Azure nights

Watching over the dim silence of Ishgard, his ears pick up on the stillness being broken: the creaking of a door and footsteps echoing into the early morning hours. Knowing it's time to move, he jumps across the rooftops of the desolate streets; by the time he has arrived at the desired destination, the door behind his target has barely reached its frame again.Looking down from the rooftop of Garlond Ironworks, the pursued stands below, clearly knowing something is amiss, but trying not to show it. A new aether-transformer on her belt and revolver in its holster - he sees his chance and leaps, rising high before plummeting down, spear aiming for an arm – nonlethal, but effective – before he can strike, a shining light and whirl of dust appear around her and his spear is met by another, the impact of the jump blowing away any dust that would remain.Her Ironworks uniform and weaponry gone, replaced with a long polearm and a dress plated with dragon scale armour down to the hemline - after a moment, he uses the clashing steel to propel himself upward once more, landing on a nearby lamppost; maintaining the high ground. Looking back down on what he thought was an easy lesson for the girl, he instead found his friend fully prepared for such things; he had seen her falter to in the past.“You’ve improved since the night at the Steel vigil, girl.” His thinly veiled annoyance was naught lost on her. Her eyes rolling at the words “Don’t look down on me, Sir Estinien, lest you need a reminder of who won that battle?” her mocking tone and smug face bolstering the words, feeling his pride bruised; he jumps down again, this time not in a strike but to meet her face to face.Towering over her, she remains still, polearm almost pressed against his chest – her demeanour colder than the coerthas night. He finally lets out a sigh. “You truly know how to bruise the pride,” the comment breaking the tension as she drops her weapon with a small laugh.Turning his back to her, he looks over his shoulder with a smile as he walks into the night. “Don’t go running off to Doma or Kugane again; we need you here at least for the time being.” He can feel her stare on his back; his strike not lost on her. Feeling his pride repaired and satisfied, he jumps up again into the night.With no plans remaining to stay in Ishgard himself now he had a chance to check in on his friend - though sometimes she tests that - he sets out for Thanland, with hopes of making it to Paglath’an not long after. With rumours circulating that is where the Garlemald forces are striking next, he readies his spear and jumps into the night.

Endless day's rest

As he lay down under the statue in the town square, the endless days light flickering against his void eyes. Though he and his riding companion had stopped to rest the night - or what he could only presume was such - there was naught that could be done to mellow the feeling that rest would not come easy. The looks he had gotten from the other residents of this small mining town hadn’t gone unnoticed as he tried to rest off the days travel; after all, he had to acknowledge how odd a pair they were, a traveller from another world who had come to be rumoured as the Warrior of Darkness and a frail amaro who never thought he would see past the Crystariums bridge.Though he still had not gotten to the point of trusting this so-called saviour of the first - he couldn’t help but pay attention to the blue haired girl fumbling her gil as she traded with the Dwarven people of Tomra, trying with the same might she would bring to battle, to barter and still failing somewhat miserably; going as far as watching them upcharge her for trying such tricks. He does not know - nor care if they believe her achievements are just hearsay or if they know she truly did banish the everlasting light in Lakeland.The tired amaro’s mind wanders to whether they would treat her as such if they knew of her accomplishments; the fleeting thought is put to rest upon the sight of her awkwardly trying to squeeze into a building ill-fitting for her. He does not need to wonder any longer, as even he struggled to maintain the fact that this is the one who holds the fate of the first; a wave of dread washes over him as he mulls that over in his mind. He does not have time to think about it for long, though.“C’mon, Ink” he hears from where he was just watching, rolling his eyes as his fears had been proven true, “Looks like Tomra isn’t going to work, bud” the infliction in her voice giving way to what clearly sounds like annoyance, it doesn’t take much thought for him to realise she could not afford an Inn after losing all of her coin to simple repairs and food. Though overall he finds this somewhat preferable, as he would much prefer the roadside grass by a campfire to the cold cement of the underside of a statue. Though he wouldn’t have been surprised if she tried to jam him through that tiny inn room door, too. Feeling even more relieved she couldn’t afford it after all.Lowering himself down to allow the short woman to jump up onto his back, feeling the weight of the day - and now his companion - he sets off down the mountain to find a soft patch of grass he can kick her off onto, only hoping that soon he can sleep under the night sky and not the everlasting day. Letting the thought linger for a moment, he decides to try to have faith in this so-called warrior of darkness - though he can now adamantly trust she is not as sharp with her words as she is with a sword.

For those who once lived

Arriving at her destination she sits without a word - the aquarium quieter than she’s used to, though she’s naught to pay it any mind either way. Looking into the deep blue echoes of the small aquatic chamber, allowing her mind to wander back to that moment, battered and bruised, looking up at the once monstrous being now looking smaller than she had seen him before. her axe behind him coated in pure white energy – or was it Ardberts axe? She nary holds the thought before returning to the man, barely able to pay attention to what’s happening through the pain and ringing in her ears.Her focus remaining on him - her vision blurry, not to dissimilar to her vision in the moments thinking it back. She sees the Ascian pull down his hood, revealing his face once more. Unsure how he is maintaining his form with the bleeding white hole in his chest - through the ringing she can make out very few words; she was never quite sure what he said, never got the muster to ask ‘Raha or the twins. What was believed to be heard was “Remember that we once lived.” And that’s exactly what she does; and it never gets easier, that had been learnt many moons ago, though this time its harder than ever, for the moon is where her plight lies.Halmarut of the 14, the same 14 that had been spoken of many times, the very 14 she had fought herself to help an ancient Lahabrea. Now back at the other end of her axe; the thought made her stomach churn - for she thought she was done, and to find her current mission is that of Hades himself? To rejoin the 14 shards? She wouldn’t fall into the same spiral as that of the third seat – for she knows the same fate would await her at the end.
Her grip tightens on her legs, small drops staining the torn fabric as she cant help but find a twisted humour in what Hydelyn had left her, desperately wondering if the scions are making the right call, if the dangers outweigh the potential, the fate of this star leading her to do the very thing she had just ended another’s existence to stop.Her visits to the aquarium had become more frequent after meeting Halmarut – the scenic blue hue of the chamber reminding her of the city of Amarott; The reconstruction made by Hades more accurately, She wonders if her fate will end up the same as his, if her story has already been finished and she’s yet to reach the ending – before she can give it much thought a pair of footsteps can be heard, ones she recognised.An argument not far behind “I doubt you will find here, not for the 3rd time this week!” a stern voice of a young elezen echoing through the exhibit corridor, confident – but wrong; the dread that had been piling on top of M’nerva being washed away in an instant “Well we wont know unless we check!” the lighter more aristocratic voice of her brother rebutted. Hearing this she gets up, dusting herself off; knowing any doubts she had, she doesn’t bare them alone.

• Back