#alaria lore

[neaththeheavens]

alaria x rolanberry tart x g'raha tia, 742 words

please click here to listen to the song i had on repeat while i wrote this self-indulgent drivel lol

Sometimes, when the planets align, the breeze blows just so, and she holds her tongue right, Alaria finds herself generously gifted with a little bit of free time. She could train, sure; there's nothing wrong with staying sharp. She could even brush up on some light reading. There's always something to be learnt, she guessed. But rather than do either of those things, she was currently participating in her favorite pastime: bugging G'raha.

They were alone in the Baldesion Annex; Krile had business at the Studium and Ojika had the day off. G'raha was going through papers about an old Allegan relic and she was listening to him talk animatedly about how fascinating all his current research was while she tucked her fork into a slice of Redoubtable Rolanberry Tart that she'd made earlier in the day. Oh, she was going to savor this. Her mouth watered at the mere sight of the weighty slice sitting atop her plate.

G'raha was still talking, and while he still had her ear, which twitched in his general direction as the timbre of his voice rose as he got to a specifically interesting part of his studies, she was very focused on her piece of tart. She slid the fork tines through the first hunk she meant to take a bite of and relished the way it came away cleanly from the rest of the piece. After looking at it for a second, taking in the bright red color of the Rolanberries and the light creamy layer that lays below the berries, she popped the bite into her mouth.

Oh, gods... it's delicious. The sweet and tart flavors mixing together in glorious harmony is so tasty it makes Alaria close her eyes in pleasure. There's nothing better than a Rolanberry tart, in her humble opinion, and she'd give anything if she could taste it for the first time again. She needs more almost immediately after swallowing her first tantalizing bite.

When she opens her eyes to take her fork back to her treat, she notices a grand total of three things. One, G'raha has stopped talking completely. Two, he's... gazing at her very intently. And three, there is a pink blush painted prettily across his cheeks the likes of which she has never seen before in intensity nor color.

"W-what is it?" She stutters out after what feels like a bell.

His eyes travel over her face, over her upper body, she swears they trail lightly over her breasts for a moment before finally coming to rest heavily on her lips.

"You," he starts. Stops. "Well, you sort of moaned."

Alaria's fork clatters to the floor and her eyes widen comically. In the resonating silence that follows, she wonders if it would be possible to quickly pop out of existence for a while. She feels her cheeks heat as he continues to look at her. His tongue peaks out to wet his lips and he's still staring at her mouth. A thrill goes through her at the, for lack of a better word, hunger writ plain on his face that has joined the blush dappling his cheeks.

Suddenly, he's leaning forward, into her personal space. She was sure she would feel the urge any second to back up since he was inside her bubble, but she sat firm and the desire to back off never came. Simple matter of fact, she didn't mind him in her space. His fingers wrapped around the wrist that was still holding the plate of tart and pushed it out of the way ever so slightly.

And then, like it happened every day, he brought his fingers to her mouth. She could feel the heat of him, near as he was. It made her shiver which in turn made him smile a little. He brushed them across her bottom lip to the side of her mouth as he swiped at something. When he pulled his hand back, she could see a little bit of Rolanberry-flavored gelatin smeared across his thumb.

He glanced down at it, thoughtful for a moment, and then brought it to his own lips and licked the offending spot off. She brought her eyes back up to meet his as soon as that devil of a tongue disappeared back into his mouth.

"Delicious," he practically purred, voice very soft and so close she could feel his breath fan across her lips. "You must teach me how to make one sometime."

[neaththeheavens]

You can take this quiz for yourself right here!

Tagged by: @exploringcastleoblivion! Thank you so much!

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Expanding on the results under the cut, just in case you don't want lore!

Her heart is lonely because as much as she loves her friends, she feels as though she can never truly let them in. She has an off-putting aura and people tend to stay away from her because she can be quite brash and responds to many with anger. It's all an act, though. Inside there's a soft girl who yearns to be known, truly known, by her found family. And maybe, just maybe, with her most recent quests completed and now that there's time to rest again, she feels as though she might finally come clean. Be honest. Tell her friends what she has always wanted them to know. That she doesn't know who she is without them, that they're her everything, that she's missing time from before she met them. And maybe, as she cozies up to the mighty flame that is the warmth of the love she has for them, she will begin to thaw.

[neaththeheavens]

17: to distract, with Y'shtola!

under the cuuuuuut! i'm here, i'm alive, i'm writing, i swear.

"Months of research, down the drain!" Y'shtola whines.

"Darling, it will be okay. I will help you rewrite your research, even! We can get it done in no time." Alaria places a hand on the back of Y'shtola's neck and kneads lightly.

Y'shtola leans into the touch, but still has a sour look on her face when she tips her head back.

"Months, Aria. We'll be working day and night for months."

"It's fine. You remember a lot of it, do you not?" Alaria questions, tilting her head to the side as she regards her girlfriend. "I can even beg a little and get G'raha to help us. You know how he is when he gets going on a research topic. Hard to get him to stop for anything. With the three of us working, we can whittle a month's worth of work into a couple of weeks!"

"I remember most of it, yes. But the little intricacies of inter-dimensional travel are not something that you just--"

Alaria interrupts her with a sweet kiss. Presses their lips together and hums against them. Her mouth tastes of the herbal tea she'd been drinking, earthy and sweet, and Alaria can't get enough of it as she deepens the kiss.

Y'shtola huffs a little into the kiss but doesn't break it. It's a huff that says, "I know what you're doing, and it's not going to work!" But Alaria knows what makes her girlfriend relax and how to get her mind off of things when the moment calls for it.

The merest touch of Alaria's fingers to Y'shtola's ears, soft and tender, makes Y'shtola melt. Her body goes lax almost immediately as Alaria's warm fingers trace their way over the edge of her white ears. Then Alaria moves a thumb to the inside of her ear proper and rubs lightly. Y'shtola purrs into the kiss her girlfriend is bestowing upon her.

When Alaria finally pulls away, there's a wistful, dreamy look hiding under the usual, carefully placed stoic face that Y'shtola generally projects.

"You always did know how to distract me, my love."

[neaththeheavens]

alaria x g'raha, 1053 words rated T probably i guess for ahem, things.

a (failed?) cooking lesson!

The stove in the apartment had been preheating for a few bells, making it stuffy and a little hot inside. Alaria and G'raha opened the two large windows in the kitchen, hoping to beckon the breeze inside and cool them off a little while they worked.

G'raha had said he wanted to learn how to cook, but Alaria had thought he'd been kidding about wanting a baking lesson. It seemed to be a throw away statement said in the moment that didn't really mean anything, but they next time they met he mentioned it again.

She'd been a little taken aback but only too happy to comply. This meant they got to spend more time together to explore...whatever it was that was going on between them. They made plans then and there to get together so she could show him the ropes.

Somewhere around mid-afternoon, G'raha arrived at her home, arms full of groceries that he could barely balance without something dropping to the floor here and there. She laughed as soon as she saw him, previous nervousness completely vanishing. He was smiling wide, trying to greet her as a jar of something that looked like Rolanberry jam nearly fell from his fingertips and smashed on to the ground. He caught it again before it dropped, reflexes quick, and managed to stammer a quick "Hello".

She let him in the door and followed him to the kitchen, picking up things that fell from his arms as she trailed behind him. He placed the things he'd been carrying, the ones he was able to keep in his embrace, on to the counter and rounded on the Warrior of Light.

"I-I don't know if I'm ready for this," he laughs, rubbing the back of his neck, and she senses a little bit of trepidation in his voice.

'You'll be fine, darling," she says, tossing the term of endearment in there to see how he reacts, "We're merely following a recipe from a cookbook."

She sees him go a little pink about the cheeks and smiles. He turns to her, also grinning, and holds out his hands to her.

"Teach me, O masterful culinarian!" He says dramatically.

She rolls her eyes at him, and they get to work.

Step 7: Place remaining rolled out pie crust over top of the pie. Press edges together to seal. Cut off excess crust. Cut cute shapes out of crust for venting windows.

They were almost ready to put the pie in the oven; this last step was a crucial one. It made the pie look pleasing to the eye as well as the stomach; something that hobby chefs rarely mastered, but cooking meant a lot to Alaria, so she bothered to learn to cut crusts carefully and clinically so her pies looked as good as they tasted.

Meticulously, Alaria rolled out the last of the pie crust to an even thickness. When she was finished, she rolled it on to a rolling pin and turned to G'raha, whose eyes were comically large at this point.

"And I have to..."

"Yes."

"But what if I ruin it?"

"You won't!"

His ears droop a little, but he takes the rolling pin from her and slowly, carefully rolls the pie crust across the pie. When he's finished, he turns to her and smiles, ears perked back up.

She gives him a genuine, eye-crinkling smile.

"Alright," she says, pointing at the pie. "Now we have to press the edges together to seal the filling into the crust so it doesn't bubble over in the oven.

You'll want to stretch the crust out over the pie a little."

He does as she instructs. She walks around the counter, watching his progress and making sure he doesn't rip their precious pie topper.

"Good, just like that." Her voice is low, but not necessarily husky. Even so, G'raha hesitates a bit but quickly continues to stretch the crust to the very edges of the pie plate.

She's leaning over in front of him now on the other side of the counter, face down close to his as he works and she continues to give advice. He's got a great shot of her cleavage if he angles his eyes just right while his fingers stretch and slip against the dough.

"Don't be afraid to pull it nice and tight," She says, and before the last word is out of her mouth, she knows she's made a grave mistake in her wording.

They both look up, make eye contact, and she sees his cheeks go so, so pink.

Alaria presses her lips together because G'raha looks absolutely scandalized, but she can't keep the laughter in; she bursts out in a fit of giggles at the adorable look on his face and his scarlet cheeks.

He stands up straight, having finished pressing the edges of the pie crust into the little divots on the sides of the pie pan and pulls away the spare bits of crust left over.

She's still laughing when he grumbles something at her she doesn't hear and frowns at her.

"Hmm?"

"I said, it wasn't quite that funny."

It sets her off into a whole new peal of laughter and his frown only deepens.

"You're so easy to embarrass, sweetheart," she says through her mirth, by way of explanation.

The words, along with the new term of endearment, only serves to deepen the pink on his cheeks, but he's got a look about him now. No longer frowning, he rounds the counter and walks straight up to her.

She's barely shorter than him but he seems to tower over her, somehow. His fingers find her chin and angle her head up so he can press their lips together, other arm wrapping around her waist. A short, sweet kiss before he brings his mouth to her ear and chuckles lowly into it. She shivers against him even in the too warm kitchen. Electricity crackles up her spine as he drags his lips along her ear, and now it's her turn to blush, to turn pink, pink, pink, as he whispers to her, his voice deep and rough.

"You tremble at just my breath, love. Would that we could find out what my tongue would do to you."

The pie lies forgotten on the countertop.

[neaththeheavens]

alaria x g'raha, 772 words

someone's jealous??

The party was just kicking off, already packed to the brim with people celebrating the new Dawnservents and the (probably momentary) peace since Zoraal Ja had been defeated. The seating had been pushed back so that couples could glide one another gracefully along the dance floor, the tables were filled with people enjoying food from the large buffet that had been set up along the side wall of the room, and the bar was dotted with relaxed customers watching the festivities from a safe distance.

Alaria, from her place at said bar, drained her cup as she saw another throng of people enter the room; her anxiety had ratcheted from moderate to extremely high as people began making their way to her to either congratulate or thank her for her boundless good deeds since the party had officially started. Not only was she having to interact with so many people that she didn't even remember names anymore, but she was having to listen intently as they began yelling over the music to profusely pay their respects.

She ordered her forth brandywine between a small group of Pelu Pelu who were thanking her for saving one of their own from Zoraal Ja's attack on Tuliyollal and singular Tonawawatan man who wouldn't stop shaking her hand. She took a large swig of her drink and immediately had to steady herself as she almost fell off her barstool. A hand on her shoulder brings her back from near disassociation and when she looks over to see who it is, she is surprised to see a perturbed G'raha Tia, his eyes bordering on angry.

His gaze softens when it meets hers slightly, and then completely when he turns to the line that has started to form and he addresses them:

"I'm so sorry everyone," he half-yells, band raging on in the background, "I need to borrow our hero for a few moments."

He shoots them a lopsided grin. It's one of the ones that is sure to make anyone swoon a little, and she hears a collective groan of disappointment over the band as the crowd starts reluctantly disbursing. Meanwhile, G'raha takes ahold of Alaria's arm and drags her off none too gently.

She starts to speak, but the sound of the crowd is diminishing, as is the loudness of the band, and her hackles lower just ever so slightly.

They round a corner and he stops so suddenly she almost slams into him, but he doesn't give her a chance. He grabs her by her upper arms and presses her into the wall, crowds in close.

"'Raha, what..." She begins again, but no. He shakes his head and places a finger against her lips, effectively shutting her up. He peaks around the corner, making sure no one has followed them and when he's satisfied, he gives her his full attention.

He looks...worried now. Eyes roving over her face, grip on her arms softening, he removes his finger from her mouth and brings his hand up to cradle the side of her head gently.

"You looked distressed." He says by way of explanation.

"So did you." She counters. She's a little tipsy, but she knows she saw anger in those beautiful crimson eyes before he dragged her away.

A pretty blush darkens his cheeks, she notices.

He notices her noticing and his anger seems to return.

"Perhaps I was tired of everyone else taking up your time tonight. Perhaps I want your attention on me and me alone." He bites out.

In her ever so slightly addled mind, her last two braincells refuse to communicate and she simply stares at him blankly for a few moments, slowly blinking.

And then it hits her.

What he said.

What he means.

"Oh." She intones very softly.

He's still so close. His arms bracket her head and his knee is wedged between her own and oh gods why didn't she notice he was still so close. Her eyes slip closed slowly and her head hits the wall behind her at the wave of arousal that hits her.

It makes her feel off balance in a way that she's never quite experienced before. It's nothing like the sway she feels when she drinks alcohol; it's stronger. It covers her whole body from the tips of her ears to the ends of her toes; it's heat, it's a pull low, low in her belly, it's a zing of lightning up her spine all at the same time.

"Can I kiss you?" G'raha whispers.

She doesn't deign to answer him, she merely pulls him forward so their lips can finally meet.

[neaththeheavens]

What languages does your OC speak? Are they fluent in them? Do they struggle when switching between dialects? (from @wandererxiv)

Alaria speaks common quite fluently, though she does have a bit of an accent! She does have trouble with a few dialects; her foray through Ishgard was quite challenging for her, for example!

She also learned bits and pieces of the Viis' language while she was in the First. They had some different words she'd never heard and she made a point to visit with and study some of the language.

She's spent an EXTENSIVE amount of time in Il Mheg, so she can curse you out in Fae, too!

[neaththeheavens]

🥩 (Steak) What's the best meal to make to win your OC over (I.e. what's their favorite dish?)

If you want Alaria on her KNEES, tempt her with a Redoubtable Rolanberry Tart! Have you seen that thing? It looks delicious!

She'd do just about anything for a slice (or three)!

[neaththeheavens]

Ah, this tracks! Mischievous and likes Pokémon who rely on clever strategy? That's so perfect. The only thing that doesn't go is the not caring about children bit. Alaria does care about kids; she can't have any of her own, but she does love kids.

Dark is a perfect type choice for her! There are PLENTY of dark-types that fit her style and aesthetic. She will, as you might have noticed, fill her team with cat-like pokemon if she can get away with it. That's why I chose Sneasel, Liepard, and Alolan Meowth for her. She'd love those sneaky cats. Had to throw a dark/fairy-type in there (Morgrem) because if I could CHOOSE a type for her, it would be fairy. Thievul also sort of fits the mold here, but Thievul is fox-like. And then, of course, her partner in crime, Guzzlord. He's huge, he eats everything in his path, and he's super cool. She'd love him.

Here for the quiz, here for the team maker!

Tagged by: No one, but I saw @starrysnowdrop's trainer post and wanted to make one myself! <3

Tagging: AAAAANYONE who wants to do this! It was so fun! Please tag me if you do this from seeing my post! I wanna see your types and teams! :3

Credit to this website for the animated Pokémon sprites!