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1Powell06/20/2019
2"Grandma?"
3
4"Yes, little one?"
5
6"Your big brother... Great-Uncle Theodoric. They call 'im th' Mad King, don't they?"
7
8"Yes, little one. That's true."
9
10"Oh. Well... does tha'... does tha' mean I could go mad one day too? Or dadda? Or..."
11
12The first question did not faze her. The second one gives her pause, as does the third. With a sigh, Lara gently marked her page, and set down her book. "Come here, Schezar."
13
14The boy waddled over, all of seven years old, and crawled into her lap. Smiling up at her with those big violet eyes of his. Chuckling, the former princess tidies up his hair, with a fond touch of her fingers. "No, little one. Madness does not run in our family. Something else does, but... you'll learn that, one day." She glanced out the window, rocking gently in her chair with her grandson, before continuing. 
15
16"It's difficult, to become a leader. Whether you're born into it, or take command, by blood or necessity." Her eyes met his. "Sometimes, hard choices must be made. Prices that we think must be paid, for power. Absolute power over your enemies."
17
18The boy scrunched up his face. "Grandpa Gehrman says power comes from within us. From trainin' and... an' tryin' to be nice. I mean, um... kind? Grandpa's big on tha'."
19
20Lara smiles. "Well, sometimes your grandpa is quite right. That's why I let him steal my heart, and steal me away." With a sigh, she kisses her grandson's brow. "You can have all the power in the world. All the might in the world, even that of dragons, or old, legendary Allag. But then, if power rules you and your choices... devoid of forethought. Devoid of compassion. Then even the mightiest empire will crumble, one day." Her older, wizened hands rest on his young fingers. "My big brother died, and the Mad King took his place. When his fear, his need for power, murdered the kind boy I knew. Who protected me from so many cruel things... and in turn, became cruelty incarnate himself."
21He stares at her from the corner, shrouded in shadow. His features are partly hidden from her in the darkness, and for a moment, it seems to the empress that he will turn and leave. To prevent what cannot be prevented. To save his beloved fairy princess from the bitter cruelty of this day.
22
23Instead, he steps forward, expression unreadable, and sits beside her on the bed. He does not say a word - but he reaches for her hand, and takes it. Staring at the wall, as he gives her fingers a squeeze. Not asking for permission to touch her ancient, imperial person.
24
25He sits beside her on the bed, and quietly holds her hand. Until what seems like hours have passed in waiting, until he finally murmurs low, "May I go to her?"
26 
27๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/20/2019
28A day of fire and ash, her childhood coming to an end. A day of blood and brutality, the weight of the empire heavy on her head. Two of seven points carefully chosen to tug at her own heartstrings, to flood her very soul with enough pain to will a change. Through the haze of her clouded hatred, there is something else that still strikes her. 'What about trust? Love? All the other emotions that motivate squishy, crunchy, tasty little mortals.'
29
30His hands are so, so very warm. It's almost maddening.
31
32"You may." Permission. Words barely above a whisper. Permission to go and witness if he needs, and to interject as he feels necessary. It's a bittersweet acceptance that makes tears her upon laughing in frustration and lowering her face in shame. Feeling jealous of herself truly is an odd sensation. Because that part of her accepts the sheer amount of love people hold in their hearts for her, leaving the traces pulled apart lacking in that nature. It's difficult, heart clouded with so much anger and hatred, to see past that. Especially for the man that would tip the scales into insanity.
33
34What about love and trust, she wants to counter. But perhaps they, too, are just as good as a motivator.
35
36The doors of the throne room as ajar. Seven men, elezen by blood, have their weapons drawn. An assortment of rather crude swords and daggers at that, with hardly enough armor to their body. The empty state of the castle due to the hunt, leaving mostly maids and a few guards easily overpowered, explains it. Curled in the corner of the room behind one of the men are a few female staff members, doing their best to keep quiet about what is going on. Another stands near the white-clad maiden reliving her past, whom seems to be in the middle of trying to reason, negotiate, or talk the leader of the men down.
37His hand on her throat, pushing her against a nearby pillar, proves it doesn't go as well as Mist intended. She clamps her fingers around his wrist, hissing lowly, and bites down hard enough to immediately draw blood when his other hand moves towards her mouth. Colorful words cursing the gods above don't drown out the knee to her gut, breath rushing out of her in a quick swoop as she doubles in his hold, gasping for air. 
38
39Nausicaa keeps her gaze away. She's already lived this once; she's not the one who need the pain.
40 
41Powell06/20/2019
42One brings shadow, one brings light.
43
44His bootsteps into the throne room are slow, ponderous. Even with the sight of Mist being kneed to the gut, the breath knocked out of her. He's not sure if the empress, if Nausicaa, followed him from the bunker. He doesn't look back over his shoulder to check. He just remembers that her fingers were cold - lonely - as he held her hand. How sad her eyes were, despite her pride, despite the need for vengeance that drove her.
45
46Two-toned echoes, tumbling through time.
47
48His glance flicks over to the terrified staff of the castle. The corpses of the men. What's being done to the women. Back toward Mist, doubled over, being assaulted.
49
50Threescore wasted, ten cast aside.
51
52His vision clouds over. A haze of red. He feels faint. As he stretches out his hand toward her, toward his fairy princess at the far end of the chamber, he remembers all the blades he forged in his workshop. Expressions of art. Of sorcery.
53
54Four-fold knowing, no end in sight.
55
56Ebon armor, framed by a ragged, long, flowing black cloak, springs to life on his person, like a coat of dark flame. One of the elezen looks up from his comrades' raping, noticing the intruder, and laughs. The bloodlust, the battle-heat, is strong upon him, as he rushes the highlander.
57
58We fall.
59
60With no warning, a spot in the reinforced ceiling above cracks - no, slices open. A sword - a gigantic hunk of meteorite steel, simply falls directly from the sky onto the invader, slicing him in half straight down the middle of his head. Blade embedding in the stone floor with a thunderous CLANG, and both halves of the elezen peel apart in a bloody mess, spurting and collapsing to the floor. on both sides of the weapon. The blade itself is seething, alive, as it radiates dark draconic energies - a single eye in the pommel wildly looking in every direction, as its master, its creator, pulls it from the ground.
61We fall, unto the end.
62
63Behind Schezar, in the wake of his shadow, another figure rises. Grinning, all smiles, all teeth. But seemingly more disciplined this time - armored like him. Wielding a greatblade like his, though also made of black flame. The highlander and his living shadow high-five each other wordlessly, as Tourian walks left toward the rapists, and Schezar walks right, toward the throne, to Mist. The last piece of his armor to manifest is his helm, removing his face from view.
64
65We fall...
66
67Hardly armored, crudely armed. The elezen barely understand what's happening until the dark figures are upon them. No Warriors of Light, these - no heroes clad in mythical gold and white, saving whole realms, bringing new dawns. Their screams are fast, quick, cut short - Tourian is considerate enough not to use his teeth this time. Simply stabbing, slicing, then pulling them off their victims immediately.
68The one who choked Mist, hit her when she bit him. He roars a battlecry, and manages to knock the blade out of Schezar's grasp with a wild swing. The fragment of Nidhogg's rage goes flying, and embeds itself vertically in the wall.The ringleader grins, and with another swing, manages to slice off part of the highlander's helmet.
69
70...through all the stars.
71
72It's a familiar sight to Mist. Just like that day at Carteneau - part of her lover's countenance is visible, his hair showing through the damaged helm. A single violet eye. But instead of backing off, he calmly walks up to the elezen leader. Grabs him by the head, and lifts him off the ground. Almost meditatively, amidst the invader's sudden screams and pleas, pressing his thumbs directly and gouging deep into the elezen's eyesockets. His black gauntlets staining crimson.
73
74The elezen's legs continue to twitch for a few more moments, until they stop, and hang limp. It occurs to Mist that her Sche had not uttered a single word, a single noise, through all this.
75
76"I'll get it for ye, Ms. Lake Fairy Dragon. Jus' don't go around eatin' up all th' princesses no more, okay?!"
77
78When he kneels beside her, carefully seating her upright, taking her arm, he finally murmurs softly. "Can ye stand?" His voice is gentle. His demeanor, kind.
79
80Her first friend in the new world. Her only friend in the new world, for the longest time. What happened in the past six years, that forged him into this?
81
82Do you know where dark knights come from?
83
84Do you know the tale of the Warrior of Darkness who fell in love with a Warrior of Light?
85 
86๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/20/2019
87Victim.
88
89It's not a word that she takes lightly, nor one she's ever thought in relation to herself, even after a glimmer of light spills itself on a memory twisted to something kinder than it truly was. But as she looks at him, sees what he does, the action betraying the gentleness of his tone. The world fades away, blood and carnage and shadow demons (who thirteen-year-old her still thinks is the coolest thing in the world) ceasing to matter. None of it does as she rises with his help, not letting him rise fully in return. The damn helmet, speckled with blood, is the least of her concerns.
90
91Her eyes close, face tilts, lips press where his mouth is hidden by metal. Forged in iron and sorrow, stories in his mind that she's unable to reach. Six years ticking between them, and three more before it. What bent him like this, one day she'll learn. She's poke and prob and find out everything one day, somewhere softer and quieter when there are no elezen being torn assunder and cruelty inflicted upon people in her memory.
92
93"I'm sorry," she finds herself whispering before she can help it, wanting nothing more than to tell him to stop. That it was okay, that he'd done enough. That he didn't need to dirty his armor on scum like this. Because he would, wouldn't he? He would do it again and again, in order to keep her safe. To keep her from the same dirtiness she didn't want him to see. 
94
95No, if either of them can be marred by that word, victim, it is him. And she wants nothing more than to make him feel as safe and sound as he once made her feel.
96"I'm sorry, Sche." Mist repeats, unable to express just how sorry she truly was. For those six years. For those three before it. For the night he left and she pleaded with him to stay with her, not to leave the life they'd built. A life that could have been something so much more. For his marriage ending poorly and stealing away a glimmer of happiness he deserved more than anyone she's ever known. For all the agony he's faced, all the hardship burrowing down into his bones. 
97
98Watching them, Nausicaa adverts her gaze, leaning against the door to the room. It's bitter and it's sweet, and the taste on her tongue is heavy with regret. Opening her hand, a small light flutters from it, dispersing somewhere far from where they are. Another glimmer of strength to add to a crystal slowly healing a fractured soul.
99 
100Powell06/20/2019
101Again, she surprises him. Again, she catches him off guard, as she closes her eyes and kisses the cold iron of his damaged helm, where his lips would've met hers. His single eye blinks, visible through the jagged and torn steel, then his eyes briefly close in tandem with hers.  His hands sinking to rest at her sides, holding her close. Black-armored knight, and barefoot fairy in white.
102
103But then her words, simple and heartfelt as they are, give him pause. When their gazes meet again, the sadness and love in her eyes cuts him to his core. The same sorrow he saw in the empress' eyes, yet different, all her own. Different facets of the same person, a crystal with many lights, slowly healing itself, gradually reuniting once more. "I..."
104
105What can he say? The words die on his lips. All her unspoken sentiment, all her love and sorrow for him, all the stories he has yet to sit down and tell her - their eyes alone tell it all. Part of him is ashamed for showing this brutality to her - she deserved a shining hero. A cliche from the old songs, maybe, riding in on a white horse to sweep away all her troubles. The perfect fairytale prince to give her a happily ever after.
106Not this mess of a boy, cut open and put back together again for Garlemald's science. This man who walked away from the palace of the dead, inheritor to a royal shadow. He answers her with a whisper of his own. "Mist... please, don't be." He tries to smile for her, to reassure her, not knowing how much time they had left together in this memory. "S'not your fault. I chose this. I chose t'become wha' I must. Because I wanted t'be... t'be of service, to ye." To be worthy of you.
107
108It was true. She was right. He would stain his armor crimson, over and over, for her. Both here, in dreams, and in the waking world. Giving everything he could, to help earn her a body again. To see her smile and hear her laugh once more.
109
110How many years have I waited for this moment?
111
112For the one possessed of Her blessing?
113
114For you.
115 
116๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/20/2019
117“You silly boy,” she chides. “You’ve never needed to chose this. Did you never realize, after all the time we spent together, that I just wanted you?”
118
119Around them, the throne room fades. Even dream elezen bandits in the midst of raping time don’t want to confront a monster with a hundred mouths and a hundred stomachs, it seems. The sound of rushing water, the scent of flowers blossoming on trees, the presence of shimmering crystals — a place neither of them will ever forget. A change in the memory, bringing her back to the place she’ll always return to.
120
121“I wanted you. As you were then. To... to meet your clan. To build a house with you. To wear white and brightlilies. That’s all I wanted, Sche. You never... you’ve never needed to become more. I only want you to do what you feel is right, and if that leads you into trouble, I wanted to be there with you.”
122
123If she had left the lake after him, forced through the doubts binding her in place to test her limits, would she have reached him? Would her body have lasted? Or would she have been captured along with him, her free will taken away?
124
125A throb. No, she doesn’t want to see anything else that hurts right now. It’s too raw, too distant. A short break. To rest. Then to see whatever it is she needs to see.
126 
127Powell06/21/2019
128Silvertear, as it once was. Before the Calamity. Before the rage of Bahamut seared the land, turning it to crystal and glass, stripping the water of all life and leaving only ash. As the scene shifts, scouring away the throne room, the bodies, the smell of blood, his armor dissolves too, along with his sword, and even Tourian.
129
130Everything vanishes, leaving only the two of them alone in each other's arms, and he is clad in simple clothes once more. Her words are a balm to his soul, everything that he needed to hear. Any remaining doubts he had about staying the course, about whether it was worth all this self-sacrifice, are drained away at last. Disappearing along with the throne.
131
132He sinks down to the grass, still holding her close, underneath the shade of a tree. Their tree. He presses his lips to hers, warming her with his kiss, his touch, for what seems like forever, before answering. "I want you, too. I want ye to meet my kin. Me mum an' dad. Grandma Lara. All th' little ones, nieces an' nephews, lively little buggers." For the first time since they reunited, his smile is at peace, hopeful. Unmindful of old wounds, old memories, locked away within.
133
134"I want to build tha' house with ye. To help ye get your body back, an' live again." He looks out toward the water. "To meet Aly an' Astra in their new lives. To stand with ye, by your side, when comes th' time to face yer 'usband." His fingers curl over hers, covering her hand with his, clasping down gently.
135
136It was true, she was right again. Strip away all the ego, all the conceit and bravado on the surface, and at the core of it all he was just a silly boy. Her silly boy. Luckiest Stormbreaker in the world, me. Getting to love an empress, becoming part of her myth. My fairy princess.
137
138All because of a pure chance meeting, by the waters of the lake.
139 
140๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/21/2019
141No metal between them; just skin on skin, lips on lips, breath passing in the middle. Warm, tender, and gentle, with her settling comfortably on his lap, legs spreading to either side of his hips in order to lean flush against his chest, the white fabric of her dress somehow coming out of the prior ordeal without being damaged. Her hand upon his cheek, crystalline horns and prismatic scales blooming over her, and Silvertear Lake. As if no time passed at all between them. As if it were just another visit before Bahamut's fury and imperial torture.
142
143There's a certain contentness that comes from just holding him, arms lightly wrapped around his waist, that she never realized just how much she missed. It isn't that she's lacking in affection from her daughters or her friends -- no, quite the opposite, she drowns in it on a regular basis -- but it is a different sort of feeling then that, something that goes far deeper into places of her heart that she only lets out when she has parchment in front of her and a quill in her hand.
144
145"Three questions," she decides on promptly, raising one hand to poke the russet-haired highlanders nose. With a grin, she leans back enough on his lap to be able to look at him, nodding in time with her own words. "Just three for now. I'll ask, then you ask, and we'll alternate." There's so many that she wants to ask that limiting it to three will prevent her from bursting at the seams. Hopefully.
146
147"Your marriage..." And of course, she has to start with the most pressing one on her mind. "What happened?"
148 
149Powell06/21/2019
150He is all smiles, calm and content with her touch to his cheek, even grinning as she pokes his nose. Then, as the question comes, his smile slowly, gradually fades from his face. His eyes drift away from hers, toward the water. It was a question , the question, that he'd always dreaded. That he knew would inevitably come. Part of him still doesn't even know what exactly happened, himself. Those days had become a blur, a flurry of throwing himself into mercenary contracts, into perfecting his forgecraft. Just to distract himself, just to help him forget. It was either that or listen to the demons in his head, whispering to him to end it all off the nearest cliff, or blade at hand.
151
152But she was his fairy of the lake. He could never say no or lie to her. He kisses the top of her head, once, breathing in the scent of her raven-dark hair, before shifting his eyes back toward the water. His fingers absently find hers again, holding her hand - quietly asking, needing her bracing presence.  "Her name was Harue. Nushiya Harue. At least, s'the name she chose." He shifts slightly, and she can sense the calm - forced, deliberate calm - in the way that he chooses his words. "She is... was... a healer. An artist, a painter." Despite himself, a faint smile tugs at his lips. "Th' first time we met through a mutual friend, both of them were on top of a kitchen counter. They'd yelled at me to come over linkpearl. T'get rid of an, er... experiment wha' had gotten loose on th' floor. A tentacley, grabby kind o' pet."
153The highlander chuckles, shaking his head. "We spent time together, after tha'. She said-- well. She told me about 'erself... about how she'd lost bits of 'er memory. Didn't know much about th' wider world. How she'd been enslaved by a gang to... service their clients." Smile fading again, his expression slowly becoming unreadable. "I wanted to... I mean. I got 'er tomes, helped her relearn about all th' things she'd lost. She'd missed." He pauses. "Those were good times."
154
155Tension in his form, even in just this dreamscape. "An' then, one nigh'... a job went wrong. I stumbled home into 'er flat, bleedin' out me chest. Armor compromised. Tha' was  it for me, I reckoned. Thought I'd finally pay due at last for Carteneau. For everythin' an' everyone I'd failed before." His gaze grows distant, distracted. "She brought me back from th' brink. And, in tears, she asked me t'marry 'er."
156
157It was difficult to think of her laughter. Her shy smile. "I said yes, an' we continued on after tha'. We... sort of rushed headlong into it. Eloped. She told me tha' her own clan was far away on th' Azim Steppe. Royalty among th' tribes, even. But she never wanted t'see them again. An'..." Only at this point does he hesitate, and falter. "...an' tha' she could never bear me children. Because of wha' had been done to her. I told her none of tha' mattered. Tha' I loved 'er, regardless."
158He exhales, slowly. Trying to exorcise demons that clung to his thoughts, his very soul. "When we met my family afterward, me sister loved 'er. So did th' little ones." Hints of a faint smile ghost his lips once more, but it fades just as quickly.
159
160"Th' last few days I saw her... it was nearin' her nameday. I wanted to surprise her. I--" At this point, he hesitates again. He averts his gaze, guiltily - not even understanding that what he was about to say was hardly a sin, or a crime. "I called in every marker, every favor I 'ad in th' Ul'dah. With th' Flames, General Aldynn, even Lord Manderville at th' Syndicate.Got a plot of land, started buildin'. With all th' smithing I'd been learnin' on the side."
161
162The words spill out of him now like a flood. He is unable to stop. "I built her a home, with me own hands. From th' ground up. She was away, trainin' her healin' arts. Or so she said. I was so engrossed, I didn't notice th' pearl calls comin' in less and less. I was ready for tha' day, I told her nights earlier I loved 'er... I couldn't wait for her to see th' surprise..." His hand has drifted away from her fingers, down to the side. Unconsciously squeezing and tearing at the grass.
163"On th' mornin' of her birthday I sat there, like a fool. Tried to call 'er to see if she'd be coming. No response. No sign. So then I looked and I looked and I looked and--"
164
165"And you never loved her."
166
167That's a lie, that's not true.
168
169"She was just a distraction for you, until you could find your fairy again!"
170
171That's a LIE!
172
173"You know it's true, deep down. You've never loved ANYONE!"
174
175No! I would've given EVERYTHING for her!
176
177His gaze averts sharply to the side. Full of shame he cannot understand. Full of pain he cannot fight. He grits his teeth, and for a moment, it almost seems like he'll get up and walk away. He breathes, long and deep and slow. Calm. Just like his grandfather, his clan, had taught him. Calm.
178
179"...eventually... we... at th' company, we figured... maybe she was a plant. Sent to spy. We've no lack of enemies. If so, then she was very, very good at her job." His stare drifts down to the grass he's destroyed, his hand covered in dirt. "I don't know. I won't ever know, I reckon."
180
181The silence is heavy for a little while. His eyes do not go back to meet hers. Then, eventually, he murmurs low. "So, it's my turn for a question. Knowin' all tha'... what a joke an' a failure I am... do ye still even want me here?"
182 
183๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/21/2019
184A woman from the Far East, forced into a life that is not unique in the world but painful all the same. No matter the age, no matter the era, there will be such circumstances for the fairer sex. Pretty faces and soft skin, warmth between their legs that men can get lost in. Some turn the tables and find it satisfying in some way, learn to take the power offered to them in it, and others dream of something better. Harue, regardless of what may have happened, found that 'something better,' and she cannot fault her for that. She cannot fault Schezar for that, either.
185
186Six years. For six years, she couldn't even remember him. Not until pieces of her memory stolen by the Archon's spell began to fill in shortly after the battle with Ifrit above Ul'dah's skies as it burned. The first summoning of many to follow. Her past rapidly began to unwind in her mind, letting her see glimpses of the empire she once ruled, the allies she gained over the years, and the youth from the lake she grew to love. If his memories were handled the same as hers after it all, or if he believed her to be dead, how could she fault him in the slightest for moving on and living his life?
187
188While he doesn't move, doesn't get up to walk away, she does. She paces around him in slow, steady circles, hand moving behind her back to hold as she gazes up at the clear blue sky above them. Near enough for him to easily grab her should he feel the need, but mobile enough to work out how to best handle his question.
189
190And she does, after a moment of contemplation, after a long humming noise, in the most Mist-way she can; by knocking her knuckles against the top of his head in gentle reprimanding.
191"Why is that a failure at all, Sche?" It's a counter inquiry, though one she does not let him answer himself. "You met a girl, got to know her, fell in love, and accepted her proposal. You wanted to build a life with her. You wanted to grow old with her and spend your days alongside her, didn't you? There is nothing wrong with that. No matter how it ended, it does not make  you a failure, nor does it make the feelings you felt wrong, or a lie, or a waste. You may never know why things happened as they did, but it doesn't change what you felt. You did what you could. If you and she, even for a little while, were happy together, isn't it worth it in the end?"
192
193A moment of hesitation, followed by her quickly mumbling, "This doesn't count as my question. I'm just curious!" Because it was important to stress that, yes. "If she were to come back, apologized for it all, what would you do?"
194 
195Powell06/21/2019
196"You were a fool. She never loved you."
197
198Guess so.
199
200"Mist doesn't even need you here. She has her own life, now. Her own friends and family. She'll leave you, too."
201
202Probably.
203
204"You'll never be a father. You'll die alone, for your sins at Carteneau."
205
206You're right. I don't disag--
207
208Then comes the sharp rap of her knuckles to his head. "Ah." It startles more than it stings, and he blinks up at her as she paces around him, still smiling at him. With the surprise, he is instantly transported back - he is five, six years old again. He is seven, eight, nine. Eleven. Year after year. And every year, at least once - whenever he said something foolish, or did something dangerous, she was always quick to remind him. To gently but firmly correct him. 
209
210And now, banishing away the dark voices, the ones he keeps locked away in his own head. At her next question, he pauses, then looks away. "...I'd like t'know why. Why it happened like tha', on tha' day," he murmurs. "An' I'd like t'forgive her. Or for her t'forgive me, if I did summat wrong." The highlander does not reach for her hand, but he does seem to unclench, to exhale a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding in. "I'd like to know. Maybe... maybe one day. An' I would..." He hesitates, looking out toward the water. "...I would give her back her ring. Not out of spite, or 'atred. Just... ye know this better'n anyone else, I reckon. Sometimes... some things 'ave to end. For summat else new to begin." He looks up at Mist again. "Let go, an' begin again."
211
212After a few moments, he finally reaches for her hand, letting their fingers intertwine. "My question, then... tell me about them." It's not a question, really, but a request. "Tell me about th' people ye've met through these years, after ye finally came free of these waters. Th' people who love you, an' whom ye... ye love."
213 
214๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/21/2019
215For every beginning, there is an inevitable ending. For every ending, another beginning will follow in time. The bittersweetness of one chapter closing for another to begin is something she'll doubt she'll ever grow used to, but she understands the necessity of it. Understands that it is the way of the star, of the universe, and that balance must be obtained, mortals striving each day to make the most of their limited time. To find the answers they seek, to live comfortably through any heartbreak that may threaten them, to forge ties together.
216
217She understands it all too well, because even if she has gone beyond the limitations of mortality, she still retains her humanity. Science, magic, and prayer did not remove these things from her. No matter how hard it may get, she'll cling to that, to remember frail moments of light within the storms to come.
218
219The return of a ring forged from love's promise. Let it go to start something else. Something that might take time to find again, six years and three before, and for current wounds to heal and voices to be silenced. In another world, a shard of the Source, where more answers can be gleamed.
220
221"Well, that's a good question!" Laughing brightly, she squeezes his hands when their fingers intertwine, and ends her pacing fit, gesturing animatedly as she speaks. "When I woke up near the Sanctum of the Twelve, I had to find some way to make gil and support myself. Adventuring through Gridania's main branch proved to be interesting, though not entirely the best way to keep my coffers full. Still, on an odd job I meant Sanary, who I now recognize as Alysine freed into this time. She's..."
222Sanary, the fiery redhead who dives first into things. Mist giggles as she tells him of the many times the two of them got into a lot of trouble by taking the most explosive route possible. How one time they were exploring a camp full of tempered amalj'aa and used barrels of fire crystals to cause a distraction to run. Then the time that the two of them went to Cape Westwind and Sanary, not able to find Mist, just started bowling over Garlean troops left and right, while she watched from a hill unable to comprehend what was going on.
223
224Seyka, on the other hand, was met during worse circumstances. "Pirates in Sastasha," she smiles sadly at that notion. "We got to her in time. Needless to say, she's got a chip on her should with folk of that sort now." Safe and sound, if a bit bruised from rough handling. The spunky huntress that lives in the Shroud not too far from her, recently married to the man she once loved in Allagan times, his reincarnated self passing with her freed one. The beauty in the red string of fate.
225
226"Then there's Cassie!" Mist feels her cheeks tingle a bit at the admission, "It's always a bit gay with her. I even tried to get her to run off and elope with me before her wedding, ahaha~" The beautiful princess from Ivalice and her elder brother, Alex, who would take the throne as king. Before their kingdom fell, Lady Nophica sent them through a portal to safety, and the ended up in the present. Reunited with the goddess-in-disguise that taught them magic, they've been adjusting to being over a thousand years away from their era.
227Alex, on the other hand, didn't adjust quite as easily. The state of Eorzea never boded well with him in the slightest. Only recently, thanks to his wife being there to calm him, has he begun to handle it better. She lowers her voice to a whisper, biting her lower lip to keep another giggle from escaping her. "He's going to be a father soon," she confesses. "It's a secret. Lady Nophica hasn't told him yet." 
228
229There are so many stories to share. She rattles on, explaining how they found traces of the Lambs of Dalamud, and that they were trying to summon the All-Mother, a voidsent queen of sorts. "Got stabbed right here," her cheeks puff out as she touches her heart. "Lucky to have come out of that one. Probably going to have to deal with it later on."
230
231Of speaking with Hydaelyn with them, coming down this path. A path she's chosen twice; once in her time and once in the present era. "Oh!" She spins, touching her horns with a sheepish snicker. "It's easier to let people look at me and figure I'm an au ra who lost their tail. Kind of a pain to have to explain that it's the result of my aether being corrupted experiments that should've never been done in the first place." She winks at him. "But if all cats are out of the bag, there's no reason to hide it at all. One day I might be able to fix it. Maybe. Not sure if I want to." Mist looks at her arms, tapping one of the crystallized scales. "Kind of like how they look. Gotten a bit more sensitive lately, too, but that's kind of bothersome..."
232Seyka and Sanary, her daughters freed from their father's madness. Cassandra and Alexander, a prince and princess out of time. Sayuri, a beautiful ra en hailing from the Ruby Seas, and Marin, a hyur who takes care of chocobos for them when needed. Elinkar, Seyka's husband, hailing from a high house in Ishgard. The Scions, allies they've met along the way, the sylphs and the kobolds, and--
233
234"Janis." Finally she settles back down and holds a hand over the upturned dirt created by his tension, sending healing energy into the planet directly. "He drinks too much. He doesn't let me know what he thinks or how he feels. He gets angry at the stupidest of things. He rarely ever tells me 'thank you' or smiles at me, or offers any kind of comfort." Puffing her cheeks out, she huffs. "Still... he's someone I care about deeply, and want to see happy." Her gaze softens. "He's been through a lot in his life. I love him, just as I love all my allies, and I wish for him all the happiness the world can offer. But, I can't be what he needs."
235
236He smiles so easily when Cassie's around. He enjoys his time with Seyka vastly over his time with her. It's exhausting. Every bit of it is, and has been for well over a season, exhausting when it comes to him.
237
238Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she presses her free hand on Schezar's leg, and leans up, wiggling her hips like a cat ready to pounce. "My turn! This one counts, too!" After nodding to herself, she's all cheshire grins. "How did you get so big? It's not fair, Sche!"
239 
240Powell06/21/2019
241He hangs on to every name, every story, every moment. The darkness of his own thoughts banished further and farther away, the more she speaks, the way she fondly, animatedly describes each person. Because they make her smile, they make her laugh - and the sight of her doing so again, after all their years apart, brings back his own grin. Even the description of the time-displaced brother and sister does not faze him - he's had his own dealings with delving into Ivalice, and magicite. Only two things make him raise an eyebrow, and step closer to her. "Wait, ye got stabbed where, now?" He leans close to her, squinting and examining her chest, right over her heart. Unmindful of personal space, but also not trying to be intimate at that moment. Simply checking to make sure that she didn't have a big, gaping hole in her chest. Or any trace of voidsent curse energy and trickery, really. Gods, did he hate that.
242Not even does her admission of being a Warrior of Light,  in service to the mothercrystal himself, give him pause. He simply sits back down on the grass and nods, watching her. "Ye know, I wondered about tha'," he murmurs, glancing over at her shapely, tailless behind with a small chuckle. "If ye want t'fix it, then... maybe? One day?" When they could all finally slow down, and breathe. The second time he rises, stepping to her side again, is when she crouches down to heal the earth he broke - and he reflexively feels the need to apologize. Before he can speak, though, her words turn to Janis - and he sees the expression on her face. The pain of the past exhausting season, still faintly tinged with fondness, in her eyes. Ah. And when she speaks of not being what he needs, Schezar reaches down for her hand, giving her fingers a light, loving squeeze.
243
244Maybe everyone had a Janis, or a Harue, or a Xande in their lives. Who could say? He waits as she breathes deep, calming herself, then starting to paw at him again. At her question, her cheshire grin, he turns away. "Well... truth be told..." His voice begins to trail off, sounding distant. Pensive.
245
246"When I was a lad..."
247
248It seemed as if he was about to reveal something to her again. Something he needed her to hear, to understand... maybe to absolve, again.
249"...I ate four dozen eggs..."
250
251His voice turns singsong. He glances over his shoulder at her with a wink.
252
253"...every mornin' to help me get large."
254
255Spinning back to her, he booms out. "And now that I'm grown, I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the siiiiize of a-- oh, shit!" 
256
257That spinning step did not anticipate the slightly damp mud in the dirt, caused by the nearby lakewater. He topples over, flailing, grabbing her wrist and pulling her down on top of him. Laughing like an idiot all the way.
258As he lies on the grass, chuckling apologetically, his eyes meet hers again. Right, third question. Make it a good one, he tells himself. Something meaningful. Poignant. Something to tie it all together, to help them focus on how to get her back to all these people who love her, care for her.
259
260"Um... do I 'ave to fight each an' every one of them to prove meself, for th' right to date ye?"
261 
262๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/21/2019
263One morning, with the turn of the seasonal wheel, he'll find himself with five dozen eggs cooked in a variety of different ways to feast upon, and he'll have no one to blame but himself while the ravenette stands in the background snickering about it. Won't let him leave until he manages to eat at least a single dozen of them, too. For principle.
264
265Her body naturally follows with the tugging motion, legs lifting when she's on top of him and arms raising to rest her elbows on him. Even if he's bigger now, even if he's taller and broader and it'll take some time adjusting to all of the changes he's gone through. he's still Sche, through and through. Her Sche. Just a bit older, more rugged, and with some baggage to unpack when he's comfortable enough. There's nothing wrong with shadows of the past and demons that haunt a person as long as they have an outlet for them. A place to call home, to feel comfortable with.
266
267If she can be that for him one day, it'll be enough.
268
269"If so, you're kind of screwed. Sanary is very picky. You'll have to best her in hand-to-hand combat, and she plays dirty." Mist wrinkles her nose, imagining the redhead immediately trying to get in a dick kick from the get go, in order to bring him down to her level -- physically, that is. Poor aether-warped miqo'te is on the small side. "Seyka is a bit more forgiving. As long as you are able and loyal, and don't stray, she's fairly upright with permission. Now, Cassie is the true issue. She's selfish. It's adorable, really, and she's not likely to give up a cuddle buddy too easily."
270How serious she is with all of that, she leaves for him to decide.
271
272The word 'date', though, has her laughing again, folding her hands near his chin to peer down at him. "You know, I... never really thought of us as dating," she confesses. "Maybe because we never could go that far from the lake. It'd be nice to see more of the world and have some adventures finally. I've heard the Churning Mists are full of moogles and dragons, and the Far East have talking catfish!"
273 
274Powell06/21/2019
275He sighs, grinning up at her as she rests on top of him, using his chest as a pillow. The wind from the lake is cool, and soothing. As she again describes each of her loving girlfriends again, two of them formerly little Astra and Aly, only one name gives him pause as she repeats it. Sanary. Not because of the possible need to fight hand-to-hand - he'd been raised on that since he was three, after all - but because that name seemed... familiar. Distant, for some reason. That was impossible, though, he'd never heard it before--
276
277A flash of her blue hair beneath the leaves. All the different people and individuals they met, passing through the kingdom. The world where they were all born. Then, the change in her - the desperate need for blood. He didn't care, he offered his neck, the vein in his arm freely to her. It didn't matter how young he was. She needed to feed, and his blood was radiant like the sun. One of her friends was Ms. Sa--
278
279Sorrow. The fate of his daughter, becoming an enchanted blade. A living weapon like him. His own end one day, sitting that morning in the garden, her gentle tears as she fed on him one final time. Neri--
280Schezar blinked. Where did that come from? Trying to hide his momentary confusion and disquiet, he smiles up at her and answers aloud, "It's true. Some might think th' Mogmenders work t'be laughable... but it's been vital in restorin' peaceful relations with dragonkind. Would ye even believe I trained under them fer a good while, to learn proper knighthood?" He chuckles at the memories of traveling through the Steppe. "And th' namazu... there's no proper way t'describe them, without seein' fer yerself. Masters of their own fate an' destiny, believe it." His fingertip touches to her chin, his eyes locking with hers.
281
282"I want t'show ye all of it. Th' Sea of Clouds. Kugane, Azim, an' Princess Kurenai's home beneath th' waves. Then, if we can manage it, Thavnair, Sharlayan... an'..." His expression softens. "Ala Mhigo. It took a while... an' it took a path tha' cost dear. If I only I were wiser, then. But now... now our ancestral home is finally free. Jus' like granddad an' grandma always dreamed."
283 
284๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/21/2019
285Moogles who work to restore peaceful relationships, namazu believing to be the masters of their own destiny, a sea of clouds stretching on forever, the bustling port in the Far East where many pass by daily, a palace underneath the Ruby Sea, the near eastern exotic land of silks and spices, a place of learning for those who wish to gleem insight of the star, his clan's ancestral home finally freed from turmoil.
286
287"We'll go to all of them." It's a promise and a reassurance at the same time. They have the time for it all and more, and once this passes by, they can take that given time in exploring the world. Exploring each other. Exploring the far traces of the star to see what all Hydaelyn has in store for them. "We'll find new places, too. Somewhere far, far away, in an airship or a submarine, and... and..."
288
289She trails off, leaning on the fingertip against her chin, and blinks owlishly down at him. It's the reverse of a dream from long ago, her mouth moving without words coming from it. But she doesn't seem to notice, beginning to babble away in an excited manner once more, wiggling on top of him until he notices he can no longer feel her weight, nor catch a scent of the rainbow brightlilies that cling to her skin, or feel the temperature of her skin. It's a slow fade, and as she laughs about something she can only hear -- her mouth moves to echo 'five dozen eggs' -- she fully vanishes from his sight.
290
291He's not alone for long, though, marked by the sigh of the empress from the other side of the tree. "Is this the answer you've found in all of this?" She questions, a curious lilt to her tone, traces of an old accent carrying through. "It will not be an easy road. Still, you've proven to be the stubborn bastard type."
292 
293Powell06/21/2019
294He grins, nodding as he listens to her words, her promise for them to see the world together. Loving the idea of their very own airship. He could listen to her babble all day. However, when she begins to fade, so too does his own smile falter. No, don't go. He reaches for her, his fingers touching empty air, as she vanishes completely. Please, not yet.
295
296The highlander slowly sits up, gazing down at his palm. Staring at the spot they'd just shared. Then, as he hears the empress' voice from behind the tree - her lonely sigh - he slowly stands. "Aye, tha' I am," he answers, coming around close to her again. This time... it no longer hurts to see her face. He's begun to understand the old, ancient sorrow, the loneliness in her eyes. "Your stubborn bastard."
297
298He stands by her side, turning to look out again at the water. Though he does not reach for her fingers again at the moment, as he did in the palace, he remains close by her - a stalwart, calming presence. "As for me answer... it's simple, innit?" He folds his arms, reciting each name steadily. "Seyka. Cassandra. Alexander. Nophica. Sayuri. Marin. Elinkar. Janis. Sanary." Even if he didn't know them, even if he never got to meet them, the way forward was clear.
299
300"They all love 'er. They all want t'see her... t'see you. Return safely." Experimentally, testing something, he reaches his hand forward, clenching his fingers - and in  a spout of violet flame, his draconic sword appears again in his grasp. One of many he'd forged. He examines its eldritch glow for a brief moment, as well as the monstrous eye near the crossguard, before letting go and watching the blade vanish again from view. He folds his arms again, gazing out at the water.
301
302"I'm not th' hero of this story. They are. Warriors of Light. Not sure wha' I am, t'be honest... but I'll play me part. Do wha' I can to help bring her back." He half-smiles, but his eyes are calm and resolved.
303
304"So, then - where to, next?"
305 
306๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/21/2019
307"You give others credit where it is due; why do you in turn deny what is yours in return?" His instance that he's not the hero of the story draws a scoff from her, pale fingers raising to tuck a thick tendril of midnight hair behind her left horn. "A hero comes in various forms. There is more than black and white, darkness and light. Whether you want to be a hero matters little in the grand scheme of things, for you were cast in exactly that role the moment you decided to be..." Trailing off, her lips purse. "...my stubborn bastard."
308
309The disconnect is still there. Between her soul healing in a crystal, gathering fragments of light, and the hatred that fuels her. Even with it, she feels more comfortable. Closer to at ease than she has been in longer than her mind lets her remember.
310
311Perhaps he is not a hero dressed in white prepared to take the cheers of the masses. But is her hero nonetheless, chosen from the time he pulled her out of a river as a little boy, all because she saw a flower that struck something deep within her heart.
312
313His summoning of a peculiar weapon gives her a bit of an idea that she's not entirely sure about. Regardless she raises her hand toward him, sighing tiredly as she does so. "I want to try something more recent," she explains. "It may bring you pain as well, and for that, I am sorry." Hurting herself is one thing -- hurting him intentionally is another entirely.
314The scenery does not change. No, it stays the same; he is the one who changes. Years of hardship vanish with the rewind of the clock, leaving him shorter and more narrow in many aspects, without the tools he's acquired to support him as they did moments ago. This time he is not merely watching, carefully meddling when needed. He's thrust into a center role, something entirely new to try.
315
316Silvertear Lake, before Bahamut's reign of terror, when the world was a bit more simple for him. When he argued and dreamed and thought of liberation, going so far as to strain the relationship with those around him for the noble cause he wanted to join.
317
318He sees her long before she sees him, a sunhat and white summer dress in place. When she raises her eyes from the road, picnic basket in the crook of her elbow, Mist immediately brightens, but holds back. For all of three seconds that is before she jogs the rest of the distance, moving the basket to hold it in front of her waist instead.
319
320"I didn't know you'd be visiting today," she says in a breathless tone. "You seemed angry at me when you left the other night. I'm... sorry for that, Sche." A fight. One of many had over his restlessness and her urging him to be patient. Patience that does not win in the end.
321 
322Powell06/21/2019
323He was going through his kata. Punch, elbow strike, leg sweep. Sweating heavily, panting, eyes focused. Twelve above, I was a skinny prick. Though, that thought is entirely subjective - while nowhere near as large and powerfully built as Gehrman at that young age, he is slim, muscled, well-trained. Nearing his full highlander height, in two more years. He glances over at the sound of her voice, but finishes his exercise - one last sharp kick, sweat gleaming in droplets all over his form. Clad in his traditional Ala Mhigan garb, ornate furs that left just his arms bare, showing off sun-bronzed skin and biceps like adamantine.
324
325The young man turns to her at the sound of her approach. "S'fine," he answers her in a low monotone. His gaze does not meet her eyes immediately, but he sees the edge of her dress, the basket she carried. His beloved fairy princess, all in white. How far did she have to go, to the edges of the lake, to find these fruits and food for them? He looks up at her pensively.
326
327Oh, my gods, you absolute cunt. Apologize to her, too! Be nicer to her, dammit! He knows this day, though. He knows why the empress brought him here. What's about to happen, what cannot be changed. Aloud, his younger self continues. "Listen, I... ah. We... 'ave to talk." He steps close, almost reaching for her fingers, but lowers his hand again at the last second.
328
329He remembers the excuses he made to himself. That he would've lost the will to continue on that path, if he hadn't steeled himself. That he was needed elsewhere, that he couldn't let his resolve waver for a fraction of a second. All for the glory of the homeland.
330
331The truth is, I was a coward. I was running away from everyone who loved me. Including you.
332 
333๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/22/2019
334The sandals, tied at her ankles with purple ribbons, and the flowing white fabric suit her well. One of the many perks of spending so long at the lake is that traveling merchants recognize her when she greets them along the path. Two in particular hold fondness for her, bringing her goodies from the Near East often. A dress with Thavnairian lace trimming the cotton, flowers stitched along the bustline, and a basket full of spiced meats, lassi, and stuffed breads make up her haul. She's resourceful in her gathering, and thanks to the inhabitants at the settlement near by, it isn't impossible to get enough gil to purchase goodies every moon.
335
336"Can you eat and talk?" She grins, moving past him toward the shade of their tree not too far from where he stands. His demeanor, withdrawn and downcast, doesn't suit him. No, he's much better when he's bright and vibrant, and maybe some nummies in the tummy will be the way to perk him up. (Food won't, she knows this, but it won't stop her from trying. If for no other reason than to delay what she expects is going to lead them into another fight.)
337
338It's not like them to fight. To test each other's patience sometimes, sure. To push buttons that can lead to aggravation, occasionally. To actually fight, heated tension getting the best of them, sharp words threatening to stew in the corners of their minds, isn't something she's used to with him. Not the boy she's watched grow into a man. Not her dependable lover who visits when he can, bringing stories with him and memories that she looks forward to making her own one day. So why does it feel like all they've done lately is just that, fight and argue and bicker?
339
340Her dress fluffs out as she plops on the ground, legs spreading toward her sits while her hands busy themselves with opening the basket. "Ta-da!" Looking proud of herself, she lifts one of the stuffed breads, meat and onions filling it to the brim. "It's shaped like a cat! Look at it, how cute it is~"
341 
342Powell06/22/2019
343"Mist, listen, I--" He sighs as she moves to their tree, despite her grin. He rubbed the back of his neck uneasily, standing there for a few moments, before following. 
344
345She was beautiful. She always was. Her sandals, her dress in white, with its Thavnairian lace, and its floral pattern. Her smile that he still loved, that... he wish it didn't fill him with frustration. But it did. Every time he tried to speak of the refugee crisis in Ul'dah, the stories of men and women fleeing the empire's cruelty, the words kept coming out wrong. Like he was blaming everyone for their inaction, when they were just trying to caution him. Warn him.
346
347His family, and even her. He followed - that food smelled divine, after his workout, and sat by her side. Allowing himself a small, reluctant smile, as he breathed in deep of the meats, and breads, that she'd worked so hard to trade for. "This is lovely," he murmurs, trying to half-smile for her, taking a piece. "Makin' me mouth water. Meow."
348
349He stares at the food in his hand, uneaten - then, unbidden, an image comes to his mind. Ul'dah, the other day - one of the Ala Mhigan refugees. Asking him if he wanted a tumble, just for a few gil. Just so she could buy bread, cheaper, drier than this. Barely filling.
350
351And the girl was barely older than his own sister. The highlander shut his eyes. "Mist... I meant wha' I said th' other night. I'm leavin'. To join Liberty's Swords." The resistance group he'd spoken of to her, so many times. One of many, still fighting the good fight in Ala Mhigo.
352
353One year from now, they will be betrayed from within, and the remaining survivors enslaved in Garlemald's labs. He doesn't know that yet, though.
354 
355๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/22/2019
356Heavy on her tongue weighs the spices from the Near East, providing a momentary distraction to the words she loathes. Rolanberry lassi washing the burn away does little to quell the bitterness she can feel rising within her, the glimmer of anger that clenches her stomach. Because it's too familiar, too similar to the same sentiments she felt so many years ago. Villagers displaced due to bandits terrorizing the countryside, raping and pillaging and plundering, giving no care to the lives destroyed. Men and women raising up in arms together, little more than farmers and merchants in the beginning, determined to fix the injustice done by those that believed there were no consequences for their actions. Outnumbered. Poorly armed and geared. Two who were blessed by the Mother, wielding a sword of light in his hands and astral energy in hers. 
357
358But the prices they paid for their victory, for the liberation of the land that would become their kingdom, is not something she would wish upon anyone. It will change him, taking him far away, and what he will have to do -- what he will have to see -- breaks something inside of her that she carefully built up over the years. He's strong, yes, and would be an asset to any cause, but... but...
359
360"No." It's the first time she's outright said that, no longer beating around the push and trying to discourage him from the idea, wishing patience upon him. "No, Sche. You can't."
361She won't lie, part of it is for selfish reasons. Underneath all the layers of worry over his well being, there is the undeniable fact that she doesn't want him to leave. How long will he be gone? How far will this cause take him from her? The longest she can recall not seeing him was an entire year, yet it didn't bother her in the slightest because she never once doubted he was safe and fine. This, though? If he died during a task, she'd never know. There would be nothing for her to hold on to, as if he never existed in the first place.
362
363Mist shakes her head slowly, purposely, eyes losing the warmth that shines when she sees him. Something older, colder, like steel replaces it, and her lips tighten in a set line. "I forbid it."
364 
365Powell06/22/2019
366"Forbid?" He looks at her incredulously, seeing the steel in her eyes. The determination to keep him from going. He rises to his feet again, and the kitty bread tumbles from his lap, uneaten, landing in the damp grass. "Mist, me kinsmen are dyin'! Whether in their farms, put to th' sword by Garlean rule, or a slow death in th' city-state slums!" He gestures wildly with his hands, his own eyes wild with fire and wrath - a look, ancient and familiar to her. The same fire that Xande had in his own eyes, when they rose to inspire others.
367
368"Th' death of their souls, their joy! I can't take it anymore!" Gritting his teeth, he turns away and paces angrily. "I won't! Th' Alliance won't 'elp us! No one will! We 'ave to do this ourselves!" Rhetoric she's heard so many times from him before - gradually, at first. At the age of 16, he began to sound enamored when he told her those small stories - enthralled by impassioned speeches in the streets. 'Take back the homeland. Drive the invaders out. Proud sons and daughters of the Griffin.'
369
370She'd seen the signs. And now she saw the wildfire standing before her. Staring at her - glaring at her. He punches the tree, their tree, with his left fist. His eyes still locked to hers. Then, he hesitates - under the loss of that warmth, her warmth that he treasured so much, he begins to see the traces of fear. The fear of loss. Of one final, irreversible separation.
371
372"Look," he murmurs, already regretting his outburst. "Mist, I... I promise. When we win, I'll come back for ye. I'll show ye a free Ala Mhigo." He gestures around them, at the lake, their lake. "I'll 'elp free me homeland, then, then I'll finally find a way to free ye from here, too! We can finally leave this place, together. We can finally see th' world, together! I swear to ye!" His gaze lowers again, reluctantly. "I can't stand by idly, anymore. I 'ave to do this."
373 
374๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/22/2019
375He's restless. The lack of support for Ala Mhigo boils down to politics, in truth. The unity of the city-states is lacking on the best of days and non-existent on the best. Travelers passing through, merchants who have ties to all sorts of people in positions in power, are the best to hear gossip from, and with her no longer spending most of her time in the waters of Silvertear to recover, she finds herself picking the minds of those that pass by. The Syndicate in Ul'dah keeping the Sultana at bay, an Elder Seedseer in Gridania keeping the peace with the elementals of the Shroud, Limsa Lominsa's proud Admiral trying to make some good out of the pirate situation there. If the city-states go against the Garleans, if they stood up for Ala Mhigo, then Eorzea very well might fall as well.
376
377He's impatient. He sees the horrors of what refugees have gone through, understanding their plight on a spiritual level, and it undoes almost everything he's learned. To breathe, to be calm. To wait until the moment. A moment that feels like it will never come. Because each and every day there is more damage, more harm, and it eats away at his very soul, dragging him into despair for those he has not met, he not helped, has not saved. The fire of a warrior in his heart, slowly consuming everything else in its wake.
378"If," Mist hisses once he is finished with his outburst. She pushes up off the ground, throwing her hands out to the side with clenched fists. "If, Sche. Not when! IF you win, IF you help free Ala Mhigo! IF you return!" She wants to reach out to him, to grab him by the face and make him look at her, but she doesn't. Stands her ground, faces him directly, keeping distance between them. A distance that has slowly been growing for years now.
379
380A breaking point. Something has to give. If he is determined to walk down this path, if he has to see it through... then...
381
382"You could die. You could be taken away to a place no one can reach. You could find yourself not wanting to come back," the last weighs the heaviest on her tongue. So much happens during war. So much happens during conflict. He might wish to stay. He might find himself with reason to stay, fighting side by side with someone, things happening in the heat of the moment, leaving lasting joys that keep him in place. 
383
384"What do you expect your clan to do while you run off, Sche?" Her teeth grit. "What do you expect me to do, sit around wondering if you'll ever be back, wondering if you died a fool's death on the battlefield?"
385
386Words no one, so long ago, could say to her. Words she wishes she had heard.
387 
388Powell06/22/2019
389When she speaks of him not wanting to come back to her, it finally clicks in his mind. Ah.
390
391He's always put her on a pedestal, admittedly. For the years and years that they've known each other - she's always teased him. Rapped her knuckles on his head, with a wink and giggle. Enthralled him physically, emotionally - listened to him and his frustration, his young, foolish pain, when it seemed like the world would not. When his own family ties grew strained, with his pride, his passion. His eventual downfall.
392
393He'd never thought of Mist as a jealous being. He didn't even know how real she truly was. Even with the merchants who passed by, each season. He wondered if she was just playing a very long game, glamouring herself to appear eternally young and beautiful. Not leaving Silvertear for some other reason. In his darkest moments of his own jealousy, he's wondered if there was someone else, another man. She's never told him anything. Even after their nights of intimacy, curled up in each other's arms.
394
395"Do ye think so little of me?" he murmurs softly, almost inaudibly. Just barely enough for her to hear. "You're righ'. I suppose I am a fool." He steps to the water's edge, kneeling down and picking something up, just out of her sight. 
396
397The highlander turns back to her, his expression unreadable. Striding up to her, his demeanor seemingly tense. For the briefest of moments, it seems like he's about to strike her. Like Xande might have, in fits of rage and the worst possible fights.
398His hands reach up for her hair, ignoring any protest, or flinching. And... he leaves something amidst her raven-dark locks. A blossom, a lily of rainbow hues. Tucked gently into her hair.
399
400"But I'm your fool, through an' through." He presses his lips to her brow quietly, eyes closed, before stepping back. His touch is warm, very warm. "Now, an' always." Gazing at her with sad, apologetic eyes.
401
402"I'm sorry, Mist," he whispers, for her alone to hear. "I love ye."
403
404With that, he turns - glancing down regretfully at the basket, knowing how hard she'd worked for it, for them - and begins his slow trudge away.
405 
406๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/22/2019
407Don't say that and then leave. Say words she herself hasn't, holding them back for reasons that she keeps close to her heart. Don't turn around and leave it like that, with a massive river between them, placing them on boats moving further apart. Him moving forward, farther and farther away, while she stays still, stays the same, unable to follow. The life he'll lead, the places he'll see -- she can't walk after him, at his side, exploring it all with him.
408
409'Then I'll finally find a way to free ye from here, too! We can finally leave this place, together!'
410
411Her legs carry her with speed she rarely shows, foot falls nearly silent until she's there. Arms wrapped around his waist, chest flush against his back, face buried underneath his shoulderblades. A deep breath to still the trembling that grips her. A silent prayer, or curse, or whatever it is that will work in the moment. Doubts and insecurities and jealousies that she loathes to let show, hiding them all behind a  bright smile and a playful wink, and a subtle sway of her hips.
412
413"Don't go," she whispers, her voice cracking, thankful that her face is hidden. "Please. Don't let me." It's selfish. She knows it is, knows how horrible it is to ask him to stay for her and her alone, when there are people suffering out there. "I don't think that little of you, Sche. But people change. War... war forces people to change, and you're too..." Too what, exactly? Gentle? Soft? Kind? Things that are not bad, not in the slightest, but will break him down in time. Things that will cause him to withdraw and harden, and she despises the idea of him losing his sweetness in pursuit of liberation.
414
415Her hands tighten, curling near his abdomen. "So please... please. Just... just stay with me, here, okay? Please, Sche..."
416 
417Powell06/22/2019
418https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQpRwLdibm0
419
420His stride, already slow and ponderous, comes to a halt as she throws her arms around him from behind. Hearing her whisper, her heartfelt plea for him to stay - each word, each choked, angry sob, is a knife to his heart. Feeling her face hidden between his shoulderblades, faint hints of her tears beginning to seep against his back.
421
422What seems like an eternity passes, before he answers with his own whisper. "I vowed to ye, in Nophica's name... to protect th' innocent. Her children." He is afraid, terrified, to see her eyes. To look at her face. Because then, he knows, his resolve would shatter completely. "In Halone's name, to wield me strength with honor." He reaches down for her hand, carefully resting his fingers over hers. Squeezing gently.
423
424"To know an' follow th' right path, in Lymlaen's light... and with Byregot's wisdom, to rebuild all tha' we've lost." He remains standing still, as she leans into him from behind - her pillar. Her rock. However, his gaze turns skyward, at the night stars above. Evening had already begun to fall. Both on their lake, and on this chapter in their lives. Their love.
425
426"All these years... Mist... there are things ye couldn't tell me. I... I understand. Even if ye can never tell me." His breathing is slow, and she can hear the heartbeat in his chest. "I want to stay. I want nothin' more than for these days to go on forever. To always see ye smile. Hear ye laugh." He bows his head, raising her right hand to his lips. Kissing her fingers slowly.
427YouTube
428BrawlBRSTMs3 X
4291000 Words (Orchestra Version - English) - Final Fantasy X-2 Music
430"But if I do tha'... if I don't at least try to 'elp others... then I'd no longer be th' boy ye loved." He smiles, bitterly. "I could no longer call meself a man worthy of ye." Lowering her hand back to his side, still squeezing gently, his fingers over hers.
431
432"Mist Desiree... ye made me who I am, today. Ye made me a better person. An'... an' I will always be grateful. I will always love ye for tha'." He turns in place, swiftly pulling her into a hug. Kissing the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair. Still afraid to see her eyes, her face.
433
434"I promise to always be yer knight. Your Sche. I promise I'll come back for ye. To free you, so you can reunite with your loved ones, wherever they migh' be. Waitin' for ye." His heartbeat has quickened, warm under her touch, as he holds her close. His own tears damp against her raven-dark hair.
435
436He remains still, holding her, as night falls. As the fireflies dance around them. "I'm sorry, love. For all th' pain I've caused ye."
437 
438๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/22/2019
439"Save your tears 'cause I'll come back."
440I could hear that you whispered as you walked through that door.
441
442Somewhere during his words, she's not sure exactly when or how, but the notion of acceptance sinks in. A painful, weak acceptance that he's truly leaving. That nothing she can say or do will keep him there with her, keep them moving down this path together. Because it has nothing to do with her at all. If it were the case, she could argue and fight against it until he caves and she wins. It's for the greater food, for people he wants to help, and she understands that. She does because she's the same, but by the ones above, it doesn't make it hurt less.
443
444Even when their embrace breaks and he leaves, and she collapses on the ground in a fit of grief that consumes her, she doesn't look at him directly, and he doesn't look back. Because they both know that he'll turn and pull her into his arms, and she'll refuse to let go of him. He can't break and she can't beg; the path he's chosen is one that will force them apart.
445
446For three, and then six after.
447
448She moves about the lake, little glimpses of those years he did not experience with her. Taking up painting by the lakeside, writing in journals along the banks, and eventually meeting a blue-haired woman running from something she never dug into much. A woman who, after some time, decided to join the Alliance and stand against the empire. Someone who inspired her greatly, guiding her from the lake she never thought she would leave, taking her to the fields where a brief reunion would take place.
449
450After all of these years, Nerine still hates his fucking guts.
451What if I cried my eyes out and begged you not to depart?
452But now I'm not afraid to say what's in my heart.
453
454The empress stands next to him, watching the scene play by like pop up pictures, her brow knit. "I'm surprised," she confesses quietly, taking his hand slowly. A change in demeanor. Slowly, anger receding, bit by bit. "I expected you to change this. To see how it would play out if you did."
455 
456Powell06/23/2019
457In the years to come, whenever they argue and fight again - and of course they do, souls as strongly bonded as theirs still test each other, need patience with each other - later afterward, he comes to her in their room, bearing a small plate. Cat-shaped breads he'd baked himself, like the ones from that day. Meat, onions, spices, rolanberry lassi on the side. He sits with her, and they talk it out. A quiet, unspoken vow shared between them, to never again repeat the mistakes of that day, the cruelty and selfishness.
458
459His murmur is soft as the empress' fingers find his. "One year," he breathes softly. "We 'ad one year's worth of victories, an' rescues of th' innocent, an' resistance against Garlemald. Liberty's Swords, we called ourselves in our hubris. We thought ourselves invincible." He continues to stare and watch the shifting scenes before them, as she holds his hand. "Until th' Black Wolf 'imself personally kicked down our front door."
460
461The highlander's expression remains eerily calm. "Wha' they put us through after tha'... th' experiments. Th' torture. It was... I deserved it, t'be honest. I deserved every second, every minute, every moon of tha' pain an' torment. For leavin' her. For leavin' ye. For hurtin' ye." He slowly shuts his eyes. "Ye warned me. You were right, an' I'm sorry."
462It is not memories of that day of defeat, that betrayal that swim up to his mind's eye now, though. Instead - having just seen the scenes from Mist's life, her loneliness, play out before them - it is the sight of that blue-haired woman, that hardened, determined stranger, that gives him pause. Why was she so familiar? Why did he feel--
463
464My neck offered to hers. Her tears, her love, as she feeds and drinks my life's blood, reminding her of the warmth of the sun. Holding her in my arms afterward, until she--
465
466His eyes snap open. "Tha' woman," he murmurs, glancing over again at Nausicaa. Holding her hand, their fingers clasped together, felt like the most natural thing in the world. Even with her robes of imperial crimson, her cautious demeanor. "I... reckon I owe her a motorcycle, don't I?"
467 
468๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/23/2019
469"No one deserves what you went through." It's an immediate chide, scowl overtaking her features. "That you think that is absolute ridiculous. You chose the path you did. There is no shame in the grand dreams and ideals you had, and you still have. It may have taken you far from those who love you and you love, and cost you a great deal in the end, but do not regret what you managed to do. A year of victories and rescues. The lives you saved and the people you help surpass any amount of loneliness caused."
470
471Besides, she finds herself noting while the scenes continue, showing the blossoming friendship between the two women. It does not seem as if it were that lonely at all in the end.
472
473"Nerine Pryderi, a child of the Mhachi. Member of the Redbills. By chance did paths cross long ago, and by chance did their paths line up. You speak of deserving what happened to you, but there is something you should be aware of." Her free hand lifts to spin the scene back, focus becoming clear on the two. A sunny afternoon like all others, with the bluenette wiping sweat from her brow after a few laps around the lake.
474
475"You'll be leaving soon, then?" Mist offers a skein of water, which is taken with a grateful nod and long drain of it. "I want to come with you."
476
477Water dribbles from her mouth. Clearly, she'd not expected that. "Wha'?"
478
479"I want to come with you," Mist insists.
480
481"Thought you couldn't leave here."
482
483"I can't."
484
485"Then, uh--"
486
487"I have to, though. Because I need to find someone."
488"Eh?"
489
490She smiles, raising a finger up to her lips. "Someone special. If he isn't going to come back to me, then gosh darnit, I'll go to him."
491
492"You fancy a lad? Didn't take you as the sort."
493
494"I've fancied a few lasses too, Nerine."
495
496"That's not-- that's not what I meant, you louse."
497
498She laughs, knowing just how prudish the other woman could be, painfully uncomfortable in anything regarding the slightest traces of sexuality. "I know. Still, I have to go. Because if I keep waiting here, nothing will change. He's gone away to a place I can't reach, and if I can't reach him here, maybe I can reach him elsewhere."
499
500"That doesn't make a lick of sense."
501
502"Maybe! It does to me, though, and that's what matters. This fight against the Garleans, I can help. I'm a lot stronger than I look, I'll have you know."
503
504Her brows knit together. With a sigh, she scratches the back of her neck, and gives in with a shrug. "Far be it from me to discourage a lass with a death wish."
505
506"It's not a death wish!" Mist pouts. "It's a... something else entirely!"
507
508"How insightful."
509As the two go back and forth, Nausicaa looks up, slight amusement in her gaze. "You're why she left at all. In truth, she could have left ages ago, but she had no way of knowing that at the time. If she had, she would have gone with you. If she had, she would have, too... perhaps, then, it is better that she did not know, and let you go."
510
511A motorcycle owed, that's an understatement. Focusing on the bluenette, her features harden. "Mhach, Mhach, beware the dark, keep away or lose your heart," she whispers softly. "A monster in hyur skin. Feasting upon aether locked away in a living being's blood. Feral when in situations where there is excess. Summoned into this world by the will of another. A voidsent, through and through, bound to a master that has absolute say in her whims and wants. And you went and broke her neck. Something tells me a motorcycle is the least of things she'll want from you."
512 
513Powell06/23/2019
514He watches the empress and listens to her swift reprimand, nodding in respectful agreement, then tries not to smile. He'd expected her to reach up and rap his forehead with her knuckles, too. "Maybe. Suppose... no, you're righ' again." He glances away for a moment, thinking back to when Lily introduced him to the gathered smallfolk in Radiata. Families who'd gone into hiding after the Swords had freed them, years before Carteneau. Who were able to escape because of their efforts, and sacrifice. Survivors, like him. "We knew th' risks, going in. We knew it could cost us everythin'." And it did.
515
516She knew, too. Of course she would - she founded an empire. She knew what it would risk, what it would take, and how the tides of war could shift in a heartbeat. As she begins to speak of Nerine, though, he listens in fascination - and tries to ignore the faint, strange voices, distant in the back of his own head.
517
518"Hello, miss. My name is Ethan. Ethan Bloodgr--"
519
520Death and demonic festivals, far below in Niflheim. "Ms. Nerine, please don't cry anymore. I won't leave y--"
521
522The highlander's smile grows as he hears about how their friendship blossomed. A moment of surprise when he learns that Mist had fully healed, and they could've traveled elsewhere together, had they known. Then a sudden flood of relief, that she did not follow him to Ala Mhigo, in spite of their bitter parting. To enslavement under Garlemald. He didn't want to think about what they might have done, with her ancient knowledge and power under their control. He would've died before letting them touch her.
523"I--" The poem about Mhach gives him pause. Then, the reveal, of the bluenette being a voidsent vampire, and from the ancient city. "Wait, she sucks out aether and blood?" It wasn't so strange, on reflection. He had his own memorable... intimate dealings with the voidsent before - which he probably shouldn't think about at the moment, given the empress' sudden, hardened look.
524
525Then, the understanding that Nerine's gunning for him. For what he did to her on that day, on the fields of Carteneau. Brainwashing wasn't an excuse. "Oh." He looks back uneasily at the memory of the two women. "Ooooh... uh-oh." Guess that was at least one confirmed person who he might have to fight, for the right to date Mist. One of his beloved's best friends, who just happened to be Mhachi and ancient and demonic and possibly feral.
526
527Kinda cute, though. "I... guess she won't accept a heartfelt apology and a fruit basket." With a sigh, rubbing at the bridge of his nose for a moment, he looks down at the empress again. Right, time to focus. "You said before tha' this wouldn't be an easy road. Tha' more would be asked of me, to see this through." He glances down at their hands again, their fingers still intertwined, still clasped together.
528
529It felt right. "Wha' must I do next? 'ow should I prepare?"
530 
531๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/23/2019
532The defining moment when it all began. A moment of happiness and pain in equal measure. Another of heartbreak leading to a new beginning. Her mind spins with memories of better left in the past, trying to pinpoint the ones that may cause the most pain-- or, perhaps, joy. It's an idea that begins to spin as she watches Mist, laughing, splash water at Nerine, who stands there taking it for a good moment before rushing at the ravenette to pick her up and throw her thirty feet out into the water, her giggling becoming a high pitched squeal of excited panic.
533
534Silvertear Lake fading into the distance. A satchel on her hip, pressing down the fabric of one of her many white sundresses that she began to collect over the years. No hesitation as she leaves it behind, following the vampire into the great beyond. Three years before the six, no, hardly lonely at all. Different, yes, but not lonely. Because she'd find him someday soon. Someday she'd track him down and yell at him for taking so long to come back to her, and probably give him a good whack on the head for being a silly idiot. That'd show him, yeah!
535
536Releasing his hand slowly, as if hesitant to leave the touch behind, she begins to walk forward. "How should you prepare? By living your life." A plain answer, accented by her turning to face him once there is some distance between them.
537
538"You have done enough. Witness enough. Given strength to a soul fragile and fractured. It is fractured still, there is no denying that, but it will take time to heal, time to mend, and you cannot stay in this void forever. Return home to those waiting for you. Return home and wait, and should something change, I will find you. Until then... you must be patient. You must see what happens."
539
540Breathe. Be calm. Be patient.
541
542Easier said than done.
543 
544Powell06/24/2019
545"Well, he's not Ascian-possessed." Nagisa's voice was a cheerful chirp as she poked and adjusted holodials on their supercomputer, while Schez sighed. The highlander was handcuffed and strapped into a surgery chair, every manner of tubing and diode and sensor attached to him all over, while his employees ran their tests and scans.
546
547"At least, Omoikane doesn't seem to think so. But he could be fooling us! Could be playing tricks!" The raen spun in place on one foot, magitek goggles on her head, as she squinted close at her boss. "Hey, hey Schez. How do you feel about strangling puppies? Is that something you enjoy? Tell us, quick, what's your opinion on that?"
548
549He shook his head. "Yer an endless barrel of laughs, Nagi." Craning his head over to the left, looking around at the others, he continued, "C'mon, guys, it's me. Honest. I gave all th' right passphrases. Plus I told ye all yer favorite flavors of ice cream. Lemme out o' this. Pretty please?"
550
551The miqo'te nearby snorted, folding her arms. "Hell, no. For all we know, you could be a shapeshifting Sin Eater spy or something." Mana eyed him over, ready to go for her katana at any moment. "You vanish from this plane of existence for one whole friggin' week, leave me and Ash scrambling to cover your contracts, along with finishing our own?" His retainer poked a finger in his chest, her tail swishing angrily. "You owe us extra hazard pay, mister! I mean, if it's even really you in there."
552
553Then, at their feet, the air grew cold. "Let me cut him open," came the happy murmur. Rorona, with her collection of tools, and sharp slicing implements. "We'll find out if it's really him in there. All his soft bits, squishy bits. Good for harvesting. Good for testing." The lalafell giggled softly.
554
555Both the hyur and the miqo'te stared at their colleague. Then, the nearby elezen straightened up from her datapad, shaking her head with a sigh of her own, and turning to the unfolding comedy. "So, you met with this Nausicaa again."
556Everyone looked up at Adanelle. Schezar nodded. "S'right." His chief operating officer folded her arms, her expression stern as ever as she adjusted her glasses. Tinged with irritation, yet also mingled with relief. "And it didn't occur to you, Schez, to ask her how long this... spirit journey... would take?"
557
558Her co-founder sighed again. "Look, I already told ye th' whole tale, alrigh'? Everythin' I can remember. We started out in th' empress' past, met her younger self, all of thirteen summers, and we--" Immediately his face colors bright crimson, brain catching up with his words, as everyone stares at him expectantly.
559
560He tried to cover it up with a cough. Poorly. "ANYWAY. I'm sorry to everyone for causin' all this trouble. I'll pull triple overtime shifts t'make it up to ye all. An' believe me, my family's even more pissed. I'm in fer a thrashin' from me sister when I get 'ome." He offers them a small smile, though - his depression gone. "But I 'ave to wait, an' live me life. To be patient. To see what's going to happen. To be vigilant for th' next time she calls me."
561
562His gaze shifts toward a nearby window. "An' we 'ave th' Norvrandt expedition in a few days. So..."
563
564The sun was beginning to set. He recalled the way they'd held each other's hand, until their fingers finally, slowly parted. "...I trust her. An' I'll be ready when she needs me." He closes his eyes, with a calm, contented smile.
565
566"...so, let me cut him open?"
567
568His eyes flew back open again. "Oh, c'mon!"
569* * * * *
570
571Somewhere, across space and time, within the void between life and death, Mist's fragmented soul slumbered. Cocooned within crystal, nestled in the heart of a growing tree - the representation of Old Man Gehrman's spirit. Schezar's grandfather had chosen this as his final sacrifice - to shield her from pain and oblivion, as she slowly healed. Gradually regenerating, with every memory, every test, that his grandson and the empress faced together, hand-in-hand.
572
573Somewhere, across space and time, Warriors of Light entered Ishgard, where the Dragonsong War awaited them.
574
575Somewhere, across space and time, children began to sing a new melody among themselves, playing in the streets of the Crystarium.
576
577Do you know the tale of the Warrior of Darkness? The one who dared to love an eternal, undying empress of old, across space and time? Baseborn, earthborn mortal, who would give to her everything that he ever was, and ever would be.
578
579The song of the one we name Stormbreaker, Skyblade, Swiftheart... Starbringer?
580 
581Powell06/27/2019
582All their linkpearls to the Scions and the Sons of Saint Coinach were glowing and humming. While his staff whirled about in a flurry of activity, chattering back and forth with their remote contacts in Mor Dhona, he took a deep breath, long and slow, and ran final checks on his gear.
583
584Calibration complete, armor integrity at 100%. Squinting a little at the magitek holo projected over his eyes, as he slid the helm on. Leaning over him, the ananta by his side slithered and hissed softly as she examined every inch of the ebon plating, one final time. "We've no guarantee that commsss will hold, once you go through that gate, bossss." She rapped his chest with her knuckles, and he nodded as his helm unfurled and slid back, revealing his face.
585
586"Furthermore, no guaranteesss that the weapon summoningsss and transformationssss will remain intact and ready for your use. " She furrowed her brow. "Thisss expedition iss... unprecedented."
587
588Schezar chuckled. "Thought ye liked bein' on th' cuttin' edge, Saanvi. I'll procure gear on-site if I 'ave to, as always. Do it old school." With a final nod of thanks, he stepped forward, then turned back toward his employees.
589"I'll be joinin' a few of th' other mercs assemblin' to 'elp th' Sharlayans. Mana an' Ash will stay 'ere, keep pluggin' away at our standard rescue an' security contracts." His gaze swept around them, but he gave no voice to the doubt, the caution, that all of them felt. "Yer me best an' finest in th' business, so try not ter blow up th' shop while I'm off." The highlander smiled. "See ye all in a week, then."
590
591Before he could teleport away, though, Adanelle stepped forward, holding out her fingers to hand him something. The elezen's expression was calm, as always, while she adjusted her glasses. "Give this to her when you find her."
592
593Schezar paused, but only for a few moments. He took the rainbow brightlily from her, pressed and preserved, then nodded again as he took it carefully from his cofounder. Placing it inside a secure compartment of his armor. His expression softened into another smile. "Cheers, A."
594
595* * * * *
596
597Crystal slate cracked under his boots as he gazed south, toward what was once Silvertear Lake. Where his fairy princess had watched him grow up, all from a pure chance meeting.
598
599He took a deep breath. "Thea?" With an aetheric glow, his anima fluttered down, giggling and nodding as she floated beside him. He smiled at her, while she remained out of sword form.
600
601The two began their approach together toward the Crystal Tower.
602
603Why do weathered warriors wander their way, whither wanting wonders wait?
604Hark the heralds, anchors aweigh! Hither happens mine escape.
605Freedom forgone, sinking apace. Comets crumble, Phoebus fades.
606Under cosmic clamor delayed, hides a path untaken.
607 
608Powell06/28/2019
609A message in a bottle, carefully kept and handed down from gatekeeper to gatekeeper in the Crystarium.
610
611Dear Mist,
612
613Part of me hopes this message never reaches you. Because that would (hopefully) mean you were safe back home again, with your daughters and loved ones.
614
615But if it ever does, if you ever find yourself reading these words, then seek audience with the exarch. He'll point you where you need to go.
616
617Yours,
618
619S
620
621The parchment is weathered and cracked at the edges, the ink slightly faded. Simple sketched maps and notes accompany the message, detailing some of the surrounding areas and people.
622 
623๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?06/29/2019
624"Are you sure about this?"
625
626"As sure as I am about anything."
627
628She checks her hair, making sure not a single piece is out of place. Her gear, her attire, her boots with an extra knife tucked inside -- everything is ready to go. Ready to, hopefully, cross the distance with her, and help bring back some from the other side.
629
630"Link's staying behind to watch the kids," Mist goes on to say as she holds her hand out to the blunette a short distance away. In response, the woman snorts, but doesn't protest. His own children with Seyka, the children of Cassie and Thancred, and the little one that Sanary recently gave birth to. They'll all be fine in his care. While they go to bring back their loved ones, their allies, from somewhere far away.
631
632"I know this is... hard, for you. I'm sorry." When Nerine doesn't flinch away, she presses her forehead against the taller female's. "Going back there. Going back to Eulmore, to V--"
633
634"Do not speak his name." A warning and a plea. "Please."
635
636"Okay." A promise to the request. She adjusts her aethergauge, grinning. Slowly before her, the woman disappears in a flurry of red and blue light, taking on the shape of a butterfly. Easier to travel with, that's for sure.
637
638Is she ready? No, not at all. None of them are. But it won't stop them.
639
640The door to her cottage is locked. Out of business for awhile, that's for sure.
641
642To the Crystal Tower. To a beacon connecting time, space, and Shards. To the First, to the next adventure. And, Hydaelyn willing, to him.
643
644Three years and six later, and one more. And thirty that follow.
645 
646Powell06/29/2019
647Another message in a bottle is found in Amh Araeng, traded by an elderly Mord merchant, who says he was waiting all this time for the 'star-stealing girl.'
648
649Dear Mist,
650
651Life in Norvrandt can be harsh, and cruel. Even with the shadow of the empire looming over us in Eorzea, we at least had moments of respite in our childhood, shielded by our families. Here, the endless Light, and the nightmare fate of the Sin Eaters, are ever-present. If you're reading these words, then something tells me you'll learn the full truth of them soon enough.
652
653When I first arrived here, my linkpearls and equipment stopped functioning. But the exarch is working on a few changes to the portal, he says. I hope they work.
654
655I think back to the time we spent together. Long hours at Silvertear. Moments exploring your memories, in the space between time, between life and death.
656
657If you're reading these words, my love, if they somehow reach you, then be well. Find joy. I will not forget you, even here, in a dying world.
658
659Yours,
660
661S
662
663The aged and weathered parchment is again accompanied by sketches and notes, this time of weak points of Sin Eaters. However, some of the notes seem oddly out of date - such as making reference to Eulmore still putting up a fight, which they no longer are.
664 
665Powell06/30/2019
666The final message in a bottle is won in an auction game, or stolen, from a pompous noble in Eulmore. When questioned about its origins, she claims it was taken from a wandering hunter, a so-called 'Golden Man.'
667
668Dear Mist, 
669
670The years pass, and I wonder if this is what it was like for you. Sending out words that no one else might ever hear.
671
672Tomorrow we seek a being named Feo Ul, in the land of the fae. If they can be convinced to help, then contact can at long last be reestablished between both worlds.
673
674I wish I could see you one more time, face-to-face. To apologize for the mistakes I've made, for how I hurt you.
675
676But I will live out the rest of these days in solitude, and in a manner worthy of your love: protecting others, and bringing hope where I can. Until the end.
677
678Your knight, 
679
680Sche
681
682The only sketch that accompanies the parchment is a simple drawing of two figures by a lake -  a boy with russet hair, and a girl with raven-dark locks, smiling out at the water together, hand-in-hand.
683 
684๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/04/2019
685It feels, in a way, like she's being shattered from the inside out.
686
687There's no pain, alarming as it is, and as she falls through space and time and everything and nothing, her mind turns with the pieces pulled from her soul. Days long since passed by, moments shared with countless people no longer around, regrets and joys in equal measure piling up within her. The day she married Xande before the rising empire, dancing naked under moonlight upon the water of Silvertear with violet eyes lost in her performance, the gentle heartbreak that came the moment she felt how cold the atelier was without Janis, holding Cassandra's hand as she screamed through her intense labor, spinning in circles with her newborn grandson nestled against her bosom, lullabies whispered to the night sky while she glimpsed images of futures to come.
688
689Then she's there, the other side of it all, a white landscape and purple crystalline trees as far as the eye can see. A deep, shaky breath, and a quick companion that strikes a cord within her. She's here for a reason, that she knows. To find where their loved ones have gone. To find out why they are being pulled. To see the secrets hidden within the world, and to -- if the fates allow it -- let her find what she, too, is searching for, a riddle bestowed upon her by an Ascian that knew the knowledge of her life a bit too intimately for her tastes.
690It takes time to adjust to the Crystarium, to the First, to the absence of the night sky she loves so much. But while it is different, she finds herself immediately attached to the way of life that the people have adopted, proving they are survivors through and through. With Seyka and Cassandra handling things with locating Alisaie, she prepares with Sanary to find Alphinaud. More help is always a good idea, she tells the miqo'te while they pack their few things, and the local mercenary scene may yield better results than one might expect.
691
692The gatekeeper's letter does much to inspire her quickly beating heart. Maybe, someday soon... just maybe...
693 
694Powell07/04/2019
695"Well, this is a children's tale. Apocryphal." Moren smiled nervously at the seemingly Drahn woman, and her striking features. "But the exarch seems to think it important for you to hear, Ms. Mist, so..." He opened to a later section of the large tome, pointing at the illustrations for her.
696
697"The Minfilia of that decade set out on a journey, trying to find a way to weaken the Sin Eaters besieging us." His finger tapped against three figures - a young woman of bright golden hair, a glowing blue pixie, and a russet-haired man that towered over them both, clad in gold armor.
698
699"Together, she and her boon companions journeyed far and wide - fighting the wicked white along the way, saving and protecting settlements." The scholar frowned, rubbing his chin. "But eventually, when they reached old Voeburt, where the fae folk now reside... the story goes, they entered the castle together to do battle with the Lightwarden within, but only she emerged."
700
701He shook his head. "Now, the thing about this record, it's barely 30, maybe 40 years old. And what little information we have is often by word of mouth. Some accounts say one of her companions became Titania King. Others say the knight, the golden sword who protected them both, isn't even from our world... like the exarch himself." Moren smiled again sheepishly. "Again, just children's tales, after all."
702 
703๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/04/2019
704A tale passed down from word of mouth, one that is spoken to children in a fairytale-like fashion. The Oracle of Light turning back the Flood, sparing the world from an untimely demise. It isn't the first time she's heart the story, but to see it and hear it is two very different things.
705
706Wicked white, wicked white, slaying everything in sight. Beware, beware the bite, of those who stole the night.
707
708"A castle?" Titania King, a name or title, it matters not. The exarch seemed so insistent when she spoke to him, believing she need to hear the story from someone, for it would matter to her. Why, she isn't entirely sure, and it will be some time before she truly does, yet it doesn't change. Perhaps if she can find Minfilia -- older than she remembers her, possibly, but still Minfilia, isn't she? -- and speak to her, they can do something for the world. They can change the fate of the star.
709
710It's a longshot. One born from hope to find those lost. For Cassandra to reunite with her husband, the father of her children. And for herself to find...
711
712"There is no harm in tales for children," Mist's eye glint, soft red dancing in the library's light. "After all, most of them contain warnings, do they not? This one may as well. Beware the castle of the fae folk, if nothing else." A wink, then a pause. "But if three entered and one left... and if one of the companions possibly came from another world, then a way to the other side may be there."
713
714Yes, a longshot. One she'll take to use for the future.
715
716"How would one reach the castle of Titania King, if I may ask?"
717 
718Powell07/05/2019
719"But it's just a child's bedtime sto--"
720
721The look in her crimson eyes gives him pause. With another soft sigh, Moren reached for one of the nearby maps, spreading it open for her and marking a point near the top. "The path to Il Mheg lies to the north, from here. Where Longmirror Lake connects to Mithai Glorianda of eld."
722
723He hesitated again. "But, my lady, I must warn you and your friends of two things. Firstly, the fae will not suffer mortal trespassers lightly. You could get caught in their illusions and fog for days, even years. Few step foot in their lands, and even fewer return. Even the Sin Eaters themselves."
724
725The hume scholar gave her another thoughtful look. "Then, secondly... I know not your interest in this fairytale, my lady, and I will not pry. But the exarch asked me to, well, give you this." He reached into his pocket, producing a scrap of parchment, and handing it to her.
726
727It reads thusly: The Golden Sword still walks afield through these lands, from Rak'tika to Amh Araeng. A knight-errant of eld, still hunting the wicked white, still aiding innocents in need. But I caution you, be ready for what you find. It may not be to your liking.
728
729Give him my regards. And my apologies.
730 
731๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/05/2019
732Information gleamed, tucked away carefully as she gazes over the map. Mental routes are marked in her mind and she traces some of them for the visual to commit to. Northwest through Lakeland, through the Forest of the Lost Shepherd, to Laxan Loft, then the Weathering, and into Il Mheh, to Timh Gyeus, the land of fae who do not take kindly to mortal trespassers.
733
734Well, then. She'll get along wonderfully with their kind.
735
736"Like I said, there is no harm in tales for children, with a lesson to be had in each one. In this, too, there may be much to learn." She likes Moren, decidedly so, with the vast information around him and the stories she'd happily pick from his mind. Another time, another chance to sit down and babble over tea, and maybe even answer some of his questions in full. Reveal some of the secrets about the tower that glistens ever so brightly, a symbol of hope for people of eld, one with many wonders and horrors locked away within the depths of it.
737
738The Golden Sword, a knight-errant of eld. One of Minfilia's allies from the past, then? If so, the person may have knowledge that will prove even more valuable than those locked away in all the books within the Crystarium. Sanary's never been one to mind a distraction, and a bit of a detour on the way to tracking down Alphinaud will hurt none.
739
740"Thank you," a smile and a bow, and a little trinket left behind. "For a child's tale, a child's toy." The megaminx petaminx dodecahedron will keep him busy for quite awhile, being both a distraction and a fitting way to bring it all together. Raising her finger to her lips, she bobs forward and begins to retrace her steps to where she left Sanary.
741
742Looks like they'll be packing a few extra things for the road!
743 
744Powell07/05/2019
745"An attack is coming. You 'ave to evacuate th' children, an' your families."
746
747The mayor sputtered and glared at the old man, seated at the far end of the table. From that distance, the wanderer seemed unassuming, less imposing. "N-now listen here, you. Bad enough that we have to contend with these, these squabbles between the Crystarium and Eulmore. But for you and your fellow hunters to come and fearmonger like this..."
748
749The highlander laid his palms flat on the table. "It's not fearmongerin'." Violet eyes gazed out at the town official and his assistants, murmuring among themselves. "Your people 'ere in Holminster are a valuable resource. Ye know this, mayor. Send th' children to th' Crystarium, at least. Shore up your defenses an' ask for more men from th' exarch. He'll gladly oblige. The eaters are disorganized rabble on your borders righ' now, but a strong leader is comin'--"
750
751His answer from the mayor was a seething "NO!" The official slammed his hands down upon the table. "Enough! I must ask you to leave. Goldenrod or whatever they call you, we've heard the whispers. Nothing more than an old, an old stormcrow, you are! We will not abandon our homes this near to our festival!"
752
753The wanderer remained still, seemingly unfazed by the sharp rebuke. Though, he did glance out the window, at the fields of green, the sound and laughter of children playing outside. "It's true. I 'ave gotten old. Lived too long." He stood and bowed. "I wish ye and yours a happy festival, mayor."
754★ ★ ★
755
756His steed, black as night, metal replacing flesh, was waiting at the borders of the town. What now, then?
757
758The wanderer slowed, turning to look back at the village. "We continue thinning the flock's ranks. S'all we can do." He looked back up at his companion. "Maybe send word and warnin' to Granson and th' others, as well."
759
760Hnnh. The Tholl have repaired and sent back your armor. But you need to rest.
761
762His rider mounted up in response. "I'll rest when I'm dead, Raigo."
763
764★ ★ ★
765
766That was the way of things. It was then, at some point in the star-stealing girl's journey, that she would see from afar the hunter cutting a swath through Sin Eaters. Armor of gold, sword of gold, face hidden by its helm, cleaving through wicked white. Near the water of the lake, surrounded by a field of flowers and violet.
767
768It was her moment.
769 
770๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/05/2019
771"Nerine! Now!"
772
773"This is the stupidest thing you have proposed today-"
774
775"Now means now!"
776
777A curse to make a sailor blush reaches her ears before her body is sent skyward. Her star globe falls with her, the mhachi's aim true, and the slow descent allows her to take careful aim. It's not like they had a lot of time to make a plan of action when seeing a lone figure taking on a handful of Sin Eaters without any assistance, and truth be told, throwing her to a higher vantage point didn't seem all that unreasonable.
778
779Except for the entire landing bit of it, which had been why the other began to protest in the first place. Because from such a height, landing on her feet would not only be nearly impossible, but probably cost her dearly for attempting it. Details to worry about later. Pulsing astral energy, a turn of cards that she's so fond of, and a feeling of warmth sent to the gold-clad hunter from her shared aether to attune with their own, creating a temporary aetherthic link to amplify their natural abilities.
780
781Fields of flowers and a sky full of pink. Rainbows glistening in sunlight. Ruins of eld hidden behind crystalline waves. In the midst of it all, the figure in gold surrounded by creatures that look rather angelic, if not for the nature of their existence. It's oddly beautiful, and as she falls, a sword forged of starlight begins to take shape. Nearby. a motorbike is left to the side as another, dark aether penetrating every bit of her existence, lashes out at the nearest Eater, intending to begin thinning the fray from her side. 
782
783Aiming the sword downward, she throws it forward to knock down one Eater that grew too close to the figure in gold armor. There's not enough time to change her descent now, she realizes, and the ground doesn't look quite as soft as she'd been hoping.
784
785Drats. She so hates it when someone else is right.
786 
787Powell07/05/2019
788Angels of ravenous Light and an errant of the boundless Dark, clad in his ebon and gold armor from the Isle of Val, from another world entirely. It's not that he was looking to die, not at all - it was just that he'd seen the many fates worse than death that the Sin Eaters could bestow. Both before his true self was sealed away and trapped, and in the many years afterward. So he hunted, as did many others. A hunter must hunt, after all.
789
790Thus, cooperating with other hunters came as second nature. He hears their yelling, and the Drahn woman's confident battlecry, before he sees her. His old mind, still sharp, veteran of a thousand battles, calculates two things in that split-second: one, that fall is going to break her spine and leave her paralyzed. Two, he already has the exact tool saved up for moments like these.
791
792Dark Arts: The Blackest Night
793
794A sphere of his own dark-aspected aether surrounds her, absorbing the impact - at the precise moment that the warmth of her astral aether, shared with his, both heals and strengthens him. Protecting each other, in that way, that manner - causes them to resonate.
795
796The rainbow brightlilies he gathered to put in her hair, amidst her giggling.
797
798The melody of her voice, his head in her lap, as she comforted him to sleep.
799
800Their intimacy on the first night he came of age, a man in the eyes of his family, and hers.
801
802The way she held him from behind, pleading with him to stay with her. Their shared regret, and sorrow.
803
804Their intimacy in her own memories, when she was of the same age he was, and he took her maidenhood, on that night of fire and tears.
805
806The way he held her hand, even as she stood by his side in proud imperial crimson. Healing her loneliness. Making whole again her memories, her soul.
807All of it, in the space of a heartbeat.
808
809His head whips toward her as she lands, wielding her starlight blade, watching as she takes out the Eater nearest to him. His face, his features, still hidden beneath the black-and-gold helm. However, his voice, tinny as it sounds through the enchanted metal, is instantly recognizable. "Mist."
810
811He stares at her new crimson eyes. Her new body. She was still as beautiful as he remembered. 
812
813Then, with a deep breath, he sweeps the flat of his blade directly under her feet, digging into the earth beneath her to lift her up again. "Mist..."
814
815The knight spins, and bodily launches her toward the last, biggest Sin Eater - the leader of the pack, a female, angelic figure in full armor, sword and shield. "...take her OUT! Aim for th' neck!" The sphere of his blackest night continues to pulse around her, still protecting her, for that final fastball special, that finishing blow.
816Wandering ended, futures aligned,
817One brings shadow, one brings light.
818 
819๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/05/2019
820A heartbeat, a pulse, a connection. One she did not expect, so suddenly and so vividly, and it steals from her a lungful of air, her knees trembling. His voice. It's immediate, the urge to reach up and yank the helmet away from him, to touch his face and stare into his lovely violet eyes with her own crimson orbs -- eyes that mark her imperial legacy and the return of her full powers, wonderful and frightening as they'll prove to be over the years -- to hold him in her arms and pepper his cheeks with kisses, to--
821
822Wait. Wait.
823
824WHAT.
825
826It's an indignant squeak that escapes her, far different than the whooping yell she gleefully made when Nerine threw her moments before. But she follows through with the suddenly action wonderfully, starlight bursting the moment it makes contact with the beautiful figure. Light versus Light, one overpowering the other in a single decisive blow, stardust shattering and bursting toward the ground in a brillant explosion, echoes of darkness from his blackest night flickering wildly in the aftermath.
827
828She's not a cat. No trace of miqo'te in her, that's for sure, and when she face plants on the ground, she makes a high pitched whine that comes across more pathetic than anything else. "That's NOT what I was expecting, Sche!"
829
830A wing is spat out on the ground a short distance away, sunkissed fingers plucking feathers from blue hair. "A fitting end. Rest in peace."
831
832"Nerine! S-So mean!"
833 
834Powell07/05/2019
835Is he dreaming? Was this another fae illusion, made to mock him? He'd never told any of them about her, only Sio, and... and she was still trapped. Along with his body, his true self, in the castle.
836
837He took a deep breath, still hidden, faceless behind the helm. He stands upright, towering over both women, even from a distance. Then, stabbing his greatblade upside down, planting it in the earth, leaving it behind as he strides toward her. His fairy princess. Fitting, maybe, to see her again in the land of the fairies. Even as remnants of stardust and feathers slowly descend around them, framing the scene, he slowly strides toward her, ponderous, almost hesitant. Almost afraid that she'll vanish again, like a mirage, when he tries to touch her.
838
839"S'you." One step closer. "S'really you." His voice is soft, melancholic, full of wonder. "Oh... oh, gods."
840
841Anything, a distraction, anything to slow the moment. He swallows, looking up over at the blue-haired-- oh. "I, ah... see yer bike made th' trip. Sorry about th'... uh... th' old one." That I broke on your collarbone, years ago, he thinks, but does not say aloud.
842
843He finally stops before her, his face still hidden by his helm. "It's you. You're real. An'..." He reaches up an armored, gauntleted hand, leaving just the warm palm in cloth and the fingers free, to cup her cheek. Gazing into her crimson eyes, the mark of Allag's ruling line. "...you're beautiful."
844
845The moment she chose to reach up to his helm, to take it off, to see his face in turn - he does not protest. He does not resist. All he says quietly, once his features are finally revealed - violet eyes, aged countenance, grayed hair, are simple words: "Things got complicated."
846 
847๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/05/2019
848"..." Clearly, even mentioning her bike is not something Schezar is allowed to due, judging by her expression. Or her neck. Truth be told, he probably can't be within ten feet of her without her feeling on edge, body language revealing how tense and guarded she is. It's to be expected, what with their only meeting being when he had a lovely little Garlean speaking in his ear trying to get him to do all sorts of wonderful things. She still has her eyes, but like hell she's going to say she's thankful for that.
849
850Really, it's tempting to eat his fucking face.
851
852She's beaten to the punch, and with all of the yuckiness a seven-year-old child might feel at the sight, she turns away. Mist's breathless laugh and echoing words of "I can see that!" prelude the ravenette standing on her tip toes to close the distance, not questioning any of it. No, inquires can wait, the highlander's helmet clattering on the ground without a care from the woman who discarded it so easily. She smiles as she kisses him, eyes slipping shut to enjoy the pureness of the moment. His warmth mingling with her own, the cold of her skin no longer the norm, her breath bearing traces of the konpeito she often munches on while out and about.
853
854Older. In face and hair, and in build. No, all of that can wait just a moment, lost in the water and the flowers and the feathers, and not even Nerine's clear disapproval is enough to discourage her from slipping her arms around armored shoulders, pulling herself closer. He's so broad, things her dream did not let her explore, and she fits perfectly against him, as if meant to melt on his chest.
855
856When she pulls back, a smile remains, and her forehead presses to his. "So, then. How did things get complicated?"
857 
858Powell07/05/2019
859"I... ah..." He was certain she'd recoil. Or be dismayed. All the years lost. Even with his lifetime of aetheric training and martial discipline, gradually growing slower from the weight of age and time. The horrors of surviving on the First, even as just a fragmented portion, flesh or not, soul or not, of someone else's being. The unquestioning acceptance, the warmth of her lips - her brow resting against his, even as he has to bend close, with their difference in size.
860
861He trembles. His lip quivers. He is a tired, frail old man, granted a miracle near the very end, after failing the very first friends he'd made in this strange land, decades ago. But he still has a job to do. Blinking the tears away, he nods, gratefully taking her hand. "I'll explain someplace safer, an' quieter. We should make for th' Bookman's Shelves." He turns and points north. "Urianger, of th' Scions - he made it his abode. Ran into him last year. Remarkable how he got th' fae to cooperate. Summat to do with sleepless nights an' riddles, he said."
862
863He knows he is half-babbling. Busying himself with movement, with words, recovering his gear - though he keeps the helm off. Letting the magitek fold back and rejoin the rest of the armor. He turns toward the two again. "If you're both here, then... things are startin' to move, I suppose." He glances toward the castle behind them, shining on the lake, under the endless sun. He exhales, looking at Mist again, violet eyes meeting crimson.
864
8651000 words, never spoken. 1000 regrets, and more. But instead of speaking any further, he simply squeezes her hand gratefully, a lifetime's worth of lost love and hope, then walks forward with her. Their fingers intertwined, as he leads them both to safety and sanctuary.
866 
867๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/05/2019
868In many ways, he looks like his grandfather.
869
870She doesn't point this out as she walks beside him, taking in the sights of the flowering fields with more attention than before. No longer holding on to Nerine while riding through the fog-filled area (how long had she been playing games with the immortal fae, only to receive a fair bit of laughter of her own when she turned the tables on them?), but instead the hand of a boy who grew into a fine man, who bore witness to so many things that she couldn't wait to hear about.
871
872A thousand words could wait until later, and in time, those thousand regrets may become less heavy on his shoulders. (Though time may not be on his side, it is still a kinder foe than others he has faced in his existence.)
873
874"Urianger, Y'shtola, Thancred..." The existence of Shards and the Source, and the First, weigh heavily on her. They are all part of a grander scheme that is slowly becoming clear with the passing of each day, and now that they are able to see the effects of an overabundance of Light, it makes her wonder a bit. Did the Ascians tip the scales to create another Calamity, another Ardor? Or, should darkness be forever banished, this be the fate of another star as well?
875
876"You know, I..." With her free hand, she digs into her satchel, taking note of Nerine's distance. Best to leave her to trail behind and watch for more Sin Eaters than draw her closer in an uncomfortable situation. Especially after the ordeal in Eulmore.
877
878"I was given some messages, and I found another through a game of chance," there's a grin on her face when she says this. "How did you know I would end up here? Was it a hope, or...?"
879 
880Powell07/05/2019
881He blinks, staring at the missives, memories flooding back. "He wrote-- I mean... I remember writin' those," he murmurs, grinning sheepishly in spite of himself. That smile, for a brief moment, makes him look like the young man, the boy, she remembered from decades past.
882
883"Did she really make you swim out for those brightlilies, Schez?"
884
885He chuckles. "Heh, not really, Min. A big part of me jus' wanted t'make 'er smile. And a little part of me, I admit, jus' wanted t'show off a bit."
886
887He slowly shook his head. "Those were... I just wrote them, thinkin' of ye, a world away. Hopin' ye were with your kin. Never actually thought you'd find them." His eyes meet hers again, violet locked to crimson, his smile tinged with longing and relief. "Strange miracles, eh? And now, look at ye. Got yer body back. Got your memories an' soul back, looks like." On impulse, he stops again, leaning close to press another warm kiss to her lips, slower this time. "I want t'hear your story, too," he murmurs, resting his brow against hers for a few moments.
888
889★ ★ ★
890
891A bell later, at the refuge, he sits with her outside, in the shade of one of its walls. Gazing out at the castle on the lake, under the eternal sun. His expression is distant, faintly tense, for the first time since they reunited. But his fingers remain intertwined with hers.
892"This was an Ironworks job. Plus a contract for Rowena an' her House of Splendors, to gather intel," he murmurs softly. "They reckoned they'd pinpointed where th' comatose Scions' souls ended up. But time warps and blends in strange, uncontrollable ways, when ye step through. They activated tha' device, and..." The sensations he describes are familiar to her. Like being shattered from the inside out, falling through space and time and everything and nothing.
893
894"Tha' was 34 years ago, now. Fer me, anyway." His gaze drifts down to the pale skin of her hand, her crystalline scales gleaming in the endless daylight. "Th' exarch tried to send me back a few times, or at least a message, to me crew, but we had difficulty for decades. Though we haven't tried again more recently... maybe now tha' you're 'ere, things are changin'. Maybe now, th' pixies can..." He trailed off, distracted again by memory.
895
896Schezar breathed deep. "Back then, I met a few good folk. Minfilia, an' Sio An. We traveled together." His gaze swept back up to the castle. "It... didn't end well."
897 
898๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/05/2019
899Resources are slim in parts like this. Slim, yet not impossible to find, and after sharing some of her own in exchange for local flavors, she finds herself with three piping hot bowls of vegetable soup and a spicy, cherry-scented cider that quickly becomes one of her favorite things. A bit of dried meat in some sort of rub she can’t identify goes a long way as well, and after settling down to break their fast, she pulls out a leatherbound book to record notes. Sketches of flowers and herbs seen along the way, comparisons to those from another world. And, admittedly, more than a little on food she has tried, recipes in progressive written in meat cursive.
900
901“Thirty four years...” There is something hard to recognize in her voice. A notion of pity, perhaps, mingling with uncertainty. The passage of time between worlds, and more than that, the explanation of why. Contracts from Ironworks. Scions of the Seventh Dawn. Prominent things within her world as well, and...
902
903...she looked. After, once memories began to return in recent seasons. What if, all this time, they had been in the same star still? What if stories she heard over the years had him in them, and stories he heard reflected her actions? 
904
905A sip of her drink, a few notes on the parchment. “Have you gained the affection of the faefolk like Urianger?” The way he spoke of them suggested a deeper connection, one she latches on to. Shoulder to shoulder, a sunny sea stretching forever.
906
907Her story can wait. For now, she stays on task. “A scholar at the Crystarium by the name of Moren spoke of these lands. Of three who entered Titania King’s castle, but only one left. I had hoped to explore the castle myself to see if it holds a gateway between worlds. What do you know of this king?”
908 
909Powell07/05/2019
910"I'd hope so. Or at least, gained enough of their affection for them to stop stealin' me underwear." The highlander chuckles, but his smile fades at her followup question. He stared down at his bowl of soup. Remembering. 
911
912His expression is still calm, but haunted, now - his brow furrowed, the lines of age heavy on his face. Still scarred and handsome as she remembers, as if carved from Ala Mhigan stone, and indeed closer to Gehrman than ever. Despite the contemplation, the old ache - still younger than her, by centuries - he wears his mortality with dignity.
913
914"Titania King fought an' slew th' Lightwarden of this land. An' it cost her dear. I know, because I was there." Schezar set his soup down, slowly rising to his feet, walking forward a few paces, folding his arms as he stared up at the castle. He continued to speak softly, remembering it all, as if it were yesterday.
915
916"It was me, th' Minfilia of our age, and Sio - who th' fae now revere as their Titania." He closed his eyes, seeing their determined faces. "Min was young. They all are, when they take up th' burden. It was me third, maybe fourth year here in Norvrandt. We traveled together, hunted th' wicked white, bled together, broke bread together..."
917With a soft exhale, he reaches into a section of his armor plating. The magitek unfolds back, revealing a journal of his own - weathered parchment and pages. "Decades ago, we came here to Il Mheg, fought the Lightwarden together... and won. But there was a cost." He turns to her, their eyes meeting once more. Dawn crimson and dusk violet.
918
919"Light, primal, cursed Light, began pouring out of th' creature, and into Min. She screamed, she was in such pain... so Sio acted. She intercepted, and sucked th' Light into 'erself, instead..." He began to step back slowly toward her. It was time to tell her the truth.
920https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzmLL6-fYOY
921
922"I screamed at Minfilia to run, and shut the doors behind her. Because she was th' people's symbol of hope." He sat before Mist, laying his own journal down in his lap, taking her hands in his. "I stayed with Sio An, as she transformed into maddened Titania. Her final act - with her last scrap of sanity, and kindness - was to seal away me body. Encase me in crystal, and sunder me soul. For me own protection." His eyes are locked with hers, as if to emphasize the truth of the matter.
923
924"I drifted again, for a while, in th' Lifestream. By th' time I found a way back, years had passed. Minfilia was long gone. But my body, me true self - th' boy you watched grow up, your knight - is trapped in tha' castle. Only breaking the seals and challengin' Titania will free him." He exhaled again slowly, gazing down at her pale fingers. "I'm just a shade. A fragment of a fragment. His memories overriding me own, because I lived them. I 'ave me own flesh, aye, me own memories an' life... but it's him tha' ye came for." He smiles sadly, unable to resist the impulse, raising her fingers to his lips to kiss them gently.
925
926In spite of his words, though, he is warm. He is alive. She's felt his heartbeat. He does not speak of his own fate once they succeed. And he is resolved to see this through.
927
928I'll live, I'll become all I need to be.
929YouTube
930Cem Alkan
931Metal Gear Solid V - The Phantom Pain ''Sins of the Father'' Lyric...
932
933 
934๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/06/2019
935Primal light, cursed light. Body placed in crystal sleep. Soul sundered, sent adrift to protect it, with only vague connections to the physical. A new form comprised of aether. A shade, fragment of a--
936
937"What do you mean, a fragment of a fragment?"
938
939She doesn't pull away from the gentle press of his lips against her fingers, instead responding with the setting down of her cup and journal, and raising her other hand to rest on the top of his head. A slow petting motion, his hair slipping through her fingers like silk, follows, and betrays the way her expression twists in thought. In confusion. In the silent demand for a further answer.
940
941Challenge the Lightwarden to free the body. He needs not say more than that in the regard, but her own experiences immediately usher in a notion of warning. Without a body and soul joined properly, a person's existence is only half proper, and leads to aetherical chaos more oft than not. Yet while the body sleeps, the soul has carried on, forging new memories and experiences. What happens when they rejoin? Does one overpower the other or do they meet somewhere in the middle? Worse, does it wipe the slate clean?
942
943Experiments of eld. The sight of the girl being removed from the chamber, her mind frayed and destroyed by the Garlean whims. A forced seperation, a forced rejoining, and a destroyed being.
944
945It is her turn to raise his hands, taking both in her own, to hold them at her lap. To feel the soft skin of her legs where the tunic doesn't quite cover, trying to root him in the moment, in place.
946
947"Make no mistake, you are Schezar Stormbreaker." Mist's brow knits. "Even if torn from your body. You've lived three decades, continuing where your body is not. Do not call yourself a shade, little boy, or say that it is him I came for, when you are one and the same, and I would come for you time and time again."
948 
949Powell07/06/2019
950His eyes remain shut as her fingers brush through his hair, feeling himself quietly sinking into her touch, her presence. The wanderer hadn't felt safe like this for the longest time. As she takes his hands, guides him to feel her skin, her warmth, he slowly opens his eyes again, gazing at her with a small smile. He opens his mouth to respond - but, for an instant, in the space of a heartbeat, the world around them goes gray. Everything halts - wind, birdsong, her beloved's movement. Frozen in time.
951
952It is clearly visible to her, now that she is whole, her powers fully restored. A figure in gray robes leans against the nearby wall. A figure with no face  - it is turned away partly to the side, a hint of an ivory mask on its face. It speaks in a melodic voice, but with no words. Instead, thoughts and intent perfectly translated.
953
954A taste, a preview, for you, of his inexorable mortality.
955
956How far will you go for him in the years to come, I wonder?
957
958"Almost forgot how hot me empress is when she gets stern. Missed it. Do I get th' little boy spanking, now?"
959
960The moment ends, the grey-robed apparition vanishes, and color and time returns to the world - punctuated by Schezar's soft, cheeky reply, his chastised half-smile. At her questioning, her declaration, he nods in quiet agreement and apology. Gazing down at the pale white of her legs, he continues in another soft murmur. "Th' exarch examined me back then, and he said... alright, frankly, most of it went over me head." He offers her another sheepish, apologetic look. But the resolve remains in his eyes.
961"I have me own body, aged as it is. Me own experiences an' memories. But they won't go back to me - to him, when he's freed." He holds up his journal. "So I've been documenting everythin' I can. Norvrandt has changed, even though th' Eaters have always haunted these lands, hunted its people. A few years back, more travelers began appearin' from beyond th' rift... and th' Cardinal Virtues 'ave been on th' move. Th' strongest Eaters of them all."
962
963He exhaled slowly. "You're righ'. I'm still Schezar Stormbreaker, even with all th' other names they've given me. Still your Sche. Even as a fractured echo of a soul." His eyes meet hers again. "So ye know tha' I love you, and I always will, Nau. And I'll stand by your side, and your loved ones, for as long as I have left in this world."
964
965His fingers intertwine with hers. "But we 'ave to end Titania's suffering. We have to free my true self. Even if it means I disappear for good." His expression and demeanor is calm, almost infuriatingly so - sometimes it makes her wish he wasn't raised by monks. "I don't know how long I've waited for this moment... for this blessing... but here ye are, now. No longer just in my dreams."
966
967But even though his face remains smiling and calm, quiet tears gleam on his cheeks. He shakes his head, wiping them away with the back of one elderly hand. "Yet 'ere I am again... hurtin' ye again. I'm sorry. Ye deserve better than this." He remains steadfast, with a deep breath. His eyes locked to hers, ageless empress, and her ephemeral mortal.
968
969"I wish it were me instead," he finally confides in a soft whisper. Admitting his deepest, most selfish wish, his fear of oblivion. "I wish I could be the one to wake, and keep on adventurin' by your side."
970 
971๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/06/2019
972A world frozen in time. Gray robes covering a figure near a wall. It's a name on her tongue that she wants to ask, the scene familiar in a way she can't place. A memory of a dream, or a dream of a memory?
973
974Inexorable mortality. How far will she go.
975
976Then it is over, words that follow giving her a bit of a pause. She doesn't miss the cheekiness of it, and were it another situation, she might find herself laughing along with it, but how can she do as much as manage a smile, let alone a giggle, when he speaks of such things? Thirty years since separated, knowing that if he is to be freed, he has to let go of what he has become. How can anyone be expected to happily trudge off into that sort of situation? How can anyone be so damn calm about it?
977
978"Do you want to face the world once more?" The empress watches her as she paces. Around and around she goes, her expression pained. "You need naught if your heart is no longer in it. Sleep free of the burden."
979
980"And then what?" She retorts, her pacing quickening. "Disappear? Leave it all to those that follow?"
981
982"Yes. Take this chance to depart. Disperse to the stream we were denied in the past. Leave this star's fate to the children who desire to protect it. We need not be the judgement of Allag, a witness to all that follows."
983
984"But... what of those left behind?"
985
986"Stop that. Saying you are hurting me when you are the one in pain." Even now, even after so many years, he's a silly little boy in so many ways. Tears that linger vanish under soft kisses to his cheeks, her legs shifting to support her when she raises herself. Hands on his shoulders, back arched a bit, mouth dancing across sunkissed skin. It matters not what he may feel he is at the core; as he said in agreement, he is still her Sche, through and through, and after years apart, the last thing she plans is to let him feel alone.
987His cheeks, the corners of his eyes, the lobes of his ears, his nose, his forehead -- food and drink and journal abandoned as she finds herself fully on his lap. The aged lines of his face, the gentle scars that linger within sight. She peppers fleeting butterfly kisses with her eyelashes and mouth, winding her arms around his shoulders, spreading her legs to press her knees against his hips. To ground him, to let him feel her in full, to know that she's there and not a dream, to bring some semblence of comfort to his stricken being.
988
989"We'll find a way," she whispers against his mouth when she finally seeks out his lips. "A body without a soul, a soul without a true body. We'll find a way to rejoin you properly, waking the 'you' in the castle with the freedom of Titania, and keeping the 'you' that has lived just the same as you are. I promise."
990 
991Powell07/07/2019
992What happens when a pixie, driven to madness by Light, unleashes primal creation magick in her final lucid moments?
993
994What is born when the will and hopes of a single knight are made manifest?
995
996There will be a moment, not long from now, when the empress finds herself on her knees. Begging for death, for an end, as pain, more Light, is pouring out of her. Her allies, daughters, family, laid low by a dark figure before them, from the ancient days. In a confrontation high above the memory of a dying star.
997
998Even the knight sworn to her, by her side, is driven to his limit. The boundless Dark in him near exhaustion, no longer able to balance her out. To protect her, heal her. Dying beside her.
999
1000At that moment, for her eyes alone, a ghost will return from beyond the rift. Smiling, gray-haired. The older, aged echo of her beloved.  Reaching down, helping her to her feet. Helping her regain control of the berserk Light within. Offering his golden sword for her to wield.
1001
1002In that moment, when expanse contracts, and eon becomes instant.
1003
1004★ ★ ★
1005
1006But neither of them know that yet. Here and now, in the present, Mist's every kiss, every touch of her lips, is a salve, a balm to his soul. Upon his cheeks, near his eyes, all over his face. She banishes his sorrow, his fear, his loneliness. The past decades become as a blur, his cheeks growing red.
1007
1008She smiles, and he is suddenly aware of their intimate closeness. When she leans close, however, he averts his lips, apologetically shaking his head. "Sorry, Nacille. I-- I can't."
1009
1010The Viis' laughter is like the whisper of fallen leaves. "Is it because I'm thrice your age? Or is the great Swiftheart, renowned hunter of the Light, yet unversed in such matters between women and men?"
1011He smiles back. "Nothin' like tha'. You're stunnin'. S'just... there's someone else. That's th' truth of it."
1012
1013She chuckled. "You already spoke of this. You wait for a ghost from another world, who will never come, Schez. Come, let us enjoy--"
1014
1015The wanderer gave her fingers a friendly squeeze, but stood. "I'll keep waitin' through th' years if I 'ave to. Call me silly, if ye like." With a small nod, he stepped away. "Me heart is hers alone."
1016
1017★ ★ ★
1018
1019As their lips meet, as she whispers her promise, her vow, the tears threaten to come back. But he remains calmer, this time, his base desire for her mingled in his faith in her words. "I believe ye," he replies back, keeping the tremble out of his voice, smiling again for her. "We'll do everythin' we can." His hands squeeze gently on her hips, as he kisses her back slowly, both of them taking their time. His lips roam along her jawline, her pale throat, before he leans back again with another faint smile.
1020
1021"Ye got your body back. And those new eyes... I take it yer daughters and th' others arrived here with ye too?"
1022 
1023๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/07/2019
1024It is incredibly selfish, she accepts with the quick swallow that reflexively comes when his lips graze the expanse of her throat, and equally reckless to be in such a position out here with who knows what able to see them and only a wall separating them from others going about their day. There's food to be had and notes to be taken, and it is maddening the way her body responds so immediately to the rather chaste and innocent affection. As much as she'd like to play it off as it being a new body, something even she hasn't gotten the chance to explore and investigate beyond the initial giddiness of not being cold all of the time, she knows it is far more than that.
1025
1026Because it's him. Because he's there and warm and real, and he's hers. By the Twelve, it's something her mind can't fully accept yet even though her heart wants to dive in without questioning it. To simply bask in the comfort that he's there, that she's there with him, and nothing will pull them apart as long as she has her say in it. No matter of looming demise over their heads on a Garlean battlefield, no space and blurry memories pulling them further apart, no soul quests to finish -- just there with time on their side after three and six and thirty four more. 
1027
1028Wisely, if not regrettable, she wiggles further down Schezar's body, settling herself near his knees instead of on his lap. Close enough to still touch him, her hands resting on his legs, but not close enough to get lost in the feeling of him right against her. He's too much of a distraction, and while it is a very wonderful distraction, it's still a distraction.
1029"They aren't new eyes," she grins at that, winking. "I may have been born with what you saw for so long, but the moment I rose to the role of Allag's first empress, they became what they are now, and have been as such for most of my life. Proof of the imperial bloodline, though after seeing that Garlean color scheme, red and black and white seem a less lovely one to go by." A small pout forms, followed by a laugh.
1030
1031"Seyka and Sanary are here, too. Oh, that's right!" She claps her hands together, eyes wide. "Seyka -- Astraenne -- has become a momma of her own now! Little Percy is such a bright-eyed boy! Her husband stayed behind to watch him as well as Cassie's daughter and son, since... Cassie's husband, Thancred, ended up here, we think." At this, she bows her head the slightest. "Many of our friends have. I had hoped that maybe, just maybe, you'd be here too, because I wanted to bring you home as well. With me. When we're able to find a way back. B-But that might be a bit silly of a thing to ask, heh..."
1032 
1033Powell07/07/2019
1034"I'd love t'meet them again, in their new lives." Schezar smiles back at his beloved's bright-eyed expression, with a small grin of his own. "Ye must be righ' proud of 'em both." Then as she bows her head a little, he leans in, and brushes his lips lightly against her brow in another kiss. "And of course I'll come home with ye." He leaves the rest unsaid - that it might not be him, in that aged form, who comes back with her.
1035
1036Instead, taking her hand again, giving her fingers a gentle, loving squeeze, he slowly eases them both back to their feet. Then, taking a few steps together, and gazing up at the castle in the distance. Standing close by her side. "Life here in Norvrandt is... well, ye've probably been through th' Crystarium. Ye've seen everyone gatherin' there." He sighs, looking thoughtful. "Th' exarch and th' tower first appeared about 90 years ago, th' records say. Adventurers an' townsfolk began congregatin' there as a safe haven."
1037
1038Even with the passage of the decades, he still towers over her, powerfully built, clad in his ebon and gold mail. If anything, he seems even calmer than she remembers. Dignified, a mask of control, but still smiling and gentle for her. A rarity for everyone else, save perhaps children. "Th' Eaters haunt these lands, and it's done a number on things we take fer granted. Fewer farms for agriculture. Fewer safe towns. Eulmore was th' last nation to put up a fight, an' they've just given up by now. Th' Night's Children in Rak'tika have been organizin' under Y'shtola - she's been 'ere for a couple of years now, as well - but..."
1039He squeezes her fingers again lightly, as he stares out at the distant castle and the everlasting lights in the sky. It would be like a fairytale reunion, indeed, were it not for the knowledge weighing on them both. "...even if we drive every last Lightwarden and Sin Eater out, it'll take decades more fer these lands to heal themselves, an' recover." Again, he leaves the rest unsaid - decades more that he no longer had.
1040
1041The knight-errant glances skyward at the sound of distant rumbling. "Mm. Thunder. Migh' be rainin' later."
1042 
1043๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/07/2019
1044"Then we will just have to heal the land ourselves."
1045
1046It is not a boast, a jest made lightly. Words spoken with every intention to see it through to the end. A difficult path to walk down, yes, but one that needs be traveled nevertheless. Coming to the First means more than finding those who were scattered across time and space; it means doing what must be done for the greater good. So another star does not fall to an unnecessary fate at the hands of those who wish to control the board.
1047
1048Three and a half decades has he fought and wandered and done what he can. Alone, most likely, with only a few companions over the course of that time. To fight off the Sin Eaters, to learn of the Lightwardens, to save those who cannot protect themselves. Clad in armor of white and gold, shining bright in the everlasting light.
1049
1050Rising, taking time to pull him with her -- even though his size vastly outclasses her own, she offers her hand all the same -- she begins to walk. Away from the safety of the hamlet built, venturing deeper into the flowering fields, unburdened by the potential of rain pouring down around them. Let it; she wants to wander and explore, and Nerine can reach her at any time. The blue-haired woman seems to prefer staying behind, not wishing to intrude... or, more likely, be around the man that took her out on the fields of Carteneau so long ago.
1051She opens her jounal as they walk, spinning to face him and backpedal at the same time. "You used to love tracing spirals on the small of my back, moving your fingers up my spine while telling me stories of your clan. I'd listen, stomach down on the grass, legs bent at the knees to sway gently in time with the softness of your voice." She reads from the pages with a grin set on her face. Words written before crossing over, before coming to this side proper. Words buried deep within her heart for too long.
1052
1053"If I could have fought by your side and changed what happened to you and your allies, preventing you from being tortured at the cruel hands of the empire. If I could have been with you on your journeys over those three and six years, and been the one to place a band of silver and ruby upon your finger..." The first droplets of rain earn a small 'eek' from her, dissolving into a fit of giggles as she quickly closes the journal to prevent it from getting soaked. "Apparently the powers that be see it fit you are right and my reading not enough to satisfy them!"
1054
1055His armor might not soak as quickly as her clothing, but within the moments of the sky opening up to release a torrential downpour, the purple fabric of her vest is nearly see through, and the white does little either. She raises her hands over her head, still laughing even through the splashes of cold water. "We're going to catch our death out here!"
1056 
1057Powell07/07/2019
1058The smile on his face grows wide as she reads to him from her journal, and he listens, enraptured, hanging on to her every word. His expression softens as she speaks of her ring for him, but as the rain draws a squeak from her, he grins and laughs. Such are the moments that remind him how, even with her regal, imperial bearing, the empire she once ruled, she is still eternally young, and beautiful. Still the young girl he met at her family homestead, a lifetime ago.
1059
1060"This way, luv." Taking her hand again, he leads her through the torrential downpour, an odd sight as the light above continues to shine brightly. "These lands used to belong to th' Kingdom of Voeburt, one 'undred years ago. They had towns and guard towers peppered throughout th'-- aha."
1061He leads her inside one small cottage, weathered by the century's passing, but still standing proud amidst other homes of eld. It cast a shade of shadow from its side as the endless day shone down on it from above, shielding them from the light and the elements. "Looks like this was a small village. Some of th' old wards might even be still intact. Which means... 'ere we go." Pushing a door open to reveal the room inside - rustic, homey, almost empty. Many of the old furnishings and belongings seemingly taken by wanderers over the years. The fireplace nearby is intact, though, as is an old bed in the corner, and a few supplies in the house.
1062
1063"Got some crystals on me. Just a minute..." It takes him some time to recover enough firewood from outside, damp from the rain, but with the fiery clusters he carries, it solves that problem easily enough. Soon, he gets a fire going, with a small chuckle. He is intent and concentrating on the busywork of survival, staring into the fire, and murmurs over his shoulder to her. "There, that'll get us warm soon enough. Ye can dry off as well, keep them pages of yours safe."
1064 
1065๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/08/2019
1066Clothes can be dried and mended, and replaced entirely if necessary. Pages written over the years in her journal, starting from the time she woke up at the Sanctum of the Twelve and began to remember the art of astromancy, cannot be replicated nearly as easily. So much would be lost, quiet desires and inner fears and stories of the adventures she's undertaken, unable to return in the same form. She's almost painstaking in her writing, spending half an hour each day wherever she can find perch to jot down whatever is on her mind. Scenes painted through letters, stories and songs and poetry unfolding depending on her mood, whims and wants laid bare for her reflection.
1067
1068One day, she decided when they briefly reunited in a dream she can no longer quite recall the details of, when memories of him began to trickle through, she'd give it to him. To let him read of the times in her life he was not there. If her older journal survived the fall out at Silvertear, there would be two for him to view, seeing years of things written since their very first meeting up until their parting, and the three years that followed. But the likelihood of that is slim, and while she already knows she'll most likely go lake diving to see if she can find where she last left it, she won't get her hopes up.
1069His busywork distracts her, momentarily forgetting about the pool of water she's leaving behind on the wooden floor, too content on watching him move about until he speaks up. She blinks, then nods quickly and moves to set the journal and her satchel down close enough to the fire to begin drying, but not near enough to catch aflame along with the burning wood. Basic provisions to munch on while out and about (though the colorful candy in one pouch seems a bit extra out of it all), length of rope, skein for water and whatnot, a simple brewing stand if potions are needed to be made quickly while on the road, and a few sentimental items she has issues parting ways with, most noticeably an enchanted rainbow brightlily that never is crushed by the other items. Some might consider it a waste of magic's potential to spend so much time on infusing a silly little flower, but it is one of the things that has to stay with her. It just has to.
1070
1071Just as it has ever since a little boy swam back into the water to retrieve it for her.
1072
1073"Maybe I should get a suit of armor like that," it's a petulent pout at best and a tease at worst. "You've earned quite a reputation, by the by. Have for many years, apparently. Had I known those stories were about you, I would have told Nerine to drive faster." Not that the bluenette could have with Sanary being the distraction she was. It was no wonder she'd been kicked off the bike the moment they made it to Il Mheg, leaving her to play with the pixies. Better for the sanity of all of them, honestly.
1074The fabric of her shirt feels painfully thin when she peels it off, making a face at how much water it seems to retain. "This is the first weather I've seen since arriving. Nothing but sunshine and sunlight. The presence of the pixies might be enough to add another element," it's musing to herself more than anything else, her pumps following suit to begin drying off. Grimacing, she slipped her fingers into the waistband of the white bloomers bunched up around her hips, but paused after a moment to glance down at herself. Slight hesitation.
1075
1076"Keep facing the fire," she mumbles in a quick rush, arms raising to fold across her chest. A bit uncessary with her flimsy bra still in place, really. Another moment of hesitation before she moves forward, arranging her shirt,vest, and bloomers in place to dry with her pumps. There's a soft 'plop' as she settles on the old bed after dusting it thoroughly off, raising one leg toward her chest to begin the struggle of removing her stockings.
1077
1078"Do you need help with your armor?"
1079 
1080Powell07/08/2019
1081"Nah, s'alright. I got it." He stood with his back to her, his armor also dripping on the floor near the fireplace. He waved a hand over spots on the magitek plating, undoing aetheric locks with an audible click. Then unstrapping and sliding off each piece, one by one - unveiling a tapestry for her eyes to drink in.
1082
1083Out of habit, he also slid off his shirt with a soft sigh, slipping out of his boots, and leaving only his trousers on for the moment. His upper body, and his arms, appeared even larger than she remembered - fully grown, seemingly sculpted out of pure steel. Even at his advanced age, muscles rippled powerfully under bronzed skin, again reminiscent of his grandfather.
1084
1085But no flawless adonis, this. Far from it. Every ilm of his skin was marked by either one of two things: old scars, or strangely tribal-looking tattoo ink. Right below both shoulderblades, on both left and right, glowed two small circles of technology and metal - input ports for magitek cabling, remnants from his torture under Garlemald, decades ago. Each faded scar, claw marks and sword wounds alike, and each ornate tattoo, told a story. There were too many to tell.
1086
1087He exhaled slowly, achingly, his eyes closed, his hair damp. His movements were careful, deliberate, meditative. Even with the space between them, from the bed to the fireplace, she could sense how powerful his aether and chakra still remained, how he still kept his physical form disciplined and perfected - yet weighed down heavily now by the weariness of old age, the passing of the years. She could sense his mortality, the doom that laid upon him.
1088
1089He laid down each armor piece carefully near her own clothes, along with his undershirt. "Sorry, ah - jus' give me a minute." Keeping his back turned to her, all this time, mindful of her request and instructions. After all this time, he was a man, full-grown, now - and hers alone.
1090 
1091๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/08/2019
1092She’s seen beautiful men. The sort that lather their skin with oil and take better care of their hair than their women and children. The sort that relishes in the adoration of the masses, believing themselves to be some hero sent from above, a gift to all those they dare grace. The sort that have their heads so far up their own asses that they fail to see what is around them. It may not be the case for them all, no, but vanity and pride go in hand, and hubris is a nasty curse to bare.
1093
1094No, she’s never cared much for pretty boys or gorgeous men. Give her strong arms and a healthy spirit, and a strong heart. Give her someone she can stand on her tiptoes to gently kiss and to hold on to when the day ends. Give her someone with a story on their body and a glint in their eyes, and a willingness to carry on no matter what. Give her that, and through and through, become the most handsome person in the world in her eyes.
1095
1096Handsome as he is to her — even with a face he feels self-conscious over at times and a body marked by time’s passing — she finds it hard to leave the bed at first. He’s respectful of her quiet murmuring request to keep his face toward the fire, saving her momentarily why she, of all people, feels sheepish with him. Why she feels embarrassed now of all times after laying down bare before him time and time again. Why now it rises color to her cheeks and makes butterflies flicker in her stomach. No, better to keep him looking away from her, then have to explain that little tidbit.
1097But she’s as curious as a cat, and before she can free even one leg from her wet stockings, she’s up and about, her left hand finding rest below his shoulder blade. Circles bore deep within him, leading her brow to knit and a small, questioning sound to escape her throat.
1098
1099“Does it hurt?” She doesn’t touch the old torture, no, but her fingers rest underneath, applying gentle pressure to the skin. “Here...” From left to right, her other hand raising to trace around the opposite one. “...and here?”
1100 
1101Powell07/08/2019
1102He opens his mouth to answer, then blinks once as he feels her touch. The ever-present tension in his shoulders slowly, gradually draining, as she presses and explores his skin. "Not so much, anymore," he murmurs softly, gazing at the fire as it crackles before them warmly. "Th' aches come and go."
1103
1104He can feel her leaning into him from behind, feels her bare skin pressing against his in places, both of them still cool and damp. A faint smile ghosts his lips as he continues, "I suppose people would talk. Tell their stories. It's just one of th' armor sets I managed t'bring with me from home, is all. From Eorzea." Small talk. Not really babbling, but... "Some of me other gear is still stored back at the Crystarium, in th' tower."
1105
1106...but small talk was the furthest thing from his mind. She was here, she was right there, behind him. No longer just a memory from his dreams. He could feel her body, her aether, gently touching him all over. On quiet impulse, he turned to face her, even as they stood dripping before each other - her, in her stockings and underclothes, him in just his pants.
1107
1108He touched a finger to her chin, slowly raising her face, letting their eyes meet again - her crimson locked with his violet. Simply gazing at her wordlessly, he then leans down, their difference in height more pronounced now. He presses his lips slowly, warmly to hers. Careful consideration, deliberately slow movement, informs his every motion now. Though she's still seen his swiftness, his precision and brutality in battle, in these quiet moments, he instead reflects his wisdom and age, rather than the brash, joking confidence of his youth.
1109
1110He kisses her once. Twice. A third time. Tasting her tongue. Letting her bask in the warmth of his lips. Then easing back, his finger still gently staying on her chin.
1111
1112How many years have I waited for this moment?
1113
1114For the one possessed of Her blessing.
1115
1116For you.
1117 
1118๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/08/2019
1119A slow boil, seeking and asking and exploring. He kisses her and she feels like home after so long. As if coming back to a lake that no longer exists the same way it once did, apples in autumn to taste and a sweetness that lingers on her tongue when they part temporarily, her eyes shining with stars.
1120
1121“Sche...” She trails off, tilting her head until her cheek nuzzles his fingers that lifted her chin moments before. Slender fingers wrap around his wrist to pull it away, and when she opens her eyes, she’s smiling again despite the words that fall from her lips.
1122
1123“Are you sure you want me still?”
1124
1125And there it is. Plain and simple, the cause for her hesitance and embarrassment, laid out in a nearly laughable inquiring confession. Because she, after all of this, doubts that she is good enough for him. Because he deserves so much better even if he cannot see it. He deserves the world, and after discovering things she kept from him for so long — the reason she couldn’t even leave Silverfear for so long — how could he?
1126
1127She rambles, a breathless laugh escaping her, and it is a small miracle that she doesn’t start pacing in front of him. “I-I mean, wait. That’s not to say I doubt any affection— but are you sure? Really, really sure?” Wiggling, she looks up at him with widened eyes, a pout forming on her features.
1128
1129“Because I understand if you don’t. I do! I kept a lot from you, and... and... you’re so good and so kind, and if you don’t want this, if you don’t want me, it’s okay. It’s okay.”
1130 
1131Powell07/08/2019
1132He does not laugh, but he listens to her with a small, gentle smile. Resting her cheek in his palm, a lightly bemused expression on his face while she rambles. When she finishes, breathlessly, in response to her words, he leans in again. Coming to rest with his forehead touching to hers.
1133
1134"I've been sure since I first pulled ye out of th' water. When I was nearly six." His voice is soft, slightly deeper now from over the many years, a gentle bass rumble. "I've been sure since ye sang me to sleep, when I was ten. When I thought I wasn't good enough." He reaches down from her cheek, taking her hand in his.
1135
1136He closes his eyes, slowly lifting her hand back up, and kissing her fingers. "I've been sure since th' day I left ye, like a fool, and broke your heart. When all I should've done was to stay with ye, where I belonged." His breathing is slow, measured, like his words. "I've been sure since th' time I entered your memories, under th' empress' guidance, to heal your soul. To make it whole again. When I made love to ye in those woods, tha' dark night. When I walked in th' halls of your palace, on tha' day of invasion and bloodshed."
1137
1138He kisses her fingers one more time, before his eyes slowly open again. Meeting her crimson gaze once more. "Ye call me good. Ye call me kind. But I'm just a simple sinner in this world, luv. Like so many others. And..." He pauses, then chuckles. "Oh, ye'll laugh. Ye'll laugh at me."
1139
1140His smile is sheepish, his cheeks red, as he makes the admission. "There's been no one else. All this time. All these years. Just... jus' you, in my dreams. Ye told me to wait, so I... waited. So... yes. I do want you. I know it, and tha' man sealed in th' castle knows it. Because we're one and the same."
1141
1142His gaze turns downward. Smiling at her damp toes. "And he'd wait out those years, all over again, if he had to. For want of you, and no one else."
1143 
1144๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/08/2019
1145She didn’t laugh.
1146
1147Her eyes, widening just a bit more, seemed to take a moment to reflect that she understood what he just confessed to. It made her own doubt of her potential worth in his eyes suddenly seem almost hilarious when he spent thirty four years without moving on, with the decision to wait. Even if the man in the castle hadn’t waited so long, he still would have.
1148
1149No, she didn’t laugh. Not when it is the single sweetest, most selfless gesture someone has shown toward her. 
1150
1151“There was... one man,” she confesses ever so quietly, biting down on her lower lip. “A belated Heavensturn trip to Kugane. In the inn, the hot spring there...” A single time she initiated, crossing the boundary between them. There had been other attempts, though none seemed to be noticed, and after seasons of that ignorance, letting it go seemed only natural.
1152
1153Feeling that swelling of uncertainty flicker back ever so slowly, she raises her hands to his shoulders and pushes in an effort to guide him backwards. Until his legs touch the bed and he is able to bend, allowing her to sit in his lap as she had before outside before their walk and the downpour. Well, almost like that, except for how close she moves in, pressing herself flush against his chest to let bare skin cover bare skin, capturing his cheeks between her palms while threading her fingers through his russet hair, spreading her knees to position her clothed heat atop him entirely, rotating her hips in small circles that are painfully noticeable with their closeness.
1154
1155Something else catches her attention, albeit belatedly, and she hesitates a mere breath from his mouth. “When you did what on a dark night?”
1156
1157Well, then. Seems the empress kept that particular memory separate.
1158 
1159Powell07/08/2019
1160"When I did this." He continues to smile, even as, in response to her query, his hands roam downward, giving her tight little ass a loving squeeze. "And this." As her hips rotate, giving him a lovely little lapdance, he grinds his own hips back suggestively into her crotch. Already, he is tented and hard in his own pants, achingly tight, desperately wanting for her, but he does not strip them off. Not just yet. Waiting just a little bit longer, a lifetime of monk discipline kicking in.
1161
1162"Oh, an' this." Sitting upright at the edge of the bed, with her in his lap, he leans his head down - kissing, nipping, near the curve of her cleavage, then her neck. Suckling one sensitive crystalline scale, then another. "It'll come to ye, I'm sure... Nau." His kisses and nips trace a slow, random line along her collarbone, her jawline, her shoulder, the small of her lovely, pale throat.
1163
1164He does not go further than that for the moment, though. Despite the burning desire for her, fueled by decades of waiting. Despite the overwhelming instinct to shove her down to the bed, tear her stockings, spread her legs, and ravage her right then and there.
1165
1166He takes his time. Forgetting the horrors of the Light, of the outside world, for a little while, in that cottage of Voeburt of eld. Where they had all the time in the world, for only each other, and no one else. A slow, undying burn, just like the decades of their life together, their love.
1167 
1168๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/09/2019
1169“I’ll take your word for it,” she laughs, slightly breathlessly, at the image quickly painting itself in her mind. Not that the picture of a memory can compare even slightest to him against her, feeling the brunt of his arousal between them. It feels almost ridiculously silly now that she thinks on it some more that she had doubts over him still wanting her. After everything that happened, though, after all their time apart, she needed to know. For sure. For her sake and his sake both.
1170
1171Her head tilts back, half-closed eyes gazing at the ceiling momentarily, before a small sound escapes her. A flare of astral energy, with the intention to jolt and stun more than hurt, escapes her before her hands are wrapped around his wrists, a surge of strength following to pin him down to the bed flat on his back. Oh, she knows how effortlessly it would be to get out of such a hold, but hopefully that insufferable patience and training of his holds out. At least temporarily.
1172
1173“Close your eyes,” she demands. “I want you to focus on feeling me, Sche. That and only that.”
1174
1175Her hands leave his wrists. Had she more tools at her disposal, she’d use a blindfold to cover his eyes, but with things in their current state— well, that’s an idea. It take a few seconds to remove her wet stocking and a few more to tie it around his head to serve as a makeshift bandage, and even more moments of trying not to giggle over it. “That’ll do,” Mist grins and finishes adjusting it. “Not the best, but it’ll work.”
1176
1177Thirty four years of willingly waiting. He can use a little attention and focus, that’s for sure.
1178Starting with a few of the scars that captured her attention when he removed his shirt. One near the left side of his rib cage, her tongue trailing a light trail across it while her hips continue to rotate and an infuriating slow pace, grinding against his tented pants with her own heat searing through her panties. She doesn’t bother to hide the temperature or the wetness leaking through, letting him know just how aroused he’s already gotten her in return.
1179
1180“I dreamed of you sometimes,” she confesses while tracing another scar, leading upward until she can splay her tongue across a sensitive nub on his chest. A brief lavish, a sharp nip, and another brief lavish. She hums, wrapping her lips fully around the skin to suckle on gingerly, her fingers dancing around the other to tease it all the same.
1181
1182“Even when I didn’t know you, there was a dream that haunted me. Of a figure on a battlefield. Of a lover on a lake. Sometimes a mixture of those two when my mind felt particularly aggressive toward me.”
1183 
1184Powell07/09/2019
1185The sudden push of her astral energy sends a tingle through him, though as she lays him flat on his back, he just breathes sharply once, watching her as she moves on top of him, binding his wrists with her own hands. At her demand, he licks his lips, then nods, closing his eyes to feel every ilm of her. Her skin, her warmth, her tongue. Then, as she blindfolds him with her own wet stocking, he grins. "Seems perfect to me," he murmurs in response. "Do ye need-- ah."
1186
1187Her licks, her grinding against him, steals the breath away from him.  He growls softly, longingly, at the attention of her tongue to his scars, then the attention of her lips to one nipple, her fingers on the other. "I... you..." Words fail him, rewarding her instead with short gasps, low moans. She ordered him not to touch, to just feel her, and he is keenly aware of her presence all over him. Desperately, he continues to grind his tented crotch toward her, hungry for even just the hint of her pussy heat, her leaking girlcum. 
1188
1189Despite his age, the lines on his face, his graying hair, his body remains in peak condition, as if chiseled from stone. "Mist, gods, you're... so fucking beautiful... fuck..." All these years, filled with violence and terror in hunting the Light. With long weeks of hunting alone, and only the briefest of returns to civilization. He'd questioned himself more than once if he was mad. If he'd spent his life for nothing. Punishment for leaving Mist. Punishment for losing Haru. For his hubris.
1190Her ministrations drive all those thoughts away. His fingers ball into fists, and he breathes deep, lewdly and deeply inhaling the scent of her stockings, of her sweat, just the thought of her. The woman who haunted his dreams for so long. And she was just barely getting started, as he rewarded her over and over with his low growls, his groans of pleasure for her. It takes every fiber of self-control he has to simply feel and enjoy her loving attentions. Licking his lips and anticipating more to come. Both of them, at last, in bodies of flesh, rather than just distant dreams.
1191 
1192๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/09/2019
1193"Flattery will get you farther than you'd expect." Even if he can't see it, she winks down at him, taking a moment to lean up and gather her hair over one shoulder. To trace the lines of his aging body with her crimson gaze, soak in the sight of him. It doesn't bother her, the changes that he has undergone, as much as it mesmorizes her. The tattoos and the scars, and the way he's filled out further from the intense training he's put himself through, and the years of combat that leave marks on his form. He's perfect, even if he can't see it. He's wonderful and amazing, even if he can't see it. He's everything she could ask for, even if he can't see it.
1194
1195He's mortal, yes. His life will come to an end and he will leave her, but if she will remain to watch the years unfold around her, they'll meet again. It's the one comfort she has to hold on to that makes it all worthwhile in the end. Because even if he's mortal, even if their time is limited, she'll have him until his final breath, and be there at his side. Even if he won't remember her, she'll find him and make him fall in love with her once more. Her lowborn man from Summerford, her shining knight and dark demon, and everything in between.
1196
1197The loss of heat against his lower regions is noticeable immediately, rain water and feminine juices feeling almost freezing in the cabin that doesn't quite chase away the chill of their environment. It's not a long torment she makes him suffer at the very least, her hand moving to stroke him through the fabric of his pants. Tempting, teasing, keeping the barrier of cloth between them as a way to drag out the slow torture, a huff of playful laughter being there to greet his growls. Mayhaps it's a bit mean of her, but she's feeling the urge to bully him.
1198"Look at you, so hard and hot after I've barely touched you." Kisses flutter across his abdomen, tongue darting out to dip into his naval. To feel the tautness of his muscles in response to her ministrations. Keeping her palm stroking him through his pants, she travels down with her mouth, biting a trail near where his leg and hip connect. "Does the thought of entering me, feeling my inner falls clench around you, milk you for everything you're worth, get you this bothered so easily? Or is it my mouth you're imagining, taking you fully in to worship you properly?"
1199
1200Eyelashes flutter across her cheeks, her hand moving down to carefully knead his balls through the fabric, fingers seeking out the seam to scratch nails across. She moans very, very softly and quietly against him when her mouth touches him finally, tongue roving across the head of his member to taste rain water, her own juices, and his precum leaking through the cloth. He's going to need new pants before the day is over, she's already betting gil on that.
1201 
1202Powell07/09/2019
1203"Nngh... oh, oh gods. Mist, you--" Another sharp gasp, another bite of breath escapes him under her touch. His abs are like corded steel cable as her tongue darts near his bellybutton. Gritting his teeth under the blindfold, he can feel every sensation of her teasing, driving him to new heights of pleasure. Pleasure he hadn't felt in years, that the bloodlust of battle, the dance of risking his life on the line, remained but a pale imitation of. His growl drops to a panting whisper. "P-please..." Rather than remaining balled up into fists, his hands now grasp blindly at the sheets, the bedposts beneath - with a faint crack of wood under his iron grip.
1204
1205She has complete, utter control over him. The merciless teasing of her voice keeps him enthralled, entranced, as if she herself were fae. His cock strains against the fabric of his pants, already ruined from the combined rain, his own smearing precum, and her deliciously sinful juices soaking him. For that's who they were - sinners, in love. A boy from Summerford, and a girl from ancient days of eld. As she strokes him through the cloth, as she moans into his tip, separated from her tongue by soaked, sheer fabric, he does his utmost to grind his crotch into her cheeks, her loving face.
1206Her dirty talk, her lovely and exquisite torment, draws an equally raunchy response from him, in strained, exultant growls and whispers. "Yes. Gods. Yes. I love you. I've dreamed of you all these endless days. Dreamed of you suckling my balls. Let me fuck you. Let me drain my sack dry in you until I fill your cunny to overflowing, to bursting. Your cunt, your ass, your mouth, let me feel all of it. All of you. Please. Twelve above. Please." His jaw remains partly agape, as he pants desperately for air, squirming powerfully beneath her with her every touch, her every squeeze of his throbbing, monstrous dick.
1207
1208Darkness continues to cover his sight. Blessed, beloved darkness, and the scent of her stockings. It is all he can do to resist simply clamping his thighs down on each side of her head, like iron, to beg for more of his mistress' merciless, sweet touch.
1209 
1210๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/09/2019
1211What does it mean to be in love with someone?
1212
1213She's asked herself that question numerous times over the years. Because it's hard to say those words in a romantic sense. Even with him, the boy she watched grow from a sprout into a sturdy tree. Even with being separated by magic, time, and space. Even with knowing full well she does, all because of that little inkling fear that's been part of her for too long. Ever since the day Xande called her into his chamber, entertaining guests for foreign diplomacy, and asked her to dance. Where a woman bare for the world to see sat upon her husband's lap, lips against his neck, waited for her. Where men she knew nothing of wanted to see her dance, something she did time and time again for the viewing pleasure of others, and touch her with deplorable hands while he watched. While he watched and touched another woman in front of her, letting his guests do with her as they wanted.
1214
1215Words he said so freely, so readily, that he loved her. Words she wishes she could say just as fluidly in return. To smile at him, gaze soft, and reassure her that she loves him, too. That she'll always love him, always be there with him, always rise when he needs a pillar of support or comfort, or bow when he needs a place to rest. That she'll never let him feel lonely ever again.
1216
1217"You're mine," she says instead, the sharp beat of a warning somewhere underneath it. "Every part of you is mine. Your hands, your mouth--" Fingers graze his lips when she says that to accent the words, slipping them inside to press against his tongue in silent demand. "--your soul. Your life. Your heart--"
1218Giving him a reprieve of release, as a reward for his wonderful begging, she frees him. The fabric is harder to remove than her stockings with how moist it is from the combination of their juices. An appreciate groan escapes her at the sight of him, clamping her thighs together to create some delicious friction to abide her own growing arousal, and she doesn't keep him waiting. All nine ilms of his quivering flesh vanish, the tip swallowed in the back of her throat, her head bobbing at an unforgiving pace. Saliva and precum mingle against her, and while she keeps one hand on his mouth, she uses the other to cup his balls in her palm, stroking them in time with each bob of her head.
1219
1220"Especially your cock," she gasps with an intake of breath, tongue spiraling around the head, taking him back in to continue the punishingly brutal blowjob. No, she's beyond teasing him at the moment; all she wants to do is force him over the edge, to release everything he's held back, to swallow it all down even if it chokes her and proves too much to contain. After all, patience deserves a fair reward in the end, and she'll see to that one way or another.
1221 
1222Powell07/09/2019
1223"Yours," he breathes, "All of them, yours alone. I--" 
1224
1225Any lucid thought he had is instantly banished by the sudden, sweet suction of her hot little mouth. He'd expected more teasing, more torment, but instead he sees stars beneath the blindfold as she swiftly, hungrily deepthroats him.
1226
1227"M-Mist, ohgods, fuck, ffffuuuuck!" Words fail him again, the sensations blinding, overwhelming. For decades, he'd imposed that law on himself. For decades, he hunted, survived, waited. And within minutes, she demolished his years of self-control.
1228
1229Her fingers stroking his balls. His full, throbbing length in her squeezing heat. His tip grinding, smearing precum all over her tongue and the back of her throat. It's all too much. Maddeningly blissful.
1230
1231As the first wave of orgasm rocks through him, he screams out her name, uncaring of who might hear them. His hands grope blindly, clamping onto her horns, facefucking her with wild abandon. Brutalizing her as she drinks down hot, boiling ropes of his cum.
1232 
1233Powell07/09/2019
1234He does not stop. He can't stop. Even with the blindfold, even as he lies flat on his back, his fingers tangle in her hair, forcing her head down all 9 ilms of his meat. Burying her nose in his pubes, the heavy scent of his musk. His hips spasming as her throat milks him lovingly. 
1235
1236Even then, after all of that, he remains rock-hard in her mouth, cum pouring and spilling readily, filthily from her lips. Creatures of magic, of aether, of unbridled lust and love. He moans, almost reduced to a beastlike state, his legs trembling, continuing to fuck her mouth blindly, desperately with every thrust, every pump. Not stopping until she pulls away, to use his cock for her own growing heat, for the drenched delight and longing waiting between her own legs.
1237 
1238Powell07/09/2019
1239He wants her. He wants to suckle her fingers again. He wants to mindlessly rut her like a wild animal, savage and unrelenting. Damn the rest of the worlds. Damn the Light and Titania and his true self sleeping in that castle. All he wants is her - his fairy princess of the lake. And he is eternally, irreversibly hers, for the rest of all time.
1240 
1241๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/09/2019
1242Heady scents from his masculine netherparts, strong hands on her head, and the taste of his hot cum are more intoxicating than any alcohol she's ingested in the entirety of her existence. At one point she does indeed choke slightly from the force of it, leading her hand to tighten against his scrotum for the briefest of moments, but she doesn't pull away or release him from the deep warmth of her mouth. Her chest heaves with the sudden exertion of it all, and only when she feels his body release enough tension to signify the end of his initial orgasm, does she let him go, spittle and semen dribbling down from her mouth to linger on his engorged flesh.
1243
1244There's an odd sort of pride that's difficult to explain, seeing him come undone readily and willingly for her in this regard. Knowing that she can bring the patient, controlled man to his knees, that she can entice reactions from him that no one else can, whether by his choice or by how the situation itself plays. He so willingly gives power over to her, something that in itself is amazing after the cruelty he experienced at Garlean machinitions. Just as she gives it over to him freely for the taking. To hold anything back, whether it be physically, emotionally, or mentally, would be an insult to all that they've endured.
1245
1246It is hard to say. But it'll get easier until the day it's as fluid as water.
1247
1248"I love you, Sche." She's all smiles when she unbinds his eyes, freeing the white stocking to rest carelessly somewhere by the fire. "I love you," a kiss near his ears. "I love you," a kiss to his left temple. "I love you," a kiss to the underside of his jaw. "I'll love you forever," finally full circle to his forehead, arms coming to rest on both sides of his head. Reassurance and a promise, for all the years lost, and all the years to come.
1249Hers. Completely, entirely, eternally, irreversibly hers. Just as he should be.
1250
1251When her hand moves backwards as she pushes back up to sit over him, her fingers wrap around his still-hardened flesh, an eyebrow arching in pure amusement. "You're still this aroused?" The tease to her tone returns in full. "Whatever am I to do with you? Just a greedy little boy."
1252
1253Her greedy little boy.
1254 
1255Powell07/09/2019
1256"I'm sure... ye'll think... of summat, luv," he murmurs back with a wicked, breathless grin, still slowly thrusting his hips in and out as her fingers wrap around his quivering, stiff cock, wet with her spittle and his cum. Each touch of her lips to his face, his brow, each whispered affirmation of her love for him, eternal and true, serves to banish whatever doubts he had left. The tension he'd shouldered through years of waiting.
1257
1258"And, aye... your greedy little boy." Everything was a blend of overwhelming pleasure, and overwhelming emotion. He loved the sensation, the heady scent of their sweat drenching each other, pheromones and salt and arousal redolent in the air. Finally using his hands after she unbinds his eyes, gazing steadily, lovingly at her, he reaches his fingers down between her legs. Slipping in one finger, then another, curling them in a beckoning motion inside of her wet, hot, tight slit. Rubbing her drenched clit with his thumb, long digits inside of her massaging her g-spot.
1259
1260"I love you too, Mist," he whispers back. Stealing kiss after kiss from her lips, while he fingers her, and her hand squeezes and milks his cock. "I'm yours, forever." The dam had broken, years' worth of aether, and chakra, supercharging his body, his lust, amidst waves of raw passion and heartbreak and joy. Impossible as it was, he wanted to do everything at once. 
1261
1262He manhandled her, let his hands roam and squeeze all over her. Pulled her close so he could bite and suckle her tits. Sliding his fingers out of her, then flipping her over bodily on top of him, upside down,  so her knees straddled his head in reverse, while his cock rubbed lewdly against her face, her cheek.
1263
1264He spread her pussy lips with his fingers, and greedily tongued and assaulted her cunny, suckling hard on her clit. Wanting to drown her in the same depths of orgasmic delight, over and over again.
1265 
1266๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/09/2019
1267It’s a testament to her own lack of willpower that his fingers alone are enough to bring her rapidly toward the edge. Or is it more a testament to his touch, the depths his fingers can reach and how much space they can fill up all on their own? She shudders around him, eyes closing to enjoy the sensation of his kiss. That, more than anything else — more than the animalistic depths they could bring each other to — was something she missed greatly. His lips slated against hers, sharing breath, letting their tongues dance. The gentle intimacy of the gesture opened up doors for more, yes, but it in itself always enraptured her completely.
1268
1269Her back arched into his mouth as he nipped and lavished her breasts, raising a hand to her mouth in order to clamp down on the top of her knuckle. A futile effort to conceal the little sighs and moans falling from her, and to give her something to try to root herself on.
1270
1271Not that it did her any good on covering the sharp, startled yelp from the sudden position change, it morphing into a low whimper the moment his lips and teeth met with her netherparts. She struggles to find perch during the onslaught, managing to rest most of the weight on her thighs instead of his face. Even still, she grinds against him in abandon, the only thing managing to muffle the constant whimpers and moans being his engorged member, which she gladly takes into her mouth against at the perverse invitation.
1272But, Twelve above, does he know and understand how distracting it is? Between rocking her hips to both chase and flee from the intense pleasure, and do her best to maintain a steady motion across his cock, it’s a wonder she doesn’t just collapse on him in a mess. “W-Wait, Sche, I’m—“ Too close for her liking, too close to that dangerous edge. Another whimper and she dives back in, lips locking firmly in place around his dick, crying out brokenly around his flesh with the force of her own orgasm. Her already drenched pussy floods, legs tremble around his face, hands clenching from where they found perch on the bed.
1273
1274Stars dance in front of her vision when she casts him a look over her shoulder, panting unevenly and eyes half lidded. “That’s cheating and you know it!”
1275 
1276Powell07/10/2019
1277He exults beneath her, smiling wide and ferally as he hears her high-pitched moans, her whimpers of pleasure. Lapping away at her womanhood, then drinking down deep of her juices as she floods them all over his face in her shivering climax, drenching his nose, his lips, his tongue, in her essence. The sound of her crying out his name, then trying to quiet herself by locking her own lips again onto his cock, is all he ever wants to hear in the world.
1278
1279Spending some more time fucking her hot little mouth, with each loving pump of his hips, while she grinds her puss into his face, fucking his face in turn, making him suckle hard on her engorged clit. As they 69 each other, his hands reach up and squeeze her tight little butt, slapping her asscheek once, twice, leaving red welts of his fingers over her pale skin.
1280
1281Sinners, lost in each other. Only when he senses their next orgasm threatening to approach, threatening to steal all sense from them both, does he slow once more. Pulling his cock wetly from her mouth with a soft, lewd pop. Only then does he answer her words. "Ye know me," he murmurs, bodily lifting her again, then pushing her down to the bed, flat on her back this time.
1282
1283"I'll do anythin' to win." His face is near to hers again as he leans over her, violet eyes locked to her crimson gaze. Both of them panting, drenched in each other's sweat and delicious filth, years and years of pent-up love and lust released at last amidst that thunderous rainstorm. The wind outside howling, and rain pounding on the window, reflecting their passionate coupling within these abandoned walls.
1284He reaches up a hand to cup her cheek. "I'll do anythin' to stay alive. To stay with ye." Even with these tender words, his loving gaze into her eyes, he thrusts his hips powerfully, sheathing his full, rock-hard length inside of her completely, in a single stroke. As he starts to pull out, her walls squeezing him tightly, greedily, he kisses her, letting her taste her own juices on his lips.
1285
1286He pistons into her again, and again, his hands finding hers, his fingers intertwining with hers. Kissing her over and over, fucking her exquisite little twat over and over, both of them with bodies and flesh and blood at last. More real than any dream or memory. 
1287
1288Massaging her g-spot with his meat, his tip kissing her cervix nonstop. He whispers her name, tangles his fingers in her hair. They are at the lake, they are in the forest, they are in her palace, they are everywhere and nowhere at once. Making heartfelt, devoted, animal love to her, across all space and time.
1289 
1290๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/10/2019
1291"I'll do anythin' to stay alive. To stay with ye."
1292
1293It's a heartbeat, his hips rolling forward to crush against hers, her legs spreading to hook around his waist in order to pull him even closer. A single word falls from her kiss-bruised lips as her back arches off the bed entirely, tight wetness greeting him as he sinks into the heat between her thighs. To lock him in place momentarily before he can withdraw, focusing him with a pointed look nearly drowned out by the sheer overwhelming sensations attacking her on multiple fronts. "Good."
1294
1295He's not allowed to lose or to leave. But she gives him a reminder, an incentive, nevertheless by squeezing down even harder around him, watching him through half-lidded eyes. It's amazing in itself that he can fit himself inside of her with how damn tight she is, her body drawing him in deeper with every trust, opening itself to the violation all to willingly. The taste of his cum mingling with her cum on their tongues is a sinful delight in and of itself, tastes uniquely him and uniquely her and she never wants to taste anything else in that moment. To hear anything besides their ragged breathing and lustful cries of passion. To feel anything other than his cock swelling inside of her clenched core, melting against him all too willingly, no walls or barriers between them.
1296She whispers praise against his lips, pushing on his chest gently to begin rolling him over. Giving him a show as she rides him, grabbing him by the wrists to hold him against the mattress, leaning over him so her breasts bounce in his face. Taking him in as fast as she wants, as hard as she wants, her ass slamming against his balls, only to switch to tantalizing slow strokes with her velvety insides, grinding her clit against his abdomen. The sight of him coming undone underneath her, because of her, goads her on, and releases his wrists in order to rest her palms on his stomach to help control with lifting herself. Fully up, his manhood glistening with their juices in the ilms between them, and fully down, a pitched noise escaping her throat from gravity doing most of the work to join them again.
1297
1298"S-Sche, Sche, Sche!" His name becomes a chant, a sob, coils of heat winding tightly in her lower half. She covers her mouth to muffle herself as much as she can, tears brought about by the intensity of it all visible on her cheeks. It's delicious agony, purposely keeping them from drowning in it, switching between brutally thrusting herself upon him over and over to instead lovingly, tenderly rocking upon him, and back when their bodies calm down just enough.
1299
1300She's breathless when she takes his cheeks in her hands, crimson orbs regaining focus on violet seas. "What does it feel like?" She asks when she can find her voice, her entire body quivering when she slows down for the third wave of denial. "To be in me? To feel me everywhere around you?"
1301 
1302Powell07/10/2019
1303Drinking each other's cum, tasting each other's tongues. Feeling her legs hook around him, locking him hungrily in place. She's just so fucking tight and perfect and every last bell of every moon of every year across the past decades all blurs into this single moment.  His full length hilted completely inside of her, throbbing inside her squeezing slit, milking him, electrifying him.
1304
1305He loves what comes next even more, though. As she takes control again, rolling and pinning him down on his back again this time, straddling and riding on top of him with wild abandon. Using his cock for her own pleasure, her fingers squeezing down on his wrists. The lowborn highlander bites, licks, lovingly suckles his empress' bouncing tits whenever they come within reach of his lips, his teeth, feeling her clit grinding near his abs. Both of them drenched in sweat. When she releases his wrists, splaying her fingers on his stomach, he immediately grabs hold of her ass, squeezing tight, leaving red shadows of his fingers on her pale skin. Slapping again once, twice, for that exquisite sting he knew she reveled in. Roughness mingled with endless pleasure.
1306
1307He grinds his hips into her, thrusting into her from below, breathing heavily underneath her as she sets the pace. Denying them both orgasm once, twice, three times as she slows, languorously, and he matches her agonizingly wonderful rhythm. "Like all-consumin' wildfire," he answers breathlessly, his eyes locked to hers, his hands squeezing her ass. "Like I could fall down into your depths, for ever, an' ever. Like I could drown in ye, Mist Desiree, forever, and ever." Feeling her fingers on his cheeks, holding on to him and keeping their faces close together. He moves his head up slightly, as if to kiss her - but simply touches the tips of their noses together, smiling, in an oddly tender gesture.
1308"I want to protect th' ones  ye love. To hunt an' kill those who would ever threaten you and yours." As she continues to grind slowly on top of him, cockwarming inside of her, he nuzzles her nose with his, brushing his lips lightly to hers. His hips rolling slowly, thrusting in and out of her in steady, loving rhythm. "T'be your beast, your knight, your demon, forevermore." His hand wanders from her ass, his thumb finding her clit, rubbing gently.
1309
1310"Burn me in your flames. Turn me to ash. Use me until there's naught left. Pleasure yourself on my flesh. I want ye to cum on me, over an' over, drown me in your juices, your core, until both of us can barely walk."
1311 
1312๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/10/2019
1313A slap to leave stinging redness behind, mingling pain with pleasure in the most delightful of ways. She's never been a porcelain doll, despite her physical appearance leading her to resemble one, and treating her overly gingerly will get less far than forcing her down to claim her. The roughness and rawness of it all, to feel things on a level that cannot be denied, heightens all of her senses into overdrive. There is a time and a place for open, emotional lovemaking, and there is a time and a place for brutal, delightful fucking -- but mixing them together in an intricate web is by far the best.
1314
1315Wildfire. She likes the sound of that more than she should. The pace increases once more, spurred on by his thumb rubbing her clit directly, and she grabs his other hand to press it against her abdomen. With every downward motion for her and upward one for him, he can feel it through her skin. The vibrations of his cock stirring her insides up, reaching so deep into her body that it seems like something in there will break from what they're doing.
1316"It's on the right side of too much," she gasps in a breathless mewl, pushing hard on his hand when the tip of his member pushes against her cervix, kissing the innermost recesses of her body. "As if I'm going to explode and melt at the same time. It builds up-- gods, Sche, it builds up right here-- and it feels like the world is a blur. It's intense at first as when you touch me here," her hips grind against his thumb, her clit spasming and earning another whimper from her. "But inside it becomes more, more... more. Much more... until there's nothing else. Just you. Only you."
1317
1318Her body convulses around him, eyes squeezing shut as it ripples through her entire body from her head down to her toes. The momentary pleasure of an orgasm brought be direct clitoral stimulation is a pale comparison to the full body one that comes from being so deeply and thoroughly penetrated. She rides him throughout the waves crashing, refusing to look away from him for even a moment, keeping his hand on her stomach to feel the muscles tighten and contract with release.
1319
1320Flushed, teary, and smiling. Her hips refuse to stay still on him, her voice low as she leans to kiss his ears. "Cum in me, Sche. Mark me up so no other man will dare make the mistake that I'm anything beyond yours, as entirely as you are mine."
1321 
1322Powell07/10/2019
1323He could never say no to his beloved fairy princess. Keeping his hand upon her stomach, feeling the contractions and clenching of her muscles underneath, he groans her name aloud and penetrates her tight, wet heat one final time. At last, flooding her insides with sticky, delicious ropes of his boiling-hot seed, warming her from within. Feeling her convulse and shiver all around him as he impales her on his full 9-ilm length. At the same moment, the flames in the fireplace go out, and he hugs her close, refusing to let go.
1324
1325Darkness blankets them in the room, with only the hints of clouded, eternal light coming in through the far window, currently blocked out by the wind and sheets of rain. Blessed darkness as she kisses and whispers in his ear, as he whispers back her name over and over, whispering back sweet nothings to her. He is still cumming inside of her, uncontrollably, spurt after quivering spurt of his throbbing meat, emptying his balls to utter, paralyzed exhaustion inside of her. Oozing wet puddles of their mingled cum spilling out onto the bed and overflowing to the floor, forever ruining these ancient sheets. In the dark, gazing at the faint crimson glow of her Allagan bloodline, he kisses away the tears from her flushed, smiling face. His own face damp with loving tears as well, overwhelmed by it all.
1326"Mine," he whispers. "All mine, and no one else's. I'll live for ye. I'll kill for ye. For my empress." Completely, utterly spent physically, though the warmth of his aether, his chakra, continues to glow beneath her, as warm as the fire they just lost. "I'll destroy anyone who tries to take you from me." His cock remains stiff and quivering inside of her, the last shudder of their shared orgasm rippling through them in the afterglow. Their air heavy and redolent with the mingled scent of their sweat, their cum, soaking deep into the bed beneath them. For years, he'd only dreamed of this, believed he would die without ever seeing her again.
1327
1328"We," he begins, trying to catch his breath. "...we... should..." He trails off, and simply kisses her again. He doesn't give a damn. He never wants to leave this place with her. Remaining still, cockwarming inside of her, he slowly explores her lips, her dimples, her jawline, her porcelain neck, with kiss after lick after nip after kiss. His thumb continues to rub gently, lovingly at her clit, still eager to draw out those waves of lazy, delicious pleasure from her. All in the blessed dark.
1329
1330Let the storm pass and run its course. They could wait.
1331 
1332๖ۣۜζ͜͡ Luna?07/10/2019
1333After days of endless light, blessed dark in the comfortable emptiness of the abandoned cottage is a welcome thing. She's boneless, so much so that moving takes more strength than it is worth, and leaves her curling against him like a cat seeking a heat source. The feeling of him pulsating and quivering inside her, her insides soaked so thoroughly in his hot cum, leaves her with a content little smile dancing on her lips, her eyes shining like starlight.
1334
1335When she finally moves, she shush him and bids him to stay in bed while she goes about with her plan. A cloth from her satchel and some rainwater make do for the impromptu cleaning. Gingerly tending to him first, then herself, for as much as she would happily stay there in the culmination of their lovemaking, they have to leave the cottage eventually, and it would be an awkward walk back with such things clinging to their skin. There's little she can do for the bed sheets other than remove them, replacing them with a thick blanket that looks like it'd take up the entirity of the satchel space on its own, but somehow doesn't.
1336
1337That night, she's the one who pulls him to her chest, settling on her back to hold him in her arms. To let him rest his head near her heart and doze off to the steady sound of her heart beating. A reverse of what was done so long ago at the lakeside underneath the starlight sky. It's not until morning that she moves, her even breathing giving way to the need for breakfast. Even then she's very, very careful with the movements made, not wanting to disturb him from his own rest.
1338Rations make for a poor meal, and hunting seems like a silly thing to do in these parts, so she settles for repurposing dried meat and berries. It's that sight he awakes to, her busying about the fireplace with a look of concentration set in place, trying to figure out how to create a full meal out of things mostly meant for snacking. But when she turns and fixes her gaze on him, her smile breaks through it all. "Good morning, Sche."
1339
1340After thirty four years, three and six years, it truly was a good morning.
1341 
1342Powell07/10/2019
1343We promised to each other that we’d both be
1344Forever, but time is crueler than it seems.
1345
1346He drifts in and out of sleep, watching her as she moves about the cottage, catlike, then calming and slumbering again at the sound of her heartbeat. It's been years, countless years, since he let down his guard completely. In a postapocalypse like Norvrandt, hunters in the field always learned to sleep with one eye open, one hand on their sword-hilts. Here, in her embrace, the tension left his shoulders, his muscled form. His dreams were sweet again.
1347
1348As he slowly comes to again in the morning, seeing her by the fireplace, turning to him with her wide smile, he gazes back at her for a little while. Knowing now that he hadn't dreamed it all, that she was here, and real, he allowed himself to smile back at her, sitting up, legs slipping down the side of the bed. "G'mornin'... Mist."
1349
1350He rises from the blanket, naked, giving little thought or heed to propriety or modesty at that moment. But as he pads over, sinking back down close beside her on the floor, he smiles and takes her hand. Stealing a single light, slow kiss from her lips as their fingers intertwine.
1351
1352His gaze then turns toward the food, continuing to smile as he picks up a piece of jerky. He's used to dry rations, used to simple fare in the wild. But, something else is on his mind, from distant memory - the last meal they shared together. Not the sumptuous spices and feast they enjoyed in her palace, in the imagery of her mind, her soul. The last actual, physical food they shared between them was at Silvertear. A lifetime ago. Where he didn't even bother to appreciate her hard work, where they supped on angry words and tears, instead.
1353Never again. He slowly nibbles the meat with the berries, savoring every bite. "Thank ye, luv." With a small grin, he leans over, lightly kissing her brow again and chuckling. He gazes at the fresh, new fire, still smiling, still holding her hand, but his expression remains thoughtful. Contemplative.
1354
1355"We should head back to th' Crystarium, when we can," he says softly. "Ye said you were seekin' th' Scions? I haven't spoken to most of them in moons, save for Urianger. Not sure where Thancred is. But I'll help ye look." His eyes meet hers again. "And, I 'ave questions for th' exarch. Questions I've been runnin' from all these years. Questions tha' need answerin', at long last."
1356
1357He gives her fingers another gentle squeeze, then lifts them to his lips, closing his eyes. "I'm yours, love. I'll fight for ye, with everythin' I have. Every breath in me body. Until th' end."
1358
1359When your eyes shimmer beneath the summer moon,
1360You will find me.