Naunet

I don't think roleplaying as law enforcement equates to "GMing" a scene at all... There are a million different ways an attempted arrest can go south.

Stacking is how you deal with them in Titan EX. May as well get used to it in HM. [edit] Didn't scroll down when replying. Seems I was beat to it! Haha oh well.

Fair enough. I'd probably be more liable to fluid time the whole thing and have "a few hours" just happen tomorrow. But I'm extremely amenable to pretty much anything happening in RP at all times. Has gotten some characters in rather awkward/uncomfortable/unfortunate/troublesome positions at times, but... meh. I work with it.

Was that a "My character isn't going to stop arresting you" isn't or a "You're never getting out of jail" isn't? The former... I really don't see any problem with. Asking an IC cop to stop arresting someone who they have strong cause to probably stretches the boundaries of belief for that person, regardless of whether or not the arrest-ee is happy about having their love interest left in the streets.

Terrified of losing track of time, D'hein of the Dodos returned to the Quicksand after fifteen minutes and settled into a bar-stool, where he crossed his arms very tight and stared at the bar-top feverishly trying to remember how long he had said he would give Antimony. His default was one hour, but had he given her more time? Half an hour? An entire hour? Two? Was he mad!? The bar-tender tried to speak with him, but D'hein did not notice. He sat in silent, still panic, staring at the bar and beginning to sweat, growing more agitated as time went on. After what felt like an eternity of trying to feverishly recall the time he had stated, D'hein realized he had been lost in thought over the conundrum for a disproportionate amount of time. Struck by sudden terror that he was late, D'hein leapt to his feet, throwing his barstool back on the ground and whacking an adjacent Lalafel with his tail so hard that the poor man was thrown awkwardly into the lap of the Roegadyn he had been sharing drinks with. D'hein checked the time with shaking hands, finding it had been half an hour. He reset his barstool and apologized to the Lalafel, but the tiny man just smiled and shrugged and settled into the lap of the unexpectedly welcoming Roegadyn. So everything, it seemed, worked out. He ordered a drink. And set his gold-crafted watch on the bar in front of him And stared at it. He never touched his drink. After exactly one hour and forty-five minutes (figuring he had said either an hour and a half or two hours, and figuring that in between he would either be fashionably late or charmingly early) D'hein stood from his barstool and paid off his tab as well as the Lalafel's, who had since passed out and been carried off by the Roegadyn. Good for him! D'hein proceeded down the hallways back to Antimony's room. *** The four walls of the inn room K'airos had so generously rented for her were both comforting to Antimony and agonizing - comforting in that they kept her hidden from people she wasn't certain she had the strength of will to face again, and agonizing as they kept her separated from K'airos, something she did not want to experience ever again. D'hein's gift loomed ominously on the table a short distance from her perch on the edge of the bed, and for a long time after he left, she simply watched it and tried not to think of all those other people, or of losing K'airos. He had described the gift as traveling supplies, which, Antimony had to admit, sounded like things she could very much make use of. Though she'd managed to wash herself during her brief stay in Drybone, she still imagined she could smell the stink of corpses on her skin, and the journey back to Ul'dah had left her once more feeling grimy all over. The state of her dress didn't help matters, unfortunately. It occurred to her that she must look absolutely awful, and her ears flattened, tail flicking in embarrassment at what Miss Carceri, D'hein, and most of all her daughter must think of her in such a state. Well, the least she could do was fully appreciate her former (current? future? it was all very confusing still) boss's gift. Antimony stood with a sigh, wincing at the dull ache in her joints. The strain of travel and stress was not doing them any favors, and she didn't think she'd ever felt more like her age than in these moments. Not delaying further, she allowed her curiosity to carry her the few steps to the table and proceeded to unwrap the oblong package. The first item she saw brought a deep flush to her cheeks and she nearly pushed the entire thing off the edge of the table in her shock. The cloth was folded, but the cut of it was unmistakable, even less when she lifted it slightly in shaky hands. The soft purple fabric ran like water across her skin, and perhaps at any other time she might have admired the dress, but not now, and especially not considering who had given it. It brought to mind another gift, come all the way from Coerthas, and she grimaced with mild guilt before setting the dress - was it supposed to be tight? It certainly looked far too small for her - to one side. The rest of the items inside were less provocative, though their quality left Antimony feeling guilty for accepting such a thing: several finely crafted soaps in fragrances she couldn't identify, a set of grooming implements and other assorted toiletries, a few washcloths and a towel so thick and soft her fingers disappeared in its fibers, a pair of water flasks made of intricately engraved metal wrapped in impossibly supple leather, and at the bottom, a set of clothing, thankfully more acceptable than the dress she'd found first, though following pattern, they were made of fabrics far nicer than Antimony had ever seen. "And all Dodos receive these?" she muttered to herself and then shook her head. She was well aware of the tribe's accrued wealth and status; she only hoped that using these gifts wouldn't draw the ire of any other tribe member she might happen to run into. At that point, Antimony became aware she had not kept track of time. This realization startled her so much that a number of the toiletries were sent clattering to the floor. Time! How long had she dawdled? When had D'hein said he'd return? One hour? Two? What if he walked in through the door right that moment? And she'd done nothing! She wasted another several minutes agonizing over her delay, then recognized said agonizing was delaying her further and sprang into action. Though this room did not come equipped with a bath (not that she would have asked K'airos to spend more money on her for such a thing), she recalled the Quicksand having a publically available washing area not far. She only needed to locate it. A few minutes later, Antimony had bundled the towels, clothing, and soaps in her arms and was making her way down the halls with quick but cautious steps. True, D'hein had assured her that K'aijeen was not currently on the Quicksand's premises, but she did not quite trust those words, and there were of course others she did not wish to run into immediately... *** Some time later, Antimony walked back through the halls with the towels and toiletries bundled in her arms again, but this time the towels were damp and joined by her old, mud-stained dress. She had to admit that the bath had greatly refreshed her, even if her thoughts continued to wander madly towards places of worry. She couldn't smell corpses anymore, which was comforting, and the grime that had gotten seemingly everywhere - even under her nails and between her toes - was scrubbed clean as much as she could manage. The change of clothes D'hein had provided fit her fairly well, though the pants - loose and gathered in the style of Ul'dah - were a bit too long, as were the sleeves of the wrapped shirt. At least the detailing on them was pretty, though it still felt uncomfortable to wear a stranger's clothing. Her mostly greyed hair hung wet against her neck, messy from the shower but she would deal with that once... Antimony froze mid-step as her eyes caught sight of an unmistakable fluff of blond hair hovering just outside her room. She nearly turned around and fled right there, utterly mortified at that tia seeing her like this, but no - there was nothing to be done for it. How had she lost track of time? She'd been so certain she had at least a quarter bell until...! Clearing her throat anxiously, Antimony's still damp ears swiveled with uncontrolled nerves as she ventured, "Excuse... me. You're, ah--you're... early!" D'hein spun to the strange-looking Miqote, thin hair wet and nice clothes but ill-suiting her frame. It didn't really do to wander around wet like that, especially if one couldn't even bother to dress appropriately to one's own size! Oh, no, it was Antimony. That changed everything! What was that thing she had just said? Some series of words artfully broken like the fake breaks in a stained-glass window. With a smirk, he imagined what a deliberately broken greeting like that must sound like, letting his fabricated substitute fill out his memories since he'd missed it. And then, with a smile and a bow, he said, "And I’m sure I share those beautiful sentiments, miss Antimony." And then, leaning back, "If you had required or still require time, you need only say so. I'm in no hurry to rush you." His response confused her enough that she was left stammering for several seconds, clutching the towels and her old clothing to her chest. Sentiments? That he was... early? Did he mean to be early? Had he thought to catch her unawares? How long had he been lurking here? What else had he done while she was bathing?? "I don't--that is, I haven't--I... just wasn't expecting you so... ah! Excuse me!" Face flushed bright red, she hurried around him to the door, "I'll just--just be a moment!" Retreating a measure with a chuckle, D'hein held up his hands, "Take your time. I tell you what: I'll linger in the tavern and you come fetch me when you're prepared." "Yes, yes, I'll do just--" the door opened and shut behind her in a flurry, "--that," she finished to the empty room. With a pained sigh, Antimony trudged over to the table and began to try and put herself back into some semblance of order. *** Stritching his arms to either side of him -- whacking the walls without noticing -- D'hein began his way back to the tavern and fixed his fingers behind him as he went. He did not bother to get a table once he had set foot in the tavern, though. He just stood and lingered. It was a terribly common place and it was far below him to actually eat the kinds of food they sold here. *** Once she'd managed to brush out her hair and pin it up into something acceptable that didn't resemble a drake's nest - a process that took very little time, considering the decades of practice she'd had, and her own tendency toward economy of style, rather than fancy flair - Antimony tried to give her thoughts a chance to cool. Closing her eyes, she drew in a few, slow breaths and then set about the task of very carefully laying out the damp towels and, more carefully, folding her old clothes. She set the former on the floor next to the bed, alongside the equally dirty winter coat she'd somehow managed to keep ahold of throughout all of this chaos. She wouldn't forgive herself if she lost it, of course; Mitari's gift had been nothing if not heartfelt. She wondered not for the first time what it might like to take K'airos with her up north. But with K'aijeen as hateful and dangerous... Antimony forced herself to ignore the sharp ache in her chest those thoughts stirred, as well as the stinging in her nose and behind her eyes. Taking a moment to wipe her glasses with the hem of the clean shirt and, finally, adjust the new articles of clothing in a way she hoped at least looked decent, Antimony finally took her exit of the room in search of D'hein. *** She found him fairly quickly, near the entryway into the open tavern that led from the inn halls. She approached him quietly, hoping to keep her composure more than the last time they'd interacted, and clasped her hands in front of her. "Now, I am ready," she stated, standing slightly behind him. Her tail swished in slow arcs behind her, brushing against the loose fabric of her pants. Watching the working-class mingle was an interesting past-time. How they managed to indulge on such paltry, ugly things, he wasn't sure. The liquor was all essentially the same, except for the quality of the ale which was completely uncoscionable, he was sure, but the food and the environment and just the stink off all the other working-class people should have made contentedness impossible. All of which was not actually a thing he thought. Was this how the Dodo Nunhs passed their time? Staring down from their towers and lamenting the lesser beings? No, not lamenting. Heckling. Or something. "Hello!" He finally announced several seconds after Antimony had arrived, spinning around, his tail fairly flailing behind him. Only one of his ears managed the turn to Antimony; the other got lost and ended up listening for the ceiling for some reason. "You look so much more comfortable, now! Collected, prepared. You look like an otherworldly genius descended from some ivory tower, still glistening with divine light!" "I... what?" Her own ears twisted uncertainly at that description. Certainly he wasn't talking about her. What in all of Eorzea was he talking about? Her tail gave a firm swish and she drew a breath, "Ah, that's... not necessary. I apologize for, well, earlier. I must've lost track of... time or some sort of... well. Regardless." Her fingers wove together as she looked past D'hein to the tavern, a small twinge of anxiety tightening her chest as she half-expected to spot K'luha or K'ile amongst the throng. Of course, if K'ile were here, he would have smelled her long ago... and perhaps left in disgust. She wouldn't blame him for such a thing. He had no obligation to her, an outsider, twice over. At least she'd thought to sent K'airos to help... Antimony realized she'd grown quite distracted with these unhappy thoughts and shook herself, returning her focus to the blonde tia in front of her. She tilted her head slightly at him and, for the first time in days, allowed herself to acknowledge the extreme hunger that had been pestering her balance, concentration, and just general being, "You, ah, mentioned we could eat...?" Watching Antimony passively as she seemed to sink into a comfortable shell of distraction for a few seconds, only to rise out of it suddenly, D'hein at length smirked and said, "Have you ever eaten near or around the hustings strip? Or any of those very red-and-gold interior places of the city?" She frowned at that. "Of course not. It would be an exorbitant waste of agency resources." Leaning a bit back, one ear standing up and his eyes flicking around as if to see if he is being spied upon, D'hein said, "It would? Really? Since when!" Confusion softened her expression, and her ears tilted back somewhat. "Since... well, I have--I mean, had a budget, you should know! It didn't seem proper to spend it on... not that I'd ever considered such a thing." "Budget? Really? I... Well," He crossed his arms and bit his thumb, looking conflicted. "I guess budgets are a thing we work off of. That must be more common for business dealings than I had suspected. Budgets for contractors is such a mad idea, though, I'd never thought of it! Draconian, but perhaps in a good way." "In a... what way?" Perhaps it was her hunger getting the better of her, but Antimony found following D'hein's train of thought increasingly difficult. "Everything and everyone has a budget of some kind." She didn't feel like arguing the point, however, so instead she just twisted her hands together and questioned, "Is that where you wish to dine, then?" Taking a long time to pull his thoughts away from the revolutionary budgetary paradigms Antimony had invented, D'hein said with some difficulty, "Yes. Unless you have some special wish to remain here." Green eyes flicked past him to the tavern once more, and Antimony decided then that she was indeed not ready to face any of those she'd run from just yet. She recognized this as cowardly, and the acknowledgement was not without a strong sense of guilt; however, to D'hein she just nodded. "That would be fine." A pause. "The, ah, Hustings Strip, I mean." "Excellent! I know this place that purports to serve literally the best Ourobon in the entire world!" He spun, pacing his way towards the Quicksand's exit to head off to Ruby Road and, from there, to the Hustings strip. He fixed his hands behind him as he went, smiling upwards and speaking without reserve, "Then, maybe you don't want Ourobon? I'm sure that's a main staple of one's diet in Southern Thanalan!" It took her several seconds to pull her thoughts together enough to follow him, and when he spoke again, they scattered just as quickly. And she had hoped to maintain order over this dinner... Antimony flinched and looked off to one side, watching the brown stone wall pass as they walked instead of the man who'd decided to speak of uncomfortable things. "That's... well, yes, but I haven't..." She cleared her throat, trying to free it of the lump that had begun to form, and finally finished, "There's mostly fish in Limsa." "Oh, right," D'hein said, moving his hands from behind his back and clapping it in front of him, "And an Ourobon is a kind of fish! Inferior to anything you get in Limsa." He put his hands back behind his back. "Although once you've eaten at the Bismarck, well, you'll have a hard time at similar establishments elsewhere! Heed this warning, Antimony!" He brought his hands forward and clapped them again. "Do not order the fish here in Ul'dah. You'll be disappointed." His gesturing drew her attention from the wall, and she watched it with an almost-fascination at how theatrical they were. "I will keep that in mind," she acknowledged. At this point her stomach made a small, hollow sound and she ducked her head briefly before adding in a hurried tone to cover the embarrassment, "I doubt they have the true staple food, however." "Ah, but what is truth?" Began D'hein, then shook his head. "Forget I said that." Stupid change of topic! He needed to pay more attention to what he was saying. His tail was churning like a piston behind him as he walked onward, trying to get his brain to work its way back to... food, they had been discussing? Regional food. He cleared his throat, "Ul'dah itself isn't known for anything of any interest, unfortunately. Unless you like spices. Lots and lots of spices!" "I'm certain it's all delicious," she replied neutrally and couldn't help but brush against a memory - faded in its age - of a rare venture of trade with the outside world. Spices were one of the treasures their huntresses had returned with, and their flavors had excited the children for weeks. Antimony's ears drooped. She should not think of such things, not when she no longer had right to them. Think of the present. The rough stone streets had given way to more delicately carved paths, and many of the walls they passed were now softened with richly colored tapestries. Even the lighting in these inner paths of Ul'dah shifted, gaining a warmer hue, and though she could still catch the pervading scents of sweat and dirt and sickness that covered the city like a shroud, they were more distant here. "Where precisely is this, ah, place...?" The Dodo stopped in his tracks as the surprised by the question. He looked up, then around him, then down at Antimony wordlessly, his thoughts churning as though through some kind of clanking machine. D'hein blinked. Antimony frowned, trying to stifle a niggling suspicion; it wouldn't do to make assumptions so frequently. Even if he did seem a bit... "... You do know where we are going, yes?" D'hein went slightly wide-eyed. Was Antimony trying to test him? Then he must do his very best to pass! Taking a moment to ponder, only a moment so that it did not become awkward, "To... the..." Oh, food! "It is a magnificent place!" D'hein declared, spinning to walk forward again and turning them up a flight of stairs, "You will marvel at how humble it can be while still evoking such incredible regality! Quite like myself, actually. Or yourself, now that I think about it!" There was no real way to avoid the heat in her cheeks at that. "I am not... I wouldn't call myself regal in any..." Her ears shook vigorously at the thought. These compliments he seemed to be constantly armed with were really going to be the end of her. The stairs were a bit more difficult than they should have been, perhaps credit to her scant rest of late, but she watched his ears to distract herself. Always mobile, she half-wondered if they were even a part of his head. It would... well, that was a silly thought. "Oh, I would call you regal by most definitions," D'hein said with a laugh, "And I'm an expert on the definitions of that word. Here!" D'hein cut off half-way up the stairs into a relatively thin hallway, dashing into it as though diving for cover. In truth, he almost hadn't noticed it, so acted quickly when he did. The suddenness of his action caught Antimony off-guard and she half-stumbled to keep up with him before realizing he probably wouldn't go running off without her. So she took a moment to catch her balance and her orientation before also turning down the hall he'd dove into, looking up as she did so. The ceiling vaulted high above them, making the narrow hallway seem strangely confining, or perhaps just very far below ground. Either way, it was a bit claustrophobic, and Antimony quickly returned her gaze forward to D'hein. "I'll admit I'm a bit relieved," she said as she followed him. "Food has not been a high priority for... ah! Not that I--I don't intend to rush or... it's not as though I accepted this invitation only to take advantage of you, well, your.. ngh." D'hein paused, staring up at the high vaulted ceiling, where it was eerily consumed by shadows. The eccentricity of the hall was charming to him, like a friend with a dark sense of humor. D'hein dropped his gaze to Antimony, and inclined his head in a tiny faux bow, "Antimony, there's an honor in having one's hospitality take advantage of. If you accepted for only that reason, I would be delighted." And then he was marching happily down the hallway again. "Oh. That's--ah... alright." She followed him in silence for several moments. The strange, sideways flattery kept throwing her off, and she wasn't entirely sure what else to say to such things. She certainly didn't understand where they came from. "Airos," she spoke suddenly, slowing her steps briefly as she pictured her middle daughter before hurrying back alongside him and adding in a quieter tone, "She... looks well." "Oh, she's very well! Charming and beautiful beyond the right of any flower or star," D'hein glanced back at Antimony as he walked, "And if you point it out her face glows red as a sunset. Industrious. If I had half the virtues she did I'd own all of Ul'dah by now." He took another sudden, sideways turn, through an even darker entry than the previous one. This took him not into a hallway, though, but instead into a modest and low-ceiling'ed room. More of a den than a tavern, it had a small number of long, maple tables on a dark clay floor, the walls tiles a deep rust red. The firelight was a soft orange, kept dim and calm. The shadows were deep, but they were warmly so. The handful of patrons, well short of a dozen, spoke in low, amicable tones. They were all people who knew how to speak softly, calmly, and their words carried well in this silent place so far from the roads. Further talk of her daughter - such as that she wouldn't stand for him to hold any designs on her K'airos - stilled in Antimony's throat as they entered this new room, the unexpected shift in decor and mood pausing her steps a moment. There was a certain understated but very clear wealth to the room that left Antimony feeling out of place; she only hoped it didn't show too much in her face. Well, she certainly would not be seeing K'ile or K'luha here, at the very least. "I assume this is... it?" Her hands fidgeted with the sleeves of her borrowed shirt. "It's certainly, ah, cozy." "Pause for a moment," D'hein said, spinning on Antimony and holding up his hands. "Close your eyes and imagine a sunset." "I... what?" She blinked rapidly behind her glasses at his hands, then up as though she could see the sky - which, of course, she could not - and then back to D'hein. "Whatever for...?" Frowning for a moment, D'hein said patiently, "The decor of the place makes no sense unless you play along." Glancing around the room at the other patrons, most of whom seemed content ignoring her and D'hein to her relief, Antimony finally sighed in acquiescence. "Very well. If you insist..." Standing very straight, legs and arms together, Antimony closed her eyes and tried to picture a sunset. At first, she thought of oranges and yellows over broad spans of rolling water, the tones softened by evening mist rolling in, but such a scene didn't seem appropriate for the setting. And she couldn't help... the slow waves became rolling dunes, and the mist pulled back to a clear sky, the sun blazing with a mighty fury low on the horizon. Her chest ached. "Alright, now," D'hein lifted his hands to gesture as he spoke, watching Antimony's features, "Fix the sunset in your mind. The place and time don't matter. But the light, the color, the warmth of the day. And then let the sun set beyond the horizon. Just that instant after the sunset, where everything is blue and purple except the lingering red in the sky. And the scent of the day is still there, the heat of it before the cool comes, and everything is dark and shadowed. Kind shadows that leave beautiful lines on everyone's faces." Her ears tilted at the request, confused at the purpose that remained obscured behind it. "Are you certain this is necessary," she muttered, but did her best to play along. Drawing a deep breath, Antimony watched Azeyma's eye dip and fade, and as she did this, she wondered how many sunsets she had missed with her daughters. She swallowed at the thought and tried to focus on the cooling sand, the cool shadows that were not yet sharpened by moonlight. Letting a truncated sigh slip at Antimony's question, D'hein pushed forward anyway, "Just fix that time and setting in your head. Cool, warm, comfortable, when the light is easiest and the air comfortable, and the shadows make everyone appear deep, mysterious, fascinating." He dropped his hands, "And that's it. Minutes After Sunset. That's what this place is called." She was silent for a moment, eyes still closed, and gave an honest effort to indulge in the feelings D'hein sought to engender. They were tempered, however, by the familiarity of the vision she'd called up, and after a time she sighed, her tail drooping to hang low behind her. "It's quite lovely," she admitted, which was true despite those other things. The small establishment had succeeded in what it had clearly set out to do. "Though I tend to prefer night once it's fully set in and the stars are clearly visible. Better to chart constellations that way." She frowned with her eyes still closed, not sure why she'd volunteered that information. "If we could see the stars from in here, I might agree. Except that nights can be so cold, and I'm a man who prefers to stay warm." He reached out and briefly brushed her shouler with one of his gloved hands, "You can open your eyes now. I'll find us a seat." He turned to the soft lamplight and deep shadows of the place, finding that he had his pick of every seat. He went for one that looked comfortable, near a wall, away from people. She'd never minded the cold, not when she'd had her charcoal and the few, precious sheets of hide she'd managed to beg off the huntresses, bits of worm skin too worn thin or too stiff to be used for other purposes. The weight of the memories D'hein had unknowingly stirred nearly staggered her, and Antimony opened her eyes swiftly at his notice, looking around the room once more to try and dispel them. She followed him to the corner he'd chosen quietly, looked over the low, round table and its rather comfortable looking chairs, and settled into one with no small amount of appreciation. She didn't speak immediately, torn between wanting to bring K'airos up again or venture for something more neutral. Before beginning any conversation, D'hein turned to wave over towards the long, narrow bar that huddled patronless against the wall. He received a nod from the bartender, and then D'hein turned back to Antimony and said, "A place like this doesn't really have a static menu. Their selection is smell and varies greatly, so I usually just forego picking something out and let the kitchen do so for me. Do you have any reservations or allergies?" "Uhm," her brow furrowed at the question, though it was straightforward enough. "I don't... think so, no." Green eyes shifted towards the bar D'hein had made some wordless communication towards, wondering what had been exchanged, and then back to the miqo'te before her. "Do you?" "No," D'hein said. "I don't think so. Do you drink?" Oh, that question. She recalled unhappily those unfortunate two evenings with Captain Lamandu, tried to remember if she'd managed to get a taste of whatever he had ordered for her. The memory of Ulanan growing louder and more overtly scandalizing was more prominent in her mind, however, and she fidgeted a bit before admitting, "I haven't. Though... I'm not sure I'd be averse." "It's more of an after-dinner thing for me," D'hein said, open palms on the table between them, "But different people do so differently. If there's anything that you're in the habit of or that you desire which doesn't rise to the top of my head, please just say so and let me take care of it. I don't want you to hesitate at all." Glancing around the warmly shadowed room, Antimony shook her head slightly, ears shifting at the various levels of conversation. "I'm sure none of my habits are... well, necessary for this kind of place." "All that's necessary is whatever makes one comfortable and relaxed. Case and point." D'hein withdrew his hands as two large glasses of chilled milk were placed on the table, one near him and one near Antimony. "I myself am simple. All I wanted after two months away on business was a cup of milk, so of course that witch of an Elezen pillaged my poor, helpless milk bar while I was gone. Fresh stock is difficult to come by in the desert." "Away? What were you--ah, not that it's... any of my business." She blinked at the glass, watched the condensation settle in a ring on the coaster it had been placed upon. Her tail shook. "I will be quite alright with whatever they have to offer," she ventured to reassure, and certainly this was true. She hadn't eaten much more than a few fruits the past few days; even sun-rotten worm meat would seem appetizing at this point, she was so far beyond being picky. "Alright, then. I'll stop worrying." D'hein said, holding his glass of milk in both hands immediately in front of him and staring at it fondly for number of seconds before indulging in a long, slow sip. "Thank you." Not an entirely appropriate response, but it was the best she could do. She watched D'hein sip from his milk for a moment, then glanced to her own, recalling the last time she'd had milk. Such a disastrous interview... though apparently not too disastrous. Her hands moved grip it, letting the condensation sink into her palms for a moment, before she lifted it to her lips for a small sip. It wasn't food yet, but it was something, and she couldn't resist another, and then a third. D'hein smirked over his own cup of milk to watch Antimony drinking hers. Catching D'hein's look, Antimony stilled and then cleared her throat, flicking her eyes away briefly and setting her glass down. "Ah, excuse me. Overcome with... well." Her ears twitched in discomfort. "I'm glad you like it." D'hein said, setting down his own glass and giving Antimony a full smile, "You'd be surprised some of the looks I get!" His words didn't quite follow, and she furrowed her brow at him. "For... what?" He tilted his head, "For drinking so much milk. People think it's strange, but I'm unsure why. It's good for a person. I'm always telling everyone that they should be sure to drink plenty of milk!" Her ears followed the tilt of his head. "Surely it's not so vital. I lived without it for decades, after all." "It is absolutely vital!" D'hein said, strongly, "That you lived without it is tragic, but it must be an artifact of your cleverness, a testament to mankind's will to live, that you somehow managed to substitute its presence in your diet. Such miraculous alchemy is beyond my comprehension, but where I walk there shall never be need of it. From now on, you will have just as much milk to drink as I've always provided my own family." He punctuated this speech by downing some milk. "That's... very kind of you," Antimony mumbled, looking bewildered by the passion driving his words. Still, it was... She could at least appreciate the sentiment behind it. Her eyes dropped to her glass, and she couldn't help the sad tone to her voice when she said, "As you've done with Aijeen and Airos?" "Precisely," D'hein said, leaning back in his chair and swirling his milk like a glass of wine. "Although D'aijeen is as stubborn about it as anyone and got it in her head that it's bad for K'airos as well." She looked up worriedly at that. "She's got ahold of--" Her words cut off suddenly though, as she finally caught on to something she had perhaps heard numerous times now but had refused to acknowledge. "... She truly changed her name?" She said a bit quieter and then looked down. "She hates me that much." "Eeeh," D'hein sat his milk down and thrummed his fingertips against the glass, creating a rhythmic plunking sound and rippling the surface fo the cream. "She became a Dodo so she could abuse our resources. She did keep her given name, which I think counts for more. And I would say that she does not have any straightforward emotions about anything, so..." He bit down on his cheek to silence himself. "Her words in that corpse yard were very straightforward," Antimony muttered lowly, ears laying back. She couldn't help that despair, that there was nothing she could do to change her youngest daughter's mind. She'd tried for years. She'd done everything she could to protect her, and in the end it had meant nothing. And that she now threatened to take K'airos from her... "Please," she spoke suddenly, giving D'hein and earnest look, "Tell me how they've lived. What you've... done." The Dodo watched Antimony's features, and couldn't help but to let his own emotions be moved downward by them. Her frown deepened his own. The softness of her eyes took the edge of happiness from his own. But he watched her stubbornly, even as a server arrived to decorate their table with a number of fresh dishes: breads, vegetables, a medley of dark meats from desert animals. Giving neither the food nor the server a moment's consideration, he said, "Your daughters are doing well. I think you would be proud of them. Both of them." "I want to believe you," she ducked her head, eyes dropping to the food placed before them and finding her appetite gone despite the emptiness in her gut. "But Aijeen, I don't... know her. I'm not sure she'll ever... allow me to." And there it was. She'd thought enough time had passed that perhaps it had grown dull, or at least distant like the grief for other lost family, but that emptiness she'd felt when she'd awoken one morning to find her youngest daughter gone, lost to the dunes... She turned her head away sharply, blinked hard. "I'm sorry," she choked out. "This isn't... the best time for these kinds of words, I don't think. You shouldn't have to--that is, I shouldn't be... ah, I will try to just enjoy the food." "Here," D'hein spoke with a patient smile, setting a piece of meat on a plate, placing some vegetables with it. "See if you can tell me by taste what is what. And how good a job the culinarian did." He pushed the plate towards Antimony. Pulling in a few, unsteady breaths, Antimony turned back to the table and tried to focus on D'hein's words, the varied smells of food. "Ah, I'm... not nearly so skilled as to presume to judge an esteemed culinarian," she mumbled but took up the utensils by the plate anyway. Something familiar settled in the scents wafting up from the plate, something she recognized almost immediately, "Sun drake." This quiet announcement was followed with a small bite, and sure enough, that's what it was. Some of the flavor was different, heftier than she was used to, likely because most meat she'd ever eaten had first been dried and cured. Unmistakable, however. Antimony frowned; it seemed the past was not about to let her go. "Ah, I do love Sun Drake," D'hein said, taking a plate and snagging some of the meat for himself. "Something about eating a predator is just so... Does justice have a taste? If it did, it would be Sun Drake." Momentarily distracted from her previous nadir or emotion by D'hein's challenge and unusual comment, Antimony found herself struck by an almost desperate urge to... well, to eat. For this reason, her only response was a slight nod as she continued with bites of the seared drake flesh. The culinarian who had prepared it had dusted it with a crust of seasonings that sharpened the gamey taste of the meat. "I'll admit, I'd not realized it could be quite so... well, not stringy," she admitted after a moment, before going back to finally (finally!) filling her stomach. "An Ul'dahn culinarian can shock you with their ability change the shape and form of a thing. They have to. Not as much to work with as in Limsa Lominsa. Well," he rolled his eyes while absently piling random vegetables on his plate, "Unless they want to import, but usually that is restricted to Syndicate kitchens." Noticing his partaking of vegetables drew Antimony's attention to those on her own plate she had been erstwhile neglecting. It was strange what hunger could do to one, for suddenly those vegetables - green, stalky things and others that looked like roots of some kind - seemed the most delectable items she'd ever laid eyes upon. She only barely restrained herself from all but diving into them. Her tail twitched at the very end as she ate, flicking against the side of her chair in a rapid rhythm. Still having not begun on his own food, D'hein set his prepared plate in front of himself and once again enjoyed watching Antimony for a moment. "Don't eat too fast or you'll make yourself sick," he cautioned, "And remember to drink your milk," he hefted his own glass in illustration. A flinch knocked her fork against the edge of the plate, the sound uncomfortably loud to Antimony compared to the hushed tones of the rest of the dining area. She almost looked around, half expecting the other patrons to be staring agog at her mad rush to consume the food placed in front of her, but her own chagrin kept her frozen staring forward and down. Very deliberately, she slowed her pace and stammered, "Very sorry, I--well, it's just that I haven't had... I mean, there was the apple Megiddo gave me... and that pear of Airos's, and--well, Miss Aeriyn's apple as well and... that's.. mmm--" She trailed off, ducking her head slightly to chew on a bite of root vegetable. "There's nothing to apologize for. Unless you make yourself sick, in which case I'll make you apologize for ignoring my warnings." The Dodo pulled his plate over and began to push his vegetables around in the juices from his meat. Without looking, he took a serving of sauce and poured it over the mix as well, fairly ruining the artful presentation of the food he'd been given. Some of the edge had been taken off her hunger by then anyway, so Antimony found it easier to keep her eating at a slower pace; however, this also resulted in more periods of awkward - at least to her - silence where she neither ate nor spoke. Her knee bounced anxiously under the table until she set one hand one it to still the limb, but then her tail picked up the slack, flicking back and forth along the side of the chair. In this silence, more nagging thoughts presented themselves, and against her better judgment, she ventured another question regarding her daughters: "Ahm," she coughed to clear her throat and then continued, "Aijeen, has she... She was never very satisfied with my... well, has she continued, ah, studying? Under your care?" The last few words were difficult to say, acknowledging D'hein's role in her daughter's life, but she thought she managed them without too much dubiousness or jealousy. She hoped so, at least. "Maybe?" D'hein said, taking a moment to chewy on a stringy, tough vegetable as he thought, green eyes cast towards some candles a few tables away. After he swallowed, he said, "Under my care, not so much. I paid for her to study Conjury in Gridania for a couple of years, and after she decided she was done with that, Thaumaturgy here in Ul'dah. I think she's studying Alchemy now?" Green eyes widened slightly at the mention of thaumaturgy, recalling the Ul'dahn guild's proximity to the Ossuary as well as K'aijeen's proximity to the death all over Drybone. The thought left her feeling ill and she set down her fork carefully. A memory tugged at one corner of her mind, of an incomprehensible beast of bone and sinew and... "Vultures," she mumbled faintly and then shook herself while her hands shook in turn. "Does she... do you know if she sti--ah, if she studies the... dead?" Pausing as he cut through a piece of meat, and then giving it a distasteful look as though it had transformed into something ugly, D'hein frowned up at Antimony and said, "That's an odd way to say it. If you mean Thaumaturgy, there's more to it than simply death, and I don't think she is still studying it." "No," Antimony shook her head slightly, ears shivering before setting back against her head. Her tone dropped, "I mean the dead." "... Like, history?" The creases around her eyes deepened with an anxious, worried look. "No. The... dea—corpses. She used to..." "I don't know anything about that," D'hein said, rather quickly, and forced himself to return to cutting the piece of meat on his plate. "Conjury and Thaumaturgy each deal with death in their own ways and times, but as far as I can tell, that's the extent of it. And I'm told she helps in Drybone sometimes, but Thaumaturgy has its uses there and they do need lots of help." Her meal had become utterly unappetizing somehow, and she blinked down at his with a heavy look. "Before she--" Antimony winced, forced herself to pick up her fork and knife, but she couldn't manage to do anything with the utensils. "--left, she would... take them apart. Bodies. Of... hunted prey. I thought it was just, ah, harmless curiosity at first but..." Antimony swallowed dryly. "I..." D'hein began, his voice falling away as he stared at Antimony, struggling for words, "I am not aware of such a hobby myself. There are so many good things that D'aijeen does. Should we not discuss those? She takes excellent care of K'airos, for instance." Her hands tightened about her fork and knife, her features following suit. "It--it's just that I worry... if she still... the night before she--left, she summoned a /beast/, a demon!" Antimony flinched then, ducking her head as her voice lifted and cracked, chancing a nervous look to one side, but she couldn't tell if she'd drawn attention from any other patrons. "If she's putting K'airos in danger, or herself," she managed after a moment, quieter, in fact barely above a whisper. "I... worry." His hands motionless around his silverware, D'hein delayed a great while with his eyes fixed on Antimony, before finally saying, "I've seen no indication of that she's putting anyone in danger. She's a bit argumentative, sure, but that's... all. Pretty much." The set of her mouth and brow spoke of how little his words did to convince her that her daughter had turned away from the dark practices she'd glimpsed that horrible night. She wanted to press him further; if he were truly taking care of her, surely he'd have spent enough time around her to notice? She couldn't fathom K'aijeen ceasing action on the very thing that had caused her to leave the tribe in the first place. Unless... it had been something else that had driven her away. Someone else Antimony's ears drooped low to the sides of her head, and she forced a bite of the drake steak though it now tasted like little more than parchment to her distracted mind. "If you... are certain," she finally said and then fell into a sad, brooding silence. "I think you should ask K'airos about that," D'hein said, taking a vegetable, a piece of meat, another vegetable on his fork. "If anybody knows D'aijeen better than anyone else, it's her. They've been firmly attached to one another ever since D'aijeen brought K'airos to us." Antimony sighed, "I am not surprised. They... were always close." She glanced away again, then toward D'hein but found she couldn't quite look him in the eyes. Instead she settled for the collar of his shirt, a neutral point. Her tail twitched and she muttered a bit despairingly, "I am sorry. I must be horrible at dinner conversation." "That just means you need practice!" D'hein proclaimed, finding a happy tone again. He let his head lean down to try and catch her eyes with his own, "Or lessons. One thing I am greatly skilled at teaching is etiquette and conversation! I'm sure you'd take to lessons with an exceptional talent. You do seem talented at all things." "What? That--ah, that isn't--" The compliment caught her off guard - yet again, he seemed to be making a pattern of it and she still couldn't catch on, apparently. She stammered for a moment, flicking her eyes up to his and then down to one side. "Lessons. It's--it's not as though I'm some un--uncivilized savage!" Perhaps not an entirely fair retort, considering the spirit in which the offer had been made, but his words recalled the difficulty she'd had blending with Limsa Lominsa's society in those first few years following the nightmare of the Calamity. Antimony felt a heat in her face. "No, Antimony," D'hein gesture to himself, "I am the savage, for if I were a more honest and smooth man, better trusted and reputed, I could have reunited you with your daughters with so little effort. And Ul'dah is uncivilized, or else we would not wish to hide from it in such a place as this." "Well." She wanted to cross her arms, but she still held her utensils and her hands seemed unwilling to release them. Instead her lips pursed and she leaned slightly back from the table, actions meant to buoy herself in the face of uncomfortable embarrassment. "You certainly could have--if you hadn't been so... invasive about it!" Ears swiveling, Antimony furrowed her brow and pulled her tail close to one leg. "Precisely. I was such a beast about it. An accident!" D'hein gestured with his fork, "An accident caused by a lack of information, but also a lack of respect for your incredible delicateness. Both genius and incredible beauties are reputed for demanding cautious interaction and a gentle touch. I should have shown much greater care for you, who are both those things, and a mother besides." Bowing his head, D'hein said mournfully, "Rare was she, like the shadow cast in a lonely heart by a lovely song, and my words so hastily spoken. IN my eagerness to place the rose in her hair, I left the thorns upon its stem, and she bled so tragically! Forgiveness for such a thing is a flower as well," he lifted his face again, "Perhaps one I can never grow." Silence greeted D'hein's words for an elongated minute. She felt as though he'd spun her round and then set her loose to wander dizzily through the restaurant, though she remained seated at the table. After a time, she opened her mouth to try for a reply, but found nothing that could suit the nature of his declaration. Incredible delicateness? A rose? What in all of Eorzea was he intending with such words? That wasn't to say she couldn't glean his meaning, but his manner of speech... well. It certainly made the only reply she could come up with feel all too inadequate, "It is... alright." She sighed slightly, glanced towards him. "As I said to Airos, I'm... just happy to have her back." Stabbing a leafy vegetable dripping in some kind of brown juice, D'hein said, "Forgiveness is a sweet-smelling flower. So sad that it bloom only in misunderstanding, but it is so brilliant as to chase away all lingering unpleasantness." "Ah, that isn't... I'm sorry?" She felt as though she'd missed something, though she was also reasonably certain she'd understood his flowery language. Did all Ul'dahns speak in this way? No, she'd heard plenty by now during her stay. This seemed rather uniquely D'hein, for whatever it was worth. She found her fingers fidgeting with her fork then as she sought for something to change the subject to. "No reason to continue apologizing," D'hein said, seeming to remember he had food to eat and returning to it. Had she been apologizing? Antimony really couldn't be sure anymore. Instead, she welcomed his distraction with food as an opportunity to try and re-center herself - and perhaps find her appetite again. She did not volunteer another topic of conversation; the last few times she had, it had not exactly turned out well. After eating for a bit -- something he hadn't actually gotten around to doing yet -- D'hein paused and ventured, "Iiiiiincidentally, I haven't seen Ulanan around you. Has she finally gone off and began some grand adventure of her own?" Guilt chased her thoughts at the mention of her lalafell friend. "No, I don't--well, that is, the last time I saw her was--I'd left for.. ah..." She sighed after a moment and then just shrugged, looking regretful. "I don't know. I asked her to, ah, check in on someone but after that..." "Ah, well. I should like to talk to her. Oh, I have a question," D'hein leaned forward and smiled like a mischievous voidsent, "How did you eventually 'stumble' across K'airos, anyway?" "I didn't stumble!" Antimony protested automatically and then flushed, ducking her head for a second before adding in a calmer, if reluctant tone, "Ulanan had, ah, arranged an escort. To... well, it doesn't matter where." "So it was Ulanan's doing after all," D'hein leaned back, nodding to himself, "So I had guess. My plan would have had you discovering K'airos much sooner, but obviously it ran afoul. I'm glad Ulanan decided to help it along." "Yes, yes, and I wish you two hadn't conspired so...!" She let out a rough breath through her nose, closed her eyes, and then after a moment in a calmer tone that seemed to shrink as her words went on, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that... up... again." D'hein held one hand up and across the table, fingers poised as if holding a slender object and offering it to Antimony, "Do you want that flower of forgiveness back?" Antimony frowned sharply, but the expression was tempered by the chagrined set of her ears. "I wouldn't take back something like that." "That statement is just as good as a renewed apology," D'hein said, placing the imaginary flower upon his breast and fixing it there with some kind of invisible pin. "Thank you. I think its color goes quite well with the rest of my outfit." She couldn't tell if she were being made a fool or if his elaborate phrases were genuine. The possibility of the former kept an uncomfortable warmth to her face and an anxious twitter in her tail. Once again there didn't seem to be anything worthy of use in a retort - none that she could think of, at any rate. Antimony, the uncivilized savage, it seemed. Poking at what remained of her meal, Antimony chose silence again. Returning to his meal again, he said, "Make sure you drink your milk! Perhaps if you set an example K'airos will take after it." "She isn't here to observe the example," Antimony pointed out, then winced and took the glass in hand as though in apology. "True, but habits do rub off in the long-term. Or so I've observed." "Only if the other is truly receptive to the habits," Antimony found herself bemoaning rather pathetically. "How many times I tried to get Aijeen to... ah." She fell suddenly quiet and averted her eyes once more. Could she not go ten minutes without bumbling back onto that cursed topic? "I understand your reluctance to discuss Aijeen," D'hein stated, somberly, "It seems there is some great regret between the two of you. And have no doubt that it is mutual; I've observed that much at least." Perhaps regret was one way to describe it, yes, though... "I'm not certain what I would regret," she replied lowly. "I... tried everything I could to reach her. But every time, I'm the--the crone. The stupid one." She let out a faint sigh. "Holding her back. From summoning demons? I--I don't understand it." "I'm not sure she thinks through hurtful things before she says them." "She thought them through plenty, if their frequency was anything to judge by," she replied morosely. "I don't believe it is," D'hein answered, his grin a static thing, his tone serious. "It's not something we can see more than one angle on -- she makes sure if that -- but there is more than one angle on it. There is with everything." "Mm," was all the response Antimony could muster to that. She dropped her gaze to her plate - food mostly consumed by now - and tried to think of happier promises K'airos had given her. "I envy K'airos the adoration she receives from Aijeen. As long as that remains strong, though, I'm sure the girls will do fine." "And--if Aijeen sees fit to--to take her from me? She's already tried...!" Pushing his plate aside and poking at some food on one of the serving platters, D'hein states, "K'airos provides for Aijeen more than I do these days. I doubt Aijeen could force K'airos to go anywhere she didn't want to. And besides, K'airos is a Brass Blade. That job comes with responsibility. She really /can't/ go anywhere." Antimony wavered for several moments between further despair and acceptance she very much wanted. Finally with a sigh, her posture opened up just slightly. "You... are right. She--I must believe she's far too responsible to do anything... anything rash like... that." Smiling a bit wider, D'hein says, "K'airos makes a good city Miqo'te. She keeps track of her money and sets goals." She looked up to D'hein at that, one side of her mouth shifting in a very faint smile. "I'm--I'm glad. I'm sure it was... well, it's not all that different from... ah. She gives me hope." "I'm sure she'll give you more the more you talk to her. She's very good for that. She may even give you hope for Aijeen, if you ask her for it." She had to wonder at that, and guiltily she recalled a conversation under a tree in a Thanalan downpour with an old Duskwight. But no, she couldn't give up on her daughters so quickly. "Perhaps. We'll see." "That's the most optimistic I've heard you all night!" D'hein said, leaning forward on his elbows, "Are you the type to partake of dessert? You'd be surprised the cornucopia of baked sweets that one can prepare with access to good milk. And most of it goes well /with/ milk as well!" One of his ears bounced. The other turned about. "I..." She watched the uneven turning of his ears and then his face before letting out a small breath. "I think I'm getting rather tired, truth be told." "That's probably because you ate so much," D'hein said. "If you leave now you'll be wide awake by the time you get back to your room. A bit of a dessert will leave you ready for sleep!" How could one protest that? Probably easily, but Antimony couldn't bring herself to regardless. Instead she just nodded once. "... Alright. I suppose it can't hurt to learn what, ah, might be in that cornucopia." "Excellent!" D'hein said, one ear rotating to broadcast the turn of his head which came a moment later, point his gaze to the bar. His other ear never quite caught up. His tail swung around beneath the table, whacking the legs loudly, and probably whacking Antimony's legs as well. "We'll just see what they have baked up today." He waved. Antimony ignored the wayward whacking of his tail for the moment and did her best, once more, to stay in the present. A good desert might indeed help.

Carrying a square parcel as wide as his waist and a dubiously contented smile, D'hein trod through the Quicksand with his tail swinging back and forth. He wacked several patrons right in the face, earning a number of confused glances which he returned with a wink and a flash of a brilliant smile. All in all he had winked almost two dozen times by the time he left the tavern for the inn, and his eye felt weird. The innkeeper remarked, "Whatcha got in the box?" "It's a gift," D'hein answered as he walked over, his voice excited, "Or is it a key? A great, sparkling key that will open a beautiful heart to me? It's a wonderful yet simple token, which all the best are, and a genius pur-" "Stop," the man said. "With that stupid smirk you got I just wanted to make sure it wasn't, like, somebody's head or something." "Ah, no." "Kay, then." "Which room is Antimony's?" "I'unno." D'hein stared at the man, patiently. After almost an entire minute, the innkeeper rolled his eyes and checked his book. "Uhm. Room seven." "Thank you, good man! I'll tip you on the way out!" He turned and trotted happily down the hallway. "My shift ends in five minutes!" D'hein was already too far gone, either down the hall or into the deep labyrinth of his own mind, to hear the innkeep. He counted down seven doors and turned to knock, finding himself at door ten and deciding he had miscounted. So he went back three doors and found himself at soor five, then forward two doors and found himself at door eleven. With a frustrated huff he turned and walked back to door two, and then began to look more carefully at the doors as he counted up. Finally at door seven, he turned, smiled, and lifted his hand to knock. He realized too late that the lifted hand had been a load-bearing hand, and the package he was carrying toppled from his grip to the floor and thudded against his foot. A lingering chill shot up his leg from his toes as he re-gathered the box. He leaned forward and knocked three times with his forehead. *** For a long while after K'airos had gone, Antimony had remained in the middle of the inn room, staring at the door as though her daughter, so strangely, so impossibly wonderfully back from the dead, would reappear. Though K'airos had left with a promise to return - either later that night or tomorrow - Antimony couldn't help the fear that either this was all a dream and the mirage she had crafted from her own grief would never return, or it wasn't a dream but her other daughter, the one who struck fear into her heart, had learned of she and K'airos's continued interactions. K'aijeen could take her beautiful K'airos away. The thought brought a deep ache to her chest and a burning to her eyes as she recalled the vicious words her youngest had flung at her. She nearly crumpled to the floor then and there, but instead only swayed unsteadily, overcome by dizziness she only half-realized was not entirely due to her worry. K'airos had suggested she clean up and feed herself. The former she might be able to manage, but the latter... it would require venturing out into the Quicksand, and such a prospect frightened Antimony more than she cared to admit. Not only could K'aijeen be wandering the inn halls or the scattered tables of the tavern, but other family... K'ile... The faint, fuzzy feeling in her extremities returned, and Antimony managed to stagger towards the bed before she collapsed. Once down, she found her body unwilling to get up and her mind unwilling to release itself from its worry and fear, so she remained there for an unknown length of time. ... At some point, the endless wait for the return of her daughter was broken by an unusual sound Antimony did not initially place. A banging? Was the Quicksand undergoing construction...? Realization energized her limbs, and she shot to her feet, nearly fell at the wobbliness of her limbs, and then hurried towards the door. A moment later she'd flung it open with the relieved exclamation of, "K'airos! You're back!" and thoughtlessly flung her arms about the one waiting just outside. The box was pressed uncomfortably into D'hein's ribs. He let himself be pushed backwards a bit and stared down in wordless surprise at the woman who had thrown her body against his parcel. His ears swiveling back and forth, wide eyes blinking, he muttered through quirked lips, "Ah. Incorrect." At the very non-K'airos voice near her ear, Antimony stiffened and then, a moment later, completely recoiled, her tail fuzzing out and ears laying back in both shock and embarrassment. "I didn't--that is, I meant--I'm sorry I--aah! D'hein!" Swaying on her feet briefly, Antimony caught herself on the doorframe, looked about anxiously, and then managed a squawked, "What are you doing here? How did--how are you here!" Then, a sudden fear, "K'airos! Is she alright? Did she get hurt? Did Aijeen find out? She's gone isn't she? My baby girl, she--she's gone!" D'hein let one ear fall against his skull, the other quirking forward in confusion. His brow dropped and he said, "I asked the innkeeper which room you were in and he told me. I haven't seen K'airos, but I wouldn't worry about her. She's not one to just up and run off on people. She's a good girl." For a long moment, Antimony blinked at D'hein, a frazzled expression on her face. Then she sagged, though the expression remained, and averted her gaze from the man. "Ah. I... yes, of course." Her hands worried themselves unconsciously at her waist. "If... if you'll excuse me, I should return to my... room." And she turned as though to do just that. Watching the woman with a bemused expression, D'hein did nothing to stop her. He said, "That's alright, but I brought this parcel for you. And I would hope you have time to share a meal with me, or even a drink, as friends. Now that you know I was being truthful with you when I said I knew K'airos and D'aijeen, I would hope that you don't hate me so much." Antimony stilled mid-step when D'hein spoke, her ears drooping out to either side of her head. Her tail, which had smoothed down considerably since moments before, curled limply behind her, and when she spoke her voice shook, "You have... no idea how much I've... I have wanted this with every fiber of my body since the moment I..." She swallowed, drew in a breath that came with painful difficulty. "I owe you perhaps more than just a meal and a drink. For this." D'hein balked, "Well I'm sure we can-" he shook his head, "I mean! That you don't owe me anything. I did this for K'airos as much as for you. Parents and children should have every oppourtunity to be together." Her brow creased, watery green eyes casting about the inn room as though searching for an answer. There was one child, however, who seemed bent on ensuring none of them were together, and it broke her heart. "Aijeen... I don't know what.. what I've done..." Her tail shivered and she shook her head before half turning back to D'hein and giving him an anxious look. "If I venture outside this room, she could.. Aijeen might... If she knows I'm here, I could lose my girls forever. Again!" "Aijeen's with D'ahl in the commune today, so I doubt she'll go out of her way to slum around the Quicksand." D'hein hefts the box in his hands, "Can I put this down somewhere? It's for you." Several seconds passed where Antimony blinked at the box as though only just realizing its presence. Then she processed D'hein's words and jumped slightly. "Ah! Oh. Well.. what? For me?" A bewildered look crossed her face and her ears shifted about in confusion. Why on earth would this troublesome tia bring her a... "I... suppose anywhere would do? There's a table or.. a bed. Or the floor. Or... a sink? No, that wouldn't... I mean, yes! Yes, you may put it.. down." "Thank you," D'hein proceeded into the room, setting the box on the nearby table. "Anyway, I'll have a talk with Aijeen and figure out what her problem is. Hopefully she's just jealous that K'airos is doting on you." Antimony's ears shook as she turned in place to follow D'hein's movements. "You... you didn't hear what she said when... She commanded Airos to not acknowledge me as her mother!" Her voice broke on those words, her features crumpling. "The words she spoke to me - they were not new, but they still.." "She's always been willful. You should hear how she talks to me!" D'hein said, smiling and turning to face Antimony with one hand on the box. His smile wavers after a moment of thought, "Actually, no. Such terrible words should enver be heard. And yet I'm sure I'll hear them again." "That she would choose you over her own...!" Antimony fell silent then and turned away, half-ashamed of her own words but hurt nonetheless. "Apologies. I... don't know what else I can do anymore." With a sigh, "If you look for the bad in things, you're going to find it every time." He clicked his knuckles on the box, and then said, "You've missed a few years. I can fill you in or K'airos can. Whatever the case, I wanted to ask you to go back to work on the investigation once you've had a few days to find your feet again." Blinking rapidly, Antimony twisted her head around to look at D'hein. "What?" The concept of it loomed menacingly overhead, and she fought a wave of dizziness. "I can't possibly... Airos needs--but I quit.. I mean, was fired.. or... Miss Carceri would certainly not approve...!" Shaking his head, D'hein said, "So what if she doesn't approve? The investigation needs to happen and you're the only skilled assessor I have in place." "You don't have me in place if I'm not... all of my clearance--my... my paperwork! The files and..." She looked left and right uselessly. "I-I must be here for Airos!" "K'airos lives and works in Thanalan. If you're going to live around here, don't you have to work around here, too?" "Live...?" The question caught her off guard in an uncomfortable reality kind of way. She had been so wrapped up, first in her desperate breakdown of escaping from the past, and then in holding on to the daughter she'd thought long lost, that Antimony had all but forgotten... well, her life. The realization struck her hard. "Ah... my... in Limsa and... oh no, has the next moon passed already..? My rent and--" She swayed and kind of half-stumbled over to the bed, where she sat down heavily on the edge. "I can't leave Airos." "I'm sure you'll be just fine whatever you decide," D'hein said, the words giving a passive once-over to every half-spoken concern that Antimony had attempted to speak. "Like I said, you should take a few days to get back on your feet. Discuss things with K'airos, maybe. You've audited the accounts of entire companies, so taking stock of your own situation should be no problem at all. From my outsider perspective, it looks like you have everything you need, now. And as for luxuries," he rapped his knuckles against the box again, "That's where I can help." Looking up from where she'd briefly dropped her face to her hands, Antimony watched D'hein with a vaguely worried look - this time not just for herself or K'airos, but for what the tia might have hidden in that box. "What do you... mean by that?" she asked warily, green eyes shifting to the box, the faint creases at the corners of her eyes deepening in confusion. Mistaking Antimony's confusion for suspicion, perhaps catching on her worry a bit, D'hein leans back a measure and looks at the woman sideways. "It's just some basic gear. Simple clothes and first-aid supplies and canteens and other assorted items of comfort that don't come with hotel rooms. I noted your dilapidated appearance earlier and we keep packages like this at the commune for whenw e travel. Do you find it an inappropriate offering?" "What, ah--no!" She lifted her hands in consolation and cringed at the implication of offense. "No, that's not... I'm sorry, I shouldn't assume any ill--ah! Forget I said..." Her tail twitched a bit wildly against the bed and she closed her eyes to draw in a deep breath. "Thank you," she sighed out, and pressed her hands down along her current dress, suddenly much more self-conscious of its muddied, ruined state. "You didn't need... you shouldn't have felt obligated to do anything for me. Aah, but I.. do appreciate it." "Don't feel like you've imposed. It was as simple as carrying it here from there." He lifted a hand to knock aside all of Antimony's disparaging sentiments. "Now, I must impress one issue a bit further: I am in a deep, compromising need of an assessor to finish the work that was started. I have all the paperwork -- assuming Illira hasn't hidden it from me -- so you can start up where you left off as soon as you're feeling able. I think it would be a prudent course of action, especially considering your daughters." The frown she leveled D'hein with then was significantly more concerned at his last words, almost painfully so. "My daughters? Are you saying--are they involved in that... mess??" "Oh! Not... not precisely." He pulled his tone back significantly, holding up his hands in a sort of halting motion to allow himself to start over. "What I mean is all of Ul'dahn society is in a state of disrepair. K'airos is a Brass Blade and D'aijeen is..." He tried to contruct an explanation of D'aijeen's status that would not in some way upset Antimony, and when he failed, he went on, "So far I think I've been able to steer them away from trouble, but Ul'dah is rife with troubles, and I'm only one man." "They are involved!" Antimony, true to form, took D'hein's words and assumed the worst. She pictured her girls huddled in dark alleys, amidst darker men with leering faces, either accepting or giving money in return for actions she just couldn't-- "Oh no! I must--" She lurched to her feet suddenly. "I will stop this! I'll resolve the investigation immediately!" D'hein's expression dropped into a frown, "Your daughters are not involved. I won't have you moving forward under some false pretense of emergency. And I'm certainly not letting you lift a finger to work on the investigation for at least a few days." Either due to D'hein's words or the very sudden, dizzying rush of blood to her head that took the strength from her legs, Antimony dropped back to the bed with a thump. "Oh," she uttered faintly. "Al..right. If you are certain." "I am. I've been keeping in an eye on your daughters as though they were my own." He smiled, thumped his knuckle on the box, and said, "Now take some time, rest, clean up, help yourself to the new clothes and some comfort. You'll feel better. Then we'll do dinner, alright? K'airos can come, too, if she's back by then." Antimony's ears drooped at something in his words, perhaps the reminder of years she'd lost, of years he had had with her daughters, years that had been taken from her, even though they had been, unknowingly, so near. She pursed her lips and nodded. "I'm unsure if Airos will return tonight. She... well, I asked for her help with... other things." D'hein shrugged, leaning a bit more on the box, "We'll just play it by ear. I'm alright with that. I'm not expecting Aijeen to leave the commune until tomorrow, so there's nothing to worry about there." Antimony just nodded, going quiet on the edge of the bed. She wove her fingers together in her lap. The blond dodo just smiled statically, watching Antimony in silence. Antimony continued to not do anything particularly interesting other than just sit there. After a few moments, she looked up and blinked a bit in weary confusion at him. "Ah... yes?" "Yes what?" D'hein said, then looked around, ears swiveling. "Oh. Oh, yes! As in, yes. In that case, I'll leave you to your comfort and return in one h-... two hours?" He pushed himself off the box and shuffled towards the door. He pointed to the parcel and said, "Make sure you open it. It has some very nice soaps and such!" She glanced to the package, then at D'hein as he moved to exit. Her breath caught in her throat suddenly and she kind of choked on words a moment before clearing her throat and managing, "Thank you." Beaming briefly, D'hein waved high over his head, "See you soon!" and then spun out the door, whacking his hand on the doorframe with a painful crack but seemingly not noticing. He closes the door behind him. Antimony winced at the sound and then just settled back into the silence of the room.

I don't really do "journals", but I do post up pretty much all roleplay that I do, unless it's some super casual pointless tavern stuff, but even then I might end up posting it if the content turned out to be significant enough. I see posting up my rp as basically writing a story and the content of the posts is meant for 1) later reference by those involved and 2) entertainment by anyone who might be interested in following the story, just as they might read a book. I doubt many people actually do the latter, but... hey. ^^; I don't really worry much at all about meta-gaming. If I see it happen, I call it out and try to correct for it.

Well, I have what I want it to be. But considering Squee's track record on implementing game systems in a way that at best feels half-assed and at worst is plagued by arbitrary restrictions that drain most of the fun out of it... Yeah, I don't have much hope. x.x

((RP from in-game! Shortly after Anti arrives in Ul'dah.)) *** Beneath an open, star dusted sky, Illira Carceri made her way back to the Quicksand for the night, her gaze shifting around almost constantly. A short distance forward along her path, Antimony bounced one knee as she sat on the bench outside the Quicksand, body poised as though any slight movement might make her flee. Her ears swiveled about as though searching for something, and every so often she snuck a glance towards the Quicksand's door, hastily. She still wore the same clothing she left Ul'dah in, but it was heavily stained with dirt. The rest of her was mostly clean at least, if a little dusty. Eventually Illira’s eyes settled on the familiar, if not entirely unwelcome figure. The lanky elezen took in a deep sigh before purposely walking towards the elder Miqo'te. The unsuspecting woman wiped at her skirt in a nervous, habitual gesture and continued generally just kind of vibrating in place, clearly uncomfortable but also very set in remaining. Illira quietly walked up to the woman, taking in her filthy garments, "Hello Antimony, strange to see you hear now." Antimony nearly jumped out of the bench, her tail puffing out to a comical width before it curled tightly against one thigh. Her ears did the searching first, but her eyes soon followed, darting left, right, left, and then right once more to settle on Illira. Her lips worked silently for a moment, but only a faint squeak escaped her throat. Illira gestured at the bench, "Mind if I sit with you for a moment?" The older woman swallowed, grey ears pressing back against her skull. She shifted an anxious look towards the Quicksand once more, and then just nodded. Illira forced out a slight smile, "Thank you." She proceeded to sit down on the bench, close to, but not within smothering distance of Antimony. Antimony winced, ducking her gaze to her knees where her knuckles shook and pressed together. "Mi...iss Carceri," she finally managed warily, voice wrought with tension. "I'd not thought I'd... ah." Illira spoke quietly, "And yet you're back. From your state of being, I'm guessing that running did not work so well for you?" She folded her hands neatly into her lap, her lips pursed as she looked down on Antimony. The elder miqo’te wove her own fingers together, then lay them flat against her knees, then worked them into the cloth of her dirt-stained robe. "Ah. Yes. I mean--no--I mean... that..." She trailed off, gaze wandering back towards the Quicksand's door before darting away almost immediately once more. "I am sorry." Illira shook her head slightly, "Are you really? It is in my experience that most apologies are simply to ease one own conscience and social appearance." It was at this moment that a young, red-haired woman in a loose-fitting red shirt and dark grey bandana bee-lined towards Antimony just by smell alone. All those years being a tribal huntress served her for something more than finding somnus hideouts and very nice perfumes. "Hi!" she yelled, once she was two steps away from Illira. She smiled, oblivious of any conversation she might have been interrupting. Antimony had opened her mouth to reply - though it was entirely possible she wouldn't have managed anything. She was saved the effort by K'airos's entrance however, and the relief that flooded her face upon the sight of her daughter overcame all other thought. "Airos!" She leapt to her feet and rushed to crush the young woman to her. K'airos was successfully crushed! Illira's eyebrows snapped together in confusion as Antimony's demeanor took a dramatic and sudden turn. Unsure of what situation she was now in the middle of, Illira simply sat still and straight watching the two in front of her. Antimony's shoulders shook as she held K'airos to her, and there was a suspicious wetness to her eyes when she finally leaned back slightly to look the young woman in the face. “You truly made it to... ah, I mean of course you.. I never once doubted...!” K'airos patted the crusher woman's back. She smiled. “Aijeen's visiting her dodo friends, so I thought I'd come see if you had arrived yet!” Antimony's features fell slightly at the mention of Aijeen and then she very suddenly recalled the other woman she'd been... if not conversing with then at least... interacting with on some basis. Her ears shifted back and she eyed Illira uncertainly. “Ah, Miss Carceri... this... this is my..” “If I'm now in the middle of something I can leave, Antimony,” the elezen stated plainly. K'airos avoided the issue by hopping in place once, proclaiming "Oh! You must be Ulan-een!" and rushing to take the Elezen's hand and shaking it vigorously. "Your letter was the reason we found each other!" Antimony blinked rapidly and held out a hand in helpless protest. "Ah, Airos, she... that's not..." Illira let the girl take her hand and do with it as she willed without protest, "I'm not... Ulanan. Sorry." Antimony winced and worried her hands together. "This is my... former... employer," she uttered quietly. K'airos kept shaking the hand while throwing an inquiring glance to her mother and then another one to the Elezen. "Uh? OH!" she hopped back, releasing her. Illira took her hand back, "Its fine. I'm sure Antimony has unfond memories of me and has passed them on. I'm rather immune to it at this point." Antimony's eyes widened and she held up both hands, shaking them in denial. "No, no! No, I would never--I haven't spoken badly of... I have nothing ill to say of you at all!" Illira shook her head, her braids moving with the motion, "I'm not your employer anymore Antimony. Its really fine." K'airos sounded a bit too happy. "You had a job! What was it? Why did you quit? Wait...where you fired?" She then looked at Illira. "Why did you fire her?" Then back to Antimony. "Did they?" “I'll let Antimony answer that as she wishes.” Antimony shut her mouth sharply and glanced towards K'airos before ducking her head briefly in shame. "It's... nothing to worry yourself over, Airos. I am just... I am just glad I was able to find you." “But you could use the money! You can't be in Ul'dah if you don't have a steady income!” K'airos placed both hands together and lowered her head, facing Illira. "Please! I'm sure whatever it was wasn't her fault!" Illira lifted up a long fingered hand, letting its palm face the girl in an almost lazy fashion, "That is a matter between her and I. Antimony made her own decisions." Antimony shook her head, and then when K'airos began to beg Illira, her ears shot up. She reached out to touch K'airos's shoulder. "Do not worry over me! I'm fine. You're... you're alive. That is all that matters. Nothing else!" “But you can't ingest that!” K'airos was clearly not thinking much about what she was saying. Antimony gave K'airos an odd look and then became seemingly overcome with some emotion as she pulled the young woman back to her, into a tight hug once more. "You're alive and... and responsible! My baby girl..." Illira’s brow lifted up at the display of affection, "Well... Isn't this sweet. So everything is fixed now then, Antimony?” K'airos was crushed again. She muttered, "This is embarrassing," though she smiled. Antimony buried her face against K'airos's shoulder for several seconds, but once she finally processed Illira's words, her body language drooped and she pulled back slightly. "Ah, it..." She glanced between the two. "Aijeen..." Conflict twisted her features and then, "I apologize, Miss Carceri. These outbursts are... I simply never thought I would see my girls again.." Illira nodded her head, "Of course. I'm glad your departure worked out for the better for you. I should mention perhaps, that the rest of your... family left the Quicksand some time ago, I believe. I am no longer footing their bill anyway." K'airos looked at Illira. "Wait." She looked mighitly confused. "The rest of the family?" she asked, looking at her mother in an even deeper confusion. D'hein burst out of the QUicksand doors loudly, arms over his head, "Illira! I've found you!" He marched forward, declaring, "You still owe me an in-depth discussion on Antimony's investigation! I won't settle for mere synopsis!" Antimony had been struggling with a response to K'airos when D'hein exploded onto the scene and literally jumped at his voice, then flinched at the words. She seemed to shrink, as though to hide. Illira looked around quickly at the outburst. Spotting the man at the entrance to the quicksand, she closed her eyes taking in a deep breath. She muttered quietly, "You should really slip away now with your daughter Antimony. Before D'hein sees you." Antimony gave K'airos a wide-eyed, harried look, and then her expression changed very suddenly and very dramatically. She spun about, features pulled into a tight frown. “D'hein Tia!” she exclaimed, “You KNEW!” D'hein looked straight up in the air, then behind him, then around, and then back to Antimony, his ears swiveling in various directions. After a moment, he flinched as though startled, "Knew? Knew what? What fresh accusation is this?" K'airos’s reaction to D'heins entrance was to stare at him awkwardly with a half-smile and her tail lifted and curved. At her mother's words, she looked between them. Illira stood and walked towards D'hein, she extended her arm as if to hurry him back into the Quicksand. "Never you mind. Let’s go talk business now, D'hein. Sorry I'm late." Antimony's tail poofed out in some mix of distress and agitation and just confused emotion. In fact, the rest of her body seemed to be attempting to do the same as her tail, bristling as though about to pounce. She leveled a finger at him. "YOU sent me to Ul'dah!" K'airos joined the accusations, though she sounded quite jolly about it, “And you told me you wanted me to help someone called Antimony!” “Yes! You--what? What??” Antimony turned to K'airos and blinks rapidly at her. Her fluffed tail lashed to and fro. Illira sighed deeply, dropping her hand. She quietly said, "Well... I tried." She turned back to face the others, a slight tiredness now over her features. D'hein leveled Illira with a glare, "Do not attempt to dissuade me from important matters by making present previous important matters which you had dissuaded me from with... I forget what I'm saying. Listen, this is good, isn't it? I did a good thing." K'airos lowered her tail and ears. She spoke quickly: "He told me someone was...and that it was a favor...and that I should help...and then this Nanalu person sent some people to look for me, and then Ulaneen wrote that letter for you and..." Antimony redirected her own glare back to D'hein, mouth working and searching for words. "You... You...!" D'hein stepped forward and crossed his arms over his chest, "Yes! I conspired to reunite you with your beloved daughters!" His tone dropped, and he looked to Illira, "The investigation into the Blades is no less legitimate, though, lest you suspect it's an excuse for time off." “I knew it!” K’airos exclaimed. Illira’s brow furrowed, "I know better than you its legitimacy, D'hein." Antimony continued glaring at D'hein for several seconds, her whole body practically quaking. Then just as suddenly as she'd turned on him, she just collapsed with a sob, "My girls... you found..." D'hein returned his gaze to Antimony, ears twitching. "Crying is... happiness? This is one of these extreme female joy expressions, correct?" Reacting to her mother’s sudden swing of emotion, K'airos grabbed her before she hit the ground and made her sit on the bench. She then sat there, too. Illira turned back towards Antimony, then to D'hein briefly, "It can mean many things. Though foremost she is exhausted I believe. It’s all muddied together." Antimony didn’t answer D'hein, instead turning somewhat to wrap her arms about K'airos again. She'd never grow tired of that. “Ah, yes, exhaustion. That's...” D’hein trailed off. K'airos tried to comfort Antimony with random patting. “It's just a very stressful situation! That's all!” “K'airos,” D’hein began, “Why have you let your mother degenerate so? Aren't you and D'aijeen able to take better care of her?” “Ah...it's that...ah...I didn't...she's not...and then...Aijeen doesn't like her!” K’airos stammered. “I came here behind her back.” Antimony lifted her head sharply at D'hein's words and then just as quickly pushed it back against K'airos's shoulder. "Aijeen," she sobbed. Illira frowned deeply at D'hein. "You need to hold your tongue. Lest you make things worse. She needs space, not that you would ever give the woman it." D'hein crossed his arms, and looked down at the ground, turning inward and muttering, "I'd hoped that removing D'ahl for the better part of several months would improve that situation, but I suppose not. How to proceed, I wonder..." “D'hal?” K’airos queried. “Aijeen confused Antimony with her!” Antimony shuddered. "My baby girl," she mumbled into K'airos's shoulder. Illira clenched her jaw, "You shouldn't proceed. You're manipulation of lives will backfire, and I won't always be able to pick up the pieces." D'hein popped up his head, and turned his eyes on Illira, "Manipulation? Why it is the duty of every being with even a fragment of soul to devote themselves to the happiness and well-being of others, especially since D'aijeen is practically my own daughter. I can't have her torturing her mother. And with Airos as a prospective future wife, all the more I should be concerned with their family!" K'airos laughed nervously and her tail just went haywire. "Ah...what?" she managed to say. D'hein canted his head at K'airos, "What?" Antimony shot straight up, "Whaaat!" and spun around towards D'hein, stumbling to her feet. "What did you say about my daughter!" Illira's mouth twitched at that, "Do you no hear yourself, D'hein? Even now all you speak of is how the situation directly affects you. All you know to do is manipulate. I've known you long enough to have learned that. It’s why I rather despise you." D'hein waved Illira off, "Now is not an appropriate time for flirtation," and then to Antimony, he said, "I'm sorry if I've riddled you with jealousy, but don't worry. I'm just keeping a list of the most beautiful people I know, and they're all my potential wives. It's a hobby." Antimony's tail bristled and she stomped right up towards D'hein, making to grab at his collar. "You will not lay a finger on my Airos!" Illira clenched her jaw, watching Antimony take a stand against D'hein. D'hein smirked, "A familiar protest. If only I were as loved as K'airos, but alas! You've nothing to worry about, Antimony. My joking aside, my only designs for K'airos were to get the two of you to meet. Now I'm fresh out of designs!" Illira snorted at that, "Now you’re just lying, D'hein." Antimony clenched her fist about his collar for a moment longer and then released him, stumbling back as though the action had come from a blow. She blinked past lingering tears and then flinched at Illira's words as though she'd only just remembered the woman's presence. "Ah, Miss Carceri... I apologize for..." K'airos stood up and walked towards the location of possibly ensuing motherly violence. She placed on hand on Antimony's shoulder. Antimony's lips pursed at K'airos's touch on her shoulder and then, very suddenly, she lifted one hand and landed a rather solid smack on D'hein's left cheek. "No more subterfuge!" Illira pressed her lips together, "Nothing. That is not a way to live. I did hope to keep D'hein off of your..." She fell silent as Antimony smacked the man in question. D'hein made no initial reaction to the smack. After a moment he looked confused, glancing around as though something had flitted past his face. He then settled his gaze on Antimony and said, "I told you your children were alive. You did not believe me and took incredible offense. My choice was to either employ subterfuge, or to surrender." Antimony's ears flinched back, the slight wrinkles in her face deepening in conflict. “That... that is... not the point! No more of it! I'll have no more of it from you!” “Well...” K'airos tightened her grip on Antimony's shoulder. "Maybe we don't like his methods, but I'm grateful for his conspiration!" She then looked at D'hein and, smiling, added a, "Thank you," along with some heavy blushing and a tail that couldn't curl upwards anymore even if it wanted. D'hein flicked his gaze to Illira, "Despite the opinions of those who seem disproportionately invested in protraying me as a maleficent man," he looked back to K'airos, "Others know me better. I will see what I can do about D'aijeen's behavior. She's my daughter, after all." Illira shook her head once more, "My investment is simply to ensure truth as I can, and protect those who need it D'hein." Antimony's tail lashed. "Aijeen is not your daughter! She... She is my--my..." then she just crumbled, her head dropping to her hands, "... fault." K'airos opened her mouth to say something but her words failed her. She tried again twice before simply stating: "D'hein took care of Aijeen when she first arrived in Ul'dah! Right after she...when she left the tribe." Antimony flinched, the memories K'airos's explanation stirred drawing shadows on her teary-eyed face. "I..." She swallowed and then managed faintly, wavering, "I am... glad she was not lost to the sands." D'hein took a few steps away from Antimony, looking at Illira, "They do need space, you know. You don't need to smother them." Antimony shivered at some thought and turned back to K'airos to pull her close yet again. Illira nodded her head, "I am not disagreeing with that. I was merely passing through and got caught in the middle of this." K'airos was successfully pulled! She was failing all her saving rolls today. She gazed at D'hein and spoke up, "We should talk later about...you know." She paused, and then added with a sudden urgency, "Not about marriage! That's not...it's not even...and it wouldn't....it's about D'hall and my sister!" She hurries the final words as if there was a prize for doing so. D'hein smiled at K'airos, "You don't have to wait for me to propose to you. You could just propose to me." Illira walked towards D'hein, "You're obviously making the girl uncomfortable. Come, let us leave them to their space." She gestured towards the Quicksand. Antimony tightened her grip on K'airos. "Don't--don't you give that man... a tia, Airos! From... another tribe! Don't you dare!" “I'm not! I'm not! I'm just...clarifying that I'm not!” D'hein crossed his arms and muttered, "I don't understand why everyone just assumes I'm a Tia. Maybe I'm a humble Nunh." Antimony turned her head slightly and stated in a firm tone, "A nunh would not wander so." “Hah!” D’hein chuffed. “You and I know different Nunhs.” “Let's...not worry about that now!” K’airos attempted to interrupt. “Were you saying something, Illira?” D’hein directed his green eyes towards the elezen. “You're not jealous as well, are you? Of course you are. My apologies.” Antimony returned her attention to K'airos, though after a moment she mumbled into her daughter's shoulder a soft, "Thank you." “I was merely suggesting that we leave these two alone. An Idea you seemed so keen on just a minutes ago.” D'hein hummed, and smiled, "And what would you like to go off and do with just me, Illira?" “We should get you a room and some clean clothes!” K’airos suggested then to her mother. “I think I can afford enough for you to stay while I'm in town.” “Nothing,” Illira replied to the conspiratorial miqo’te. “Quite honestly. I just was hoping to get you to give them space.” Antimony blinked and looked up at K'airos, silent for a moment, and then her ears pressed back in distress. "Oh... oh no. I can't possibly be a burden on my own daughter in such a way." She looked left, then right, then back to K'airos. "Ah, don't worry about me! I have... I will be quite fine! You just... worry for yourself. And... Aijeen." D'hein wagged his finger at Illira, "Don't think I've forgotten that we have work to do. You won't be avoiding it again. We aren't on vacation you know!" “But you don't have a job anymore,” K’airos protested. “I'll have to take care of you until you get a new one, I guess. After all, you are my...my...” Antimony watched K'airos in silence, looking almost hopeful. The younger woman failed to find words again however, "...and I would feel awful about not helping you." she finished, her eyes rolling to look up. Illira lifted her thick brows, "Please, don't talk to me about such matters D'hein. I've been doing your job while you went for that weeks-jaunt." “It was an all-important jaunt, and I thank you for helping yourself to my milk-bar while I was doing the important work you were all too lazy or afraid to do!” Antimony's expression wilted briefly before she carefully recomposed herself - only partially successful. She squeezed her daughter slightly. "You do not need to take care of me," she gave the girl a small smile. "Just seeing you is all I need. Everything else will be fine." “You're milk bar is disgusting, D'hein. And your jaunt was neither approved, wanted, nor useful in anyway.” K'airos grabbed Antimony's hand and pulled her towards the Quicksand. "Nope!" she exclaimed. "Soon your stomach will complain. And then your other body functions will complain. So let's get you someplace to stay!" Antimony opened her mouth to protest as K'airos began to drag her off, but she couldn’t find it in her. She snuck a very brief but genuinely grateful look D'hein's way before snapping her gaze back to her daughter. D'hein was focused wholly on Illira now, "If it were approved it would not have been necessary! As for usefulness, well, we'll see! You all haven’t exactly changed the world in my absence." K'airos kept pulling her mother towards the Quicksand and into it, with the firm purpose of getting to the innkeep. Antimony allowed herself to be pulled off without another word. *** Having paid a room for her mother, K'airos continued to drag her into it. The room was one of the cheapest, not having many decorations or even much furniture. A bed, a table, a wardrobe and a sink. Perhaps you could consider the lone window above the bed to be furniture, too. K'airos did not ponder about this things, she just walked in like she owned the place. Because she had paid for it, of course. Antimony had gone quiet as K'airos led her back towards the inn rooms, increasingly aware of her likely proximity to other people she still wasn't certain she could face. She slipped into the room after K'airos and closed the door behind her hastily and with no small amount of relief. Looking to her daughter, Antimony's ears drooped slightly and she pulled her into yet another hug. "This isn't necessary, Airos." She smiled, her eyes closed. "But it is! It might not be the prettiest place, but it has a roof and a bed! I've payed for a week in advance, so you can look for work without worrying about becoming a beggar!” Antimony took a step back and looked around the room, expression humble, a touch shamed. "Thank you." She sighed, wrung her hands together. "I would never have wanted you to see me like this..." "We all have bad days!" K'airos’s attempt at comforting Antimony was not very good. "So...what did you work as?" Casting a weary look to the bed along one wall and the small sink across the room, Antimony stepped further inside until she stood in the middle of the inn room. She gave a small smile to K’airos, "An accountant. Not nearly as... admirable as... you protect people?" There's pride in her voice, though also some amount of old pain. K'airos chuckled. "Yeah! From the beastmen and bandits. But it's mostly safe and boring, because what we most do is check cargo and people. Making sure they aren't funny or illegal, you know.” Antimony blinked at K'airos for a moment and then, very quietly, lets out a weak chuckle. "My girl... protecting what is good." She sighed then and wavered on her feet somewhat before catching herself. Around this time, she stumbled on a thought and gave K'airos a searching look, "You wouldn't... happen to know who to speak to about, ah, confiscated goods in Ul'dah...?" "Did the guards confiscate things from you? I'm sure I can get it back! Just tell me what to look for!" Antimony opened her mouth but remained silent for several seconds, unsure how to approach the subject. Green eyes shifted anxiously around the room again before settling on K'airos. "Not... my things, no. But..." Her ears and tail drooped with guilt and she turned away. "K'ile and K'luha's. I told them I would assist them, but..." "K'ile's alive, too?" she yelled, hopping in place repeatedly and tapping her hands together. "And K'luha too! Where are they? I should...I should see them! Tell them it's all okay! OH!" She pointed in what could be a victory pose. "And they can help you settle down...!" Flinching, Antimony clasped her hands together at her waist. "It's not that simple, Airos..." Then she just shook her head, glancing back towards her daughter. "Ah, re--regardless, they had food... for the tribe. If you could..." K'airos tapped her chin in thought. "How much food? And when did they get it confiscated?" She shook her head. "I... am not sure. It sounded like a great deal. A..." She hesitated, a sad look crossing her face, "A feast." "If it was food it's likely it has been eaten by now." K'airos said neutrally. "But maybe I can arrange something. Do you know where they are?" She started hopping again when asking that. "Where they... ah." Antimony looked past K'airos, towards the door to the outside hall. "I don't... they were here, when I... I'm not certain if they still are." "Here is a good starting point!" she stated, and then paused. "Here in the city or here in Thanalan?" Twisting her hands about one another some more, Antimony shook her head. "Here. In the, ah, Quicksand." K'airos stopped her incessant jumping. "Here here?" she repeated and smiled broadly. "That's fantastic! We should go see them! Exchange tales and remember the past! And get their food, too." Antimony's ears shifted about. "I'm not certain... Yes, you should speak to them. I'm sure they'll be... K'ile will be happy to see you." K'airos rushed forward to hug Antimony. "I'll go now and see if they are around! You should...get cleaned and eat some! I'll come back and let you know if I find them. Alright?" Swallowing, Antimony leaned into the hug, pulling her arms about her daughter and relishing the feeling of the gesture. Then she sighed and nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Airos." It took K'airos around a full minute before pulling off the hug. "I'll be back soon! If it gets too late I'll make sure to come by tomorrow, and we can talk about Limsa!" Antimony let her hands linger on K'airos as she pulled away, until she finally stepped out of reach. She brought her hands close to her as K'airos moved to the door and replied simply, quietly, "I will be here." K'airos left the room, waving in goodbye and closing the door once she was outside.

Clouds rolled in overhead, deepening the shadows cast by Drybone’s tall walls. A new smell joined the dust and corpses on the air, and it sent the few merchants eking out a living around the courtyard scrambling to secure the tarps over their goods. At one stall – more a series of crates stacked in rows to display an array of fruits and vegetables of questionable age – a young miqo’te, pale of skin and hair and dressed in clothes one might describe as “adventuring”, peered among the foods. "No chilies..." She selected an apple from the tray and dropped a few gil coins in the stall owner's outstretched hand, offering her a nod and a smile before taking a big bite from the piece of fruit. The merchant went back to securing her goods, and not a moment too soon, for with a rumble and a crack, the sky very suddenly opened up. “Ah... it's raining...” The miqo’te shrugged and ignored the sudden squall, absently munching her apple while she looked over the rest of the produce. A short hop away, Antimony kind of shuffled up to one side of the little grocery. She had a small bag tucked in the corner of one arm, up against a robe that was rather thoroughly stained with mud. She eyed the fruits, flinched when the rain started suddenly, and then shifted her gaze to the other miqo'te nearby. Pink… hair? The – yes, that was pink hair, or maybe more of a lavender? – miqo’te caught the other's eye. "Hello." Antimony wrinkled her nose at a thought and then took a half step towards her, "Ah, excuse me, miss... I don't suppose... do you know of any way to help with this smell...?" “Smell?” The woman sniffed the air and wrinkled her own nose. “I have something that might work.” Antimony looked around, catching the eyeroll of the merchant and wincing before saying to the miqo'te with an awkward wave of the hand holding the bag, "Yes, the... corpses. It makes it... well, it's rather difficult to do... anything with it as it is.” The other miqo’te reached into her satchel and drew out a small crystalline vial filled with a clear liquid. "Understandable. Here. It's perfume made from the petals of moonflower." She handed the other the vial. “You can put a bit on your upper lip and it should block out the scent.” Antimony blinked in surprise. "Oh! I didn't expect... what do you want in return? I've got--well, here, I have coin..." She shifted the bag in her grip and started digging around in it. Waving her hand dismissively, the pink (lilac?) haired miqo’te, a Keeper by the looks of her all around, said, "Don't worry about it. I don't lack for coin." She turned back to the fruit and picked up another faerie apple, tossing a coin to the shopkeep. This she offered to the other miqo'te. "Have an apple?" Antimony looked uncomfortable at the thought of accepting the offered perfume as is, but did so anyway. When the girl held out an apple towards her, she squinted in consideration. "I haven't... met you before, have I?" She blinked at the apple and then with some embarrassment, "Oh! Ah, I should... I assure you, I can pay for things myself!" She was suddenly keenly aware of her appearance, and of her reliance on the charity of her once-thought-dead daughter; the facts of it were rather shameful. “It's okay. You look like you could use some cheering up.” She pushed the apple into the other's hands. "You also look familiar. I think I know you. Or have met you." She gazed upon the older woman in deep reflection. “Ah! The Shroud! At a tavern. I don't remember which.” Antimony furrowed her brow at the apple but accepted it as well, then glanced back up at the other miqo'te. "I'm... sorry, my memory is usually much more--" She stilled, and then, "Oh! That was before--" The lilac (definitely lilac… or white?) haired Keeper frowned as something rustled from within her satchel. She pretended not to notice this. “Yes! In... Bus... Budders...” Antimony sighed and shook her head in resignation. “That place. Buscarron's Druthers.” The Keeper brushed wet locks of pale lilac hair from her eyes. "Let's get out of the rain. It's not likely to stop for a while." Antimony held the apple carefully against her. When the other spoke she nodded, "So I've... noticed." Growling and muttering something unintelligible under her breath as the satchel rustled again, the younger woman said, “Come on. Actually... where is a tavern here? I don't know.” She looked around, seemingly lost in that thought. Furrowing her brow in brief confusion at the woman’s muttering, Antimony shook herself at the question. "Oh, ah... I believe it was.." She turned around, squinted through the rain. "Ah yes, this way." Behind her, the other miqo’te glanced down at her wet clothing and shook her head. *** Antimony sighed with no small relief as she stepped inside, taking a moment to wring out one sleeve. The action was rather futile, considering the state of her clothing already, but that didn’t deter her efforts. The other woman, the lilac-haired Keeper, closed her eyes and suddenly, steam began to rise from her clothing as aetheric energy was converted into heat. In moments, her clothing was dry. “I can dry yours, also,” she offered. “Warmth. And shelter,” Antimony was saying. “Ah, an appreciation for this I... what?” She blinked at Aeriyn and then did a doubletake. “Your clothes are soaking wet. You'll catch a cold. If you want, I can dry them for you.” “... Oh! You're--you're one of... those!” Antimony exclaimed with no small amount of awe. The other miqo’te nodded. Her eyes went a bit wide with interest. "You must tell me how that works!" “Okay. It's not a difficult casting. But don't you want dry clothes first?” Antimony's ears twitched, dripping a bit of water to the floor. Then she shook herself and cleared her throat apologetically. "Ah, yes. That would... thank you." Smiling, the younger woman closed her eyes again, focusing aetheric energy through her and into the world. She placed a hand on the other's sleeve and steam started to rise gently from the sodden robe. In the space of a few moments, the robe dried out. Antimony watched where Aeriyn touched her with rapt attention, as though that single point were the center of a universe-wide puzzle. “It's a good cantrip to know if you travel in Thanalan a lot during monsoon season,” the Keeper said as she completed the spell. “I'm going to sit down.” “... Incredible!” Antimony stood still for a moment before remembering herself and hurrying after the other woman, looking a bit less ragged, though no less muddy. Down the steps and off to a corner on the left, the Keeper woman had settled herself at a small table lit by a single lantern. There she yawned and stretched in her chair, her tail standing straight out before wrapping around her left thigh. “It's not really that impressive. It's useful, though. I've found that the most useful applications of magic are often the least impressive ones.” Antimony watched the woman as she sat as well and, after a moment, cleared her throat, "I'm sorry, I can't quite... well, perhaps I should simply--I'm Antimony. If you don't recall. Which! You'd.. have no reason to! But just in case!" What a fabulous introduction that had been. “I didn't remember your name, so thank you for reminding me. I'm Aeriyn. It's not a miqo'te name; I'm adopted.” She paused. “Was adopted, I should say.” Antimony smiled just slightly, allowing for a moment the name – Aeriyn – to call up some rather comforting memories. It had been well before any of this... "It's no... matter to me. I recall you being quite... well! That spell alone says it all. Ah, if I had my notebook, I'd ask for details and..." She shook her head slightly, tail wriggling a bit before settling down at her side. She glanced at the apple Aeriyn had given her. “You should eat that. It's at peak ripeness. Very good,” Aeriyn advised. “As for details, it's something that shouldn't be too difficult for anyone who has even the slightest knowledge of thaumaturgy. Aether absorbs heat easily, but it's not difficult to convert it to heat either.” Antimony startled from some thought she'd inadvertently fallen into and blinked at Aeriyn for a second or so before seemingly recalling why she was there. "Oh! Yes. Of... course. Thank you." There was very little ceremony in her next action, which was to take a solid bite out of the apple. She closed her eyes as though it's the most rapturous experience ever. She spoke again after a moment of chewing, "Thaumaturgy... that... oh, isn't that some Ul'dahn..." She grimaced. "Well, I suppose warmth at least has little to do with corpses.." “I don't know how much you know about aetherial manipulation, but there are generally three ways of utilizing aether to affect the world: thaumaturgy, conjury and arcanima,” Aeriyn explained. “Are you trained in any of these? My explanation will make more sense if you are.” Antimony considered the apple in her hand for a moment and then, "Well, I wouldn't say officially trained..." Certainly it had taken her long enough to develop enough rapport with Limsan businesses that she could actually find employment, much less any sort of recreational education. “However... I've read a great deal from the libraries of the arcanists' guild in Limsa.” “Can you utilize arcane geometries to manifest aether?” Antimony blinked and looks strangely bewildered. "I... well." Her tail twitched, and though the woman beside her was significantly younger, Antimony felt suddenly like a student about to disappoint a teacher. "I've... never actually tried. Only... I just found the concept of it so fascinating, I suppose, and it never occurred to me that I could possibly... well, do any of that." She shook her head. “Anyone can do it. Well, usually. Garlean hyur can't, as a general rule, but that's due to external factors.” She didn’t elaborate on that, instead continuing, “It's just a matter of training, knowledge and practice.” “Ah, and you so young! It's a rather incredible thought.” Antimony tilted her ears at Aeriyn in interest. So much skill and knowledge. She reminded her of a more well-adjusted… no, no she would not go there. Aeriyn seemed to wilt a bit in her seat. "I don't look my age." Antimony blinked, frowned, and then, "I... apologize. I didn't intend to... well! Better... better subjects! No one likes to dwell on ill... ah. You were explaining aether!" Aeriyn smiled and waved away Antimony's sputtered apologies. "Do you have a grimoire of arcane geometry? If not, I can teach you with mine." Antimony's expression faltered slightly and her hands worried at the apple. “I'm... afraid I have not much of anything at the moment. But! It's no matter. It will all work out. I'd love to hear more from you, regardless.” “You can't get very far without a focus, no matter what sort of magic you want to use,” Aeriyn shook her head. “The clothes-drying cantrip is easier for a thaumaturge, but I've managed it using all three methodologies. I'm a... I suppose you could call me a researcher, a scholar of magic. I have informal training in conjury and a... unique form of arcanima, but I was rigorously trained in thaumaturgy in my youth. At least I assume so.” “I'm afraid I'm.. out of luck in that respect, then. Though if I knew the theory behind it, I'd be more than satisfied. To understand what manipulations you carried out... well, perhaps I'm not meant to do such things.” Antimony finished this statement with a slight, humble shrug. Aeriyn took a sip from her ale. "Don't limit yourself." Antimony watched Aeriyn for a moment and then smiled softly, the expression more in her eyes than the rest of her face. "I wouldn't call it that. Simply a healthy respect for... well. It's all a moot thought anyway. I've got none of my materials with me, much less any sort of focus." “All right, well, I can show you using my grimoire. It would be easier, since you already have some foreknowledge and my staff is not... safe for novices.” “... Not safe?” Not giving an explanation, Aeriyn reached into her satchel and dug around. A small, feminine exclamation of annoyance emanated from inside the bag. Antimony blinked at the bag. "... Was that..." Aeriyn sighed and addressed the satchel, "So much for keeping you hidden." “Uhm...? Miss.. Aeriyn?” Aeriyn opened the travel bag widely and a burst of golden light flashed upward. In response, Antimony's eyes widened and she leaned back sharply in surprise. "What is--a demon in your--!" She froze and blinked rapidly at the... glowing... thing. “It's not a demon. It's just Rinah.” “Just... just "Rinah". Oh! Of... course…” Antimony's ears swiveled in confusion. "What... is it..?" The creature, a vague humanoid shape visible through the bright glow of light, fluttered her wings and glanced at the other miqo'te, then turned toward Aeriyn. “Who's this? A friend of yours?” “Antimony,” Aeriyn introduced. “You kept making noise in the bag and it was pointless to keep trying to pretend I didn't hear it.” The light turned toward Antimony. “Oh. Hello.” Antimony squawked at the small voice. "It--it... Oh dear. I've never... read anything about… this before.” “Rinah is a fairy,” Aeriyn explained. “I rescued her from the old temple of Oschon near Camp Bronze Lake. She's actually why I'm here in Thanalan. Somehow she wound up imprisoned in a shard of corrupted aether many, many years ago, during the fall of the Nymian civilization. She's been disconnected from the flow of aether.” Antimony stared wide-eyed at the bright light, within which she could make out the form of... a person? She blinked hard, her tail swishing once. "How is it... what.. is it made of...? Ah, her--her I mean!" The fairy – Rinah! Fairies had names? Fairies could talk? Fairies were real? – glanced uneasily at Aeriyn. “You're being awfully free with information.” “It's okay, Rinah,” the Keeper assuaged. “It's not you the Syndicate cares about, anyroad.” Antimony frowned briefly at Aeriyn but very quickly went back to staring at the fairy in confused awe. Rinah turned and glanced at Antimony. “My physical form is comprised of aether. I suppose you could say I am made of magic.” “That's the problem. She's been disconnected from the astral flow. Rinah's only still alive now because I periodically infuse her with mana.” Antimony's mouth works silently for a moment, Rinah’s glow casting harsh shadows on her features, before she, very slowly, reached out with one hand as though to touch Rinah. "Fasc--fascinating.." Aeriyn shook her head in frustration. "If I can't figure out how to reconnect the shattered link, or somehow anchor her to this plane..." The fairy fluttered forward and alighted on Antimony's outstretched hand. “I'm quite solid, as you can feel.” The older woman startled but quickly recovered, squinting through the glare of her glasses. “How does she keep form..? Like a carbuncle?” “The same process, yes.” Rinah crossed her arms as her expression assumed a pout. “I'm right here, you know. You can ask me.” Antimony Jhanhi flinched and gave both Aeriyn and the fairy a chagrined look. “... Ah! Oh! I'm... sorry. I didn't--well, I mean I've never seen... But carbuncles aren't sentient!” “Carbuncles are not, no,” Rinah agreed. “But other astral beings are. The most obvious example an Eorzean would understand would be the primals.” Antimony frowned, looking vaguely uncomfortable at that mention of the aether-hungry beast-gods. "Aether... taking form to make... thought? I suppose thought is similar to a spell... like a brain... oh, this is incredible! And you just..." she turned to Aeriyn, "Just found her?" “Sort of.” “Hm?” She gave the younger woman a confused look. “I work for the Maelstrom. I was sent to the temple of Oschon to investigate strange magical phenomenon. What I found instead were Garlean soldiers.” Her expression sombered briefly before she continued, “After the battle, I searched their bodies to try and figure out what they were doing in the temple in the first place. I found a shard of corrupted aether in one of their packs. There was a... presence inside the crystal.” Antimony shook her head, "It's no matter. This! Oh, you must be so... well!" The intrigue on her face washed it clean of many of the deep lines of anxiety that had plagued her features up to that moment. It made her look more youthful than she perhaps had in years. "This is fascinating! I must... how do you shape thought? And will? What equation drives you..." She half-spoke to Rinah, half to herself. “Arcane geometry doesn't drive me or shape my will,” Rinah chuffed. “It only calls me to this place. Unfortunately, it also stranded me here.” Antimony blinked at that. ".. Are you sure? There's... no shame in learning one's inner workings..!" Aeriyn nodded at Rinah's explanation. "Practitioners of arcanima utilize their magical formulae to establish a link between the physical world and the aether.” Rinah added: “Carbuncles are different; they're magical constructs. That's why they aren't sentient.” “There are other methods of calling and summoning, taught and developed by different civilizations. The Allag summoners could call upon the power of the primals themselves. The scholars of Nym established pacts with fey beings much like Rinah.” Antimony might have looked briefly disappointed at that, but the expression was gone quickly, replaced by a furrowed brow towards Aeriyn. "She is, ah, "dying" then. Why do you think Thanalan will help her..?" “The Calamity left behind a massive area of corrupted, crystallized aether here,” Aeriyn gestured. “I need to obtain samples to study so that I can deduce how Rinah was cut off from the astral flow.” Antimony's eyes widened briefly. "Oh, to be involved in such--" Her words cut off suddenly, her expression falling. "Ah. Well. I... have no doubt you'll find something worthwhile, even if it... isn't quite what you were after." “What do you mean?” Antimony shook her head and gestured with one hand, "Just as you said - a chance to study corrupt, crystallized aether! Even if what you find isn't directly applicable...! Well, it would be an interesting find regardless." “Oh, yes. You seem to be very interested in these things.” Aeriyn thought for a moment. “If you're so fascinated by magic, why are you so reluctant to practice it yourself?” Antimony's tail twitched. "Well, it is what I... I mean, it's not my job, but still.. it's good to have a hobby!" Antimony's features slackened somewhat into a more distant expression. "I'm not... entirely incapable of aetheric manipulation. Though, ah, I didn't realize it was precisely what I was doing until relatively recently." She shook her head slightly. “I don't understand,” Aeriyn blinked round eyes. “How could you do something without knowing what it was?” Wincing at that, Antimony struggled for a moment. How could one relate the kind of isolation from the world she’d spent her whole life in? In a way that wouldn’t make Aeriyn think she was some foreign… weirdo? "Well, it's just that I--well, we... had a different explanation. It's no matter, though! As it's all the same in the end." “Oh.” A pause. “What is your job, then?” Antimony answered that question with much greater ease, "I perform investigative accounting work for the Commerce Re--ah..." Her ears drooped. "For... freelance, I suppose." Aeriyn didn’t miss the slip and her ears twitched thoughtfully. "Your employers aren't fond of publicity?" The older woman winced. "No, it's not that. Just... Well!" She tried to inject some measure of cheer in her voice, but likely failed miserably, "I suppose one could say I've recently shed the chains of steady employment!" She tried for a smile, but it ended up more of a grimace. There was nothing happy in being fired. “I did the opposite, though I suppose "recently" is a matter of debate. I was an independent contractor before I signed on with the Maelstrom.” The fairy, who had been rather quietly hovering between them during this, glanced at Aeriyn, her expression tired. “I'm going to rest for a while.” Antimony furrowed her brow in thought, "Ah yes, right. I do recall you doing some kind of... contractual work in the Shroud for... oh, no matter." She looked up as Rinah spoke, watching her move with interest. “Okay. How are you feeling?” Aeriyn questioned. “Not good,” Rinah sighed, if fairies could indeed sigh. “But that's not any different than usual. I'm going to rest and conserve the aether I've absorbed...” “I can try another infusion—“ Antimony pressed her lips together in concern. Rinah shook her head. “Not so soon. You'll need your strength to deal with the creatures in the Burning Wall. If I rest, I should be fine.” “All right.” Aeriyn opened her satchel and carefully helped Rinah back inside. With the flap of the bag open, a small wooden box-like object was visible, containing within it what looked like a very tiny, fairy-sized bed. Still feeling a bit awkward talking to a manifestation of aether, Antimony still managed a genuine, "I do hope you feel better soon." “Aeri will find the answer. I know it.” Aeriyn watched Rinah tuck her wings in and curl up on the fairy-sized bed before closing the satchel's flap. “When I found her inside the crystal, it took me several suns to figure out how to free her without killing her. During the process, I discovered that she was conscious and aware while frozen within the shard. She had been that way for at least a hundred years. Possibly more.” Her's ears drooped and her tail curled tightly around her leg. "I know beings like Rinah view the passage of time differently than miqo'te, but I can't even imagine how horrible that was for her..." Antimony watched the satchel in silence for a moment before letting out a slight sigh, "It is good she, ah, has someone who can take care of her, at the very least. Fortunate that one like you found her and not... well." “I don't know exactly what the Imperials wanted with her, but it could not possibly have been good.” Antimony nodded at that and then tried for an encouraging smile, the best a mother knew how to give. "This... burning wall sounds promising, at least. I wish you luck in your expedition." A pause. "And... perhaps I could hear of its results..?" “I would not mind sharing what I learn. I travel all over for my work, but I live in Limsa Lominsa and will return there after my task is complete.” “Ah, that.. is where I live! Or... well, yes. It is.” Aeriyn blinked and tilted her head quizzically, "You live there... or what?" Antimony shook her head, waving the hand still holding the apple a bit awkwardly. "It's not a concern. I'm simply busy elsewhere at the moment." She looked past Aeriyn, thinking. “Oh.” Antimony smiled and very deliberately took a bite of the apple. Aeriyn stood up then and finished off the last of her ale. She doffed her satchel and offered Antimony a smile. "The rain's stopped for now. I should be on my way. The longer I remain in Thanalan, the greater chance my presence here will become known." Giving Aeriyn a confused look for a moment and then, Antimony slowly brought her own thoughts back in alignment with the present enough that she processed the girl's words. She smiles. "Oh! Yes, of course. I wouldn't think to delay such an... well, an important adventure." Aeriyn bowed courteously. “Thank you for your company. I'll look forward to seeing you again in the future.” Antimony opened her mouth to say something, was at first at a loss for words, and then just smiled before finally managing, "And you as well. Thank you, Miss Aeriyn, for this much appreciated distraction." Aeriyn started to walk away from the table, but stopped herself. "You seem to be busy with something, otherwise I would have asked if you wanted to accompany me." “Don't worry!” Antimony made to hastily assure, forcing another smile. “I understand. I'll simply have to... well, I'll get the details from you at a later date.” “I could use the help, to be honest... I hired an adventurer to protect me from the creatures that infest the area, but I will have to do the analysis and collection myself.” Antimony furrowed her brow and looked away a bit guiltily. "I would... truly love to assist, I assure you, but... I cannot risk delaying my own, ah, adventure, so to say." Aeriyn smiled back. "Ah, well. I will just have to manage on my own. We'll speak again soon, I'm sure." Antimony watched Aeriyn leave in silence before returning her attention to the apple in her hand with a sigh.

Probably in the same way Highlander and Midlander are hyur. The differences between the sub-races are far more than just clan, after all; there's clear genetic distinction. Though I think it's also clear that all the races descend from the same common ancestor. Titan himself refers to Eorzeans as "sons of Man", after all. I would be willing to bet that this lineage extends beyond just Eorzea as well, though that's purely speculation on my part.

((Recorded from rp in-game~! The un-named "red woman" is Burned Cypress. Alas, she never introduced herself!)) *** Clouds rolled in high above a man tucked into a small clearing beneath Gridania’s leatherworkers’ guild. Though it’s evening now, most of the light coming from nearby lanterns, one could still hear the occasional passing of a harried worker across the bridge above. The man, a tightly muscled masked miqo’te in workman’s gloves and dirty pants, paid little mind to these sounds. He pried up a loose bit of rock off the broad boulder he crouched upon, leaning back to rest much of his weight on one hand while he tossed it up and down a few times. His tail swished behind him, knocking against a bulging sack, and then his ears twitched and he let the rock loose. It landed with a pe-lunk in the middle of the nearby stream. “Hah,” he huffed in satisfaction. “New record.” Unnoticed by the miqo’te, a towering, red-skinned form also seemed to find the clearing appealing, as she walked down the path, her shadowed face serious even as she took in the alien city, unused to such lush growths and abundant life around her. If one were to look closely at her, one might have noticed a slight heave to her breaths, as if she were having a hard time steadying them. She stopped in the middle of the path, closing her eyes, taking in deep breaths. When she opened them again, she was looking down the hill at the easy man down at the bottom. She glanced around again, before walking down the hill. Another individual, pale of skin, lower half of her face obscured by a metal guard, watched from above, not doing anything incredibly important. Just standing on the bridge with her hands on the railing, watching. You could say she was a watcher. The miqo’te rubbed at one shoulder, then grumbled and pulled off one glove so that his fingers could better dig at the muscle there. After a moment, however, he stilled and just let the glove dangle from his bare hand. His tail swished again and his covered hand felt around for another loose bit of rock. The first woman winded her way down the steep path and around towards the pond, which she stared out at quietly for a few moments before turning to the shirtless man. "Do you like it here?" She asked simply. The miqo’te's ears swiveled before his face – or rather, his mask – turned towards the visitor. He was quiet for a moment and then chuckled. "It's not bad, I guess. Decent view of the water. Plenty of space if you wanna share." High above, the pale roegadyn kept watching the pair down below. Looking from this angle was proving tiresome to the neck, though. A tiny crease appeared in the tall woman’s brow as she considered the offer before walking over to sit by the man. "I meant this whole place. Not merely what is straight ahead.” “Oh! Well. You should be specific.” He eyed the roegadyn, neck craned to see her behind him as she sat. His expression completely obscured by the mask, his ears tilted one way and then the other before the turned a bit further and poked at the lumpy sack next to him. "Chestnut? Kinda off season I think, but... still pretty good!" The pale woman had disappeared from her perch on the bridge above. She now walked, down the path leading to the clearing. She stopped watching to walk. She was no longer a watcher. Now, she had become a walker. It was just as ominous as it sounded. The red woman, her hair looking like fire in the low yellow light, cocked her head to the side questioningly, "A chestnut? I do not believe I know what that is. Though I'm sure I would not mind it." “It's a nut... uh. Well, not sure where the "chest" thing comes from. Ask these crazy forest folk. But anyroad, help yourself.” He shrugged and nudged the sack again. The pale roegadyn, who had continued to approach them during this, decided that the best way to make things less awkward was to speak. So she did: "Greetings." The red woman reached forward towards the sack, dragging it by its cloth neck towards her. Lifting a hand in greeting at the second newcomer, the miqo’te man’s whole head tilted. "Hey the... oh hey! I think I know you. Apple lady, right? Or no apple lady, I guess." “I guess that's one of my many names,” the pale woman said. “The correct one is Aiswys, though.” “Ya had something against apples, that much I know for sure! At least I think I do... oh well.” He shuffled a bit on the rock, a bit of an awkward motion as he still remained crouching. The other roegadyn reached into the sack, pulling out one of the nuts, examining it, before looking up at the apple lady. Aiswys glared briefly and nodded at her. “I see you are still wearing that mask. Collecting woodsin for the ritual?” she questioned. The man laughed a bit and ran his ungloved hand through his hair. "Habit of mine, I guess." The red woman's brow creased again slightly as she stared at the other Roe, interrupting as she abruptly said, "Did you ever collect the debt from that Miqo'te?" At this, the masked man blinked between the two, though the slight gesture was, as usual, hidden by the mask. “I did,” Aiswys confirmed stoically. “Didn't take long to track him northwards into his hiding spot.” “Debt collectors huh?” The masked man shrugged. “Never woulda guessed! Not that I know many... everyone's got their job, I guess.” “Hmm?” She red woman gave him a thoughtful look. “That is not... Perhaps she is. Perhaps even I am after a form.” “Heh. No skin off my back.” Aiswys looked briefly confused by that line. “...after a form?” “I did think on what you said,” the other woman replied after a time. “And perhaps that is what I am doing, or needing to do. Collect a debt, pay a debt. It all seems the same from down here.” Unsure exactly what they were talking about, the masked miqo’te just chuckled and rolled one shoulder in a loose stretch. "Help yourself to more nuts then." “There is quite a difference between paying and collecting. The same that is between taking and giving, in fact.” Aiswys’s words sounded certain, if muffled from behind her half mask. The other woman smiled slightly at the miqo’te, biting into the nut in her hand. A buried flash of displeasure skittered across her face. She didn’t bite into it again, "Sometimes the two are intertwined. Much as Nald and Thal themselves.” Aiswys let out a brief chuckle. "Perhaps. And what kind of debts do you expect to collect?" The miqo’te snorted out another chuckle at something Cypress said and turned to look towards the water. “I get the feeling you two know each other.” The red woman let out a light snort, "We talked once." “That counts! But...” Aiswys was now confused by -that- line. “But?” He glanced back towards the red-skinned woman. "I don't know you yet. Care to share?" “Share what? I have little.” “He is asking who you are,” Aiswys ventured. The mask remained resolutely expressionless, though his tone spoke to a grin, “Haha, the apply lady gets it.” The red woman glanced between the two quietly, "As of the moment I am not much of anyone. Merely wandering in hopes to find resolutions to those debts of mine." He shrugged. "Fair enough." She looked down at the partially bitten nut in her hand, before tossing it to the side. "It would appear you are not so different, adrift as you appear to be with your bag of chestnuts." “Some debts are easier to pay than others,” Aiswys said, taking a step closer to the two on the rock. The miqo’te rocked back on his heels once. "Apples. Chestnuts... Who knows what it'll be tomorrow. Think I know a thing or two about debts, though... Food always seems to help them!” “Can you even consume these with that mask of yours though? Are they common around here? I have seen few others wear them.” The masked man laughed, tilting his head back with the force of the action, and then replied, "Not like it's glued to my face." Aiswys looked at the woman, amused. “Did you stumble into Gridania without the locals shouting at you and explaining these things to you?” The red woman shook her head, "Why would they do that?" “Gridania's culture is based around debts to the woods and the Elementals that rule over them,” Aiswys explained. “If you harm the forests, they will manipulate nature to harm you. Unless you are hidden from their sight.” She gestured to the miqo’te’s mask. “They're not too fond of outsiders, I guess,” he added with a lilt of his ears. “But if you're humble enough, you can become just another... very red and very tall... leaf.” The red woman let out a brief chuckle at that. "I'm not sure that they would buy that. Leaves are always rather small aren't they?” “You wouldn't want to linger in this place without a mask of your own. Just in case,” Aiswys advised. “You seen the size of some of the trees here?” The masked miqo’te seemed to find his own words very funny. He laughed again. “And what is the purpouse of the mask then? I don't believe that I follow you.” Aiswys gave her a blank look. “Don't you? How odd. I'm not sure I could be clearer. The Elementals are easy to anger, but can't see beyond the masks. They will hate the mask before they hate you, if you ever do anything they do not approve or find...dangerous to their survival.” The miqo’te man's ear twitched. "Like picking chestnuts in off-season." The red woman shook her head, "I would not do such. It has always been my duty to do my part to ensure the proper order of things. Why would it be so different here?" She turned her head to the Miqo'te, frowning, "Did you do something then eating the chestnuts is part of life, surely." “I'm not sure some foraging would be terrible enough to make him wear a mask,” Aiswys observed. “Heh, y'never know what those crazy spirits will take offense to.” “Then you wear the mask for no reason?” The red woman questioned. “What? I think that's reason enough.” He located another loose stone then and tossed it to the stream then, as though to punctuate his assertion. “The positive side,” Aiswys began coolly, “is that, if your mask ever breaks on its own, you'll know you were right.” The other woman's eyes squinted slightly so that the corners of them creased, "I am sure that he hopes it will not come to that." She pushed off of the rock. "I need to find... somewhere for the night now. So I will be on. I would not want to get in trouble with the forest." The masked miqo’te's ears flicked as Aiswys’s words. "Heh, well, we'll just not let that happen, eh?" Then as the red woman stood, he waved one gloved hand in her direction. "Nice chatting with ya. Sorry the chestnuts weren't to your liking." She nodded her head. "It is fine. Nothing you can change." “You should visit one of the Hearers,” Aiswys suggested, turning slightly to watch the other woman’s actions. “The men and women in blue robes and pointy hats. They might know where you can stay without upsetting the Elementals.” The red woman chuckled, "I am not actually afraid. I would just rather not garner extra attention. The last town I passed through wished to... arrest me for sleeping. I would wish to avoid that again." At that, the masked man’s shoulders shook in a brief, noiseless laugh. "Like I said. Just stay humble." Aiswys nodded. "As you wish. I wish you a good rest." The other woman bowed her head, "Thank you. I shall head off then." As Aiswys bid her farewell, she turned to walk back up the hill she came down in the first place. The miqo’te man lifted one hand to wave again as she departed. Aiswys looked at the miqo’te sideways, turning her head to face him. “Are you sure the only thing that you did is gathering fruits?” The miqo’te watched Aiswys for a second through the small, round holes of the mask after Cypress was gone, seemingly considering her question. Then he spoke with an audible grin, "... chestnuts?" Aiswys blinked. He blinking was not audible, though, but it was perfectly visible. “I think I will reject your generosity this time.” He shrugged. "Up to you." He shifted his weight on his feet, half stretching one leg before bringing it back into a crouch. “Where did your elezen friend go?” The man looked around as though half expecting the duskwight in question to appear out of nowhere and then just shrugged again. "Oh, around I'm sure. He's not too fond of the city." “I see. Where did you meet him? It seems there's an interesting story to be told, right there.” Blinking from behind the mask, the miqo’te tilted his head slightly towards Aiswys. Nearby light caught a flash of bright blue from his eyes. "Hm, not too much of one. He did help me out in the forest though. Friendly guy, once you get used to the quirks." “Quirks?” Aiswys queried. He waved one hand. "Y'know. Old and grumpy. And things." “Hopefully nothing illegal.” At this he chuckled. "The Shroud hasn't kicked him out yet, at least." “That's all that matters in this place, really.” Nodding, he turned back to look at the stream, pushing the gloved knuckles of one hand against the rock. “Yeah. Your friend'll pick up on it soon, don't ya worry.” “And where do you come from?” The pale woman followed his gaze briefly before looking back to him. “It's quite evident you aren't from Gridania.” One ear swiveled towards Aiswys as his bare hand reached up to scratch at his chin. "Evident huh? What, do I smell funny?" “A Gridanian wouldn't wear a mask unless he was about to do the cleansing ritual. A poacher would use a mask, but he wouldn't be allowed to stay.” There was a pause and then she added, “And you are friends with a Duskwight. Definitely not Gridanian.” Aiswys smiled. The miqo’te continued to scratch at his chin and the faint fuzz of red hair just barely visible along it, tail flicking behind him. "I guess that's all true." The expressionless mask didn’t give away much, though his tone remained light. "But hey, I may as well be nowadays!" “I understand if you don't wish to speak of your previous home,” she near-conceded. At this he chuckled, maybe a bit guiltily. "It's nothing bad. Just a little fuzzy in the brain, you understand." “Maybe if you gather enough chestnuts you'll remember more clearly.” “Hah! There's a thought. Or maybe alligator pears?” “No harm in trying, I reckon,” Aiswys replied. “But I think I'll leave you now. I have debts to collect in these woods.” He turned to look at her once more. “In the woods, huh? Well have fun. And don't get lost!” At his words, the roegadyn turned around with one hand raised in farewell before walking away. The masked miqo’te watched Aiswys leave in silence. When she was a distance away, he picked up another rock and tossed it towards the stream, a bit more forcefully than the last.

Regardless of whether or not we get a "slinky strappy dress", I highly doubt this game can handle the kinds of textures that would make a shimmery effect. TERA this is not, alas (I wish.. *sigh*). But yeah... this game is in dire need of clothing variety. @.@

High-five for no-pants robe! It's only a matter of time before the rest of the world gives way and releases themselves from the binds of pants. The oppressed will break free!

My infamous healing style of "Holy-spam all the things" will now be 200% more effective!

You might even call it a death sentence. I'm going to have to revoke your pun license for that.

I can't help it. I have to squee a bit. I got my no-pants robe today! Bye bye ugly ass mythology robe; hello pantsless freedom!

During stage 3 of twintania a bunch of snakes spawn while you are dodging her sonic boom. Asclepius is the big one (there are small ones too). And it is so very much not a symbol of healthcare! D: Quite the opposite, really. *cowers from divebombs*

It was K'jhanhi who spoke, unexpectedly, his towering ancient form shaking with a dry snort of laughter. "A moment is more than those who abandon us deserve," he uttered but did not move to otherwise stop K'yohko from speaking with his daughter. K'deiki only bowed lower, silently acknowledging both the former nunh's and her cousin's words. Her wrinkled features were unhappy.

For a planet to rotate as fast as it would need to in order to have the day lengths "Eorzea time" uses... well, suffice to say, we would not see the kind of life (if any life) on the planet that we do now.

For a very long time, the elders held the tent in silence. The weight of memory settled over the place, a sombering pressure heavy with grief and a longing for what once was. K'deiki continued to watch K'ailia, did not speak as the girl moved the bowl but remained cowed, did not move save for the occasional slow blink of her clouded eyes. K'jhanhi persisted in his refusal to acknowledge the girl and K'deiki understood. The silence had permeated every corner of the tent until suddenly the small things, the unheard sounds of life like the slight shifting of sand in the wind outside and against the tent's walls, the movement of bone in flesh as lungs filled with oxygen and then released, the faint scratching of a beetle seeking purpose in some shadowed corner, and the wispy breaths of incense wafting from bowls about the tent. When all of these sounds became louder even than her own thoughts, K'deiki finally spoke once more, "Now is not the right time, young one. Soon we will leave behind all we've known for generations, soon we will be uprooting ourselves to seek a new beginning. It is all we can bear to manage just that." The old woman, once one of the tribe's most esteemed huntresses, closed her eyes and turned her face away from K'ailia. "We cannot shoulder a reversal of what little we have left, not yet. You must leave, as you already have, as so many already have." Her words faded as she spoke, until they were little more than a breath, and her head bowed.

To be fair, it's a linkshell. If you wanted to join this, you could get your PvE/endgame needs from another linkshell or a free company. Sounds like a fun idea, OP, though I'm not sure I have any characters who would fit the concept (i.e. a wanna-be knight in training). A decidedly non-combat civilian, a loner assassin, a Garlean-in-hiding, and a nameless masked gardener don't exactly make knight material. Still, good luck!

You still think I'm a creationist???? XDDD [edit] This whole conversation just got really, really weird. Let's get back on topic, mkay?

Always a terrible excuse. [edit] By which I mean to say, "but magic" does not actually explain anything and is the mark of a poorly crafted fictional universe.

We can make pretty well-informed guesses given the information we have before us, however. The types of creatures (including the sentient, humanoid ones) all roughly mirror the phyla spread we have on Earth. Combine these things with with logic like "I highly doubt Squeenix cared enough to think of a world that is not carbon based," (because they don't) as well as the fact that any fictionally constructed world must have internal consistency, and there's actually quite a lot we can say about biology in Eorzea.