— 〉 exploring Galahdan culture & heritage
Title; Mementos
Day 1; Galahdan Way
Rating; PG
Series; Shattered Glass (A Final Fantasy XV Fic)
Characters Involved; Nyx Ulric, Storm Cien (OC)
Summary; Taking place before the beginning of Kingsglaive, Storm is curious of Nyx’s life before moving to Insomnia. So, in the van ride to the barren lands beyond the wall, he decides to ask.
[ April 8th, M.E. 756. 06:23:27]
Tired and barely comprehending the King’s English, Nyx groggily lifted his head to look at his fellow cadet. The rest of the team seemed to be asleep as the van drove away from the city, like sensible people. Then again, Storm Cien was always quite the odd one.
“What was what like?” Nyx barely managed to say past his yawn.
“Galahd,” replied Storm as he rubbed his eyes in attempt to keep himself alert. “I grew up in Zoldara Henge, so I have little knowledge of any of the areas around Insomnia.”
For some reason, the mention of Galahd caught Nyx by surprise. It would sometimes slip his mind that not all Glaives were from Galahd, only the ones he would rather be around usually. He sat up, sky blue hues blinking away the drowsiness only to then look back at Storm. “Why do you want to know? The place was just a group of islands about north from the city.”
Storm stretched his legs out since they felt like they were starting to stiffen up the longer he sat, then spoke, “My grandfather was an ambassador for King Regis. He used to tell me of his travels when he returned home. The last place he went to was Galahd, but my sister and I never got the chance to hear his travels.”
“Because of the attack on the Manor,” Nyx recalled.
“Precisely,” Storm nodded.
Nyx looked out the window in thought, it had been some time since he thought about home. Not in the sense of the war, but in the sense of how he lived and how he grew up. “It was hot,” was his first recollection. “Etro, the summers were blistering up there. Thankfully, my family and Libertus’ family lived in Rhabael, which was a fishing town by the Galahd River, so we’d always end up spending time in the water when the summers tried to roast us.” The memory made the man grin. Man, those were good times.
“I guess I wouldn’t know, Zoldara Henge was always so temperate weather wise. Perhaps it would be because we lived closer to Nifilheim.” Storm shrugged tiredly, he then let out a momentary yawn before speaking once more. “And what of your tattoos?”
“You’re awfully chatty this fine morning, Cien. Sister’s rubbing off on you?”
“Possibly, but I would assume she knows all of this, given how close you are with her.
Ooh, he got you there Nyx. Instead of admitting he was right in that sense, Nyx decided to answer his question about the ink. He first addressed the ones on his face, starting with the one under his left eye. “This one symbolizes my strength in eyesight. My father and I discovered just how far I could see in a dense jungle, and how well I could shoot an arrow.” Look at the confidence on his face. “A lot of the guys and girls in Rhabael have tattoos based on their strengths, to put them on display, in a sense.”
“And the one on your cheek?”
“A symbol of the rite of passage. It’s the first hunt of every person’s life, usually done at the age of twelve or thirteen. The kid goes out for the day with the hunter of the family, and would return with their first kill, which usually ends up being the night’s dinner. But anyways, the mother picks out the design, and the father decides the location of the rite tattoo.”
Storm nodded. It always fascinated him how other cultures were. He himself was raised in a proper environment next to the Fleurets, since his mother was Lady Sylvia’s personal secretary.
“it probably sounds barbaric compared to what you grew up with, huh?”
“Not at all. Culture is culture, no need to compare how one is raised if we end up in the same situation.”
