S'imba took a deep breath and swallowed as he stepped onto highbridge. This wasn't going to be easy, but it needed to be done. He couldn't help but feel he was responsible for the deaths of those children. His own recent loss of someone close to him only served to drive the need to this home even more. Talking with a nearby blade he was able to find where the family of one of the children resided.
He soon found himself at their doorstep that felt all too soon. His heart pounded in his chest, he had no idea how this was going to go. He straightened himself up to stand at his tallest though he stood fairly stiffly. Slowly he extended his hand to knock on the door. Biting his lip as he waited.
After what felt like an eternity the door opened, a rough looking Hyur man with a finely trimmed mustache. The appearance of which caused the man to look more than a little intimidating. "Can I help you?" He grunted at the keeper raising his eyebrows. "Oh you're one of them adventurers. What are you doing here? Your kind usually just does their job and moves on."
S'imba stood his ground staring up to the man. "Some of them yes, but with your recent loss I felt it would be kind of wrong to leave you, your family, and the others families that suffered the same thing to deal with things on their own."
The father stared at S'imba for a long time. "We don't need your help." The man growled at S'imba. "We're perfectly fine without it, now leave us alone with our grief."Â
"B-but..." S'imba started though he deflated in defeat. His ears perked as he heard a chubby boy walk up behind his father, no older than ten. He was dirty and scruffy and wore fairly ragged clothing.
"Who is it father?" The boy asked his father looking out the door curiously.Â
"No one, Tup." The father replied looking back to his son. "Go to bed."
The boy stared at S'imba for a minute squinting at him before his eyes went wide. He started to hyperventilate as he stared at S'imba muttering out incomprehensible words. S'imba stared at the boy with a shocked and worried expression, definitely convinced the boy was about to pass out. The boy's father looked just as concerned at how his son was acting.Â
"What's wrong Tup?" The boy's father asked kneeling down to his level and looking the boy in the eyes. Â
Suddenly Tup let out a shriek of excitement. "FATHER, DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT IS?!" He squealed at the top of his lungs in the father's face. "THAT'S A REAL LIFE GLADIATOR, THE HELL CAT!! HE'S RIGHT HERE!! AT OUR HOUSE!! RIGHT NOW!! THIS IS SO COOL!!"
Both S'imba and the boy's father blinked, completely taken off guard by the reaction. S'imba rubbed his neck awkwardly while the father looked back at the Miqo'te with a sigh. It was clear he couldn't turn S'imba away now. This had been the most excited he'd been since losing his brother. Slowly the father waved S'imba to step inside the small home that definitely had seen better days. The keeper stepped inside into the light definitely looking awkward now.
"IT'S REALLY YOU!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!" The boy said running up to S'imba pulling on his pant legs to her S'imba to crouch down next to him. Which S'imba did looking the boy in the eyes and giving a smirk to the boy.
"Tup, quiet down!" The father snapped at the boy. "You're gonna make the whole settlement go deaf!"Â
Tup gave a sheepish smile looking back to S'imba and said. "Stay here!" He said before scampering back to a box and rifling through it.
The father looked at S'imba, finally relenting due to his son's joy. "Right, then you're here to help me out?" He said looking down at the Miqo'te doubtfully with a scoff but he decided to see just how sincere this keeper was. He started to think of a list of miserable tasks to give the keeper, when his son returned.Â
"Look what I got last I was in Ul'dah!" He said holding out an object in S'imba's face that caused the keeper to pin his ears back. It was unmistakable to him and he couldn't believe it had come back to haunt him, was something that could only be described as a S'imba plushie.Â
S'imba turned bright red and reached up to rub his neck. "T-that's pretty cool..." He said, no idea how to respond to that.Â
The father cleared his throat and spoke up. "Right then, if you're really here to help you can take care of a few chores." He said nodding to S'imba. "I've been busy with the stand trying to make some extra gil to pay Nald'Thal for my son's burial. As you can see the house has fallen into a bit of disrepair. You can start by cleaning the house, then cleaning the chocobo stables."
"Is that why you're here, to do our chores!?" Tup said incredulously, despite S'imba nodding his head to the boy's father with no complaint.
"Err yeah, you're father wanted me to come and show you that even a gladiator needs to do chores." S'imba said giving an awkward grin. The father raised his brow at S'imba, somewhat impressed at the keeper.Â
S'imba set straight to work picking up any trash and organizing everything out of place. Collecting dirty dishes and putting them into the sink and washing them. He wiped off counters and tables. Collected the dirt clothes and set them by the door to wash in the morning. Tup wasn't going to let S'imba work alone. He jumped in helping clean up too, setting books back on the shelf and drying off the dishes.Â
"I saw the fight where you fought that big dumb Roe! Uh what's his name? The Darksteel Juggernaut! I thought you were done when you fought him! Especially after he had that chain wrapped around your neck!" The boy said excitedly, talking to S'imba non-stop while they worked. Finally when the task was done the father sent the boy to bed telling him that S'imba would still be there in the morning. He gave S'imba a look that he was staying the night and gestured his head at the couch. S'imba nodded his head wandering over to the couch and laying down as the boy ran off to his bed.Â
A rough night's sleep later, no thanks to the super lumpy couch S'imba was awoken by Tup what felt like way too early in the morning. The father made them both breakfast of bacon and eggs, afterwhich S'imba set to work once more. Going out to clean the stables pulling out the old hay and scrubbing the walls of the stables with soapy water. Then put new hay in. Tup of course helped as well, talking excitedly the entire time. Asking questions as to how he got so strong or how fast he actually was. S'imba answered the questions with the usual eat your vegetables type answers.Â
He followed up by taking the family's laundry to the river and washing them. When he returned Tup had managed to gather up his friends and S'imba was forced to spend the afternoon signing autographs and telling them stories. Though part of him did enjoy it. Especially when he told tales of his adventures outside the coliseum. Definitely helped him feel like some big name adventurer.Â
Thanks to Tup's excitement and telling everyone would listen that he had a gladiator staying at his house and that he was helping their family out with things. His actions spread around Highbridge like wildfire. He found it far easier to get the other families to let him offer his service to the while helping them with their grief.Â
While he did feel like he was being taken advantage of with some of the tasks he didn't complain. He just served the families the best he could. Whether he was washing smallclothes, hauling firewood, or digging up crystals for the families he just did his best to help them out.
Finally when the families had no more things they could reasonably ask him to do they expressed their appreciation to him. Tup made him promise to come back and visit again, to which S'imba agreed to. With a wave to the villagers and the guilt he felt on his conscience lifted significantly he started back home. Now able to focus on his expedition he was going to lead into Amdapor.
He soon found himself at their doorstep that felt all too soon. His heart pounded in his chest, he had no idea how this was going to go. He straightened himself up to stand at his tallest though he stood fairly stiffly. Slowly he extended his hand to knock on the door. Biting his lip as he waited.
After what felt like an eternity the door opened, a rough looking Hyur man with a finely trimmed mustache. The appearance of which caused the man to look more than a little intimidating. "Can I help you?" He grunted at the keeper raising his eyebrows. "Oh you're one of them adventurers. What are you doing here? Your kind usually just does their job and moves on."
S'imba stood his ground staring up to the man. "Some of them yes, but with your recent loss I felt it would be kind of wrong to leave you, your family, and the others families that suffered the same thing to deal with things on their own."
The father stared at S'imba for a long time. "We don't need your help." The man growled at S'imba. "We're perfectly fine without it, now leave us alone with our grief."Â
"B-but..." S'imba started though he deflated in defeat. His ears perked as he heard a chubby boy walk up behind his father, no older than ten. He was dirty and scruffy and wore fairly ragged clothing.
"Who is it father?" The boy asked his father looking out the door curiously.Â
"No one, Tup." The father replied looking back to his son. "Go to bed."
The boy stared at S'imba for a minute squinting at him before his eyes went wide. He started to hyperventilate as he stared at S'imba muttering out incomprehensible words. S'imba stared at the boy with a shocked and worried expression, definitely convinced the boy was about to pass out. The boy's father looked just as concerned at how his son was acting.Â
"What's wrong Tup?" The boy's father asked kneeling down to his level and looking the boy in the eyes. Â
Suddenly Tup let out a shriek of excitement. "FATHER, DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT IS?!" He squealed at the top of his lungs in the father's face. "THAT'S A REAL LIFE GLADIATOR, THE HELL CAT!! HE'S RIGHT HERE!! AT OUR HOUSE!! RIGHT NOW!! THIS IS SO COOL!!"
Both S'imba and the boy's father blinked, completely taken off guard by the reaction. S'imba rubbed his neck awkwardly while the father looked back at the Miqo'te with a sigh. It was clear he couldn't turn S'imba away now. This had been the most excited he'd been since losing his brother. Slowly the father waved S'imba to step inside the small home that definitely had seen better days. The keeper stepped inside into the light definitely looking awkward now.
"IT'S REALLY YOU!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!" The boy said running up to S'imba pulling on his pant legs to her S'imba to crouch down next to him. Which S'imba did looking the boy in the eyes and giving a smirk to the boy.
"Tup, quiet down!" The father snapped at the boy. "You're gonna make the whole settlement go deaf!"Â
Tup gave a sheepish smile looking back to S'imba and said. "Stay here!" He said before scampering back to a box and rifling through it.
The father looked at S'imba, finally relenting due to his son's joy. "Right, then you're here to help me out?" He said looking down at the Miqo'te doubtfully with a scoff but he decided to see just how sincere this keeper was. He started to think of a list of miserable tasks to give the keeper, when his son returned.Â
"Look what I got last I was in Ul'dah!" He said holding out an object in S'imba's face that caused the keeper to pin his ears back. It was unmistakable to him and he couldn't believe it had come back to haunt him, was something that could only be described as a S'imba plushie.Â
S'imba turned bright red and reached up to rub his neck. "T-that's pretty cool..." He said, no idea how to respond to that.Â
The father cleared his throat and spoke up. "Right then, if you're really here to help you can take care of a few chores." He said nodding to S'imba. "I've been busy with the stand trying to make some extra gil to pay Nald'Thal for my son's burial. As you can see the house has fallen into a bit of disrepair. You can start by cleaning the house, then cleaning the chocobo stables."
"Is that why you're here, to do our chores!?" Tup said incredulously, despite S'imba nodding his head to the boy's father with no complaint.
"Err yeah, you're father wanted me to come and show you that even a gladiator needs to do chores." S'imba said giving an awkward grin. The father raised his brow at S'imba, somewhat impressed at the keeper.Â
S'imba set straight to work picking up any trash and organizing everything out of place. Collecting dirty dishes and putting them into the sink and washing them. He wiped off counters and tables. Collected the dirt clothes and set them by the door to wash in the morning. Tup wasn't going to let S'imba work alone. He jumped in helping clean up too, setting books back on the shelf and drying off the dishes.Â
"I saw the fight where you fought that big dumb Roe! Uh what's his name? The Darksteel Juggernaut! I thought you were done when you fought him! Especially after he had that chain wrapped around your neck!" The boy said excitedly, talking to S'imba non-stop while they worked. Finally when the task was done the father sent the boy to bed telling him that S'imba would still be there in the morning. He gave S'imba a look that he was staying the night and gestured his head at the couch. S'imba nodded his head wandering over to the couch and laying down as the boy ran off to his bed.Â
A rough night's sleep later, no thanks to the super lumpy couch S'imba was awoken by Tup what felt like way too early in the morning. The father made them both breakfast of bacon and eggs, afterwhich S'imba set to work once more. Going out to clean the stables pulling out the old hay and scrubbing the walls of the stables with soapy water. Then put new hay in. Tup of course helped as well, talking excitedly the entire time. Asking questions as to how he got so strong or how fast he actually was. S'imba answered the questions with the usual eat your vegetables type answers.Â
He followed up by taking the family's laundry to the river and washing them. When he returned Tup had managed to gather up his friends and S'imba was forced to spend the afternoon signing autographs and telling them stories. Though part of him did enjoy it. Especially when he told tales of his adventures outside the coliseum. Definitely helped him feel like some big name adventurer.Â
Thanks to Tup's excitement and telling everyone would listen that he had a gladiator staying at his house and that he was helping their family out with things. His actions spread around Highbridge like wildfire. He found it far easier to get the other families to let him offer his service to the while helping them with their grief.Â
While he did feel like he was being taken advantage of with some of the tasks he didn't complain. He just served the families the best he could. Whether he was washing smallclothes, hauling firewood, or digging up crystals for the families he just did his best to help them out.
Finally when the families had no more things they could reasonably ask him to do they expressed their appreciation to him. Tup made him promise to come back and visit again, to which S'imba agreed to. With a wave to the villagers and the guilt he felt on his conscience lifted significantly he started back home. Now able to focus on his expedition he was going to lead into Amdapor.
Wikis       Â
S'imba Tia S'imba Fate-14 Sheet                Â
K'ovu Tia
Mateus character:Â Simb'a Sarabi
S'imba Tia S'imba Fate-14 Sheet                Â
K'ovu Tia
Mateus character:Â Simb'a Sarabi
