I headcanon that Auri molt regularly, how would the boys react to an Au Ra WoL needing help with their scales?
Aymeric
Confused but fascinated, he wants to watch you do it first before he offers a helping hand. It’s not something that is taught by Ishgardian teachers nor something families would tell their children. The closest thing, being dragons, are primarily taught to dragoons in training, who often don’t fully utilize the knowledge. The Lord Commander would always offer to help you with your scales. Over time, he becomes more and more confident in his skin and becomes prideful in the fact that you trust him with the task.
Aymeric traces up and down the length of your arm, lightly brushing at the shiny new scales with the same amount of care as a pianist tickling piano keys or a jeweler inspecting a gem. “I’m happy,” he whispers, “that you feel comfortable enough to allow me to help you. More than anything, I am honored to be given the chance to see you like this.”
Estinien
He surprisingly knows that Au ras molt already and he is neither phased nor disgusted when you found yourself shedding during your trip acrossing Churning Mist. Instead, the dragoon simply asks if you need care products either ones you brought alone or something you can make to help with the sensitive scales. It turns out that as Estinien dedicated himself to the role of Azure Dragoon, he discovered that most dragons would shed their scales at some point in their life. Armed with that knowledge, he was able to follow the signs to where they are.
Estinien is persistent in making sure that every dried scale comes off. If certain areas would ever get stuck, he would lead you into a warm bath while grumbling about how you need to take better care of yourself. He has you soak up, willing or not. (He will find a way to have you stripped and submerged in the water even if he would have to use some underhand methods.) As you sit quietly, he gently runs a warm damp towel over your scales, taking care to catch the bits of skin that come loose. His eyes staring intently at your face to watch for signs of discomfort or pain.
Thancred
Thancred is not grossed out by the fact that you’re molting, but this is a first for him to be up close and personal to it. He is more than willing to go out and buy different types of products that are believed to help out with your molting. He doesn’t keep those things on hand since he is often not around when your scales molt, but he does take note of where you would be able to get them in the event you need to stock up.
“Why so cranky? Got a scale stuck or something?” Thancred nudged your side with his elbow, a cheeky grin spread across his face. Though it’s supposed to be a light joke, his eyes trail down past your face to scales around your neck as if checking to make sure. He assumes the best but he makes sure to prepare for the worst with these things. He has overheard stories of how injuries or unmaintained scales could lead to irreversible damage that could progressively get worse overtime. He’ll be damned if he lets something like that happen.
G’raha Tia
The first time he saw it was back during the NOAH expedition, it caught him by surprise. He got worried that the Tower had made you sick. It would be up to you to explain to him how it all works and how he could help you. Within a short amount of time, he would have committed it into memory.
When you arrived in the First, you weren’t sure what to anticipate. Fight new monsters, figure out where all the Scions are and fix the world like you are usually expected to. What you didn’t expect was for the Crystal Exarch to have set up a private room that is not only full of comfort but includes different types of ointment and creams made from the local floral that ease scale molting. It was as if he knew traveling back and forth between the worlds would have a strange effect on your body. Ultimately it wasn’t quite necessary, you could simply travel back to the Source to get the items that are much more familiar. Still, the room remains open for you.
Cid
He is amazed by the process and asks plenty of questions. Cid doesn’t struggle as much as others to understand the concept but he does have a hard time grasping what is fully happening as this is way out of his field. The Garlean accepts that this is a part of who you are and offers to go out and buy you the things you need.
Sometimes life being the Warrior of light makes you forget about your own personal needs. While Cid is horrible at taking care of himself (and his business), he is insistent on making sure that you are in the best shape. The Garlean would make a small timer that goes onto your tomephone that reminds you of when your scales will be molting and other daily needs like eating and drinking.
Alphinaud
The scholar learned of the details when you both first joined the Scion and he made his disgust quite clear at the sight of it. His disgust would spill out in poor comments, comparing and wondering out loud how close you are to some of the beasts that regularly molts. It takes a couple good smack on the back of the head and a stern talking to get it in his head that saying something like that is crude and disrespectful. Alisaie had to point out to him that you’re not the first Au Ra he has ever seen. There were Au ras that they have met Sharleyan that have briefly mentioned molting, yet at the time Alphinaud was too busy with his own goals to consider or remember their personal needs.
Once he realizes his mistake, Alphinaud takes every chance he gets to offer help. The feeling of his hand on your scales become natural over time; thin fingers slowly pulling old scales, rubbing against spots when they’re stuck, or simply tracing over them and feeling the scratches left from battle. Alphinaud keeps a few of the full intact scales for himself, they’re tucked deep in his belongings and carefully wrapped up to prevent any damage. It’s up for debate if he keeps it for drawing or comfort.
Haurchefant
He’s fascinated, enough to ask you for a detailed description of your routine. After investing a significant amount of time memorizing everything, he easily sets up items and places that would meet your requirements. Haurchefant even makes offers for you to stay an additional few days when he knows it would be close to when you would be shedding. Though he won’t admit that it’s simply another excuse. An excuse to spend another moment beside you.
“My dear, would you mind if I keep one of these?” He picks up some of the discarded scales to take a better look. With your approval, he places a scale inside a locket that he wears underneath his armor. He wears it everywhere with him; expeditions, back to the manor, even training. Seeing and feeling the weight of it is more than enough to help him pull through a difficult day. When you’re away on your next grand adventure, he still has a piece of you near his heart.
Though there is a secret he wishes to keep from you.
In Ishgardian culture, placing something of a lover inside a locket that is worn regularly is a declaration of true love in society full of empty flowery words and gestures. A declaration that in his life, be it long or short, there will only be one person who holds his heart. And that is you.
Hien
Hien knew that at some point that your scale would molt, primarily that is what he had seen happen in the Steppe. He watches as families and lovers would tend to the other’s scales, some even taking the old scales to make accessories or simply keeping it for sentimental value. It’s an intimate practice, to offer to do it is close to a silent declaration of love, romantic or not. There are some tribes where fashioning the old scales into accessories to give to another would be a sign of affection, repaying the favor with one’s own scales is to say that the feeling is mutual. It has developed overtime where asking for someone’s scales is the same as asking for their love.
With his arms wrapped around your waist and his chest pressed against your back, Hien kisses the back of your neck. The sensation tickles with how delicately he placed it on the new scales as if he’s scared it would hurt you. He rests his head on your shoulder, enveloping you in his warm presence. “May I have one of your scales?”
It takes five seconds for you to realize you might not be okay. Where your eye starts to twitch and you forget you aren’t stuffed into a room where the yelling down the hall is louder than your headphones. No matter how many times I tell myself to say something or give up, nothing ever comes out. But that’s only five seconds. And pretty soon you’re back at work, typing on your computer, and you pop your knuckles and pretend like your anxiety isn’t stuck in your throat like a pill you’re prescribed to swallow. Night time is the worst though. You pop your knuckles 17 times but the anxiety hangs around. I wish my head was not my own. It has been thrown around so many times, looking back and forth in the shower waiting for you to walk in. I was a prisoner in my own home. And now I am one in my own head. Do you ever wake up and forget who you are? Like these fingers must belong to someone who hasn’t dug them inside her own skin, counting slowly to ten as each nail dug deeper into this body that I no longer recognize. How do I tell my children about the time I wanted to die? How do you eventually learn to look yourself in the mirror after you’ve cried? I don’t know. I guess you just try.
Excerpt about a book on my life I’ll never write // 30.07.2018
