#really curious to see what the aether version of that conversation looked like

[starsandthorn]

wghat. the fuck

[wesimpforxiao]

Say My Name and I’ll Be There: 8.3; Lantern Rite Part 2

Author’s Note:  Happy Valentine’s Day ;)

........

--Can feel your emotions...emotions cannot be permanently ignored...fall on deaf ears...early grave... Xiao scoffed and downed the rest of his tea before forcefully setting the cup back down onto the table. "You think admitting my alleged feelings for a mortal human would solve the problem?"

"She's done her part, now it is your turn," Zhongli straightened. "If you fail to do so, I fear she will perish from your karmic debt in no time at all. If what you say is true, it's a miracle she's still alive. Your admittance would seal the bond, as it would eliminate the side effects altogether."

Xiao's head whipped in the direction of the playing of an instrument note, but was only greeted with the joyful screams of children running around nearby. "Tch. How annoying," he played his mishearing off and returned to his normal sitting position.  A few beats of silence passed before he spoke again.  "I would only be prolonging her untimely demise.  If we stay together, if she stays by my side, my sins will affect her with or without the bond."

"That is correct."

The archon was never one to sugarcoat things.  "It would be selfish of me to admit to those emotions, selfish to indulge in them--she would die at my hand."

"Yes."

"Then why should I seal the bond, if us getting closer seals her fate?"  The yaksha's voice nearly cracked, but he hid it well with his piercing gaze as he questioned his master.  "Why?"

"How long do you plan on protecting Liyue?"

The random question made the yaksha falter.  "For as long as our contract endures."  What a silly question--it wasn't even for debate.  It was his duty to protect Liyue, to absolve his sins and pay thanks to the archon that redeemed him.  Why would Zhongli bring it up now?

"How much longer can you protect those who reside in Liyue?  How long until the cracks begin to form within you, too?"

'Just as my fallen friends...' Xiao searched his master's eyes for a moment before parting his lips.  "I--"

"I do not know the end of your story, Xiao, but I brought your unruly fate upon you.  When the time comes for you to face the same darkness that's consumed you, you cannot face it alone."

.........................

Zhongli watched the three of you push your way through the crowd to greet him, his eyes narrowing at you in particular.  "I see you have found your other teammates," he nodded approvingly.

"Yeah."  You hadn't stopped scanning the crowd, and didn't so much as look his way despite being prodded by Aether.

"Something's wrong with her," the boy warned Zhongli.  "She's not--"

"Do not concern yourself, traveler.  She will be just fine."

"Huh?"  Paimon grumbled.  "What do you mean by that?  Have you no concern for her?"

"We've convened earlier today.  I will inform you, but first..." His eyes slid back to you, and he raised his voice to catch your attention.  "You wish to see him?"

"Hm?  U-um, yes..."  His piercing gaze saw right through you, and it was an uncomfortable feeling.  "What?"

"I'd advise you to leave the harbor," he nodded to the mountainside that was on the other side of the city gates.  You nodded a quick thanks before running away at full speed.

I'm here, Xiao.  But the yaksha didn't need to hear your impolite prayers to know that you were, when he could hear the distinct conversations of the people you ran past even though he was literal miles away from the harbor.

..............

You felt him before you saw him.  Sitting on the rocky hill that overlooked the guarded entrance of Liyue Harbor, you peered over your shoulder to find the one person you had longed to see all day.  The yaksha stopped in his tracks when you met his eyes.  

"What...are you doing here?"  It was like he was uncertain if he was hallucinating, eyes narrowing cynically as you stood to greet him.  It was clear that he was weary from his day-long battle, but any pure exhaustion was hidden behind his tough façade.  

"Childe brought me back for the Lantern Rite," you caught him snarling when you said the harbinger's name.  "I--"

Your vision was suddenly obscured by his face once he appeared before you at the speed of light.  His hand gingerly traced your cheek, a rare gentleness, a fondness seeping through his cynical eyes.  You hadn't realized how much you had been craving his touch;  your hand kept him from removing his from your cheek.  How long had it been?  Two weeks? It had to have been three by now, but it felt like an eternity from how much you had to deal with Childe or watch people die.

Real, Xiao's lips twitched into an unnoticeable smile, but the light in his eyes was bright as day.  The two of you stood with foreheads pressed together for who knows how long until the yaksha was the one to pull away and regain his neutral composure.  His eyes floated to that of the dark ocean before landing on the small lantern that sat next to your viewing rock.

"They'll be releasing them soon," you say, noticing his gaze.  "I meant to make two, but it turns out its REALLY hard to make them..."

"Mm."  He acknowledged you before sitting on the left side of the rock, silently prompting you to join him.

You did.  "H-hey, is that blood?"  You finally noticed the smear on his right cheek, worry entering your voice.  "Are you okay? Here, let me see--"

"It's not mine."  Xiao leaned away from your hand and wiped the smudge away himself.

Back to pushing me away, you faltered back, wavering eyes refocusing their attention on the black horizon to distract yourself from the hurt that panged in your chest.  You sat on your hands as if to close yourself off from him--to restrain yourself from invading his personal space.

I did it again.  Xiao inwardly cursed himself out for causing the sad look in your eyes.  It's not like he meant to.  He's too used to shutting people out for their safety; he's too accustomed to being alone.  Xiao watched you out of the corner of his eye before finally gathering the courage to speak.  She needs to know.

"I need you to understand," he started, sending you a brief glance before facing the ocean again.  "Yakshas accumulate karma from the eons of slaughter we're tasked with.  It eats away at our souls, corrupts us, or drives us mad.  We become the monsters we're meant to destroy.  Outsiders, companions, anyone who gets too close, will share and suffer that karma.  It is why I order you and Aether to leave, and it is why I keep everyone at a distance."

You watched him continue to carefully sort his thoughts out.  He's never talked so much without your prompting.  

"None of us have had, nor will have, a happy ending.  This is our fate.  And it will be your fate too, if you continue to stay at my side.  The karma I've accumulated will only grow in future years, and you won't be a stranger to it."

Your shoulders dropped.  Is he...Is he going to leave me completely? Is he going to push me away for good?

Xiao heard your worries, and he briefly met your eyes again.  "Could you still love a yaksha, while knowing this information?  While knowing your fate will be sealed, and you won't find peace?"

"Of course."

"This isn't a light decision," Xiao admonished and rotated his body slightly to face you.  "You cannot--"  Do humans not understand danger?

"Xiao."  The determination in your eyes made his next words stick to his throat.  "I've already thought about it long and hard.  I've seen your past.  I've felt some of your pain.  Even if this bond thing doesn't 'seal'--whatever that means--even if I am stuck with hearing those awful voices for the rest of my life, I will never be able to stop my feelings for you.  Even if you don't return my feelings.  I've come to accept all of it."

Could Xiao bring himself to admit his feelings if there was a high chance that fate would set its cruel sights on you?  You could say all this now, but you've only felt the karma for a month.  What happens in a year from now? A decade? A century?  Your life wouldn't be as short as a humans because of his blood...Could he find it in him to confess if you were driven mad and he, ridden with guilt from causing your downfall?  Sealing the bond wouldn't guarantee that the voices would leave you, and it definitely wouldn't make you immune to his karma.  Xiao had thought he had decided on confessing, but now that he saw that raw, naïve determination in your gaze, maybe it was better that he kept it to himself for your safety--

"Do you trust me, Xiao?"  His attention snapped back to you.  "You felt my love for you in Zapolyarny Palace, didn't you?  If you did, then you know my feelings are genuine..."

That's right...your feelings were so warm back then, and the way you had hugged him close...He felt his own version when he had heard your moonsong.  'How long can you continue protecting Liyue? When the time comes for you to face the same darkness that's consumed you, you cannot face it alone.  Zhongli was righ--Archons, forget it.  You had never lied to him, and he doubted you'd ever plan on doing so in the future.  You were still just as stubborn as all those years ago on your deathbed of bloody soil; that aspect of you never changed.  And if you were this stubborn, it wouldn't make sense for him to label your decision as a half-hearted, half-thought out answer.

Xiao examined you carefully for a silent minute, not quite listening to the words that flew out of your mouth.  He didn't know how much longer he could stand tall against the swarms of darkness that swirled in his heart; he liked to think he could do so for another millennia, but that could change with one wrong move, one wrong thought, or one misplacement in willpower.  But maybe as Zhongli said, he could find a new purpose, a new ray of light that could help him continue his duty if the day for evil to overwhelm him ever comes.

The yaksha couldn't quite find a place in the mortal realm, but he was curious on how it worked, how the humans were, what kind of customs they created.  His karma made it impossible to quell that curiosity, and equally as dangerous for mortals.  But he met you, that four year old girl that didn't do anything but provoke his curiosity and longing for kinship further.  And then he really got to know you, all those months ago--what made you tick much like the other humans, the way you smiled, how you had the same sense of humor as him, the aggressive and the kind sides of your personality that clashed together to form this perfect, messy example of how humans worked.

Maybe he found out where to start when it came to you mortals, and that starting line was with you.  You shone at the end of the tunnel, a beacon for safety and dare he call a symbol of peace that he could come home to.  Xiao's eyes never left you as you continued to ramble on.

"--Then, I suppose, I could love you."  The yaksha muttered the words like they tasted sour, but his eyes were soft when they landed on you.

"I--You--Huh?"  You had thought he was trying to pull away from you for good, but this? He was confessing?  Your oblivious mind wouldn't have guessed this would happen...So this is what Zhongli was inferring earlier!

"What?"  Xiao narrowed his eyes and looked away as if he were embarrassed.  "It's not that significant," he pouted.  "Humans are flustered too easily by the smallest matters."  Despite his crimson cheeks and beet-red ears, he found it difficult to fight back a smile when he saw the ridiculous look on your face.

"You..."  Faint lights shone down on your little moment, and you glanced up to find that the lanterns were being released.  "Wow, look!"  You rose to your feet and stared at the distant lanterns before remembering that you had one of your own.  Your gaze dropped to it, and an idea struck you.  "Xiao...would you like to do this one together?"  You picked it up and lit it with the match you had in your pocket.

"I still don't understand why humans discard their trash into the ocean," he muttered before standing as well.  He watched the small flame burn brighter as it sat in your hands.  "What's the point?"

"The lanterns represent our wishes and thanks to the adepti," you explained and gestured for him to take hold of the other side of the lantern.  He reluctantly did so, but curiosity overcame him and he patiently listened to you with a slight childlike wonder in his eyes.  "As for why we chose lanterns, I think it's just because they're pretty."

"Hmph."

"Do you have any wishes for the archons?  We're supposed to write them on the lantern," you pulled a small pen out from your back pocket and uncapped it, offering the other end to him.

"Adepti don't go by your mortal ideals," he scoffed.  

His clear distaste for your question drew a laugh from your lips.  "I figured there was no harm in asking again! Okay.  Even if you don't have a wish, let's release it, yeah? One, two, three..."  The two of you gently pushed the lantern into the air, where it slowly made its journey to join the rest of its companions that now floated all around you.  

"You didn't write your wish," he commented, his brows furrowing in confusion.  How dare you ask him to write a wish, yet you did no such thing.  The hypocrisy of humans!

"Why would I need to if it already came true?"  You gave him a smirk before facing the sky.  "They're so pretty," you marveled, nearly making yourself dizzy from staring straight up.  "Don't you think so?"

"Mm."  He agreed, but he was only looking at you.  It took you a few minutes before you could gather the courage to return his gaze, feeling his stare while you watched the lanterns sparkle like the stars.  Well, it was also when your neck got tired.

You returned your eyes to the yaksha only to find him staring hard at you with an unreadable expression.  "W-what?"

"You're serious about me, even if it ends up killing you?"  He still couldn't understand why...Wouldn't self-preservation be what everyone chooses when put in a perilous situation?  Is this human stupidity, or is there some type of logic behind your trust that he failed to grasp?

You blinked, facing him fully.  "One hundred percent."  I don't need to think twice about my answer, but he's still concerned about me?  "Xiao, do you trust me?"

He didn't answer and instead approached you after a few beats of silence until you almost breathed the same air.  He was visibly struggling with something, but as for what, you had no idea.  He allowed himself to slide a hand through your hair and play with the strands before it settled against the nape of your neck.  He pulled you closer until his lips grazed across your eyelids.  He ignored the shocked gasp that left your parted lips and let his brush across your other eyelid before they settled against the spot between your brows.

He then pulled away, his head resting against your forehead, and for a second you wondered if any of that was real until you managed to snap out of your daze.  "D-did you just...?  Xiao...?"

[demonfox38]

Okay. Made it through the last season of Netflix's "Castlevania" interpretation. Thoughts are below the cut.

I've often thought of this series as the exploitation version of "Castlevania," and hiring Malcom McDowell confirms that.

Although, I find it hilarious that both Malcolm McDowell and Patrick Stewart have ended up voicing the same character. I'm sure there's a "Star Trek Generations" joke to be made in there, but I'm not Mike Stoklasa.

Also, I was cracking up a bit when Varney's plot twist happened. Mostly, because it came off a bit Skeletor-esque in vocal performance.

Also, also—laughing that the final boss went the "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence" route despite barely touching on that game's plot.

Animation had its ups and downs with this season. It seemed like there were some frame issues (not enough inbetweening.) I do appreciate how they incorporated more of Alucard's SOTN animations into his fights, however.

Additionally, some of the fight scenes' pacing seemed to have issues, particularly regarding weapon recovery.

The whole bit with St. Germain was off. Like, he's a weird asshole in "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness", but he's more of a weird asshole there in the same way that casually encountering "Doctor Who"'s Doctor would also be strange. Not a straight up villainous boob. Kinda makes sense thematically to have another character who is willing to do horrible shit for their lost loved one, but the series honestly did not do a good job establishing her. Like, did she even have a voice actor? Or a name? All I'm saying is it was much easier for outsiders to get the Lisa revenge thing Dracula had going.

Also, how dare you joke about not being deaf and then have a villainous monologue, TV show.

Greta's a good girl. Well, outside of being an occasional homewrecker. Point is, she's competent and trying her best to save people in a bad situation, and anyone having issues with her is not to be trusted in the same way that you don't trust people who don't like Rochelle from "Left 4 Dead 2."

Look at me. Do not trust people who do not like Rochelle from "Left 4 Dead 2." Yes, her writing could have been better, but she's still a viable character. Let people Thunder Child their ships on the rocks of your better self. Got me?

Also, y'all really need to embrace more polyamory. Or understand the fact that Alucard's not going to love just one person in his life. Dude lives to be at least 600 in the game's timeline. For a dude who loves humans, constricting him to just one who may live to be 100 at best is cruel.

There are some interesting philosophical dialogues going on here, but I can see where some people may lose their patience for them. Considering one of Castlevania's most popular memes is a philosophy debate, you're just gonna have to suck that up. My personal favorites included the topic of acting versus reacting, as well as having agency in one's story.

Striga's battle theme was cool, but otherwise, the music was forgettable. Yes, that is a sin. Punishable by Death? In this series, maybe!

The gore's still over the top. Which, okay, fine. There's a bit of that in game. It's just generally a bit more reserved with it or uses it in crucial boss fights.

RIP doggie.

The Targoviste plot's a bit of a wash, but it doesn't feel as useless as Trevor and Sypha's previous plot predicament. It's just nothing of a surprise, considering how many times the writing has played the "authority figures are useless" and "dark secret surprise" tropes in this series. Like, Greta being reliable is actually more surprising than anything with this plot.

I cannot emphasize enough how boring I found Carmilla's interpretation and plot arc. You guys could have had a giant, naked lesbian riding a skull and spewing magic at people while her cat-eared girlfriend jumped them for extra damage. But no. Vanilla lady with a scarlet sword for you. So long. Farewell. Auf Wiedersehen. Good night.  

Gotta say, as much of a deviation from his source character as he is, Isaac really turned out well in this series. He's definitely evidence that you don't always need to stick to source material.

His Abel is fucking sick, dude. Way to go, king.

Also, I was expecting more violence from Hector this season. Oh, well. At least he got a teeny bit of a spine.

Look. I'm not an alchemist by any means. I'm just a bit baffled by this season's emphasis of obtaining a Rebis. Like, any time the game series has talked about the Magnum Opus of Alchemy, it's more been in pursuit of making a Philosopher's Stone (or at the very least, a Crimson Stone, as seen in "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence.") Pulling a Rebis out of the aether is…well. Could have been more interesting than it was. I mean, it was a bit nightmarish, but it really didn't do much.

Sypha's really never getting back to her family, is she?

Love the idea that the cross subweapon is basically a fancy chakram.

GERGOTH. BUDDY. FRIENDO.

Really appreciating the monster variety in these last two seasons. I mean, that's a big selling point of the "Castlevania" games. Not so much vampires standing around and bickering in dick-waving contests.

Breaking out of the bullet points to hit on the big subject of this season—that is, the ending being surprisingly happy.

There's been a lot of shit that's happened over the last few years. Obviously, a pandemic. Konami's run by pricks. Then, there's the situation with the allegations of sexual coercion with Warren Ellis. Additionally, the terrible ending of "Game of Thrones" likely impacted how this season was developed, considering it seemed to be chasing its progression in construction. (I mean, look at Carmilla and Daenerys.) I don't know how many people were happy with the last season of "Castlevania," but from my POV, it double-tapped itself in the foot with the way it pushed simultaneous sex and violence in its last two episodes. My point is, there was little taste for additional darkness, considering everything that has been happening. Society is drained.

A happy ending was what people really wanted. And man, did this pull through, in that regard. But, there's a conversation to be had in if this swerved too far or if it violates some artistic integrity to give people what they want. So, let's have it.

Look. Man. Have you seen a "Castlevania" ending? When you do it right, it's crumbled castles and rainbow-colored skies. If you do it really right, it results in a pretty girl holding the main character's hand. There is happiness in these games. Hope. Forgiveness and redemption. If this is supposed to be any bit an accurate interpretation of these games, it absolutely should end in such a joyful fashion. (Okay, maybe giving Dracula and Lisa a second honeymoon at the end was a bit much, but I get where people would want that.)

Did some items need to be addressed more? Absolutely. Alucard staking people and Hector getting sexually coerced into servitude are some pretty big topics to just wave away. (Oh, shit. That second part is even worse now with what Ellis was allegedly doing, isn't it?) I suppose I'm just glad the series didn't go full Sephiroth with Alucard. And at least Hector finally took some stand in his situation, even if it wasn't the bombastic, hateful revenge I'm used to seeing from this character in other stories.

I think the creators of this series were trying to save this show from the fate of "Game of Thrones." (To some extent, perhaps the "Voltron" re-interpretation as well.) There's so much media out there anymore that if a production team doesn't nail the ending, their creation gets wiped out of the collective consciousness. To that extent, I think the creators were successful in saving their series. Did it do damage to itself in yanking out of its construction and themes? A bit. But, in doing so, it pivoted back to being more like a proper "Castlevania" product. (And of course, by proper, I mean anything ignoring "Lords of Shadows." God, people need to stop chasing other products when developing "Castlevania" stuff and just let the series be as it is.)

I am very curious as to how much of this season was part of an original draft and how much was revised in backlash to everything that has happened. It doesn't seem like Trevor was intended to survive, but to some extent, Sypha had to. (I mean, until she has a kid, anyway. See "Lords of Shadows" series for dickery regarding that.) I'm also wondering if there was more intended for the Carmilla subplot, as much as the series was banging on about her invading locations. I'm not even sure St. Germain was intended to be a villain all along. Getting into a bitchfight with Death? Sure. Doing what he did here? That's a weird arc, dude.

If you come away from my POV with anything, it should be this: GO PLAY THE GAMES.

Do it. Do it, you ghouls. Go to the Steam store and download the "Castlevania Anniversary Collection." Boot up your PS3 or 4 or 18 or whatever and get "Symphony of the Night." Throttle Nintendo's stores until "Aria of Sorrow" or "Dawn of Sorrow" or "Harmony of Dissonance" or whatever rattles out of their moldy pockets. Find a ROM. Find an ISO. Just play a game. Especially, one of the ones made before 2010.

"Castlevania" as a game series isn't about hordes of vampires dick-waving at each other or edgy swearing or being grim and dark. Some of that stuff's there, sure. But, at its core, it's what game developers created when they looked at Universal Monster Movie creations and went "That's cool. Let's fight that!" It's a series about pushing technology in MMC chips to make rich, vibrant music. It's about flourishing artwork and layers of sprites dripping particles and gore onto players. It's sober and goofy and very pro curry.

The thing is, "Castlevania" players have their own unique connection to the series. We're the weirdos you see clapping their hands when a mutilated dinosaur shows up on screen. It's not because the monster alone is cool. It's that we've fought and struggled and bodied that thing through several floors like a goddamn "X-Men: Children of the Atom" stage. It's kicked our asses. We've kicked its ass. We've got a connection to it that you just don't get from passively watching it barf lasers through a computer monitor or TV screen. Like, you know how people go, "Well, the movie wasn't as good as the book?" It's obnoxious, sure. But, those who read the source materials have to go to the effort of constructing their own sets and people to understand what's happening. In a similar fashion, game players build up their own skill set to reach that next rung.

Maybe you don't always get a payout when you invest your resources into something. But, there is a sense of accomplishment, seeing what you can do.

There's a reason this series got an adaptation. I mean, outside of Konami's head executives wanting easy money. "Castlevania" is a fantastic video game series. Has it got a few problems? Oh yeah. Especially after outsourcing and pachislot machines became all the rage. But, there's a reason Simon and Richter Belmont are playable in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate." There's a reason I spent a significant amount of time playing these games and writing or drawing fanworks for it. These games are wonderful. Beautiful. Difficult, but inspiring. Reasons I will still bang on about them decades years down the road.

When I get exasperated by layers of angst and edge lord content this Netflix series generated, I want you to know why. The roots of this show are good games held captive under poor management. Some people on staff know this. I wish they had more scenario and writing control. But mostly, I don't want to shit on them or their work. (Well, other than perhaps the obvious target.) I just want you to see what I love in these games.

And also to watch Crashervania. Because that's legit.

[inviouswriting]

Engagement

Inspired by @whitherliliesbloom​ s headcanons for a double date.

Aymeric x Kiya and Alphinaud x Illya

I know I have one version of his proposal. I got inspired to write a newer version of it.

Fluff - and long!

A rare chance to date, and enjoy it with friends. When Kiya was asked to invite a friend for a fancier party and to dress formal. She thought of her friend Illya and Alphinaud. Surely they would appreciate a chance to be treated like royalty for an evening. 

Now here she was fixing Illya’s hair into a neat braid carefully tucking all of her long hair into intricate braids to suit her in an elegant green dress. Kiya smiles to herself, she rarely gets the chance to spend time on others with how she runs around. She herself was dressed to turn heads, she already knows it will be a shock to Aymeric.

“There, done and looks almost as good as Jaudelain’s hand did it.” Kiya muses aloud, drawing her tiny friend’s attention.

“You sure this looks fine?” Illya glances up at the miqo’te having second thoughts about how she looks.

“You look as delicate as a flower.” They exchange a smile, knowing they needed to go meet the boys soon. Once the girls were set in their appearacnes they head out to transport to Ishgard. They were meeting in front of the Aetheryte Crystal both teleporting to it through the aether. 

Aymeric was already waiting to receive the girls with Alphinaud next to him. Talking brisk about minor politics much to Aymeric’s lack of interest in them out of office.

“The place we’re going to, it’s expensive right?” Alphinaud draws the taller elezen’s attention.

“It is a bit pricy, but nothing we shouldn’t be able to handle. Why is that?” 

“Oh, Illya is a bit modest when it comes to expenses.” Alphinaud folds his arms.

“So, you want me to handle ordering so she doesn’t see the prices?” Aymeric offers, and Alphinaud nods. They exchange a smile and Aymeric nods in agreement.

“Thank you, that would be most kind. She does like spicy things and flavor of course.”

“I’ll keep in mind.” Aymeric had his own nerves as this was a specific night for him in getting courage to ask his own beloved’s hand. He and Kiya have gotten serious, he wanted to be bonded to her eternally. Now to just ask her. Both men were dressed in similar blue suits, Aymeric’s a dark almost black vest with a white shirt. Alphinaud sporting a light blue identical looking his own level of sophistication for the evening.

Both men look up when they hear Kiya and Illya’s laughs as they land on their feet from the crystal.The girls straighten themselves up, and Kiya scans the crowd for their dates. She smiles bright seeing Aymeric. Alphinaud feels himself blushing at how adorable Illya looks. He glances at Aymeric who is awestruck over Kiya.

Of all the rare chances anyone gets to see the Lord Commander blush it was seeing how radiant his beloved looked in formal wear. Alphinaud and Illya start walking towards the place they’re going to, to give the taller two a moment.

“Illya, you look cute. That dress is very fitting on you. Did Kiya help you? I really enjoy what you did with your hair too.” He breaks the ice between them, and she smiles looking up at him.

“Yeah, she did. It’s not too short?” She raises a hand to touch the under part of her hair the way it kind of feathers out.

“It suits you, as long as you are comfortable.” They smile and he glances over his shoulder seeing how Aymeric is stunned in his spot. A light laugh from him.

Kiya brushes hair out of her face and sees Aymeric staring at her with love written in his eyes. 

“Ah, my love, you look so beautiful tonight.” Aymeric stutters just brief but catches himself. A light pink to his cheeks as he looks away bashful for a change almost losing his nerve for the evening wondering if he truly deserves this woman if she can pull off this style.

“Thank you, I take you like this?” Aymeric kneels brief and takes one of her hands to place a kiss on the back of it. Gaining his nerve again.

“I love it, blue looks so good on you.” He straightens as he stands and keeps hold of her hand in his entwining their fingers together. Aymeric leads the way to catch up to the other pair.

The place was a fancier dining spot in The Pillars. They were shown inside and to a spot that could easily fit another couple. The food that was ordered was a bit rich in taste, and when it came to eating it. They enjoyed their meals with casual conversation.

Aymeric and Alphinaud lightly bickering over recent agendas enough for Kiya to snip at both of them to keep politics out of their date with a firm glare. The woman could freeze a room figuratively and literally. Both girls could since they had met through the thamaturges guild. Kiya taking the black, while Illya took the red and white path. The twelve know, for these men have seen them in action.

“So, what made you call for a double date Aymeric?” Alphinaud was curious.

“I felt like tonight would have been better spent in company. It’s rare to get invites to places like this and even better to share it with friends and beloveds?” Aymeric worded his sentence to sound like a question but it was left as a statement. His eyes drifted to Kiya, who seemed off in her own world gazing at the dancers on the floor. Her eyes following their rhythms and a wistful smile on her lips.

“Kiya, would you like to join them?” Aymeric draws her attention, and Kiya looks down at her lap fiddling with the edge of the dress. A rich blue formal spring dress. She nods, and feels her hand lifted and tugged when Aymeric reaches across to take it and lead her out to the floor. Leaving Alphinaud and Illya time to themselves.

They two share talks of their lives, Illya going into some of the gardens around the black shroud. Alphinaud smiles knowing they will take a trip out to attend to the broken building’s plants. Alphinaud notices that Illya is staring off at the other couple seeing them engaged in a slow dance with a gentle smile. 

“Ahem, Illya.” Alphinaud clears his through as he starts to ask. He wasn’t as graceful when it comes to things like this. Not like the other pair, he was still clumsy in his approaches, still has years to reach the level of suave he has seen in Aymeric and Thancred.

“Yes?” Illya looks up at Alphinaud as he stands up to take one of her hands. Nerves writ in the poor boys demeanor.

“Would you like to dance?” He manages out, and earns a smile from her.

“I would be delighted.” She hops down and they join the other couple a little more off to the side. To not draw attention to them as much as Aymeric and Kiya have. 

The two seemed so comfortable with each other. They radiated their love for the other clear on their faces. Gentle smiles, and kind eyes directed to the other. How far they’ve come since the events of the Vault. Aymeric grips Kiya’s hands tighter when he holds them, as if he never wants to let go of her. Kiya returns his grip sensing emotions behind his touch.

They were naturals to the floor and flowed as such. Even as they made their escape off the floor, Aymeric making his love spin a few more times as he guides her back to their spot. Alphinaud and Illya joining them soon after, finding it a little crowded once the two left the floor.

The bill was presented to them, and the men almost bickered if it weren’t for Kiya’s glare the moment their voices started getting those tones of who should handle it. Instead they split the costs. The men paying their their respective dates.

They parted ways outside of the place, Illya and Kiya waving each other off. Alphinaud and Aymeric giving respective bows. Once free from the formalities of a fancy spot. Kiya gives Aymeric a mischievous look and takes off running. Aymeric follows after her hot on her heels. How she can run in heels amazes him. Let alone how fast she is.

He catches up to her at the platform to Last Vigil, she had jumped onto it with grace and he bounded after her taking advantage of her stumble to catch her around her waist.

“Gotcha~” He murmurs into an ear lifting her up with ease. Kiya laughs in joy, and Aymeric sees a genuine smile on her mouth. He knows now, he isn’t making a mistake. He feels his heart full with her like this. Seeing her let her guards down, seeing the real her without the fancy titles of warrior of light, or savior. This is his beloved, the girl he has fallen for. One he does not want to lose at his side.

“Kiya, whilst I have you. Would you entertain me a little longer? A little more mischief on my behalf?” Kiya looks over her shoulder to him, and smirks a bit, even her tail thrashes at the idea of a little more fun.

“Yes?” Kiya is set down, and Aymeric takes her hand to lead her off the platform and up towards the stairs towards The Vault. He had informed the guard their earlier of his plans, and they were let inside.

Aymeric feels Kiya tense a little walking inside the building where they lost their friend. His grip reassures her.

“Trust me.” He tugs her with him leading her towards The Quire. They walk in silence, Kiya a little behind him but her grip in his hand is tight. His guess memories were flooding her. This place meant a lot to both of them as much as Last Vigil does.

Once to the front of The Quire next to the fountain. Aymeric stands in front of Kiya, keeping her grip in his hands.

“Aymeric?” Kiya looks up at him, moonlight drifted in enough to cast a unique glow to him. Very much the knight at this moment. Very much the man she loves underneath that exterior. There is a gentleness behind the icy stare, life, hope, nervous. As if there were a thousand things on his mind and he is trying to muster them into what he wants to say.

“Forgive me... while I muster my words together. I just wanted to pause here before we go up the stairs. You truly look radiant.” He brings a hand up to the back of her hair and threads his fingers through silky soft black. He shakes his head, and leads her by her hand the rest of the way climbing the stairs slowly. The sound of their feet echo from her heels and his soft footfalls from his boots.

They pause in the center of The Quire. Both of them have their memories from different events. Hers the first time she ran in here. His, the second time. They both lost a friend to tyranny, and treachery. A dear friend they wish could witness what was about to take place.

Aymeric finally has his nerves, and kneels holding Kiya’s left hand in his own left. He places a kiss on the back of her hand on her ring finger. Kiya finally realizes the gravity of this night, the formal, the date, the mood. Her eyes go wide, and feels like her knees are about to give. Fear running down her spine, not of him, but what he was about to ask her. She keeps the emotion off her face, for fear he’ll lose his nerve if he saw that expression.

“Moons ago, we entered this place to stop tyranny. In doing so... we lost a friend, a brother. We lost Haurchefant.” He pauses and looks up to see at the edges of her eyes tears dot them. He expected it and nuzzles the back of her hand with his face reassuring. She was so close to Haurchefant, a brother she never had, in a family that showed her no racism. That accepted her after she had lost everyone she cared so deeply following the Bloody Banquet. How a family made her one of their own following Haurchefant’s death. Edmont had lost a son, but gained a daughter.

“Moons ago, we entered this place to save others. You had risked your life, over and over and over without a single care of your own well being. Just doing what needs to be done, because if you didn’t someone else would either lose life, or someone unprepared would accept that role. I for one would not be standing here if you didn’t.” He keeps his stare on her face. She did save his life, he had felt her flare rattle the entire Vault on the man who tried to kill him.

“I owe you my life for that day. I owe you many things. A debt that can never be repaid as you have given us new hope, a new future. So, I hope that you can accept mine love and be bonded to me. For eternity. Not just in Ishgard, but for the entire realm.” His hand grips hers tight as he asks her. Her eyes are wide, and tears have fallen but he notices they’re happy ones.

“Aymeric, I... love you. More than any of my words can convey.” She kneels down albeit she is a lot shorter than this elezen man. He sits on his knees as she scoots forward to him. What he doesn’t expect her to do is pounce on him and knock him backwards arms around him and her face nuzzling his.

“So, is this a yes?” He feels like his heart is about to burst from joy. Kiya raises up and looks down at him with him on his back. She reaches a hand forward and ruffles his bangs messing it up.

“Of course it is a yes! Yes! Yes! and Yes!” Kiya is pulled down and kissed. Aymeric kisses her in such a way she feels her head spin. Kiya laughs between their kiss, and Aymeric hugs her tight thankful in her agreeing. He feels elated and light like he is on a cloud and won’t come down for a while now.

His right hand cups her face, and she mirrors him leaning into his hand while he leans to hers. He pauses brief to bring out a ring he had made for her. One made of gold and sapphire. An engagement ring, he fits it onto her hand and kisses the top of it when it is settled into place.

“I promise from here on, to protect you and love you. If not to protect you physically, then your heart and all the burdens you bear. Let me be your comfort when you seek it, and your shoulder when you need to cry. Halone knows you use mine a lot. I want you to keep coming to me, now as an equal. Promise me?” Aymeric hooks his left ring finger with hers in similar to a pinky promise but made with their ring fingers. To make a pact to never break it.”

“Of course. You’re going to make me cry if you keep showing me so much love. I feel unworthy of this. You would see love in an outcast like me.” Kiya’s words makes him frown a little.

“My love. Even you are worthy of love. If it takes me years to make you see that. I hope to start now. You are worthy and worth fighting for. I love you too, Kiya.” He sees fresh tears spill over at being called worthy and loved. 

“You’ve given so much to me...” Before she can say anything more it is his turn to pounce on her, placing a hand behind her head to cushion it as he pins her down to the floor and gives her another deep kiss. His other arm around her waist holding her there, ignoring her protest to the cold on her shoulders.

He kisses her for a few minutes, nibbling her bottom lip, or small pecks to keep her from doubting or dismissing herself till he is sure her eyes glossed over from the affection. 

They descended the stairs and Kiya hopped up onto the edge to look at the fountain not getting the chance to view the place properly. Aymeric folds his arms and looks at her with a sense of amusement watching her. Kiya’s body finally catches up to all she was feeling, and missteps toppling over and into the fountain.

Aymeric is stunned at this sight, he couldn’t help what happened next in laughing. He earns glares from her, and all he does is laugh harder at how she was so composed one moment ago, and the next she lands in the fountain with her tail up. She even splashes him for laughing and they spend the next few minutes in a small water fight.

When they leave the place they stop before House Fortemps, Aymeric seeing her inside to talk to Edmont informing him of their engagement now. The older man smiling, but to his dismay, he notices Kiya and Aymeric are both drenched.

“While there was not a cloud in the sky for rain. Why are you both soaked like this?” He questions.

“She fell in the fountain.” Aymeric answers truthfully.

“And did you join her?”

“I splashed him for laughing at me.” Kiya answers and starts towards her room to change out of the wet clothes before they freeze to her. The men exchange good hearted laughs. Aymeric was about to leave when Edmont gets his attention.

“Ser Aymeric, be good to her. Dating is the easy part. Engagement and marriage are hard. They’re built on trust. Don’t do anything to hurt her.” Edmont shares his concerns.

“Fear not, I have no intention of seeing her in grief ever again. You have mine promise.” Aymeric bows, and swings by his beloved’s room to steal a kiss from her. He witnesses through the crack in her door, her excited and elated. She was dressed in warmer clothes, black sweater and tights to match.

“Kiya?” She turns at her name being called and sees Aymeric leaning against her doorframe. 

“Yes?” She walks to him, and he takes her hands in his own.

“What would it take for you to gather clothes for the morning and come with me? Would you spend tonight with me? Not for “that” but be in my arms? I think I might be too lonely without you next to me.” Kiya smiles warm seeing the look in his eyes. He is genuine in his promises. 

“Not much at all. I think I want to be curled next to you too.” Aymeric helps her gather what she needs, and they both leave the house together. By the time they got to Aymeric’s home, Kiya felt worn out from the day, it was well in the evening almost midnight. When she crawls into Aymeric’s bed she lays face down while her beloved goes and changes his own clothing to fit for sleep. When he returns he sees his cat has chosen to curl up on top of Kiya’s back at the small of it.

Kiya had already fallen asleep, and does little to help him fit into his own bed next to both his pet and his love. He moves the cantankerous one off his beloved’s back and tugs her to fit into his arms. The cat eyes him then moves to be in front of Kiya’s waist. Swiping at Aymeric’s hand.

Aymeric smiles to himself and ruffles the feline seeing he is playful naturally at night. Aymeric entertains before he follows his love to sleep.

[casualcatte]

RP Journal 8/24 and 8/25/2020

08/24/2020

The Bounty Call Elite Hunt was today and I was /severely/ disappointed in my own performance. Everyone else that came along with us was splendid, but for my own part -- Gods, I think my parents are turning over in their graves in shame. I’ve lived and breathed the Hunt since I could walk, yet I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn today if my life depended on it. It was likely the fault of the aetheric blast I took immediately after I drew first blood on the beast, so I really shouldn’t be so hard on myself. Nan’to Vaadrage told me as much when we returned to Headquarters.

(Courtesy cut for length -- and for you to get your tissues!)

Regardless of my poor performance, we managed to take down the Elite Hunt with only a modicum of trouble. For a short while, it seemed like no one could get a blow to land on the beast until I landed that attack. After that, the others seemed to rally and fight all the harder -- while I mostly stayed behind a rock and tried not to puke my guts out like Zanshin Kutabare.

It was curious to see Loksia Grimheart with a bow, considering that when we’d gone hunting for coral she’d opted for a sword and shield. A woman of many talents, that. The others, Azazel Hasegawa and Ryza Eclipse I’d never before met, but they both did well between their various magicks. Still, I was glad to finally see the beast go down.

I stayed long enough to have a celebratory drink with everyone, then I stumbled off home. I wasn’t badly injured, but aetheric bullshit always messes with me. Gods, to say nothing of the two aetheryte trips. I know I’m trying to learn Astromancy and all, but some days I really, really hate aetherical magic.

I’m not sure how, but I managed to make it home, get cleaned up and changed out of my hunting leathers before falling face-first in my couch. Lorrendor, I knew, had gone back to Ul’dah, but I had no idea where that dragoon, Edgard Beaumont had gone. All I knew was that I was exhausted and had to rest.

The remainder of the night, I’m told, was passed in a fevered haze as the after-effects of the aether poisoning got to me. I don’t know what I said or what I did, but I have a feeling that I was a lot of trouble for Ardi.  Between you and I, journal, I was touched that he stayed right next to me, sitting on the floor beside the sofa, watching over me all night. 

Wilbur, a porxie familiar that was gifted to me by Rae-Hann, apparently put in an appearance when I started to have nightmares. He siphoned away the excess aether and that seemed to help me a fair bit. I’m sure that it was just a fever-dream, but I recall waking at one point with Edgard’s arms around me as he held me close, telling me that everything was going to be okay, that I was safe at home in my cabin. My face was wet from tears and I felt like I’d been screaming. The nightmares Wilbur took away must have been severe. I don’t remember much else except for a pink book that Ardi kept hiding.  Why would he need to hide a book?

I slept.  And this time I didn’t dream.

8/25/2020

When next I awoke, I sent Edgard off to get some fresh air and to stretch his muscles.  As I mentioned, he’d sat on the floor all night watching over me as I slept. No doubt that man was achy and in need of some activity.  While he was gone, I gingerly made my way to the bath and gave myself the promised soak I’d meant to have when I got home, but skipped in deference to sleep.  Once more dressed and ready to face the world, I settled back into my comforter nest on the sofa that Edgard had made me and read one of the books he’d left to keep me entertained, along with a cup of tea and some medicine to help with the nausea.

It was thus that I was found by Lorrendor Hauland when he came to visit. I was surprised to see him come all the way from Ul’dah, given that our last encounter had been… unsettling to say the least. I can’t really tell you what happened between then and now, but this Lorrendor was a different man entirely.

Have I not said before that every encounter with this man feels like it’s with a different person?  Today was no different.  This was a Lorrendor who was stiff and austere, emotionless save for the one point he laughed when I proclaimed him an automaton. He fetched me tea, he was exceedingly polite and complimentary. I told him at one point I half expected to hear him replying with “Yes, Mistress” and “Whatever you wish, Mistress” to everything I said ere long.

He kept saying that he was “Lorrendor as he should have been instead of the Lorrendor he became.”  So this was another version, another mask, as he tried to tamp down his love for me and simply be my friend. Sometimes it makes me wonder if the man has ever lived an honest life and if anyone knows who he truly is?  The many Lorrendors I know may be nothing at all like the Lorrendor that Loksia knows or anyone else among his friends.  There’s really no telling and there’s really no comparing notes.  I don’t know the man.  I’m not sure I ever will.  He doesn’t trust me enough to be himself around me and I don’t trust him enough /because/ he chooses to hide.

Still, I owe it to him to bring him with me into Dusk Vigil when I go. We’d tracked the Saurotaun to the ruin and think that it may be a lair for it, so that alone is worth investigating. He suggested I bring along people I trust.  Naturally, Edgard as my hunting partner, and Rae-Hann as my closest friend, and after some debate, Lorrendor.  He’d brought me this information to begin with, the least I could let him do was see it through to the end with me.

Somewhere during this conversation, Ardi returned from his walk. When I queried why he’d been gone so long, he said he’d gotten “distracted” then he tried to hide the same pink book he’d had yesterday behind his back. I tried to get it from him a number of times, even tried to get Lorrendor to fetch it when Ardi threw it across the room, alas.  Neither of us could foil that wily dragoon when he’s of a mind he has a secret to keep. 

With Edgard present, we discussed the plan for Dusk Vigil again and the dragoon recommended we make it a scouting mission in case the monstrosity was at home. If we saw it, we would retreat and come back with a more tactical plan. Part of me rankled at being made to wait, especially if it was /right there/ but I knew better than to argue. Certainly not with /both/ he and Lorrendor there.  

Eventually, Ardi and I settled into our usual banter with Lorrendor chastizing us both as children -- though this time we /were/ being pretty childish -- but all of us laughed and had some fun, I think.  Lorrendor needed to catch the last flight from Ishgard to Ul’dah, so he took his leave. 

Which left just Edgard and I.  Again, I tried to get the secret of the pink book out of him, but he refused to tell.  He made me another cup of tea and we talked, as we often do.  I pointed out to him that he seemed much more relaxed that he had when he first arrived in Kugane after his fight with Edmond. He seemed more at peace with himself, that whatever chains holding him down had broken and now he had a chance to soar -- but had no idea how to use his wings.

He told me that I’d helped him a great deal, that he’s actually excited when he wakes up in the morning. And in this excitement he gave me a linkpearl, so that we could talk even when we’re apart. It’s a silly, common thing that everyone uses, but it felt meaningful coming from him. Naturally, I had to tease him about it, though, saying that he just wanted to whisper sweet nothings into my ear whenever he wanted. 

He inferred then that Something Happened last night in my fevered delirium.  He refused to tell me though, saying that something so /intimate/ was meant to be kept a secret. It worried me.  Had I said or done something inappropriate?  I think I would know, physically, if I’d slept with him and I didn’t really feel that was the case. Idiot, of course he’d delight in worrying me like that.

Still, when I demurred that I didn’t do much of anything for him, he said that I was one of few people who took him seriously, outside of his brother.  I listen to him and he feels like he can talk to me about anything. That I could be trusted with his problems. It was heartwarming to be so trusted and I reassured him that I would always be there for him as long as he wanted.

It was then that his mood shifted somewhat and he told me that he was finally ready to go to Valentina’s graveside, to finally find the closure with her that his heart and his soul both needed. He asked me again if I would still go with him.  And my answer was of course, I’d promised him that I would. For the first time since I’d know him, I saw fear ripple through Edgard.  Fear, uncertainty, and a vulnerability that made my heart ache for him. 

I sat next to him, leaning into his side, just to give him a real, living presence to comfort him in such a troubled moment.  I reassured him that he wasn’t alone.  He would never be, so long as I drew breath.  When next he looked at me, his eyes captured and held me within their blue crystalline depths. It was in those depths that I could see … longing. Like a moth to a flame I was drawn to it, enchanted by it -- for a moment, I reached out to that flame…

Before I came to my godsdamned senses!  I made my excuses to leave, claiming I needed sleep in my own bed and I left the room. Ardi seemed bewildered and confused, it made my heart ache.  I couldn’t believe I’d gotten that close to going against my own expectations. I can’t.  I can’t do to him what Tristane did to me. I don’t want to hurt him. I was angry and disappointed in myself for not minding my /own/ boundaries. 

As I sat in my room, rebuking myself for my behavior.  I heard him talking to himself on the other side of the wall.  What I heard, what he said, made my heart hurt all the more. Part of me wanted to go to him, to reassure him, but I knew it was better for us both to remain silent. The Hunt must always be first in my heart.  Until it is done, I can’t… I won’t put anyone in the position to love me only for me to die.  I knew that pain once and I swore I would never inflict it on anyone else.

What do I do now?  How do I act?  I never meant for things to get this far. Somewhere, somehow… what wasn’t serious became serious.  If I deny his feelings like I did Lorrendor, will he do the same thing?  Turn into some emotionless marionette, just going through the song and dance of friendship?  I don’t know that I could take that.  Ardi is a source of joy to me and a good partner. I don’t… I don’t want to have to be without him.

Why does making the right choice have to be so goddamned hard?

[final-fantasy-mama]

Target Sighted (Ch.1)

Emet selch x Mature/Machinist WOL

I have revised this chapter, new pov, some rewording at the end. Previous version will be deleted.Enjoy! 

"Look it did cross my mind to simply side with Vauthry and kill you all. But that's no different than what Lahabrea did, and we all know how well that ended for him. And so while it is liable to be troublesome, I have settled upon a different approach.....cooperation." ~ Emet Selch

With the light warden of il Mheg slain and night returned to the Crystarium, the exceedingly happy and somewhat miraculous event brought with it something else: Emet-Selch. And that was something more a danger than any light warden nature could throw at the Hero. It wasn’t the first time a enemy just came right out and introduced himself but this one was a bit different. Instead of outright violence and another throw down between enemies, he offered something mutually beneficial. A sort of partnership that got more than a brow raise from her and her friends. But how on earth could they trust him. He was an enemy, after all, an Ascian loyal to Zodiark, the polar opposite of the Hero’s own goddess and benefactor Hydaelyn.

In a even more bizzarre turn of events, she accepted his offer of a suedo friendship, if that’s even what it could be called, with almost no hesitation. It was no question that at some point Emet Selch was going to turn the whole thing on its head, to his benefit exclusively. She knew more than likely she were going to end up being used, but she respected his odd turnabout approach and thus entertained his odd request. If anything it would keep him in her line of sight. She had already made short work of his other compatriots, so it’s not as if she couldn’t feasibly kill him should he betray her. Perhaps that was overconfidence on her part, but when one goes toe to toe with the Crown Prince of Garlemald and lives, Ascians seem like small business.

For now though, that was a problem for the future and she put it out of mind when she sat in her private quarters of the Pendants. In her oversized white nightshirt and hair slightly damp from the shower, she sat at her writing desk reading over a letter that was months old but always kept on her person.

The dim light of the gas lamp and the refreshing night breeze from the open window was a relaxing contrast to what was blinding daylight that plagued the land for nearly a century. She sighed happily as she read the letter and pondered how she should respond. Then the air in the room stirred and she felt a presence that was familiar, but not whom she would expect in the middle of the night. Honestly though, she shouldn’t have been surprised. The way Emet Selch looked at her upon their first meeting, was the way a thirsty man looked at a tall glass of water.

“Shouldn’t the hero of the hour be resting?” Emet Selch pointed out. She didn’t bother turning around but did a quick mental inventory of her gun locations, the one by her writing set being closest, the second closest squeezed between the mattress of her bed.

“Shouldn’t you knock before entering?” The hero said back in a disinterested tone. She took a clean sheet of paper from your writing desk and prepared your ink and quill. The small rimmed glasses on her face slid down and she pushed them back up without thinking.

“Afraid I might catch you doing something unmentionable?” He attempted to joke but it rolled off her. She didn’t care for his humour.

“Are love letters considered such?” She said back and dipped her quill in ink.

There was a small pause before he started again. “Ohhhhhhh? And who is the lucky recipient?" the tone of his voice way to curious for his own good.

The hero set the quill down with an exasperated sigh and spun her swivel chair around, giving him a good once over as if she were an executive sizing up a potential employee. The fact that he didn’t scare her nor impress her was plain on her face while he caught an eyeful of bare legs and shoulder, scarcely covered by her loose white shirt. She knew she looked sexy with the lamplight casting harsh shadows on her lythe body but she didn’t care, Emet Selch was not on her menu.

He stood across the room with his hands casually tucked behind his back and hunched over as he was wont to do. Oh how tempting it was to march up to him and straighten him out, slouching was her pet peeve and the reason she wore corsets and stiff leather bodices.

"Before I answer that, where are your manners Solus. Zos. Galvus.” She drawled out his full name. “You come into a ladies room in the middle of the night with nary an offering?”

He raised a brow and gave an innocent, as much as an Ascian was capable of, smile. “Ah, you know the imperial protocols. Forgive me.” and then he snapped his fingers. In his hands appeared a box of fine chocolates and bottle of wine. “Will these suffice?”

”Imperial or not its uncouth for a man to visit a lady without gifts.” She chided and took off her glasses.

He handed the items to her as she set the bottle on the desk and settled the chocolates in her lap, smiling when she saw the Garlean label. Eager fingers helped themselves to the first piece. With the smooth rich taste on her tongue she gestured for the man to sit down on the bed, the only other place that was comfortable at the moment. He gave a small bow as he did just so.

“The letter is for my daughter.” The Hero said simply, eating another piece.

He gave her an odd look. “Our hero is a mother?“ he asked carefully. His face showing obvious surprise.

She grabbed the wine bottle of the desk and walked over to your dining table where your glasses lay and popped the cork as she poured two flutes of wine. The Ascian’s eyes followed her carefully. "She is 8 years old and lives in Ishgard with her god parents.” and then she handed a flute to him and sampled your own. The crisp taste was a nice pairing with the chocolate. “I send letters to her often and don’t consider my being trapped in the 1st a good excuse for shirking that. When this is all over with, I will see her again and share with her all my adventures.”

”You hail from Ishgard then?” Emet Asked.

She had to laugh at that question and pointed to herself. “Please! Do I look like I hail from a place as stuck up as that?”

He gave a small apologetic wave.

”I hail from Gridania and so does my daughter.”

“Need I ask about the father?” Emet asked as he sipped his own glass.

The lady shrugged casually. “Nothing much to say there, he’s been out of the picture for a while.” And with that she flopped herself back down into the chair.

“A failed marriage?” He prodded.

“Are you just making conversation or are you seriously interested in that story?” She scrutinized with obvious disdain. It was rude to pry to deep into a women’s business.

“I thought I should take an opportunity to get to know our Hero, foster some sort of understanding and common ground if you will.” He smiled as he finished his glass and then stood up to refill it and then curteously walked over and refilled hers before sitting back down. She have a small nod at him for that and continued.

“Let me then ask you first.” She dared. “Considering that you were also married at one point in time, Did you love the Empress?”

He didn’t need to think on it. “She had her charm as well as her uses. She was a impeccable lady, passionate, demanding, devoted…..”

“That’s not answering the question.” she pointed out.

“I suppose I did, though it wouldn’t be what most people would call conventional or romantic. We enjoyed our time together and our shared passions but in the end it was rather political. I needed a strong women to lead the empire and mother my children and my decision on wives was rather on the pragmatic side.” He explained.

She gave a small off hand gesture. “Fair enough.”

“It’s your turn.” he pointed out as he reclined on the bed, stretching is long body out on your duvet and tucking his arms behind his head.

For a moment she wondered how honest she should be with him. It was really none of his business but she wanted him to have nothing to use as ammo against her later on. So she settled for complete and utter truth. “My Ex Husband was a good man, a hard worker, decent fellow…but he could never please me, despite all the promises he made. He was so caught up in always trying to make it big, strike it rich that he perpetually ignored me our entire 10 year marriage. After my daughter was born, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I was pulling the weight of three people in the family, his job, mine and taking care of my baby. And when I explained to him how I was feeling he kept feeding my one liners like: I promise tomorrow will be better. It was never better, he knew how he was treating me and figured if he fed me enough lies I’d just become complacent. It backfired on him. I took my child and the clothes on my back and left. He wasn’t a bad person but god was he a shite husband.”

That got a raised brow from the Ascian. “That was a exceptionally candid answer….”

“Satisfied enough to change the subject?” She asked with a hint of anger.

“If you wish.” He waved his hand in the air. “But I just gave you some rather sensitive information, can you not offer me something similar in return?”

“Sure but not in regards to my lackluster love life.” she laughed.

He rolled onto his side and rested his head on palm. “Something entirely different then. When we first met in the crystarium, Admittedly i tried to probe your aether and you effectively pushed back and cut me off. That is no small feat as most people would not recognize if someone were invading their aetherical aura.”

Oh yes, she remembered. When he first revealed himself in the crystarium he had mentally sized her up. His yellow eyes damn near staring holes through her very soul. She had felt it plain as day, like a pressure over your entire body. It was an annoying feeling so she shot it right back to him, all the while sending him the telepathic message: back the fuck off.

“My echo ability, aside from seeing memories of others is the retention of memories from my past forms.” You easily admitted. “One of which was a very powerful mage by the name of Lucyna. She was a soldier for a very prolific army and had several arcane abilities not limited to sensing the unseen. Though I choose not to use magic in my current life it wouldn’t be a far cry for me to do it again channeling her memories and abilities.”

“How deep do those memories go?” He asked with a straight face but just for a split second something changed ever so slightly. His thin eyebrows arching in surprise as something seemed to cross his mind but he quickly fixed his expression.

The hero gave him a coy look. “Oh please do you think i’d tell YOU that of all people?”

He gave a sly chuckle. “Can you blame me for trying?”

A half empty glass forced her to refill it. “Tell me something of equal value then.”

"You’ll have to be more specific dear.” He said.

“Oh I don’t know…” She sighed as she offered to refill his glass again, feeling her own drink now warming her body and loosening the tongue. “I could ask your favorite color but I think the answer is obvious judging by your current attire. Or I could ask you about your favorite food but I suppose those things don’t matter to a Ascian…..or your favorite hobbies other than spying and plotting….”

“You’re babbling hero.”

“I’m getting drunk sweety, don’t interrupt.” She scolded him as if he were a child.

“You truly have no fear do you?” He asked in a amused tone. A Hyur scolding the emperor of Garlemald of all things! He could have had her executed for the slight if he were still on the throne. Not that he would have, that sort of bravery was a turn on for him. Instead he would have tried to conquer her, as he had done before with other strumpets who showed attitude.

“Of you? No.” She stood over him and smirked.

“Dare I ask why?"

"One, You’re too curious about me to kill me and Two, I’ve dealt with your great grandson. He is far more terrifying than anything I have ever faced in this world or the source. Third…..Is a secret.” she smiled oh so sweetly.

“I suppose I should apologize for that as i’ve not had a big influence in either Zenos or Varis’s lives.” Emet admitted sadly.

“Well technically you are supposed to be dead…Do you have any idea how much trouble that Great Grand kid of yours has given me? He was well deserving of the spanking I gave him.”

“Knowing him he would have enjoyed it.’

She shuddered at the thought but admitted, “He probably did.”

“But do I sense a bit of fondness mixed in there?” Emet teased.

“Absolutely not.”

The Ascian’s face softened as he looked her over. “You amuse me Hero.”

She wasnt sure how to answer that but the way he looked at her was nothing short of flirtatious. “Yay for me.”

A white gloved hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her down onto the bed. She landed flat on top of her Ascian Visitor, face to face and mouths so close if she had puckered up you would have been kissing him. Her head spun for a moment with the wine and when she realized the positition she was in, her cheeks lit up. She fought to keep her poker face on. One of his hands snaked across her lower back keeping her pinned to him and the other one rested on her bare thigh.

“What is the third reason I fail to evoke any terror in you Hero?” He breathed against her mouth, eyes half lidded and the ever so smug half smile on his face. If he was going to try to play her like a fiddle she were more than happy to throw it back in his face. A warrior, mother, gunner, savior of the world she was but she was certainly not an easy conquest.

She smiled as sweet as she could muster and bent to reach his ear, whispering,“ I have a secret weapon….”

“Do tell.” Emet cooed as his hand slipped further up her bare leg and stopped suddenly at the contraption hugging her upper thigh. Oh, a derringer belt. He heard the telltale click of a hammer being pulled back and felt something metallic and cold press against his jaw.

“I’ve got guns….lots of them…and i’m sure they’re bigger than yours.” The Hero joked as he put his hands up to fain innocence. She sat up and straddled him while keeping the small single bullet pistol aimed at his face.

He rolled his eyes. “Oh come now do you think shooting me will be of any avail?”

“No but it’s a inconvenience to you and will force you to find another body. Frankly I’d do it just to annoy you!” She smirked. “Besides, I’m a mature woman with mature tastes so don’t get fresh with me.”

“What a coincidence.” He smirked right back, something playful in his eyes. “I’m a mature man with mature tastes more than adequate to satisfy women like you.”

She visibly cringed and had to ask. “Do you even function in that way?”

He rolled his eyes at her and huffed. “Did I not just say I sired children?”

“Maybe you grew them in test tubes like you do these bodies of yours.”

“Zodiarks mercy…..” he groaned. “While that could be done…some things are best achieved the old fashion way!”

She had to pause and stare the man she sat on to consider it. "Emet Selch, you’re good eye candy but wayyyyy too old for me and i never thought I would have to say that because usually its the other way around considering im no spring chicken.”

“Oh is a few millennia too much for you?” He teased. “Think of all the experience.”

“Well…it takes the term grey fox to a new level…” She agreed but then shook her head. “I’ll pass on that. I’ve had my share of genocidal aristocrats.”

“What a cold woman you are.” Emet scowled sarcastically and conceded, his hands dropping to his chest in exasperation.

“That’s your type though apparently.” She surmised as she hoped off of him and opened her door, ushering him to leave.

He got the message and stood up, giving a small bow as he headed out but turned to her before leaving. “Come seek me out when you have time Hero. I’d like to talk to you again.”

“Annnnd If I refuse?“ She dared to ask.

He stood up to his full height, staring down at her so you could feel the weight of his presence and power. Something in his eyes glinted as he towered over her small hyuran fram and in a tone that was menacing said, "I’m a very patient man. I could wait for eons if need be. Something about what and how said it made her shiver a little and she watched him carefully as he turned away and vanished into thick wisps of black Aether.

When she closed the door, she let go the shiver and audibly gasped. All the tension she were secretly holding onto released as she put her derringer back into the leg holster and glanced at the bed Emet had been lounging on. She mentally high fived herself for being able to act so casually during what normally would have been a “interesting” situation.

“Who is this guy?….” She asked herself as she searched her own memories. Had there ever been anyone like him before in her life or any of her shards?

Though the memories afforded her were numerous not all the information they contained was useful. Sometimes it was simply the memory of a phrase, a name, a place that had no crucial meaning, and other times it was faces of people long since passed. The name nor face of Emet Selch had no meaning to her and yet there was an air of familiarity about him. She tried to dig a bit deeper in her mind for the answer but hit a mental wall, there was simply nothing to be found. The night was dragging on and she had bigger fish to fry and more light wardens to slay. So the puzzle of Emet Selch was one she could ponder on another night.

[loreleywrites]

Command Zone: The State of Commander – Aether Revolt

Commander is largely a multiplayer format. This disposes it to being a format that strongly embraces my favorite aspect of Magic: community. Magic doesn’t begin with the first land drop and end when a player’s life hits zero; the people who experience the game with us stay part of our lives through friendships, online communities, various forms of consumable content, and a network of ideas and emotions to be shared by everyone.

Much of what I peddle on this blog are facts, ideas, and speculations. Today’s article will contain little of that. Instead, this is all about me.

Since Commander is steeped in variation, I want to share all twenty-three of my decks with you. Part of the fun of Commander is seeing what cards other people are playing that you’re not. What strategies they’re embracing that you’re curious about. What novelties spring from their brains that you find enjoyable. Hopefully the deck lists and brief descriptions in today’s article can entertain you, spark inspiration in your own decks, and foster conversation about the best format in Magic.

Karn Artifacts

Karn, Silver Golem by Mark Zug

The deck.

Colorless is not a color, which always makes colorless decks weird. Karn is built around artifacts, obviously, as their main ability animates artifacts. That makes for a lot of potential creatures running around, which is why there are so many noncreature artifacts present. I decided to eschew Wastes and keep the mana base classically colorless.

Kozilek Eldrazi

Kozilek, the Great Distortion by Aleksi Briclot

The deck. (Note: This is the only list that shows the actual card versions I’m using.)

Battle for Zendikar block brought Wastes and tons more colorless Eldrazi cards to Commander. I split my existing Kozilek deck into two parts. Karn took the artifacts, and the Great Distortion took the Eldrazi. This is my favorite deck and my current foil-out project. As you can see in the link, I’m most of the way there. It’s purdy.

Nahiri Equipment

Nahiri, the Lithomancer by Eric Deschamps

The deck.

We first learned the Lithomancer’s identity with Nahiri’s first planeswalker card. Conveniently, she can also be a commander! I chose her as the leader of my Equipment deck because her +1 can always poop out a creature token after a board wipe, which she won’t die in herself. My pet card here is Lancers en-Kor, who have trample. Exceptionally rare for a mono-White card, but very powerful when loaded up with Equipment.

Thassa Sea Monsters

Thassa, God of the Sea by Jason Chan

The deck.

Sea monsters are the best part of Blue, and Thassa is the perfect commander for a deck full of them. Leviathans, Krakens, Serpents, Squids, Octopuses, and Crabs rise from the depths to wreak havoc on landlubbing foes. The prized cards here are Thassa’s Emissary and Skittering Crustacean, which I received as a gift signed by Kelly Digges, Alison Luhrs, Michael Yichao, and Mel Li. Thanks again, Wizards peeps!

Chandra Burn

Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh by Eric Deschamps

The deck.

Chandra is my second favorite planeswalker (Kiora #1!), but she’s the one with the legendary creature. This deck is just full of flavorful Chandra spells and other cards that represent pyromancy. The goal here isn’t to play a stellar game of Magic, it’s to sling as many burn spells around as recklessly as possible.

Titania Lands

Titania, Protector of Argoth by Magali Villeneuve

The deck.

A Mel deck through and through, as Titania offers such a bizarre style of play. Destroying your own lands for value is a twist on how Magic normally goes, but Titania makes it possible. Basically every card in this deck helps find lands or destroy them. If you’ve never cast Scapeshift for twenty lands while controlling Avenger of Zendikar, you have never truly played Green. The deck used to have a Squirrel subtheme, but those cards really took away from the deck, you know, working.

Ojutai Snow

Ojutai, Soul of Winter by Chase Stone

The deck.

There are not many good commanders for a snow-flavored deck, but Ojutai just so happens to be the Soul of Winter. This deck combines a snow permanent theme with a Dragon tribal subtheme. It’s kind of controlling, what with all the freezing, but can hit pretty hard with big fliers. There are tons of neat winter-themed cards, as that’s the central gimmick of the deck. I can’t wait until we get another block with snow permanents so I can add even more flavor.

Ulasht Tokens

Ulasht, the Hate Seed by Nottsuo

The deck.

One of my first Commander decks, Ulasht has survived through the years by just being a blast to play. The token theme allows Ulasht to be downright explosive, giving the deck a sort of modular feel. Sometimes I’m making lots of Saprolings. Other times, Goblins. I will say that I should probably go through this deck at some point and cut down on the number of different tokens it makes. Focusing on only a few types will make it easier to represent them with dice and such in case I don’t have the actual tokens.

Karametra Enchantress

Karametra, God of Harvests by Eric Deschamps

The deck.

The power of Nyx is bestowed upon me with my Karametra deck. This one is all about enchantments, featuring almost no nonenchantment, nonland cards. There’s plenty of Theros flavor, but also powerful mechanical icons like Mesa Enchantress and Mirari’s Wake. If you’ve never seen an indestructible God loaded up with Auras before, then you probably haven’t died the most agonizing death in the Multiverse yet.

Vish Kal Vampires

Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter by Michael C. Hayes

The deck.

This deck has been all over the place, but it finally settled on two related themes: life gain and Vampire tribal. Nearly every creature is a Vampire, leveraging some of the unique tribal spells that support them. Gaining life is easy with the Ravnican and Zendikari Vampires that had it as a theme. Vish Kal himself is also very powerful, able to smash for a ton of damage as well as repeatedly remove opposing threats. This deck can attack on a lot of axes, which makes it kind of a midrange Commander deck.

Melek Spells

Melek, Izzet Paragon by Johann Bodin

The deck.

The Izzet are all about instants and sorceries, so of course my Melek deck is no different. My main goal is to resolve Epic Experiment as many times as possible (My single-game record is four.) There are a lot of familiar cards here if you’ve seen a spell-centric deck like this before. Expectedly, this deck is capable of explosive turns that are difficult to interact with.

Glissa Artifacts

Glissa, the Traitor by Steve Argyle

The deck.

Phyrexia just makes Elves better. This is an aristocrats-style deck that grinds out a lot of value over the course of a game. There are tons of little artifacts with little effects that don’t seem worth a card. But when you consider that I can get those effects multiple times over the course of a game, they start looking very attractive. And just to clarify: I have zero artifact-based decks with Blue in them. I know, it’s weird. But Glissa makes grindy games so much fun I don’t care.

Aurelia Samurai

Aurelia, the Warleader by Slawomir Maniak

The deck.

Please please pleaseee, @wizardsmagic, print a legendary Samurai with a Red/White color identity. Aurelia is just a placeholder for my Samurai tribal deck. It’s filled with flavorful Kamigawa cards, attacking-matters cards, and lots of extra combat spells (hence Aurelia). I want more Samurai so bad too, as there are lots of bad cards in this deck. But that’s part of the fun of Commander. You can build tons of decks at different power levels.

Vorel +1/+1 Counters

Vorel of the Hull Clade by Mike Bierek

The deck.

If you’ve never seen a Vorel deck before, things can get ridiculous. Most of the permanents in this deck utilize counters in some way. Hydras are featured, as almost all of them scale with your mana and use +1/+1 counters. Needless to say, Deepglow Skate was a boon for this deck. And Armorcraft Judge. And Rishkar, Peema Renegade. OK, it was a great year for +1/+1 counter decks.

Kaseto Snakes

Kaseto, Orochi Archmage by Aaron Miller

The deck.

sneaky sneks

I had a casual 60-card Green/Blue Snake deck for a long time. Kaseto let me translate that into Commander, evolving one casual deck into another. Sosuke’s Summons is absurd when you can cast it almost every turn. Even when I can’t flood the battlefield with tokens, Kaseto can turn any single Snake into a monstrous attacker.

Ezuri Infect

Ezuri, Claw of Progress by James Ryman

The deck.

I like Simic decks. Sue me.

This is my most flavorful deck. Ezuri embraces New Phyrexia’s most sinister theme: infect. Thankfully, most infect creatures are pretty crappy in Commander. They’re so little! Ezuri does help fix that, but he’s also pretty fragile. Every spell in this deck is from New Phyrexia, and every land is either from there or could feasibly be from there (Breeding Pool definitely sounds like it could be Phyrexian.)

Karrthus Dragons

Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund by Dave Kendall

The deck.

DARGONS!!! This deck is pretty straightforward. Ramp, cast some removal spells, and then attack with the tyrants of the sky. Yes, it amuses me that between this and Ojutai, I have Dragon decks for all five colors. I used to have a Scion of the Ur-Dragon deck, but it was too repetitive.

Surrak Creatures

Surrak Dragonclaw by Jaime Jones

The deck.

With only seven noncreature, nonland cards, it’s clear what Surrak is about. Hint: it’s creatures. Ramp, removal, card draw, beatdown, it’s all being done by creatures here. Restrictions breed creativity and yadda yadda yadda IT’S TIME TO PUNCH THINGS NOW. This deck is one of my favorites to play.

Ghave Fungi

Ghave, Guru of Spores by James Paick

The deck.

There are a lot of degenerate Ghave decks that do stupidly broken things with +1/+1 counters. Part of that is because Ghave is really powerful. My take on the deck is much more focused on the Fungus/Saproling tribal theme. Most of the noncreature spells are also flavorfully connected to the decomposing organisms. I literally finished this deck this week, so I haven’t gotten to play with it yet. I’m eager to.

Mimeoplasm Mill

The Mimeoplasm by Svetlin Velinov

The deck.

Mill, eat, repeat. Mill, eat, repeat. Mill, eat, repeat. I wanted to build a deck that lets The Mimeoplasm eat tons of enemy creatures, but also provide a ton of options to eat itself. The self-mill and reanimation strategies also mean this deck doesn’t have to rely on Muraganda’s legendary Ooze to muscle through games. This was one of my first decks, and the list has probably changed more than any other in my repertoire.

Atraxa -1/-1 Counters

Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice by Victor Adame Minguez

The deck.

Keep your superfriends and infect and +1/+1 counter decks. I embraced the decay of New Phyrexia and built my Atraxa deck around -1/-1 counters. Plus a bunch of flavorful New Phyrexia cards (I can’t help my Vorthos nature.) Even though I’m not focusing on Atraxa’s most powerful themes, this is quite a mighty deck.

Yidris Chaos

Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder by Karl Kopinski

The deck.

I had originally planned this deck to be built around Maelstrom Wanderer, but Yidris gave me the perfect opportunity to add another color. This deck has one goal: never know what will happen next. That doesn’t mean send the game into a death spiral of chaos (well, not completely), but to keep it progressing towards a conclusion in the flashiest way possible. There are a number of Group Hug style cards in this deck. I want things to happen. I want to force players to make decisions. I want the game to go somewhere, no matter how ugly it gets when it arrives. I also just completed this deck, so I haven’t gotten to experience the wild ride I have designed.

Sliver Queen Slivers

Sliver Queen by Ron Spencer

The deck.

My arsenal wouldn’t be complete without a WUBRG deck for my favorite tribe, Slivers. Naturally, the Queen is the one leading the deck. I really like how Slivers play in Commander, as you never know what mix of abilities you’re going to get. It makes every game unique and keeps the deck from getting stale. Considering this deck hasn’t changed since Magic 2015, that’s a very good thing.

Twenty-Three and Counting

I’m not deliberately trying to build a Commander deck for every color combination, but I won’t be surprised if I get there one day. I do factor what combinations I don’t have yet when considering new decks, as I like pushing myself into new territory in order to make each deck unique. At the moment, I’m considering mono-Black King Macar, the Gold-Cursed; mono-White Bruna, the Fading Light; and Mardu Alesha, Who Smiles at Death as my next deck. And then who knows what Amonkhet will bring in a few months!

And now that I’ve shared my decks with you, planeswalkers, what Commander decks do you arm yourself with?