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What if Val had lost Faye?
"Your services are no longer required."
The words echoed through his head like a nightmarish apparition. Whether several days, weeks, or months had passed since he'd heard them were unknown. The only thing that Val knew was that he couldn't get them out of his head. He of course managed to recall bits and pieces of the events before and after, but they were never something that he willingly did and they only came during the moments when his body was far too weary to carry on without rest.
He'd spent however long trying to rid his mind of the thoughts and sounds and smells and images of that which haunted him. He remembered every little detail of the moment, from the dress she wore to the tone of her voice and the sad look in her eyes as she turned to leave. He recalled the scent of her perfume, the way her skin felt as he tried to take her hand in order to stop her, and the way her voice broke when she openly denied him and told him to go. For the last time he did as she told, fighting back the tears in his eyes and taking the offered bag of gil for "services rendered," as she'd called it. Services rendered. Certainly it had been a service at first, but he'd long since thought his duties far transcended that. What of their love? Their marriage? What of the many times they'd held one another and the promises that they'd made to never let go? How could she teach him such things about life and then leave him on his own?
Val had tried to not think of these things. He instead returned to the bridge that he had practically lived under before she'd came to proposition him for his services. Part of him just knew that she'd soon find him in order to apologize and tell him how much she loved him. That's how things would always happen, right? It usually took no longer than a day or two, and he'd gladly take the time to gather his own thoughts and figure out what it was he did to drive her to such a decision. Much to his dismay, she never came. No matter. She was as stubborn as he was, so perhaps she was tired of coming to get him. Certainly this was just one of their many fights. That had to be it! After all, she'd always promised that she would never leave his side. Maybe this time she was waiting for him, instead.Â
So he traveled back to their shared condo in Bronze Lake, a smile on his face and hope in his heart. Â He thought it was strange the way that the keep looked at him when he asked for the key to their home, and even moreso when the keep insisted that no one was there. Truly afraid, Val rushed to their home and all but destroyed the door with a hard, charge of his shoulder. So panicked was he that he didn't realize the state of the place as he ran about calling for her, screaming her name at the top of his lungs in a manner not unlike that of a frightened child. It wasn't until after he checked all the rooms in the house that he noticed the home was empty. The furniture, her clothing, portraits, and little knicknacks that she'd placed around their shared abode were all gone. Suddenly the realization hit him like one of Berrod's powerful strikes to the chest: he was alone. Only her scent remained to keep him company, a rapidly fading remnant of the life he once had.Â
It wouldn't take long for him to return to his previous way of life. He first entertained the desires of the many women that wanted him but had previously failed to pry him from his princess. Much to no one's surprise, they were quite irate when they failed to keep him to themselves as she had. When he'd had his fill of them or they grew tired of his unfaithful ways, whichever came first, he moved on to the brothels. He first spent his money on only the best he could buy. Perhaps they would help him forget or replace that gaping hole left in his life, even if for a moment. When not being entertained by the courtesans, he was often at the local bar drinking and starting fights. When the establishment grew tired of his disruptions they kicked him out.
This became the norm for him, moving from one place to the next in search of the next thing to keep his mind off of what he'd lost. When he grew bored of that or they grew tired of him, he moved on to something else. Eventually the Seeker ran out of money and could no longer afford such an extravagant lifestyle. The courtesans paid him less and less attention and the ownership of the various establishments tolerated him less and less. Soon, he was unable to afford the company of even the cheapest courtesans. Eventually the rest of his coinage soon disappeared and he was left to a life on the streets.
Perhaps that was for the best. Many days of near-starvation had given him a chance for clarity. His life had been in shambles ever since she'd left. It wasn't until he found her that he'd realized he was nothing without her, and even now it was proven to be true. What had happened to his life? To their life? What had he done to cause her to leave him so abruptly? Even after so long, after all the women and the booze and the fights, he could still remember her scent and taste her on his lips. He'd once recalled telling someone that he would drown the world if it meant making her smile or keeping her safe. If that were truly the case, what was he doing now? Groveling, sad and alone on the side of the street.Â
It is often said that when one hits the bottom, they've nowhere else to go but up. Whether Val was going up or further digging himself a hole was unknown, but he knew what he had to do. Throughout his travels, in the back of his mind he'd always hoped to run into her, perhaps to have another chance. He'd always been afraid of finding her with another, some other guy that had managed to win her heart and steal her away from him. What if she was no longer in Eorzea at all? What if she had abandoned him in order to go elsewhere, somewhere she thought he would be better off without her? It wasn't as if she hadn't already tried it once before. Plagued by a million 'What Ifs' and with nothing left to lose, Val picked himself up and left the city. ..After all, he would never know the answer if he never tried.
The last sighting of the Miqo'te came from Gridania, noting a blonde-haired Seeker with a scar bisecting his right eye leaving toward the northern Shroud. Further inquiries say that he was seen crossing the border into Garlean territory. He was never heard from again.
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