A Souyo(P4)-themed FFXIV blog for the characters Allie Svent (Yosuke) and Souji Hanamura (Souji) on the Exodus server. Just your average ruins-exploring, monster-slaying partners! Come say hi on Exodus - Shirogane, Ward 14, Plot 8!
“Well met! Just getting out of class?” Hurrying up the bridge, Yosuke found Souji already waiting for him, leaning back against the railing - looking a little nervous, it might be added, but wasn’t like the viera wasn’t feeling a bit nervous himself. He’d been thinking about their lunch date all day, even as he sorted through shipments at the docks - well, it might not exactly be a date, but there’s no harm in thinking of it as such, right? - and as soon as his duties were over he hurried along to their prearranged meeting spot.
Souji was every bit as nervous as he looked, even if he hoped he looked nothing of the sort, and his relief at seeing the young artisan hurrying up the road was palpable as he cleared his throat with a nod. “Yeah. Most of the others had plans today so nobody wanted to stay late and study. You’d better bet I took the chance to get out of the library before the professor found some reason to send me on an errand.”
The two laughed - a nice way to relieve some nerves - as Yosuke came to stop next to the hyur. “Errands aren’t always bad, are they?”
“Well, I can’t say they’re bad when they’re how we met,” Souji said, straightening up with a smile as he turned to look over the city. “But, you know. Not on a day when I’ve already got plans. “Hmm. I was going to suggest Last Stand, but they look really busy... I wonder what’s up.”
“It doesn’t hurt to go see, does it?”
They both agreed that this was probably the best option - especially as it wasn’t as if there was anywhere else in Sharlayan where one could get a decent meal. Strolling down the hill toward the bayside restaurant, it wasn’t until they walked up and saw the lavish floral displays, replete with hearts, that they both realised that today was Valentione’s day, and looked quickly away from each other, cheeks burning.
“I, uh, forgot about the holiday,” Souji finally managed to choke out, his embarrassment only abated at all by the fact that Yosuke only seemed to be a little embarrassed himself - and the viera’s ears weren’t angled back, so it didn’t seem as if he was upset. In fact, his next words made the hyur’s heart leap.
“Don’t worry about it, this was still the day that fit best. And I don’t exactly hate it, you know. Still, there’s such a crowd...” Yosuke looked around dubiously, but Souji wasn’t going to let such a small matter dampen his soaring spirt.
“Let’s get lunch to go,” he said. “It’s a beautiful day and there’s plenty of places around town, if you fancy a stroll. In fact, I’d like to take you up to the cliffs. I go up there a lot to read and watch the boats come and go, and dream about where they’ve been and what they’ve seen.”
“That sounds fantastic.” The viera’s smile matched Souji’s, and they managed to place an order and receive it - the trick was to go for sandwiches and drinks, which were better for takeaway, anyway - before too much time had passed.
While it would have been nice to have a meal on the water - The Last Stand was always a nice place to relax - Yosuke had to admit that the secluded spot Souji took him, to a bench overlooking the bay - wasn’t half-bad either. And it was certainly better for them, a place where they could chat (and maybe flirt a little) without too many passersby.
“So, be honest.” They’d long since finished their sandwiches, content to stay seated and chatting for as long as they could before one or both of them had to leave. “Did you really not know today was Valentione’s day?”
Next to him, Souji pretended to think, a smile on his face as he winked at the viera. “Hmmm, I wonder.” They both laughed, and he followed up with a shrug. “Honestly, yes. I mean, did you remember?” Yosuke had to shake his head - he really hadn’t, he’d been too busy with the crafts his master had given him to practice on - but his heart leapt when Souji’s laugh faded into a shy smile. “I’m glad it was, though. And I know we’re both pretty busy, but... can we meet up again?”
Elated, Yosuke grinned. “I’d love to. It’s a date.”
So, in between the world ending (as it has been for two years now) and Endwalker, THIS is what the partners have been up to! It was a pretty steep learning curve, but the good folks of the Primal Forays discord server (if you search “Primal Forays” you should find them) dragged us and a number of other newbies through to a couple of DRS (Delubrum Reginae Savage) clears in one of their many learning parties. 10/10 terrifying and exciting, will definitely do again. Next up, BA! (But we’ll have other pictures for you guys before then!)
Well, it’s our 100th post! I know we haven’t been posting much lately (our apologies, Life has a funny way of Happening), but the partners are still going strong and we’ve got some photosets planned. Today, enjoy this wonderful commission that @herogenkaku got from @preservedcucumbers for my birthday. It was a Surprise commission on Pickles’s stream last week, and I absolutely love it.
Take care, everyone, and we hope you’re all hyped for Endwalker!
“Tengu,” Souji says, crouching down over the feathered body of their most recent opponent. “They’re sort of like demons, I suppose - I’m not sure if they’re voidsent or not, but I’d assume so - and apparently they’re affiliated with some of the more traditional houses in Hingashi.”
Nodding, Yosuke looks around the room. It’s amazingly ornate in a way that one could only imagine - even seeing just how vibrant and colorful everything in town is, even the outsides of the buildings - and he can tell that his partner is fighting instinct not to stop and examine every carved balustrade. Still, that’s second on his mind right now as he crosses his arms pensively. “Have you noticed? Other than the handful outside, we haven’t come across any actual people.”
“I’d wondered about that.” Standing, Souji takes a longing look around the room - he’d love nothing more than to stay and examine everything, but he knows they have a job to do, as night is rapidly approaching and he highly doubts that their incursion is still unnoticed, given that they’ve encountered opposition inside.
“It fits, to be honest. I don’t think this bugyo is alone in his sentiments, but it doesn’t seem as if he has a huge number of viable backers, which is why they’re taking foreign hostages at a dinner - much more risky than open warfare, but if you don’t have the troops, open warfare is impossible. That’s why we’re not running into much of anything other than constructs and demons.”
Although he isn’t surprised, Souji still takes a moment to marvel at Yosuke’s assessment. The miqo’te certainly knows his history, but the rogue is usually the one who’s most quickly able to pinpoint a person’s goals and intent - and Souji sees no reason to doubt him this time.
As they run through the corridors, getting closer and closer to the castle’s main hall, they pass mural after mural, stunning art depicting demons and creatures Souji doesn’t even recognise. Occasionally they’re stopped by even more mechanical foes - easy enough for the two of them to dispatch, now that they’re familiar with them - and finally they reach the huge sliding doors that indicate that their destination is at hand. Taking a deep breath, they look at each other, and Yosuke throws the doors open.
“Release your captives at once!”
The hall looks almost as if it’s a performance hall, perhaps for the elaborate noh-style theatre productions Souji has heard so much about, but that fact is eclipsed by the sight they see; in the middle of the ring a tall being stands - almost mechanical in look himself, though he moves in a way that makes Souji doubt that he is - dressed in garish and outlandish garb. Next to him, he sees Yosuke’s eyes narrow.
Behind the figure sits a smug roegadyn in fancy robes; clearly the bugyo and not the daimyo, if his self-satisfied smile is anything to go by. “Come now, is this the best the Sekisegumi could do? A couple of foreigners? What have I said, foreigners will be the downfall of this country - Yojiimbo, teach them a lesson!”
“I knew it,” Yosuke mutters. “I’ve heard about him in our hunt for a job. He’s apparently a mercenary of some repute.”
“Well, so are we,” Souji returns as the two of them stance up, facing off against Yojimbo - and his partner’s only response is a conspiratorial grin.
The battle is not easy, but they never expected it to. Yojimbo moves in ways they’ve never seen - Souji finds himself wondering if they should spend some time training so that they know what to expect should they meet more such enemies in the east, but he also has a feeling that Yojimbo isn’t like many others.
For his part, Yosuke finds himself watching Yojimbo keenly. He supposes that he should take some sort of comfort in the fact that them not dying immediately seems to be upsetting the bugyo greatly; his calls for the mercenary to end them grow more and more frantic with each dodge and each blow they land. But the fact of the matter is that the rogue is having trouble reading Yojimbo, which lends to trouble trying to formulate a plan; it’s not until he hears the mercenary give a shrill whistle and he sees a streak - a dog, as large as one would expect in keeping with such a master - barreling toward Souji. The miqo’te sees it, but Yosuke can tell he’s not moving fast enough to avoid the pounce; he twists out of the blade lock he’d been in with Yojimbo and leaps, using the mercenary’s large wrist to catapult himself up and over, swinging down just in time to plant his feet firmly in the dog’s side and send it flying.
Sorry, boy, I know you’re just doing your job, but dinner’s not here.
In that split second, however, as he leapt, it finally dawned on him - hearing the mercenary constantly demanding more pay, and his client hurriedly acquiescing every time means that their foe is purely motivated by the pay he is offered.
Then it’s time for me to think outside the box.
In between the deathly slashes of Yojimbo’s large blade, Yosuke backflips out of the way; it’s a standard move, meant to move him out of danger, but he manages to grab and secret away one of the coins laying haphazardly on the stage, scattered by their struggle. He watches the fight, his eyes narrowed as he slashes and feints, waiting for the right timing; just as the mercenary reels back, intending to direct a chopping attack at Souji - whose speed is starting to suffer a little - Yosuke whisks the bright gold piece out, making sure that catches the light. Yojimbo’s attention is immediately captured, and the rogue flicks the coin so that it whizzes past Yojimbo’s ear, making him twist involuntarily in an attempt to catch it, This gives Yosuke the opening he needs to leap onto the mercenary’s back, and with a solid blow to the back of the neck brings him to the floor, unconscious.
With his champion downed the bugyo’s tune quickly changes; he pleads for his life, but the partners just watch him, waiting for the Sekisegumi to come behind them and take everyone into custody.
As Souji watches them lead the frantically pleading roegadyn away, he takes a look around the elegant room. This job hasn’t suddenly eased all of the obstacles of their journey, but as he watches the Sekisegumi officer who’d commissioned them walk forward with a look of relief on his face and a grateful-looking official behind him, he gets the feeling that they’ve finally landed on their feet.
“No. We’re not mercenaries, and this is a mercenary job.”
Souji pauses, hand out as he reaches for the bottle of sake to pour more; he raises his eyebrow as well, Yosuke’s tone taking him by surprise. He’d expected some dislike, but not outright resistance…
“We’re not, but it’s not like we’re storming a camp or fighting a war. Come on, partner. This is mostly subterfuge and infiltration, and you know we’re both good at that from all of the ruins we’ve investigated. Maybe it’s not our favourite type of job, but it’s a job, and one that’s likely to put us in good graces with the officials here. We’d be fools not to do it.”
Across the table, Yosuke winces as memories long buried start to bubble up; shaking them away, he crosses his arms. “I don’t like it.” He knows he’s already said it, but he feels like it bears repeating. “It reminds me too much of my days in the guild. This job wants scapegoats, not heroes, and I don’t like being expendable.”
He’s not wrong, and even though Souji still doesn’t quite understand the vehemence that the brunette seems to have against it, he has to agree that this is a far cry from their usual work, and it doesn’t feel like the kind of job he wants to take-
-but if they want to stay in the east, to actually be able to gain enough funds and clout to have a home base that isn’t just an inn room, then something is going to have to change and this is the only option they’ve been given. He sighs. They’d been in Kugane for a little over a month now, and apart from a handful of cargo guarding and unloading jobs, there hasn’t been anything for them - partly because they’re foreigners, and partly because they don’t have the funds or resources right now to get out of the city. It was a miracle that the Sekisegumi had even had this option the last time he’d visited with his daily plea for work, even if the terms - “failure is not an option and if you do not succeed you will not be rescued” - were far from those he would have picked himself.
“Look, I understand, and I’m not saying you’re wrong. I’m just saying that there isn’t a better option for us, and I don’t think there’s going to be, not for staying here. Would you rather go back to Ul’dah, or to Ishgard?” He pauses for a moment, looking down into the cup he’s holding. His temper is threatening to get the better of him - as it always does when he feels like he’s certain of something and needs to convince others - and he takes a deep breath. His goal isn’t to coerce Yosuke, even if he is disappointed that it’s this much of a disagreement between them.
The rogue, for his part, stays quiet - clearly unhappy, and clearly focused on his own thoughts - and Souji leans in to get Yosuke to look at him. “Look. I know this makes you uncomfortable, and that’s not my intention. I’m going to take the job - we need this if we want to stay in Hingashi and travel further, to Doma and the Steppe - but I’m not going to be upset if you pass on it.”
Yosuke grits his teeth at this - he knows his partner can be stubborn, but sometimes he thinks he’s still learning the extent to how stubborn he can be - but he also recognises that there is no ill-will here, and even if his partner is frustrated (they both are), he’s not making it personal, and the brunette appreciates that. Dinner stretches in silence, and as they finish up, he sighs, setting down his own cup.
“I’m going, too. We’re partners, and I’m not going to just stay behind.”
___________________________________
They make their way back to the Sekisegumi officer after dinner; they’re both a little grim, but the officer isn’t much better, and once they agree to take the job he exhales, beckoning them into a closed room to give them the details. Souji had heard some of it - there were rumours about the coup at the daimyo’s castle, after all, which is why he knew it was an opportunity for them - but the extent of the situation has not gotten out yet - and it’s this information that makes Souji finally understand just why they were chosen and why “failure was not an option”.
I knew the anti-foreign sentiment had strong roots in some of the factions of the city but I did not expect them to go so far as to attack Kugane castle during peacekeeping talks… going so far as to take the daimyo prisoner and use him as a hostage to demand that Hingashi be permanently closed to foreigners.
Stepping outside, he and Yosuke find a corner where they can talk without interruption or eavesdroppers. “I hate to say it,” Souji says, slowly, “but we’re perfect for this job. We’re foreigners ourselves, so they can disavow any knowledge if we fail, but if we succeed we’ll be the final nail in the coffin in favour of the foreign delegations - foreigners coming to the aid of the captured Lord of Hingashi. You know, if this works… we will probably be able to procure unquestioned rights to take jobs here, and might even be able to net ourselves a place to stay out of it.
Shrugging, Yosuke still looks uncomfortable, but he can’t deny that Souji’s got a point - and he doesn’t want to leave any more than his partner does. “Well, if we’re going to do this, we’re going to give this our all. We’ll go in at first light tomorrow and we only have until nightfall, so we’ve only got one chance to get this right. Let’s take that map of the castle they gave us and get started planning.”
Hi! I just wanted to say thank you for getting me into FFXIV. I started playing one year ago today, and I've met so many people through this game and made so many new friends and even rekindled some old friendships because of it. It even gave me inspiration to write again, something I was struggling to do. I wish I could visit you all. Alas, I'm on a different data center. Still, I thought I should at least say "thank you", even if I'm just another passing adventurer.
So, this ask sat for a few days while we both sort of boggled at it; I hope you understand, friend, just how much this touched us and how good it feels to know that even if it feels sometimes like we’re posting into the abyss, our posts touch folks, even if just a little. Knowing that you started playing FFXIV because of our little blog, and that it’s had such a positive influence on your life - that legit made me tear up, I’m not going to lie.
It’s a shame that we’re on separate datacentres, but if you’re ever in our neck of the woods - or if you ever want us to pop by (we have some baby alts on aether, and I think crystal?) definitely let us know how to find you! And even if we never meet in game, we’re still absolutely FFXIV buddies, and we wish you the best of time in the land of Eorzea with whatever content you choose to enjoy.
Thank you again for the kind words - a treasure in these chaotic days - and may you ever walk in the light of the crystal!
2020 was certainly a year, but now that 2021 has arrived the partners wish you a very joyful Heavensturn - may we all move forward into a better year and better times ❤️❤️
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