Violet sighed as she wandered through the Balshahn Bazzar. Poised to set forth into the void with her friends any hour now, she decided to kill time with some retail therapy before they were to return The Great Work. If she felt she wasn't about to be swarmed with voidsent, she'd be back at the bar further sampling the spiced whisky varieties Radz-at-Han had to offer. Instead, she was left sober and to her own devices.
Arriving at a toy stand her eyes fixed upon a colorfully patterned stuffed pig. Loneliness finally clawed at her rib cage. She hated to admit it, but she missed the twins and the others left behind. Traveling the world was lonely business and without them there to keep her spirits up, motivation to stay sober and on task seemed to evaporate.
"Ah, Violet. I didn't take you for the poppet sort," a voice gruffly called behind her.
Approaching in his armour, Esteninen joined the Limsan and gave her a smile.
"Yeah, they go so well with my tea sets and party dresses," she answered wryly with an eye roll.
"Well pardon me for making an observation. Then what are you doing here?"
Violet paused. "I don't know. Killing time before we help the kid find his sister. I thought maybe twins might want a memento of the journey. They didn't make the trip here last time, right," she asked before snapping her fingers at the Auri attendant. "Hey, you! I'll take the pig and one of the carbuncles."
"Right away miss. Right away."
Esteninen let out a hearty laugh as the toy maker packaged Violet's selection.
"Do you not think them a bit beyond a stuffed menagerie?"
"Yeah. Probably. I just figured it would have been nice to have had folks get me shit like this when I was their age. It would have meant someone out there gave a damn about me. It's the little things, y'know."
The dragoon straightened up a bit as Violet handed over the Gil for her purchase. He seemed lost in thought, staring at a stuffed Vytra before snapping his gaze towards the toymaker"...I'll take the dragon."
Violet turned, brow raised.
"What," the Elzen gruffed.
"It's a little on the nose for our dear little Satrap."
"Shut up," Esteninen grunted, exchanging Gil for the large plush, "Let us make haste to the aetheryte plaza and send your gifts off with a courier. I imagine Y'shtola will come to collect us soon."
"I didn't remember inviting you along," Violet answered wryly, turning for the suggested destination. The dragoon chuckled and wandered behind, blind to the grateful smile of the woman ahead of him.
"Too angry and volatile. Not ready for the front lines."
Carter crushed the review in his hand then threw it at the wall. Rejected for deployment again with the same throw away comments. Of course he was angry. His elder brothers might have forgotten their home, but he hadn't. Even if he was barely a boy when they'd left.
He huffed as he pulled out his soul stone, watching it pulse I his hand, wondering why they wouldn't want to put his wrath to use. His ferocious love for home and country that fueled every heavy swing of his sword.
Y’zel flailed his tail or at least tried to as he awoke to the loud creak of The Tutor. A weight seemed upon it, something large and warm upon his back. Half-asleep, he folded his ears, grateful for the added heat as the chill of the sea had finally penetrated the ship's hull. When he went to settle back down, he remembered he wasn’t alone in the cabin. Eyes flinging open, he turned to find G’raha as his bedfellow, half turned on his back and snoring away.
He couldn’t blame the other, necessarily. Y’zel too, had a habit of searching out a heat source in a sleepy haze, often leading him to strange waking locations. Tail pinned beneath the Scion, he turned the best he could, watching him sleep peacefully before relenting and pressing his forehead against his shoulder. He let out a discreet purr, cheeks flushing lightly as the Scion’s moved to draw him in. Feeling G’raha tremble from the cold, he shrugged his blanket over the both of them, letting the trapped warmth lull him back to sleep in his embrace.
U’rahn chuckled as he downed his third goblet of ale. Back from The Omphalos with G’raha, he rounded up Thancred from Labryinthos for a boys' night at The Last Stand. He hiccupped a bit as he beamed to his friends. “Let’s see, what’s on our hero resumes now? War enders, world savers, god fighters, suave minstrrrels,” the Miqo’te purred to his friends as he stood to toast them.
“For the sake of G’raha and I’s ears, and very well the entire seafront, refrain from any caterwauling and sit back down,” the Gunrbeaker scolded with a smile as his fellow Scion flattened his ears against his braids just in case.
The Nuhn narrowed his eyes the plopped down, tail drooping and swishing behind him before he perked back up. “Well, that aside, I’m still pretty damn impressive. While you might not let me serenade all these fine ladies out tonight, the rest is more than enough to turn some heads. And now that I think about it...didn't you stay behind while Raha and I took to the clouds?”
Thancred shrugged while G’raha beside him turned bright red and nearly fell out of his chair with his drink from the adventure’s casual drop of his tribe moniker. The Hyur swung his sword out, propping the red-haired Miqo’te back up, “I don’t quite remember you sending me an invitation. If you think you're the courel’s spots though…” he trailed, gesturing his head towards the Raen waitress attending to the floor.
Grinning, U’rahn rose from the table and then swaggered over to the young woman before looking back with a slight wiggle of his ears. “Oh, hello adventurer! Quite the crowd, isn’t it? Did you fancy another round of ale for you and your friends?”
“Well, another round would definitely hit the spot,” he started before putting his hands behind his head and giving a bit of a flex, “As the Warrior of Light, I do build up quite a thirst.”
“The Warrior of Light you say,” the woman mused, a smile on her face.
“One of them. The strongest for sure. Just got back from a little adventure with my fellow Seeker pal over there. We’re celebrating my victory over the gods of Fire and Lightning.”
“Really now?”
“Faced the Destroyer himself. I’d love to tell you all about it if you'd like. And my two fellows would be ever so jealous if I brought the prettiest girl in all Old Sharlayan back to hear our tale.”
“Oh yes, by all means, lead the way,” the woman cooed, turning for a moment U’rahn gave the table a smirk and thumbs up. Leading the woman back, he took a seat before finding an empty glass set before him.
“I think it’s about time to cut your friend off sirs. He’s speaking of fighting the gods and fancies himself a Warrior of Light. Even more laughable, he thought to charm me with such a tall tale,” she laughed, filling the Seeker’s glass with water.
Thancred turned and tried to disguise his laughter as a cough while G’raha dutifully sat up and gave the woman a nod. “Yes, we shall get him sobered up and be on our way soon,” he assured her, side-eyeing the other Scion as he near lost it.
The waitress giving a nod, turned heel to move on to do her rounds while U’rahn leaned forward and dropped his face against the wood of the table. “But…I am the Warrior of Light,” he whined, his friends finally giving way to full laughter at his failure to impress.
It had been long since Jannie had been to The Pillars, even longer since she’d walked through the Last Vigil. It was purely on a whim; however, now that she had come, she felt the twinge of regret stir within her. The once welcoming steps of the Foretemps, now were cast grey to her, blending in with the cold dark stone of the rest of Ishgard. Though an ever-open invitation, too many moons since the lost of her friend and knight had come and gone without her taking upon that offer. Maybe her peers in title lit up the doorstep; however, she felt she may only darken it.
Jannie had never thought of herself as unhappy; though, perhaps didn’t take enough time to show her friends and colleagues to show it. Her heart ached slightly, with so much time passing by, she wasn’t sure how she could return the gift he’d given. So much effort to have her smile for him, and not in the manner the high lords would chide her for, but in a genuine beautiful fashion.
Carefully, she pulled a cloth-wrapped parcel from her bag and then began to slowly unwind the covering. Almost on instinct, she looked away from her reflection in the silver unicorn-handled mirror, lent out by the young man just before the end of their time together. Jannie closed her eyes, then opened them slowly, gazing softly into the glass before smiling softly back at herself. Covering the mirror, she quietly ascended the steps to the great family’s house and slotted the package into their mailbox before summoning her anima to return to Old Sharlyan and prepare for her departure into the stars.
🍁 Where does your OC go when they need to have some time to themself? Would they ever have their own “comfort corner” filled with all the things they like? Do they have a favourite spot outside that feels like its theirs and theirs alone?
Y'zel has his room at the Gage Aquistions house. Outside that he has a small office in the Great Gobul Library and if he's feeling really low he'll tuck into Ioh'juhn's room and wrap up in his blanket. Specifically, his room has teas and books handy and is more or less a corner in his massive Library. As for outside...I've never given it much thought for him. He does often find comfort sticking his feet in streams and the ocean though.
What was home? Hayzel couldn’t say. There’d been times in their captivity that they’d been given a place at a table, maybe even talked to like a person; however, it was never long before they were reminded that he was a guest. Perhaps it would be in the displeasure of telling one of their reflection’s shortcomings, quickly being sent from their room and sold off by the morrow. Though, even delivering something beautiful did not guarantee a secure place. Memories of their life before their time in Garelmald were fleeting. On occasion, a flash of their father’s smile or the scent of their mother’s cooking would bring them back to a moment in time. When or were was lost to him.
Now, sitting at the Summers’ table, watching his two Ala Mhigan rescuers trade barbs across the table and laugh and openly invite him into their conversation, no strings attached and no punishment for an odd phrase, they thought it might be the semblance of what they’d missed out on. In only a matter of days, Hayzel had come to feel rather comfortable with them, as if they’d always belonged among them.
Humming. High spirits. These were far off brand from what Y'shtola had come to know of her cousin. Upon their return from Labyrinthos, there had been a change, one that gave her pause for worry.
"Y'zel. You are rather melodic today. Has something happened," the Scion asked, watching her cousin as he shifted on his bookcase ladder to look down at her.
"Sorry?"
"Your humming and general air about you is far more extroverted than you typically care to be. I can only surmise that you've had a recent turn of fortune."
"Oh. It is of no importance. Could you possibly hand me up the next set?"
Y'shtola pursed her lips then lifted a bound set of volumes above her head to the Tia. "I should think you'd know better than to try to dodge me dear cousin. Before our outing you were all but despondent. Please tell me you've not fallen back in with that rogue or the Tia's.
"I've not," Y'zel protested with a crack in his voice and a flick of his tail.
"Y'zel!"
"It is not Ioh'Juhn! I swear it on my mother's axe."
"Someone has you twitterpated. Y'zel, you are finally over Raha. Why are you rushing into something?"
"It's not something. It's just dinner."
"Just a dinner and you're swooning? You must realize that you're putting the cart before the chocobo again."
Y'zel folded his ears then started to aggressively shift books aside. "I am not looking to the ivory halls. He asked me on a single date."
"Who ?"
"Claudine, the researcher from Labyrinthos."
"Oh, you'd stand on the docks of Limsa and not see a single red flag wouldn't you," the woman sighed, shaking her head.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean," Y'zel huffed as he dropped from above.
"To take a quote from Lady Zoisette. 'If you cannot make your own pattern recognition, store bought is fine'."
"I do not have any such pattern," the Tia shot back before tucking around a corner.
Y'shtola crossed her arms then leaned on one the shelves. "When you finally made your peace over U'Nohlo's you let yourself fall for the first Tia that looked twice at you. A Nuhn aspiring fool who had no intention of doing anything but winding your little ball of yarn. When you finally were made to deal with it, Mhitra and I had come to collect you for worry you'd drown yourself in your tears.
"Then you went and got yourself kidnapped shortly after while I was down for the count and apparently fell for your savior. As Mhitra tells it, you were strung along quite well but when it came to it he could never give you what you were after.
And so soon after you fell in with G'raha Tia of all people so you both could both find common ground in loving people that were unable to love you back.
"Three men, all emotionally unavailable, yet you persisted to cling to them until you fell apart. Now you wish to fall for a researcher of all people, and a Hyur. He could be a tail chaser for all you know."
There was silence for a moment before the sound of moving books resumed. "I do not believe he is anything like that."
"A researcher, little Nuhn. A researcher. You know plenty and no doubt understand the gravity of it. Even if he should be true in his feelings, will you be satisfied with someone married more to work than they will ever be to you?"
Y'zel peaked around the corner, squinting at his cousin. "You chastise me for taking too great a risk of the heart; but perhaps your proclivity to Flow out of the room any time someone fancies you might indicate that your well meaning might be clouded by the fact, you yourself, are incapable of taking those same risks. I believe it is called 'projecting' cousin."
Y'shtola flushed then whipped around the corner. "And what makes you think this man is exempt from any caution?"
"He knew father...your uncle," Y'zel clarified.
Y'shtola blinked then shook her head in disbelief. "The selfsame Y'lem Tia who robbed you of your boyhood with his self-centered stubbornness that removed precious years with you from our family?"
Y'zel blinked, having not heard an unkind word about his father from his cousin before. Taking a breath he nodded. "He was mentored by him. I remember so little. It might be nice to hear something from someone who knew him and y'know...can say something good about him without mentioning the bad..."
Y'shtola lowered her ears and tail. "I do not wish for you not to have that. I hear it in your voice though and see it in your movements. You are infatuated with this man. There surely is more to it."
Y'zel paused, then nodded shyly. "I heard something. My Echo...When we touched I heard two voices tell them they loved one another. It was like my own voice...but not.
.."
The woman pressed her fingers on the bridge of her nose. "So you heard whispers you believe to be precognition?"
"No...I don't believe so. Perhaps it could be..."
"Do not say it. I don't know what U'rahn and the others have told you about the past, but I do not believe for a second you were blessed with Hydayln's gift just for your own matchmaking purposes. And I for sure do not want to hear of unsundered soulmates. That is nothing more than a pick-up line for anyone in the know, and a poor one at that."
Y'zel frowned, shyly tucking his tail around his waist. "I felt it, in my whole body. I saw it in his eyes."
Y'shtola shook her head. "You read far too many novels. I've said my peace on this. Do as you will, but please remember that your loved ones worry and do not wish for you to be taken away from us again."
Y'zel looked up, cheeks puffed up. "You are one to talk cousin! Mhitra and I worry over you too! Between you slipping into the life stream, felled by a sword, called to another world, and vaporized by some sad songbird!
"While I might be occasionally detained or have my heartbroken to the point of laying in bed for a moon, I am no H'ophelia Polonius and nowhere near as reckless with my life as you! Yet I keep my peace as does your sister and not think to interject nor judge the life of heroics you've chosen. I love that you love and care for my dearest cousin, but I will follow my heart on this. Just as you follow yours."
Y'zel panted a bit, the words had left him in a hurry. He closed his eyes, bracing for his cousin to cut him with her words. Yet no words came. Instead, he found himself held by his cousin, her head resting atop his followed by a warm drip upon his skull. Taking in a breath, he shook then squeezed her back before letting out a small sob in turn. Together they embraced until it was all out, Y'zel perhaps taking more time than his cousin. Once parted, Y'shtola rubbed her hand over the other's ear, brow raised. "H'ophelia Polonius? You do read a bit too much, little Nuhn."
