#user: inkedinfantasy

[paintedscales]

ooh scifi or treasure hunt AU for the first meeting AU prompts?

Sorry I kept this sitting in my inbox for so long. Busy with FFXIV Write and Fluff-/Kinktober shortly after I received this. But! I don't like things just sitting in my inbox, and I don't delete them because they've been sitting too long.

Thank you for the ask, even if maybe you forgot you sent it to me! ♥ I still appreciate it, and I apologize that I took quite some time getting to it. I chose Treasure Hunt, though, since it appeals more to me! :>

First Meeting AU Prompts

This is definitely...definitely an AU that probably only appeals to me and my partner... I decided to take Nomin and Estinien and put them in mine and my partner's original world setting of Ryne (pronounced like 'rye' with an n at the end, not like the Ryne we know from ShB with 'reen'; it was kind of a funny happenstance when we saw her name and looked at the world we made).

Nomin and Estinien were made into world-appropriate counterparts. So...for a little added context for some people that read it and may be interested in this particular piece:

Nomin is a belocian -- an underground race of demon-like individuals who have evolved and adapted for living in near- to total darkness. She is of the Kyrlesh, a branch of belocian who have bioluminescent markings that can never be quite dimmed to being 'off' unless they're dead. As such, she does still have horns and a tail, but considerably less obvious scales like the Au Ra, but she does have taloned digitigrade feet and shark-like skin around her hands and feet.

Estinien, after some deliberation, was made into a Myrian elf within the setting. Typically, they're more magically and technologically focused elves, having allied with the off-worlder humans to advance their pursuit of technology to even greater heights. I would have made him an Iliean, the woodland and more traditional and in tune with nature counterpart to the Myrian, but it felt off a bit. For me personally, anyway.

Enough rambling. Sorry. Without further ado:

Word Count :: 1,241

The Western Divide…it was a bustling community filled with all sorts of colorful characters ranging from the towering orks, to the diminutive and animal-like mueme. With ships docking at the ports, bringing in and exporting all kinds of goods, the locals had often come there for all kinds of hard to find things that rang them up a pretty couram. Today was no different. Today was still filled with the murmur of crowds, the shouts of shop criers and advertisers, and the scents of all kinds of street foods being cooked fresh for potential patrons to purchase and eat.

“Maps! All kinds of maps! Maps for the mystical lands of Arcis, ooh! Or perhaps you want to stay more close to home for your treasure hunt! We have treasure maps for Edelith and Arvendor!”

This brought the belocian woman walking down the cobbled walkways to a halt. She turned her head in the direction of the stall owner, who seemed to have been attempting to sway some passersby to have a gander at his selection. Walking over, she peered over the maps on display, her eyes narrowing at the different pieces of vellum that showcased varying levels of cartography and routes to what could be caches of treasure.

“What’s your most valuable map for Edelith?” the woman asked, flicking her bright blue eyes up at the stall owner.

“Oho~?” the ulowan man’s cat-like ear flicked with intrigue at the question, as a smile found its way onto his lips. Leaning forward, he examined the woman before him, measuring her up and scrutinizing her. He noted the bow upon her person, the polish of it having worn after most likely a good deal of time and travel. “It’s not often we get too many belocians making their way to the Western Divide. I’m going to guess that you can certainly hold your own with that bow of yours…”

“Hmph…” the woman allowed a small scoff to leave her lips as she looked back down at the maps. She then reiterated: “Edelith map. Most valuable one.”

“Not one for conversation, tsk…” the stall owner tutted, shrugging his shoulders, his tail twitching with some annoyance. He leaned over and dug around one of the crates behind his stall before pulling out a rolled map and slowly handing it over. When the woman reached for it, he pulled it back. “Ah-ah… I need to warn you that this one will certainly test anyone’s skills and tenacity. Only buy it if the risk of death or being seriously injured is something you understand.”

The woman furrowed her brow, pursing her lips. She then nodded.

“I understand. How much?”

“Fifty arunta, take it or leave it.”

Fifty?

The woman paused for a moment, reaching down for her money purse.

Did she even have that much?

Opening the pouch, she counted through the coppery couram, the silvery argens, and the paltry golden arunta mixed in with some occasional paper bills of rehalds poking up from the bottom. Digging around more, she pulled out a small wad of rehalds and counted them. They were as good as arunta in other places.

“Ah…I don’t accept Sanctum’s mode of payment, I’m afraid,” the stall owner said, noting the paper currency.

Drat.

“I’ll take it.” A masculine voice made the woman startle momentarily before she looked up at a Myrian man with silvery hair. When the woman turned more to take in the elven man’s appearance, she frowned with a slight furrow to her brow. She noted the lance strapped to his back, and the scars that dotted whatever was available to see of his arms.

“I was about to buy that myself,” the woman huffed, the natural markings upon her skin and horns starting to glow cyan with her rising annoyance. Her tail flicked back and forth, further indicating that she was not too happy with this unknown man swooping in to take this purchase right from under her nose.

“My eyes and ears tell me otherwise,” the Myrian man replied with a smirk as he took up his own pouch of coin and started counting up what he had. He soon placed the whole pouch on the stall counter, the owner of the stall placing the map aside momentarily and eagerly counting up the golden coins. There were some rounds of argen and couram set aside and then handed back to the elven man, and all that the woman could do was gawk at the transaction that took place before her.

Once the map was in the elven man’s possession, he tucked it away in his coat. He turned heel and walked off without another word. However, the woman was not going to have any of that as her tail stiffened and she marched forward with indignant purpose after him. She could feel how the muscles in her back and arms stiffened with the feelings that welled within.

“Hey!” the woman called out, weaving between people after the Myrian man. However, it seemed he was more than content ignoring her. “Hey! Stop!”

Finally, the man stopped and gazed back to look at her. His steely gaze was piercing, and the smirk that adorned his face before had disappeared. He looked more displeased with the fact the woman was following along after him.

“What is it?” the man asked.

“I’m coming with you on the hunt for whatever that map leads to!” the woman declared. “You can’t just buy it out from under me and then walk off expecting me to simply leave it alone!”

The elven man narrowed his eyes down at the woman.

“And if I refuse your company?”

“That’s too bad. I’ll keep following after you. I’m going to hunt for whatever is on that map, same as you.”

The Myrian man clicked his tongue, placing his hands upon his hips. Sighing, he shook his head and then looked at the woman. He struggled with denying the woman coming along. After all, he did buy the map out from under her, as she mentioned. He should have expected this.

“I’m supposing you won’t leave me alone otherwise…”

“I won’t.”

Letting out a resigned sigh, the man shrugged.

“Very well. I suggest you keep up, then. I won’t hesitate to leave you behind if you show yourself to be a burden.”

The woman perked up, the markings upon her body flaring momentarily with the joy she felt in that moment. Grinning, she assuredly responded, “you won’t have to worry about me. Even if you try losing me, I’ll just track you down. Don’t put it past me with honing arrows at my disposal.”

With a slight scoff, the smirk returned upon the elven man’s lips.

“I see. How annoying.”

“You can thank my brother.” The woman adjusted her bag and walked forward to meet the man at a more amicable distance. Jabbing a finger up at the man, she presented her own smirk toward the man and asked: “if we’re traveling together, I’d hate to just call you ‘the swiping asshole from the market.’ What should I call you?”

The Myrian man gave the woman an incredulous look. His chest and shoulders rose with a more silent sigh this time around. “You can call me Estinien.”

“Estinien… Es-tin-i-en…” the woman iterated, getting a feel for a name upon her lips and tongue. Nodding to herself, she then introduced herself: “I’m Nomin.”

“A displeasure to meet you.”

“The feeling’s mutual!”