[ferrumumbra]

It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.

Indie FFXIV OC as written by Lyrieux. Follows back from milesducemdominus

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[ferrumumbra]

[bladeshowers]

Eyes were on her. The sensation of being watched prickled her skin like needles. The feeling almost made her homesick. Almost. The gentlest turn of her head had her eyes surveying her surroundings in effort to puzzle who was watching her. The quick search yielded no results and left her confused and irritated. Not close by then? Amara had assumed, incorrectly it would seem, that she would be approached. That was usually what happened when she got that feeling. Always an attack or a conversation. Usually never this prolonged.

The aetheryte plaza is always an active hub with people passing through. It's honestly one of the noisier segments of Ishgard with the idle chatter, the turning of cart wheels as they move to and fro, and the distant sounds of creation drifting from the refineries and smithy's. The familiar hum of it all soothed her enough to cast off her veil of subtly to turn and look around much more overtly. Eventually, she finds him, an Elezen with dark hair and vibrantly hued eyes. Had they met before? No, she would have recalled eyes like his. What did he want?

Better to find out than sit around like a waiting duck. Gloved hands clutched her fur-lined coat in effort of warming herself before making her way over.

"I feel I should be the one asking you that." The lack of reaction to her presence ruffled her feathers a little, but all the woman did about it was raise an eyebrow. Honestly, she shouldn't have bothered coming over in the first place, as she suspected it was merely going to be a waste of time and energy. Perhaps a less hostile approach would be better?

"Do you want my assistance? Or…?"

[ferrumumbra]

Heavily marred skin didn't flinch against the bitterness of wind. The breeze, laden with the suggestions of further snow, ruffled his old shirt collar - bare to the elements, cold and steeped in malcontent. 'T was a wonder he yet stood, a wonder he yet survived in that frigid clime lithe and sick as he was.

But Auri? He survived out of spite. Against every odd.

Auri's gaze, having more in common with a bath of acid than his own kin, settles upon his company and her lingering question. Did he need help? If he was not so cynical and distrusting he might have made a comment about fixing the damned city so that people didn't die on the streets, but frankly, he had long passed the point of caring. He would die on the streets eventually, just like countless others before him and countless ones after. That couldn't be fixed - - not without just burning the entire city down and starting again.

Or so he thought in his own vicious way.

"...'m sure someone prob'ly needs 'y help." But not he - - Auri considered himself already an immensely lost cause, given everything. His marred skin bore against the cold felt tight and he raised a hand up to briefly brush at his cheek; "...check th' Brume. Someone down there prob'ly wouldn' mind y' holdin' their hand as they die."

[bladeshowers]

Murder was a regular occurrence and a part of life no matter how often Evan cared to ignore it. The action generally wasn't extremely common within the walls of Gridania, but even still they were no strangers to the concept. The miqo'te had heard certain tales about the pSerpents violence towards female Keepers in the past from her father who'd heard them from her mother. A common warning amongst her kind not to stray too far from their communities. Though times have been kinder to the Keepers in more recent times, the warning remained fresh in her mind. Limsa and Ul'Dah were frequently violent far more as she'd witnessed for herself and had been told numerous tales from Amara.

The scene that she'd stumbled upon reminded her far more of Ul'Dah than of Ishgard, but people were people everywhere regardless. The miqo'te crossed her arms over her chest and quirked a silent, contemplative eyebrow. The scene was fairly gruesome and dramatic in and of itself. Not a quick murder. Performative. This was something about sending a message. Whether to the living or to the dead, she couldn't fathom to guess.

At some point, Evan had drifted forward, likely aiming to talk to the Knights dealing with the mess, when a voice made her pause. Her ears swiveled, dangling earrings giving the slightest of jingles from metal hitting metal, and she turned to face the man. "They might let me through." Maybe. Evan also didn't feel rushed to actually head over though as the smell was going to be a thousand times worse over there than it was over here. Her nose wrinkled at the thought and the second sentence he said caught her attention.

"Mm, not sure that's what they were tryin' to do. If it was about art, wouldn't it have been more ornate?" Her head tilted a little. "Dunno. Just seems like pinin' a guy that high up seems like you're sendin' a message to someone. Maybe the guy you killed. Maybe someone else. Point is he's there where we all can see 'im. Just..." Evan trailed off quickly before she finished her thought out loud.

If a certain Ul'dahn wasn't currently curled up in front of a fire in the Fortempts Manor staving off coughing fits Evan might have been concerned.

"Curious if anyone saw who did it. 'S'not exactly a private area. Sure there's coin in it for anyone who did. If not, I'll make sure there is." Evan knew someone from the Brume probably had seen something. That was usually how these things went. The problem was motivating someone into saying something. A murder of this variety might make that more difficult than it usually was though.

[ferrumumbra]

Auriaullen's acidic eyes trained intently upon his newfound company for a moment, taking in features and silently scrutinising words. He didn't know anything about art, couldn't claim to knew what made it so - or even good or bad - but there was something about the way that the poor fella had been nailed to that wall that spoke far more than just death.

"...doin' somethin' like tha' would take a lo' of effort-" He muses aloud, knowing he couldn't personally do something like that - he hadn't the strength; which meant the murderer was likely someone built enough to lift a fully grown man, hold him and nail him into a wall by themselves. Unless they had an accomplice, but he didn't seem to think so. "Seems like they wanted t' humiliate 'im - - pu' 'im on display in tha' fuckin' miserable state. Wonder why---." What had he done to get such an end? Auri would have to find out, simply for curiosity sake.

"...y' could try n' ask around. Bu' people down here don' like t' fuck about in th' affairs n' issues o' others in case it comes back on them. Don' matter if much needed coin is on th' table." His gaze briefly takes in the sight of the corpse as the temple knights finally get the poor sod free, letting him fall to the floor with a father familiar thud before making moves to get him bagged and dragged away.

"Temple knights'll jus' drag 'im off t' th' mortuary n' be done wi' it. They ain' go' th' time t' be findin' whoever did it." Auri pauses, humming in thought; the entire thing really had piqued his interest. Did he have competition? "Best bet would be t' try n' identify 'im, 'n see if he had any long standin' grudges or issues - - migh' lead y' t' someone."

[songs-of-light-xiv]

It didn't take long for Melody to notice how reluctant Auri had been to come to bed. She had noticed how on-edge he had been for a while now, but chose to keep quiet for now. She knew full well how much he liked his independence, and how much he didn't want her to worry about him. And yet, she'd worry anyway. She'd figure that there would never be a moment that she didn't worry about him in some way.

Her hand had rubbed over his shoulder to silently announce her presence. He answered her unasked question almost immediately, and Melody glanced out at the surroundings as well. Kugane was beautiful at night, and she could tell that he enjoyed it here. Far, far away from the source of much of his pain.

Wordlessly, Melody shifted, pulling her robe around herself to drive off the evening chill. Then, she moved to sit beside him, her head leaned carefully to the side to rest against his shoulder.

"...Would that I could chase those night terrors away for you..." She murmured after a moment, amber eyes peering up at him through her lashes. Melody was also tired, but she was loathe to go to sleep without him by her side now. She slept better at night, knowing he was safe and sound and warm, curled up next to her.

Silently, her hand moved to slide down his arm, until their palms met, and their fingers locked between each other. It pained her, to see him suffer so, especially in knowing that there was naught she could do for it besides be there, to comfort him as best she could. Even though she knew that his wounds ran so deep, that even her magic couldn't begin to mend.

Finally, she let her thumb pass over his gently, her eyes holding his own for a long few heartbeats. "Do you want to talk about it..? Getting your woes off of your chest might help..."

[ferrumumbra]

It's automatic now, the way Auri angles his person towards Melody, the way he instinctively wraps an arm around her to keep her close. He may have been only slight in build, but he could stave off some of that breeze that grew colder by the hour, as the night drew onward.

He holds her hand, finds great comfort in her company and connection - - despite all that ran through his mind, Auri couldn't deny that fact. Melody was the sun in his sky, the very beat of his heart, the blood that kept him alive, the air in his lungs - and he would do anything for her. Seeing the worry 'pon her face when he glanced toward her, it felt like a twist in his stomach.

He didn't want her to worry, didn't want her to fret.

"...I jus' keep rememberin' th' fire." It's a conclusive enough sentence to know what he was referring to; the fire at the orphanage when he was a child was catastrophic, most died... and it had been what left Auri so marred. Weeks of treatment, months of pain... even now, the scars that remained posed as uncomfortable problems at best. "I don' know why; 's been years. Why now-?"

Why did every nightmare make him feel like he was back there, huddled in that room with his friends and orphaned siblings? Why could he smell the smoke and feel the heat every time he closed his eyes? Why could he feel the sear of vicious flames against his skin as soon as he lulled to rest?

He swallowed thickly, glad that both of his hands were busy holding Melody close lest he find himself scratching at his own marred skin.

"...It shouldn' matter... didn' bother me until lately..." Or, perhaps, it always had bothered him, he'd just repressed the trauma of it all of these years and now that he was more relaxed and content in life... it had a chance to surface.

[ferrumumbra]

@draikoeques || 𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴𝙳 for a 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁

Sat alone in the Sharlayan harbour, eyes had long fixated 'pon the sights of the ocean - it's calming waves rocking to and fro against the white stone allowing his mind to ease. Hands, clasped together tightly within his lap, still trembled with something, and only those able to look deeper into those acidic eyes would be able to tell that it was anger.

"...I almost fuckin' did it." He admitted, quietly, as a familiar presence sits to his side. He gives but only the swiftest of glances to Ro ere returning those acidic eyes to the sea. "I don' think I can stay here any longer... or people're gonna star' windin' up dead."

Auri was hardly one particularly known for violence among those he tolerated for the sake of Ro, but he knew that the other knew more than his apparent companions. For the male to overhear as much as he did while on the island, of supposed scholars passing vicious judgement, and not have done anything yet was perfectly remarkable. But Auri could only resist tendencies that he had developed as a core part of his youth for so long.

[ferrumumbra]

@bladeshowers || 𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴𝙳 for a 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁 for Amara.

Heavy snowfall and thickening ice upon the ground of Foundation did little to deter the male from sitting 'pon a fractured wall, eyes locked ahead where steps ascended toward the Aetheryte Plaza. 'T is a strange place to sit, one might suppose, given the weather - but it is no different there than in the Brume off to his right, down the wooden steps that break and bow more by the day.

To look closer would be to see the blood dried under his fingernails, the confines of those acidic eyes colder than the weather - - perhaps, to those uncaring, they would see only the traces of a life hard lived, of struggle, of desperation. Lithe, evidently half starved - - yet he sits there, nonetheless.

Why? It's a signal, a subtle one - but one, all the same. Naught is spoken of it, nobody would know to whom he signals, but he does. The job is done, because I'm sat here as agreed.

Thus, he passes his time watching; passers by, returning knights, departing traders - even children from th Brume running around in the snow and slipping on the ice. He just watched, never once moved despite how utterly freezing it was, despite how the corners of lips had turned blue.

One particular figure catches his gaze, however - and his watching turns more akin to studying; from afar and in perfect silence. Even as he is approached, he gives no expression nor reaction 'pon his features.

"...wha' d'you wan'?"

[ferrumumbra]

@bladeshowers || 𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴𝙳 for a 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁 for Evan.

It's a gruesome time in the city for the chatter 'pon the streets that morning revolved around the discovery of a corpse in the Brume. Perhaps it is not an unusual happening at first glance; folk unfortunately perished in the Brume all the time, be it from illness, the cold or starvation - but this didn't fall into any of those categories. No, the poor person had been pinned onto a fractured wall using broken swords some ten feet or so off of the ground; it was a display, and one many couldn't bare look at.

Except for Auri, of whom had been freezing himself solid sat upon a large, empty crate for some time simply looking up at the vulgar display; many of those in the Brume were used to the sight of death, but this was something else. That something else was what interested him. Did he have competition?

Temple Knight presence was high as they worked out how to get the fella' down, and Auri? Well, he just kept watching, attempting to piece together what may have happened and why. He's not particularly impressed, not given the mess that was made and the obvious passionate killing, but he has to give props on the style.

"Doub' th' temple knights're gonna le' y' past while they're gettin' tha' poor bastard off th' wall--" He utters idly, seeing another presence pull into view off in his periphery. They'd cordoned off the path that lead to the Firmament, disallowed anyone to get too close; speaking of finding forensic evidence. Auri couldn't help but laugh, because they had always been so incompetent at such, it was why they'd not caught him yet, years upon years after starting. "---apparently murderers wanna take part in art, now--."

He didn't. Waste of time.

[ferrumumbra]

@wyferne || 𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴𝙳 for a 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁

Despite suffering and abysmal treatment, it wasn't often that Auri left the confines of the city. A rare contract may take him further out into the highlands, likely toward one of the camps, but never as far as he was today. 'T was a whisper that had bought him there, a figure in the night uttering words through the darkness toward him, of someone looking for someone like him to do a few jobs, to be useful to a better cause.

So he'd headed out there, exhausted and hungry, to a mentioned meeting point - hesitating some way back for but a short time to simply watch, making certain it was no bait or trap. Truly, he ought not worry - - - if he was caught and thrown into the grasp of the Inquisition, then his overlord would get him out with ease. But if he was attacked? Auri stood little chance in a head-on battle.

"Y' needed someone-?" He finally chooses to make his approach, taking an idle seat 'pon a jagged rock - his periphery tracking movement to his left.

[ferrumumbra]

@songs-of-light-xiv || 𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴𝙳 for a 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁

"S' nothin' wrong - - jus' can' sleep." Of all of the places Auri had seen while travelling alongside Melody, this had to be his favourite so far. The stretching landscapes of greenery and the beauty of buildings really did bare stark contrast to the grey stone and endless cold in which he had been used to - - Kugane was beautiful, and the male had felt quite the sense of adventure and interest while there.

That eve, he had chosen to sit outside their current accommodation and simply watch the world go by - ships coming and going, folk walking around the streets, the sights of lit lanterns glowing. Usually, he would be nested inside, chatting and settling ready to sleep but the male seemed almost resistant to such that eve and had, perhaps, been a little more out of sorts of late.

"...Nightmares n' shite - - ain' nothin' tha's wrong, really." Tired though he was, Auri was entirely ignoring his need for sleep out of discomfort toward what may or may not occur depending on what the nightmares had in mind. Why now-? He wonders; why were things of his past haunting him now, and not long before? "Can' do anythin' abou' it so-- though I'd jus' sit out here f' a bit n' hope they go away so I can ge' some sleep later."

[ferrumumbra]

[ferrumumbra]

STARTER CALL-!

Would you 𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴 a 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁 -? Then please feel free to like this post for a completely random one! Length and subject will vary but please be advised that there can be some violent themes on this blog and can be mentioned at any time.

[ferrumumbra]

STARTER CALL-!

Would you 𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴 a 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁 -? Then please feel free to like this post for a completely random one! Length and subject will vary but please be advised that there can be some violent themes on this blog and can be mentioned at any time.

[paulcirigliano]

[ferrumumbra]

Indie FFXIV OC as written by Lyrieux. Follows back from @milesducemdominus

|| Rules || Biography || Universes || Headcanons || Ask ||

[jennyforeigner]

Sit with me at the bonfire and enjoy the evening in companionship and good cheer.

[zyms-world]