The sleeve of Illira's intricately embroidered linen shirt was long gone, most of in the belly of beast that had tossed her about. And what had been left behind had been cut away to tend her shoulder. In trade for the cloth, it had left behind deep punctures where its teeth had ground into her and a dislocated joint.
It had been popped back into place, stitched up with self-dissolving thread, then bandaged over with gauze and a healers spells. It would heal well enough if she didn't do anything else to it, or practice such stupidity as she had in jumping into the fray as she did. The sling that her arm hung in now was to help prevent such further injury.
So she stood now outside the small hospital building, the small braids that hung by her face waving in the breeze. Free from the others, she now hesitated at what she had so desperately desired earlier, to be left alone. There was an ounce of responsibility that she felt now, which was holding her back. As much as she knew that she had done as she needed to, she had still left a mother without her daughter. Was there anything that she could do to assist in the matter though? Nothing at all. Her face was the last that they would want to see, even if she had any wish to be apart of whatever was between that clique.
It wasn't running, not now anyway. She'd fulfilled her part in this, played the villain and protector. What more was here for her? Anger, rage, and impulsivity. Making her way over to the chocobo stable, Illira talked with their minder, assuring him that she would be perfectly fine riding with one arm.
D'hein wandered away from the inn's tavern, patting at his ruined clothes. At least he was fed and had been able to sleep, however briefly, but he didn't feel all that much better. At most he was no longer in present danger of passing out in the middle of a sentence. And watching D'aijeen die hadn't helped his mood at all. Still, he saw Illira at the Chocobo master, and after only an instant of hesitation, forced his tired body into a trot towards her. The Dodo's hair and tail bounced like feathers, one ear flopping limp on his head. "Illira!"
Her eyes shut as soon as the honey-sweet, grating voice made its way to her. She hadn't gotten out of the care of the healers quickly enough to avoid a scene it seemed. "One moment," she said to the Chocobo master letting him go back about his business as she turned away from him to walk a few steps towards D'hein, "What?" she said tersely.
The man kept up his trot until he could stop in front of Illira, a smile on her face. "Hey, you're going back to Ul'dah? I thought you hated it there."
"I do. I won't be staying there." The elezen looked down her nose at the coworker.
"Oh, that's fine! I can probably take care of Ul'dah just fine, now. Because. You know. less distractions." He said this with a smile, still, then stood up a bit straighter. His tail twitched back and forth behind him. "Hey, I wanted to thank you."
---------------
Antimony had hung back as D'hein left the tavern, turning her attention to her daughter who had returned not long ago lacking her box of smallshells. "Do you need anything, dear? More rest? Food? If you'd like a pet, we could see about getting you... ah, a chocobo perhaps? You used to help feed them..."
K'airos followed her mother outside, her head hung low. "Stables are expensive." she answered flatly. The idea made her look towards the chocobo stable, though, and she noticed D'hein and Illira. She just blinked in their direction.
"Why would you need a stable? They like to run." Antimony tried a smile, though it turned out more sad than happy. "And the chicks are rather cute."
K'airos shrugged, arms crossed. "We'd have to keep them somewhere."
Ears drooping slightly, Antimony watched her daughter's posture for a moment. Then her brow furrowed and, seemingly overcome, she stepped closer to pull her into a hug. "You just let me know anything you want, Airos," she murmured. "I will make sure you get it."
The young Miqo'te accepted the hug and lingered on it for a while, resting her head on her mother's shoulder. "What is D'hein doing?" she asked afterwards, still in the hug.
---------------
Shifting her weight, Illira said, "There isn't anything to thank me for. I killed your twelves-forsaken daughter, D'hein. And I'm only sorry that she rose back up."
"So am I. That's what I'm thanking you for." D'hein held his hands out in front of him, palm up, gesturing openly as he spoke. "I knew it would have to be done. I came here to do it. But I didn't know if I could. You're the one who stepped in and... It was ugly. I don't have much of a stomach for that kind of thing."
"No one should. But sometimes it must be done, for the good of all. I was just unfortunate enough to learn about such many years ago." Lifting her head, Illira caught sight of the mother and daughter pair a little ways off, "I'm... glad that you see the truth of it though. That is a powerful thing."
"I've always been better at using paperwork and information to get what I want. D'themia I could handle on my own. But..." He shrugs. He hasn't lost his smile at all, though he closes his eyes. "Killing D'aijeen isn't something I could have done."
"And it shouldn't have been something that was required of you, even if you'd had it in you." The woman paused, before choosing her next words carefully, "You will let me go now, right? You have far more important things to take care of than watching me."
---------------
Antimony blinked, sighed, and pulled back just enough to glance over her shoulder. Green eyes settled on the Tia and his elezen companion after a moment, and her tail drooped. "I... don't know. Seeing if she is healed, I suppose."
"Maybe they are planning to go back to Ul'dah, already?" K'airos pulled out from the hug and gestured in their direction.
The crease between Antimony's brows deepened at that. Keeping an arm on K'airos, she began to cross the courtyard towards the pair by the chocobos.
The girl followed, her tail hidden between her legs.
---------------
"Are you still two seconds away from killing me?" D'hein opened one eye half-way, looking Illira over.
"I am tired right now, D'hein. Thats all. I really don't have room for much else at the moment." She glanced down at her arm in its sling as she finished, "And I know you are as well. So I would not make judgements on such things right now while we are not quite ourselves."
D'hein holds up a finger. "Use that logic next time you're irate and maybe you'll realize you don't feel so much like killing me after all. Remember: the only difference between a murderer and a person of high moral standing, is that the murderer acts on things that everyone else only fantasizes about. It's not like I've never wanted cut off Sah'ot's tail."
"What you just said isn't... Removing Sah'ot's isn't an act of good. I'll keep my own counsel, thank you," answered Illira.
"Have you seen her tail? It's beautiful. She doesn't deserve it." He crosses his arms. "Anyway. Everyone who does something wrong thinks it's an 'act of good' at the time. Just think about it."
Antimony slowed as she approached D'hein and Illira. She gave the Tia a mildly confused look as she overheard the tail end of their conversation.
Jaw tightening, Illira glances away from D'hein to the approaching women, "What you speak of, and I speak of are entirely different things D'hein."
"They aren't. You just want them to be. The fact that you believe that is why there's a problem between us." His tail flips around behind him.
"Are you leaving for Ul'dah?" Antimony finally spoke, looking between D'hein and Illira as though unsure to whom to direct the question.
"I am leaving," Illira answers, letting the difference of opinion rest between her and D'hein for the moment.
K'airos hesitated, looking at D'hein. "Are you leaving, too?" she asked him.
The man spun towards K'airos. "Well, what's in Horizon? We should all go."
Illira's attention turned back to D'hein, a frown forming on her thin lips, "Please, don't leave on my account."
"I... suppose one place is as good as any for now." Antimony looked towards K'airos.
The young woman rubbed her forearm. "What about our...my things...they are still in Vesper Bay."
D'hein looks over his shoulder at Illira. "There's nothing in Horizon. Home is Ul'dah. I think everyone should just go home."
"Home is..." Antimony trailed off, and then squeezed K'airos's arm. "We can retrieve your things, dear. And... take it from there."
Shrugging, Illira turns back to stable to finish dealing with the chocobo master, "Then you should do that."
K'airos nodded slowly and just once. "Getting my things would be nice." she mumbled.
Finally looking towards K'airos, he says, "Do you mean in Vesper Bay?"
"Yes."
The thought of returning to that harbour town made Antimony's blood run cold, but she would do it for K'airos. "It shouldn't take long."
After getting the chocobo master's attention again, Illira reiterates her original request, passing gil into the man's hand.
"You two go back to Ul'dah. I'll get K'airos' things. I don't want either of you going back there." He looks over towards where Illira went. "Illira! Can you see these ladies back to the Quicksand for me?"
Reigns in her hand, Illira turns back to the odd family leading the chocobo behind her. Luckily, this one seemed much more content and easy-going than the last one, "They can tag along if they wish."
Antimony gave her daughter a concerned look. "Will that be alright with you, Airos?"
"Yeah. That'll be fine." she answers weakly. Smiling and looking at the man, she adds: "Thank you, D'hein."
Bowing her head slightly, Antimony turned towards the chocobo master, though she did offer a brief, weary look D'hein's way.
D'hein steps out of everyone's way, letting them get to the Chocobos. "I'll see you two in Ul'dah, once I've gotten K'airos' stuff. So wait for me. Thanks again, Illira."
Looping the reigns over the chocobo's head, Illira held them at the pommel of the saddle and brought her foot up to the stirrup. Her other leg, long as it was pushed off from the ground as she pulled herself up with her hand. The whole process much more awkward without the use of one of her arms. But she managed, "I still do not think that you should be thanking me D'hein."
K'airos, not wanting to interrupt, but also thinking they shouldn't waste time, centred her attention on the chocobokeep and asked him to have prepared other two birds soon.
"The fact that you believe that is one of the reasons we have a problem." D'hein chuckled.
"So you tell yourself," Illira glances over her shoulder at the other two women, waiting on them before she could depart.
Antimony waited in silence for two chocobos to be readied. It didn't take long, and she soon accepted the reins of one from the chocobokeep. She hoisted herself upon it wordlessly and then cast a distant look D'hein's way. "Be careful in that place. Corruption... does not fade so easily."
K'airos seemed to want to protest, but she said nothing. Or perhaps it was just the effort of getting on her own mount that made her look like that.
"I'm trained in Thaumaturgy!" D'hein whipped out his sceptre to demonstrate. "Cleansing corruption is one of my talents."
Antimony just sighed at that, ears lowering, and took up her chocobo's reins. "Come, Airos. We... shouldn't make Miss Carceri wait."
Reigning her Chocobo towards the Ul'dah facing exit, Illira nodded towards Antimony, "Let D'hein take care of himself. Those other two may still be there as well. So that may be some comfort to you."
K'airos kept quiet while she moved her own chocobo towards the exit.
It wasn't any comfort at all, and Antimony's tail shivered in silent protest of it. She urged her chocobo on though.
D'hein watched them go and waved his hand high over his head.
It had been popped back into place, stitched up with self-dissolving thread, then bandaged over with gauze and a healers spells. It would heal well enough if she didn't do anything else to it, or practice such stupidity as she had in jumping into the fray as she did. The sling that her arm hung in now was to help prevent such further injury.
So she stood now outside the small hospital building, the small braids that hung by her face waving in the breeze. Free from the others, she now hesitated at what she had so desperately desired earlier, to be left alone. There was an ounce of responsibility that she felt now, which was holding her back. As much as she knew that she had done as she needed to, she had still left a mother without her daughter. Was there anything that she could do to assist in the matter though? Nothing at all. Her face was the last that they would want to see, even if she had any wish to be apart of whatever was between that clique.
It wasn't running, not now anyway. She'd fulfilled her part in this, played the villain and protector. What more was here for her? Anger, rage, and impulsivity. Making her way over to the chocobo stable, Illira talked with their minder, assuring him that she would be perfectly fine riding with one arm.
D'hein wandered away from the inn's tavern, patting at his ruined clothes. At least he was fed and had been able to sleep, however briefly, but he didn't feel all that much better. At most he was no longer in present danger of passing out in the middle of a sentence. And watching D'aijeen die hadn't helped his mood at all. Still, he saw Illira at the Chocobo master, and after only an instant of hesitation, forced his tired body into a trot towards her. The Dodo's hair and tail bounced like feathers, one ear flopping limp on his head. "Illira!"
Her eyes shut as soon as the honey-sweet, grating voice made its way to her. She hadn't gotten out of the care of the healers quickly enough to avoid a scene it seemed. "One moment," she said to the Chocobo master letting him go back about his business as she turned away from him to walk a few steps towards D'hein, "What?" she said tersely.
The man kept up his trot until he could stop in front of Illira, a smile on her face. "Hey, you're going back to Ul'dah? I thought you hated it there."
"I do. I won't be staying there." The elezen looked down her nose at the coworker.
"Oh, that's fine! I can probably take care of Ul'dah just fine, now. Because. You know. less distractions." He said this with a smile, still, then stood up a bit straighter. His tail twitched back and forth behind him. "Hey, I wanted to thank you."
---------------
Antimony had hung back as D'hein left the tavern, turning her attention to her daughter who had returned not long ago lacking her box of smallshells. "Do you need anything, dear? More rest? Food? If you'd like a pet, we could see about getting you... ah, a chocobo perhaps? You used to help feed them..."
K'airos followed her mother outside, her head hung low. "Stables are expensive." she answered flatly. The idea made her look towards the chocobo stable, though, and she noticed D'hein and Illira. She just blinked in their direction.
"Why would you need a stable? They like to run." Antimony tried a smile, though it turned out more sad than happy. "And the chicks are rather cute."
K'airos shrugged, arms crossed. "We'd have to keep them somewhere."
Ears drooping slightly, Antimony watched her daughter's posture for a moment. Then her brow furrowed and, seemingly overcome, she stepped closer to pull her into a hug. "You just let me know anything you want, Airos," she murmured. "I will make sure you get it."
The young Miqo'te accepted the hug and lingered on it for a while, resting her head on her mother's shoulder. "What is D'hein doing?" she asked afterwards, still in the hug.
---------------
Shifting her weight, Illira said, "There isn't anything to thank me for. I killed your twelves-forsaken daughter, D'hein. And I'm only sorry that she rose back up."
"So am I. That's what I'm thanking you for." D'hein held his hands out in front of him, palm up, gesturing openly as he spoke. "I knew it would have to be done. I came here to do it. But I didn't know if I could. You're the one who stepped in and... It was ugly. I don't have much of a stomach for that kind of thing."
"No one should. But sometimes it must be done, for the good of all. I was just unfortunate enough to learn about such many years ago." Lifting her head, Illira caught sight of the mother and daughter pair a little ways off, "I'm... glad that you see the truth of it though. That is a powerful thing."
"I've always been better at using paperwork and information to get what I want. D'themia I could handle on my own. But..." He shrugs. He hasn't lost his smile at all, though he closes his eyes. "Killing D'aijeen isn't something I could have done."
"And it shouldn't have been something that was required of you, even if you'd had it in you." The woman paused, before choosing her next words carefully, "You will let me go now, right? You have far more important things to take care of than watching me."
---------------
Antimony blinked, sighed, and pulled back just enough to glance over her shoulder. Green eyes settled on the Tia and his elezen companion after a moment, and her tail drooped. "I... don't know. Seeing if she is healed, I suppose."
"Maybe they are planning to go back to Ul'dah, already?" K'airos pulled out from the hug and gestured in their direction.
The crease between Antimony's brows deepened at that. Keeping an arm on K'airos, she began to cross the courtyard towards the pair by the chocobos.
The girl followed, her tail hidden between her legs.
---------------
"Are you still two seconds away from killing me?" D'hein opened one eye half-way, looking Illira over.
"I am tired right now, D'hein. Thats all. I really don't have room for much else at the moment." She glanced down at her arm in its sling as she finished, "And I know you are as well. So I would not make judgements on such things right now while we are not quite ourselves."
D'hein holds up a finger. "Use that logic next time you're irate and maybe you'll realize you don't feel so much like killing me after all. Remember: the only difference between a murderer and a person of high moral standing, is that the murderer acts on things that everyone else only fantasizes about. It's not like I've never wanted cut off Sah'ot's tail."
"What you just said isn't... Removing Sah'ot's isn't an act of good. I'll keep my own counsel, thank you," answered Illira.
"Have you seen her tail? It's beautiful. She doesn't deserve it." He crosses his arms. "Anyway. Everyone who does something wrong thinks it's an 'act of good' at the time. Just think about it."
Antimony slowed as she approached D'hein and Illira. She gave the Tia a mildly confused look as she overheard the tail end of their conversation.
Jaw tightening, Illira glances away from D'hein to the approaching women, "What you speak of, and I speak of are entirely different things D'hein."
"They aren't. You just want them to be. The fact that you believe that is why there's a problem between us." His tail flips around behind him.
"Are you leaving for Ul'dah?" Antimony finally spoke, looking between D'hein and Illira as though unsure to whom to direct the question.
"I am leaving," Illira answers, letting the difference of opinion rest between her and D'hein for the moment.
K'airos hesitated, looking at D'hein. "Are you leaving, too?" she asked him.
The man spun towards K'airos. "Well, what's in Horizon? We should all go."
Illira's attention turned back to D'hein, a frown forming on her thin lips, "Please, don't leave on my account."
"I... suppose one place is as good as any for now." Antimony looked towards K'airos.
The young woman rubbed her forearm. "What about our...my things...they are still in Vesper Bay."
D'hein looks over his shoulder at Illira. "There's nothing in Horizon. Home is Ul'dah. I think everyone should just go home."
"Home is..." Antimony trailed off, and then squeezed K'airos's arm. "We can retrieve your things, dear. And... take it from there."
Shrugging, Illira turns back to stable to finish dealing with the chocobo master, "Then you should do that."
K'airos nodded slowly and just once. "Getting my things would be nice." she mumbled.
Finally looking towards K'airos, he says, "Do you mean in Vesper Bay?"
"Yes."
The thought of returning to that harbour town made Antimony's blood run cold, but she would do it for K'airos. "It shouldn't take long."
After getting the chocobo master's attention again, Illira reiterates her original request, passing gil into the man's hand.
"You two go back to Ul'dah. I'll get K'airos' things. I don't want either of you going back there." He looks over towards where Illira went. "Illira! Can you see these ladies back to the Quicksand for me?"
Reigns in her hand, Illira turns back to the odd family leading the chocobo behind her. Luckily, this one seemed much more content and easy-going than the last one, "They can tag along if they wish."
Antimony gave her daughter a concerned look. "Will that be alright with you, Airos?"
"Yeah. That'll be fine." she answers weakly. Smiling and looking at the man, she adds: "Thank you, D'hein."
Bowing her head slightly, Antimony turned towards the chocobo master, though she did offer a brief, weary look D'hein's way.
D'hein steps out of everyone's way, letting them get to the Chocobos. "I'll see you two in Ul'dah, once I've gotten K'airos' stuff. So wait for me. Thanks again, Illira."
Looping the reigns over the chocobo's head, Illira held them at the pommel of the saddle and brought her foot up to the stirrup. Her other leg, long as it was pushed off from the ground as she pulled herself up with her hand. The whole process much more awkward without the use of one of her arms. But she managed, "I still do not think that you should be thanking me D'hein."
K'airos, not wanting to interrupt, but also thinking they shouldn't waste time, centred her attention on the chocobokeep and asked him to have prepared other two birds soon.
"The fact that you believe that is one of the reasons we have a problem." D'hein chuckled.
"So you tell yourself," Illira glances over her shoulder at the other two women, waiting on them before she could depart.
Antimony waited in silence for two chocobos to be readied. It didn't take long, and she soon accepted the reins of one from the chocobokeep. She hoisted herself upon it wordlessly and then cast a distant look D'hein's way. "Be careful in that place. Corruption... does not fade so easily."
K'airos seemed to want to protest, but she said nothing. Or perhaps it was just the effort of getting on her own mount that made her look like that.
"I'm trained in Thaumaturgy!" D'hein whipped out his sceptre to demonstrate. "Cleansing corruption is one of my talents."
Antimony just sighed at that, ears lowering, and took up her chocobo's reins. "Come, Airos. We... shouldn't make Miss Carceri wait."
Reigning her Chocobo towards the Ul'dah facing exit, Illira nodded towards Antimony, "Let D'hein take care of himself. Those other two may still be there as well. So that may be some comfort to you."
K'airos kept quiet while she moved her own chocobo towards the exit.
It wasn't any comfort at all, and Antimony's tail shivered in silent protest of it. She urged her chocobo on though.
D'hein watched them go and waved his hand high over his head.
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