” Wakka hurried to him and pulled him to his feet.

“Yeah. Just...I just fell.”

And he had. He had been up top fighting that Sinspawn before he fell below. So it wasn’t a complete lie. He just didn’t want to explain to Wakka that he had tried to chase down the biggest menace on Spira because of a childhood grudge.

“Where’s Yuna?” He asked instead.

“Talking to Maester Seymour.” He pointed up towards the ridge. Yuna stood there, head bowed as Maester Seymour stood too close, speaking to her.

“I gotta go.”

“I don’t know man, seems like a private conversation.”

“Like I care!” Tidus staggered to his feet and hurried over to her. He stood below the ridge, just out of sight, but not out of earshot.

“…so you mustn’t cry.” Seymour preached. “You must be a beacon of light to Spira, you must be strong for these survivors.”

“I know,” Yuna said, in a tender voice. “But some of these people were my friends, and I want to grieve their loss.”

“Yuna, being a summoner means removing your emotions from those around you. You can care, but not too much. You know that, right?”

Tidus wanted to grab that cretin by the robes and push him into the sea. Maybe Sin would come back and swallow him. Was that too much to ask?

“I understand. Thank you, Maester Seymour.”

The man patted her head, like she was a dog, and moved on.

Yuna stood there for a moment, just staring at the ground.

“Yuna?” Tidus spoke behind her.

She turned, and saw him just below her on the ridge. She nodded with resolve and sat down on the edge. “Will you help me down?”

He held his arms up for her, and she took hold of his shoulders. She slid down, to stand with him, keeping her eyes locked with his. “Thank you.”

“Anytime. You okay?”

She just nodded. Then added, “I have a sending to do.”

So he let her go, and watched as she began her dance.

A dance devoid of joy, of fun, of merriment. It was still graceful, and haunting, but the tightness in her face contrasted with the fluid movement in her body.

Sobs and wailing filled the air, as survivors of the massacre witnessed their friends and family rise as Pyreflies into the air.

If it was up to him, she’d stop dancing. So she could stop hiding her sorrows.

Her strength did amaze him, though. He watched as she danced up and down that beach, long after the sun had set. She wouldn’t allow one soul to not be sent. They already suffered, they didn’t need to remain as fiends.

Long after Seymour and Kinoc left, long after the other guardians set up camp, Tidus still followed Yuna down the beach. All the way to the other end, before she collapsed in exhaustion.

“Yuna?” He asked softly.

“I just need a moment,” she breathed.

She sprawled out on the sand, and Tidus wondered if she cared about it getting in her hair.

She looked exhausted. Her lips pulled into a tight line, and her eyes were shut hard.

“Why did this have to happen?” She asked aloud, mostly hypothetical, but loud enough for him to hear.

“Because people were sick of Sin. And death was a better alternative to sitting and twiddling their thumbs.”

She sighed. “My mind knows that, but my heart...”

He sat in the sand beside her, just a hands length away. “You know, it’s okay to cry.”

She shook her head.

“Even I let out a few tears back there, and most of these people were complete strangers. You knew some of them.”

“I have to be strong. Summoners are a pillar of strength to the people of Spira.”

“So I heard,” he shrugged. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t ever cry.”

“I don’t want to.” She protested. “I want my journey to be full of laughter, and you’ve been so good about helping with that. Don’t tell me to cry.”

“Fine. I’m not going to make you cry. Just...sometimes, being happy isn’t possible. Then it’s the best to just be less sad.”

Yuna turned to look at him, but didn’t say anything.

“Maybe I don’t know anything about Yevon, or hardly anything about life. But I think grief is when you love too much, and you can’t give it. I think if I saw a summoner cry from loss, I would feel better. My future, my world, is in the hands of someone who loves.”

Yuna hummed softly, garnering his attention. She had streaks on her cheeks, but he politely chose not to mention it. “What happened here was a tragedy, but for a moment, everyone was United and working together, and I thought it was really beautiful. So maybe it was bad...but not all bad.”

“Feel better?”

“Yeah...not happy, but less sad.” She sat up, dusting the sand from her clothes. She admired the stars above and the crashing of waves before pushing to stand. “We should get back soon, before they worry.”

“We will,” Tidus assured. “But I want to ask you something first.”

“Alright?”

With resolve he hadn’t felt in a while, he took the ring out of his pocket, and got down on one knee. “You know, it might feel like weird timing, but I want to help.”

“Tidus?”

He held the ring up to her. “Yuna, will you marry me?”

She just stared at him for a long time.

“I know you asked me, but back home, it’s kind of tradition for the guy to ask. Hope you don’t mind?”

“So...you’re accepting my proposal?”

“Only if you accept mine.”

She laughed, a genuine smile breaking out on her face. “Alright. I accept!”

He smiled too, and pushed to his feet. Then he held out for her hand and slipped the ring on for her.

“I never thought I’d propose to a girl I wasn’t dating.” He joked.

“Already getting cold feet?”

He shook his head, before gathering her into a hug.

Yuna was startled for only a moment, before snuggling into his arms.

“Whatever you need, you come to me, okay?” He asked. “If you need to laugh, or cry, or a hug. I’m your man.”

Yuna smiled into the embrace. “Yes, you are my man.”

#Final Fantasy #Final Fantasy X #FFX #tidus x yuna #tidus #final fantasy tidus #yuna #I Do...I guess?#Fanfiction

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sparrowwritings · 3 years

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Final Fantasy 14 Writing Challenge Day Eight: Bells

Day Seven -- Masterpost -- Day Nine

Alisaie stood with her back straight and her hands to her sides as she stared at the retreating forms of the Maelstrom private and the small kobold child that followed in her wake. She stared and she willed him to stop walking and turn around and...and have something of himself in his eyes again. Not the emptiness that stared back from the depths of the helmet he wore. Alisaie stood there and the two figures disappeared into Maelstrom headquarters rather sooner than she wished. Ga Bu was still completely enthralled. Nothing had changed since last she saw him. There was nothing she could do to help him.

It was only when she noticed the ache in her now curled hands that she realized that her nails were a hair’s breadth from puncturing the skin of her palms.

Turning her will inward, Alisaie took several breaths and eased loose her fists. The Warriors of Light were still here. They had graciously accepted her invitation to visit the koboldling. But. She would not allow herself to cry in front of them.

They had helped her and others with a myriad of problems, yes. They had agreed to visit Ga Bu apropo of nothing, also yes. They were the closest she’d ever felt to having proper friends, and ones who could handle Alphinaud as well, yes a third time. However, there were too many things for her to focus on to allow herself to open up like that. Especially when Lara and Roger themselves often had far more to deal with than even she needed to. Crying would make her seem vulnerable, and she could not let them see how hurt she was. They didn’t need to be burdened by her feelings.

The chiming of bells from Maelstrom Command, followed by a series of them going all about the port town pulled Alisaie from her thoughts. She turned to face the Warriors of Light and gave a sharp nod. “Thank you for coming. I’m sure that somewhere in there, Ga Bu is also thankful for your presence. I’m also sure there’s plenty more for you to be doing other than staying here.”

To say that Lara and Roger looked pensive would be an understatement. The two were shifting in place and giving herself and each other looks that she did not care to examine. “If you’ll excuse me,” She made to push past the two and was startled to find that both of her arms had been captured. By the Warriors of Light. She turned a bewildered look from Roger to Lara. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“The noon bell just rang out,” Lara explained as if she were speaking to someone new to Limsa Lominsa. “And I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Since we’re here anyway, we might as well visit the Bismarck and have lunch besides.” She turned her dark blue gaze to meet Roger’s eye just barely above Alisaie’s head. “What do you think, Roger?”

“Oh yeah, we should go.” The cheerful way he said it made Alisaie turn to face him with a suspicious glare. He flinched, but refused to release the arm he was holding. “They have tons of good food that don’t even have any meat in it. Not a lot of places do that!”

Just what were they planning? “Seven hells, what are you doing?”

“Inviting you to lunch, of course,” Lara said airily while adjusting her grip so that her right arm was linked in a more casual way around Alisaie’s left. Roger pulled a similar maneuver to her right. “If you don’t want to eat that’s fine, but I insist you come with us.”

Experimentally, Alisaie attempted to pull her arms away. As she suspected, the twin grips only held onto her tighter. With an annoyed sigh, she relented, “I suppose I’m outnumbered in this regard. Is this how you two befriended Alphinaud?”

“No, he fell into that one all on his own.” Roger grinned as the three of them started walking down the walkway. “We weren’t even trying back then.”

------

It took far longer for the three of them to be seated and have their orders taken then expected. This was mostly due to what felt like (and perhaps was) the entirety of the wait and kitchen staff of the Bismarck coming by their table and catching up with what Lara had been up to. Each time that one of her former coworkers left, she apologized profusely. “You come to be like family when you work here. So that means everything is everyone’s business.”

Roger nodded enthusiastically. “It’s kind of like that at the chocobo stables too!” He paused, then amended, “Well, with the birds at least. You get to know their personalities so well, the more lonely people start talking to them like they’re actually responding.”

Alisaie leaned a hand against her chin while her elbow was propped on the table. The complementary bread slices had long been eaten, and with how distracted the wait staff was with talking to Lara no one had thought to refill the basket yet. This left her more time to think on the statements of her current lunchmates. She directed her gaze at Roger and lifted a white eyebrow. “Were you particularly lonely at the stables?”

Pink colored his cheeks while he looked in any direction that wasn’t towards her. “N-no…” His pause lasted a relative eon but must have only taken a few seconds. “...Bell’s always been a great listener and Pepper does chatter back at me, I swear. Or did when I took care of him.”

If she wasn’t so upset at life, Alisaie probably would have laughed. Instead she let the smile tugging at her lips grow a little. Lara at least had the decency to hide her giggles behind a hand, though the sound of them were hardly muffled.

He huffed and pointed back at his best friend. “And that’s rich coming from someone who has about a million older friends.”

Taken aback, Lara retorted, “So do you! Most of the Scions are older than us!”

“You still have a ton more, though.”

“I’d have to agree,” Alisaie turned to face Lara. She looked and acted scandalized, but she was probably playing it up. It was an easy enough lead to follow in this playact. “There’s been a veritable parade of staff here to greet you. Enough so that we’ve spent more time talking than eating. What did you do, reinvent some cooking technique?”

With a snort, Lara folded her arms and leaned back against the chair she sat in. “Hardly. I was apprenticed here when I was 14.”

Alisaie blinked owlishly. “They take apprentices that young?”

“It depends. I was something of a special case.”

“Of course.” Alisaie rolled her eyes. “I forgot, you both are so good at everything you put your hands on.”

“Hardly.” Lara returned the eye roll. “I could barely figure out how to scramble eggs back then. But the family that took me in were about to be out at sea for several months and I needed to be taken care of until then. Once I’d gotten over a few hurdles, I took to being a Culinarian like a fish to water. My schooling and lodging were paid for by my work at the Bismarck and here we are now.”

That second statement gave Alisaie pause. A glance back at Roger made it clear that he was already aware of this story. “‘The family that took care of you,’ you say. Not your parents?”

The other girl’s face was unconcerned as she shrugged. “Couldn’t find them since I couldn’t remember who they were.”

“And why’s that?”

“No one really knows. I was found by a Fisher family at the age of 12. All I could recall from before then was my given name and my nameday. And since no one knew a Lara who looked like me...” She indicated herself, making extra gestures at her wavy blonde hair that had streaks of red throughout and her dark blue eyes. “Well, orphans on Limsa sometimes get taken in by families to teach the trade to. I was horrible at fishing, though Tanion was never upset with me about it.”

“Who is Tanion?”

“Er...I guess you could say he’s my adoptive uncle? He was the main one that took charge of trying to teach me life skills. Venor, his partner, stuck strictly to his thaumaturgy but he could be fun to talk to when he felt like it.”

Alisaie was hooked (to pardon the pun) by this new information. She hadn’t heard any of this from the other Scions. Had Alphinaud even known…? She’d ask him about that later. “He sounds like a total pill.”

Lara laughed. “He is! I don’t see what Tanion sees in him, but apparently it’s something strong enough that they’re still together. He sends me letters every so often.”

“I did not know that.” She genuinely didn’t. “Do they not worry about you enough to send more?”

“Kind of? Venor doesn’t seem to care one way or another and Tanion does have some vague worries in his letters, but they don’t ask if they can help or anything. It’s why I don’t really think of them as parents.” Lara shrugged. “It might be a culture thing or it might be an orphan thing. Limsa Lominsa’s descended from pirates. Independence is something you’re taught pretty young around here so I never felt incapable. Anyway, I still respect that they took care of me when I had nothing but my name, so I’ve kept their family one in return."

The idea left Alisaie’s head spinning. To have grown up with people who were less parents and more babysitters until the time came to work. To have worked until very recently to survive. That Lara could come out of it so cheerful was...extraordinary.

Speaking of cheerful, though.

She turned to Roger, who had been quiet this whole time. “What about yourself? You’ve from the Black Shroud, yes?”

He scratched the back of his head while he came up with an answer. “Actually, I was found me in the Black Shroud.”

“What??” Just like Roger knew her side of things, Lara didn’t seem at all surprised by this statement.

“I know right?? There’s all these stories about people getting lost forever in the woods...a patrol of Twin Adders found me and took me back to Gridania. I was 12 at the time.”

Sensing the pattern, Alisaie finished with, “And you don’t remember anything from before then except for your given name and nameday.”

He looked sheepish as he smiled. “Yep.”

“You two accumulate the oddest of coincidences.”

“So everyone keeps telling us,” Lara commented.

“Don’t tell me you also had caretakers who had no parental skills?”

“Oh no, my mom and dad were really nice,” Alisaie let loose a relieved sigh, then she realized what he’d said just as he added, “They died a couple of years ago, in their sleep. I got to be their kid since their other ones were fully grown and they were too old to fight on the front lines.”

She couldn’t help a wince as she offered, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Roger smiled, as if he hadn’t been talking about the death of his adoptive parents. “Thank you.”

“What were their names?”

“Landaeg and Terama Briden.”

“No wonder you were lonely.” She meant it as a serious statement, but Roger seemed to take it as a joke.

“I told you, I had Bell and Pepper to help me out! And Walker too. He’s the one that taught me what I know about Botany. He wasn’t too happy when I started adventuring, but when he found out I wasn’t actually alone in fighting, he let me keep going.”

Lara leaned both of her elbows onto the table with a wicked grin. “And just how much do you leave out of your letters to him?”

His flushed face was more red than pink this time. “N-not a--hey I don’t need to answer you!”

As the two started to bicker, Alisaie leaned back and took it all in. She only had anecdotes of students and stories of the world outside of the Studium to give her an idea of what “normal” was supposed to look like. Being powerless in the face of things far too vast to fight...she was well aware of this phenomenon. She experienced it constantly. And yet, to confront the Warriors of Light and their common background of being too powerless to prevent the losses they had experienced even before they’d started adventuring…

It really felt like they were still on her level. Not up high in the clouds where she could never reach them. They were...she glanced at Lara then Roger in turn. Literally close enough to touch. She had the power to do just that. Deliberately or no, the Warriors of Light had given her a way to feel like there was something she could do, no matter how little it was.

Alisaie could have cried, if not for the sudden arrival of all of the food the three had ordered. She blamed her need to rub at them on how good it smelled and if Roger and Lara suspected anything, they didn’t say.

Bells rang out again as the three ate and continued to talk.

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meteorstricken · 4 years

Text

Sephiroth Week, Day 7 Prompt: Rebirth

“Assimilation”

"Let me give you one last piece of advice, Ancient. No matter what you do, it's futile. It's all part of this Planet's system. Many foreign entities from the skies fall into the Planet's life cycle unknowingly and now Jenova’s in there. So where does its soul go? Even if you try to destroy it, it will never disappear. It has merged with the Sea of Mako, drifting through every part of the Planet through the Lifestream. One day, you will all have to live as part of Jenova. Hahaha... It's only a matter of how soon that will happen."--Professor Hojo to Aerith, 'Maiden Who Travels the Planet'

~~~~

Spring

The planet's personality was changing. Spring brought forth flora in vibrant, unnatural colors--purple spiny fronds where long, gentle gold and green waves used to grow. Giantism emerged in some of the smaller creatures. A house kitten born the previous winter might be confused with one of the big, feral carnivores, because that's what it had become. Chocobo teeth were novelty for country fairs, once their keepers learned how not to get bitten. And, incidentally, once they figured out that the birds no longer craved greens. A herding dog or two was lost to that discovery.

Although the change brought fear, for the most part, people learned to live with it. Smaller villages put up fences. Hunting became a popular pastime once more, granting some of the elderly a renewed sense of purpose as they trained their grandchildren. Cuisine and medicine transformed by leaps and bounds. At times it was a struggle, but adaptation allowed everyone to continue living their normal lives for the most part.

What had brought on this change? What had so influenced the planet's idea of itself? Most--from the subsistence farmer to the W.R.O. expert reporting directly to Reeve Tuesti--believed that it was simply the growing pains of a world that had been through way too much in too little time. Jokes of planetary puberty abounded.

No one could say for sure, but there was also no evidence to the contrary. Wily though the world was, there seemed to be no deliberate villainy afoot, and the last Mako reactor had been disabled years ago.

----------------------

Summer

They were once members of Shinra-endorsed fanclub called the Silver Elite, which also served as an arm of the old company's propaganda efforts. Although long since disbanded, many remained friends, and they journeyed together to Icicle Inn that Summer to get away from the abnormal heat that had cloaked much of the world, binding it into one shared season. It was unusually warm here as well, but pleasantly so.

Under a full moon they gathered around a fire, black-cloaked and nervous. All at once, they'd felt the urge--no, the need-- to dress that way. It was comfortable, they said to one another, but they couldn't define it any further than that, and they didn't try to. A hush fell over them. One woman began to hum a directionless, unknown tune. Two more joined in with her. Then, all together, they somehow achieved a perfect, united harmony.

"Do you remember Sephiroth?" one of them spoke when they'd ended the mysterious song.

There was laughter at first. Of course everyone remembered. The only reason most of them knew one another was because Shinra had convinced them to lust after its prided SOLDIER. Not that much convincing had been needed--the man had been a living masterpiece.

"But he was more…he became more than that, didn't he?" the eldest voiced. There was something desperate and pleading in her tone, as if she was trying to remember part of the doctored tales they'd all been fed that perhaps wasn't so made up.

"If Chairwoman H was right…maybe?"

"Whatever became of her? Did anyone ever actually meet her? Who was she?"

"Probably just another company shill."

Another long, drawn out silence descended over the group. The fire snapped and crackled, and a chilly wind blew down from the Great Glacier--a rapid-melting mass that was said to have flooded the ancient ruins nearby. Small runoff streams had turned to pregnant, raging rivers. There was one they could all hear nearby, roaring as it raced out to the ocean.

"He's alive. I can feel it. We were lied to."

"He can't die. Not truly. He will always return."

Fearful glances rounded the flames. Some nature of spell had come over all of them; something far more potent than raving, pop culture-promoted thirst. What had started as a get away to remember the bad old days had turned to an impromptu cultish conclave, though not one believed they were making anything up. The words and tunes and rhythms surged through them from without--something magical and terrible.

There was no time to think twice. They had heard the call, and they'd all obeyed. What more was left to them?

"The Crisis and Solution, beginning to end to beginning again. Become now the cycle and the meaning, the life and the death, in aeternum, forever and ever," raised up an overlapping chant.

There was weeping. There was trembling. They all shouted the name. And they all threw themselves into the fire.

----------------------

Autumn

When Fall arrived, it brought with it dying, pretty leaves and a stilted harvest time--the world had not yet adjusted to living the same season all at once. Supply chains were strained, but attitudes remained upbeat. The planet was healing, everyone agreed. They had to follow its lead so that it could complete the process. For all humanity had taken, a little sacrifice for a couple of years was a small price to pay to be able to witness the planet at full strength--something only the Ancients would have last seen. To live in such a time was a privilege.

And that remained the message, even as Rufus Shinra, his Turks and W.R.O. operatives in Midgar and Junon convened over video calls in darkest hours before dawn. It had now become mercilessly clear that the planet was not acting on its own.

"Yes, degradation, like SOLDIER," Tseng confirmed. "It was first observed in the Junon area forests."

"Which life forms appear to be affected? Is it a danger to humans yet?" Reeve asked.

"Everything our people have tested has come up positive, including crops and cattle. Anything that eats has it," Rufus broke in.

Reeve crossed one leg over the other, wiped his brow, and loosened his collar. "But degradation comes directly from…" He couldn't bring himself to finish.

"Jenova cells. The late Professor Hojo's Reunion theories never accounted for something of this scale, however," Tseng supplied.

"Reunion suggests a gathering together of infected organisms. This is just…it's a take over!" Reeve exclaimed. "How do we stop it?"

Eyes darted between one another. Heads bowed. Of course, there was no stopping it now. It was something that, if they'd not been distracted with everything else over the past several years--Sephiroth's second coming, Deepground and Omega, and the sheer labor expenditure it took to try to keep society stable and rebuilding through those setbacks--should have been researched and addressed immediately following Meteorfall.

But no one knew enough. No one even knew to ask if there could be such all-consuming consequences for the SRD's environmental failures like this. It was beyond imagining.

"We don't. We stay the course," Rufus finally answered.

"Accept that adaptation is necessary, and everyone has to do their part to live with it…" Reeve said, defeated.

----------------------

Winter

Sephiroth opened his eyes. He could sense that a frigid cold had overtaken the surface world in its entirety. Mother's essence had at last permeated all things, causing the ecosystems to assimilate and the seasons to act as one. All plant life had returned its energy to the planet, and there its cycle had ended with him; one with him. He was the new living thing they were all to become.

The planet itself was a second skin for him now, one that he was gradually peeling back with each new death.

All fauna was at his fingertips to do with as he pleased--he needed only reach out. Whales, bloated and transformed beyond their bodies' functioning, beached themselves. Fish devoured one another in a feeding frenzy, each one poisoning the other. Bears that would have hibernated crawled out restless from their dens, fierce and hungry. They waded up streams to feed, restrained to the instinct that would have prepared them for the Winter months, freezing to death overly-gorged. House pets turned on their keepers, content to feed on the hands that had faithfully provided for them.

Spirit energy surged and surged into the planet's core, into him. He was rising, becoming…

Bleak despair shrouded the humans' domains as the months crept onward, and Spring failed to arrive again because he did not ordain it so. Some of them killed themselves; others relished blame and murder. Most of the time, they were inspiration enough for themselves, but that did not stop Sephiroth from amusing himself, pushing where hesitation plagued them. Riots and mini wars broke out.

A select few names, he withheld from the end until the very last. Cloud, Tifa, Nanaki, Vincent, Cid, Barret, Reeve, along with some who remained with Shinra were to see the world in its total desolation.

When that day came, he drew them together at the ocean's crimson-dyed shore and announced his presence in their minds. Yes, it was him all along. He had done this, and they'd accomplished nothing but to watch and wait. They'd allowed him to infect all things, and for a time, had taken joy in it. Now, all that was left of the surface was them, the corpse-littered ice-encrusted landscape, and its bloody waters.

As one, they fell to their knees, and he placed a weak, breathy proclamation on their frost-bitten lips--"The Crisis and Solution, beginning to end to beginning again. Become now the cycle and the meaning, the life and the death, in aeternum, forever and ever."

At last, he sent a tidal wave to crush them, and their souls were his.

----------------------

Rebirth

A dead planet spun erratically off its axis, breaking orbit from its sun, and flung itself into the depths of space. Fragments broke off from the old husk until all that was left was the green orb that had incubated inside. Brilliantly glowing, it shattered into a million gleaming shards, and a living entity full of wings and eyes--the summation of all life that had ever lived on that world-- unfurled from it.

A god was born.

#sephirothweek2020 #sephirothweek #sephiroth #ffvii #my fics #day 7 #mild gore #major character death #graphic depictions of violence #lovecraftian shenanigans

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acedesigns · 4 years

Text

A Fortune [FF7: Reeve/Reader]

Word Count: 2411

“I’m Cait Sith! A fortune reader, it’s nice to meetcha!” the robotic cat chimed and did a small dance.

You giggled lightly and knelt down to the cat’s level. You stuck out a hand to shake its paw. “It’s nice to meet you, too! I’m [Y/N].”

“A beautiful name for a beautiful person!” The cat grinned, showing off its realistic fangs. “How about a fortune? It’ll be on the house!” You nodded your head. The cat threw its golden crown into the air and spun around. After it caught it, the cat jumped onto its moogle mount. A piece of paper popped out of the top of the mount.

“Your true love will rescue you in a time of no hope!” the cat read out loud.

You blinked and tilted your head. “Must be way off in the future, then.” You looked around at the desert prison you were currently trapped in. “Or maybe pretty soon. But I seriously doubt my true love is in this place.” You laughed lightly. “Is it okay if I keep that fortune, Cait Sith?”

The cat hopped off the moogle and trotted up to you. He gently placed it off at you and smiled with his eyes closed.

“I wish I was able to ride the chocobo,” you pouted while being released from Corel Prison. Cait Sith somehow snorted through his puppet body. It sounded almost as if there was a real person speaking through. “What’s so funny?”

“You like those giant birds?” Cait Sith looked up at you with a slight smirk, however that was possible on the cat’s body.

“Well, yeah. I love animals in general. It’s why I’m with this band of misfits. To try and save the planet from Sephiroth, Jenova, and Shinra.”

“Well, why don’t we go ahead and ride some Chocobos? There are some that gather right out of the desert. We can make a pitstop on the way to Cosmo Canyon.”

You stopped in your tracks and a wide grin enveloped your face. “Really?” Cait Sith looked over his shoulder at you and nodded. “Yes!” You ran up and grabbed the cat’s body. You spun in a circle laughing before placing the cat back on the moogle. “This is going to be so much fun!”

The bonfire crackled into the night. You sat with your knees pulled to your chest. The flames kissed your skin with its heat. With a sigh, you looked up into the sky where smaller bonfires twinkled in space.

“What are you thinking about?” Cait Sith spoke. You glanced over, picking up that whoever was controlling him was the one asking the question. There was a slight change in movements whenever Cait Sith was on autopilot or whenever the person controlling him took over. You never said anything to anyone about it.

Looking back at the fire you, shrugged. “I just…No matter what I do, it’ll never be enough. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m just doing more harm than anything else. If I should just stop.”

Cait Sith jumped off his moogle and sat in your lap. Your fingers automatically started to run through his fur. “How about another fortune?” he asked quietly. You hummed in agreement. This time, there was no dance. Instead, he sat there. “You make every day special.”

You smiled lightly. “That’s not really a fortune, Cait.”

“Fine! Then, how about, someone out there loves you!”

A small giggle passed your lips. “And who would that be?”

“That’s a secret!”

“You’re a spy for Shinra?” you asked numbly while you stared at your robotic friend. The whole time, you were friends with a spy for Shinra. The very same people who were responsible for this shit show.

Cait Sith’s body moved under the control of the spy. He turned to face you. “I’m sorry, [Y/N].”

You shook your head and stormed away. Tears falling from your face.

It felt wrong, letting Cait Sith go into that temple by himself. To solve the puzzle and have his body crushed. Yes, he wasn’t really alive. But you couldn’t help but feel as if he were dying right there. You sat on a hill from a distance, with your knees up to your chest. You sniffled. You were angry with him and you wanted to hate him. But deep down, that cat was still your friend.

“Crying over me?”

You turned around quickly, seeing a new Cait Sith standing there. You rubbed your eyes and shook your head. “No.”

“Ah, come on!” He bounced over towards you. Then, his voice shifted and made you jump. It was no longer Cait Sith’s. Instead, it was that of a man. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, and I know it’s not enough, but I am sorry about how this all happened, [Y/N].”

“You’re still a spy for Shinra,” you said, remembering exactly who the puppet was. “We’re just hostages with you around.” You stood up and began walking away from the temple that was off in the distance to re-join Nanaki and Cid.

You were sitting in a bedroom at the Icicle Inn. Your face was buried into a pillow as sobs caused chaos on your body. Your chest heaved up and down as you gasped for oxygen. Your fingers pulled on your hair.

“Come on, wake up. Wake up. This can’t be real,” you cried with hiccups.

A light weight sunk next to you on the bed, but you didn’t pay it any mind. At this point, you didn’t care if they were there to kill you. It’d be better than the nightmare you were living in.

“I know I’m not the one you want, but I’m here for you,” the spy’s voice sounded through Cait Sith.

“I can’t believe she’s gone,” you wailed.

“I-I know,” the man sighed. There was a sniffle, sounding like he had been crying as well. “I told her mother what had happened today.”

“Oh god.” You curled up tighter in on yourself. You felt the paws on Cait Sith’s body touch your arm. More sobs sounded from you.

“I’m sorry,” the man whispered. He sniffled more and you could hear his breathing become uneasy as he too, cried.

It was seven days after the calamity from the sky was summoned to doom all on the planet to a painful death. It was seven days since Cloud had gone missing. It was seven days since you were taken prisoner by Shinra. It was seven days since you’ve had hope.

The doors to your cell opened and a man in a blue suit quickly entered and shut the door behind him. He was alone. There weren’t any soldiers to protect him if you decided you wanted to attack. Even if you did attack, it would be pointless. You were here to die, simple as that.

“We need to be fast, we don’t have much time,” he said in a hushed tone with an oddly familiar voice.

You sat up from your stiff cot. Confusion coursed through your thoughts. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m getting you out of here, [Y/N],” he whispered. He quickly walked over to you and reached his hand out for you to take. “Heidegger and Scarlet are demanding a public execution of everyone affiliated with Avalanche. Rufus is against it, but there’s only so much he can do without gyahahaha and kyahaha rebelling against him. So he asked me to help with rescuing you.”

Your eyes widened, realizing just how close to death you were at that moment. “Just who exactly are you?”

The man shook his head. “There’s not enough time to explain right now, but I’m here to get you out. Tifa and Barret will also be rescued, but they’re being held elsewhere. Now, we have to hurry. Please, let me help you.”

Biting your lip, you took his hand and allowed him to pull you off the bed. He hurried towards the door to your cell and opened it. Looking both ways, he pulled you down the hall in a half run. He paused whenever there was a corner to make sure the coast was clear. Then, he’d drag you along.

“We have to get to the airport, there’s an aircraft waiting for you all to escape,” the man said in huffs of air while gasping for oxygen. He halted suddenly, almost causing you to crash into him. “Shit.” He turned around and pushed you against the wall to where his body was shielding you from view. Soldiers ran past, not paying any mind to him or you.

You looked up at his face and into his dark eyes. “Just who are you?”

The man looked down at you. His gaze softened, but he shook his head. “I want you to know, that there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe. Just know that.” He pulled away and took your hand once more before running out onto the Junon air hanger.

He let go of your hand and stopped. “You need to get onto that aircraft. I’ll make sure you’re not being followed.” Just then, Cait Sith, Barret, and Yuffie ran past him. “Cait Sith! Make sure [Y/N]’s safe!”

“Wait!” you protested as Cait Sith and Yuffie dragged you away. “Just tell me your name!” You watched as the man was getting smaller and smaller. The last thing you saw of him was the smile on his face. With a sigh, you reached into your pocket and pulled out the fortune.

The Highwind was searching throughout the planet for Cloud. You sat on the ground with your hands running over the fortune Cait Sith gave you when you first met. Periodically, your eyes would flicker over to the puppet who was running around, making sure Barret and Tifa were okay. Then, he came over to you.

“Are you alright, [Y/N]?” Cait Sith asked. Though it was obvious he was now being directly controlled.

“Are you that man that saved me?” you asked.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Well, neither did you!”

The others turned to look at the pair of you at your outburst. Once you settled down, they looked away to give you privacy.

“Alright,” Cait Sith sighed and jumped off the moogle. He moved to be next to you and his voice switched, though it was just loud enough for only you to hear over the roars of the Highwind’s engine. “Yes, that man was me.”

“Why did you save us?”

“President Rufus was going to have you all rescued. He was originally just going to have the Turks do it. However, I wanted to personally make sure you were safe, [Y/N]. That’s why I let Cait Sith handle Tifa and Barret.”

You narrowed your eyes. “Why me?”

“I have been watching you since the Golden Saucer, [Y/N]. At first, it was to spy on all of you. However, I felt myself getting drawn to you. The more I watched you, it was the more I was watching over you. Making sure you were safe. I came to terms with the fact that I fell in love with you. Now, this is probably weird hearing from the body of a stuffed cat. It would have been better saying it face-to-face.”

You shifted uncomfortably and gave out an awkward laugh. “Yeah, maybe.” You glanced down at your fortune.

“But if you’ll let me, I would like to tell you this face-to-face. If you’re not okay with that, I understand.”

“Do your fortunes ever come true?” you questioned, still looking over the piece of paper that’s managed to survive for so long.

Cait Sith glanced at what you were holding. “Sometimes, for better or for worse.”

Nodding your head, you glanced at the puppet. “Then, when this is all over, tell me face-to-face.”

“I want you all to find a reason to fight,” Cloud told the group. The Highwind was stationary over a grassy field. “Come back in a couple of days when you’ve found that reason. If you don’t come back, that’s fine.”

You stood around and watched as the groups of Avalanche left, one-by-one. Your thoughts were racing as you tried to figure out where you should go. If you went home, you know your parents would never let you leave with meteor threatening to fall.

“[Y/N],” Reeve’s voice sounded from Cait Sith. “Please, come to Midgar. I want to meet you there.”

You nodded at the puppet and left the Highwind with Barret. The pair of you made your way to Midgar. Barret was trembling with excitement to see his daughter again. You, on the other hand, were trembling with nerves on seeing the man who rescued you.

Your fingers kept on running over the fortune. The ink on it was starting to wear off from the oils on your skin. Still, you couldn’t help but grip it tightly.

Upon entering Sector 5, the man in a blue suit and Marlene were standing there. Marlene gasped and ran towards Barret. Barret picked her up and swung her around on his shoulder. You slowly made your way towards the man in the blue suit.

“I’m glad to see you’re safe,” Reeve spoke softly. He glanced towards Barret and Marlene and motioned for you to follow him to the nearby church. “Are you going to go back to the Highwind?”

You watched your feet as you followed him. “I think so. It would be a disgrace to her memory if I didn’t. I have to fight for her.”

Reeve nodded his head. “I understand. Though, if you didn’t go back, I don’t think you would be disgracing her in any way.”

You looked up at him once the pair of you entered the church. “What are you going to do?”

Reeve walked towards the flowers and knelt down. “Cait Sith will be there. I will remain here and make sure Marlene and the rest of Midgar is safe.” He ran his fingers over the petals of a lily. “But I’ll also make sure you’re safe, too.” He took a deep breath and looked over at you. “I do love you. I know you may never feel the same way, and that’s okay.”

You made your way towards him and knelt down. You took a hold of his hand. “I don’t right now. It’ll take some time. But one day, I might.”

Reeve lightly squeezed your hand. “I look forward to that day.”

#Final Fantasy VII #Final Fantasy 7 #FF7 #FFVII #Reeve #Reeve Tuesti #X Reader #Reader Insert #Oneshot #One Shot #One-shot #Fluff #comfort

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benjimirthursby · 4 years

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"Many Ripples Bore of One Echo." - The Book of Thursby: Scions of Numenor. [FFXIV Write 2020, Prompt 1]

"Terms differed, my name carried no currency or reputation. But you find that true historians recognize one another by the questions they ask. You can gain access to almost anything, it is just knowing how to ask." - Tinifalas Thursby, "Stranger in a Strange Land."

The caravan from the north had arrived the day after Benjimir as his party made landfall. The air sloop which carried to ground from the Entulesse had returned with some of its passengers to the city state of Ul'Dah directly. Each day of the seven since, a wagon broke-away to differing routes to the city or elsewhere. Each in turn bore a few newcomers to these shores. In this way all melted into the bustle and traffic of the roads

The wagon held Benjimir's attention this morning. Held aloft by bags of gas, the ride was agreeably smooth. Graceful. Slightly less graceful but even more interesting was the enormous fowl drawing the wagon. Accompanying him were his brothers Bondermir and Tinifalas asleep next to him, as well as an older man who seemed blissfully serene simply watching the road pass.

"Chocobo." The grey bearded fella sitting across from Benjimir said. He snapped Benjimir out if his stare over the great bird at the looming citadel of Ul’Dah, still hours away. He was a keeper of the beasts and on the Gil roll of the Thursby Company. Benjimir nodded. A pair of riders flanked the wagon, mounted on saddled on these Chocobos. These were adorned in dark feathers and leather cladding over their chests. Company men Benjimir knew.

"Not many at sea eh, but I suppose if there where you'd not need all them bags and twirlies." The man said. He had a curious accent that differed from the few he had heard so far.

Benjimir smiled and nodded again. “I suppose not. Docile creatures. Hardly seem to need direction.” Bondermir, roused from a light sleep beside the men looked to the distance as the wagon neared a small village straddling the road. Wooden palisades surrounded the village save for some small farm and paddocks.

“We’ll be stopping soon sir, breakfast, a trade of Chocos, then onto Ul’Dah.” Bondermir said as he rose and leaning over the side of the carriage gestured at the flanking riders. The riders tipped their heads in acknowledgement and spurred their mounts and galloped ahead into the village.

“Good, how long to the city from here?” Benjimir asked as the wagon neared the outer palisade gate. Bondermir resumed his seat and looked to the old man.

“MMmm, five hours at our pace, what say Brendt?” Bondermir speculated, differing to the keepers wisdom.

“Mhap, sun’s out, might tucker the old girls if they can’t water along the way.” Brendt offered.

“The girls will have their water, no need for haste I think.” Benjimir assured him.

The wagon halted outside a small cafe alongside a livery stable. Tinifalas finally woke from his snooze and looked about. The escorting riders had already tied off their mounts and were returning from the inside with egg and bacon filled biscuits and cups of a hot drink which they ate happily as they leaned back along the cafe porch.

The men exited the carriage and stable boys saw to taking the wagon to the stables. “I’ll take my leave of yas sirs. Another wagon is due southbound here and a bit.” Brendt said.

“Always on the move my friend.” Bondermir said, clasping Brendt’s hand to shake. Bondermir did the same.”

“Well you knows, always some traveler showing up, half asleep, not knowing the lay of things. Bit less exciting here than up north. Be well sirs.” And with that Brendt smiled and turned toward the stable. Benjimir and his brothers walked up the steps to the cafe. The escort riders snapped to their feet, awkwardly lowering their biscuits and cups to their sides.

Benjimir tipped his head to the men and sought a seat at one of the tables outside. A woman, one of the small folk, the Lalafels, in a perky white and red checked dress and apron took their orders. Another accent, chirpy, happy.

“Happy peoples.” Benjimir mused as the Lalafel returned with drinks. “Great variety in dialects but uniform in language.” He continued. Tinifalas, the historian at large for the House of Thursby and it’s companies nodded.

“Extraordinary really. But that is the reason why we are here in the end.” Tinifalas said, pulling a book from his rucksack out of habit.

“I’ve never understood how, so far from our shores, so many years traveling from them, we arrive here….” Bondermir said, gesturing with his hands as the surrounding area “...and find peoples and races speaking our own language. You’d think it absurdly impossible.” he finished.

“Improbable, not impossible.” Benjimir said, thanking the Lalafel as she place a plate of biscuits and topped off the drinks. Tinifalas nodded.

“Yes. There are a number of theories about how such things could occur.” Tinifalas said, taking a biscuit.

“Et Ominis Lingua Resurgemus, the concept that with enough time, all tongues shall rise.” Benjimir said, taking his own biscuit an especially large one, slapping Bondermirs hand as it reached over the nearest to him for it.

“Pan Lingua Spermia, the idea some fragment of thought can eventually spread and give rise to identical languages. Tinifalas offered, mouth half full but eyes bright as topics dear to him were in play.

Benjimir, mouth also full, pointed a finger at his brother and nodded sharply. “That. But how. And again, the real crux of this is your finding her name and those books. A language we no longer speak commonly, here, among people who do not know it or speak it in the memory of anybody.” He finished, most of his biscuit managing not to land on the table.

“Marde.” Bondermir said unconvinced. “‘C’demics in the wild. Her name could be the product of slurred speech after a night of celebrating her birth at a pub. Or meshing family member names together. And your theorizing, could work as well in reverse. Whose to know.” He finished.

“No one maybe. Tini’s friends on the island,” Benjimir said, nodding to his brother, “...they looked to you to answer the same questions, they didn’t know. But I think finding out is one of the questions we need to resolve.”

“Where to start then?” Bondermir asked.

“Refills, another biscuit.” Bondermir remarked then mid-bite cast his eyes toward each brother.

“Then to Ul’Dah. Of course. Breakfast first. But I want to see our interests there, these book of yours Tini.” Benjimir said. “Not to the Company Hall to….” Tinifalas started but Benjimir shook his head. “Not yet. But soon. First though, biscuits.” Benjimir said, slapping Bondermir’s hand again as he reached for the fresh plate of biscuits.

#FFxivWrite2020 #FFxivWrite #ffxiv #Final Fantasy #Final Fantasy XIV #Final Fantasy 14 #scionsofnumenor #sonsofnumenor #crystal rp #FFXIV crystal #ffxiv crystal dc #ffxiv rp crystal #crystal-rp-ffxiv #ffxiv rp balmung #mateus #ffxivfanfiction #fanfiction

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echoes-of-the-clockwork · 3 years

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Book Three: Pestilence (Ignis x Reader) Chapter Eight

When Ignis heard something hit the ground and a devastating neigh from Erra, he pulled on the chocobo's reins and forced it to turn around. On the road, he spotted (Y/n)'s body with the horse nudging his snout against her shoulder. He shouted her name, commanding the bird to trot. Rushing over, he hopped off the chocobo and kneeled beside the Horseman.

Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio heard the advisor shout Pestilence's name and stopped. They turned and saw the current state of their female companion. Briskly, they rode over and checked on her.

"W-What's wrong with (Y/n)?" Prompto asked in a shaky tone, noting the blood dripping from her eyes and ears.

Ignis told them what she had told him only minutes ago. After his explanation, he eyed the raven-haired boy. "Noct, I need you to retrieve the Regalia. In her unconscious state, it would be difficult to get her back to Old Lestallum any other way."

"Y-Yeah." Noctis mounted his chocobo and took off alongside Prompto and Gladio.

The strategist gathered (Y/n)'s body into his arms and moved her out of the middle of the road. Erra sidled up to him, worried about his rider.

Once in the grass and off the road, Ignis placed her body down gently. He tried to use a potion to help her, but it had no effect. Blood continued to seep from her eyes and ears as he helplessly watched. He wiped a few stray blood drops from her cheeks, which were immediately replaced by more. At one point, he swore he felt no pulse. Regardless of her status as an immortal, he found himself more worried for her well-being than he would've imagined.

The Regalia arrived a few minutes later. Noctis hopped out from behind the wheel and opened the door to the backseat. Ignis carried (Y/n) in his arms and placed her on the seat before getting in himself. Once seated, he laid the girl's head on his thigh and combed a few white strands of hair out of her face. He kept his eyes focused on her and didn't notice their arrival back in Old Lestallum until he heard Iris' concerned voice. "Oh, gods. I-Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine," Gladio assured his little sister.

"Prompto, procure a room," Ignis said.

"On it!" The blonde dashed out of the car and to the front desk of the motel.

The royal advisor exited the car and then took (Y/n)'s body, once again, into his arms. Prompto came back and pointed him in the direction of the room.

Once inside the small room, Ignis placed the Horseman's body on the bed before shuffling into the bathroom and wetting a washcloth. With it, he wiped the blood from her cheeks, eyes, and ears. Noctis, Prompto, Gladio, and Iris watched in silence as they gathered around the bed.

Ignis didn't stop wiping away the blood until it stopped ten minutes later. His companions left the room to restock their supply of curatives at his request a few minutes ago. With a heavy sigh, he moved from (Y/n)'s side and sat in the chair located in the corner of the small room. He leaned back, feeling the exhaustion from the battle and the restless nights assault his being all at once. Eventually, he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.

<------<<<<<<<

An hour sailed by in a flurry. Before the haunting images could rush through his mind, Ignis felt a warm sensation surround his entire body. Gradually, his eyes opened when he felt something cool press against his forehead. What greeted him upon opening his eyes was a pleasant and shocking sight-his and (Y/n)'s faces were mere inches apart.

Pestilence blinked owlishly a few times when realizing the tactician was awake and removed her hand from his forehead. "Apologies for awakening you, Ignis. You seemed...unwell while you slept. I hoped my magic would've soothed you, but it seems I've disturbed you instead. I know you haven't slept properly in a while and wanted to bestow upon you at least a few minutes of peaceful sleep." She placed her hands on his cheeks, rubbing her thumbs across the ridge of his cheekbones with a smile. "You will tell me what this nightmare is about one of these days."

Ignis was unable to mutter a syllable as he was lost in her (e/c) eyes and gentle touch. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to form a sentence, but not even a single noise escaped his throat.

(Y/n) realized she broke the man's calm and collective demeanor, causing her to giggle. "Seems I've left you speechless."

The door to the room suddenly swung open, revealing Noctis and Gladio. The prince and his shield froze when they saw the position the two were in. "Uh..." Noctis muttered, unable to finish his sentence.

"We interrupting, Iggy?" Gladio guffawed with a smirk when he saw the strategist's face.

Pestilence tore her gaze from the bespectacled man and looked at the two, her hands still on his face. "While you three chat, I must go and check on Erra. I fear I've worried him." She dropped her hands to her sides and left the room briskly.

Once Pestilence was out of sight, Gladio arched a brow with a grin. "You gonna tell us what that was all about?"

"I...am unable to explain clearly as of this moment," Ignis confesses.

"Wow..." Noctis mumbled in surprise. "Never seen you so...broken. What the hell happened in here?"

The brute's grin festered. "Iggy's crushing-hard. Never thought I'd see the day where a girl made our cool and level-headed Iggy a mess. Hell, I never expected to see you crushin' over a girl at all. Always acting smooth and gentlemanly, but it seems (Y/n)'s crawled deep under your skin and is makin' you a hot mess. Gotta give her a round of applause-she's officially broken Iggy."

Noctis snorted with laughter while Ignis looked away from his friends and stood up. He crossed his arms, staring out the window. He mentally accepts the fact he's fallen for the Horseman in such a short time, but he still refuses to wear those feelings on his sleeve. Deep down, he feared the moment he would have to tell her the contents of the nightmare that kept him from sleeping. Something was gnawing at the inside of his mind, telling him he would be risking his relationship with her if he told her.

"And we've lost him..." Gladio muttered to the young prince beside him.

"I don't think Specs was ever really listening," Noctis admits.

<------<<<<<<<

"Oh, (Y/n)!" The Horseman heard Iris gasp the second Erra vanished. "I'm so glad you're awake! I was really worried about you when Gladdy told me what happened. How're you feeling?"

"Perfectly fine," Pestilence smiled at her. "Where's Prompto?"

"He's busy shopping. You ready to head to Caem?"

"As I'll ever be. Hopefully, there won't be more distractions on the road ahead," the white-haired girl sighed.

"I'm with you on that one. No more detours! I promised Talcott we would be there by tomorrow."

"(Y/n)!" A voice shrieks. Both girls turned around and saw Prompto rushing toward them. He skidded to a halt just a few inches from them. "Are you sure it's okay for you to be up and walking around? You were really pale earlier."

The Horseman nodded. "I'm fine, Prompto. I feel terrible for delaying our trip to Caem, though."

"Hey, you saved us from that weirdo," the gunslinger rebuttals. "If you didn't do anything, I don't think me, Noct, Gladio, or Iggy would be still breathing."

Iris nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Gladdy said you guys were ambushed by those highwaymen on your way back and you saved their lives, (Y/n)."

"You both are too kind," Pestilence sighed.

"We're just tellin' you the facts," Prompto smiled gratefully at her.

The trio's attention was drawn to behind them when they heard Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis leaving the motel room. The Horseman glanced between the three boys with a refreshing smile. "Ready to depart?"

"Depends," Glaido said.

"How're you faring?" Ignis asked, composing himself long enough without imagining the proximity they shared only a few minutes ago and how mental of a mess she had made him.

"I'm alright. There's no cause for concern," she assures the boys.

"Tell that to Specs..." Noctis murmured only for him, his shield, and his advisor to hear. As usual, Ignis ignored the relentless teasing.

"I wouldn't wish to hinder this trip any longer. Shall we?" The Horseman gestured to the Regalia. They all nodded and departed from Old Lestallum.

A little ways down the road, Gladio leaned forward in his seat. "I coulda gone another round." He spared a glance toward (Y/n), who rode atop Erra beside the speeding car. "You were holding back. I could tell."

Pestilence glanced his way with a small shrug. "I do treasure life, but those who choose to harm others for selfish gains, I've no qualms snipping their lifeline in a heartbeat."

Prompto shuttered at hearing the dark undertone of her voice. "Well, uh...didn't expect to hear something so chilling from you. Never knew you had a dark side, (Y/n). You've only been smiles and giggles since we met you."

"Yes, well..." Her voice trailed off before returning after a brief pause and she muttered the last part to herself. "Those who smile and laugh the most are the ones hiding the most pain."

Unbeknownst to the Horseman, the blonde gunslinger had heard her clear as day. He decided not to comment regardless of what she truly meant by such sorrowful words.

"Given her prowess, you should be glad you didn't," Ignis stated, steering the conversation back to the woman they encountered in Fort Vaullerey.

Prompto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that Loqi guy was nothing compared to her."

"Though we may not have fared so well without the marshal."

The freckled boy reclined back in his seat with a sigh. "Think things would've gone differently if he were here now?"

"She offered to play again. Maybe we'll get the chance to find out," Gladio said, recalling the mysterious woman's final words before vanishing. He looked at (Y/n) for a fraction of a second before staring at the open road ahead. "Better make sure you don't hold back next time, (Y/n)."

"No promises," she responds stoically.

Making no more detours, the group headed straight for Cape Caem.

<-------<<<<<<

As the royal retinue exits the other side of a long tunnel, a parking area comes into view. Gladio glanced around as Ignis pulled the vehicle over. "This the place?"

Iris nodded with an exuberant grin. "Sure is! Thanks for the lift, Ignis."

"My pleasure," the advisor replies, exiting the Regalia.

"Can't wait to see my buddy Talcott!" Prompto cheered.

(Y/n) dismounted Erra and the horse vanished within the blink of an eye. She followed the boys up the path to the lighthouse while Iris went on ahead. When the lighthouse came into view, Gladio whistled. "Whoa. Pretty impressive lighthouse."

"What say we head on up?" The photographer suggested.

"Ought to be a nice view, if a bit blustery," Ignis commented.

"Sounds quite lovely," (Y/n) smiled.

Further up the path, the group runs into Cindy. The Horseman has been told, courtesy of Prompto, who the young woman was and what she had done for the group since they left Insomnia. The busty blonde smiled and waved at them when she spotted them walking up the path.

"What's up?" Gladio greets with a playboy-ish grin.

"Knew it was y'all! Recognize the purr of that engine anywhere!" The mechanic chanted.

(Y/n) decided to part with the four and head to the house located not far from the lighthouse. The second her (e/c) eyes locked with a pair of hazel ones, she smiled. "(Y/n)!" Talcott shouted and ran over to her. He threw his arms around her waist and hugged her. "I'm so glad to see you again!"

Pestilence smirked down at the little boy and combed a hand through his hair in a soothing motion. "This place is quite windy with how close to the seaside we are. Mind helping me comb my unruly hair?"

The boy's eyes lit up as he nodded frantically. "I can help!" He unwound his arms and took her hand in his smaller one. He guided her into the house and up the stairs to one of the many bedrooms on the second floor.

Inside the small room, (Y/n) sat down on the bed once Talcott had released her hand. The little boy searched the small dresser located adjacent to the bed and found a hairbrush. He quickly grabbed it and hopped onto the bed behind the Horseman. Carefully, he began combing the girl's snowy locks.

"Y'know," Talcott started. "I have some really bad knots in my hair after I wake up. Iris usually helps me comb my hair in the morning if I'm having any problems."

"Bedhead is the worst," (Y/n) laughs. "One of my sisters has long red hair and you can't even imagine how difficult it is for her to tame such a mess. I usually am the one to provide aid in such a treacherous endeavor."

Talcott giggled, continuing to run the comb's soft bristle through the girl's hair. "I wish I had hair like yours. It's pretty and soft!" He didn't stop combing until they heard something fall in the room next door.

Confused as to what it was, (Y/n) wanted to check out the source of the loud 'clank.' "I'll be back shortly, Talcott."

The little boy nodded and placed the comb down.

<------<<<<<<

After discussing matters with Cindy, the royal retinue discovered they would need to hunt down mythril to get the late king's ship in working condition to transport them to Altissia. While searching for Talcott in order to learn where they could procure such a valuable material, Prompto had pulled them aside in one of the unoccupied rooms on the second floor.

Noctis sat on the edge of the bed as he glanced up at his best friend. "What's this about, Prompto?"

"I'm worried about (Y/n)," he confesses.

"And why's that?" Gladio questioned.

"Something she said on the way here really concerned me."

"Do tell," Ignis urges the younger boy to continue.

"Well..." He stared down at his hands. "She said, "Those who smile and laugh the most are the ones hiding the most pain." It's not like her to sound so...heartbroken."

Ignis' eyes widen after hearing the blonde's explanation. Gladio caught a glimpse of the bespectacled man's frightened and shocked expression, eyes narrowing. "Now you're acting strange. What's the deal?"

The strategist adjusted his glasses before clearing his throat. "I...may have an inkling as to her behavior."

"Then, what is it?" Noctis pried, wanting to learn more.

Ignis was torn between keeping the secret for (Y/n)'s sake, but at the same time, he wanted to tell the others so he could properly help deal with such horrid images burnt into his mind. He explained to them about the nightmare he'd been experiencing ever since Pestilence entrusted the summoning orb to him. He left out smaller details and decided to focus on what images haunted him the most-(Y/n)'s death.

Prompto gasped, stepping back and accidentally bumping into the dresser. A small ornamental statue fell off the dresser and onto the floor. "Y-You haven't told her yet?"

"What am I to tell?" Ignis seethed. "Images of her death haunt my sleep? Plummeting off a bridge while confined in a vehicle? A deranged stranger being the catalyst of it all?" When he managed to calm down, he looked around at his friends and saw they were no longer looking at him. Their gazes were focused on the door behind him.

"(Y/n)..." Noctis gulped.

#ffxv x reader #ffxv #final fantasy xv x reader #final fantasy xv #ignis x reader #ignis scientia #prompto argentum #Noctis Lucis Caelum #gladiolus amicitia

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