#vi stories

[starres-stuff]

FFXIV Writes 2023 | Day 10 | Writer's Choice: Enigma

Today's story revolves around Dimitri's sister, Viviane, as she reflects on parts of her past and sets her sights on her future.

Enigma- Something hard to understand or explain

It was a quiet night at the Amethyst Shallows where Viviane had found herself. It was the first sign that Summer was coming to an end. The parties had dwindled, the parents with their children as well and it was rare to see a couple curled up on one of the lounge chairs forgetting that the world was around them. As beautiful as she found the silence, it was also a time that always felt bittersweet.

Down she sat in her favorite spot, an area with a ledge that allowed her to kick off her shoes and dangle her feet into the water. She spent so much time here over the last cycle or two that it was often where she ended up when she needed to think or just wished to be alone for a while Today was different though, she had been working on her choreography for an upcoming show when the nostalgia from the material she had been working on finally took a hold of her.

So much had changed in her life since she first left Ishgard, the scared and scarred woman that she was then. It was difficult at times to actually look back to her past without worrying that she was going to draw something from it to the present. Things were not the best then and the road she walked wasn’t always the smoothest that roads could be.

Tonight she found herself thinking about performing, and those she had met along the way. She had earned the title through a lot of hard work and discipline, but it was what many called her now especially on the Stage when she was playing the part of Mysteri L’etranger, her alter ego. Truth was Vi never thought that she would be as successful as she was as a Performer, nor did she think she would ever make the five cycles she had performed and she found herself wondering what had happened to those who taught her how.

She still remembered each of them fondly and often closed her eyes before she went on stage to envision her old troupe and the way they all cheered each other on. It was one of the most memorable times of her life, Cherry Blossom, was her name then. Each member of the Troupe had been named after a flower of their choosing to hide their actual names and affiliations. The sad part of it for her was none of them had ever gotten to know her as she was today, the Elezen who had many illusions and faces.

Mysteri was are you always a different race the question had been asked so many times now. It was part of her act she had told them, a way to keep people guessing and part of the Enigma she had become. Who would she be when she stepped on stage? For the longest time, no one could answer that question, and most of the time she didn’t know herself. Each face she had taken over the cycles had been a piece of her struggle to survive.

There in the water, she found herself, her long red curls that bounced at any movement, her bright sapphire eyes that seemed to glow in the encroaching dark, and her pale skin that made her feel as if someone could see through her at this time of the day if they looked hard enough. It had been such a long journey to this point where she looked in the mirror and always saw herself looking back instead of someone else. The anxiety was almost gone now, the worry that someone from Ishgard would recognize her had evaporated and the confusion about her identity after she obtained her freedom from the lambs was almost settled as well. So much trial and error had gone into who she eventually became but for the first time in her life, she was free to be that person.

“If only I could find him and thank him,” Vi muttered to herself as she opened her silver cigarette case and drew from within a cigarette that she placed between her lips. She had been hunting for the mysterious Dragoon who carried her safely to Ishgard from Corethas since she first arrived in the Shroud. Missive after Missive had been sent to the Office of the Knights Dragoon inquiring who had run rounds in that area during that time and each time she received a reply We are sorry Lady Jienuex no such person existed that we know of had led her to wonder if it had all been nothing more than a fever dream yet, in the end, she remembered the armor, she remembered the crunch of the snow under his feet, the clang of his lance on his back and most vividly the way he carried her as if she was fragile and precious right to the guards at the gates of Ishgard.

He was the reason she ever made it to the stages of her dreams, for all of her visions had shown that she would meet her end cold and alone in a building that could barely stand on its own. She was not meant to survive those days after the Calamity struck. Nymeia had promised that for her crimes she would be forgotten and left to freeze by the very people who had kidnapped her. Then he came, and somehow he changed that fate. There was nothing she wanted more than to thank him for her second chance at life and each time she stepped on the stage along with the others she left a silent thank you for him as well. He was an enigma just like her but like her, she hoped that someday he would emerge from his shadow and take off his mask.

In the time she thought of those of her past the Moon had risen high above her head and the silver light streamed from the sky down to dance along the surface of the water catching her eye and making her smile. Her life had changed so much over those cycles, but nothing like it had in just this last one. Her days were filled with wonder now and her heart was filled with love. So much good the nameless Dragoon had done, he would always be her Warrior of Light, whoever he was.

Grounding out the cigarette on the bottom of her shoe, she placed the last pieces of it into the pocket of the sweater she had thrown on, on her way out the door of Qiha’s studio Then she collected her shoes from beside her holding them in her hand. Being an enigma wasn’t a terrible thing, but at the same time, it kept people at arm's length, something she had begun to regret as of late. She no longer wished to be hidden in shadows. They had been her shelter that she needed in order to heal from everything, but even the best armor eventually rusted and then you needed to make changes as you designed a new set.

That was the next leg of her journey, and while that thought scared her it was one that she would meet head on with a smile. After all, she couldn’t be Mysteri L’etranger forever, performers did eventually get old and end up with painful joints from their antics on stage, it was time to start laying down the foundation for the next leg of her life. She had a few good years left in her on stage, but more and more she heard Ishgard calling her name again and there was an offer on the table that would take her home. All she had to do was throw away the puzzle she had been working on for too long and step into the light of change.

[the-sharlyan-song]

"Are you certain" It was late in the evening when she arrived at the door, she looked as if she had cried for hours and even more as she stood holding the keys to the cottage that had been her home for cycles now, out towards him.

"Yes, you are the next caretaker." The transition had been coming for weeks now and finally Vi was ready to move on. She had done all the rituals in Doshaine's letter and she had made her peace with the spirits that rested within those walls. It was one of the hardest things she had ever done but it felt right in her heart. It was time.

"Where are you going to stay Vi? Have you told them yet?" He looked down upon her with concern in his eyes, he had never seen her cry it was a rather beautiful thing, not that he would dare tell her that.

"The Path and no, not quite. They are staying at Cenodocia's while she is in Ishgard on business. I will not just move in with out speaking to her directly and I dare not take them to Jienuex Manor, there is nothing there but death. The Path is a good sound building with plenty of rooms in the back. I can decorate one for myself and I will be okay. There is work to be done there anyways." What she did not tell Dimitri was she would likely just rest in the greenhouse as it felt as close to nature as she could get living in a more civilized area.

"What about this place." He motioned, stepping to the side and waving his hand at the place "This is perfect for someone just starting their life in Eorzea, which after five cycles you are Vi"

Into the room she cautiously walked, but only made it part way. She could feel Saphelle in every ilm of it and she started to walk backwards to the door "No I would like to sell it once you have relocated it. I can feel Mother's aether here and I do not welcome the thought of her haunting me." Again she did not tell him everything it was better that way. The body they buried while it was their Mother's had been vacant of her soul. She had been torn open by a Dragon during the war and her body claimed by a voidsent as a vessel. There was no kind way to tell him that and likely she never would.

"No we both need a new beginning. You need to vanish so they cannot find records of you and I need to stop hiding from the Star. Your work will benefit from access to the cottage and I can put my work in motion. I have left you a letter on the table at the cottage with the full explanation of what you watch over. It is one of three reliquaries that belong to our House. You spent Moon's devouted to Occult Studies you are the best choice, even though you dislike Witches" Vi flashed her Brother a toothy grin then.

Dimitri did not smile in return, in fact his brows furrowed and he let out a long side. "I am not comfortable with you staying in that building Vi. Reconsider please?"

There was another shake of her head and she reached for his hand, pressing the key into his palm. "I spend most of my Nights with Clement, Kovalt often works overnight. I leave in the morning after he comes home, sometimes I will stay if they both have the day off. It will be fine, and so will I. It has to happen this way Dimitri." She was adamant about it and the look in her eyes told the Sharlayan that to her this was Nymeia's path for them. It had to be followed to the letter.

"Very well, I still feel I got the better end of this bargain. It is a very welcome thing really. It gives me a place to lay low while I appeal to the officials of Gridania to allow me to become a Citizen. I had hoped my work for the Adders would have helped my plea but the last three have been declined. I do not doubt it is because I am a Duskwight. I doubt the Elder Seed-Seer has anything to do with my rejection letters as is written in them." finally he gave in and accepted the key. It was the one way he could ensure he could stay here with Laurent, disappearing into the deep woods and not looking back.

"You are a Jienuex." Vi replied sternly "You carry your birth name. If Gridania refuses you again, seek the clerk in Ishgard. Yes, it will mean accepting your title and being on public record there as a Noble, but it also makes you a Citizen born in Ishgard. Your adopted Father cannot try to have you brought back to Sharlayan with that at your back. There are ways to keep you here with him." She gave her Brother a knowing look "But you may need to compromise to achieve it."

Dimitri knew she was right and he greatly disliked the fact that she was. He would do anything to not leave Laurent behind, including what he was about to do by fleeing to the cottage to find freedom and he found his head nodding. "I will let you know if my appeal is denied again. Then I will do as you ask, but you will tell them you are staying at the Path and soon. They do not know what happened there and neither do you." His eyebrow raised and he returned the knowing look for he did remember all those walls hid.

"Fine" Vi said through gritted teeth, he could even see her fangs and she jutted out a hand towards him to shake on their agreement. "I will tell them but if they try to change their lives because of me, Dimitri, I will find you and cut every last lock of hair from your head for forcing me to talk. I do not want them giving things up because of me, no one should." The look in her eyes said she was not joking and he took the warning to heart, before taking her tiny hand to shake, her words tearing at him.

"Vi" he started to say then shook his head, she was fiercely independent and there was no changing that until she was ready. "Is there a time I have to occupy the cottage by?" Another thing he disliked, admitting to anyone including her how well versed he was in ritual magic use.

"Yes, by twelve bells on the 21st day of this Moon you must have entered the space. Be timely about it. I do not wish it to be lost to us." Then the conversation was over, she let go of his hand and stepped back to regard him for a long moment.

"The next time I see you, things will be much different for us both. Good Evening Brother, Spinner guide you." And before he could even speak she turned, started to walk away then vanished like a ghost before reaching the private aertheryte.

"Well fuck." Dimitri said after she vanished and the whistled for Kit, his fox. "Time to pack Kit! We have a bit of a walk ahead of us."

[an-ishgardian-tale]

"So I hear congradulations are in order, dear." It was rare that Viviane was so lost in thought that someone could make it through the door of the bakery without her becoming keenly aware that they were there. In fact when she heard the voice she practically jumped out of her skin. This voice was far away from where it should have been, especially in her current condition.

"Xixa?" She practically dropped the cup of tea she had been sipping at without thought "Twelve, does Liri know you-"

"Don't quite care what the child knows. Now I will take a cup of that Moko tea you make with the mint and you will come sit with me." The tap of her can could be heard across the wooden floorboards, and her sightless eyes peered out just enough from behind the dark glasses she wore that Viviane could make out the blank white space they had become.

"Yes of course." Vi straightened her back and set down her cup, quickly bustling into the kitchen where she fixed the cup of tea Xixa requested, then filled her own again, dropping dollops of golden toned honey into each before picking them up and returning to the seating area.

"It is good to see you have been taking care of yourself. Your Aether is at the strongest I have seen it since you arrived in the Shroud." This was the eerie part she had learned about Xixa's ability, once her sight was gone she could see things in the Skein that no other could, or at least no other Vi had known.

"He has helped a great deal." She said quietly, setting down the cups on the table then turning towards the door to pull down the shade and slip the lock into place so they would be uninterrupted. The last thing she needed was someone else coming in through the door while she was talking about personal matters. Her recent marriage made her keenly aware of both of her husbands' influences in their work and beyond.

"I can see that girl" Xixa locked her gaze on where Viviane stood, it was terrifying really that a blind woman could so easily find her. "Come and sit I have something important for you." The was a rustle in the old bag the Miqo'te carried and by the time Vi sat down adjacent to her a brown wrapped package sat on the table near the Elezen's tea.

"Before she passed your Aunt Doshaine entrusted this to me. She knew the lifestream called for her. She could see the waters rising around her ankles and the chill tugging at her soul. Now go on open it and I will explain." Xixa carefully reached out in front of her finding the cup of tea with relative ease and she lifted it to her lips while Vi shakily reached for the package.

"Still odd heading her called Aunt. All those years and I never found out until after she was gone." Nimble fingers tugged at the strings that bound the package there was such precision in the way they moved and in no time the paper fell away to reveal a familiar journal only this one was not as old looking as the others in the collection.

"Twelve is this?" She found herself barely speak the words, her hand reaching out to rest on the cover, the soft leather with its long ties made her smile and she could almost sense her Aunt's energy patterns there upon it.

"Started the day you arrived in the Shroud and written in every day after until she returned to the Sea." Xixa replied with a curt nod. "I know it is difficult to understand why you were never told until she was gone, but you arrived with a great deal of hate in your heart. You didn't need to find anymore of your Mother's secrets, Girl."

Careful fingers traced the cover, releasing the old scents of cinnamon and honey that Doshsine always carried as a scent. There were times when she was baking that the same scent would catch her attention and it always came with emotions she fought hard to contain.

"She told me right before she passed that I was to give you this only when you had settled into your path and moved on. Your recent wedding makes it a fine time and a good gift. That way she shares it with you. Book is enchanted, you can read no more than two pages in a sitting and if you try the pages go blank." A chuckle came from her then which ended in a wheeze and a hiccup "Spinner bless her. She had such a way with weaving Aether." Reaching for her tea again Xixa looked Vi's way.

Viviane looked from journal cover to darkened shades only to look back again. "The history of her and my Mother's childhood then?" It was times like these she thanked the stars above she did not have to breathe for it would have been impossible had she tried.

"There are things in this journal that will break your heart, secrets that you will find that will take Moons to digest. This is the tale you have sought the least and feared the most. I think you are ready for it, it will hurt but then it will help. It is more than their childhood it is their story, all of it." Sitting back in her chair then the Miqo'te brought out a small pipe, filled it with tobacco and then puffed on it till the scent filled the room.

"She loved you more than she could tell you girl. Words always got in the way. Only reason I could see it was she was like a Mother to me as well. I knew love when I saw it on her face. That journal will give you no great power, there is no spells to find. It will give you knowledge, though. Hells I almost wish I could read it myself, but that is not in my cards, only yours."

The scent of the smoke sent Vi into her apron for her own smoking case, there was silence in her motion in was that quick that even if Xixa could see she would not have noticed.

"You will not be getting your sight back again will you." The question had lingered on her tongue for a sennight now, while she could see the Aether that lingered there it felt empty to her, an unfilled space and it had dawned on her the truth.

"In time I will, girl. Doshaine told me turns ago a day would come when I gave my eyes to someone in need, an important sign. Used to think it was you but my sight came back in days. I laughed at her then, told her I would never be so foolish. In the end, it wasn't a fool thing at all, came out of my old dusty heart. Could you keep that out of your Brother's pointy ears for now? I have one nursemaid following me like I am a wee one who can't care for herself. Don't need that red-headed jerk of yours doing it too."

Vi snorted and then picked up her teacup her head shaking lightly "Say it like that I would think you had a crush on him Xixa. Reminds me of when I was a young girl smitten." Out of the corner of her eye, she looked and she smirked at the reaction she got.

"Did it rain when you did the handfasting?" The Mooncatte replied with a well-placed change of subject; her own grin lingering on her lips.

[lipid]

4☆ Service with Style Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass: Lost Stories!

[silentsockfeet]

the fact that the vi vs jinx fight was foretold from the beginning. the fact that the opening credits ends with their fight immortalized in stone, so that every episode you watch is a reminder of the immutable truth of it. the fact that every moment is building to this, that the show will culminate in this. this was always going to happen, they told us this from the beginning, and nothing anyone could do will ever change that.

[dosa-sambhar]

The innuendos in their conversations have me lmao at times

[weirdlookindog]

Virgil Finlay (1914-1971) - Deep Night, Dark Night

Pictorial interpetation of an excerpt from Shakespeare’s "King Henry VI"

(Weird Tales - December, 1939)

[dvnieldraws]

dandelions

[stimtfil]

watched arcane last month and got upset why i didn't watch it years ago😭

[xiaoaetherposts]

Aether and Lumine reunited 😭💛

Aether's expressions broke my heart. 💔

"There's so much I wanted to ask you, but for some reason, I'm not interested in asking those questions right now.

There's just one thing I have to ask, one thing I could never understand...

Why... why can't we continue our journey together?"

Twitter(X): @xiaoaetherposts

[starres-stuff]

FFXIV Writes 2023 | Day 17 | Writer's Choice: Visitation

Viviane is visited by the spirit of her Aunt and Former mentor Doshaine.

“If you knew my story you’d have a hard time. Believing me, you’d think I was lying. Joy and sorrow never last. I’ll die trying not to live in the past.”

The voice must have carried malms as loud as Viviane sang the words. She had risen early, spent the morning baking, and tried to keep out of her mind the show she had that night. Sometimes it was easy to slip into the persona of Mysteri, her performing alter ego and sometimes she could feel her knees quake as she cast the glamour that changed only parts of her now. There was a time when she didn’t go on stage unless her entire body was changed to someone else.

“I left my clothes on that cold river rock. My cares and my woes rolled up in my socks. I lay down in that mountain stream. And the icy water rushed over me”

“I know your story had a front-row seat to it.” Vi nearly dropped the tray of cookies she had just pulled from the brand-new oven in her bakery, the voice making her lower lip quiver.

“Oh no you don’t, you stop those tears right there. Takes a Hells of a lot to cross the barrier from the spirit world to here, if you start crying then I will cry and before I know it I’ll have to go back.” Around she spun then, but like all the other times she had heard a spirit speak in her days, this one as special as it was, was nowhere her eyes could see. She could smell the perfume, and hear the cane against the brand-new wooden floors but that was all.

“But I cannot see you.” She blurted out, the tears trying to creep from her eyes and flood her face but she knew the whisper was right she had to hold it together for both of their cases.

“Not your gift to have now is it Vi?” a warm chuckle followed and she felt a breeze blow across her face. “Just enjoy the gifts you do have, at least allow us a bit of time to talk.”

“Of all the days you pick.” Vi found herself sniffling, it was the perfect day really. She had been a nervous wreck since the sun came up, hence the hours of baking.”Ah Doshaine, I cannot tell you how good it is to hear your voice.”

“Surprised you aren’t boarding up the door and windows to make sure no one comes in here and catches you talking to yourself. Have things really changed that much around here?” The disturbance of the aether caused her to turn her head, her eyes scanning the area right in front of her, if she was lucky enough she could catch a glimmer of a shape or an outline of where the disturbance was but today there was nothing besides the lingering sensation of being watched.

“I am not overly worried. I have come to a place where I realize that most of the people with any attachment to Gridania or the Inner Parts of the Shroud will just find it normal. Those who are traveling might as well learn it before they have it happen to them directly.” Her shoulders rose in a shrug and she made her way towards the single small table that had been left by the builders and she took a seat, her chin coming to a rest in the palm of her hands.

“I’m proud of you.” This time she felt her hair move, a flutter of it dancing along her neck.

“Haven’t had the chance to tell you that, heard you singing and had to push my limits. Don’t have much time left, but you have come so far, Viviane. From the broken woman who appeared on my doorstep one day, barely able to say her own name without crying. To the star you are today. They know your name, girl but it is more important that you do.”

The tears stung her eyes again at the words, and her heart started to pound in her chest. That was the hardest part of talking to the spirits, her aether was stolen far quicker from her than any other time, and the first place she felt it was always the racing of her heart.

“Thank you” she whispered, then fell silent again, a ghostly pair of lips pressing a warm kiss on her forehead.

“Vi wake up!” Qiha yelled in the door “We have to get to Ul'dah, it's two bells to the show. You were sound asleep! Come on. I need to be there for security detail.”

Starting awake, she looked around her Qiha was right she had been sleeping, she could even feel the lines on her face from the tablecloth where it had bunched up “Alright alright keep your drawers on I’m coming” she yelled back, the stretched, rising to her feet soon after.

“Maybe it was a dream” she muttered to herself, moving to pick up her bag and making certain her oven was off. She would have likely continued to think that had she not looked up at the mirror on the wall and seen the word Believe scrawled across the glass to remind her it had all been real.

[usops]

[whimsical-sonic]

things getting a little outta hand here

[suzalulusource]

★4 ジュリアス [帝国の黒き軍師] ★4 スザク [帝国の白き死神]

[petorahs]

persona 3 is as ocean themed as it is moon themed.

[dosa-sambhar]

So very genz humor of these people residing in the 18th century hmm.....