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1571, Third Astral Moon, 14th Sun
Chiané looked up from her workbench, frowning faintly at the door a moment before Petyr burst through it, his eye wide. She quickly threw her hands up over the fine electronics, shooting the Hyur a dark glare.
"Petyr- mind the door. You are getting dust in my field-"
He silenced her with an abrupt gesture. "Go home, get whatever you need and get out of the city," his eyes were dark, his brow creased with concern.
"Go now, Dusky."
She blinked, giving him an odd look. She had never seen him so disheveled. "What are you talk-"
"Something... something is coming, Chiané. Certain things have been set into motion tha-" He grasped her shoulders, shaking her, his eyes intent on her face.
"Go home. Back to your Clan, your family... where ever... I release you. Here-" he grabbed a piece of parchment and quickly scribbled something, then shoved it toward her.
"There. Service complete. Pardoned. Just get off Garlean occupied soil. Hide in the forest, the mountains... anywhere but here..."
"But my apprenticeship- you promised..." She frowned, taking the wadded parchment, but not taking her eyes off him. "You promised to teach me."
He closed his eyes, turning away as he began shoving all manner of tools and half-completed tech into a sack.
"None of that matters now."
She shook her head, standing, her green eyes flashing in anger. "Why not?! You disallowed me from returning home, you lied and I went with it. You promised to teach me if I kept my mouth shut. I've done exactly as you told me."
She grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at her when he didn't respond.
"I've kept my head down, I've not caused trouble, Petyr. I've towed the line when interrogated. I've borne my presumed sin and am paying for it." She jerked his sleeve, narrowing her eyes at him.
"I've not caused any interest at all to you."
It had been a near thing upon her arrival to Ala Mhigo, but Petyr had managed to convince both the scouts he'd traveled with, and the Ala Mhigan guards she was a Duskwright orphan thief from the caves of Ilsabard trying to return to Ala Mhigo- but had gotten lost. Which seemed to justify her possession of the relic from the Fall of the Fists of Rhalgr, as well as her location and why she had approached the Garleans to begin with...
But hardly old enough to be tried as a possible traitor, and proving to possess a certain natural gift for technology that could only 'benefit the Empire'- which she had eagerly stated a desire to do, if given the chance- she had managed to escape both reconditioning and death.
It also, quite neatly, justified her subjugation as an indentured apprentice to the Magitek engineer, Petyr Tarquinius, who swore to keep her in line at the threat of the blade.
He gave her an annoyed and somewhat exasperated look. "It's not always about you, Dusky."
She arched her eyebrow, giving him an eloquent look.
He narrowed his gaze, running his hand through his already messy long hair. "I'm serious. You have a pass to get out of town. If you need it... which I hope you won't b-" He halted, then groaned, shaking his head and letting the rest of the sentence die. "Just... Go. Now. Before... before it's too late."
She stilled at the tone in his voice, her faint smile fading into a frown. "What is going on, Petyr?"
He paused, then sighed, gesturing for her to hurry and gather her things.
"The Resistance," he finally stated softly.
She frowned a bit more. She'd heard of it in passing, but per her pact with Petyr upon her arrival, she'd focused all her attention on keeping a low profile and serving as his duly 'obedient to the Empire' slave/apprentice-in-training.
"You're one of them," she murmured. It wasn't a question, but a statement. She'd suspected for awhile, based on his behavior toward her and the strict rules he'd set forth, but she hadn't dare ask.
He merely grunted, peering out the window. "Make your way out of the city to the west, then angle north. There are caves... maybe more of your kind..."
She shrugged, glancing back at her briefly.
"Maybe.." the thought gave her a slight twinge of uncertainty.
He sighed, looking back at her, his eyes tired as he shook his head once.
"Doesn't matter. Go there. The area is far too rugged, the land far too difficult to control. Far too many Ixal." He frowned at that, then shook his head. "Keep to the trees and caves. You'll be safe there."
"And what about you?"
He hesitated, then looked away. "I'm... I have things to do."
She narrowed her gaze, sighing.
"Petyr..."
"Chiané..." He returned quickly, snapping back to stare at her. "Have you seen the sky lately?"
She frowned, shrugging dismissively. "I have noticed a growing red star..."
"That is no star. That is a moon. And it is coming towards us."
She stilled, her eyes riveted to his face. "What?!" She let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "That's impossible... Moons don't fall-"
His grin was wry, a bit sarcastic and a bit sad. "What did I tell you before? Never underestimate the power of the Empire."
She swallowed. "T..The Empire did this...?" she shook her head, her brow furrowed. "I don't understand..."
He shook his head. "No. Just one Imperial Legate of the Seventh."
She blinked at him. "One?"
"Well," he laughed once, dryly as he looked away. "He has allies."
She nodded, then shook her head mutely.
"Yes, but... I mean," she finally said, meeting his eye. "Why... why a moon?! A moon is..." She paused. "Petyr- there will be no Eorzea left..."
Petyr gave a wan smile.
"I believe... that is his intent."
A shudder passed over her. "Well. Well surely the Empire can stop it..."
He merely gazed at her for a long moment before speaking again, his voice whisper soft. "All that can be done, will be done. But you- you should return to your family... Just in case we do not succeed."
She swallowed, staring at him. Then slowly nodded.
"May the Twelve guide you then."
He smiled, shoving the sack into her arms, then looked away. "Go now. And keep your head down."
He paused, then smiled at her. "Oh. And take anything you want from my home. As you said long ago: 'the dead have no use for it.'"
Chiané simply stared at him a moment longer, her chest tight with unexpected emotion, then gave an abrupt nod and turned away, hurrying out the door.
***
Making her escape from the City took time.
Time that now ate away at her gut. Time she could physically feel slipping away from her. Time that she might not have with her family- if they still even recognized her as one of the Clan.
She frowned, peering up at the sky. Was it her imagination, or had the moon grown even bigger since the last time she'd noticed it?
She looked back at the mountains looming several malms ahead, then glanced back at the glowing speck that was Ala Mhigo. She had waited til the seventh bell and the sky to begin to drift into darkness before slipping past the city gates manned by Hyur and crouching in the shadows, moving only when her ears told her none were around. She had worn a dark cloak and light sandals and carried a pack strapped to her back, giving her the odd silhouette of a hunchback crone. She had kept to the trees, the shadows and whatever else she could use, and had been traveling for a day now.
There had been so many troops, so many convoys teeming in the city proper, and smatterings in the surrounds. She hoped Petyr would survive whatever he was part of.
But he did not think he would. And, as her sole protector and guardian for the past five years, his death would leave her open for all manner of abuse. More and more Petyr had begun to be coerced into more military focused magitechnologies and less into the basic wetware and component aspect....
She had lived with him for nearly five years, and, as much as she hated to admit it, the blunt Hyur had become as much family to her as her own blood.
She would miss him.
She grimaced, picking up her pace.
But, if he truly was of the Resistance, she doubted she'd live long in the controlled city without being incarcerated, reconditioned and pressed into service in his stead.
Night was falling fast now, as the sun finally settled beneath the mountains, the lights of the city only the faintest glimmer now, blending almost seamlessly with the star-filled sky.
She sighed, closing her eyes briefly as she rested against a tree, then slowly let her gaze drift up again to the bright red moon looming ever closer.
