Naunet

You can't say there's no viable interbreeding when Squee has actively said half-breeds happen. And actually, there may be more evidence for physiological similarities across the different races than differences, at least that we can tell - and what we can tell is extremely limited. They all eat and drink the same things; they all share the same body plan; with the exception of Keepers, they're all diurnal. I'm not actually sure this describes Keeper males at all. They certainly don't seem to hold "territories", much less roam about.

I didn't say must. I said, and I quote, "much more likely", in part because it takes a heck of a lot to get something from quadruped to biped and because the playable races do seem to share similar geographical origins (convergent evolution usually is applied to two species who do not share geographical space). However, we do not have any lore that dates back to the millions of years ago we'd need in order to make any truly informed statements so... as I said, "much more likely". Not must. Also, there was no need to try and condense my post into some childish all caps summary that doesn't actually characterize the content of my post. I never said the similarities are coincidental and that there's no connections. Please cease putting words in my mouth. I was simply trying to make the point that what some see as purely feline, others can interpret differently and to different degrees. Once again: while there may be cat-like aspects to them, their identity as the race of miqo'te does not hinge on them being cats. Their identity is much more strongly tied to their unique family-group societal structures and the cultures surrounding them, rather than purrs and meows and chasing yarn. I await whatever inaccurate reduction of this response you're going to condense my reply into with... unease.

There's a single joke NPC with the World's Most Annoying Speech Impediment and a couple emotes (mostly just the /pose) that play up the "catgirl fetish" thing. Aside from that, their ears do not look like cat ears, their tails are not a trait exclusive to cats, nor are the slit pupils of Seekers, and they certainly don't refer to themselves as cats. That's not to say Squee didn't intend them to be the "catgirl/guy race", because obviously they did (being a Japanese company, they're practically obligated to play to that fetish). However, I think you go too far in trying to claim that their cultural identity revolves around being... cats. They're not cats. They're bipedal humanoids with an extra limb (not unlike monkeys, though it's not as prehensile it seems) and mobile ears set on the tops of their skulls rather than on the sides. And their cultural identity revolves more around their actual culture than it does around some perceived notion of them being sentient cats. It's extremely presumptuous of you to tell people who don't rp their miqo'te as cats incarnate that they may as well just roleplay hyur. I'd hazard that all of us who roleplay miqo'te chose to do so for very good reason, that those reasons differ for all of us, and that those reasons are more than enough for us to not to want to roleplay as hyur. Regarding miqo'te evolutionary history - it's much more likely that all of the humanoid races on Eorzea (particularly our playable races) share a common ancestor. Also, humans did not evolve from apes; they share a common ancestor. That is a common misconception that I simply must address!

If they were cats, they would look like this. They decidedly do not. They are not cats. This is about the shallowest interpretation of miqo'te culture I've ever seen, to be honest. "Cat" is not their culture.

*eyes suspiciously* Are you psychic, Eva? (Good suggestions, though it's important to note that accessing succor goes well beyond just accessing aether for manipulation.)

That's how my LS feels. The elementals, the beast tribes, the primals, the Twelve - they're all threats to our lives and care for nothing but their own gain and preservation! Submit to the Empire and we will free you from your otherworldly shackles!

I know they exist, but it seems the elementals are very deliberately restricting their authority to within the Shroud's borders. Why else would one be unable to attract woodwrath outside the Shroud? Or avoid its consequences by leaving it?

It's mentioned repeatedly by NPCs in quest text, though I can't give you screenshots cause... already did them all. >_>; It's also the term used in the Shroud wiki page for when the Shroud takes the life of an individual who falls out of favor with the elementals for whatever reason.

I think there's some serious lore confusion on the part of Squeenix going on between 1.0 and 2.0, because Greenwrath and Woodwrath are two different things in 2.0. The stuff you just linked, Sounsyy, talks about Greenwrath in the same manner Woodwrath is discussed in 2.0, while Greenwrath in 2.0 is described as more of a Shroud-wide calamity. Either that or I'm exceedingly tired and messing up like a bitch. Entirely possible.

Mmm... -There's bound to be other lost white mages besides A-Towa-Cant in the history of white mages. Perhaps your character manages to unearth the soul remnants of one of them and gradually learns to draw on it for knowledge, using that connection with the soul to gain access to succor. Could even be a soul as ancient as the time before the elementals wiped out white magic, which might make for some fun conflict with Gridanians. - I have to wonder just how far the reach of the elementals goes beyond the Shroud, which is a highly insular territory. I wonder also if it might be easier beyond the walls of the Shroud to, say, broker agreements with elementals for access to succor. There's no such thing as Woodwrath or Greenwrath outside of the Shroud, after all. So... possible entry there. My brain's tired after doing wedding planning stuff all day, so this is all I can do for now. Sorry.

Isn't the Greenwrath the big, hooge, ginormous, [insert other synonyms] explosion of forest-y rage that's supposed to happen if the elementals aren't appeased (as per the WHM story), while the Woodwrath is the affliction individuals can become targetted by should they run afowl of the forest too much? That would explain why the effects of Greenwrath specifically do not show up in 2.0 (though you do experience threat of it in the WHM story), as this is something that only happens occasionally. /likely completely useless contribution

Or at the end of last year. Anti started out 47, but her nameday was in November, so now she's 48.

It sounded a lot to me that you were letting your OOC refusal to acknowledge WHM players as possible to affect your character's potential acceptance (or, rather, lack of acceptance) of a white mage character. What if your character and the white mage went on some adventure during which something happened, or multiple somethings happened or who knows what that made it beyond clear that said character was a white mage? Would your character still deny it? That's what I'm talking about. That your OOC feelings might lead to a rather unbelievable continual of refusal of that aspect of someone else's character. I'm sorry I made you angry, especially as I've always held you in a high regard and hate that I've ruined how you may think of me. I'll just leave this thread, sorry.

And what if it's not about being "badass" but about tapping into the themes surrounding a particular job? Telling someone to just be "a really strong CNJ" might be completely contrary to what that person wants to roleplay because a conjurer is not a white mage, and the former does not carry the same themes or historical identity as the latter. Would you tell someone who wants to roleplay a monk "Why can't you just be a really strong PGL?" No, because the two are not the same. And Liadan, the distinction between roleplaying a padjal and roleplaying a white mage is quite clear. There is no way for a player to play as a padjal in this game. I'll admit it's a bit disappointing that you would be so adamantly and potentially meta-game-ingly against a player character's white mage in RP, especially as your OOC vehemence implies you might continue to deny their IC identity even after your character was given proof.

Cause they have the best [hair/faces/animations/cultural lore/etc]. There are a number of reasons one might use to decide to roll a miqo'te over another race. >_>

The shadow was near a fountain, let's say. A nice, pleasant, soothing fountain, to calm all of the rage in Sah'ot's heart. It was located at the steps beneath the Ossuary, and no matter how soothing it was, it was still in the shadow of the Thaumaturge's guild, the great temple to Thal, and the priests and undertakers meandered about in shadows of their own not too far off. D'hein positioned himself near the fountain and turned to Sah'ot, smoothing out his robe. it shone in the sparse light of the shadows. "Now, there was some obscure Ishgardian holiday, if my calendar isn't off..." Sah'ot's left ear twitched and her eyes narrowed. "What are you going on about?" "You know! That..." D'hein searched for the words, "Silverlight shindig or whatever where Elezen dress up in red and expect others to be unusually charitable towards them! It was the... I don't know..." He plucked an item from a pocket and threw it towards Sah'ot. "Happer Ishgardian pompousity celebration that I wasn't around for." The item he threw carried its few onzes of weight at the end of a silver chain. A small metallic item, silverish blue with non-Eorzean metals, and alight in several places with flickering, unnatural lights. No larger than a thumb-nail. Sah'ot snatched it from the air, glaring at D'hein for a moment before frowning down at the object. "What's this - some magical grenade?" she snapped, holding the thing up to her face. The lights blinked back at her; she contemplated hurling it back at the tia. "It has no function except as a trinket," D'hein said, "Of that much I'm certain. The crafts of our... of foreign powers, were disapointingly useless for my own arts -- thaumaturgy, that is to say -- yet they make for pleasant baubles. It's a token from the Praetorium." The Keeper woman gave a flat look to the small square of Garlean technology, then let it drop to dangle from the chain between her fingers for several seconds before letting out a laugh. "Keep your "pleasant baubles" for your lady friend. I've got no need for your shiny favors." And she thrust the trinket back towards him. D'hein blinked passively, "I thought you might not. I did try to find something more plausible, but the detonation of the Praetorium came at a rather unexpected time. I'll owe you something else if you desire it." "Oh you'll owe me, will you?" Sah'ot snorted in amusement at a thought and added, "I'll keep that in mind. Take this to someone else, burn it, wear it yourself - I don't care. It'd only attract the Greenwrath anyway." "As if you don't attract the Greenwrath on your own," he smirked. A flash of her fangs preceded, "Only when I so choose." Then she dropped the chain and its flashy bauble at his feet and turned from him. "Your three minutes are up." They may or may not have been, but she didn't particularly care to count. D'hein tried to snatch the chain out of the air before it hit the ground, but his numb hand instead just slapped it aside, so of course it flew off into the fountain with a despair-inspiring plunk. The Tia's ears drooped, and he appeared very hurt and alone in that moment. "Try not to get yourself arrested by your superiors again, D'hein," Sah'ot commented offhandedly as she walked away, not really paying much mind to his pathetic emoting. Cursing a gentlemanly series of curses, D'hein stepped into the fountain to retrieve the bauble.

((Follows some time after The Dodos are Heroes of Ala Mhigo!)) *** There was no feeling at all in his right hand, now, which made watching the glove stretch over his knuckles a bit more amusing than once it had been. To any random passerby, D'hein was just walking along, staring happily at his own hand as though he'd gotten a whiff of somnus. But to D'hein Tia, this was a shift in his understanding of his own body. Without sense, without pain, and yet his to take care of finely manipulate. Look an employee he'd lost sight of. Which brought him back to Antimony, whom he had been unable to locate using surface means. He'd have to inquire after her at the Quicksand or ask Illira where she was, if she had finished her duties. Obviously Antimony's investigation had not succeeded, as D'themia Nunh had been free to take D'ahl from him immediately upon his return. His plans to have D'themia incarcerated during his absence, therefore, had not matured. D'hein Tia found his office door with his forehead while staring at his hand, a room in a building situated closer to the Arrzaneth Ossuary then to Ruby Road or Sapphire Avenue. Both he and the Nunhs of the Dodos appreciated the distance between his workplace and the D-tribe commune. D'hein watched his right hand fumbling numbly with the walk, giving it an encouraging grin, and then stepped into the room. This place was very much D'hein Tia's own personal space, untouched by D'ahl's mirrors, D'aijeen's fetishes or the Nunhs' obsessively masculine decorations. It was simple by his own standards, the carpets red, blinds red, large windows to let in sunlight. The desk was in the middle of the room instead of at the wall, the chair focused on comfort and aesthetics and a bit larger than others may have likes. Everything was oak with maple accents. A milk bar adorned in empty glasses and bottle set in one corner. Ildur liked to joke that D'hein had his own personal cow hidden inside the bar. But that would've been disgusting as cow milk has to be processed unless one wants to grow fat off of drinking too much. And D'hein's figure was irreproachably exquisite. Even the Nunhs were jealous. And lusting after him, at least one. He smiled at the thought, closed the door around him, and proceeded to actually look at the office for the first time in two months. That D'hein chose his place of work to be so close to the death magics of the thaumaturges did not surprise Sah'ot. The sharp scents of charged aether and ancient spells permeated not only the Ossuary but the area surrounding it, though perhaps the dulled senses of the hyur and lalafells who populated this region were dumb to it. The thought left a superior sneer on her blue, scarred face for a few seconds before it fell back into a bored look. She had stood in the shade of the small awning in front of D'hein's office for two hours, enduring the heinous assault on her senses that was Ul'dah only because one who was her superior demanded her presence. And though one would never get it out of her, perhaps she had shown up early in the hopes of catching one wayward miqo'te, should his empty, blonde head happen to finally turn up. These kinds of things she had been known to take amusement from on occasion. When D'hein arrived at his office, Sah'ot made no sound. Her brown and green clothes, so suited for the Shroud, also happened to make excellent camoflauge against the brown stone of Ul'dah - or perhaps the miqo'te was simply that oblivious. Sah'ot would not have been surprised if so. Either way, he walked right past her through the front door, and with a practiced silence of a poacher who had learned to avoid the very eyes and ears of the elementals, she moved to follow him, stopping the door from shutting as he stepped inside and slipping in behind him. There she stood and waited for the right moment. Illira had taken up root in D'hein's office during her stay in Ul'dah the past few days. While she slept at the Quicksand, she was using the quaint first floor setup as her base of operations as she worked to do damage control. D'hein's disappearance the past weeks was inconvenient timing to say the least. Her mood at having to come back to the city had certainly not lightened since her stay, as the city proved, as usual, to be impervious to changing its dirty tune. At least she'd managed to recover the research that Antimony had done on her job before she'd taken flight. While that situation needed to be dealt with again, it had to play second fiddle to mitigating the recent spike of nationalism that had arisen in the city and outlying areas thanks to the fall of the Praetorium. The paperwork on the ornate desk was in a considerably better state now than when she had arrived, as she'd had to organize and file it in such a way that it could be worked with any manner of efficiency. Besides that, there had not been much change in room, to signal a new occupant. Though, she had had to throw out the disgusting bottles of milk that D'hein had lying about, they were no good, even if she didn't find the stuff repellent in the first place. She looked up from the letter that she was writing, as the office door opened and shut. She watched as D'hein contentedly surveyed his domain, apparently unaware of her presence. She pressed her lips together in a frown. "You're late D'hein." D'hein smirked and walked towards the milk bar. "Late for what?" he said, his mind full of thoughts of the delicious white cream that had been denied him during his stay in Ala Mhigo. Aft er a few steps, he looked up and flinched as though seeing Illira for the first time. "What. What! What are you doing?" He spread his arms in distress as he turned to her, "What in all of the deepest hells have you done to my filing system!?" Illira set down her writing utensil and folded her hands neatly into her lap, "You've been missing for weeks now, and the fallout from the Praetorium mess had to start getting wrangled back under control. I'm merely doing what -you- should be here doing. You're job." She glanced around at the neatly foldered and labeled paperwork set around the desk edges. "As for what I've done to your filing system? You're welcome. It comes complimentary with the takeover." "Takeover?" D'hein said, crossing his arms and looking very serious. "Now, here, I'll have you know I've personally conferred with our Garlean superiors. By a form. So don't pretend I haven’t been working." Illira laughed shortly, "Don't worry your furry little hide over it. It’s not a permanent one, I have no wish to stay in Ul'dah with you. As for your work... well. You're just in time for a meeting, in which you're welcome to explain your actions." Sah'ot hung back by the door, a smirk in her yellow eyes that didn't make it to her lips. She scanned the room from her position, utterly unsurprised that the office shared many of the same, astringent scents as the Ossuary outside but still allowed herself a moment to be disgusted. The curtains and furnishings were as... rich as she might expect from one of D'hein's nature - that nature being of someone overly used to comfort. At his comment regarding his "Garlean superiors", Sah'ot allowed herself a chuckle at the thought of his fluffy bottom actually surviving the decided un-fluffy journey to Ala Mhigo. This was the first sound she had made since she'd taken up "watch" next to his office. "Explain! Hah! My actions? Hah again!" D'hein said, much too absorbed in his own posturing to notice the chuckling of his ashen coconspirator. He swept away from Illira with a shake of hair, a swing of tail, a twtich of his ears and a furling of his robe, and marched on towards the milk bar. "I shall enlighten you as to my actions, and perhaps you all shall explain to me you comparative inaction! Hahah!" "Yes, tell us how long it took you to escape the prison they almost surely tossed you into the moment you came within a malm of the city's walls," Sah'ot jeered and allowed herself a moment to imagine said scene. It was both satisfying and amusing. Turning her head at the new voice, Illira smirked at the sentiment it expressed. "So glad to see you on time as well." "Mere days!" D'hein proclaimed, then stopped short and stared at the wall. "Wait, D'hein, that wasn't a question in need of answer. Next time just-" he spun, aiming a territorial glare at Sah'ot, "Insomniacs! In my office! All manner of order has fled Ul'dah in my absence." "Any order here was just an illusion, I'm sure," the Keeper smirked. "Days, though. Impressive that they didn't simply kill you on the spot." Illira picked back up where she left off writing the letter in front of her, intending to complete it at least, before the real meeting began. She talked as she wrote, "There is rarely any manner of good order here in Ul'dah. And any semblance that you had installed did indeed flee along with you. Did you expect it to continue smoothly without anyone looking after it?" She clucked her tongue in mocking disapproval. "Irresponsible of you to go run off to jail, leaving your poor city to fend for itself." "I made preparations. Irresponsible of you all not to seek instruction and allow such a terrible thing as the fall of the Praetorium to occur!" He scooted behind the milk bar and ducked down behind it to search its cupboards. His voice was muffled as he went on, "Oh, I know you did not allow such a thing on purpose, but at least I proactively sought the eyes and voice of those wiser and more informed than we!" "That's not our duty, sunboy," Sah'ot retorted, folding arms and cocking her hip to one side where she stood in front of the door. "Seems some time behind bars still didn't teach you where we stand in the line of the Empire." "We who do not go above and beyond our duty do not work our way up in the world. She's got no sense of business, that savage!" He could be heard opening and shutting cupboards with greater frequency, causing cups and empty bottles to clatter. "Illira! Have you harmed my milk?" The Elezen didn’t look up at the accusation, continuing to write, "It was spoiled. The mere thought of it sitting there... coagulating, was repellent. Of course I threw it out." "Harmed your milk and rescued our senses. Rare reason from a Wildwood, but she has my thanks," Sah'ot drawled, eyeing one wall idly. "I had it enchanted to last at least a... bundle of weeks!" D'hein declared, popping up from behind the bar with a look of great agitation. "An absolute bundle!" Without looking at D'hein, Sah'ot flicked her tail and mused, "How long do you think it's been since you ran off and got yourself arrested?" "... perhaps less than a precise bundle of weeks." Ildur's arrival was preceded by his heavy footsteps. It wasn't long before he was standing behind Sah'ot, on the other side of the door. He was wearing a rather elaborate blue shirt with long sleeves and white lining. His trousers were of the same color and thread but had less decorations. Still, it was probably just as expensive. In his hands he carried a simple leather folder. After sparing a glance to the Miqo'te woman in the way, he said: "By your posture, I have to conclude D'hein is back. Excellent." He nodded once, quite sure that his conclusion was correct. "Greetings, by the way. Shall we start?" Illira finished writing her letter, signing it with a flourish. She rolled it up and tied it off with twine. Sah'ot stepped to one side, allowing room for Ildur to enter wordlessly. She continued to inspect one wall with a vaguely amused expression. The hyur stepped in and closed the door behind him. Looking up as Ildur entered, D'hein smiled and waved over his head in a single, quick gesture. "Ildur! I've returned. Have you seen what that Elezen of yours has done to my office? It's unthinkable!" "Its reasonable D'hein, unlike you," uttered Illira. "I think we all can agree that your organizational woes are of much less importance than any instructions you could have received during your journey, D'hein." Ildur said, turning around and staring at him. "So tell us. Did you get any instructions for us?" Setting the letter aside, Illira turned her attention strictly to D'hein. "He apparently spent time in jail. So I’m guessing his personal quest was a failure." D'hein dropped his arms to his sides, staring at Ildur a moment, and then crossed them proudly over his chest. "My trip was quite successful. Actually, I was in an airship overlooking the battle in front of the Praetorium, offering my expert advice on the flow of the conflict. At the time which the Praetorium was destroyed, which was something that could only have been prevented thorough means outside of my hands." Ildur sighed, raising one hand to rub his forehead. "So no instructions?" he insisted. "It would appear that his journey was just as detrimental as I had previously thought." Illira sighed, "Did you see or hear anything even remotely useful? We already know that the Grand Companies helped to bring down the Praetorium and destroy it. That isn't news. We've been dealing with that aftermath for some time now." "It's plain to see that our overseers never supported the bid for control being made by Balsaer. They're obviously loyal to the Emperor. And there were massive communications breakdowns between Ala Mhigo and the other locations." D'hein gestured as he explained, his tail whipping around behind him. "What I witnessed, first in Ala Mhigo and then over the Praetorium, was bedlam. I honestly believe the Emperor may be... out of commission." "Watch what you suggest and to whom," Sah'ot snapped suddenly, straightening somewhat from her lazy position, though she didn't otherwise move further into the room. "You saw only what a prisoner might see." Ildur moved further into the room until he reached the desk. "That is enough dodging, D'hein. You have no instructions, and what you believe or not is not of interest to this council." He opened the folder and took a few papers from it, which he waved a little before placing them in front of Illira. "Without instructions, we have to decide our priorities. This is a report about La Noscea and the Maelstorm fleet. I'd like to hear the situation in your provinces." he asked, looking first at Illira and then to Sah'ot. Sah'ot grimaced, ears shifting in disgust at a thought. "With the Empire weakened, Gridanians have had more time to pursue..." she snorted, "questionable relations with the local beast tribe. The Sylphs are tricksters without a loyal leaf on their body, even if they do claim to be working against the tempered ones." D'hein fell quiet, letting his arm drop and stewing. It was obvious that he and Ildur were in disagreement, but he wasn’t going to argue the point. "That sounds familiar,” Illira began, “As Thanalan has begun to interface with a tribe of Amalj'aa near Little Ala Mhigo, even lending them assistance. It’s likely that the growing camaraderie between the Grand Companies and the Beast is out of a desire to gain more allies in their resistance to the Empire. I know that here in Ul'dah, there has been a burst of Eorzean nationalist pride. And as this is a city that traditionally prides itself on its strong sense of independence, separate from that of its sisters. The Sultana has gained more favour and pushes to try lead, above simply that of the Grand Company leaders, perhaps wishing to unite Eorezea under a singular banner, instead of the three." "Wasted resources," Sah'ot scoffed. "They'll all fall to primals at this rate." "That is quite worrying." Ildur started, nodding to his now empty hand. "It was already inconvenient enough when Limsa was the only city dealing with the beastmen. But if this continues we will see beastmen accepted on each one." He turned to Illira, asking her with some degree of incredulity in his tone: "And you say Ul'dah is dealing with some Amalj'aa? The same race that continuously kidnaps and tempers their citizens?" Illira nodded her head solemnly, "Yes. From what I've gathered, it’s only a single tribe of them. But that is likely to expand in the future if this trend continues." "It's not something the Syndicate would stand for," stated D'hein, more an observation than a protest. "Any association with the beast-tribes is strictly banned." "The syndicate is not involved in this matter, they've withdrawn more into the shadows, than when you were last here." "The whole mess is pushed on by those lawless "adventurers"," Sahot spat. "That Gridania exiles people trying to survive but honors those who'd drag them right to the feet of a primal... bah." "Adventuring is quite a profitable endeavor in Eorzea, nowadays." Ildur lamented, punctuating the pause between both statements with a short sigh. "Close to impossible to regulate, that line of work. Even with the Adventurer's Guild reuniting them in one comfortable ledger, we have no jurisdiction in those matters." The Highlander looked around the office, seeking for a chair to sit and briefly wondering where D'hein could have hid them. "D'hein, why am I not seeing any chairs but the one Illira's using?" he gave voice to his great concerns. D'hein answered offhandedly, "I don't do meetings with people I like here, so I don't want to be uncomfortable." And then, moving on, "Why have we no adventurers in our employ, then? It couldn't be too hard to find some who hate the beast-tribes enough to throw a wrench in certain works, and do so with nobility and pride. Beast tribes are beast tribes for a reason." Frowning, Illira said, "Actually, they are perhaps not so different than some of your own kind D'hein. Not you perhaps, but your isolationist cousins. And if they are able to trade to make relations with Ul'dah, it stands to reason that the only reason that the Immortal Flames haven't bridged the gap yet, is simply because they've always been viewed as uncivilized. But they are perhaps just as much so, as many Miqo'te." "I won't argue it," D'hein said. "I'm not saying there's any mental deficiency, though there's a case for cultural, physical... maybe mental. It's all beside the point. We need the Grand Companies to be fighting the primals, not at peace with them, or am I wrong?" The elezen let out a breath. "No, you’re not wrong on that count. For once." "Not tempered by them, either." The Keeper moved then, to pace a few steps into the room before she turned around and paced back, settling once more into the position she'd remained lodged in for most of the conversation. "I suggest we hire some adventurers and stir up the pot," D'hein said. "And I can work within Ul'dah to ensure that people understand that beasts are bad for business. Power is depth of pocket, and Ul'dahns up to and including the Sultana like their power." Ildur nodded in agreement. "That would undermine both the adventurers and the beastmen's reputation in the same stroke." "And in doing so, help destabilize the growing nationalism. Many are starting to revere the adventurers after the exploits of a few. They are all heroes now, whether or not they've done anything to deserve the title. And in doing so, they give the City States a centralized, connected idol. They need a dose of reality. That most of the lot are nothing but thugs for hire," Illira scoffs at the thought. Smirking at Sah'ot, D'hein said, "You're a bit of an adventurer, aren't you Keeper?" "Says the one who went shambling off to Ala Mhigo on some hopped up notion of his own importance," Sah'ot replied idly. "You hold against me my finest moment," D'hein grins a bit wider. "But I brought my own thug, so it doesn't count as adventuring. Just... diplomacy." "Does it really matter D'hein? It was terrible idea. All around," Illira moaned. At that, Sah'ot just laughed and muttered with an ironic tone, "Diplomacy." Scoffing, D'hein muttered in a lecturing voice. "The fruits of my venture will reveal themselves in time, as I'm sure Ildur has faith. Now let's not bog this down with your doubts." he turned apologetic in tone, bowing his head in humility towards Sah'ot. "I meant merely to point out that Sah'ot is skilled in dirty-work and can judge the worthwhile adventurers from those who would fail to make any sufficient impact. Do you disagree that you have such skill, Sah'ot?" "Flattery won't dig you out of your hole, sunboy," Sah'ot said, flashing her fangs briefly at the other miqo'te. Then with a passive look to Ildur she added, "There're two kinds of adventurers - the moral type, and the money type." "Quite a coincidence." he replied with amusement. "That's exactly how many kinds of people there are. I'm sure finding the second kind will be quite easy. Though I'd like to have more permanent assets...but they will have to do for the short term." "Adventurers these days are not in short supply, practically spilling out of the Quicksand doors,” Illira commented. “I'm sure that you won't have any problems locating any." Sah'ot bowed her head, unevenly cut blue and yellow hair falling forward into her eyes briefly with the action. She shook her head sharply when she straightened to clear her vision and gave a curt, "So it'll be," to Ildur. "Shouldn't be difficult to find a few wary of Sylph betrayal." "Quite! And I'm sure both Illira and D'hein will have no trouble finding some of their own while he catches up to what's been going on while he was away on his 'diplomatic mission'." Ildur remarkably managed to not sound like he was mocking anyone when saying this. "Why I may already have a few in my employ," D'hein said, perceiving a challenge and meeting it head-on with a grin and narrowed eyes. "I'll have to check." Illira pressed her lips together, glaring at D'hein, "Hopefully this will not take long to settle out. I would rather not linger in this place longer than necessary." She paused, before looking down at the desk where Ildur had set papers down. She picked them up, "And what were these, Ildur? Anything of particular note?" The old Highlander replied first by moving his hand dismissively. "The Maelstorm has seen the same increase in nationalism you have seen here and everywhere, but they haven't made friends with the kobolds or the sahagin yet." he said. "They might even decide to move more seriously against the kobolds and Titan. But that is just a vague hope right now. The blockades took a toll to their fleet, and I'm sure the sahagin will capitalize on it." The lanky woman nodded her head, "That is about the best that could be hoped for, no real change of note is good, in this case." "Funny that of all of them, the pirates keep their heads with the primals," Sah'ot shorted a low chuckle. "A full-scale war would be better, but I trust the Maelstrom to start one first chance they get. Our efforts are better focused here and in Gridania." D'hein paused to think, "Maybe one at a time. If the Gridanians keep up the best case scenario is they all end up tempered by the Shroud. Wouldn't be much more than another beast tribe if that happened." "Limsa is honest with what it is, even if it’s full of riff raff. They are not so easily swayed the promise of good intentions as the Ul'dahns and Gridinians. That situation should be kept an eye on, but its not the imperative one of the bunch. Resources should be focused here, in Thanalan and in the Shroud. I imagine, of the two of them, the Shroud will be the easiest to turn back, if they're reminded of their superstitions and traditions. Once that happens, and they'll fall back into place." "Will they?" Ildur inquired, turning around to look at Sah'ot. "Their relationship with the Sylphs goes back longer than you think," Sah'ot growled unhappily. "And the Seedseers... They're so bent on peaceful resolutions that they'll side with the enemy itself." "Of course. I'm sure those unnatural children believe the Primals to be somehow inferior and less dangerous than their precious Elementals." he complained loudly. "Sabotaging the Shroud's interests of peace with those creatures is going to be labourious." "If you know them so well, Sah'ot, then surely you have some idea?" Illira pointedly asked. "Surely!" D'hein bellowed. "You must." "Idea of what?" The Keeper snapped. "I've got no direct line to the padjal, if that's what you're implying." "So then you have no idea what benefit they hope to achieve through their renewed relationships with the Slyphs? Those creatures usually keep to themselves. It’s strange to think that they are suddenly so welcoming." "Their intended "benefit" is obvious," Sah'ot huffed. "Lulled into a false sense of security. The tricksters have them thinking they'll keep to their borders and leave Gridania alone, instead of taking them all before Ramuh. Hah." "It's a bit disappointing, to be honest," D'hein deflated, ignoring Sah'ot's explanation. "I had come to respect you, Sah'ot. I expected better. But if you need help I could send my daughter back to Gridania and ask her to look into it." He smirked. "Sending your own off to be tempered. That's low even for your kind, sunboy." Illira frowned, and tugged a braid, "But what you are saying, is not a benefit, Sah'ot. Its merely a protectionist stance." The Keeper waved one hand roughly at Illira. "And that's all they care about." Laughing, Illira says plainly, "So it’s simple then. Make them believe that it’s in their best interest to not trust the Slyph. They are tricksters as you say. The Gridinians know that. It’s as I said before, they merely need to be reminded of a few facts. Such as the base nature of the Slyphs. If they believe that they can no longer be trusted to keep their word, they'll pull back. It’s what they've always done, era after era." Ildur, feeling a complete ignorant about all matters of the Shroud, remained in silence with a frowned brow. Sah'ot shrugged and then rolled her eyes, a bit of a smirk on her thin lips. "Will take more than words, but a few engineered moments of betrayal shouldn't be too hard. Especially if we can find some adventurers who aren't taking kindly to these new friends." "Well, this is all very vague, but a plan of action would be nice. As long as I'm here, being a man of action, I should inspire some." He threw a hand into the air energetically, "I say we all head out! Let's grab us some fresh adventurers and..." he paused, "How does one... should we just tell them to... attack people?" Snorting, Sah'ot gave D'hein a sideways look. "They do tend to do whatever you tell them, with enough money tied to it." Illira stood, raising her voice, "No. That is unacceptable, and puts the lives of the general citizenry at risk. Not only that, but it wouldn't accomplish what needs to be done. They need to enrage the Amalj'aa, and show their own uncouth natures at the same time." D'hein dropped his hand and gave Illira a very straight look, "Well that's why I'm asking." Ildur hummed in thought. "Yes, that was quite an unhappy scheme. It will be better if we take things slow at first." The Highlander found his current pose to be uncomfortable, and for that he started slowly walking around the desk, heading to the broad window. "Hire adventurers in behest of our organization, send them to the Shroud with the express purpose of investigating this newly increased friendship with the Sylphs. Tell them we are worried about what the stability, about how this could affect commerce and the production of goods, or even the inclusion of new goods into the trade routes. We can gauge their interest and their morality once their report their findings back. Later, we'll contact those aligned with our interests and have them perform duties against the beastmen and their allies." "Adventurers aren't the best at judging business," D'hein delivered deadpan, "That's why they're adventurers. They're just homeless people for hire." At Ildur's words, Sah'ot grinned broad enough that her fangs peeked through and glanced at D'hein, "And that's why you're the one who gets arrested by your own superiors." Then, after a brief pause, "They're already being trusted with work for the beasts. This wouldn't be much more demanding than that." Ildur, being a stubborn old man who cannot let things be, replied to D'hein. "We are not sending them to judge business. This is espionage. If adventurers can rob people in the roads, defeat a Primal or infiltrate a Castrum, then they can certainly watch over some flying plants and tell us what they do." Illira grinned at that, flashing a bit of white teeth in the process, "Yes, they most certainly can. And if not, they're not much of adventurers, and perhaps that could be turned to advantage. Send them out to fail in perfect public spectacle. Encourage the ruin of the 'good' adventurer name." D'hein held up one gloved palm, "Fine, fine. And what about Ul'dah? I assume we will want to use adventurers to stir up trouble with the Amal'jaa, but how do we do that without leading the trouble back to us?" "You already said the Syndicate wouldn't stand for an alliance with the lizard men." Sah'ot's gloved fingers tapped against the sides of her arms. "Whoever's working with them, they're not doing it with the endorsement of the city." Illira's grin quickly dissipated at that, "Are you suggesting that we throw support behind the Syndicate?" "Am I?" Sah'ot shrugged. D'hein, strangely enough, did not seem to find amusement in Illira's displeasure. He frowns at ehr and says, "Whether you like it or not, the Syndicate is one of Ul'dah's governing bodies, and the primary mover behind ousting the beast-men from the city. Evan Raubahn and the Flames have a stake in the Syndicate. By supporting the Grand Companies, we're already working with the Syndicate." The tall, long-limbed woman straightened her back further, though it had already appeared as though it couldn't do so any further. "The Syndicate represents exactly what I hope and believe that the Empire will correct in Eorzea. It’s a manifestion of the two-faced corruption that flows so effortlessly in this city. I cannot abide by the thought that we should even consider spreading their influence." Ildur crossed one arm over his chest and raised the other one so its elbow was on the other, and so his hand could hold his chin. "Getting the help of the Syndicate will come with a price that we will pay later on. I would not want to make concessions to them." He looked at D'hein sideways. " I'm sure many of your fellow tribesmen would love the chance to look good in the Syndicate's eyes. Perhaps you could move some strings and lure their interests in the right direction." Frowning even deeper, darkening a bit, D'hein muttered at a near growl, "The only way to have any influence in my tribe is to become Nunh, and you can guess how often I've done that. No, as much as Illira hates the Syndicate, she'd hate my tribe doubly." "I do not find that a hard thing to believe. I am not even fond of you, D'hein." She pauses for emphasis, "No, what we need to do is to get the Amalj'aa to back off. Precisely the opposite of Gridinia. Hire a bunch of 'homeless people' as you so charmingly call them, D'hein, to work with the efforts that the Immortal Flames make. Of course, these adventurers should be ones predisposed towards hatred of the beast tribes, and perhaps even just a few bad workers. With the plan that they directly influence the willingness that the Amalj'aa have to work with the Flames. The relationship is still rocky." "That won't do an onze of good if they're not given better means to protect themselves from the tempered," Sah'ot grumbled. "I think we all know the basic traits an adventurer would need to qualify for our ends. The problem is how to find them." Ildur pondered out loud. "Perhaps we could simply send the adventurers to attack them. An Amalj'aa is no different than other Amalj'aa at first glance." "At any glance." "Yes, well. Perhaps that could work as well", stated Illira. "We could use the corrupt and the desperate," D'hein ventured. "Prisoners and refugees are apt to do just about anything for money. Send weak, selfish, unskilled refugees to help the Grand Companies while we send adventurers to attack the Amal'jaa." "Attack is perhaps not the right word and mindset that we want for this. They should be pushing back the tribes. It’s what many adventurers are requested to do anyway by the tribes that are working with the Grand Companies. It’s just as you said Ildur. An Amalj'aa looks like another at first glance." Illira gnawed on her lower lip ever so slightly as she looked around at her fellow council members. "I think attack is perfectly the right word," D'hein countered. "They're beast-men. They aren't viable allies and we don't want them to be. Nothing sours relations faster than a vicious skirmish." "D'hein," Sah'ot gave an exaggerated emphasis to his name, drawing out the hissing h sound, "is right. If they're just trying some subterfuge, it'll break them before they can spring a trap. If they're really trying to get on our good side, well... we can stop that quick enough." Ildur shrugged. "Attacking. Defending. Driving them back. Same concept but different wording. Just use the correct word with the correct man." He said, nodding. "But I think this settles our course of action about this matter." Recovering from his earlier downcast tone and bristling with a sort of refreshing pride, D'hein crossed his arms and looked smug, "When Sah'ot and I are on the same page, it cannot be questioned that the Twelve themselves have moved our hearts to a united will. Slaying the Amal'jaa is the best for all involved. Victory is practically predestined." Ildur tried very hard to not sigh. He actually managed it, only rolling his eyes under closed eyelids. "Yes, we can say that if we want. What other, more mundane matters do we have to discuss?" he said, taking turns to glance at everyone. Illira pursed her lips, a pinched and sour look on her face. "I suppose it’s for the greater good, though I am no precisely happy about it." At that, Sah'ot just gave a casual shrug, finishing with a bit of a leer in D'hein's direction, and then went back to looking boredly at one wall. She let out a heavy sigh, letting her shoulders relax a bit, "As for other news, I should let you all know, that as of a few days ago, Antimony J'hanhi is no longer under us as a probationary employee. I do have the work and research that she had completed though." The old Hyur tilted his head, though he looked rather neutral about the matter. "Did she quit?" Letting out a small snort, the Keeper angled her ears towards Illira in mild interest. "Sun too much?" Illira glanced around at the others scattered about the office, a slight frown on her lips, "Antimony appeared to be having many personal issues and subsquently found herself unable to continue on with her work." D'hein was still basking in his pride, and he walked behind the milk bar to search it for milk again as though he had forgotten it had been emptied. There was no reaction for some time, until several seconds after Illira delivered her latest line, at which point his head popped back up and he said, "Wait. Who was having what issues and what?" "Antimony Jhanhi." Ildur replied. "Remember that woman that complained to me about you contacting her about personal matters and poking your nose on her personal life? That woman." Frowning deeper, Illira continued Ildur's point, "I do hope, that you did not play a part in breaking her D'hein." "And she's having personal troubles! What kind of-" he jumped clear over the bar, and sounded defensive. "I most certainly had no part in breaking any woman in ways that she did not want to be broken. What has become of her?" "You hope D'hein hasn't interferred with business?" Sah'ot snorted again. Ildur just asked: "Are you sure those are the reasons why she left, and not because she was threatened or she found something in her research that scared her off?" D'hein fixed Illira with a glare that challenged her to be unsure. Shaking her head, Illira said firmly, "No. It had been some weeks since I had received a report, or a response from her, so I checked up on her shortly after my arrival. She seemed to be simply overwrought with family issues and made the decision to run away from her problems. She did apparently gather enough information that it should not be too hard to have someone else finish for her." She paused, "I almost did not get even that, before she vanished." "Family issues!" D'hein threw his hands up in the air, suddenly furious, "Family issues? The coward cannot accept that her daughters aren't dead, can she? Fleeing from motherhood! What a heinous woman! Just the crone that D'aijeen only claimed, but with an edge of seductress!" He walked in quick short circles, "And abused, yes, so easily abused are the selfish! A slimy beauty! A flower in a briar of putrid weeds!" He spun on Illira and said, "I'm sure you helped nothing, casting her away as useless to you all too eagerly! Well I won't accept it! The woman is my destiny!" The briefest of pauses, and then he stopped his pacing, turned away and said more quietly, "That is to say, the plans for which I was utilizing her are destined to go far beyond your meager understanding." Illira's brow furrowed, her voice raising,"D'hein. Do not talk about something that you know nothing about." Scoffing, Sah'ot paced again, just once back and forth. "There's only one destiny, tia. This isn't a counseling group." D'hein snapped at Illira, glowering as though speaking to a lesser, "I know more than you know I know, you know. What don't I know, hm?" Ildur chuckled loudly, making sure the sound would intercept any agitated emotions and make them all converge on him instead. "Congratulations, everyone." he said between faint, dry laughs. "Apparently we have been promoted to idiots, according to D'hein's expert eyes." Then, looking at Illira, he added: "I'm sure you can give us more details and somehow prove him wrong. But!" he raised a finger without chucking, though he did smile. "Be gentle!" Illira glared at D'hein, squaring her shoulders,"I would prefer to leave the details out, as she is now no longer under our employee, and I would wish to not drag out her dirty laundry as I, by happenstance, stumbled into. Suffice to say though, it is not as D'hein so selfishly paints. She is a coward, true, but I will give her that, those she ran from were uncivilized scum. I would admire that she had acclimated herself so well to society. But that is neither here nor there." "I guess that is as gentle as we'll get from you." he chuckled again, but less loudly this time. D'hein squared himself off to Illira. Again. "I scarce think Illira one able to judge the civilized from the uncivilized, as she just as often gets the two confused. I certainly hope you didn't throw her out of town penniless or see her locked up. What has become of the woman? And her little Lalafel, too!" "It's not our responsibility to deal with personal problems, sunboy," Sah'ot grumbled, now looking mildly annoyed. Illira barked out, "D'hein!" before collecting herself again and continuing, "If you would listen to someone other than your own ego for once, you would have heard me say that she ran away of her own free will. I managed to catch up with her right as she was riding out of Ul'dah. We parted on amicable terms. And she knew full well that in simply abandoning her duties she would have no job with us. I had previously offered her the ability to correct her mistakes and transgressions, but it was more important for her to run than to conquer her fears." Rolling his gaze to Sah'ot, he said, "An insomniac one-step removed from an opo-opo would not understand." And then he brought his gaze back to Illira. "Nonetheless." And paused, to think. He gnashed his teeth for a moment, a bit like a herd animal chewing grass. "If you've really no mind for where she's gone, I'll leave it at that for the time being." Narrowing her eyes at D'hein, Illira asked, "Why do you want to know so badly? Do you wish to stalk and distress her more? No. I will not pass on to you where she had planned to go." "Yes. Tell us, what are your interests on this woman?" the Highlander echoed her question. "The interests that we cannot comprehend. You should try to educate us, instead of disregarding us, your co-workers, as uncultured savages." "I mean no such thing, Ildur," D'hein said, his tone collapsing into something more typically conversational. His ears swiveled, one to Illira and the other to Ildur as he said, "It's of a personal nature, but for your understanding, I happen to be the caregiver to one of Antimony's children. This is a fact that Antimony denied vehemently, as though I had constructed it. A very personal vexation of mine, which I had intended to keep personal." "And so you should," Sah'ot shook her head, ears shaking in annoyance. She glanced at Ildur. "The loss of one employee isn't so troubling." Scoffing, Illira answers, "I would not put it past you to weave such a tale, Miqo'te. No. She is better off without you continuing to chase her tail. I'm still rather surprised that she never launched litigation against you for harrasment. You claim personal boundaries for yourself, and yet you give her none." D'hein huffed, "I expected little different from you two." Ildur nodded absently, facing a blank spot between himself and the milk bar. "It is not, indeed." he answered to Sah'ot. "However..." he added, this time facing the other man and walking towards him. "I doubt D'hein would lie to us. That would be despicable and very disappointing. We will assume that he is telling the truth, and because he is, then he does have a moral responsibility with this child he mentions. We have no authority to tell him what to do in this matter. He will solve it on his own." Once in range, he placed one hand on the miqo'te's shoulder. "Just please be more careful about how you handle it from now on, hm?" If Ildur put weight on D'hein's wounded shoulder, the miqo'te wouldn't even notice. He swayed very slightly under the weight of Ildur's arm. "I am always cautius in all things. Though, since Illira refuses to aid me in finding the woman, you'll likely not hear of it again. It's simply nobody's business but my own anymore." Illira shakes her head, stating, "I simply do not agree with your judgment on this, Ildur, given his past history with Antimony." "As I said, we have no authority to tell him not to do anything about it." he replied. "In that sense, I will not ask you to tell him where she went. You also seem to have a certain moral responsibility with this ex-employee, so I will not ask you to break that boundary." He let D'hein go and smiled to Illira. "Though I think we both can agree that this office would work better if you had another month to reorganize his paperwork." he joked, chuckling at the end. "But it WAS organized!" "Just as your adventure to the frumentarii was a success, eh?" Sah'ot smirked and then just rolled her eyes. "If we're done with the tia getting ideas too big for his britches..." "You are aching to return back to the wood then, Sah'ot?" asked the Wildwood. "I'm sure we are all aching to return to our natural habitats. Is there anything else you feel we should discuss?" he asked openly. D'hein pondered for a time, and did not speak. The Keeper huffed. "I can keep reasonable hours there." "Haha. Reasonable. An insomniac who sleeps in trees keeping reasonable hours." Sighing, Illira interrupted, "There's been enough argument already, are we so sure that we want another petty one at the moment?" Brown-clad shoulders shrugged as Sah'ot turned towards the door. "And catch my own food," she adds idly to D'hein before darting yellow eyes to the others in the room. "Dismissed then?" "I will take this as a 'no'." Ildur concluded, placing both hands behind his back. "We will meet again one month from now, in a location that will be disclosed later. I would like to remind you to prepare an update on the aftermath of the Eorzean offensive and to not poke each other's eyes out while you exit the building." Then he nodded to Sah'ot. "Dismissed, yes." D'hein leveled Sah'ot with a straight face and said, "Don't run off so quickly. I know how you insomniacs like to disappear into the woods first chance you get, and I need to steal you for a moment." "I'll get to rounding up adventurers th--" Sah'ot stopped and huffed, folding her arms though she didn't turn to face D'hein. "If it's more of your personal problems, I want nothing to do with it." Illira sat back down at D'hein's desk, beginning to collect various papers and folders together. "We should also discuss at some point who will take up Antimony's work here in Ul'dah." "Unless you have some local in mind, I will send you someone from Limsa to take over. Make sure to prepare a copy of her investigation." Ildur offered, moving towards the door. D'hein shrugs back at Sah'ot, "Why? You can point and laugh and then walk out on me if you want," and then, to Illira, "And you're running off immediately as well, are you?" Illira nodded her head towards Ildur, "Of course." She turned to D'hein, "You will recall that I am to bring you up to speed before I part ways once more from this odious city?" "Oh, the temptation is too much," Sah'ot mocked, looking skyward. She didn't leave, however. "I'm not trying to wrest myself from your influence, Illira. Quite the opposite. When I'm done with Sah'ot," his tone turned grave, "I'm coming for you." And then, with a smile, "I've nothing for Ildur, though, so he's free to go about his much more important business!" "Again with your trumped up sense of authority. Out with what you want to say, sunboy," Sah'ot snapped. The Highlander reached the door and did not open it, instead lingering right in front of it and turning around with faked curiosity. That is to say, with no curiosity at all. It was just that opening the door would let the wind enter and the voices go out. Two things that were not in his best interests at the moment. Illira continued to shuffle papers, probably trying to correct as much as she can before D'hein threw it all into chaos again. "Oh no," D'hein said, smiling at some game. He clapped his hands together and brought the tips of his forefingers to his chin, "The issues I wish to discuss with Sah'ot and Illira are entirely separate and sensitive. Perhaps I'm plotting against both of you with the other, and have to discovered that you are plotting against one another? Or something less enthralling. The ladies will have to discover this separately, though, or live forever mired in curiosity." "Not interested enough," Sah'ot announced suddenly and made for the door. "Ah, if that is the case, I shall take my leave. Though... that brings something to mind." Ildur glanced at Illira. "Did Antimony's lalafel, as D'hein so colourfully put it, leave with her? And is there any possibility she was aware of the investigation or had any information we might not possess?" D'hein protested to Sah'ot, "Oh, come on! It will take five minutes! You're already up past your bed time." Illira shook her head, "I do not know if she knows anything or not. I saw her briefly after I had discovered that Antimony had fled. She did not leave with the woman, of that, I know. Antimony left Ul'dah alone." Her tail lashed roughly behind her as Sah'ot paused only two steps from the door, almost alongside Ildur. "You have three minutes." "Fine! Everyone's using up my time talking about Lalafels!" D'hein threw his hands in the air and marched towards the door to press through between Sah'ot and Ildur. "Come on, Keeper. We'll find a nice comfortable shadow to confer in." The Hyur nodded to Illira. "I see. Well, it's no matter. Have a good day, all of you." He opened the door and kept it open for the two exiting Miqo'tes. He would follow behind them as soon as they left. Letting out another huff of air, Sah'ot considered D'hein's back for a second and how easily she might slip a dagger between his ribs before following him out the door. Lifting a brief hand in what might be construed as a lazy wave, "I'll be here. So looking forward to our chat D'hein." D'hein would guide Sah'ot off to some shadow in the immediate vicinity. Near the good old Ossuary. Because Sah'ot loved the ossuary. Sah'ot hated the ossuary and definitely would hold that against D'hein. She might dock a minute from his time. Or consider stabbing him a bit more seriously. Ildur simply turned in some other direction once they were out of the building, leaving those two to do their conspirations alone. He did not mind the ossuary, for whatever that was worth.

I wasn't really arguing per se, just bringing up an interpretation of features that doesn't necessarily lead them towards being "cat"-like (though at least one of their emotes certainly implies it... *shudder*). ^^; I do agree your character has a very wolfish look to him! I like it.

I just wanna say that the first one is pretty arguable, while the third is not exclusive to cats. The ears look more like fennec foxes than cats to me. Cat ears are generally triangular (though sometimes are more rounded) and are set forward facing, while miqo'te ears are very elongated and are both angled and set more sideways. The tails, though, are certainly cat-like, though not exclusive in form to cats.

Eh, some times, someone wants to roleplay a character concept that pulls on the themes of those jobs. The lore of Ishgard and the dragoons, or the Fists of Rhalgr, or the previously forbidden magics of succor could all be appealing backgrounds for someone looking to build a character.

There's a very massive difference thematically between a conjurer and a white mage, or a lancer and a dragoon, or a pugilist and a monk, or a marauder and a warrior. If someone specifically wants to RP a job, they generally want to pull on the unique themes of that job - e.g. a white mage with access to succor who is constantly aware of the potential destructive nature of the power and whose actions are always at risk of coming under the thumb of the elementals should they do something that could displease them (note how removing the "you are the only non-Padjal to have ever been a white mage" thing does not in any way harm the integrity of the job's key themes); or a dragoon, who represents a very particular cultural identity within Ishgard and whose existence has been tailored to fight a very particular enemy - the dragons.

To begin with, the bath was massively inappropriate. It probably is most of the time, so these very abnormal things should have been expected by K'airos, whether they were or not. It was nothing too scandalous; just D'aijeen being D'aijeen and having issues with boundaries and acceptable affection and such. Also there was a displacement test in which K'airos had to be repeatedly submerged and measured to determine her mass, and probably a lecture on sticking strictly to D'aijeen's planned diets. For once free of the smell of corpses, D'aijeen wore white silk pajamas emblazoned with a "D" in several places. In case anyone doubted they were dodo pajamas. Bare-foot and bed-headed, D'aijeen would sleep for a few hours before rising from bed in a reluctant but practiced motion that did not seem at all asleep. Even though she was still asleep. She would pause for only a moment before taking small steps towards the door to head outside. K'airos was one of those people who instantly fell asleep as soon as she placed her head on a pillow and closed her eyes. One would have thought that five years of living inside the secure buildings of Thanalan would mean her sleep was on the deep end of the spectrum, but that was not the case. There was a terrible thing she did not like, something that terrified her: bugs. After witnessing an insect the size of her foot during one of her patrols, three years ago, something clicked in her brain. Since then, she was extremely easy to wake up. So when her sister rose from the bed, K'airos thought that a giant bug of the Shroud had made its way into her room. It was only a moment before she was sitting on the edge of the bed with her pillow raised, ready to throw it, when she noticed that the supposed bug was wearing clothes. She stared blankly at D'aijeen for a while, letting her do whatever it was she was doing. D'aijeen opened the door with a very slow and deliberate motion. At once the cool air in the hall outside, not that different from the night air of Drybone, slipped in past her. Its smell was heavy with corpses and rain. Wet corpses, the best kind of corpse. D'aijeen moved at a ponderously slow speed into the hallway and turned to head outside, humming as she went. There were few doors in the hallway, and the lobby of the inn was wide open to the outside. Rain blew in, the sound of the downpour like a dozen waterfalls in the distance. Nights in Thanalan could get pretty cold, actually, and even though D'aijeen was not disturbed, goosebumps rose over her body. She shivered when her bare feet touched cool tile. Her long hair over her face veiled her blue eyes, but she caught sight of the light of the aetheryte in the courtyard a ways away. The woman working the desk of the inn inquired of D'aijeen's well-being, but D'aijeen did not acknowledge her. K'airos finally got out of bed and spent some time searching for her boots. She was wearing a hempen camise and trousers, grey in color, much more humble than the silky robe her sister was using. The sound of rain reached her ears, and so she took with herself her unfolded turban. She hurried out of the room and into the hallway, tripping twice with the shoestrings she forgot to tie. Stepping into the rain, D'aijeen flinched, paused for a moment, but then continued down the steps of the inn. The rainfall was so intense that she was drenched in seconds, her green hair plastered against her mud-colored skin like a hanging plant, her silk pajamas slinging to her body. The girl's blue eyes were transfixed on the aetheryte, wide as though she'd never seen the light. She began to hum, a slow tune, something sad but pretty. Just a few repetitive bars. K'airos offered an apologetic look to the innkeeper before reaching the exit door and lingering under it. "Aijeen!" she yelled outside. "You are sleep-walking again!" she added uselessly, knowing the chances of it actually waking her sister up were similar to having Dalamud reconstruct itself and raise to the night sky again. Not waiting at all, she headed out into the rain towards her sister, covering herself with the unfolded turban as best as she could. "Wake up!" D'aijeen did not acknowledge her sister's shouting. She walked down off the steps and into the mud, the rain lifting the stink of rot and stirring it in the air of the pit around her. Her fingers moved, curling into her palms and rubbing against one another, and after a moment the found her silk clothes. She kneaded the fabric of her nightshirt between her fingers absently. K'airos was quite glad she had put on some boots on. She hopped down from the short stairs like a bunny and ran behind her sister. "You are going to ruin that robe!" she complained, trying to grab her by the arms. D'aijeen had no power to resist K'airos' grabbing hands, but did not change her behavior, either. Staring and humming, feeling her shirt. A ways across Drybone's open courtyard, in the shadow of a wall, a wet, muddy form stirred at the sound of shouting through the rain. Grey ears heavy with water shifted towards the noise, and with a shiver, Antimony lifted her head. She hadn't slept - the rain and the chill and the generally uncomfortable situation of sitting in a muddy puddle had doggedly prevented that - but she had managed to drift into a distant haze for a while after she'd finished the apple Megiddo had gifted her. For this reason, while the voice behind the shouting was familiar, she did not immediately recognize it. Turning her head slightly, she squinted green eyes past the smudged lenses of her glasses and was able to make out two forms in the rain. K'airos started dragging her sister back to the inn. "Are you going to wake up...? No?" she asked, not really expecting an answer. "You should wake up! I'm just saying. But let's head inside and dry you up. And then you can wake up!" Unable to stop herself from being dragged, D'aijeen is equally unprepared to keep her balance, nor does she release her nightshirt as K'airos pulls on her arm. She pops a few buttons on her shirt as she is pulled, and talks tiny, stumbling steps backwards, eyes stuck on the Aetheryte. Seeing two tiny round shapes flying away into the mud, K'airos concluded that her current approach would result in a wardrobe malfunction. So instead of pulling D'aijeen by the arms, she surrounded her below them and by the waist. "Wake up!" she insisted, pulling her again. Antimony blinked slowly, watching the two forms move as one grabbed the other, and attempted to make sense of the scene. It was at the very least a distraction from the dull ache that had settled into her joints, the feeling of being soaked down to her underclothes, and the chill the kept her tail shivering against her legs. The winter coat Mitari had given her had become something of a blanket, slung across her shoulders, but even it wasn't completely immune to the wet. Antimony jerked suddenly, eyes widening behind her glasses as her mind finally placed the voice, and a moment later she was stumbling to her feet. Stiff limbs were decidedly uncooperative, and it took her a couple attempts before she was up and hurrying towards the pair in the rain, clutching the coat to her shoulders. She stopped very suddenly when she was about mid-way between her shelter and the two girls, however, recalling the cruel words her youngest daughter had spoken, the threats. The thought of drawing K'aijeen's attention once more, and likely losing K'airos as a result, froze her more than the rain ever could, and she found she could not get her feet to carry her further. She didn't dare even to speak. D'aijeen is a very light and weak girl on a good day, and since she didn’t offer any resistance she's decently easy to move. She stopped humming when the movement squeezed the breath from her lungs, but her eyes stayed on the aetheryte, hands on her shirt. "Did you eat a moth while I wasn't looking?" K'airos joked, mostly to herself. She dragged Aijeen until they reached the steps leading into the inn and, once there, she bent backwards and lifted her sister so that her ankles wouldn't collide with the steps. Then she kept moving, entering the building and shouting to the innkeep: "All is fine! I got her! Ignore us! Ignore us!" Watching her daughters - her daughters, she thought dizzily - return to the building while Antimony stood distant and unable to touch them, to speak to them, to help them, was almost as difficult as watching her family leave for war once more. Her eyes and nose burned as her legs finally managed to move, back-stepping her towards the shelter she'd left, and tried to remind herself of what K'airos - her sweet, resourceful, joyful K'airos - had promised her. It was a small but significant comfort. D'aijeen kept doing that things she do. "This would not happen if you slept with your mouth shut." K'airos continued, moving across the hallway and into the room with D'aijeen. "Or...did you eat one? Ew! Why would you eat one? You shouldn't eat bugs!" There was now a faint trail of mud all across the corridor leading to their room. The inn owner was not going to be happy. But then, it was an inn in Drybone: trails of mud were surely a daily occurrence. K'airos let D'aijeen go near the bed, but kept one hand on her shoulder in case she tried to walk away one more time. "Wake up!" she tried, shaking her. Soaked head to toe, cold and shivering, D'aijeen stares at nothing and... pouts. She pouts just a bit, exhaling in frustration. She begins to hum again and moves to lay down in bed. "Do not go anywhere! I'll get some towels." and with that said, K'airos quickly left the room, her clothers dripping and leaving a sizeable puddle right outside the door. Unhindered, D'aijeen hummed to herself and rolled into bed, puling the covers over herself and essentially going to sleep. This of course makes the bed all wet, and she's still shivering. Opening the door by walking backwards into it and slamming against it twice, K'airos entered the room carrying a large stack of dry towels. When she turned around, she saw her sister in bed and then /she/ pouted. "Oh, for Azeyma's bright pupils!" she complained. "Now we have to change the sheets and..." She shook her head, closed the door by softly kicking it back into place and dropped the towels on top of her own bed. "Stupid moths!" D'aijeen did not snore because she's a lady. K'airos shook her sister energetically and spoke loudly in a last attempt of waking her up. "Stop sleeping! You are going to get sick!" At this D'aijeen jerked violently awake, her limbs flying to either side of her and straining against the blanket she's rolled up in. She half sits up wide-eyed, yelping in wordless surprise and no small amount of instinctive fear. K'airos took a step back. "Are you awake?" Falling still, D'aijeen panted in silence for several seconds, trying to catch the breath that K'airos scared out of her and waiting for the tiny wave of panic to wash out of her. She then declared, tiredly and with great offense, "Yes, Airos. I am awake, quite obviously." Reaching her sister a towel, K'airos smiled. "I'm sorry! You sleepwalked into the rain and you seemed very obviously awake if not for the fact you didn't answer to my inquiries about how awake you were!" "... What?" D'aijeen squinted at the towel as though it had insulted her, looking through the veil of green hair over her face. Gradually, she became aware of her situation, and she pulled the covers off of herself to look at her legs and the bed, all of which were soaked through. She shivered, and when her tail popped up beside her she grabbed it in one hand, pulling it to her chest. "... Oh." After a time, she reached out and took the towel. "Sorry, you were already outside by the time I reached you". K'airos took another towel from the pile and started drying herself up, starting by her hair. "You didn't accidentaly eat a moth, did you?" "No I did not eat a moth," D'aijeen answered immediately, holding the towel up against her chest in knid to her tail. "What kind of question is that? Did I eat a moth. No. No, I did not." "I don't know!" K'airos protested, throwing her arms, and hence her towel, up in the air before resuming to dry herself. "You were staring at the aetherythe while humming, so I thought...isn't that what moths do? Maybe you had one of those fancy dishes using animals from the Shroud or La Noscea or something!" "That's ridiculous," D'aijeen muttered, burying her phase in the towel. She hasn't even started drying herself yet, her tail just shivering in her lap. "And I apologize. This is something that has been occuring recently in Ul'dah. I think I will blame the stress. Yes." "Stress? Why? What happened?" "In general!" D'aijeen stated, annoyed. "As of yesterday you and that woman. I cannot find peace from the many infuriating experiences I must endure." "Oh." K'airos did a good job at looking sad. "But if it started in Ul'dah there must be something else!" she said, standing up and being quite proud of how dry she was now. This wasn’t really much, as her clothes were still quite wet. "In any case we'll forget about all that once we get back to the city, right?" "I'd love to forget about it immediately." D'aijeen said, rolling off the bed with a grumpy huff. "Change the blankets for me, please, Airos." She threw the towel over her head to dry her hair. She has a lot of hair. K'airos pouted. "You are the one remembering it." she mumbled, moving to the wardrobe and getting out some dry clothes. The only thing left for her was a rather heavy red dalmatica, unfit for sleeping; the brown trousers she wore constantly under her armor and some other dark grey trousers people kept telling her were called 'chausses'. She chose this last one and the only cloth she had to cover her upper body. "I'll go get your blankets. Don't forget to clean your feet!" D'aijeen looked down at ehr feet and, seeing them muddied, took on a look of disproportionate distress, and began to clean them immediately. *** At some point during the night, the rain stopped, and not long after this, Antimony finally succumbed to sleep, or simply passed out, but the end result was all the same. Morning rose on Drybone as it always did, the quick warming of earth bringing out the smell of soggy corpses until the town was all but saturated in the smell of rot. This would ease as the day wore by and the land (and bodies) dried, but early in the morning, it made breathing especially unpleasant, even for those used to the phenomenon. Antimony remained blissfully unaware of the smell, tucked against the wall she'd taken as shelter. In her sleep, she'd dropped down the wall until she lay on her side, and the coat Mitari had gifted her lay over her body like a blanket. She went largely unnoticed by those citizens of Drybone starting their day, as a sleeping homeless woman was not a particularly unusual sight for them. K'airos left her room quite early that day, making sure Aijeen was asleep before departing. She had a small panic attack when the innkeep told her there was no "Antimony" registered. But she quickly recovered and as any level headed woman she ran out of the inn and started desperately poking all the refugees about a middle-aged Miqo'te woman with grey hair, glasses and probably no money at all. Luckily for her, there were almost no Miqo'te refugees in Drybone, so finding her 'fake' mother took almost no time. Once she did, she kneeled besides her and poked her once with her open palm. "Hey" she said. "Are you awake?" Antimony had a very predictable reaction to this gesture for one who had gone nearly three days without sleep: She stirred slightly, ears shifting in the drying mud, and then promptly went quiet once more. Not exactly the most uplifting or responsible image to present to her daughter, but we can cut her a bit of slack at this point in time. K'airos did no cut her any slack, sadly. "Did you pass the night outside? In the rain?!" She brought both hands to her face, eyes wide open. "Oh no! You have no money, don't you?" K'airos was so very rude that one would think D'aijeen hadn't taught her any manners at all, especially not about disturbing sleeping people! Ahem. What the young woman's hand could not, her exclamation did. Antimony flinched at the dismayed voice and blinked her eyes open, coughing once as she awkwardly pushed herself up. She could hardly see anything through her glasses, but just over the top of them, slowly awakening eyes caught bronze skin and red hair, and the miserable night in the rain was largely forgotten. "Airos!" As she spoke her daughter's name, she hastened to her feet, catching herself dizzily against the wall for a moment and nearly losing her grip on the coat. Her clothes felt stiff with drying mud, but she ignored them to thoughtlessly wrap her arms about the young woman, pulling her into a hug. "Ah, you're here. You're here. I wasn't imagining..." K'airos returned the hug dearly, perhaps squeezing Antimony a bit too much. "Yes, I'm still here. And so are you...! All dirty and covered in mud. Didn't you get a room at the inn? Do you need money? I...I can spare some!" she said, not letting her go. "It's fine, don't worry about me, I'm fine," Antimony murmured, leaning into the hug and breathing in her daughter's scent. All the rot and death in the world couldn't hide that, a smell she had known since the day she'd given birth. She found herself smiling, though her eyes stung and her vision seemed blurry now from more than just her glasses. "I am simply looking forward to traveling to Ul'dah with you," she breathed. K'airos let the hug linger a bit longer. "Well, we can't go together as that would just make Aijeen mad, but we can meet there!" Moving to pull out of the hug, though not completely, and still leaving her hands on Antimony's shoulders, she said. "I'll be going to Ul'dah today to calm her down. I'll bring you enough gil for a day at the inn so you can pull yourself together and have some food, and then some more so you can travel back to the city tomorrow and meet with me once you arrive. Yes?" A vague weight settled in Antimony's chest, and her brows knit together in distress. "... Aijeen will be there?" She pulled back from the hug a bit as well, grip loosening at the ill thoughts the mention of her youngest daughter stirred. She had been so caught up in the thought of finally spending time with her baby girl, her K'airos, after five years... She had not thought of what the other would do. Antimony drew a shaky breath, coughed when it hitched on something scratchy in her lungs, and then cast an uneasy look over K'airos's shoulder. It felt strange, to be a mother seeking comfort from her children rather than the other way around, and she wondered dimly if she should be ashamed of it, if she should be taking more care of their own worries and needs. So if K'airos wanted to bring K'aijeen, then... "... Alright. I will, ah, see you there soon, then." "Well, I can't leave her alone in Drybone. Even if I did, and knowing her, she'd just follow me." she smiled. "But don't worry! I'll find a way to have time to spend with you. I promise. Now..." K'airos let her mother go and untied the purse from her belt. "Here! I don't want to go back to the inn and find Aijeen awake, because then you'd have no money left and I don't think the refugee look suits you." She handed the bag to Antimony. "It should be enough for the inn and a journey back to Ul'dah!" There was a very sharp, almost painful humility in accepting money from your own children, but Antimony managed it as graciously as one covered nearly head-to-toe in mud, half sick, and oscillating between grief and absolute joy for the lives of family she thought long dead could possibly manage. That is, she clutched at the purse in one hand and flung herself against K'airos once more, holding her daughter to her and just feeling, smelling, /knowing/ that she lived. Oh, and she cried, too, but that was to be expected. "Thank you," she breathed. "I don't know what I... Oh thank you for surviving." Then she forced herself to pull away. "That was Aijeen's doing!" she replied with a smile. She was now, too, covered in mud. She'd blame the rainfall from the last night and some poor refugees who were in too much of a hurry to see her while they rushed away from the plaza. Yes, that would do nicely. She kept smiling. "There's much we should tell each other, but if we start now we'll only finish when Aijeen comes like an angry thunder. Or maybe an angry moth." she said, trying desperately to groom her hair, even though it was already groomed. "I should get going now. Remember! One day at the inn, then get back to Ul'dah. I'll find you when you arrive! Or maybe a couple days later, but I will!" Antimony nodded, keeping her eyes on K'airos as though the woman could simply up and disappear any moment. "I understand." She hugged the purse to herself and tried not to think of what she might do once she returned to Ul'dah, of who she might see. She did not simply disappear. She first waved and said "I'll see you again in Ul'dah!" with the broadest of smiles, giving four steps backwards and turning around at the fourth. She walked away quite happily, and it seemed like she was having trouble walking. Or perhaps it was just her usual excitement manifesting in the form of rampant hopping. And then, she did disappear after taking a turn towards the inn.

I can't think of a single MMO (except maybe LotRO) that was designed with specifically roleplay in mind. That is not an excuse.

I'm sorry, but I am so entertained at the thought of you telling roleplayers to stick to the idiotically restrictive for MMOs lore and then tell them to... roleplay a Padjal. Just lol. Do you even realize what the lore for the Padjal is? Roleplaying one, when they are not a playable race and serve as the governmental and spiritual leadership in Gridania, would be taking an awful lot of liberties with the lore, moreso even than attempting to roleplay a white mage. Yes, this. A thousand times this. The single, tiny bit of lore that the PC is the first and only non-Padjal White Mage in Eorzea is at complete odds with the undeniable fact that this is an MMO and not a single-player RPG.