#ic_stories

[sasha-rochester]

Check.

“Lady Rochester, know that we are not here to impede your research within reason, nor work against your interests.’’ The officer’s eyes fixed on Sasha- They were calculated, even predatory. A coy hint of a smile curved his lips, ‘’However, your work is currently running counter to the law. The generator found on your property, as well as your more... Peculiar studies are cause for concern.” He paused, letting a short silence linger in the air as the weight of his words landed on her shoulders. “I’m sure a lady in your position understands our own, hm?” Sasha averted her gaze from his. “I’m not a criminal. Research isn’t a crime, and yet I am being held against my will and questioned as if I were considered a terrorist.”     “Research itself is not a crime, you are correct.” The blond man paused, letting out a soft exhale from his nostrils, “… But keeping secrets regarding matters that concern The Forum and The Order… Nurturing a source of aether ranked higher than some found even within government facilities- without a proper permit or the knowledge of your fellow citizens, well… I’m afraid to inform you: That is, indeed, a crime.”

“I’ll pay whatever fines you expect me t-” The officer cut her off, “This is not a matter of gil, Lady Rochester. This is a matter of national security.” “I didn’t put anyone at risk but myself.” “If it malfunctioned, that generator could have killed several people within a two malm radius by the expelling of aether alone-” “I knew what I was doing.” “Did you?’’ The man quirked a brow, leaning forward to look her in the eyes. ‘’Then why did you fail to apply for a permit?” Sasha snorted, turning away from the Sharlayan officer in silence. “… Are you aware of what punishments befall mages who abuse their power and wield it with such recklessness?” He shook his head softly, brows furrowing in genuine concern. “Especially after the events of the fifth astral era?” She didn’t respond. Her eyes continued to avoid him. “Twenty-five years in prison at best, if the population is particularly bloodthirsty that day, possibly a death penalty, fitting punishment for one who dabbles in Necromancy.” For the first time in their conversation, the hint of the smirk turned into a full-blown smile. She could almost feel the weight of chains wrapping around her body, a certain sense of doom erupting from the curve of his lips. ”Necromancy!?”The woman let out an incredulous scoff, ”What do you take me for? That’s a preposterous claim–And frankly, an extremely irresponsible one to make against-“ “The Homunculi Project.” ”T-that… I had nothing to do with that.” Sasha faltered, her voice cracked.  “And that wouldn’t be necromancy either, it’s an aetherial construct, built fully from the caster’s aether, like...” She paused, fighting every urge she had to chew on her lower lip. “ Like a carbuncle!” ”–A carbuncle possessed by the deceased. Or, well… An individual who would be deceased had they not been retrieved from the aether sea in order to be bound to an aetherial construct of your creation.  In short, Necromancy.”  He tilted his head slightly, maintaining his gaze locked on hers, “It was dead. Magic happened. It is un-dead. By definition: Necromancy.” ”I-I’m not the one who- I wasn’t. Caroline admitted herself that she was the one who was behind the project. W-why are you pinning this on me!? B-besides, it’s not like she was getting in trouble for it back in the mainland! Why am I-“ “Evidence has been uncovered of your involvement in the project. You can rest easy knowing that Professor Chamberlain will be informed of your transgression, as well as her own for aiding you in such research.” A heavy silence followed, as the Sharlayan officer stared at her, she simply dropped her head in defeat. Her fingers dug into her own thighs, her face contorting into a twisted expression of desperation and defeat as she lowered her brows and frowned. “Miss Rochester, there is no reason for you to end up here. If you surrender yourself, we will ensure that you atone for your crimes in a more civilized manner. We can even grant you freedom once such debts are paid.” “How much?” The man scoffed, “Did I not previously state that we had no interest in gil?” “What are you interested in, then?” “Well, you need to pay for your crimes, but I see no purpose in halting your research, so I present a proposal.” Her expression softened a little, ”… Go on.” “Return with us to Sharlayan. You will be allowed to continue your research under our observation, as well as our codes of conduct. It would certainly allow you more opportunities than whatever The Order has planned for you.” “ ‘Us’ being the forum, correct?” “Correct.” “You want me to become an agent of the forum?” The man leaned back with a hearty laugh, “Oh, no. You would be no agent of the forum. You would, indeed, be a prisoner. Do not confuse your role in this matter; though, rest assured that as long as you continue to be productive and obedient, your stay can be rather pleasant.” He paused, eyes locking on hers with a sardonic smile, “Unless, of course, you prefer the alternative. I suppose you could be imprisoned by The Order instead.” “ No…” “No?” “I don’t want to be imprisoned by The Order.” “Clever girl. I’m glad to see you have some sense of self-preservation, so we have an agreement?” “ Yes.” “Very well. You have a grace period of fourty-eight bells to sort out your affairs before we depart. Keep in mind that during this time you will be under strict guard by the appropriate authorities. Any attempts to escape our agreement will be used against you, so please be wise.” “I have one question. How long?” “How long?” “How long will my sentence last?” ”That will be determined by your violations, behavior, criminal history, as well as your willingness to cooperate. As of now, you are looking at approximately… Twenty years.” “I can’t be in Sharlayan for twenty years. I have a life here.” “Oh? So you want to stay here? I’m sure The Order will---.” “N-no…” He paused,  resting his chin upon his hand. His voice took on a sympathetic tone: ”Considering the family you come from as well as your willingness to cooperate, we can be quite flexible with the restrictions placed upon your sentence. This by no means changes your status as a prisoner, but you do not need to be deprived of all your rights. So long as you cooperate, you may return to your life after an observational period.” ”…But I’ll still have to fulfill my sentence under the forum.” “Correct. It will be necessary for you to comply with our conditions, report back to us, and remain monitored by the authorities for as long as your sentence is active- But I can promise that as long as you abide by those stipulations, you will hardly feel it in your daily life. Of course, it will take some time before we get to that point.” “And how long before I reach that point?” Seemingly satisfied, the man’s mocking smile faded into a soft smirk as he leaned back. “That’s going to be determined by your behavior.”

[sasha-rochester]

Damned

The warm, spicy scent of florals and vanilla filled the room. The flickering candlelights bounced off the marble of the large, sunken tub. Red rose petals were scattered over the bubbly water, adding to the dreamy atmosphere of the scene. “Iba, could you please pour me some more wine?” Sasha slid the large, empty wine glass towards the au-ra maid, sinking deeper into the warm embrace of perfumed, bubbly water. Ibakha poured her another glass, “M-miss Rochester, don’t you think you’ve had a lot to drink today?” The woman opened her eyes slightly, red lips curling into a hazy smile, “Hm? I’m not drunk, if that’s what your concerned about.” “Oh. Well, I guess...” She reluctantly slid the glass back to her boss. “Be a darling and wash my hair with the jasmine scented cream, hm?” Sasha leaned her head back,  looking up to smirk at Ibakha who sat near the edge of the tub behind her. The au-ra gave her an earnest smile, gently pouring the cream into her hands before she began to massage her hair. “Mmm... Thank you, love.” Sasha let out a placid sigh, closing her eyes as she began to sink further into the enthralling scent and warmth. Knock knock knock. That quickly snapped her out of the spell. “Hm?” She sat up slightly, making sure not too interrupt Ibakha’s work. “Lady Rochester, may I have a word?” Adelard creaked the door open, making sure his voice could be heard. “I’m having a bath, can it wait?” “Uh... No. I think you’ll want to hear this.”

Sasha let out a long, annoyed exhale. “Fine, come in.” Adelard sauntered into the room, tearing his gaze away from the bathing woman as he spoke, “The rose garden.” “What about it?” “... You’re not going to like this.” “...Go on.” She closed her eyes, expecting little more than some petty complaint. “Half of them are dead.” Sasha turned her head towards the elezen, “...Pardon?” “The bushes, they are dying. Some are already dead altogether.” “Why?” “These weeds are growing, these... Flowers. They’re taking all the resources from the plants in the garden, the roses aren’t the only ones suffering for it, the entire garden is dying, but due to their delicate nature, I’m afraid the rose bushes won’t last very long. I cut them down and pulled out their roots, but the damage will take some time to repair.” “How long have they been growing there?” The woman shook her head, scoffing: “How did you not see this!?” “They just showed up.” “What do you mean ‘just showed up’? Nothing just shows up.” “This did, last week it wasn’t here, now it is.” It suddenly dawned on her, and she fell silent for a full minute as her mind began to process it all. “... Hey, by any chance... What do these flowers a look like?” “White, red tips. Beautiful, but... Unusual. They smell disgustingly sweet. I almost got sick as I pulled out their roots, in fact, I still have a headache from it. Edmund asked for a sample of them, as he claims he’s never seen these before.” Sasha fell silent again, frowning as she sunk back into the bubbly water, “... I need to speak to Caroline as soon as possible. I think... I think it’s starting.” “You think what is starting?” Ibakha gently poured warm water over her head, washing off the soapy substance in her hair. “I... I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. Iba, darling, do you think you could head out for a bit? I need to speak to Adelard about something private.” Ibakha squeezed her hair gently, setting the pitcher of water down before nodding. “Of course, give me a call when you need me.” She quickly made her way out of the room, closing the door behind her. “... Have you made your choice?” Adelard didn’t miss a beat, instead, he looked straight into her eyes. His expression held no contempt, no arrogance or even a hint of judgement. “No.” “If it’s starting, perhaps you should.” “I don’t want to be pushed towards a decision. I can’t. I don’t know what they are capable of, and I don’t want to fight for the losing side.” “You’re a coward.” “I’m a survivor.” He frowned, shifting his gaze to the setting sun peeking through the windows. “You’re aiding the resistance, are you not? Does that not make you their enemy?” “I’m not aiding the resistance because of some delusional sense of morality. I’m helping them because it’s my best chance of knowing what these entities are without binding myself to them. Again, I don’t want to have to make a choice.” “You might have to, soon.” “I might.” “Before it’s too late, I mean.” She brought the glass of wine to her lips, downing it all in a few gulps.  “It’s never too late to damn yourself.” @the-faceless-ffxiv​

[sasha-rochester]

Repentless

“This is sacrilegious, you understand that, right?” K’rhaz folds his arms in front of his chest, his lips curling into a disapproving frown. Sasha plucked a glowing yellow crystal from the canvas satchel, “Mhm.” “You are essentially doing necromancy.” The woman shrugs, “I mean, the souls were already stuck in this realm, I am merely using them.” “That doesn’t make it any less nefarious, Sasha.” The woman rolls her eyes, setting the glowing crystal on her open grimoire. “It’s not like I’m murdering people for energy.” “No, you’re merely exploiting the souls of the undead.” “They were already doomed to begin with, I’m just turning their misfortune into something useful for my research. It’s recycling.” She turns to face the miqo’te, tilting her head with wide, child-like eyes. “Recycling is good, is it not?” “Are you listening to yourself?” K’rhaz scoffs, “... Because you sound like a literal psychopath.” “My research is more important than the general public’s outdated code of morality.” “Sasha, these are living beings you are using, beings with a consciousness.” “Living?” She snorts, “They are dead.” “They are un-dead.” “Alright, well, something in between. Who cares?” She waves her hand dismissively, turning back to the crystal, “They could either rot in the sirensong sea or be used for something greater, I am offering them a second chance at life.” “You’re offering them slavery.” The miqo’te clenched his jaw before speaking again, “... Glorified servitude.” “It’s still more alive than being a wandering ghost in the middle of nowhere.” “These souls need to rest, Sasha.” “Well, they weren’t getting much rest as ghosts in shipwrecks, were they?” K’rhaz lets out a scoff of disgust, “By the gods, woman. Do you legitimately not understand why this is wrong?” “Hmmm... No.”

  He narrows his eyes at her, tilting his head back as his frown soon turns into a sardonic smirk, “Hogshit. You know this is wrong. You just don’t care.” “What are you going to do?” The woman flashes him a wicked, mocking grin. “Report me to the authorities?” “No. I’m not concerned about my morality or yours, I don’t approve of your actions, but it’s not my job to pretend to be a better person than you. I’m concerned about the consequences you’ll pay if this gets out to the wrong people. With your position in society you should know better than toying with these things. You have too much to lose.” Sasha quirks a brow, picking up her pen as she begins to carefully trace a circle around the crystal, “Do I?” “Yes.” “If I thought what I had to lose was valuable, I wouldn’t be doing this, would I?” “Adelard was right. Your ego will be the end of you. Not even Caroline can save you.” “I don’t need to be saved.” At this point, Kr’haz lets out a loud, bitter cackle, “Oh, you’re very, very wrong about that. Or do you not recall how we nearly got slaughtered in the Shroud because you chose to toy with elementals?” “We’re alive, are we not?” Sasha softly shrugs, continuing to trace the circle around the crystal as she began to elaborate on the arcane design, “... That’s all that matters.” “You can’t keep dodging consequences forever. They will catch up to you and everyone in your circle. It’s almost sickening.” “You can always walk away.” “No. I came here with a decent idea of what sort of person you are, after Caroline told me how you ‘disposed’ of your own mother, I knew you were something special.” Sasha stops her tracing to look up at him, “My mother was trying to kill me.” “...If that helps you sleep at night.” “Then why don’t you leave?” The woman sets the pen down, a scowl finally managing to taint her expression. “Are you kidding? I’d rather have a front-row seat to this spectacular shitshow. I don’t have a family or anything to live for, really... But I can’t say the same for everyone else who is being dragged into this by your claws. This includes your own husband.” “He doesn’t have to get involved.” Her voice softens as she lowers her gaze again, picking up her pen to continue with her work. “And yet he always does.” K’rhaz’s words are met with nothing but silence, the only sound in the room being the idle graze of the woman’s pen against her grimoire. After a few long moments, the miqo’te speaks up again: “And what about Ibakha? She doesn’t deserve this, and I’m pretty sure Adelard is doing it purely because of his reckless loyalty to your family. You’re cursing them all.” Sasha doesn’t even look up from her work. “It’s their choice, not mine. Adelard knows what kind of person I am, it’s not like he’s blindly following me. As far as Ibakha goes, I’m firing her as soon as things get ugly. I have a back-up plan. I know if I tell Ringo to keep her away from me, she’ll understand.” “Don’t you think you’re already in too deep?” “Sweetheart...” Her lips curl into a soft smirk.“We haven’t even started.” “I can’t decide whether I’m terrified or intrigued, but know you’ll have to make a choice eventually.” Sasha quirks a brow, her smirk widening mockingly. “A choice?” “Between your own family and your pursuit for power. At this point, I don’t think even Caroline approves of your methods.” “As long as I’m her only heir, she’ll have to.” K’rhaz softly begins shaking his head, his expresison twisted into something akin to a mixture of disgust and disbelief. “I have never met someone so incredibly arrogant. You underestimate how incredibly lucky you’ve been so far. Most people would’ve been killed by the time they committed half of the crimes you did... I hope you realize this.” “Mhm.”

[sasha-rochester]

Thrill Seeker

Small, linear cuts covered her body. Some shallow, some deep. They all hurt. Sasha sat up from the bed, squirming at the pain nearly every movement caused her, every time cloth brushed past her injuries, she silently cringed. Her eyes fixed on the windows. The light took an orange and violet hue—Unusual for a morning. “Good afternoon.” Caroline’s voice made her jump, “I take it that your trip didn’t go too well last night. Good thing Ava and Edmund are here to tend your wounds.”

Sasha slowly turned to look at the old woman sitting across the room. Familiar eyes gazed back at her, taking a hazy, yellowish glow. 

“W-what are you doing here?” “I was waiting for you to wake up.” Sasha closed her eyes, slowly laying back down on the bed as she pulled the sheets to cover her face with a pitiful groan. “I wanted to call you for help-” “I wouldn’t have made it in time.” “I didn’t-” “You were incompetent. Again. Nearly killed by an elemental and a small group of high-ranking conjurers. I’m just… Confused.” Sasha frowned, keeeping the covers over her eyes as if to avoid the yellow gaze that would surely eat her up alive if she were to look back. “Confused?” She quirked a brow, her voice soft and raspy. “… You’re a smart girl. Now… What in the seven hells did you think would happen..?” She paused, “When you decided to forcibly steal aether from an elder elemental in an unstable zone like the west shroud? You thought they’d just…” The old woman shrugs, scoffing, “Let you off with a slap on the wrist? Maybe you thought they wouldn’t notice?” “I knew they’d notice, and I knew the risks.” Caroline gritted her teeth, lowering her voice into a near growl: “Then why would you take such a preposterously stupid risk?” “I thought I could handle them.” “But you couldn’t! Could you?” Sasha pulled down the covers to finally look at the woman, “I mean, we’re here! I got most of the energy, I’d say the mission was somewhat of a sucess.” “K’rhaz told me what happened. If it wasn’t because of the intervention of a godsdamned poacher– a CRIMINAL- you would be dead.” The old woman’s voice cracked, and for a brief second, Sasha swore she saw a hint of a tear clouding her vision: “Do you not understand what dead means?  Can your mind not grasp how much is at stake?” “I-I didn’t think-” “You thought wrong.” Caroline cut her off, “Never, ever do something like this again. If I ever find out that you take on a venture like this alone with nothing but two guards, I will disown you.” “But-” “No! Not a single word from you. Never again. Do you understand? Never! We can’t afford to lose you. There isn’t a lot of us left, for god’s sake! It’s me, Edmund who is sterile, and YOU.“ “You’d lose me if you disowned me anyway.” Caroline let out a long sigh as her old hands began to tremble, “Fine, allow me to reiterate my point: Do something this inanely moronic again, and I will drag you back kicking and screaming to Sharlayan—And this time, unlike your parents, I will bind you to a marriage you really cannot escape. Do you understand?” The old woman began to stand up, using her silver cane for support, “I’ve been very lenient so far, do not push your luck.” Sasha fell silent, clutching on to the covers as she averted her gaze from the old woman. As Caroline stepped out of the door, her tone switched back to her usual compsure: “…If you want to take care of those scars, Edmund and Ava are already working on a compound for it. You’ll have it after dinner. I’ll see you then.”

[sasha-rochester]

“What have you done to me?” Caroline lifted her gaze from the paperwork on her desk to meet Sasha’s eyes, “What have I done to you?” “My magic, it’s different. What have you done?” Sasha folded her arms in front of her chest, frowning at the old woman.  “You should’ve asked that question moons ago, when you were in Sharlayan.” “You said my magic would be back to normal three moons--It has been over six and I can hardly stabilize it enough to cast a spell, let alone summon a familiar. So I ask you again, what have you done?” The corner of Caroline’s lips curled into an amused smirk, “Your magic feels more powerful, does it not? The fact you can’t control or channel it properly isn’t my fault.” “What’s the point of weaving powerful spells if I have no control of them in the first place?” “Ran out of things to complain about, have you?” The old woman shook her head as her eyes returned to her work,  “You were perfectly fine in yesterday’s attack, in fact, from what I heard, you did much better than the rest of the group.” “I swear to the gods, Caroline-” “What?” She interrupted, “Is that not what you wanted? If you want to completely block your aetherial channels so you can never weave magic again, I’ll gladly do that, too. Is that what you want now?” Sasha shifted on her feet, her voice weakening slightly, “No, but-” “Then keep practicing. Next time you step into my office I want news on your improvement or a complaint about something worth my time.” Sasha barely opened her lips to protest before the old woman struck another blow,  “Scram my dear, I have better things to do than being nagged at by a petulant child.”

[sasha-rochester]

The Sharks

Sasha clenched her jaw, peering behind the window at the group of men walking down her courtyard. Most of the group was dressed smarty, with perfectly tailored white uniforms of Sharlayan design, likely sent by the forum--What really made her panic, however, was the small group of flame officers tailing behind them. “Oh no... Oh no, no, no, no... No, no, no, no... No...” “Are you having a stroke?” K’rhaz looked up from her desk, pouring her a cup of tea. Sasha turned to look at the miqo’te, canting her head as she spoke in a weak, almost whispery tone. “The chimera, did you..?” “Did I what?” “Move it?” “Move that thing? Are you insane?” K’rhaz scoffed,  “We could blow the entire mansion to pieces, and your neighbors too. You know that, you gave us the explicit order that-” “Fuck, fuck...” Sasha interrupted his trail of thought, “...So we have this concentrated mass of energy right beneath our fucking floors... Fuck... W-why are they here? Why did the guards let them in?” Adelard poked his head in through the door, “They have a warrant.” 

“What? What!?” The woman’s hands began to shake, “Wh-what do you mean they have a warrant? What kind of warrant?” “A... Search warrant?” The elezen quirked a brow, his lips curling into an incredulous smile as if what he had just said was the most obivous fact in the world. Sasha let out a long sigh, “Yes, but under what crime?” “They think you’re involved in Caroline’s disappearence.” “B-but I’m not!” She rose her voice, briefly turning to look over at the men making their way to her door, “Y-you know I’m not!” “They don’t.” “Fuck... Fuck...” Sasha gulped, her hands now shaking more violently as she held them together, as if that would help calm her nerves, “If they scan the levels of aether... If they... Oh my gods... Oh my gods...” Her chest began to heave as she took in exhasperated breaths, “... I’m going to prision.” Adelard gently placed his hand over her shoulder, “You need to calm down.” “What I need is a fucking bullet in my head, fuck!” She snapped before quickly returning to quite panic,  “Okay... Okay.. I’m fine. I’m fine! If they find the chimera... I’m so fucked. I’m so fucked!” K’rhaz chimed in, “They’re Sharlayan, okay? Maybe they’ll-” Sasha hissed, violently waving her hands around, “They’re accompanied by flame officers! FLAME officers!” Finally, she collaped on a chair, “...I’m going to faint.” She closed her eyes, sinking into her seat as a million scenarios played in her head---Most didn’t end well for her. “... I’m going to cooperate... But if they try to arrest me...” “You need to let it happen and we’ll take care of the rest.” Adelard knelt beside her to look at her in the eyes. “Let it happen?” Sasha’s voice nearly cracked into a squeak, “They’ll kill me!” “You’re Ul’dahn nobility with vast amounts of wealth and family influence that extends beyond Sharlayan’s walls. They won’t kill you over finding what could be construed as a bomb in your home---Not with the right lawyer. As long as they don’t find out about your other crimes, but I don’t think those will be a concern-” “Illegal research, Adelard.” She brought a trembling hand over her lips, speaking softly,  “The Sharlayans will kill me if they think I know too much and have spread the word-” “You’re Caroline’s granddaughter. They won’t kill you. At worst, they will drag you back there to become an academic and social slave, but they won’t kill you.” “... He’s right, you know.” K’rhaz nodded at the elezen’s words. “How is that better!?” She scoffed, “Slavery? What the hells do you mean by that?” “It means if The Forum tells you to marry someone, you do it, if they tell you to pour yourself over certain studies, you do it, if they tell you to jump off a bridge, you do it, but they’d never ask that--Jump off a bridge, I mean.” K’rhaz paused for a brief moment, feeling Sasha’s eyes burn a hole into his soul, “...I assure you it’s still better than being beheaded by a priest of Nald’Thal.” “That’s not very comforting.” “... Or thrown off a bridge.” Adelard chimed in, “Come on. Let’s meet our new friends.”