Sideblog of orime-stories / Home of Aurelle Silmontier and T'nali Rhoka / Collection of all things Final Fantasy XIV / Occasional Adult Content / Also on AO3 as Orime / Interactions Always Welcome
In the continuing adventures of Aurelle and @mimble-sparklepudding's Humble, Aurelle gets the pair hopelessly lost in a cave and Humble provides an excellent taxi service around the aetherytes of the Occult Crescent! (Where they both die many many times to all manner of creatures lmao, those critical engagements are absolutely bonkers!)
Humble was beginning to worry that showing G'raha Tia the view from the summit of Worqor Zormor might not turn out to be as agreeable experience as he'd hoped. Not with ominous dark clouds roiling in and the rumbling of approaching thunder.
Alisaie had suggested a "boys trip" for the two of them and G'raha had certainly seemed enthusiastic to witness some of the natural wonders of Tural, with Humble as his willing guide. Humble had felt that he probably ought to have invited Alphinaud, since he also qualified for the suggested excursion, but for some reasons Alisaie had been most insistent that he was currently indisposed.
"Should we perhaps seek shelter?" queried G'raha Tia, eyeing the gathering stormclouds. "Is there a settlement or lodge futher along the trail perhaps?"
Humble shook his head. "I don't reckon so. Leastways I didn't see any last time I was up 'ere. There's some big stone blocks with picture writin' all over 'em that I was wantin to show you, but they don't really be 'avin an indoors to 'em".
"Ah, I see... What course of action do you suggest? I fear I must defer to your expertise in matters of mountain weather events".
Humble glared at the storm, which was now beginning to lash the lower slopes of the Worqor Zormor with heavy rain and flashes of lightning.
"First things first we needs to be findin' some sort of cave or overhang to makes sure you stays warm and dry and then I can see about getting a fire goin' for us like".
"Don't you also need to stay warm and dry?" Asked G'raha Tia, smiling in spite of the growing darkness and crashing thunder.
"Nope" said Humble firmly. "Leastways not as much as you. I be used to this sort of thing and anyways if you was to get sick I'd never be forgivin myself, not ever. Now you follows me and watch your footing on them rocks".
So saying, the Roegadyn began clambering over the boulders in search of suitable shelter, pausing every few yalms to offer G'raha Tia a hand to help pull him up the slope and ensure he did not slip.
Even under such dangerous circumstances, G'raha could not help but notice how gently Humble took his hand, despite his powerful grip and the fact that his fingers were almost as thick as a grown Miqo'te's wrists...
Obsessed w the idea of Aymeric, so accustomed to being highly reserved and professional at all times that he doesn’t know his own natural reactions anymore. When he does get drawn into a silly moment he laughs super dorky and tries to weigh in on the joke but he fumbles it and his voice cracks, and he’s so mortified that he falls ill for a week.
The expenditure of so much aether has taken its toll. He will need plenty of rest, but should otherwise be none the worse for wear.
After the events of The Tower of Zot Humble could not be dissuaded from carrying the unconscious G'raha Tia in his arms from Narunnair to the Giantsgall Grounds, where he was at last convinced to place him gently in a waiting wagon.
Even so, he rode the entire rest of the way with one hand beneath the Miqo'te's head and the other supporting his back, lest the jolting and shaking of the cart caused him harm.
It was only once G'raha Tia was laid out on a bed in private chambers within Meghaduta that Humble was successfully bustled out by the Satrap's attendants, and finally persuaded to leave him to the ministrations of the chirurgeons.
"I think normally, when people don't do what they ought to do, they don't get paid for it. Er, does he get paid? Do any of you get paid?" Aoife was downing her second round and it was opening up new questions about the universe.
"There's an allowance budget for everyone, and a lot of the team get income from doing their own projects, but he's never cared about the money. That's part the problem. If I cut his allowance budget he'd probably just eat the older screwdrivers." Jessie wasn't being as enthusiastic about her drink, but she was running the thumb thoughtfully over the rivets in her tankard, as though wondering what they were made of.
"Right. He cares about hammering things."
"And making them fly."
"And he needs you all to do that, really. You do a lot of hard math and Biggs has a different brain that solves problems differently and Wedge fits into the small places."
"Wedge is actually one of Aldenard's top enthusiasts at reverse-engineering Allagan programming, but go on."
"So what if all of you together stopped doing your things for a bit? He needs your things to do his things."
Jessie's gaze moved from the tankard rivets and over to Aoife. She looked like she was seriously considering the merits of the idea for a moment before shaking her head. "He managed without us for five years, somehow. I think he'd manage again."
Aoife bit her lip at this. She was only a sheet and a half to the wind, and not for the first time did she find herself wondering how much of that five years he'd really explained to anyone who hadn't had the luck to stumble on him in person.
The luck. The luck. She rubbed her eyes to get an image of the Waking Sands out of her head, and she grabbed Jessie's arm a bit harder than she meant to.
"Look, he-- he has different priorities now. Bigger ones that he definitely can't do without your parts. So take some time to not do your parts, and see if you can't make him understand how it feels when he doesn't do his."
Jessie was taken aback by this insistence, and by the grip on her arm, and by the sudden sheepishness with which Aoife released it, but eventually she laughed. She even managed to make it sound natural.
"Seems like a lot of effort to get him to buckle down to some paperwork, but I'm not going to complain about a problem and then knock an idea before I try it."
There'll be plenty of time to knock it after it doesn't work, she thought as she finally finished her first round.
dailybridgerton
annaxmalina
tangentwithtanner
2087
discoholicmusic
germansingergirl
