R’nyath’s been listening to Cidergirl again (I bought the rest of their Soda Pop Fanclub albums; he’s singing a loose translation of Umbrella). Achiyo’s been listening to Parting Ways. (ugh I’m so bad at romcom content)
Oops I almost finished this chapter and then I fell down a Resident Evil-shaped hole. Never played or watched the series before so I started from the very beginning and I’m watching everything in order. I’m up to RE4 at the moment (I’ve watched RE1R, RE2R, RE3, RE3R, RE4R, RE0, and RECV). I love all the characters and I might write some minor, incidental fanfic for some of them. (the other reason this chapter took a while is that it’s been my busy season)
I’ve also gone back to Windows(10). I couldn’t hack it on Linux, it wouldn’t talk to my Nvidia graphics card at all so I couldn’t play games, and a lot of the other things that I want to do on a computer it wouldn’t do either. I am regretful, I really wanted Linux to work, to get away from corporate tyranny. I’m still trying to figure out where to go from here, in both hardware and software, because this is probably not a viable longterm solution, but the upshot for the fic at this exact moment is that I can play FFXIV again. (I’m playing on Achiyo, who is currently up to about Chapter 25 fic-wise. I’ve decided to take her all the way to Endwalker. I was holding off on her because I wanted to make an Achiymeric AMV, but NG+ means I won’t miss out on anything.) (Did the level 60 PLD quests and thinking I’d like to write an Achiyo-training-Constaint sidefic now.)
(also Heated Rivalry is surprisingly mid, and Akatsuki no Yona is fantastic)
Chapter 73: My Girl
The Scions looked at Achiyo, standing pale and still where Asahi had left her. “Are you quite well?” Alphinaud inquired, coming over to her. “You looked as if you were about to faint in the ambassador’s arms for a moment there.”
“Please don’t joke about that,” Achiyo whispered, still wildly unsettled. She could not think of another time she’d had so much concentrated, venomous hatred directed at her, for any reason, not even in Ishgard when they thought she was a spy… It must be for Zenos’ death, of course it was for Zenos’ death, the Echo told her he hero-worshipped Zenos if indeed he was not completely in love with him.
“That was an Echo, wasn’t it?” Tam said. “Hm. I didn’t think I ought to be optimistic about him.”
“Did he say something to upset you?” Alisaie asked anxiously.
Their Doman friends came over as well. “I thought perhaps now we could be at ease, but your expression suggests otherwise,” Yugiri said with concern.
“Was it something he said?” Hien asked, clearly wanting to tease but she’d already asked Alphinaud not to.
She took a deep breath. “Asahi… Asahi loved Zenos. And since I am known to have fought Zenos on an equal footing, he blames me for his death. And he wants revenge. On me.” She told them of the Echo she had experienced.
Alisaie shook her head. “Of all the memories to witness.”
“I had my doubts about him, but I would never have guessed he was a disciple of Zenos,” Yugiri said, frowning hard, pulling on one of her braids.
Hien raised a hand. “Calm yourself, Yugiri. I set no store by him or his enlightened brethren. But if by treating with them there is even the faintest hope we might secure the return of our conscripted brothers and sisters, I must play this game. After the way I risked their lives in the rebellion, I owe them that much.” He made a rueful grimace.
Yugiri melted into concern. “My lord- My lord, you bear no blame for their fate.”
Hien shook his head. “If not blame then responsibility. They were prisoners and still I chose to fight, knowing they could be executed in retaliation. But now we have a chance to bring them home. If it means bargaining with a monster, so be it.”
“My lord…” Yugiri murmured.
“Besides, I think he likes me,” Hien added cheekily. “Which is more than some can say.” He gave Achiyo a wink.
It was intended to cheer her up, and it succeeded – she blurted out a laugh. “Very true. Mayhap I shall be… elsewhere when he returns, lest I ruin everything with my mere presence.”
“But not too far, lest we have dire need of you,” Hien said. “I’m not sure it matters where you are. He knows that we are close friends and allies.”
Alisaie was thinking hard, arms crossed. “It makes no sense. Why would he bother keeping up the pretense for so long, only to drop it right before the very end?”
“Perhaps he no longer thought it necessary, having secured Doma’s cooperation in the prisoner exchange,” Alphinaud said.
“If he truly is a disciple of Zenos, ’tis possible emotions simply got the better of him,” Hien said. “Remaining calm around the woman who slew his lord will have taken its toll.”
“I did not slay him,” Achiyo reminded them. “All that I can claim is that I fought him and did not die when he stopped holding back. He killed himself, proclaiming himself overjoyed to have met his equal, rather than surrender to everyone.” Of course, no one in the Empire probably believed that.
Hien shrugged. “Whatever the explanation, now is not the time for hasty reprisals. We shall proceed as planned. The Red Kojin must be placed under surveillance and the Garlean prisoners made ready for the exchange… But you need not concern yourself with the details. Leave the affairs of Doma to us. When the hour of the exchange draws near, we will call for you.”
“I should certainly hope so,” Alphinaud said, as they began to head back towards the Enclave. “Whatever the Empire’s true intent, we would be on hand to play our part, either to defend Doma, or to help usher in a lasting peace. I had thought we might use this time to return to Eorzea, but given the volatility of the situation, mayhap it would be best if we remained in Kugane.”
“Agreed,” Alisaie said. “Between Yotsuyu’s amnesia and Asahi’s dubious agenda, I’d say we have ample reason to remain in the neighbourhood. If anything should happen – anything at all – you must send for us at once.”
“Oh, I will,” Hien said, grinning. “On that you have my word. Charting a path through this sea of troubles promises to be difficult enough. I am not so proud as to attempt the feat alone.”
“I shall be off to Kugane, then,” Alphinaud said. “Tataru and the others must know of what transpired here.”
“And you still need to face your financial dressing-down,” Tam said, and Alphinaud wilted.
“Must you remind me?”
“Don’t you need to prepare yourself?” Alisaie put in. “You should be glad to be reminded.”
“I suppose…” Alphinaud still did not look happy.
“Let us eat together, first,” Achiyo said. “We can check in with R’nyath and Chuchupa before you go, and Tataru’s wrath will be easier when you have been fortified with a meal.”
“And I will go with you,” Alisaie said. “For… moral support.”
“You mean, so you can witness my humiliation for your entertainment,” Alphinaud muttered. “Well, I shall not gainsay it.”
“If what you saw of the ambassador is an indication of his true nature, this prisoner exchange may not be what it seems,” Hien said to Achiyo. “In fact, I’m beginning to wonder if your encounter with the Red Kojin was more than mere happenstance.”
“A good point,” Tam said. “He was so adamant on appearing trustworthy and sympathetic. To build up so much in one day, only to throw it away in a few moments…” He suddenly shut up, and there was a distant look in his eyes.
Tam had been quite irrational after Haurchefant’s death. Was he considering that Asahi might feel something similar? Achiyo shivered. She did not want to contemplate anyone being in love with Zenos, ice-cold and supremely self-centred.
They returned to the Enclave, and located both R’nyath, who was helping build a house, and Chuchupa, who was spinning tales with sailors while mending ropes, and got them to come to lunch. Hien went back to the Kienkan, himself, but mentioned that the doors were always open if they had need of him.
“So how did it go with the ambassador?” R’nyath asked, wiggling his ears, as they claimed a table within the Ten Thousand Stalls area. Each of them, by agreement, had purchased a different dish to share with the table, creating their own miniature buffet. “Sorry to duck out of all that, but gosh Kozakura has been putting me to work. And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only fellow trying to earn her attention that way.”
“Ah, he’s evil,” Alisaie said facetiously, pouring drinks for everyone. “You were right to write off his looks.”
“He’s evil!? Darn, who would’ve guessed.” R’nyath swung his fist and snapped his fingers in an ‘oh well’ sort of way. “But the Garleans left earlier today, right? Were they still alive?”
“Yes, they were,” Achiyo said. “He merely threatened me, privately, and departed while I was still in shock.”
“Ah, just he wait,” Chuchupa said, piling her plate with kara-age. “He’s forfeited his right to kneecaps, threatenin’ ye. I suppose ye just stood there and stared at him cuz ye didn’t want to slug an ambassador.”
“He did taunt me with that,” Achiyo said. “No. I stared because he had been so gracious the day before.” He had wished her well for her wedding. Now it felt like he had cursed her instead.
“For what it’s worth, the Garlean fellow seems all right,” Tam put in. “Didn’t see much of the Elezen.”
“Super weird,” R’nyath said with his mouth full, and swallowed. “So what’s he going to do?”
“Apparently, he was in love with Zenos,” Alphinaud said. “As Achiyo is the one renowned for fighting him one-on-one in Ala Mhigo, she is the one on whom he focused his ire.”
“What he is going to do, we haven’t the faintest,” Alisaie said. “But when he comes back for the prisoner exchange we’re going to do with the Garleans, we’ll be ready.”
“Prisoner exchange!” Chuchupa cried, waving a chicken bone in the air. “Always a classic. Pirates love to double-cross in prisoner exchanges. Mebbe I can guess what he’ll do.”
“It would be of great help if you could,” Alphinaud said. “But in the meantime, Alisaie and I will be off to Kugane to keep Tataru informed.”
“And I, at least for five minutes,” Tam said.
“I still have business in Doma,” Achiyo said. “Of a personal nature. Give Tataru my greetings, and assure her that I shall look into Soroban’s venture soon.”
“If there’s combat involved, we might want to make that a group thing,” R’nyath said. “I’m staying here for now, though – Kozakura needs me, even if that doesn’t make me unique.”
“Oi! What about Nashu?” Chuchupa demanded, elbowing him and nearly making him choke on his chopsticks. “Ye promised her ye’d help look for ol’ Hildy!”
“Ah… shite.” R’nyath sighed painfully.
Chuchupa pulled his tail, making him yelp. “Idiot cat! Fine, chase yer girl. I’ll go help Nashu.”
“It’s not a bellpull,” R’nyath muttered, smoothing down his tailfur. “I mean, you have a point. I should see how Nashu’s doing. Just… give me a few more days here.”
“I suppose we could help…?” Alisaie put in. “I’ve heard so much about Hildibrand Manderville. And since I can’t see anything pressing in our commitments until Asahi gets back, why not?”
“Well… Perhaps…” Alphinaud seemed much less enthusiastic.
“I wish you the best of luck, and I shall certainly be much too busy, unless you are truly in dire straits,” Achiyo said. “Pray tell me of the… shenanigans afterwards.”
“Ah, but you gotta see it to believe it!” R’nyath joked. “Well, good luck on your own stuff, then. Hey, are we going to have a proper drink before we split up, or what?”
Achiyo went first to the Kienkan. She had made up her mind. The doorguard showed her in, leading her to where Hien sat in the great hall, doing paperwork. The remains of his own lunch dishes were on the desk nearby. “Hien, if you have a moment, may I trouble you on another matter…?”
“Certainly, what is it?” he asked, looking up and laying down his brush-pen.
She pulled out her father’s katana again. “This belonged to my father. I want to learn to use it. Do you know of anyone who might teach me? As I mentioned yesterday, Gosetsu has already declined.”
Hien got up from his desk, picked up the katana from her hands, and half-drew it to see the blade. “A fine sword. You want to show up Asahi with his own style of weapon?”
“It is not a logical form of revenge,” she said. “In fact it would be very petty. Mostly I wish to honour my father. But I may have had some… encouragement from that quarter, yes…”
“I understand completely,” Hien said, somehow looking both amused and supportive. “I believe I know of someone who can teach you. Hakuro!”
The colossal Lupin appeared from a side door and bowed. “My lord.”
“Would you mind instructing Achiyo in the ways of samurai combat?”
“It would be an honour, my lady,” Hakuro said. “Let us discuss a schedule, for I am busy with the defence of Doma and I am certain you have other occupations as well.”
Achiyo bowed gratefully. “Yes, of course. Thank you most kindly for your graciousness.”
“I’ll be interested in seeing your progress,” Hien said. “You’re already a fine warrior, obviously, but… I may have to reiterate my invitation to spar from our very first meeting!”
“And this time I may be pleased to accept,” Achiyo said, bowing. “Though perhaps not until Hakuro-sensei deems me ready. I thank you for your time.” And she went to discuss scheduling with the Lupin.
R’nyath trotted, humming cheerfully, down an alleyway carrying a load of small beams. The Enclave was set to be Doma’s newest city, since Monzen was still overrun with monsters and bad memories. And as such, it needed a lot of expansion. Besides the facilities for carpenters and smiths to create the tools and equipment for everything, and the paper manufacturing intended to put Doma back on everyone’s map as a desirable trade partner, they needed housing like crazy. People were moving to the village in droves to fulfill every kind of role. Nearby farmlands, abandoned as unneeded since Monzen’s destruction, were getting a rejuvenation – though it was too late in the year to really grow much, but they’d be darn ready for next spring!
Kozakura had eagerly accepted him volunteering his help without even looking twice – and a bell later had come rushing back over, apologizing profusely for putting a national hero to work. He’d laughed and placated her fears; he was happy to be of use! He’d never taken any training as a carpenter – Kekeniro had, a bit, the summoner’s father was a carpenter, though that was neither here nor there – but if they needed him to hold and carry stuff, that he could do! Or even hammer nails or pegs, roughly, if they told him which ones where. It was fine!
And best of all, Kozakura’s eyes lingered on him before she left. And every time they crossed paths after that. Which wasn’t often – she was so busy – but it was at least once a day.
So he was in very good spirits when he turned a corner and heard rustling noises from the rooftop above. His ears pricked, his reflexes kicked in, and he jumped aside… not in time to escape a splash of piss dumped out of a bucket from above. “Oh, come on!” he exclaimed, dropping the beams and bounding up the wall to the rooftop. “What the hells!”
Three or four men were up there, bigger than him, older than him, two of them glaring, two of them snickering… Oh, great. If they wanted to beat him up, he wouldn’t be able to fight back very well. They outnumbered him, and he didn’t want to kill them even if it looked like they wanted to kill him. Still, they couldn’t kill him, so he wasn’t very intimidated. “All right, what gives!?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” said one.
“You think you’re so special, scampering all over to get Kozakura’s attention.”
“You’re stealing her from us all!”
R’nyath mulled that over. “Oh, okay. You’re jealous. Jealous and stupid!”
“What!?” Okay, maybe that hadn’t been the smartest thing to say or do on the edge of a rooftop… They were coming towards him now, with angry faces.
“If you were really part of the ‘make Kozakura smile’ club, you would be doing your own part instead of getting up in my business!” R’nyath said.
“Shut up! Get out of here before we teach you a real lesson!” they yelled at him before he could tell them this wasn’t going to work out for them. And seeing how threatening they were, he decided maybe he should do that. It still wouldn’t work out for them.
One of them lunged for him with a punch and he dropped back down off the roof lightly. Ah, they weren’t worth his time anyway. First things first – he had to get clean, yuck. He sprinted for the river, ignoring their derisive calls after him, and dove in smoothly off the quay there. It was a good thing he wasn’t wearing his good clothes to build houses in!
The river was warm, though cooler than the humid early autumnal air above, and washing away the stickiness quickly. It was so nice to be able to breathe underwater. Heck, did he really need his tunic? Did he need his trousers? They were wet now, and would get in his way. He pulled it all off, then came to the surface of the river. There were loud noises up there.
The loud noises were from a pair of fishers on the dock, who were about to jump in after him. “Do you need help? Are you okay?”
“Yeah?” R’nyath answered, then realized. “Oh! Yeah, totally fine. Not drowning at all.” He’d been under for like five minutes. He laughed. “I have a blessing from the Kojin. No need to worry!”
“Oh, thank the kami. You scared us!”
“Sorry, sorry!” R’nyath climbed out of the river. “Needed to wash real quick. Back to work for me now! Have a nice day!” He wrung out his clothes and his tail, emptied the water out of his boots… Did he need his boots? Eh, he kind of did. He didn’t like having dirty feet.
Oh shite, his job! He’d just left those beams in the alleyway, covered in piss. No one wanted a house that smelled like piss. He sprinted back to his construction site to explain everything and ask for direction.
Kozakura was there, and seeing him run up in his smallclothes with his regular clothes under his arm turned her bright red. “W-what happened to your clothes!?”
He grinned, carefree. “They got dirty. Don’t need ’em.”
“How did they get dirty?” asked the foreman suspiciously. R’nyath explained everything.
“That’s unacceptable!” Kozakura exclaimed. “That’s… gross!”
“Yeah, but… They’re just really misguided members of the ‘make Kozakura smile’ club,” R’nyath said, and Kozakura blushed and hid her face behind her clipboard. He’d made up the name on the spur of the moment previously, but he really liked it. “It really doesn’t bother me, besides the fact that it’s a really juvenile prank… Like, that would be uncreative from a kitten, let alone a bunch of grown adults…”
Kozakura recovered. “Regardless of their… reasons, they can’t do that. They will be disciplined, right?”
The foreman nodded. “Right. Now back to work with you, Master Tia! If you want to make Kozakura smile, you better help finish this house by sundown!”
R’nyath saluted jauntily. “Right away, boss!”
Kozakura shrank behind her clipboard. “Is… is that really a thing?”
He just about finished the house by sundown, him and the rest of his team. They teased him for taking off his tunic and baring his lean muscle, even though half of them didn’t have shirts either. By sundown, his clothes, laid out on a fence nearby, were well dry, and he got dressed again.
He wandered in the direction of the Ten Thousand Stalls to go get proper dinner, singing about the wind in the lilacs, and found Kozakura waiting at the entrance to the plaza. He greeted her cheerfully and would have gone in, but she approached him and gave him a little bow.
“I’m really sorry those people were picking on you today. I didn’t know there was so much… competition… for my… attention.”
He laughed and waved it off. “Don’t worry about it so much. They really don’t bother me.”
“Really…?”
“I’ve faced way worse. I’ve had people try to kill me, you know!” He winked at her and she stifled a giggle.
“You are a Warrior of Light…”
“Yeah! So this is peanuts.” He wouldn’t mention the times he’d died, and it wasn’t important that no one who’d tried to kill him had done it over a crush. “Hey, while we’re here, do you want to have dinner with me?”
Kozakura hesitated. “Won’t that make things worse for you?”
He grinned flirtatiously. “It’s worth it. Most people don’t actually care. If you were hanging out with someone else, I wouldn’t be upset! We just wanna see you happy. And if I can make you happy…” He gave her a sidelong glance, his tail curling into a question mark.
She was blushing, covering her cheeks with her hands. Gods, she was adorable. “W-well… um. Y-yes? Let’s have dinner!”
“Awesome!” He tucked his hands behind his head, grinning, and strolled into the plaza with her.
The seafood stew stall vendor teased them lightly, but eventually they escaped with bowls of hot food and found a table in the back. Kozakura didn’t want to draw attention, though R’nyath feared that was a lost cause. But anyway, now he could get to know her a little more, ask her about herself, tell her about himself. She wasn’t just a cute face with incredible organizational skills and a passion for city planning, surely! “So what do you do for fun?” he asked. “In your spare time?”
“I do origami,” she said. “It’s a lot easier now that the paper mill is going; I can buy cast-offs for cheap and make whatever I want.”
“Oh really? Like what?”
“I, um, really like turtles. Most people think of cranes when they think of origami, but turtles are super cute, really. And good luck. And frogs are cute, too.”
His ears swivelled forward. “You like aquatic animals, I guess?”
She blinked. “Oh. I guess I do. I grew up by the river, that’s probably why. What about you?”
“I do a bunch of stuff for fun,” he said. How to narrow it down? “I don’t just sing in battle, it’s something I love apart from whatever use it has for my friends. And taking care of my appearance. And, shockingly, mechanics.”
“Mechanics? Like… machines?”
“Yeah, how magitek works. Not so much the computer aspect, I leave that up to my buddy Kekeniro. But getting a magical device to work is neat. I haven’t done a lot yet, I mostly make tiny support turrets for our fights. I’d like to do more different things… I used to think that stuff was too complicated for me, but it’s actually not?”
“What if you made a magitek turtle?” she said.
“I bet I could!” he said. New project acquired…? Would he have time to do it with his current responsibilities?
“Do they use materia?” she asked, and reached into her pocket and pulled out a blue materia.
He reached out to see it, and she gave it to him. “Where’d you get this? It’s pretty nice. A Craftsmanship IV, I think, or something around that.”
“Tsuranuki gave it to me a while ago,” she said. “I’m not sure why. He said it was for me, not the reconstruction, but I don’t know how to use it.”
“Oh, for sure. You put it in your crafting tools, and then its magic helps you to focus better.”
“Oh I see.” She paused. “But I don’t really craft anything besides origami, and that just uses my hands…”
“Maybe you can put it into a ring?” he suggested. “Or a necklace? Should work just as well.”
“Hm. I’ll try. But not right now. I’m content to fold with just my hands, and I have more important concerns right now.” She sighed. “I worry that I’m not experienced enough to do the right things in the right order, even with everyone helping me. I just hope we manage to build enough houses for everyone, including and especially the returning conscripts, by winter.”
“You’re doing fine!” R’nyath said. Building all those houses was a pretty tall order, but he’d do his part. “I’m no expert, but you’re surrounded by experts, and everyone’s working enthusiastically. Being able to see all this progress really helps.”
“You’re not doing all this just to make me smile, are you?” she asked anxiously.
R’nyath laughed. “No, it’s also great to see everything happening for a common cause, stuff getting built and finished, people working together. But… you can’t deny it’s a really good bonus incentive. You have a really pretty smile.” Aaaand she blushed on cue. As far as R’nyath was concerned, the world was bright and full of song.
Hakuro began Achiyo’s very first katana lesson that afternoon, and began it with a ritual. She knelt before him in the centre of the dojo, clad in gi and hakama, and he anointed her with prayers and incense before ceremoniously bestowing on her a Samurai Job Stone.
Achiyo received the dark amber-coloured stone with a low bow. This was so much more formal than when Percival had given her her Paladin stone. He’d trained her strength and speed and technique, and she hadn’t even known about Job Stones until one day, before they started, he beckoned her over.
“Here, use this from now on,” he’d said, and casually dumped a light blue stone into her palms. She’d felt the rush of power, had felt her connection to her magic expand and bloom like a tree, and suddenly, in the sparring session that followed, everything that she’d been working so hard on was easy. She hardly needed to think about it. And suddenly Percival seemed to be working a lot harder – though he still defeated her, a wordless demonstration of the benefit of experience over power.
He’d thrown a few words of explanation at her as she asked questions, and the rest she’d learned on her own. It was his own stone, since how was he to find another Paladin stone in the Far East?
Sometimes she wondered – if he’d still had it, would he have died to bandits?
And now she had a second stone. It was well that she was already strong and fast, because with the aid of the Samurai stone from the beginning, she would learn the techniques too easily.
But she did not gainsay her sensei. Percival didn’t mind questions, provided they weren’t stupid, but Hingan and Doman culture did not welcome them at all, she had learned from etiquette training. She would do as she was told, even if she questioned it.
Hakuro began with drills on wooden swords, yes, but not as many as she expected. And at the end of a single bell, he challenged her to spar with him.
“It is so soon, sensei,” she exclaimed in astonishment. She could not keep silent at something this unexpected. “I have barely begun. I may still fight like a Paladin by accident.”
“You are an experienced warrior,” Hakuro said gravely. “To do otherwise will coddle you.”
Well. That was a very different philosophy than Percival had had, and he hadn’t wanted to coddle her either. She would just have to pay attention and make sure that she was doing it correctly.
Sparring against Hakuro was quite difficult. He was almost exactly twice her height, and had a ludicrous amount of reach on her therefore. She could not hesitate, could not think. She felt defenceless without her shield; her katana must be sword and shield both.
So it was well that she was already very fast, and with such a light weapon, held in both hands, compared to her longsword and shield, she could hardly believe her own speed. In hakama, sandals, and gi, instead of heavy chain and plate, she felt almost light enough to fly.
With Hakuro’s strength against her, she nearly could; one of his blows catapulted her back and up, and she actually did a flip before landing on her feet again. She couldn’t do that in full plate! He came at her with wide horizontal slashes, and she parried… oof, as if she had a straight sword, and he sensed it and nearly broke her guard. But she recovered, spinning through twirling strikes, her tail following her, dancing around her tall instructor, a mouse against a mountain. For all his strength and experience, and her inexperience, she hadn’t been struck down yet, and she didn’t think he was holding back. Or at least, not much.
“Enough,” Hakuro said finally, and stepped back. “Remember and practise what I have taught you, and return in one sennight. And you will have armour. I will send word out among our people; there must be someone with a set who would wish it worn again.”
Because Doma’s samurai had been largely slain in the uprising. “If the Empire has not seized them all…”
“The Empire will not have seized them all,” Hakuro said, with a sharp-toothed grin. “Domans have hidden their treasures from invaders before, and will whenever it is necessary. And we regained much that was stolen. We will find you suitable gear.”
She wondered what Aymeric would think. He would probably find it all fascinating. “Thank you, sensei,” she said, and bowed. “I shall return in a sennight.”
Things were great around the Enclave reconstruction. R’nyath had received high-fives from his entire work group for having the chance to have dinner with Kozakura, and he was thinking about how he might make a turtle mammet for her. It couldn’t just be any turtle mammet, you could buy those pretty easily. What would she really find adorable? Or what about a mount? Would she like a turtle mount?
Writing music was easier, having done it half his life, and he hummed snippets of lyrics as he made his way with a toolbox to his next job site, trying to find the right words to express how she made him feel. “I hope you can stay in the light of the sun forever, unafraid of anything… Unafraid? Undaunted? By it all? Unafraid, definitely…” He rounded a corner and stopped dead. “What are you doing here!?”
Khori of the Buduga gave him a sheepish wave, with two others beside him. “Little R’nyath! We are here for the firewalker – for Hien!”
“Uh… why?” he asked stupidly.
“Because he would strengthen the Buduga to no end, of course,” retorted one of the other Buduga.
R’nyath looked around and saw they were outside the back wall of the Kienkan, and the Buduga had looked like they were trying to form a living ladder to peek into a window high off the ground. “…So you’re gonna kidnap him out of his own house.”
“It would not be the first time the Buduga have done so!” Khori said, giggling. “I imagine the difficult part would be keeping him in our camp until he accepts that he is one of us. He is a resourceful one.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” R’nyath said. “Well, good luck. You’ll have to get past Yugiri and Hakuro, and given recent events…” Yugiri was twice as suspicious of everyone and everything after the stuff with the Imperials.
“Would you like to come back to the Buduga? For more than just a dalliance?” Khori said, advancing on him. R’nyath inadvertently dropped his toolbox and took a step back – godsdammit, that was a wall behind him. Not again! “You are also a fearsome warrior, and we enjoy your singing, as we also heard just now.”
R’nyath gulped. “I enjoyed hanging out with you a lot, and you’re really hot, but I’m good, thanks!” His traitorous tail was curling up.
“Are you certain?” Khori cupped his cheek with a large hand, the black scales on his upper chest glistening in the sun, and R’nyath was as red as his hair. “I understand that you are not bound to any one place, that you must go as adventure calls you. But were you to grant us your loyalty, and come home to us between your adventures…”
That actually sounded really good. He almost wanted to say yes. To take the easy path, have a hot tall scaly dangerous-looking half-naked boyfriend whenever he felt like it… and Khori was letting him be free, not tying him forever to the Steppe as he had feared when he’d first propositioned him. The guy was trying, he’d grant him that.
But… he’d been flirting with Kozakura, and she wasn’t not interested, and to suddenly about-face on her seemed callous. And he did really like her. She deserved the best, and if she gave him her precious attention, he could do no less than commit to her.
While he was still overthinking about it, Khori leaned down and kissed him firmly, and his brain imploded. He clung to rippling muscles and felt tongue in his mouth, slick and forceful. Hey, what if Kozakura was also into threesomes…?
He felt he could be pretty confident that she was not, and asking about it would make her doubt his commitment. He tore himself reluctantly away from Khori’s mouth. “I-I… have to decline. There’s a girl…” It really wasn’t that complicated. He was just trying to have his cake and eat it too.
“Ah, right,” Khori said, and took a step back, with a friendly smile. “Well, if you change your mind…!”
“Oh, stop trying to get with your pet and let us see if Hien is present,” one of the other Buduga said. “Be off with you, cat, if you will not join us, and do not breathe a word of our presence!”
“Hey, do not treat him so,” Khori said. “They already know we are here anyway, we brokered a trade deal with their cooks.” The other Buduga glared at him, so he raised his arms apologetically and went back over to the other Buduga. There he braced himself against the wall so the other Buduga could climb on his back to peer through the window. R’nyath stared appreciatively at those back muscles for a moment longer before shaking himself, controlling his curling tail, and grabbing his toolbox to scamper off.
It was just his luck, maybe, to immediately run into Kozakura at the job site. “Hello, R’nyath!” she said. And blinked at him. “Are you all right?”
He laughed, embarrassed that he still was not composed enough to hide it from her. “I’m fine! Honestly. I just… ran into a… former lover.”
“Oh.” Her response was so blank. “I guess that was to be expected…”
That he had exes everywhere?? …The fact that he did have exes everywhere didn’t make him less offended. Even if it was deserved. “He and I were just casual, and sure, he asked if I’d be interested in more, but I turned him down.” He’d made his decision. And he wanted to reassure her, not sound defensive or desperate. “Anyway, it was just a bit of a shock seeing him here, I didn’t think he’d leave the Steppe.”
“Did he come to see you?” she asked, and there was something forlorn about it.
He had to laugh again. He wasn’t laughing at her! But the real reason was so silly. “Not at all. He came to, uh, ‘see’ Hien. He didn’t even know I’d be here. Please, don’t worry about him. It won’t affect my work. Promise. …Or anything else.”
Her dark eyes flicked up to his, and she blushed. “Okay. I was wondering… um… if you would like to have dinner together again.”
He smiled. “I would love to!”
Kozakura did not seem to be finished talking by the time they’d finished eating dinner, and had started strolling, still talking of her visions for the Enclave, and its challenges. She seemed more confident than the other day, or at least she dwelled less on her fears and self-doubts. Somehow, they had meandered into the unfinished garden, and though it was scraggly and unkempt, the open space, cool wind, and rippling waters were soothing, even… romantic. R’nyath hoped.
“I feel like I’m talking too much,” she said suddenly, contrite for no reason. “I’m sorry. What would you like to talk about?”
“Don’t be sorry! I like it.” If she didn’t have to rush off to work right after dinner, if she had an evening free, that was good for her and she should talk about whatever she wanted! “If we had a garden like this in Gridania… some tastes would cover it in wildflowers and water lilies. Others would put up little decorative hedges trimmed in fancy designs.”
“Which do you like?” she asked.
“The wild version, definitely. We like to live in harmony with nature, and while sometimes we can do silly things with it without upsetting the balance, more often than not it just means letting it do what it wants. Where we work around it, instead of the other way around.”
“I think we have gardeners of the same tastes here,” Kozakura said. “A lot of samurai, it’s said, had beautiful gardens, which were extremely carefully cultivated… to not look cultivated at all. Something like that?”
R’nyath considered. “That sounds like the same idea, but too much work. In Gridania, if someone’s going to put in that much work, they want people to know they did. And that’s why you get topiaries shaped like moogles. -I do kid, partly, I’ve seen some lovely hedge mazes too, and refined flower gardens, and little gazebos trailing with ivy. But I’m not a gardener myself. I just look at them.”
“Yes, I am the same,” Kozakura said, giggling. “When it comes time to polish this area, I shall have a design competition, I think…”
“That sounds like a splendid idea!” R’nyath said. “It already has some nice trees. Let’s sit under that maple, I have something to show you.”
Beneath the Doman maple, scarlet red and softly dropping leaves about them, he pulled out his guitar and began to sing her the song he’d written for her. He couldn’t help smiling as he sang, both because the song was as breathless and bright as she made him feel, and because she was covering her face with her hands in embarrassment that he would sing her a song-!
Unerring, his strong fingers plucked the strings, then strummed as the music got stronger, spinning the song through the chord progressions even if chuckles snuck into his singing. It was a lively song, and she began to clap along, encouraging him, brushing away a leaf that landed on her shoulder, and his heart soared. “If I could just watch you smile like the sun, that would be enough. I hope I can become someone who prays for others. At some point, the wind blew past the sun and my heart cleared up. Ah, I just can’t win.”
His tail swished, thoroughly enjoying her reactions. He finished the song and she clapped a rapid little clap, still blushing strongly. “Wow, that’s a great song! It sounds like what you were talking about with the… fanclub.”
He grinned. “Of course – I wrote it!”
“Whaaat?” She squealed, hiding her face again. “I didn’t realize – you wrote that?”
“Yup! I’m not always so good with the words but I try!”
“It was amazing,” she said. “So… um… I guess… So are we… together, now?”
“Like, dating?” he said. “Would you like to be? I would like to be, if you’ll have me.”
She looked down at her lap, her hands still on her blooming cheeks. “I-I would like to be. You’re… so handsome.”
He giggled and ran a hand vainly through his hair. “Thank you. It’s a Miqo’te thing.” He leaned towards her coyly. “Would you like a kiss?”
Her eyes met his, and they were shining. “I-I would like that.”
He moved his guitar out of the way, took her hands and leaned up – he was pretty short even for a Miqo’te, and she was a couple ilms taller than him – and kissed her softly on the mouth. Ah, it was clearly her first kiss, so he was as gentle as he could. When they parted, he knew his eyes were nearly as wide and soft as a Moonkeeper’s, and he smiled at her.
She began to smile back, but stared at his mouth. “You have fangs?”
“Oh, yeah.” He grinned to show them off. “Don’t worry, I won’t bite. Unless you’re into that.”
“I don’t understand what you mean,” Kozakura said, adorably innocent.
“That’s okay,” he said, chuckling, and his ears involuntarily wiggled.
She gasped. “By the kami! Your ears!”
“Yes, they’re quite sensitive.” Many people liked how twitchy and emotive Miqo’te ears were, and he wiggled them again, more on purpose. She squeaked in delight.
“Your people are quite different, are they not? Ears, fangs…”
“Tail,” he put in, waving it around. “Would you like to pet it? A lot of people enjoy petting our tails.”
“May I?” she asked, and began to stroke his tail. His fur was rather short, but it was silky, and his tail curled involuntarily under her touch. “I imagine this would be rude to do without invitation.”
“Oh yeah. But you’re doing fine.” He grinned. “Can I pet your hair?”
She blushed and giggled. “Okay.”
He reached up to stroke her head, running his string-calloused fingers over her shimmering black hair, and she relaxed into it. He had to lean in to reach so far, and he wanted to kiss her again…
She seemed to read his mind, because she leaned forward to give him a little kiss of her own.
“How long do you want to stay here?” he breathed, one hand in her hair and the other around her waist. It was a little awkward to embrace her like this, sitting with still slightly too much space between them, but she was gradually shifting closer.
For a moment she looked troubled. “If people see us, won’t it make it more difficult for you?”
“Don’t worry about that,” he assured her in a whisper. “They don’t matter to me compared to you.”
She swooned into his arms, and got comfortable so they could make out for the rest of the evening beneath the scarlet maple.
Vivienne and Aentfryn appeared in the Kugane aetheryte plaza. Eos and Selene immediately spiralled in descending circles before flopping on each of Aentfryn’s shoulders. “Yes, it was a long way. But doable. You’re made of aether, you’re fine, don’t swoon like that.” Eos giggled and poked his face teasingly.
“I’m heading to the office,” Vivienne said. “I know the others said it would be a good idea to rest for two or three days before getting involved, but I won’t rest until I’ve heard the news. Then I can rest while mulling over the news. Otherwise I’ll be bored.”
“And once you’ve heard the news, you’ll be champing to do something about it immediately,” Aentfryn scoffed. “Well, do as you will. For now I am going to sit over there with a cup of tea-”
“Yooo!” Chuchupa trotted past them, followed closely by Nashu Mhakaracca… and Alisaie, of all people. “Ye’re back just in time!”
Vivienne and Aentfryn looked at each other. “No,” Aentfryn said.
“Indeed,” Vivienne said. “We just got here, Chupa! Leave us alone!”
“It is good to see you, but there is no need to get involved just yet,” Alisaie said.
“Bugger ye, Urselmert! Go getcher rest, then!” Chuchupa ran off. Nashu waved and followed her, and Alisaie brought up the rear.
Vivienne facepalmed. “I am suddenly less interested in going to the office. Let’s find a drink. A strong one.”
Achiyo was a long way away at that moment. Many days’ journey on foot, even from the nearest aetheryte, so she had ridden her chocobo, but she was nearly to the Steppe. Mountains rose about her, and forests of low evergreens and hardy deciduous trees. She came to a fork in the road and dismounted, and walked on, leading her chocobo behind her.
She wondered if she would find the remains of battle or not. It had been many years, and this road was not well-travelled.
There was no trace of battle where she expected to find it, but she knew exactly where it had been. Where brigands had been laid low first by Percival’s sword, then hers. She took a left turn off the path.
There was a little river flowing down from the mountains, crystal-clear ice-cold water, washing steadily over rocks and stones. There was a plum tree, its leaves dark with autumn, with a few remaining wild fruits that had not been claimed by birds or beasts.
There was a stone with shallow but clear scratches near the tree. She let her chocobo loose and sat down beside it. “It has been a long time,” she said. “Percival.”
It was peaceful here, with the stream, and the cool wind, and the lack of people. She wondered if he liked it… or if he was bored to tears. He had spent a long time traipsing through the wilderness avoiding people. He probably liked it. She could almost imagine his response. Took your sweet time, my girl. But he wouldn’t mean it, all gruff affection.
“I’m sorry for not visiting before. At first I could not bring myself to. And then I went to Eorzea, and it was everything I could have dreamed and more.” So you did eventually make it. I knew you would someday. Sounds like it lived up to your expectations. “It is wonderful, amazing, beautiful. I have made a home there, a place to call my own, a place to return to when I need rest. I wish you could have been there to guide me, to show me the things you loved, but… I figured it out. I made friends. I put my sword to work defending those who needed it, just as you once defended me. You said someday I might have a group of my own, that someday I might need to know tactics, and… I do. Though I do not handle the tactics… that is our summoner’s job.”
She told him of her friends, of the Scions, of the Ishgardians. She would talk, and he would listen, dropping the occasional nod or encouraging word. “I hope you will not be upset that I had them adopt me – and after only a year, too. But I know that is an idle fear. You would think it was about time.” It’s about damn time. “You never let me call you Tousan, and now I can tease you again for it – it’s only your loss!” Well, I’m not your father, that’s just a fact. “You acted the part perfectly, you can’t deny it, you might as well stop trying… Count Edmont is not like you in many ways. You would appreciate each other’s honour and integrity, though, I think. But it would take you a while to warm up to both Artoirel and Emmanellain – my new brothers.” She laughed a little, imagining it. Percival would find both Edmont and Artoirel too posh, and he would find Emmanellain too foolish. But in time, he would have come to understand them, even if he never grew to love them like she did.
She was imagining too hard. Her past and her present would never meet like that, though her heart ached with longing to see it. But she could still tell him about it, and find her heart lightened with every word. “And Aymeric…” She smiled with her whole heart. “I believe you would have liked him very much. You might think he talks too much… but truly, he only speaks when he must, it is only that in his position he must speak often and well. Yet he is a true knight, a knight like you wanted me to be, nearly a fairy-tale knight like you both admired and scoffed at.” An Elezen name, huh? Sounds like you finally found the long-legged man of your dreams. “Percival! …But yes. We are betrothed. He loves me and I love him. He gave me a new hairpin of sakura, just like you did once.” Just like the one she had buried with Percival, returning it to him so part of her would be with him forever… “And he gave me an engagement ring, which is very pretty, though it is a bit heavy for me.” She got out her ring and looked at it, at the deep vibrant blue. Aymeric would have liked Percival, she was certain.
She told him of her deeds, her adventures, her hopes fulfilled. It was just like the time right after his death, when she had wandered Yanxia alone, speaking to her memories of him each night to stave off loneliness – only now she wasn’t lonely. But she talked to the ghost that only she could perceive, to the bones deep in the ground beside her, until the sun began to set. “I ought to return to Doma. I am learning to wield the sword of my father… Kensaki no Tamehiro, and I have another lesson in two days. I will not give up the longsword and shield – the ‘sword and board’, as you called them sometimes. But I will honour my first father, too.” And hopefully kick that Asahi’s arse someday with it? “…Perhaps.”
She stood. “I wish I could take you with me, as you took me with you. I wish you were not here forever, forgotten, alone…”
I don’t mind. But you forget: I’m always with you.
“Not anymore,” she said. “I keep my mementos of you at Fortemps Manor, now.”
As if that would stop me. My silly girl.
“I do not know when I will return,” she said, and for the first time her voice quavered thickly. “If ever.”
He would put a hand on her shoulder. He might even hug her. She hugged herself tightly instead, to hold her emotions in. Don’t worry about it. I’m not bothered either way. I’m at peace that you made it back here even once. It’s a nice spot, you know.
True. If Doma had not been freed, she would never have even had the chance to return. “You said to your murderers that I would have a long and happy life, even without you. Well… I don’t know about long. The work I do is dangerous. But it is happy. I have found happiness.”
That’s all I ever wanted for you. You’ve grown so much, done so much. You’ve left me far behind and I could not be more proud of you.
She wiped tears from her eyes and started the Teleport, but of course her imagination had to get the last word in. I love you, my girl.
When she was well gone, Tam walked under the plum tree, reached up, and carefully picked a wrinkled plum.
Achiyo reappeared under the Enclave aetheryte, her chocobo beside her, and more tears on her cheeks. Of course Percival would say such a thing at the last moment… Umatori came to her and nuzzled her, trying to comfort her.
She wiped her eyes again, soothed her bird, and sent her off to her stable. She had someone to see, and set off with determination into the Enclave. Her steps brought her unerringly to a humble but brand-new door near the carpentry yard; smoke rose from the garden behind the house. Achiyo knocked.
The door opened, and there stood a Doman woman in a plain robe, in her late forties, with greying hair, a little bit heavy with age, though thinner than Achiyo had last seen her. She stared at Achiyo in delight. “Achiyo!”
“Hiina!” Achiyo could not but smile at her, the woman Percival had loved while they lived in Doma, and who had been kind to Achiyo as well. “It is good to see you again. I apologize for taking so long to visit…”
“Do not apologize. Come in. How did you find me? My village was destroyed in Lord Kaien’s uprising, and though I somehow survived the interim, I only moved here to the Enclave a few moons ago.”
“And besides the liberation, I only returned from Eorzea a few sennights ago,” Achiyo said, laughing. “I saw your work at the Ten Thousand Stalls. I should know it anywhere.”
“Ah, yes, I have found a new interest in my pottery,” Hiina said, gesturing to the clay and ceramic pots and dishes that lined her walls. “It is a wonder how motivating it is to make something that will benefit my people, my free, self-governing people. And of course I must thank you and your friends, I know you risked everything to liberate us.”
“You know how I longed to do it years ago,” Achiyo said. “It was long overdue. But now it is done.” And hopefully not about to be undone by anything Asahi did. “I just returned from visiting Percival…”
Hiina nodded sadly. “I frequently pray the kami grant him rest.”
Achiyo’s gaze drifted to a small white-glazed jar with a design of dark floral leaves on it, more chipped than she recalled it but still intact. “I think he is at peace,” she said. “He would be so glad to know that you are safe and happy here.”
“And proud to bursting of you, of course,” Hiina said. “I knew him and his priorities!”
Achiyo chuckled, then considered. Ought she to tell her? But if she had not heard, she would know it soon. “Do you know about the ambassadors who came recently?”
“Yes!” Hiina brightened up. “They say there is to be some sort of exchange – our conscripts will be coming home!”
“If all goes well,” Achiyo murmured.
Hiina nodded. “I dare not let my hopes get too high. But to see Sutezo and Tamiko… my son and my daughter again… Even just to see one of them again…” She pressed her worn hands together in an agony of emotion. “I don’t know what to think.”
Achiyo put her hand gently on Hiina’s. “If there is anything I can do to make sure it happens, I will do it. Though I’m not sure what help I can be… the ambassador hates me personally. I killed someone he loved…”
“Oh dear. Well, I hope he has professional integrity. But I know you will do everything in your power. You’re that kind of person. But-! Don’t think I haven’t noticed how well you look! You went to Eorzea, did you not? Tell me everything.”
“Very well,” Achiyo said, smiling, and made ready to tell her story for the second time in a day. She would not pass up any chance to brag about Aymeric.
Chapter 74: The Prima Vista