D'hein paused outside of the Hourglass-or-whatever, smiling at the fountain near the gate and its inscription: "Power is depth of pocket". He didn't smile because his pockets were deep, nor because he liked the idea of power, but because the philosophy was so simple and straightforward and terribly untrue. No depth of pocket could have stopped D'aijeen.
No, power is not depth of pocket. The illusion of power is. And that made this phrase like a weapon for D'hein. The inscription on the fountain, constantly reminding the residents of Ul'dah of the lie, kept the weapon sharp.
And D'hein kept himself sharp by looking in the reflective waters of the fountain and tugging on the tips of his ears. His hair was dirty, his face was dirty, and his clothes were dirty, but as long as his ears were sharp and his mane satisfyingly fluffed -- which it was -- then he would be just fine. He splashed water over his face for good measure anyway. Then he decided his teeth were probably dirty and washed his mouth out with fountain water as well. That was a particularly terrible idea. The water was filthy and tasted like everything.
He was still spitting and coughing when he walked up the stairs to head into the tavern and look for Antimony and K'airos. D'hein brushed his face repeatedly with his ratty, burnt sleeves, pushing inside to look around.
---------------
By the time Antimony had made it back out into the Quicksand, she'd found no sign of neither D'hein nor Illira. This distressed her perhaps more than it should have, and her mind conjured up an image of having to return to K'airos and tell her that all of her possessions were lost. It would break her...
She wavered for a moment, swaying in one spot almost drunkenly before finally turning to rest against one of the Quicksand's railings. She was still there when D'hein returned, fretting over how she was to find K'airos a change of clothing when she had hardly a single gil to her name anymore. She'd worked herself up to near tears by the time she lifted her head enough to catch sight of him wandering back through the door. Ears pressing down to her head she exclaimed, "Where have you been??"
D'hein heard someone shouting. That wasn't all that uncommon in this place, but it was still rude and, besides, he thought he recognized the voice. It was while he was looking out for the rude person that he noticed Antimony looking at him, and greeted her with a smile and a wave. "Ah, hello! Where have you been hiding, hm?"
"Hiding..." Antimony shut her eyes a moment, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose and then rubbing across her brow. She sighed wearily. "We have not been hiding. You disappeared and... ah." She shook her head. "Please tell me you found Airos's things.."
"I found Airos things," D'hein said immediately, then paused to think about it. He walked over to Antimony, gazing at the ceiling, and nodded. "Yes, that's a true statement."
Antimony sagged with relief at that, and for a moment she feared she might actually just collapse. She managed to stay upright, however, eyes closed and limbs limp. "Alright... thank you. She... requested a change of clothes. Was there anything...?"
D'hein pondered this. "Clothes. I think so. At least, I recall Brass Blade armor. Not comfortable, but she'd likely feel very safe wearing it."
Brow creasing, Antimony shook her head slightly. "She deserves something... nice, and comfortable."
"Well it's not like went through her things." D'hein gave Antimony a slightly affronted look, and then shrugged. "Do you still have that dress I got you the once? It would likely fit her just fine."
"Ah, perhaps..." Antimony sighed, then hesitated, and asked quieter, "Was there... anything of Aijeen's...?"
"Just the one outfit. White tights and a corresponding blouse, with that green traveling robe of hers. Girl found one outfit and just wore it all the time. I can't fathom how she got away with it."
Her brow furrowed at that, though her protest was tempered by her own emotional exhaustion, "Not all have the means to own multiple outfits."
"Aijeen certainly did." D'hein nodded at that. "I made sure of it. I didn't want your daughters to want for anything. Of course, I made them work hard, as well! Which is important." He seemed to be swinging into a lecture directed at no one in particular.
“If you have her things, I would return to my daughter," Antimony interrupted his lecture quietly, pushing herself from the railing to turn towards the hall that would take them back to the room.
D'hein looked at his hands and pondered. He looked confused for a long time and then quietly mused, "... Have... have. /Have/ her things."
Antimony paused and tried to ignore the pit in her stomach widening. She turned back towards D'hein. "... Yes. You... have Airos's things, yes...?"
"Have." D'hein watched the ceiling, then looked down at Antimony and smirked nervously. "You know, 'have' is a deceptively pesky word! It can mean so many things! Or nothing it all. I mean, I was jsut thinking about money and the economy, and, you know legal tender. And. Do we, any of us, really ever HAVE anything? Truly, now!"
"Tia." Antimony's features tensed.
He frowned, stricken. "That's such a rude thing to call someone."
It wasn't, but Antimony didn't feel like arguing that point. "It is rude of you to not answer my question."
"I did answer. If anything you should complain about my over-answering!" He gestured broadly at this, his tail whipping behind him. "At any rate, you want me to bring K'airos' things to your room, correct? I'll do that, then!"
"... Yes, please." Her hand went to her brow, fingers shaking against her skin.
"Then don't worry! I'll be right back!" D'hein back-pedalled, spun, and fairly fled from the tavern before Antimony could respond.
Antimony watched D'hein go in half-disbelief. She felt faint for several seconds, and then she just felt like she wanted a drink. Instead, she just lowered her ears and made her way back to her inn room.
No, power is not depth of pocket. The illusion of power is. And that made this phrase like a weapon for D'hein. The inscription on the fountain, constantly reminding the residents of Ul'dah of the lie, kept the weapon sharp.
And D'hein kept himself sharp by looking in the reflective waters of the fountain and tugging on the tips of his ears. His hair was dirty, his face was dirty, and his clothes were dirty, but as long as his ears were sharp and his mane satisfyingly fluffed -- which it was -- then he would be just fine. He splashed water over his face for good measure anyway. Then he decided his teeth were probably dirty and washed his mouth out with fountain water as well. That was a particularly terrible idea. The water was filthy and tasted like everything.
He was still spitting and coughing when he walked up the stairs to head into the tavern and look for Antimony and K'airos. D'hein brushed his face repeatedly with his ratty, burnt sleeves, pushing inside to look around.
---------------
By the time Antimony had made it back out into the Quicksand, she'd found no sign of neither D'hein nor Illira. This distressed her perhaps more than it should have, and her mind conjured up an image of having to return to K'airos and tell her that all of her possessions were lost. It would break her...
She wavered for a moment, swaying in one spot almost drunkenly before finally turning to rest against one of the Quicksand's railings. She was still there when D'hein returned, fretting over how she was to find K'airos a change of clothing when she had hardly a single gil to her name anymore. She'd worked herself up to near tears by the time she lifted her head enough to catch sight of him wandering back through the door. Ears pressing down to her head she exclaimed, "Where have you been??"
D'hein heard someone shouting. That wasn't all that uncommon in this place, but it was still rude and, besides, he thought he recognized the voice. It was while he was looking out for the rude person that he noticed Antimony looking at him, and greeted her with a smile and a wave. "Ah, hello! Where have you been hiding, hm?"
"Hiding..." Antimony shut her eyes a moment, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose and then rubbing across her brow. She sighed wearily. "We have not been hiding. You disappeared and... ah." She shook her head. "Please tell me you found Airos's things.."
"I found Airos things," D'hein said immediately, then paused to think about it. He walked over to Antimony, gazing at the ceiling, and nodded. "Yes, that's a true statement."
Antimony sagged with relief at that, and for a moment she feared she might actually just collapse. She managed to stay upright, however, eyes closed and limbs limp. "Alright... thank you. She... requested a change of clothes. Was there anything...?"
D'hein pondered this. "Clothes. I think so. At least, I recall Brass Blade armor. Not comfortable, but she'd likely feel very safe wearing it."
Brow creasing, Antimony shook her head slightly. "She deserves something... nice, and comfortable."
"Well it's not like went through her things." D'hein gave Antimony a slightly affronted look, and then shrugged. "Do you still have that dress I got you the once? It would likely fit her just fine."
"Ah, perhaps..." Antimony sighed, then hesitated, and asked quieter, "Was there... anything of Aijeen's...?"
"Just the one outfit. White tights and a corresponding blouse, with that green traveling robe of hers. Girl found one outfit and just wore it all the time. I can't fathom how she got away with it."
Her brow furrowed at that, though her protest was tempered by her own emotional exhaustion, "Not all have the means to own multiple outfits."
"Aijeen certainly did." D'hein nodded at that. "I made sure of it. I didn't want your daughters to want for anything. Of course, I made them work hard, as well! Which is important." He seemed to be swinging into a lecture directed at no one in particular.
“If you have her things, I would return to my daughter," Antimony interrupted his lecture quietly, pushing herself from the railing to turn towards the hall that would take them back to the room.
D'hein looked at his hands and pondered. He looked confused for a long time and then quietly mused, "... Have... have. /Have/ her things."
Antimony paused and tried to ignore the pit in her stomach widening. She turned back towards D'hein. "... Yes. You... have Airos's things, yes...?"
"Have." D'hein watched the ceiling, then looked down at Antimony and smirked nervously. "You know, 'have' is a deceptively pesky word! It can mean so many things! Or nothing it all. I mean, I was jsut thinking about money and the economy, and, you know legal tender. And. Do we, any of us, really ever HAVE anything? Truly, now!"
"Tia." Antimony's features tensed.
He frowned, stricken. "That's such a rude thing to call someone."
It wasn't, but Antimony didn't feel like arguing that point. "It is rude of you to not answer my question."
"I did answer. If anything you should complain about my over-answering!" He gestured broadly at this, his tail whipping behind him. "At any rate, you want me to bring K'airos' things to your room, correct? I'll do that, then!"
"... Yes, please." Her hand went to her brow, fingers shaking against her skin.
"Then don't worry! I'll be right back!" D'hein back-pedalled, spun, and fairly fled from the tavern before Antimony could respond.
Antimony watched D'hein go in half-disbelief. She felt faint for several seconds, and then she just felt like she wanted a drink. Instead, she just lowered her ears and made her way back to her inn room.
![[Image: 7gJtlcb.png]](http://i.imgur.com/7gJtlcb.png)
