#panne nini

[teawithaphd]

---Headcanons of the Scions and Sleep---

Back again with more headcanons! Can I get a snork... mimimimimimimi.......

bonus sleepies at the bottom

bone app the teeth <3

Alphinaud

He would be a very heavy sleeper, the Final Days could occur right outside and he would never know if he were already fast asleep

Occasionally gets nightmares of the Crystal Braves and the Bloody Banquet, all revolving around him failing everyone and everyone blaming him for it

He wouldn’t stir from it, but the change in his demeanor the next morning when they occur is pretty visually clear. S/o usually would have to talk him into opening up about it, and with some comfort and encouragement, he’ll be right back on his feet again

He needs his beauty sleep, and will get cranky if he doesn’t get his full 8 hours of sleep

Little pancake flipper, never stays in one place

To bed, he wears an adorable blue silk pair of polka dot pajamas with a matching eye mask and sleeping hat (so he can snooorkkk mimimimimimi)

Despite him sleeping so deeply, he’s a rather quiet sleeper and doesn’t really snore. If you listen carefully though, you can hear his quiet breaths as he sleeps peacefully.

Alisaie

Shes a mid-heavy sleeper; can be woken up but you’ll have to shake her quite a bit.

Her nightmares come rarely, but when they do, she would dream of being far too weak to save her friends and loved ones, and helplessly watches her friends go through what Tesleen did, as well as relive the memory of her becoming a sineater.

They’ll usually wake her up in a cold sweat, but with a little sneak-out into the kitchen for some midnight tea and snacks, a little midnight chatter, and the warm presence of her s/o, she’ll be good as new and sleeping like a baby

She needs her blankets because she gets cold easily, and she’s a blanket hogger, don’t expect to have any blankets the moment she falls asleep. They’ll all be gone.

A kicker, too. Expect to find new bruises in the morning if you share a bed with her.

AND a talker. Will often say the most ridiculous, nonsensical things you’ve ever heard come out of her mouth while she's deep asleep.

She has a matching pair of polka dot pajamas with Alphinaud, pink ones. Ameliance gave it to them awhile back, but they’re so comfy she never got rid of them

Thancred

MSQ says he’s a light sleeper from all his missions

His nightmares get pretty bad, and he’ll try to stay up as long as he can without having to sleep to avoid them outright—yet he eventually relents

The nightmares are of all sorts of things, from Lahabrea, to losing Minfillia and Ryne, leaving the First, failing the others, Louisoix, the list goes on…

He’d often leave the bed the moment he wakes, sometimes with a start, and either find a place to sit outside or paces in the room

He’s a tough one to comfort, and would take a lot of coaxing and patience to get him to open up about what he dreamt about, but his s/o would eventually always get through to him, bringing him back to bed, and keeping them close in his arms the rest of the night.

Because of his work, he can fall asleep anywhere, on a bench, a log, on the floor, you name it

Prefers to only be in his boxers when going to sleep (or nothing at all after a spicy night)

Urianger

He’s a rather light sleeper, though not as light as Thancred

Up until post-Endwalker, he’d be plagued by nightmares of his betrayals, his friends and loved ones discovering his schemes and hating him for it, Moenbryda’s death, and telling her parents about her death (before he actually did it) fairly often.

Comforting him would take getting up with him to go to the kitchen, enjoy a cup of tea together, and slowly talking it out (though he would be a hard nut to crack, arguably the hardest of the Scions)

He and Alisaie sometimes find each other in the kitchen at night and stare at each other like O — O O — O

He stays perfectly still, to the point where one would think he’s dead, which when they go to inspect his body, he’d only crack open a single, unblinking eye

His only giveaway that he is indeed still among the living is a modest, comical snore (he snork mimimimis)

Also a living space heater

He’s capable of sleeping in any condition, from sharing in Thancred’s missions, but would prefer to sleep butt-of-ass naked in his feathered bed with silk sheets

Y’shtola

A rather light sleeper, will be among the first to wake and the first to get up to investigate any disturbances that might occur in the night

She claims to be an early sleeper, one of those to say “early to bed, early to rise”, “must get your beauty rest” preachers, but will actually get lost in a book at night, sleep late, and end up with the book in her face in the morning

She doesn’t have many nightmares, but will sometimes dream of Runar and leaving the Night’s Blessed behind in the First

She wouldn’t mention it in the morning, but s/o can tell by that far-away glance and more sentimental look about her that she’s been having those dreams again

Has a very faint snore, almost sounding like a deep purr, paired with a light toss-and-turn, and a penchant for snuggling up to the nearest heat source in her bed

Has a full 12-step beauty routine before bed and refuses to go to bed before taking a bath

She would also be very picky with her pillows and blankets, if a pillow is slightly too soft or firm, no one will hear the end of it

Owns the prettiest, black silk nightgown that Tataru could ever craft, with a robe to match

Estinien

A very light sleeper, would start with even the faintest sound or movement

Nightmares, lots and lots of nightmares. I don’t think he’s ever known a good night of sleep in his life…

He’s the type to jump from his bed and reach for his lance before realizing where he is. S/o often has to grab onto him, shake him, and hold him down until he comes to. Estinien needs quite a bit of comfort, gently holding him until he regains the courage to go back to sleep again, never letting go till morning (he’ll never admit it though, and will totally play it off)

SNORES LIKE A BEAST

When he’s deep enough asleep, they’re loud enough to rival the dragonsong

Also has a penchant for drooling on his pillow at times, and clinging to anyone brave enough to sleep beside him (though he will adamantly deny it to the end of time, even with his s/o)

If there’s a pillow and a bed, he sleep, though he does have a penchant for getting too hot at night and tossing his blankets to the ground

Sleeps in the ugliest men’s 16th century French night gown you’ve ever seen (literally everyone has told him to dump it)

G’raha

He’s a moderate sleeper, but has a hard time falling asleep

MSQ has mentioned that he fears falling asleep in fear of never waking up

When he finally does get to sleep, he’s usually pretty sound. On the odd occasion that he does get a nightmare, however, it would be about losing friends, loved ones, or his s/o despite all he does to keep them. Even rarer, he’ll have imposter-syndrome nightmares, where he finds out he’s not the real G’raha, and his life is not his own, but those pass towards the end of EW

Unlike some of the other Scions, G’raha’s actually pretty easy to comfort. S/o will likely find him already out of bed, staring softly out the window on a cold night, with only some warm incentive and the allure of cuddles and conversation to lull him back into bed. The rest of the night is spent snuggled up in his warm embrace, with the soft beat of his heart to bring s/o into a restful sleep as well

He gets cold easily at night and needs a warm bed and plenty of warm, weighted blankets to keep him toasty (his s/o might suffocate under all that weight, though)

He’ll usually sleep on his side, curled up in a fetal position, and sometimes moves his tail about like a sleeping kitty as well as purrs. He’ll also sometimes subconsciously curl his tail around his s/o in his sleep

If s/o has a tail, he’ll curl his tail around theirs

Wears warm and soft cotton pajamas that Tataru made when he came back from the First with matching, cozy socks and ear socks during colder, winter months

--Bonus--

WOL Panne

(OC WOL, From A Tale of Two Warriors Link)

She’s a pretty light sleeper

Usually her sleep consists of a blink before waking up. Very rarely she has nightmares, but on the occasion that she does, she doesn’t remember them, but still wakes up with a yelp and a start, sometimes wakes up crying but doesn’t remember why.

It would be tricky to comfort her, since she wouldn’t be able to remember anything about her nightmares. After waiting for her nerves to calm, she falls back asleep silently in the arms of her s/o.

Chronic pancake flipper

Throws her blankets and sometimes pillows everywhere and wakes up with nothing

Also gets into a starfish position somewhere in the night, with her arms and legs splayed out

Also kicks and punches anyone who dares sleep in the bed with her, intolerable sleeping partner, 0/10

Like Estinien, if there’s a soft surface and something that resembles a pillow—she calls it a night!

Wears a cute pair of cotton shorts and a tank top to bed (which she didn’t ask Tataru to make for her, and yet it’s comfy)

WOL T’orr

(OC WOL,From A Tale of Two Warriors Link)

Chronic insomniac, and he doesn’t know why

But when he does fall asleep, he sleeps like a log and absolutely nothing can wake him up, it’s amazing

He doesn’t sleep for long enough to really have any nightmares, but is the kind of person to be constantly running plans and plans for worst case scenarios in his head as he sleeps

(When he does sleep) a bit of a flipper and every once in a while would talk in his sleep, though what he says is nonsensical except for the occasional reciting things he has to do

When his s/o brings it up in the morning, he’ll play it off,

“What, me? I didn’t do that... Though I do appreciate that you love me enough to dream of my voice~.”

He is the most difficult of the Scions to get to sleep, and his requirements are a very, very long list. (maybe I'll post it if you ask UwU)

Usually only sleeps every 2-3 days, and has to be at his breaking point in order to actually fall asleep. He will occasionally take ‘cat naps’ throughout the day, though.

Doesn’t wear anything special to sleep, contrary to popular belief. He gets fairly warm at night, so he would own a plain shirt and shorts to sleep in.

Aymeric

Terrible, terrible sleeping habits

Fairly heavy sleeper when he does get sleep

Gets a fair amount of nightmares with the prosperity of a country weighing heavily on his shoulders. He would constantly be fretting about it, especially in his nightmares. On occasion, he has nightmares of fallen comrades and foul memories in the age before their newfound peace.

As a workaholic, his usual sleeping spot is his desk

When he is finally coaxed into bed, he would be a fairly quiet sleeper and either sleeps on his back or his side

He looks serene like a princess in his sleep, it’s quite endearing

Ideally, he enjoys a soft bed and softer pillows, but his exhaustion always reaches a breaking point at the wrong time and place…

There was once such occasion where he was having dinner and fell asleep face-first into his soup…with Lucia right in front of him

He owns a very elegant silk men’s nightgown, in blue, of course, adorned with beautiful gold embroidery throughout

Erenville

He’s a fairly light sleeper

Used to short sleep and long travels, so he can usually last with 3-4 hour spurts of sleep and travel

He very rarely gets nightmares, but when he does, they’re usually silly ones, like a horde of frogs attacking him all at once, or being swallowed by a giant toad

Has inherited the Sharlayan penchant for having terrible sleeping habits, like falling asleep with a book in his lap during long nights spent deep in research with mountains of archon loaf to keep him going

When he gets normal sleep, like a normal person, please, He’s a tad restless at night and tends to flip sides quite a bit. He also has a bit of a kicking tendency…(probably dreaming about getting to his next destination)

He’s pretty easy to please in terms of sleeping requirements, always being out and being pushed to his limit as a gleaner, especially during the Final Days. He got used to sleeping pretty much anywhere whenever he got the chance, but he’d much prefer a proper bed

A simple pair of soft, cotton pajamas are all he needs to get a good night’s sleep, and the one he owns has a little embroidered frog on the t-shirt pocket. He also owns a frog plush one of his gleaner friends got him as a gag gift on their graduation that he cuddles up with in his sleep (and doesn’t tell anyone about, ever)

----See the Menu----

[teawithaphd]

——Headcanons of the Scions on Pocky Day——

Alphinaud

Knows what it is and has had it marked on his calendar for months

He builds the courage to be the one to ask—on that fateful day—if his s/o would share a pocky stick with him

Despite his preparation and many weeks of practice in the mirror (which Alisaie has walked in on several times and holds against him to this day), he’s a blubbering mess when asking the question—red-faced, sweaty palms, stutters, and all

He blubbers even more when they agree to it and hold one of the sticks in their mouth to him

The first thing he tastes is cookies and cream, smiling at the fact that his s/o was kind enough to give him the more flavorful part. The next is his s/o’s sweet lips.

Alisaie

The moment she sees her s/o, she pulls the strawberry pocky box out of her pocket and shoves it in their face as she slips a stick between her teeth

She points to it with a little too much sternness, and can’t keep eye contact when her s/o decides to bite down on the other end

(Bonus points if her s/o doesn’t know what she’s doing, then she’ll groan and explain the game to them as her face grows red like a tomato)

After succeeding in getting their lips to meet, she swipes the box from them and runs away with it—hogging the rest of the pocky for herself

Thancred

He approaches his s/o with a flirtatious wink and an almond crush pocky between his lips like a hopeless romantic with a rose in his mouth

The ridiculous presentation brings them a giggle, and it makes his heart soar to see them with some lightness that the many dark times they’ve experienced would sometimes obscure

He lets his s/o get the flavored end while he bites down on the plain one, knowing that the taste of them is far sweeter than any confection he’ll ever have

As he starts out with bravado, at the last bite, he allows his s/o to close the distance

The pocky soon becomes a distant memory as he slowly leads them into the bedroom *wink wonk*

Urianger

He remembers one such occasion when Moenbryda had once tried playing the pocky game with him

Now having almost forgotten it (and having been too dim-witted to understand how to partake in it), when his s/o brings it up, he agrees wholeheartedly to give it a try

They bring him a yuzu-flavored box, knowing that he’ll probably enjoy it’s more citrusy, fresher taste (and to give him something different from all the carrots he’s been eating with the lopporits, Twelve help him)

He’s hesitant when they get down to the last bite, yet when he feels his s/o’s lips on his, he returns the kiss in full, savoring the moment of closeness between them

He grabs another pocky from the box and places it between his own lips, pleading them to play the game once more with him

Y’shtola

“Normally I am not wont to partake in such games…but if you insist…”

(spoiler alert: no one insisted)

“Ah, but you already went out of your way to purchase the confection, we surely cannot allow such confections to go to waste now…”

Her s/o stares at her dumbfounded with a box of matcha pocky in their pocket. Y’shtola already knows that they bought the matcha flavor, because of course they would conveniently purchase her favorite

She takes a stick and places it between her teeth, enjoying the bitter and sweet taste of the tea she’s grown a fondness for ever since they travelled to Kugane

The taste becomes even more marvelous as it mingles with that of her s/o

Estinien

He stares between the box, the pocky stick in his s/o’s mouth, and his s/o’s expectant expression with the most confused look on his face

“…What are you doing…?”

His s/o nearly spits the stick from laughing before explaining the pocky game to him

They also find that they have to explain to him what pocky is (has that man lived in a hole for most of his life…?)

After he finally understands, he casually agrees—sending his s/o blushing

They give him the flavored end of the pocky, wanting him to experience the chocolate-y flavor for the first time

As they reach the final bite, Estinien closes the distance—groaning into what turns into a deep, more sensual kiss

After leaving them utterly breathless, he suddenly pulls away and sends them the most smug, shit-eating grin they’ve ever seen on the elezen

“That was entertaining, we should do this again sometime...”

G’raha

He knows about the game from his Studium days, when some of the other students used to hide away and play it together

Back then, he’d secretly always wanted to partake in the game, but never got the chance to since he never grew close with anyone that way—but now with his s/o, he can!

They find a missive at their door signed by him, telling them to meet him at a secluded spot in Old Sharlayan, one where the two of them would often spend time together

When they meet him there, he turns to them with his face as red as his hair and stutters as he asks them if they’d like to partake in the Pockey game with him

He takes a milk-flavored pocky stick to his lips and shyly waits for his s/o to take the other end

Their lips soon meet, and he savors the sweet, mellow taste of milk and honey on his partner’s lips

The kiss is soft and shy—yet there’s something hidden, as if he sweetly wants for more as he hugs their form

They kiss again and again, feeling warmth under the beautiful Sharlayan skies

Bonus

Haucherfant (since it’s his day too)

He waits for his s/o to sit comfortably by his hearth that night before he pulls out the box with a playful wink

When they agree to play with him, he cups their chin and slips the stick of pocky between their lips

He’s quick to bite down on his end and make way to their lips before utterly devouring them

The taste of strawberries and rich chocolate on his tongue is a delectable combination, making his s/o beg for more as they return the heated kiss in kind

The box is long cast aside as the two indulge in a long, long night by the fire

WOL Panne Nini

(The Protagonist and profile picture for this blog, usually)

She twists her head and looks at the box in her s/o’s hands with confusion

When they explain to her the game and hold out a stick of pocky between their lips, she pulls it out of their mouth and takes a bite of it herself

Her s/o’s face reddens at her boldness as she takes the moment to taste the pocky

“It’s ok I guess, but I never liked sweets anyway… whatever.”

She throws it to the floor and leaps at her s/o to give them a heated kiss—she doesn’t need to go through the whole run-around for the real dessert

WOL Meteor-kun

(Because why not)

He approaches his s/o after one of his many long adventures, nearly killing them with how utterly haggard he looks, as if he ran into another fight with a primal, or worse, again..

When their gaze shifts to the box of chocolate pocky in one of his hands, their concern only grows as they wonder if he ended up like this through procuring it for them

He gives them a warm smile despite it all, showing them the box while telling them excitedly about his most recent discovery: the pocky game (it's really cute)

He then places a stick between his lips, waiting patiently for his s/o to take a bite of the other end

When they reach the final bite and their lips meet, their s/o giggles from the tickling of his stubble on their face

He peppers their face with more kisses until they're a laughing mess on the floor, overjoyed at the fact that he was able to see them smile

His s/o is just glad to see their beloved Warrior returned home, hale and whole

----See the Menu----

[teawithaphd]

This was absolutely inspired by your url: how do your character(s) take their tea? Do they tend to go with the more traditional black tea or do they spice it up with different blends? Would they drink more traditional British tea or the American 'iced' tea? Are they particular with how much milk/sugar they put in?

Hiya, thanks so much for your ask! 💕

I actually made a headcanons post a while back on how the Scions and my wol Panne would take their tea: LINK

(if you haven't played 6.1 and on, beware of a spoiler character mentioned)

But! Here's some extra sauce that's not in that post already, plus how my other wol, T'orr Tia, takes his tea:

Panne Nini

She tends to go for her home-brewed teas (which means grabbing a bunch of herbs, putting them in a cup of boiling water, and drinking it) but, if someone were to pass her any other type of tea, she would definitely drink it. She's not generally picky, and not fond of wasting food, but if the tea is sweetened at all, or gods forbid you give her something like boba, she will spit it out.

T'orr Tia

T'orr has a very....peculiar pallet.

He has a new favorite tea every week, and has a special place in his heart for Doman boba tea. He'll also take his tea as sweet as sweet gets; that cup of sugar cubes on the table will be gone before anyone else gets to it, along with the cream and milk. If we want to add in what they like to eat with their tea, T'orr would be the kind of person to have one of everything from a local pastry shop and eat it all in one sitting. (if he’s feelin spicy that day, he adds in a drizzle of hot sauce to further ‘excite the palette’, don't ask me why)

[teawithaphd]

For all your characters! 🤬- does my muse swear often? Do they try to censor themselves around children or elderly people? and also 🎵- does my muse listen to music while they work?

Getting to this ask now, sorry for the wait!! 😭 but, I hope you enjoy nonetheless 💖

Panne

She swears A LOT, it’s pretty much a part of her natural speech, and that’s because the moogle couple who raised her cursed like sailors too. With children, the elderly, god - she will still say fuck.

Despite appearances, Panne is actually quite musically attuned, most likely an effect of being raised by furry musical fluff-balls. If there isn’t any music, she’ll sometimes find herself humming a made-up tune, or something from her childhood. She’ll never admit that she does this though, even if you catch her red handed.

T’orr

The amount of swearing he would do around someone would equate to how much he trusts them. He doesn’t swear much to begin with, but his ‘mask’ is one with perfect eloquence, and would, at most, sound more strained around children and the elderly. Over time, his speech would grow more natural if he trusts someone enough.

Perhaps a remnant of his Sharlayan roots, T’orr dislikes anything that could potentially break his focus, and music, to him, feels more like noise then something genuinely enjoyable. He would prefer to not listen to anything while working, as he feels that it could cloud his judgement.

[teawithaphd]

Tell me about your cats. Have they done something funny lately?

Omg my first ask, thank you so much!!! 🥺🥺🥺💖💖💖💖💖

For starters, if you haven’t seen my cats yet, their intro posts can be found here:

Meet my Wol Kitty (Panne Nini)

Meet my Wol Kitty 2 (T'orr Tia)

As for funny things they’ve done lately _(:3 」∠)_

T’orr’s usual drink order at the Last Stand is…an interesting one.

He orders something off their ‘secret menu’ called the archon frappé, which is all the ingredients of an archon loaf blended into a drink.

Very popular with those especially unhinged Sharlayan scholars who need something really quick to fuel them and don’t want to deal with the crumbly, dry archon loaf.

To that, he requests 12 pumps of sugar syrup, extra caramel drizzle, chocolate drizzle in the bottom, blended, shaken, extra whipped cream with quad shot of espresso and crumbles of archon loaf on top (if he’s feelin spicy that day, he adds in a drizzle of hot sauce to further ‘excite the palette’)

Every worker who’s had the misfortune of making the drink at the Last Stand spits in it. Every time. (They dub his “special order” The Kitchen’s Bucket)

Oh, and he has that with one of each pastry they have on display that day. He then proceeds to eat all that in one sitting.

Alisaie joins him every once in a while on his weird drink and sugar frenzy (she won't drink the frappe though, heavens forbid), but he’ll mostly indulge by himself to enjoy some peace and quiet before being on the run again.

Speaking of archon loaf, G’raha had Panne try it once.

They didn’t speak for a week after that...

It took a good amount of coaxing from him to convince her that he was not trying to poison her.

Hope you find these (and the extra memey bogos) amusing!

[teawithaphd]

Under the Blood Moon

Chapter 3

Wolgraha

f/m

The slayer manages to use one hand to rummage through her pockets, praying to any gods that can hear her that she finds something to get her the hell out of here. Her chakrams are long gone by now, but she should have a knife or two still deep in there somewhere. Alas, her search bears no fruit. “Shite.” “Now…let us commence the sacred ritual!”

(Yes, it’s been awhile — but chapter 3 is finally here!! *passes out*)

[teawithaphd]

40. What do they wonder about? What sparks their curiosity and imagination, and why? How is this expressed, if it is?

Sorry this took a bit, but thank you so much for the ask!! 😳💖

Panne

She hadn’t done much in the way of wondering throughout her journey, but around the end of Endwalker, she began to wonder what the truth of herself really meant, both physically and metaphorically. She now searches for that truth, as she inherits the dreams she once had in a past life.

T’orr

He more calculates than wonders, thinking up every conceivable course of action mathematically, and plotting schemes accordingly. Crafting new concoctions and min-maxing everything is what truly sparks his imagination; a true alchemist at heart, and perhaps a remnant of his Sharlayan lineage and upbringing.

[teawithaphd]

Masterpost

Master Post Master Post Master Post!!!

Here's a nice, organized list of all the fics I've got in this here blog, all wrapped up in a nice little ribbon. You're welcome. I'll be adding to this while I go, so feel free to check back here to see what I've got cookin'

If it's named and doesn't have a link yet, it's in my AO3. I'll bring it over but if you want to read ahead it's all in there already (greedy aren't you..)

Edit: Anything that's listed as Masterpost has, well, it's own masterpost, with links to all its chapters there. Otherwise, this masterpost would get too damn long, and I'm not about that life. uwu

Alright *cracks knuckles*

Let's get started

--------- The Menu ---------

Final Fantasy XIV:

Crystal Exarch x WOL:

Feelings are a Bitch (Fluff, Humor)

Kuporella

Sorting Feelings Out

Pt. 2

A Day in the Life of Eorzea University (Fluffy Humor AU)

In Other Words...

Partners?!

It's a Date... wait

A Mysterious Customer Appears!

The Lunch Date and Another Mysterious Customer Appears!

Heart to Heart

Words Left Unsaid

Coming Soon...

G'raha Tia x WOL

A Tale of Two Warriors (The long boi)

Masterpost

Under the Blood Moon (vampire x vampire hunter au)

The Hunt Begins

Sharpened Blade and Sharpened Mind

The Blood Moon Rises

(NSFW) Coming Soon... no pun intended

Scions Headcanons

The Scions on Pocky Day

The Scions and Their Tea

My WOLs and Their Tea

The Scions and Sleep

Coming Soon...

My WOLS

Meet My WOL Kitty (Panne Nini

Meet My WOL Kitty (T'orr Tia)

WOL Goods A La Carte~

QTD Wednesdays

Your WOL at the McDonalds

Coming Soon...

One Shots

To Save The Queen (T'orr x Mikoto NSFW)

NieR Replicant:

Nier x Reader:

Yonah Cooks Dinner

[teawithaphd]

A Tale of Two Warriors: Book I

Chapter 4

G’raha x wol

f/m

“The hells is this place?” Panne’s voice echoes across the empty expanse of the hall. T’orr lets out an audible groan as he takes the sight in, a bitterness slipping into his tone. “I’ve never been one for theatre, so I hope they’re not planning to entertain us to death..” “This must be the Final Curtain, then…” G’raha ponders with his hand on his chin. “If I recall correctly, this is where—“ “My, my, such unruly guests. ‘Twould seem a little diversion is in order.”

Back at it again with another chapter *backflips into krispy kreme sign and dies*

Series Masterpost

[teawithaphd]

A Tale of Two Warriors: Book I

Chapter 6

G’raha x wol

f/m

It hurts. It hurts. It hurts as he pulls the bow more and more taught, his body screaming at him to stop. He doesn’t know what’s worse right now, but at least the physical pain can numb everything else for now. 

Series Masterpost

[teawithaphd]

A Tale of Two Warriors: Book I

Chapter 5

G’raha x wol

f/m

As they trail down the bridge across platforms, a cold wind blows against them, a reminder of how high up they’ve found themselves now. T’orr notes the trickling water making an island out of where they stand, separating them from the throne holding Xande, intimidating in all his presence despite slumping in his seat. There’s a weariness about him, as if carrying a great weight upon his massive shoulders. Whatever that weight may be, they think better than to question it as he sends a piercing white glare their way and speaks. “You fight valiantly, mortals, but to no avail.” His voice booms as he stands to his full height. 

Sorry it's been a little while, but here's chapter 5 hot and fresh out of the oven! Hope yalls enjoy!! <3

Series Masterpost

[teawithaphd]

A Tale of Two Warriors: Book I

Chapter 3

G’raha x wol

f/m

“—T’orr?! T’orr! Wake up! Wake up, dammit!” Panne shakes him harder, her hands trembling in their grip. “You can’t just up and die on me like that! We still got shite to do!” G’raha flinches, taking a mental note to not collapse before someone like her. “Um, I-I wouldn’t think it wise to shake him like that—“ She drops T’orr’s body unceremoniously back to the ground (he’s going to feel that later…) and points a finger at him. “Then what do you suppose we do, Mr. Sharlayan?!“He opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.

AYO WE GOT CHAPTER 3 HOT AND READY FROM THE KITCHEN

And if you haven’t read the rest of this fic yet, check out my masterpost!

Series Masterpost

Please enjoy!!!! (≧∀≦)

[teawithaphd]

Meet My WOL Kitty

YEAAAAA 10 FOLLOWERS WE DID ITT!!!!

To celebrate this monumental occasion, and as requested by absolutely no one, here's an intro to my cat that's been the star of many of mine fair fics <3

you're welcome, and bone app the teeth~~~~ <3<3<3

---Panne Nini---

General --

Namesday/Age:

27th Sun of the 3rd Astral Moon / 20 Summers (From ARR)

Birthplace:

The Churning Mists

Race/Clan/Gender:

Miqo'te / Keeper of the Moon / ♀

Height:

5'1

Guardian Deity:

Rhalgr, the Destroyer

City-state:

Gridania

Classes (Most to least used):

DNC, MNK, RPR, DRG, and the occasional BRD when she feels musical

Relationships --

Orientation:

Heterosexual, Demiromantic

Ship/s:

G'raha Tia

Bonus --

Favorite Food:

Meat; A fresh kill roasted over a fire, Miqo'bobs, doesn't need anything special

Likes:

Hunting; Tracking down prey for days on end before bringing the kill home to her village. Also likes Crafting (Leather goods), Looking at and picking flowers along her journeys, sitting out in the wilderness

Dislikes:

Obnoxious people, bustling cities with too much noise and too many people, politics, reading, pointless fetch quests, false pleasantries

Funky Fact (An unusual fact about your WOL no one else would know):

She's a heavy weight, but on the odd occasion she drinks past her limit, she will start adding "kupo" to the end of her sentences, and eventually start speaking in Mogspeak.

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

"I didn't miss that time, stupid bastard."

Character Bio:

The hero of our story, Panne Nini, has earned the title of Warrior of Light and Darkness throughout her adventures. She has a tendency of being crude and short-tempered in personality, but carries a heart of gold that she learns to reveal to others over time. Her instincts and willpower make her a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, lending to an almost beastly reputation.

(She's also the protagonist of my next longer-running fic A Tale of Two Warriors so ya know if u wanna come check that out when i start posting it that'd be really sexy of you, pweese and thnk u UwU)

[teawithaphd]

The Lunch Date and Another Mysterious Customer Appears!

FFXIV

(named) WOL x Crystal Exarch

f/m

A Day in the Life of Eorzea University

Ch.5

Panne agrees to meeting the Exarch for lunch and is surprised by the enthusiasm (and food) he brings. Later that day, she takes what’s expected to be a normal shift at the café—but that goes out the door when a certain someone walks in…

AO3

The Miqo’te glances down at the time on her tomestone as she wanders around the courtyard, searching for a certain Exarch who extended the invitation for lunch with her. 

“Over here!”

She whips her head to witness the way he runs up to her with a beaming smile on his face, sending an odd fluttering in her chest. Her eyes trail down to the woven basket in his hands and the red, checkered fabric peaking out of it. She gives him a puzzled look.

“What’s that?”

His mouth opens slightly as he looks down, a blush creeping on his cheeks.

“W-well, since I was the one who invited you, and to make up for um…your shoulder—I thought I’d bring us lunch.” He pauses before abruptly switching topics, “Ah, and I know the perfect spot to sit! There’s a large oak a little ways from here that provides plenty of shade that’s quite nice to sit under. Allow me to lead you there..”

He gives Panne a grin before turning around to walk in the opposite direction. She trails after, eager to find out what contents lie inside.

The walk is rather silent, but it’s a peaceful and welcome one. After several minutes, the Exarch stops to look up. The Keeper mirrors his motion and cranes her neck up to the brilliant blanket of leaves and down to the sturdy trunk of the oak he described. That does look like a nice place to sit, she thinks as the Exarch begins opening up the basket, laying out the blanket, and setting out various plates and utensils. She doesn’t catch him take a seat and gesture to the space next to him as she blankly stares at the display before her, leading her mind to trail off to one thought alone.

Doesn’t this look like…isn’t this what they do on dates—

“Panne?”

“—hm?”

“Are you feeling unwell? When I asked if you wanted to sit down, you seemed lost in thought and didn’t answer.”

She shakes her head as an attempt to shake off the embarrassment and releases a light exhale.

“Oh, sorry about that. It’s…nothing.”

With perfect timing, her stomach grumbles loudly. The Exarch chuckles before once again patting the space beside him.

“You must be famished! Come, sit here so we can eat.”

She gives him a coy smile before obliging and taking a seat next to him. He twists to open the basket and pulls out a smaller basket. When he uncovers the cloth over them, it reveals a neat row of perfectly hand-crafted sandwiches. He chuckles when he sees her eyes widen to dinner plates, glimmering with excitement and feels a warmth swell in his chest.

“Where did you get those?! Those look amazing!”

“Actually, I made them myself…please, take one.”

She gasps before reaching for one for the roast beef sandwiches. He smiles to himself, feeling a sense of pride at his prediction, proving correct that she would reach for that one. He grabs the same kind for himself and stops to watch as she takes a bite out of hers. A moan of delight slips past her lips as they stretch to a dopey grin.

“This is so good!”

A warm smile makes its way on his lips as he takes in the sight, “I’m glad you like it. And there’s plenty so feel free to eat as much as you like.”

She makes quick work of the sandwich and reaches for another before answering, “oh, I will! These things are so damn delicious, I didn’t know you can cook.”

He abashedly scratches his cheek. “Hardly…I can only make small things like this, and even so, most days I find myself too busy to even go that far.”

She laughs, “that’s still better than me.”

“Do you not cook?”

“The most I can do is grill meat, but I’m always too lazy for that. I just end up picking up whatever from the convenience store down the street…or I just eat instant ramen at home.”

This time, he laughs in return. “Your coffee making skills certainly make up for that, my friend. I would have never guessed.”

She mumbles a ‘sure’ before taking another bite of her sandwich. 

They find enjoyment in the lunch, sitting comfortably with a delicious picnic under the tree, providing shade on a beautiful, sunny day such as this, indulging in idle chatter about varying mundane topics. It’s nice…really nice, the Keeper thinks as she finds who she thought was some creepy stalker to be…a nice guy, actually. She stares at the smile on his face and imagines he must be enjoying himself too, though she can’t tell for sure since half his face is obstructed. A memory of a time like this, deep in her head, makes its way to the surface of her mind as she stares long and hard at the man beside her. Her heart begins to quicken as she suddenly blurts the thought on her mind. “You know…you remind me of someone.”

“Hm?” He places the emptied sandwich basket and places it back in the bigger basket before turning back to her.

“There’s this guy that I knew back in high school…he was a bit odd, but like you, he was nice once you got to know him.” She feels warm as she continues recounting the memory, “we became good friends, and he would tell me all about Allagan this and Crystal Tower that—even though I didn’t know jack shite of what he was talking about. I still lent an ear though, it was nice seeing someone so passionate about something. You two would have really hit it off, if you met him.” She suddenly casts her gaze down, “But then he just…disappeared one day. When I asked where he went, everyone told me he left to some prestigious school that was really far away, so I never saw him again after that.”

She takes a deep breath to collect herself and looks up at the Exarch. “His name was…G’raha Tia…heard of him?”

It takes all of his willpower to not choke at the story and the question soon after. He feels water pool in his eyes and has to do everything to keep his voice from completely breaking. “No…I don’t think I have. He sounds like a remarkable person.”

She gives him a sad smile. “He was. Inspired me to go and find my passion, whatever that is.”

“Is that why you came here?”

“Sort of…in reality, I just came cause they offered me a scholarship with a free ride for playing volleyball. It wasn’t an opportunity I could pass up, so I took it. Though now that I’m here, I’m not sure what to do with it.”

He places a hand on her shoulder and gives her a reassuring smile. “Take your time. Whatever you find your passion to be, I am certain you will excel in whatever it is you choose to do.”

He hears her breath hitch at the contact. A beat of silence follows before she speaks up again, this time in a hushed voice.

“…Thank you.”

She sits up and quietly helps clear what’s on the picnic blanket before folding it and handing it to him.

“You need help with anything else?”

He takes the folded blanket from her hands and places it into his basket before standing up. “No, I’ll be alright from here. I appreciate your help, and I enjoyed sharing this meal with you. I pray you enjoyed yourself as well?”

She quickly stands up and dusts the crumbs off her clothes. “I did.” A small grin makes its way on her lips, sending the Exarch’s heart ablaze when she says, “lets do this again some time.”

Without awaiting a response, she gives him a chaste wave before turning around and walking in the direction of the school. He waits until he can’t make out her silhouette anymore and flops onto the grass, clutching his head and trying not to scream too loudly.

________________

Panne swings open the door to the Scions Café, walking in as the little chime rings. She waves to Alphinaud, taking over for Tataru for the day, at the front before going through her pre-shift routine of going to the back, changing into her uniform, and coming back outside. Y’Shtola sits in her usual spot at the end of the barista counter, as she is ‘wont to do’ with an already prepared drink in hand. Alisaie, already dressed and serving some of the customers sitting at the front, waves to Panne as she serves a pair of young girls two lattes. The girls swoon at the hearts made in coco powder, and the Keeper has to keep her eyes from rolling to the back of her head as their head barista blows the two a kiss with a wink over the counter.

She glares at the Hyur as he waves his eyebrows and says with a teasing tone, “Oh come now, Panne—it’s all in good fun! It’d do you well to loosen up from time to time.”

“And it’d do you well to focus on your job instead of flirting with the customers!” Alisaie adds as she crosses her arms.

The Keeper cackles as Thancred sputters excuses, claiming to do ‘just fine’ and ‘I want to see you try and work the espresso machine once’. The chime at the front catches her attention, leading her to witness the man who came in with striking yellow eyes that frames the pearl placed between his brows, and black hair with a stark white bang. He saunters to one of the booths and casts her a look with an unreadable expression before taking a seat, leaning back in such a way that he somehow takes up the whole space on his side. He raises a hand with a dramatic sigh.

“I require service.”

He stares at her expectantly, and with a sigh she approaches his table.

“Ah, the famed Warrior of Light. After reading all the raving reviews from your friend over there on the Reddits,” he gestures to Alphinaud, who quickly ducks behind a table as if to physically dodge his accusation before continuing, “I just had to come try the Warrior of Light’s world famous coffee~”

The condescending tone he uses makes her ears pin to the back of her head. She groans before taking out her pen and notepad.

“Your order, sir.”

He huffs, “So biting…anyroad, I desire a venti caramel macchiato, sugar-free, since I am trying to watch my figure. I want it extra hot, foam on top, but not too much foam that it takes up half the drink and I can no longer even taste the coffee… crowned with a light caramel drizzle, then sprinkled with a dash of cinnamon to spice things up, and I would also like latte art in the shape of a heart…oh, wouldn’t that just be precious…and I am on a schedule, so I need the drink to come in soon so— chop chop! And I suggest you move swiftly, hero of the volleyball team.”

The Keeper deadpans. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Come now, the reviews say you can make anything you put your mind to and ‘surpass any and all expectations with excellence beyond measure’. You can thank your little elezen friend there for that.” He points to Alphinaud at the front, who shies away from his gaze with a nervous grin.

Panne sends a glare to the salt-and-pepper haired man before walking to the barista counter, not having written a single thing he said down. Thancred shoots her a puzzled look as she beckons him over to her. Once he does, she retells what transpired in a whisper. He looks at the bizarre man at the counter—back to Panne—then back to the man blankly before going to the back of the station. He comes back with a cup of black coffee.

“Tell him it’s courtesy of the barista.” His irritation seeps into his voice, though not pointed towards her. She grabs the cup and brings it to the table. Practically dropping it on the surface, she continues silently walking past it to not have to engage more with the man who has the gall to give her a Sharlayanbucks order... 

“Excuse me, this is not what I ordered.”

Thancred calls from the barista counter, “Indeed it is not, ‘tis black and bitter to match your shining personality.”

Panne stops in her tracks and side eyes him with a mutter, “just drink the damn coffee and leave already…”

Urianger peers his head out of the kitchen window after hearing some of the commotion. His golden eyes widen with recognition when they land on the presumptuous customer. “..Were one to study the annals of the history of the schools within this fair city, one would find yonder visage on many a page. Indeed, one might surmise he to be a member of the dark organization that yet lurks within yonder shadows, pulling the proverbial strings of this city’s storied history from its depths…”

Said customer turns his attention to the elezen and smirks. “Well, well, we have a historian in our midst. That spares me a lengthy explanation.” He clears his throat before raising his voice to an announcing volume, “I am Solus zos Galvus, founding father of Garlemald University. And, under various guises, the architect of myriad other prestigious academies. As for my true identity…” he pulls a business card out of his pocket and slides it towards Panne. As the bizarre red symbol on the front catches her eye, she picks it up and squints at it.

“I am Emet-Selch. Ascian.”

The title brings Thancred’s mouth to a grimace. He moves around from behind the barista counter and leans in front of it with his arms crossed—far enough from the action as to not be intruding, but close enough for him to step in if anything goes awry, which is where things seem to be going…

“Equal in rank to Lahabrea.” The name leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. 

“And you came all this way just to introduce yourself to us?”

Ignoring Thancred’s comment and closer proximity, Emet-Selch pulls out his tomestone and swipes for a few painfully silent moments before twisting it around so all of the staff watching can see. On it is a familiar picture of their school. “Behold Eorzea University, restored to its former glory! Have you seen a more affecting spectacle? Ohhh, it is truly, deeply…”

He dramatically slumps in his seat as irritation slips into his tone. “…Infuriating. Do you have any idea how much you have delayed the Rejoining of all the schools in the city?” The irritation grows more apparent as he puts the device down and continues. “The end was in sight! We were oh so close to taking hold of your wretched high school, Eorzea Academy, yet enter man and his indomitable spirit. He who would haul the volleyball game back from the brink! And adding his lumpen weight to the power of growth, he duly tipped the scale, if only by a fraction. Yet a fraction was enough to spoil the perfect victory needed to bring about the end of your high school.” He takes a deep inhale before pointing a finger at the Keeper in front of him. “You just had to come and ruin it all! Thanks to your meddling, Eorzea Academy remains, and our painstakingly laid plans are in tatters!”

Thancred shifts in his spot and glares daggers at the Ascian. “Well, I should begin by thanking you for the confirming of Urianger’s theories on the inner workings of these ‘rejoinings’. He will be most pleased. As for what happens next, might I suggest you forfeit your upcoming match and admit defeat before walking away?”

He sneers at the Hyur. “Happy to let me go, are you? Because the murderous glint in your eye suggests otherwise. Indeed, it is enough to make me think better of confronting you alone. Look, it did cross my mind to simply expel you all. But that’s no different from what Lahabrea did. And we all know how well that ended for him.” He gives Thancred a knowing smirk.

He turns his attention back to Panne and suddenly stands up. He slowly creeps toward her, causing her to back away in rhythm of his invasion in her space.

“And so, while it is liable to be troublesome, I have settled upon a different approach…”He lowers his head and tilts it to the side with an impish glare. “Cooperation! I will not raise a hand to hinder your victory of the coming volleyball game against Garlemald. If you desire it, I will even lend you my knowledge and strength.”

Alphinaud turns his head away from the front to the exchange with a frown. “Since time immemorial, you and yours have labored to rejoin the thirteen sister schools, at the cost of countless students’ futures. Do you expect us to believe that your objective has suddenly changed?”

The Ascian shakes his head. “Nay, our objective is the same as it ever was—though I dare say you do not know our motive. A war waged without knowledge of the enemy is no war—it is mere bloodletting. Just once…might we not seek to find common ground? For good or ill, I am immortal. Provided I have the inclination, I can always begin anew. Scheme and conspire to my heart’s content. But this time, I thought that I might instead try to see eye to eye. To understand what drives the hero of the volleyball team. To determine if our goals are truly incompatible.” He backs away from the Keeper and widens his arms while looking between all of the staff. “So come. Shed your preconceptions. See beyond the unscrupulous villains you take us for. When all is said and done, we may find ourselves pleasantly surprised. The proud discoverers of a path of cooperation rather than opposition. Think of it.”

Urianger flings a card at him from the kitchen, which is dodged effortlessly with a tilt of the Ascian’s head. The elezen furrows his brows. 

“Thoust hast delivered thy proposal, and we would not dismiss it outright. If I may offer thee council, however: to make thy case via coming to our abode with such a ludicrous beverage order reflecteth poorly upon thy sincerity.”

“My apologies. You will forgive me if I am not entirely convinced of your stellar quality. I felt it only prudent to take precautions. Nonetheless, your council is duly noted. I take my leave friends, and rest assured, we shall meet again soon.”

He stands up and slowly saunters in the direction of the door with a sweeping wave behind him. 

He stops momentarily, and without turning, mutters. “And of course, may the best man win.” He swiftly exits the café.

Turning her attention away from Emet-Selch, Panne sees Alisaie walking towards her, already out of her apron and uniform with a baffled look. “What in the seven hells was that all about?”

“I couldn’t tell you…” 

Thancred keeps glaring eyes on the door. “If I never see another one of those Ascians again it’d be too soon.” Without another word, he storms out into the kitchen, leaving the two girls slightly dumbfounded. Urianger leans slightly forward from the window to explain to the two, “Thancred hast some poor history with Lahabrea and the Ascians. I pray you recall the scandal Lahabrea once caused, leading to Thancred’s nigh expulsion.”

Y’Shtola takes a final sip of her coffee from the end of the counter and stands. “Ah yes, I had almost forgotten about the rumors Lahabrea had spread in his name.”

“He makes a terrible impersonator, by the way. My looks are malms better than that.” His voice echoes from the kitchen over the sizzle of a pan. 

Do I smell something burning…?

Panne releases a long held sigh. “That guy seriously pisses me off.”

“Well I would be angry too if someone dared talk to me like that. I’m surprised you didn’t wipe that high-and-mighty smirk off his face right there.” Alisaie swipes over her bangs before letting out a sigh of her own. “C’mon, our shift’s just about done and Alphinaud promised to help us with our math assignment tonight.”

“Our math assignment...?”

The elezen’s eyes light up, “Yep! And I already told him you’re coming, so you can’t refuse.”

“But I—“ before she can protest, Alisaie cuts her off with a look. “Fiiiiiiiine…”

The elezen gives her a satisfied grin. “Good! You best change out of your uniform soon, Alphinaud’s already waiting for us in the car.” She jogs out the door with a skip in her step, leading Panne to smile at her antics. She quickly goes to the back and changes before coming out to join the twins.

________________

“—And so you see, when you add this variable to the equation, then the sum should equal something like this—“

Alphinaud writes down another array of numbers on the dry erase board as Panne slumps in her chair, near nodding off to the elezen’s mini lecture. Alisaie, meanwhile, looks as if it’s taking every fiber of her being not to snap. 

She eventually does.

“Can we pleeeeeaaaasssseee talk about something interesting? If I see another number, I fear my head just might burst.” She feigns looking for an alternative conversation topic with a hum, the one thing she’s been itching to bring up all night the sole thing on her mind. She then turns a dramatic head towards her friend beside her, a devilish look on her features.

“How did your date with the Exarch go?”

“My what—?”

“Oh come on, you don’t go searching for the café your study partner works at to try her coffee and ask to take her out for lunch the next day just for pleasantries.”

A heat comes over the Keeper’s cheeks, giving her the need to turn her head away in embarrassment. “That was not…he only did that because—“

“What, to make up for hurting your shoulder? Any normal person would have just said ‘sorry’ and that would have been the end of it. He just wanted an excuse to ask you out, so let’s not beat around the bush.”

The Keeper’s voice raises a pitch, “an excuse to ask me out?! Now that’s chocobo shite!”

“Alisaie! it’s rude to prod into Panne’s personal business…but what did you end up eating, since we’re now on the topic?” The two turn to Alphinaud in the front, looking at them with a slight flush in his ears. “Did you two mayhap go out somewhere? Or did he bring something?”

The Miqo’te groans. “He brought some sandwiches he made…”

“He made them?!” Alisaie gasps, leaning in while resting her hands on her cheeks.

Alphinaud steps closer. “…How were they? Were they good..?”

Panne pauses, a vein popping in her head before answering, “you two are such a pain in my arse!” She sighs before lowering her voice and continuing, “yes, they were good. There, you happy?”

The smirk on Alisaie’s face grows wider before she starts shooting the girl with a barrage of new, teasing questions, “was it a picnic, then? What did you do after? Did you hold hands? Did you kiss?” She hugs herself and starts making smooching noises while Alphinaud shoots questions of his own—“Did he treat you well? He did make sure you had a good time, yes? Does he have a decent academic and or familial background—“

“—Alright, that’s enough!” The Miqo’te abruptly stands from her seat, lugging her bag over her shoulder, “what the hells’ up with you all and my relationship with this guy? He’s just a study partner, for gods sake!” She storms out of Alphinaud’s room and marches her way to the exit of the twin’s shared apartment as she irritatedly yells, “Good. Night!” 

The two hear the door slam before silently looking at one another. Alphinaud raises his voice first. “Sister.. Did we, mayhap…go too far?”

Alisaie is silent for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter. “I’m sure she’ll be fine! ‘‘T’was but a bit of harmless fun after all!” Alphinaud looks back at the chalkboard and sighs to himself.

“Right.. harmless fun..”

_________

Panne makes it out of the apartment complex and begins her walk home, grumbling all the while in a wave of utter irritation.

“I swear those two are gonna be the death of me…” she mumbles before a sudden vibration in her pocket stops her in her steps. She takes her tomestone out and looks at the screen, an ominous text greeting her.

Unknown Rest well, hero. Fore next we meet, it shall be on the field of battle.

The Keeper raises an eyebrow before deciding to answer.

Me Who the hells is this?

An answer comes almost right away.

Unknown 💃💃🎆

She sighs as she puts the device back in her pocket, the exhaustion from the day now hitting her all at once. Too irritated to turn back and ask the twins for a ride (plus that’d be embarrassing…), she drags her feet all the way home to finally flop on her bed and sleep off the long day.

<---- Previous Next---->

[teawithaphd]

It's a Date... wait

FFXIV

(named)WOL x Crystal Exarch

f/m

A Day in the Life of Eorzea University

Ch. 3

Panne goes to meet up with her mysterious study partner at the library—and this time, no one’s got a levitation spell.

AO3

The library is just what she expected—not for someone like her. Bookshelves almost reaching the ceiling line the room, all filled with books upon books of all shapes and sizes, filled with knowledge Panne will never find herself looking for, lest for a situation such as this..

The click of her shoes echo on the baroque marble floors as she strolls about the utterly gaudy-looking library, looking for the partner she reluctantly agreed to meet with on this quiet morning. She stops and looks down at the time on her tomestone, affirming that she has, surprisingly yet again, made it in time. I guess Alphinaud’s been rubbing off on me…

“Ah, there you are!”

She turns to see the large grin on her partner’s face while he approaches her, noting how he’s wearing the same gold-adorned hood over his head as usual. Deciding to push away the urge to ask why he keeps wearing it like that, she greets him with a chaste wave.

“Mornin’.”

“Good morning, my friend. I pray your day has gone well thus far?”

“Mhm...”

Her tomestone buzzes, causing her to look at the message just sent to her.

barista master™️ Have fun on ur date~😘😘  

With an irritated puff, she shoves it into her pocket.

“Is aught amiss?” Her hooded partner asks with his voice raised in concern.

She crosses her arms and looks away from him to shake off the sudden tightness in her chest. “Oh, it’s nothing.. just my coworker being a pain in my arse.”

“Coworker? This means you have a job, then?”

His question makes her ears twitch, and she twists her head back to him, “Yeah, I work at a little coffee shop called the Scions Cafe.”

His lips part for a moment before being pulled into a smile.

“Ah, yes I have heard of it. I have read wonderful reviews, and others have told me that a certain Warrior of Light who works there makes the absolute best freshly brewed cup of Mor Dhonan drip coffee.”

“Oh, my coffee making skills are hardly the reason why the cafe holds such good reviews…” The Keeper sheepishly rubs the back of her neck as she continues, “That credit should go to everyone else’s hard work. I’m just a waitress who makes basic black coffee when you ask…” 

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Panne.” He sees her eyes suddenly widen in response. “I may not have tried your coffee myself, but I always hear how much those who travel there look forward to you serving them. And besides, sometimes it is the simplest of things that brings joy to another’s day.”

Her lips are pulled into a small smile before looking down and whispering, “thanks.”

Silence between them goes on for a beat before Panne speaks up again. “Why… don’t you come sometime, then? If you haven’t gone to the café, I mean.”

What am I saying?

“Our barista, Thancred, makes all the fancy coffees and they always come out looking picture-perfect. We’ve got a mean cook too…Urianger makes the best omelets, just ask and he’ll make one for you. And while Alisaie may not look like it…she’s really great with the customers!” She puts a hand to her chin in thought as she goes on, “Though for some reason they often give me the better tips…And then there’s Alphinaud. He runs the café now, and has worked so hard putting it back together ever since the last owner…” she trails off for a second before raising her voice again, “so if anyone deserves credit the most, it’s him.”

The hooded man goes quiet, sending the Keeper a sudden burst of regret. She feels her thoughts spin, rethinking if it was wise of her to share so much to a man she barely knows and hasn’t even seen the bloody face of…

She turns away from him and mutters an apology under her breath before pulling herself together, facing him again with a pointed finger in his direction. “But before you accept that invitation, you haven’t told me much about yourself.”

He’s taken aback by her sudden accusation, but keeps his voice steady despite his now-sweaty palms. “What would you like to know? I unfortunately am not nearly as interesting a person as you, Warrior.” 

She takes a moment to think before answering, “Why have you been following me around?”

The man abruptly coughs into his hand before looking back up with a lopsided smile.

“T-That is…oh but, it’s not…I haven’t…Ah, look over there!”

He abruptly sprints towards one of the shelves—leaving Panne to blankly stare out in confusion. After an exasperated sigh, she follows after him. 

He stops at the shelf further down the library that piqued his interest when he spotted it from the corner of his eye. Panne arrives and stops several fulms away from him soon after with a light jog.

“The hells was that—“

“I believe I have found a book that may be an integral asset to our repertoire of studies for the project.” He turns to her before asking, “we agreed to have our political figure of choice be Emperor Xande, correct?”

Slightly irritated from his swift avoidance of her prior question, she shrugs. “You’re the expert, so I left that for you to decide.”

“Excellent.” He cranes his neck up to take a good look at the textbook he mentioned high up on the shelf, nodding to himself. He takes a few steps back before running to jump up and reach for the book—leading to failure as he ungracefully slides down to the floor. He clears his throat and he dusts himself off, then prepares to jump again, goes, and slides down the shelf again. He repeats the process several more times before the bewildered Miqo’te beside him decides to speak up.

“The hells are you doing?”

The man looks at her for a moment before an idea pops in his mind. 

“I need you to get on my shoulders.” The sudden seriousness of his tone startles Panne, only adding to her utter confusion.

“Huh?”

“Get on my shoulders, I’ll hoist you up to the shelf.” He jerks his head to the point he was trying to reach earlier.

“You’ll do what now?”

He fully turns himself towards her and meets her eyes with an intense gaze, hoping the gesture will convince her—despite his eyes being obscured by his hood.

“Don’t worry, I will not allow you to fall.”

She goes silent before slowly looking around them. Not seeing anyone that could possibly yell at them or report them for…what ever the hells they’re about to do, she sighs before removing her shoes and walking right up to him.

“Look up my skirt and I’ll kill you.”

“U-Understood.”

He turns around and kneels down, allowing Panne to hover her hands around him, trying to figure out a place to anchor herself before landing on the top of his head. Ignoring the feeling of two bulges that feel almost like Miqo’te ears beneath the hood, she places nervous feet one at a time on each of his shoulders, then hoists herself to a stand. He whispers “ready?”, and she simply grunts in response before he slowly stands to full height. The Keeper begins to wobble along the way, leading him to quickly wrap his hands around her ankles and hold on tightly to keep her steady.

“Are you alright?” his tone raises in concern.

She answers with a shaky breath above him, “Im f-fine.”

“Good. Anyroad, the title of the book you’re looking for is ‘Memoires of a Conquerer: A Compilation of The Life and Confessions of Emperor Xande of the Allagan Empire’.”

She scoffs, “you think I know what the hells that is? I’m not gonna spend all day on your shoulders sorting through all these!”

The comment gets a chuckle out of him. “My apologies. Alright then, it should have a red cover…”

“…Most of these have red covers…”

“With gold writing in the front? If I remember correctly it has Emperor Xande’s insignia on it and pray…do not be upset with me, but I believe it may be near the very back of the shelf.”

He hears her let out a groan under her breath. “Seriously?”

“I sincerely apologize…I would have had an easier time grabbing the book myself but…you saw how well that went. And I did not want to be the one to get up on your shoulders instead…”

She giggles, making his heart beat just an ilm faster. “Ever the gentleman, aren’t you? Well, I’ll reach back there, but you better not let me fall.”

“I promise I won’t.”

She gives him an amused ‘hmph’ before leaning forward to reach for the biography. He waits a few minutes while hearing her rummage through the neatly lined stacks of books and grips onto her ankles just a bit tighter—both to keep her and himself steady. He focuses on the calming sounds of books shuffling and the feeling of her warm skin beneath his hands, making him smile to himself at the fact that she really is here. How long has it been since…

“What’s your name, by the way? Just realized I never asked.”

Her voice pulls the man out of his thoughts. “Sorry?”

“You seem to know a lot about me, but I don’t even know your damn name. So what is it? Don’t tell me it’s something embarrassing…”

“Uhm…” it was sheer luck that their first class didn’t have any sort of role call. If they had called him by name, Panne would have known right away and would go shooting him with questions—and would most definitely give him a curse-filled fit of epic proportions... He shivers at the thought of facing her wrath…but he must not let her find out about his identity. Lest he wants to bring up her past and bring her heartache with all that’s happened then…

“They call me…the Exarch…”

She sneers, “Exarch..? You got a stick up your arse or something?”

He bursts out in laughter, causing the Keeper to wobble slightly from it before steadying herself again.

“What? Only some pretentious dickwad would call themselves that.”

He calms his laughter down and wipes a tear from his eye. “Oh please, I would never do something like that…I belong to, or er, used to belong to, a club in the school called the Crystal Tower club, and because I, according to the rest of the members, built the best replicas of the spire, and was the oldest standing member of their quarry, they had dubbed me the ‘Crystal Exarch’. They wanted to call me the Crystal King or Emperor, but I thought of those titles as too flashy, so I settled for Exarch instead.”

She smiles to herself and chuckles lightly, “Makes sense. What did they even do at your club? Just build Crystal Towers?”

“Y-yes…well, that, and we did some research on it when time permitted…” he looks down shyly.

“Huh. I would have joined if I could, but I can’t make things like that for shite.”

He quietly chuckles, “would you have joined, I would have provided whatever assistance you required. With proper guidance, I’m sure you would have picked things up swiftly along the way.”

“That sounds nice…” her smile goes into a smirk, “but you still didn’t quite answer my question, Exarch of the Crystal Tower Club. What’s your actual name?”

“U-Uhm, I—”

“WHAT IN THE SEVEN HELLS ARE YOU TWO DOING, YOU’LL FALL!”

Just as Panne grips what looks to be the book they were looking for, the loud voice startles her enough to make one of her feet slip out of her partner’s grasp, getting a yelp out of her.

“Panne!”

“H-Hey! I told you not to look up—“

He clings to her ankles as a desperate attempt to keep her from falling as her weight goes backwards—causing them both to tumble to the ground with a yelp.

The Keeper groans as she sits up, clutching her shoulder that took the worst of the fall. She looks up quick enough to see Alphinaud get pulled out of sight by a red-clad hand before hearing two sets of feet scurry off.

—- Earlier that day —-

Alphinaud and Alisaie quietly enjoy their breakfast in their shared apartment. It’s as Alphinaud takes a sip of his tea that Alisaie interrupts the silence.

“I asked Panne last night where she’s meeting her study partner, and she said that they planned to meet in the library at 10 tomorrow.”

Her twin raises an eyebrow as he sets his cup on the table.

“And?”

“And I say we should follow them.”

“Follow them? Have you lost your mind?!”

Alisaie puts on a smirk as she leans across the table to meet her brother’s eyes. “Mayhap, but you can’t tell me you’re not at the very least curious…”

“Well…” realizing what she’s trying to do, Alphinaud stands up and turns away from her. “No. Absolutely not—we are not doing this.”

He starts walking to his room when Alisaie calls from behind him, “But brother, aren’t you worried about our dear friend? We can just go to make sure nothing goes awry on her date. After all, this study partner of hers does sound awfully suspicious… and you wouldn’t want to leave our Warrior alone with a stalker, would you, dear brother?” 

Alphinaud stops in his tracks. After a pause, he turns his head very slightly to his sitting-all-too-comfortably sister at the table. “…I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.”

She snickers before standing up herself, going into a wide stretch of her arms before making her way to her room to get ready for their little espionage mission.

Dressed in their University uniforms (instead of wearing camouflage head to toe as per Alisaie’s suggestion), the twin elezens walk down the large library, just a couple minutes prior to the time of their friend’s meeting. The two look around until Alphinaud spots a head of familiar violet-and-blonde hair and down-turned ears in the distance.

“There she is!”

Alisaie turns her attention to where her twin is looking and notices Panne walking while observing her surroundings in the opposite direction of them.

“It seems her partner hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Shhhhh Alphinaud, lower your voice!”

They spot a hood decorated with gold heading their way.

“That’s the partner! Quick, we can’t let him spot us!” The two take cover behind a different aisle of shelves and observe as the man makes his way to their friend. They begin to have an exchange, which Alphinaud and Alisaie are barely able to hear, but as they observe, they notice the change in body language of their friend as she slowly goes from being closed-off and almost hostile, to a more relaxed, open position. Alphinaud mutters an involuntary “oh no,” as Alisaie finds her smirk growing wider.

Suddenly, Panne’s partner darts towards one of the shelves, leaving the Miqo’te with a confused expression before running after him. Not wanting to miss out on the action, the twins follow after the two from down their aisle, the end of it luckily being just a few yalms from the spot where the man stopped.

Being closer and more clearly able to listen in on the conversation, the twins lean against the shelf behind them and hear the rest of how the exchange goes.

“—but you still didn’t quite answer my question, Exarch of the Crystal Tower Club. What’s your actual name?”

Alphinaud feels the need to peak out at what’s going on now, verily curious by what this Exarch will reveal about himself as if watching one of those mystery dramas on TV. Despite Alisaie’s whispers of protests, he inches his head out into the open. The sight that greets him makes his face contort into an expression of utter horror. He gasps as he looks on, and both his protective-brother mode and A+ student-who-sees-a violation-of-rules mode go into overdrive, leading him to jump out of hiding and yell at the two.

“WHAT IN THE SEVEN HELLS ARE YOU TWO DOING, YOU’LL FALL!”

He freezes in place as the pair goes tumbling down to the floor, jaw almost having dropped to the floor with them. Before Panne could see them as she slowly sits up, Alisaie pulls her brother with her as she sprints and gets them out of the library. When they make it to the school courtyard, she stops and looks to her brother with a scowl.

“You idiot, you blew our cover!”

He pants heavily with his hands on his knees, not expecting the sudden workout. Having caught his breath enough, he looks up,

“Well, did you see what they were doing?! That was absolutely foolish and dangerous… heavens forbid if any of the library staff caught them, they both would have had to face awful consequences for their actions…”

“Well you certainly made things better for them when you yelled out and made Panne fall..” his eyes widen while remembering the sight, and he straightens himself up.

“And she could be hurt! We have to go back there, Alisaie! With my knowledge, I can patch her up, or at least take her to the nurse’s office with preliminary treatment…”

He begins marching his way back to the library before Alisaie catches his hand.

“Let the Exarch take care of it, they’ll be fine…”

Alphinaud stops and turns to his sister, “But… fine…”

She looks away and quietly snickers.

“Always such a worrywart, dearest brother mine…”

__________________

“You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”

Panne’s attention turns to the man in front of her, who’s already standing and holding a hand out to her (is that blue paint on his arm?). While most of his face is obstructed, she can almost imagine the worried expression on him. 

“No, i’m alright..” She raises a hand to smooth down her hair, wincing as a shot of pain hits her shoulder. The man in front of her moves an ilm closer in response, mouth slightly open in shock.

“Your shoulder! Are you certain you didn’t injure it?”

He grabs her uninjured hand and pulls her up to a stand. The Keeper holds her shoulder and attempts to roll the joint, causing her to hiss in pain. He places a gentle hand on her arm out of concern.

“It looks injured…here, let me take you to the nurse.”

She sighs, “It’s alright, I can walk there myself…”

“But please!” His outburst takes her aback, giving him a sense of guilt before lowering his voice, “at least allow me to lead you there. It’s the least I can do after failing to fulfill my promise and letting you fall…”

She hears the guilt in his voice, sending an odd tightness in her chest, and gives him a small smile.

“I said it’s ok, Exarch. You’d be surprised to hear that the nurse’s office is one of the few places that I can actually get to with no problems in this bloody convoluted school.” She looks down to his hand on her arm and then up to her injured shoulder, “besides, it’s probably not that bad anyways, just might be a little sore for awhile.”

He pauses before finally sighing, and smiles while he releases his grip.

“If you are certain…ah, but wait, before you go—“ he grabs a slip of paper from his pocket along with a pen and begins scribbling something down on it, using his knee as a surface, before handing it to her, “Here, call me if anything happens, alright?”

She looks down at the paper, noticing a somewhat messily written number.

“Oh, and next time we meet…” she looks up again and notices the man’s smile having gone warmer, “let’s do this over lunch instead. I’ll bring it, as payment for breaking my promise.” 

A chuckle comes out of her before she answers to his invitation, “That’ll definitely beat reaching for books in a stuffy library… but didn’t you need that book I was grabbing? Oh, which speaking of—“ she grabs it out of her bag and hands the thick textbook to him, “here, I managed to grab it before we fell.”

He holds it to his face to observes the cover for a moment— before his head droops lowly.

“Panne…” his voice raises to a whine before showing her the cover, making her jaw drop.

“This is a book on Allagan…botany…”

They pause before erupting into a fit of laughter to the point of almost going back to the floor again just to both laugh and cry at their situation.

“Shite…then all that was for…nothing!?”

“It helped break some of the ice between us, I hope?”

“It definitely broke something, that’s for sure…”

His audible gasp causes Panne to chuckle again before waving her arms, “I’m kidding I’m kidding—ow.” She clutches her shoulder and mumbles, “probably shouldn’t have done that…”

“You really should get to going to the nurse, lest I drag you there myself.”

“By what, my left arm? Or my ears?”

“Don’t give me ideas…”

“Very funny.” She turns around to face the exit, with her head tilted slightly towards him with a smirk, “Fine, I’ll start heading there.” She starts walking out when the Exarch’s voice stops her.

“Just a moment, Panne?” The sudden calling of her name makes her turn around to see the Exarch look at the ground with a sheepish smile, shuffling in place.

“Message me after your visit with the nurse? Just to—make sure everything is alright.”

She blinks before smiling, “since when did you become my damn mother.” She then gives him a wink before turning around, “but alright, I’ll text you.” 

The Exarch watches her tail sway as she walks out of the room, clutching his chest a little tighter to feel it fluttering.

_______________

—— Bonus ——-

Breathing a sigh of exhaustion after a long day, he closes the door to his dorm and pulls down his hood, finally allowing his russet ears to be free. He wiggles the numbness out of them before pulling his tail from out of his shirt, flops onto his bed, and stares at the ceiling. Along with the pure glee he feels having gotten to spend some of his otherwise boorish day with the person he’s yearned to talk to for years, the anxiety of both finding out the extent of her injuries and getting a text from her leaves him restless. The vibration of his phone causes him to abruptly sit up and grab the tomestone beside him. He swipes up and sees the message on the screen:

Unknown Number Nurse said I just sprained it, but my shoulder’s ok other than that 👍

He breathes a sigh of relief while making a contact out of the number before sending a message back:

Me: Thank the Twelve!

He places the tomestone back on the bed and smiles to himself, feeling like a giddy schoolboy texting their crush in junior high. When he hears the tomestone vibrate again, he practically leaps forward it in excitement:

Panne: Yep. U owe me lunch though 😜

He quietly chuckles before typing:

Me: Let me know when ur available, and it’s a date! 😊

He settles his tomestone neatly on his bedside table this time and pulls the blankets over his head to sleep, but spends the rest of the night tossing and turning with a smile wide enough to hurt his cheeks all night. An idea occurs to him before his consciousness finally fades to black.

Mayhap I should go out for coffee tomorrow…

<---- Previous Next---->

[teawithaphd]

Partners?!

FFXIV

(named) WOL x Crystal Exarch

f/m

A Day in the Life of Eorzea University

Ch.2

The Miqo’te makes her way through the school’s winding hallways, schedule in hand, as she lets out a small irritated huff. Why do they have to make these hallways so damn confusing here… She finally finds the door and looks down at her schedule once more. Allagan…history…well, here we go.

AO3

Grabbing the knob, she pushes the door open and walks inside the classroom. She takes a look around the room, noticing a lot more vacant seats than expected. She notes, however, one specific white-haired elezen she couldn’t be more grateful to have in such a book-wormy class like this.

“Twelve be praised! And here I thought I’d never see the day you arrive on time to anything, Panne. Let alone early!”

He catches her attention with a friendly wave from his seat at one of the desks at the very front of the class, his posture straight and proper: befitting of one who’s ready to learn. A smile creeps on the Miqo’te’s face at the sight of Alphinaud, a trusted friend who’s gone through thick and thin with her. She readjusts the bag on her shoulder and briskly walks over to the desk next to him, taking a seat.

“Looks like leaving home early actually worked this time,” she lets out a dramatic sigh of relief, “and thank the Twelve I’ve got someone with a big brain next to me in this class. Otherwise, I’d be screwed.”

Alphinaud chuckles at her comment, “Oh, come now, that’s not quite necessary. While extensive, yes, the history of the Allagan empire is not too difficult a history to grasp. Truth be told, all you truly require is to memorize the proper figures and events. The rest will come easy to you from there.”

She scoffs, “Easy for you to say…”

“You’ll be fine!” he looks up in thought before turning back to her, “On another note…How fares your new life here at Eorzea University? I pray you are growing well adjusted to juggling your academics as well as your work at the café?”

She leans her cheek on her hand as she slumps further into her seat, “Well enough, for someone who’s not exactly an academic nor master coffee maker like yourself or Thancred..when he’s not hitting on the customers...” 

“That may be so.. But when it counts Thancred has not failed us yet, and nor have you.” He smiles warmly at her, “Even before you joined the Scions’ café, you have ever been a pillar at my side, always there supporting me and my ambitions..”

She lets out a small laugh before responding, “Not that I had a choice or anything.”

The elezen pauses, turning tomato-red at the comment. “T-That’s beside the point! What I mean to say is that I have yet to see you bested in anything you set your mind to, and am doubtless that a history class of all things will not lay you low today!”

“If the Twelve are kind…” She removes her hand from her cheek and instead starts lightly banging her head on the table with a groan. “Why won’t they let me just play the damn sport and be done with it!”

Alphinaud is suddenly reminded of his sister whining with her head down on a table in a similar fashion, making him lightly chuckle to himself before gently placing a hand on Panne’s shoulder. “You will be fine, my friend, I promise you that. And should you require it, I would be full glad to provide you my aid and reexplain the entire lesson after our shift today, what say you?”

She stops and looks up at him, a smirk making its way on her lips, “You know what, I might just take you up on that offer, if Alisaie doesn’t get to you first of course.”

“You’d be surprised. Despite what she lets on, my sister is not so far gone in her grades as you might think.” She catches a proud glimmer in his eye as he sits up a bit straighter in his seat, “One could mayhap attribute that to our Leveilleur lineage..”

“Really?” Her lips scrunch into a pout. “And here I thought I finally found one other bad student here..”

“Oh I wouldn’t count her entirely out just yet. She may be my twin sister and Leveilleur, but my grades are still malms better. I’m sure my dear sister will join us in our after-work lessons in due course as well.”

The sound of the classroom door being slammed open catches both of their attentions. The pair turns to the source of the noise and sees the brawny Hyur, with his wide smile warping the white ‘x’ painted across his face.

“Seems we just made it Fordola, I told you we wouldn’t be late!”

The slightly shorter, brooding woman beside him responds with a pout before wordlessly finding the closest seat near the door.

“Arenvald, Fordola!” Upon recognizing his friend, Alphinaud waves to the man still standing at the door. Arenvald responds with an exaggerated wave before finding himself a seat as well.

Chatter around the class quiets as a tall, white-haired man strolls in not long after, his Garlean third eye shimmering as it catches some of the light from the windows across the room. He takes a look around before slowly walking to the desk, and promptly drops the thick stack of textbooks he was holding. He then addresses the class with a bold smile.

“You can call me Cid, I’ll be your professor for this class.”

As he begins writing notes on the board, Panne leans into her hand once again and lets out a yawn, revealing her sharp canines. Her ears quirk to the click of a pen beside her, only for her to slump in her seat further at the thought of taking notes.

The teacher seems fine enough, but the Keeper still can’t help but to zone out of his lecture. She only hones back in on him when he puts his whiteboard marker down and walks to the front of the class.

“—So that leads me to this semester’s assignment. You are to group up in pairs for this, and will be responsible for conducting a study and then writing a research paper on an Allagan leader of your choice. I’ll send you the guidelines later, but for now, find a partner who you can work well with.”

Students begin eyeing each other from all corners of the room and standing up, gathering in pairs as the teacher instructed. Panne turns to the elezen beside her automatically. Before she can ask the question, Alphinaud’s glimmering eye being drawn to the pair across the room answers it for her.

“Pray, if you would excuse me a moment.” Alphinaud stands from his seat and walks over to the two who bursted in earlier. The taller, friendlier seeming one…Arenvald, as Alphinaud called him, waves to the elezen with a bright smile. The smaller boy, in turn, approaches the desk with a skip in his step, stopping right beside his friend’s seat.

“Arenvald, would you like to pair with me for the project?”

“Aye, I could use a bigger brain to help figure things out.” The Hyur gives Alphinaud a pat on the back hard enough to make the poor elezen tip over. 

With her first option out the window, Panne scans the room for any other familiar faces, but instead her eyes land on the quieter Hyur sitting beside Alphinaud’s partner.

Alphinaud knows her, so she should be nice.

Seemingly in response to the Keeper’s thought, the woman looks at her, proceeds to turn her nose in response without even receiving the question…and huffs. Panne mentally sighs.

That went well…

She begins scanning the room once again, praying to the Twelve that she finds at least someone to work with. A clap at the front pulls her attention away from the rest of the room.

“I still see people without partners.” The professor meets eyes with her as he continues, feeling as if he’s talking directly to her, “As I said before, you will need to pair up in order to complete this semester’s project.”

Irritated with her failed attempts, she moves to raise her hand in hopes of asking Cid to pair her up with Alphinaud and Arenvald. Before she gets the chance to, she hears foot steps approach behind her.

“Pray, are you having difficulty finding a partner as well?”

She turns around and notices the man’s vaguely familiar black hood decorated with gold pieces covering all but his nose and lips, which are pulled into a polite smile. 

“If I may, would you be willing to pair with me for this project? I assure you that I am no stranger to the subject of Allagan politics, and shall provide full support should you need it.”

Memories of the same hoodie staring at her from the bushes outside and then from the bleachers from her volleyball practice slowly come back to her, causing her to gape owlishly at him.

“Do I…know you from somewhere?”

Were it not for the hoodie covering them, she would have seen his eyes slightly widen before blinking. 

“Hm? No, I do not believe we’ve…formally met before.”

“But—“

“—Ah good, it seems everyone’s paired now. Since we have odd numbers, Fordola, you will be in a group of three with Arenvald and Alphinaud.”

The two of them look over to the woman now leaning against her desk, whipping her head to Cid with a scowl at the mention of her name.

“What, why me? I thought I had made it clear that I’m perfectly content with being on my own—“

“Oh Fordola, don’t be so sour! Alphinaud won’t bite, see?”

The two drown out the rest of the banter that follows, and the hooded man turns his attention back to the Keeper beside him.

“I believe it would be wise to get a head start on the project. Mayhap, should your schedule permit, we could meet tomorrow morning at the library?”

She takes a moment to sort through her head, hoping for any plans she can use as an excuse to bail. Not coming up with anything, she begrudgingly nods.

Guess I have no choice, do I?

“Uh, sure…”

His lips stretch to a pleased smile. “Excellent. I’ll see you then, Panne.”

—————————

A friendly bell chimes as Panne swings open the door. The greeting of the rich aroma of coffee instantly fills her nose; a greeting she’ll never grow sick of. The peace and quiet of the Scions café somehow always brings her a sense of ease—not knowing if it’s due to the delicious smells, the promise of a paycheck after a hard day’s work, or if it’s the faces of her friends who turn to look at her with a smile upon their face; though that last possibility is one that she would loathe to have those particular friends know about, lest she face their endless barrage of teasing.

The Lalafel clad in an adorable pink outfit at the front, covered partially by the cafe’s signature apron, excitedly shuffles up to the Keeper. 

“Good to see you, Panne! Alisaie was just asking if you were going to be a no show like Y’Shtola, but pray, let her know you just got here.”

The Miqo’te smiles down at her, “Got it. She in the back?”

“Yes she is, and she’s ready and waiting for you to start your shifts together. Best not to keep her too long.”

“Of course, thanks Tataru!”

Panne sends the lalafell a chaste wave before making her way to the back of the small shop. She finds Alisaie there, as Tataru said, on the bench at the front of the room, ready in her attire and apron with a smirk on her face.

“Seems I made it here before you yet again, surprise surprise.”

The Miqo’te returns the smirk while grabbing her own work attire from the locker in the back and starts changing into it. “Oh yeah? That’s because you’ve got a brother to drive you to work. Lets see how fast you make it here on foot next time.”

“Is that a challenge? I’ll take you up on that any day..” the elezen stands with a grunt. She pauses to readjust the straps on her apron before speaking again, “..but since we’re both here now, we aught to get to work first. Shall we?”

Panne wipes some small amount of dust if her apron before giving the girl a “yep”. The two grab their notebooks and pens, and make their way to the main room together.

“Ah, and in comes our favorite waitress…”

They look over to Thancred at the barista counter, shite-eating grin growing on his face as he continues preparing what looks to be a latte.

The elezen regards him with a scoff, “Surely you don’t mean one of us, lest you end up with a face full of trey and china.”

He responds to the snide remark by turning on the coffee grinder. “Whaaattt? My apologies, I simply cannot hear you over this machine! Did you perchance say anything, Alisaie dear~?”

“You’re lucky you make good frappes, otherwise I would’ve likely killed you eons ago.”

Panne quietly huffs in laughter as the two continue their antics, not daring to say anything to make it stop. Her ears quirk up to the door chime, bringing her attention to the pair of customers who walked in and took a seat at one of the booths. She takes it upon herself to wait them and approaches the table, briskly taking the couple’s order on her notepad before walking back to the barista counter to call back the order for the drinks to the now-conveniently-too-busy-brewing-espresso-to-hear-more-of-Alisaie’s-curses-at-him Thancred. As she drops the paper in front of him, the chime catches her attention yet again to the front. Her eyes widen when she notices the black hoodie of a customer walking in. She stands frozen in place as she watches the man sit down. Her mouth lies agape until he pulls down his hood, revealing just another face of one of the regulars of the cafe, causing her to release a breath she didn’t realize she was holding in.

“Aught amiss, Panne?”

She slowly tears her eyes away from the customer who turned out to be just a somewhat disgruntled-looking old man, and looks back to Thancred as Alisaie makes her way to the table to take his order.

“N-no just thought it was…someone else..”

“Who did you think it was?”

The Miqo’te puts a palm to her forehead and groans before answering, “Ok, you were at mine and Alisaie’s volleyball practice yesterday, right?”

“To see the wonderful new ass—assets to the team, of course. In action, yes.”

“Well while you were sitting on the bleachers, did you happen to see a weird guy sitting next to you? Black hoodie with gold stuff hanging off it, he had some blue crystal-looking stuff on his face, saying weird things…?”

The hyur scoffs, “Not that I was made aware of…you did get hit pretty hard on the head by that volleyball at the end of that. Did you get that checked after the game?”

She feels a vein pop in her forehead. “Why does everyone think I’m imagining things, for fucks sake! I know I saw him! Hells, the guy was following me around all damn day!”

Thancred begins to grasp an idea of the situation, bringing a smirk to his lips. “Ah, you must have an admirer on your hands then…”

“An admirer, why the hells would I have that? Sounds more like a damn stalker to me, watching me eat, watching me play…I’m in Allagan History with him and we have to work on the semester project together now. And because of that, I have to meet with him to work on the project tomorrow! Did I mention I don’t know jack about Allagan history? Because I don’t!” She lets out an exasperated sigh and pinches the bridge of her nose. “… Gods what have I done to suffer this?”

“Suffer what, exactly?”

The Keeper turns to face the elezen who had just gotten back to the barista counter, and watches as she drops the coffee order into Thancred’s hand like a mic drop with a satisfied grin on her features as he almost drops it.

After sticking the paper on the counter along with the others, he looks between the two girls and then back to Panne with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“Thancred, by the Twelve… you open your mouth, and I’ll break your knee caps.”

The empty threat only makes his grin grow even wider as he turns to Alisaie. “Oh, you haven’t heard? Our dear Warrior here’s got herself an admirer~”

Alisaie responds with a satisfied grin and crosses her arms, “Does she now? ‘Twas about time, anyroad. Pray, is he easy on the eyes at least?”

“She’s got a WHAT?” The three turn to the bewildered yell, seeing Tataru practically sprinting to the source of the gossip.

The lalafel starts shooting questions left and right to the admired in question, with snarky comments from Thancred and Alisaie adding to the growing sense of heat on her face. She feels her head start to spin just as Alphinaud walks by the three with a cup of the Scions cafe’s signature black coffee in hand. He takes a long sip as his twin moves to whisper something in his ear, causing him to immediately spit it.

“S-Seven hells! So soon…?”

“I mean have you seen her? ‘Tis no surprise, really…” 

“By the Twelve, what is that supposed to mean!?”

“Oh nothing, dear brother…” 

Alisaie snags her brother’s coffee and takes a long, exaggerated sip as Panne practically grinds her teeth in frustration.

The rest of her shift goes rather uneventfully, minus several more teasing comments making her blood boil and bringing her a malm closer to making Thancred the funny smell in the supply closet…

______

She goes through a quiet walk on her way back to the dorm, and breaths a long sigh of relief once she reaches the door to her room. Remembering who may have broken in again to steal her instant ramen, she straightens her back before kicking the door open.

“Alright, show yourself, you damn ramen thief!”

Silence greets her in return. She pauses before surveying the room, finding no huge Hyur man invading her privacy yet again. She sighs again before gently closing the door, hearing a ‘click’ as it meets the lock.

The rest of the night is an uneventful blur to her after making herself a cup of instant ramen (chicken flavored again…), taking a quick shower, and changing into her pjs before flopping onto the bed. She comes back to reality when she feels her tomestone buzz on the bed beside her. She opens it up and sees several unread messages from the Scion Café group chat they all made when she first joined.

barista master™️ Made it back home? @coffeewarrior Don’t forget to send your admirer some kisses before your date tomorrow muah muah 😘 

Missus Tataru🌸  Aww how cute! Pray don’t forget to send us pics!!💖💖

diabla roja  Lmao yes @coffeewarrior pray keep us updated. Also, did u really have to change my name to that, Thancred?

The Miqo’te brings a palm to her forehead and groans before quickly typing.

coffeewarrior It’s not a date dipshits, it’s for my damn class

She sees several people typing in the chat and only realizes this means the chat is about to become a council when her tomestone vibrates several more times.

do you still even work here? So the rumors are true then? ☕️

Alphinaud, keeper of our paychecks  Y’Shtola, must you keep avoiding work?? Also, Panne, if you truly are to pursue this, pray be careful..

do you still even work here? 👀 ☕️☕️

Thine glorious food wizard🌠 Aye indeed, and shouldst thou ever have need of it, doubtless am I that we Scions shalt ever be at the ready to aid thee in thine endeavors

coffeewarrior I’m going to bed…

Alphinaud, keeper of our paychecks  Pray sleep well, my friend. We shall see you at the café tomorrow.

barista master™️ Best get your beauty rest for the big day 💪👀💃💕

The Keeper throws her tomestone across the bed and pulls the covers over her head and ears, hoping for a good night’s sleep to drown out her embarrassment for the morrow.

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