cont. w/ @cataleyatakahashi
The comparisons to lost empires of the First had been made as soon as she'd stepped foot so long ago. The map of their shards, nearly identical. The Kingdom of Voeburt wasn't unlike Ishgard in the sense of being located in the northern part of the continent. She could only imagine how Coerthas looked before the Calamity had ravaged it in frost and ice, and Il Mheg had been the closest to how she could imagine it. Rolling fields and brilliant flowers and all sorts of flora.
But, of course, Rak'tika was nothing like that.
Rolling fields that gave way to twisting trunks and gnarled roots fifteen times her size or even more. Suppose it would have been Gridania's mirror in the First that captivated her, and in a way, she had ended up preferring it. No Elementals dictating this or that via a metaphysical voice that could only be heard by a select few they enchanted into their representatives, no politics, just...
Quiet. It was quiet. An ancient, dead kingdom that ruled with magic brought her more comfort than the familiar.
She plucked a bundle of the wild spinach and turned it over in her hands. Hikari fancied herself an accomplished botanist, yes, but most of her research on the First in her free time had amounted to asking the locals beforehand and less so putting things in her mouth that may or may not kill her. "The leaves have it lookin' like a relative've the spinach on the Source," she mused, taking out a leather journal and marking down observations. "If we combine this with some shredded purple carrot from Lakeland an' chopped blood tomatoes from Il Mheg, we may have the makings fer a damned good salad. Or we could jus' sauteé it in butter an' call it a day." Or bake it into a chip. It seemed thick enough to not shrivel up. Or... "Work with me here, Cat. Do y'like quiche?"