fearlessly | (no subject)

[ Life is full of strange twists and turns. Being abducted by aliens and told that one's world has been destroyed was certainly one of the strangest, even for X'rhun, who had seen no shortage of odd and amazing things in his lifetime.

After that ordeal, the only thing that could possibly top it was finding out the whole thing had been a lie all along, and fate had been happy to oblige, dumping him right back into his own star as if he'd never left. Sometimes he still thinks it was all a dream, but he has several new scars that beg to differ.

But life gave him little time to adjust, the world still spinning despite X'rhun's very real need to reconcile having lived a year and some change on a foreign planet in the space of only a second or two. His people and his homeland began to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, while all the while Garlemald paced outside the door, waiting for a moment to strike and reclaim their lost vassal state. And when the Empire made their move, X'rhun vowed to be there to meet them. His time on El Nysa had taught him that his home was something to be cherished, and it was time he stopped his wandering and did something to protect it.

And then, perhaps, when the dust settled, he would find Alisaie.

Or perhaps he would find her sooner than expected.

When the fighting came to a head at the Ghimlyt Dark, the red mage stayed true to his promise to himself, inserting himself into the fray to the relief and bafflement of Alliance troops, unsure of what to make of this interloper in crimson, but glad that his blade and magicks were turned on the enemy. Shouted orders and murmurings among the soldiers pointed him easily enough to the path the Warrior of Light was carving through the enemy, and he came upon his former student just in time to watch the world fall apart.

With Varis' personal guards beating a hasty retreat, he watched from a distance as Alisaie was there to meet Eorzea's champion... and fell unconscious soon after. X'rhun felt his heart stop in that moment, reminded of his early days upon El Nysa's surface, as he watched Alisaie lay still and silent while sickness ravaged her body. Not again, please gods, not again. He cried out, he ran to her, but she was already gone, her soul departed from her still-living body by some strange force.

He took up with the Warrior of Light after that, at least for a time. He was no Scion, but he could not well leave such a gaping hole in his friend's life. He would do his best, for as long as he was able.

Which turned out to be not very long at all. Scarce had the red mage settled into his new life as honorable Scion when sharp and sudden pain bloomed in his head, an echoing voice like a hammer pounding upon his brain calling him forth, and then... he was somewhere else entirely, his spirit whisked worlds away while his body crumpled at the feet of the Warrior of Light.

To his credit, X'rhun took the news of the scattered shards of Hydaelyn rather well, though he was most certainly irked at this Crystal Exarch for having such poor aim six times over, he could not particularly blame the fellow when he was doing all he could to save his world. X'rhun might do the same, were their positions reversed.

He came to learn that it had been a moon or two over half a year since Alisaie and her brother landed rather unceremoniously on the Exarch's floor, each having gone their separate ways to do what they could for the people of this world.

And so, newly armed and freshly clothed, X'rhun took off in search of his wayward pupil. He missed her dearly, truth be told, and it would do him some good to help where he could while he was stuck here for the time being.

So here we have a be-cloaked miqo'te (or is it mystel now?) trudging through the sands of Amh Araeng, hood drawn up against the wind. His ultimate destination is the Inn in the distance, but the blowing sands and wandering sin eaters might have a thing or two to say about that – particularly the latter. In the poor weather, even a giant scorpion of sickly white escapes the red mage's notice as it skitters up behind him, tail poised to strike. ]

[ for alisaie, it all still feels a bit.. numb.

to say that she has been tossed around like a ragdoll would not do justice to the veritable universe-trotting her soul seems to have done these last couple of years. from home, to el nysa, to home again, to the first, she feels like a snapped rubber band vaulting across time and space with no end in sight. while her stay here on the first has spanned several moons now, she still cannot get comfortable with her feet on the ground. soon enough the earth will shift again beneath her, she is sure, and she will wake up in yet another strange and different landscape, frustrated and angry and happy to take it out on whatever poor soul was nearest.

at the very least, there is work to be done, a target to focus upon, an easy, clear path stretching far ahead of her. there is an enemy to be dealt with, peoples to protect, and that makes it incredibly easy to set aside the turmoil in her heart, the frustration that she no longer knows what or where home is, and.. the people she has lost along the way. alisaie has never dealt well with loss, but she is world-class in avoidance, and it is a simple thing to toss herself into her work without looking back, to ignore all of the hurts she cannot fix.

and oh, there is certainly work to be done. mayhaps that is why she had chosen amh araeng as her haunt, where there is constant need for extra hands, and a plethora of sin eaters for her to sate her rapier upon. the eaters do not feel, they do not think, they do not love, she can cut into them without guilt or hesitation, and vent her fury on their cursed bodies without worry. even when there are no eaters to slay, tesleen and the other carers keep her plenty busy hauling supplies, protecting them on runs to mord souq, running errands around the inn. the busy work never ends.

it's a good arrangement, for alisaie.

and so on this endless day she is making the trek from mord souq to the inn, toting a small box of precious medicinal vials in a leather sack, a simple errand she has done what feels like a hundred times before. the sight of a traveler on the sands - one she does not recognize - is uncommon, for people to not come to this place unless they absolutely have to, but the sin eater crawling the sands not far behind him is much less so. the sharp winds that scour the hot sands carry the sound of it right to her ears and away from the unknowing victim, and alisaie's rapier is out in an instant, her leather bag set safely into the sands. ]

Behind you!

[ she shouts, but she's already moving, the eater rearing at the sound of her voice. a swift verthunder connects with its raised, threatening tail the moment it is descending to strike, and the eater reels, but alisaie does not give it time to regain its footing before she's charging with her rapier, running the foul thing through in three swift, lethal jabs.

here's hoping the cloaked man - miqo'te?? she sees the pale flash of a tail - made it through without pissing himself. the people who travel these sands are merchants or civilians, usually poor afflicted folk touched by the light, crawling to die at the ends of the earth. she doesn't expect a warrior. so when the eater collapses with an unholy screech, bleeding liquid light into the dry sands, she sighs. ]

You really ought to pay more attention, when traveling alone. Are you all right?

[ It is the crack of thunder that seizes his attention, and he whips around, cloak billowing and one hand going to his rapier, but his rescuer has things well in hand. And what familiar hands they are, at that.

Perhaps his old age is getting to him. Normally, he'd have been more aware of his surroundings, but he'd been so focused on that singular point in the distance that he forgot to pay better attention.

Some mentor he is in this moment.

But it still does his old heart good to see Alisaie. Seeing that she has kept her skills sharp is merely a bonus. ]

As I have said before, my dear-- [ this, as his hand comes away from the hilt of his blade to sweep his hood back. Sand gets into his ears almost instantly, but it does nothing to make the smile vanish from his face. ] Do as I say, not as I do.

'Tis good to see you, Alisaie.

[ even before she sees his face, it is his voice that she recognizes.

the sound of it hits her like a fist to the gut, and alisaie's rapier very nearly slips from her hand in shock. save for the scions already here, alisaie has grown rather used to not seeing familiar faces, and she certainly never expected that he.. that x'rhun might arrive here..

gods, how long has it been? her throat contracts. ]

-- Rhun?

[ agape, alisaie only just catches her rapier as it slides from her grip, her eyes wide, fixed on his face. he'll have to get used to that sand in his ears, it isn't going to go away. ]

Is it.. how - is it truly you?

Edited 2020-03-27 07:40 (UTC)

[ Some part of him had feared that Alisaie might not remember, that the time spent on El Nysa was truly some kind of wild dream that put memories in his head and scars upon his body. The instant his name - his name, excluding the tribal letter and all - escapes her mouth, he knows that she, too, remembers.

He is glad and heartbroken for her all at once, because remembering meant leaving loved ones behind, and Alisaie had loved the hardest of them all. ]

'Tis truly I. [ He spreads his arms, ready and waiting for a hug. ] Now come here. I have missed you something fierce.

[ she knows, in an instant, that it is him. x'rhun would have recognized her regardless - he was her mentor on the source, and so even if he had not recalled el nysa he would still have known her fondly - but she can see, in his face, in his body language, that he remembers everything, he remembers it all. there are so few people she can talk to about her time in el nysa, about all she learned and lived and endured there, about all she left behind. who she left behind. it is a silent grief that she has carried alone.

but now she feels it welling up in the quiet, gentle understanding in his eyes, overwhelming her in a warm crashing wave. his arms open, and alisaie does not hesitate to rush into them, her rapier dropped to the sands. she does not know why he is here, how he managed it, but right now it does not matter - he is warm and solid and real, not a dream or imagining, and it feel like a lifetime since she has seen him. hot tears prick her eyes, and she presses her face to the front of his coat, her hands tight in his cape. ]

I've missed you, too.

[ more than he knows, but then, he likely knows exactly how much. ]

[ How long has Alisaie carried the burden of her time spent on another world? How long has she suffered, alone in the knowledge that she has left an entire life behind? A home and a husband and many friends. Too long, most likely, and X’rhun could kick himself for not trying to find her sooner.

He vows to make up for it now, as she buries her face against his chest. His arms encircle her tightly, a silent vow that he will not let her go again.

They stand like that a while, the wind and sand forgotten even as it batters them both. When X’rhun finally eases away from the embrace, he still keeps his hands on her shoulders. Much as he does not like to show any sort of weakness to her, not when she relies on him so, his eyes are just as wet as hers when he looks down at her. Yes, there is no doubt that he knows just how much she might have missed him. ]

I imagine we have a lot of catching up to do, but mayhap the middle of a windy desert is not the place, hm?

[ it's not often that alisaie allows herself this sort of thing, and it has been.. decidedly difficult, being without affection, which is a struggle she had never really expected to experience. but she had learned a great deal about herself in el nysa, broken down walls and opened her heart and she'd grown so accustomed to the constant stream of physical affection that it isn't until now, when she feels how warm and solid x'rhun's arms are, when she smells his clothes, that she realizes how much she has missed real, warm touch. being close to another person. it feels like a great relief to connect with someone so important again, someone who can understand what she's been through better than anyone else here could. what they've been through.

keeping her emotions well schooled is no easy task, but alisaie has too much pride to break down sobbing in the middle of these bright sands (foreshadowing?? probably not), so once they part she gathers herself up, sucking in a deep, trembling breath. her eyes are wet and her face and ears are red but she holds on fast to her composure. ]

Aye. Let us not attract any more sin eaters than we already have.

[ she says, swiping quickly at her eyes, and ducking to lift her rapier from the sands, slipping it back into place on her hip. there. it's fine. everything's fine!! straightening her shoulders, she gestures ahead of them, and begins to walk. ]

But you had best believe that I want to hear absolutely everything.

[ For all that Alisaie does not like to show her deeper emotions to others, X'rhun has seen them an awful lot. Perhaps that's just a consequence of the life they were forced to live on El Nysa. Being told that everything you knew and loved was destroyed had a way of stripping a person bare, letting even closely guarded emotions drift to the surface.

Their time on that other world had changed the both of them, and he is so glad to have her here, real and solid and warm in his arms. More glad than he even thought possible. ]

I shall warn you now that I've nothing terribly exciting to tell.

[ He tugs his hood back up as they walk, for all the good it does him. Perhaps he ought to have grabbed a hat ere he left the city, but nothing they had to offer seemed a suitable replacement for his usual one. ]

It has been days, mayhap a week at best, since you collapsed at Ghimlyt.

[ it's too late for the hood now, he's just going to have to get used to sandy ears, like she has. at least he can fold his ears back and out of the wind! alisaie does not have that luxury, these ears catch everything!! ]

A week?

[ .. however often she's heard of these time differences between the first and the source, it never fails to feel jarring, the idea of it sitting in her stomach like a stone. it's unnatural. spooky. she shakes her head. ]

.. I suppose that would make sense. It has been several moons for me, now.

[ It's true, miqo'te ears are the superior ears. ]

Aye. Even having lived something similar before, the notion still baffles.

[ He has lived the course of an entire year, only to find himself back home where no time had passed at all. There is some comfort in knowing that Alisaie carries with her this incongruity as well, but he certainly didn't want for either of them to have to live though it again. ]

That said, I had hoped to reconnect with you at Ghimlyt, but I was too late to do so.

[ wow hey i didn't say that!!

she smiles thinly, and shrugs her shoulders, the tips of her ears pink with mild embarrassment. ]

.. I suppose you caught the tail end of that humiliating display, then.

[ she says wryly, and shakes her head. the irony of her collapse is certainly not lost on her, and she won't forget it - nor will she allow the exarch to forget it - and no matter how often x'rhun might have seen her prone or injured or sick, it does not get any easier. it makes her feel silly, to be so vulnerable. ]

Ah, well. What news from Ghimlyt, then?

[ he's the first she's seen from home, that did not arrive before her. ]

Would it make you feel better were I to say you collapsed with grace?

[ As if anyone can "collapse with grace", but he certainly wouldn't have thought of her falling unconscious through circumstances beyond her control as humiliating. ]

The Empire has withdrawn, for now, but 'tis only a matter of time ere they move again. Would that I could be there to lend a hand, but it seems that anyone too close to the Warrior of Light runs the risk of being snatched up by the Exarch in their stead.

Only marginally. And that is assuming I believed you.

[ not to call x'rhun a liar, but she certainly wouldn't put it past him to.. soften the blow to save her pride, but they both know she collapsed at a most inconvenient and ironic time.

anyway, alisaie sighs hard, shaking her head; it's clear enough that she's none too fond of the reminder. she's done goo work here, and honestly, she is happy to help in whatever ways she can, were they asked here for aid she would have risen to the call without hesitation, but that is not what has happened. being so far from home when eorzea is in need is a terribly helpless feeling. gd exarch. ]

So it would seem. Well, pleased as I am to see you, I am sorry that you too have been caught up in the flow.

Yes, well, perhaps it couldn't be helped. That Exarch fellow has terrible aim, doesn't he?

[ Not to mention a very poor sense of timing.

He's very sure that Alisaie had words for the man. X'rhun, for his part, had tried to be at least somewhat sympathetic - there was an entire world on the line, after all. ]

Might I suggest that our next family reunion be somewhere on our own star?

He certainly does.

[ she says, trying not to sound spiteful, but she sounds a little spiteful. regardless of the exarch's good intentions she will probably hold this grudge against him forever. she does not forgive. she does not forget.

also, the inn grows nearer! its spires draw close as they walk. ]

I should hope it would be, but I've hopeless little control over that, it would seem. Anyroad, we are nearly there now. I suspect you're hungry?

[ Ah, yes. There it is, that tell-tale hint of anger in her words. No wonder Alisaie parted from the Crystarium as she did. Perhaps the subject of the Exarch is one best left avoided.

Besides, now that she mentions it, he is quite hungry. As is the way of things, the instant he becomes aware, his stomach growls rather loudly. ]

Mayhap more than I realized. I hope it will not be too much trouble to have another mouth to feed.

[ x'rhun is such a smart man..

but she laughs now, because that growl is quite audible across the echoing sands, especially to their sensitive ears. it's been quite awhile since last she laughed. ]

We can manage. There may be some stew left over from last night. 'Tis leftovers, but honestly I think it tastes even better on the second day.

[ Leave it to his stomach to undo any lingering hopes of dignity he might have had, but it's worth it in the end to hear Alisaie laugh. From what little he has heard of this place, the inn in particular, it does not seem like there is much laughter to be found. ]

I am hardly one to be picky, especially now. Afterwards, though, I would very much like it if you'd show me around.

I don't see why not, but there is little enough to see around here.

[ the inn is rather a bleak and empty place, hardly fit for tourism, and wider amh araeng is.. not much better, really. mord souq is the liveliest place in this light-blasted desert, and it's full of kobolds tryna make you eat worms.

alisaie leads him to a wooden table. ]

But go on, rest your feet.

[ Yes, well, though this is far from X’rhun’s first jaunt across time and space, being in a new world - even one nine-tenths annihilated - means there are new things to see. Even if that new thing is a sprawling desert.

X’rhun does as he’s bid, slipping out of his cloak and shaking the sand from the folds in the fabric before he takes a seat. Once settled, he casts around the place. There is certainly a… prevailing mood, and somewhat knowing the inn’s purpose, it is no small wonder the place isn’t grimmer. The men and women who care for the inn’s tenants are likely to thank for that, and X’rhun finds himself admiring their courage. He’s better when faced with a foe he can fell with his blade, and to do what they do would put him out of his depth - or so he believes.

But if he is to stay here with Alisaie, which he absolutely plans to do, he’s going to have to learn. ]

I am not so old and frail a little walk across the desert has me longing for rest.

[ He says, already sitting down. ]

Is that so?

[ she watches while he sits, to see that he is comfortable, before she crosses past him toward an iron pot of stew. it's already warmed up from lunchtime, so it's easy enough for her to ladle a good helping into a bowl, sliding it onto the table with a heel of bread, before scooping herself a serving as well, and plopping a pitcher of water between them.

and at last, she drops down heavily on the bench across from his. bon appétit!! ]

Are you sure those bones of yours aren't a little old and creaky?

[ Sharing a meal with her is a little bittersweet. There should be a third member at this table, and a myriad of animals crowding around their feet, but instead it is only the two of them. That’s a blessing in itself, and not one he is quick to overlook, but he cannot help but being reminded of another time.

He waves his spoon at her, as if he’s trying to scold her. It doesn’t work terribly well, because even if as a mentor he can put his foot down, it’s a different story when he plays the part of a parent. ]

If there is any creaking around here, I assure you, it is not coming from me. This poor table, perhaps.

[ x'rhun isn't the only one feeling that keen absence, one alisaie has been feeling for quite some time now, reminded of a world that feels a lifetime away, like a fever dream behind them. honestly, sometimes she wonders if she had made the entire thing up, if it had not happened at all, but the memories are too real, too strong, stuck stubbornly to her heart. rhun's presence here stirs up that old pain, but gods, it is worth the feeling to have him here, to see his face, to hear his voice. ]

Are you so sure about that?

[ she teases with ease, her mouth curling in a sharp smile while she tears off a hunk of hard bread to dip into the stew's broth. ]

I could get you some ointment for those old knees of yours, if you like.

[ she got that ICY HOT HANDY!! this ungrateful daughter ]

Quite sure, thank you!

[ This child!!

Any attempt at indignance is lost in his smile – for as bittersweet as this is, it’s good for the both of them. He’d been worried sick about her, constantly kicking himself for not finding his way to her side sooner, and to see her grin and tease is like a weight off his heart. ]

You ought to be nicer to me, you know, since you’re stuck with me now.

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gently tl;drs at u

ungently eats all of it up!!

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pls forgive my slowness, ff7r eats me alive daily

it's okay, i understand for it has also eaten my husband

it has spat me out at last..

we just finished tonight, what a wild ride

IT SURE WAS

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comes back to this TEN YEARS LATER!!

WHOMST