FFXIV Write 2023 - Day 6 - Ring

FFXIV Write 2023 - Day 6 - Ring

Shadowbringers spoilers, set post-6.2, and GSM questline references. Tooth-rottingly sweet.

When Serendipity called M'hana on her linkpearl, she knew it was an order of the utmost importance. When she got handed a sealed letter that supposedly contained instructions or inspirational material for the piece- an engagement ring, the pink-haired young woman had told her with a wistful, somewhat envious sigh- she knew that the client was going to be a stickler for the details.

And then she opened the letter and found Thancred's familiar scrawl staring back at her. She skimmed over the letter, then looked back at her guildmaster. "And yer sure I should be the one on this project?"

Serendipity shrugged. "The man came in person, and he was insistent that I put this project in the hands of only the finest artisan in the guild. That's you, still! I know you're proud of your students, but they haven't quite surpassed you just yet."

"Huh... Well, if ye say so, then I'll take on the project. He wanted it done by next week, ye?"

Serendipity nodded. "Yeah, he did. I know that's a major rush for something this intricate, but you can handle it, right?"

At this, the Sun Seeker couldn't help a cocky smirk spreading across her face. "That's why I'm the best, y'know. I'll make sure I've got it done and hand-deliver it meself when he comes to pick it up."

Serendipity leapt in place as she celebrated the commission. "Thank you! Oh, you really are the best, I'm so glad I can count on you even with all your other obligations."

As the aether warped around M'hana to carry her towards her residence in the Goblet, she had to stifle a laugh. Honestly, did Than forget that I'm a part of the Goldsmith's Guild? Did he not know I'm their top artisan? I could have sworn I told him both of those things... But then again, he's mentally had about five years out from home and I probably told him before he got whisked over to the First, so...

Dwelling overmuch on how much time Thancred had stolen from him by their third-newest ally, G'raha Tia, made her want to punch him in the shoulder, so she put that thought from her mind as she opened Thancred's instructions to peruse in greater detail. He'd found drawings of several wedding rings intended for royalty and the like and folded them neatly in with his instructions for the look of the ring. Something that seemed to swirl with nascent magical potential, but something cheery and whimsical and fun, almost fae-like in nature.

That sentimental bastard. She thought, rolling her eyes with a good-natured chuckle. Of course he'd want to propose with a ring that encapsulated all of me. Well, ye know what? Two can play at that game.

And so, she set aside her beloved's ever-so-detailed instructions and grabbed a piece of paper to draw her own concept for the ring.

If she just took his idea and masculinized it, she'd have a fantastic engagement ring to give to Xander for Urianger- Whenever they managed to get back on the same boat again, because dammit, they're a great match even if they don't see it right now. she thought, tail swishing in mild annoyance- but not one fit for Thancred.

Something the color of gunmetal seemed like the best fit for the base of the ring. A silver-black tone reminiscent of the parts of a gunblade. Maybe some gold detailing along the sides? Diamonds or small chunks of aetheryte crystal were the most common for wedding rings to allow the beloveds to move to one another's side at any time, but given Thancred's inability to travel with ordinary aetherytes, that seemed gauche.

Although... A diamond could work if I carve it in the right shape and make it a sort of smooth, large square shape. Mm, he'll probably have to take the damn thing off anyway if he's going into hostile territory, but still.

Her thoughts circled this same drain for hours before she finally settled on a design with which she felt satisfied. Then, after scouring her current resources for materials- and calling in a favor with her dear friend Iori to mine some ore for her- she set to work.

It took every single moment of that week to complete her 'commission' for Thancred. Now, she just had to present it to the man. She stood to the side, her jaunty Goldsmithing hat pulled down over her face to conceal her identity as Thancred breezed into the Guild to pick up his order.

"Got it for ye right here, Than!" she called, crossing the guild to his side when she heard him ask for the order at the counter.

Thancred blinked several times in rapid succession as confusion, then bafflement, then realization, then amusement crossed his face. "I- Well. Gods, now don't I look a fool? Placing an order for the best artisan in the guild when- that's right, you did tell me you did Goldsmithing work. Gods, I can't believe I- Well. I suppose the coeurl's out of the bag with the question I wanted to ask, then."

M'hana shrugged. "Ye, it kind of is, but don't worry. I still intend to make good on my delivery. And I've a question for ye as well."

She took a knee before Thancred, whipping the black box containing her altered vision for the ring out from her pocket and clicking it open. "Thancred Waters, will ye make an honest woman out o' this mess of a miqo'te?"

It wasn't often that Thancred got struck speechless, but he spent several long moments in silence, studying the details of the ring. "Gods, you didn't have to- did you seriously go through all the trouble of designing this especially for me?"

M'hana beamed. "Seemed only fair, since ye went all out on yer plans for my ring. And ye still haven't answered me question. People are startin' to gather 'round, like."

Thancred fanned himself in that endearing way he did when all the attention of the room suddenly focused in on him to diffuse the tension. His eyes crinkled in amusement as he said, "Doubt anything I could do would ever make an 'honest' woman of you, kitten, but to answer your question... Yes. I will. If you'll have this grizzled old gunbreaker in return."

M'hana leaped up from the ground and wrapped her arms tight around Thancred, standing on tiptoe to kiss him while the patrons and artisans in the guild around them clapped. She tousled his hair as she pulled back with a breathy giggle of, "Yer not that grizzled or old yet. But I'm sure I'll see ye get there. Now, what say we lose this crowd and find ourselves somewhere a bit cozier to celebrate our engagement?"

Thancred grinned wolfishly in reply. "I know just the way to slip away."

And with a breath, both rogues seemed to vanish before a confused and delighted crowd.

FFXIV Write 2023 - Day 7 - Noisome

Pandaemonium Spoilers up to Patch 6.4

Lahabrea was not a man to wear his annoyance openly, especially after he'd chosen to abide in duty alone all those years ago. And yet, certain things- or rather, certain people- never failed to make his nerves bristle.

He'd quarreled often with the previous Azem, their perspectives never able to align due to her sheer selfishness. If she had any code guiding her actions, it was clearly an internal one and not her oath of office, as he took great pains to remind her.

Her successor annoyed him even more. As one of his former students, someone who may well have joined the Words of Lahabrea or become a trusted Warder of Pandaemonium had he not encountered some sort of mental breakdown, Lahabrea thought he might have more insight into how this new Azem would see the world.

What a fool he was. The latest Azem took the precise letter of the law and found some way to twist its interpretation to suit his latest antics, violating the spirit of the regulation but not breaking it to the point of earning censure. A practice enabled and all-but encouraged by Elidibus Ascendant. Even more annoyingly, Lahabrea found that he couldn't fault Azem's logic, even if he disagreed utterly with the methodology he used.

One would think this understanding would spark greater harmony, but no. It only made his actions even more noisome than Venat's had been.

Worse, he now found himself almost smiling fondly at the man's latest instance of malicious compliance. Charmed by how thoroughly he understood the rules and proceeded to flout each and every one of them, then successfully argue his case to avoid punishment. And, more damningly, something twisting in Lahabrea's gut wanted to silence Azem's manipulative tongue with his own mouth.

An inconscionable thought. Inappropriate to the highest possible degree. The man was young enough to be Erichthonios' peer, for the star's sake. Not to mention that he would be categorically, functionally unable to give Azem what he seemed to long for, if one trusted his little favors and acts of service to send a message.

It was unthinkable. Impossible.

...Desirable. A trap. He'd fallen for this sort of unpredictable behavior before, and it tore his soul in half, estranging him from himself and his son. No love for anything else, none for the star, no room for anything except raw ambition-

No. He wouldn't fall for it again. Wouldn't fall again. He'd sworn upon the grave of his wife that he would cast aside all fickle emotion.

And yet, like a particularly noisome insect, the desire buzzed in his ear, thrummed through his veins, stoked with each visit, each gift, each simple gesture of kindness laden with subtextual meaning to any with eyes to see it.

Damn him. Damn Azem for saddling him with these... unnecessary feelings.

every once in a while i learn some wild new piece of information that explains years of behavior and reminds me that i will never truly understand everything about my ridiculous adhd brain

This hack will save your teeth: there are no “right” and “wrong” times to brush your teeth.

FFXIV Writes Day 4 - "Off the Hook"

End of ARR spoilers, messy friendship dynamics, and relational drama.

Finding himself at the epicenter of a dwindling circle of friends was, unfortunately, not a new experience for Xander. He'd been through it many times before, especially before the Calamity, before he had the courage to live as his true self. The names and faces of those old friends had faded into the fog of memory, but the hurt their abandonment and betrayal seared into his heart remained. Remained and flared as he watched Iori stalk off in the middle of the night, proclaiming that he would focus on the true threats the star was facing- the primals- rather than allow himself to become distracted by petty geopolitical maneuvering.

Xander couldn't help but take offense at the auri man's description of the Crystal Braves. Yes, the organization was in its infancy and needed a lot of refining, but the idea was born of pure intentions and was not simple, petty politics. It wasn't, Alphinaud had grander ambitions than that.

Celeste's abrupt departure just after the conclusion of NOAH's investigation into the Crystal Tower hurt even more. When Iori left, Xander had been expecting it- he'd never seen eye-to-eye with the man. But Celeste, his ally, his confidante...

All the elezen left behind was a note.

"I think it's best if I go my own way for a while. Be able to help more people that way. Sorry. -C"

No direct words of confrontation, no litany of reasons why she left. Just an apology and silence. Now, M'hana was the only one left at his side as things in the wider world kept worsening. Rumors of dragons swarming the skies above Ishgard filtered to the Scions, prompting action.

Yet, they still had moments to breathe, moments of levity. Which is why, within the crystalline wastelands Mor Dhona had become, he and his miqo'te companion had set up camp beneath the stars.

After assisting the locals with some rampaging hippogryphs, Xander wandered back towards their campsite with weary step and heavy breath. The only thing that gave him some pause was the familiar sunny chattering with which M'hana filled the air. That she was talking to someone via linkpearl was obvious, but who...?

"...Oh come on, he's really not that bad."

Xander lurched behind a convenient crystal to keep himself out of sight, his heart dropping in an icy pit to the depths of his stomach. He didn't want to assume, and yet he couldn't help the inescapable suspicion coiling around his gut that she was talking about him behind his back.

A suspicion confirmed moments later when M'hana continued, oblivious to her eavesdropper, "No, seriously, Xan is fine. I get why ye left Elly, I really do, I know he was sort of shoving ye out of yer main 'thing' for the group. And- okie, I'll admit yer right, he can be a bit of an arrogant prick just like the Leveilleur boy can, but it's not that bad hanging out with him."

His heart squeezed, an old, familiar dread settling into the marrow of his bones. Dread, followed swiftly by seething resentment. So, Celeste answers HER linkpearl calls but refuses to answer MINE. And M'hana stays in touch with her behind my back, likely PRESUMING that I wasn't like to take it well if I found out...

"..and to be honest, Celeste? I feel kind of bad for the man."

Thump.

"I mean it's pretty obvious he never had many friends growing up."

Thu-thump.

"And it cannae be easy for him right now, handling all this shite on his own. I sort of pity him, y'know?"

Dread and festering resentment seared into rage. Xander's veins and eyes both felt ablaze as that ever-familiar word, 'pity', dropped once more from the lips of someone he trusted more than any other. Pity, sympathy, oh-don't-you-just-feel-so-bad-for-them, look-I'm-a-good-person-for-befriending-them. That's what it was. That's what it always was, never that they valued him, never that they enjoyed his company, oh no. It was always pity and usefulness that drove them.

His fists clenched at his side, his teeth grinding as he tried his damnedest to keep treacherous tears from falling down his cheeks. He stalked over to their shared campfire, M'hana's blithe and cheerful wave only stoking the fires of his fury.

"So. So. You pity me, huh? Is that why you stayed?"

The Sun Seeker's smile shrank by several molars. "...ye were listening in on the linkpearl call, then?"

"Answer the question."

She rubbed the back of her neck, tousling silver hairs at her nape. "I mean, no? Kinda? Not really? Look, it's sort of complicated-"

"Do. Not. Lie. To. Me."

M'hana shrank back as he stepped towards her, brows furrowing in a pained expression as she replied, "I wasn't! I'm not. I- fuck's sake, Xan, I didnae mean it like that-"

And there it was again. The same gormless, spineless excuse. Xander could practically feel the venom in his words as he spat, "Oh, I'm so sorry to have misinterpreted you, then. Pray, tell me then, how exactly did you mean it when you told Celeste you 'felt bad for me'? That you 'pitied me'?"

M'hana worked her mouth wordlessly for several moments before settling into a defeated pout.

"What's the matter? Coeurl got your tongue, Hana? Or are you just scared to admit the truth?"

She sighed, her expression uncharacteristically serious as she rose from her seated position and set about gathering her things.

"Oh. Oh, so you're just going to leave too? Too much of a coward to even bother answering me? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, coming from the woman who hid behind the mask of her dead husband for moons and ran away when the world needed her most after the Calamity."

M'hana's body tensed, and Xander felt a lash of regret strike against his heart for those unspeakably cruel words as soon as they left his mouth. He recoiled, expecting for her to lash out in return, to shout with all the fire and fury he deserved for such a comment.

Instead, she kept her voice level. Annoyingly serene. "Look. I tried to give ye more of a chance than the others did, all right? But ye've clearly got some stuff that needs sorting out in yer insides, and ye know what? I'm comin' to realize it en't my job to help ye with it. I'm lettin' meself off the hook. Best of luck with the Braves, Xan. Ye and Alphie are gonna need it."

And before he could say anything else, the aether around her warped to whisk her away, leaving him alone by the campfire.

"...You're 'letting yourself off the hook' from helping me?" Xander murmured, incredulous for a moment before his voice rose to an echoing scream. One that he knew had no chance of ever reaching its intended target. "Well that's FINE! I never needed you! ANY of you! Filthy, parasitical leeches, the lot of you, riding the coattails of the Warrior of Light until he was no longer of use to you! That's just fine, I'm letting all of you off the hook from ever dealing with me again! I don't need you! I don't need ANYONE!"

His last scream echoed for what had to be malms for a moment before he collapsed to his knees, burying his face in his hands and letting out the sobs he'd been holding in. Bravely as he proclaimed it, with as much cruel certainty as he spoke those words, Xander knew himself for a liar.

He couldn't do this alone. He couldn't. Not when a confrontation with the Father of Dragons laid ahead of him. And so, when he'd finally managed to wrangle his emotions back under control and obtained a fitful night's sleep, he made a quick call in to the Scions for some adventurer backup. He would need the assistance to scale the wreckage of the Agrius. He could only hope that they would prove competent enough to handle the threats before them.

friendly reminder that you don't need any diagnosis or disorder to adapt your routine to accommodate you! sit down in the shower. brush your teeth and wash your face in the shower. bring a chair to the kitchen while you cook. use unscented products. your routine should be built for you.