No more than three days after the final events of What You Are In The Dark
Silence.
If nothing else she could always count on her captain's office to be quiet. Long red curtains swayed in the breeze from the window behind his chair. The corners of a few stray papers curled upwards but refused to lift past the weight of a leather folio resting upon the pile. Coatleque's eyes slowly trailed to a few tendrils of down swaying at the base of a quill pen that had rolled to the side of the inkwell. Her attention was barely drawn by the clearing of his throat.
"I must say your reports are never bereft of detail, Ser Crofte."
The man's eyes could be seen over the final page by the woman sitting on the other side of the desk. Her hair was uncharacteristically pulled to one side of her head and held in place by a bandage which wrapped around to the other side. One arm rested in a sling upon her lap. Despite these injuries, which were rather minor compared to some others, she chose to appear in uniform sans one gauntlet. She managed to look him in the eyes for the barest of moments. A courtesy of habit if nothing more. "Thank you Sir." she replied dryly.
His brow quirked as the page lowered to meet its brethren. Whether the statement was intended as a compliment or not had seemingly gone over his subordinate's head. The slow sigh of resignation which followed had even less impact. "It is over then. The man has fled Eorzea and escaped justice."
She did not look back to him, merely swallowing.
"Ser Crofte?"
"I did what I was necessary to protect our people." Her voice did not change. There was no lift of defiance nor waver of emotion. Just a dry acknowledgement of her part played before the end of of a very long and wearying trial.
"I was not judging your decision." he replied while staring her down. Eventually the man reclined and looked away. Fingers gripping the arms of his chair. "Where is Deneith now?"
"Unknown, Sir."
He glanced back to her with a careful eye as if gauging the truth of her words before chewing the inside of his cheek. The man stood and turned his back to her to look down on the city from the window. "What happened to our eager, young squire Crofte? Usually you have so much more to say during our little chats."
"I do learn, Sir."
"Clearly so." He turned back to the desk and flipped the leather cover back over the pile of papers. "You cannot return to La Noscea." he stated with some authority. Now she looked at him through something of a daze. "That was the deal to keep the status quo. Your exile being a small price for peace, don't you think?"
Coatleque closed her eyes and nodded quietly.
"If the Maelstrom catches you there, they are authorized to shoot on sight. You do understand, yes?"
Another silent nod.
He retook his seat and leaned forward over the desk. Another awkward silence fell over the room as she awaited some form of judgement that neglected to arrive. Coatleque looked up to the man across the desk from her with a puzzled expression. Her mouth opened to speak but she hesitated, the request which came forth was not at all what she intended. "With your permission, Sir, I would like leave to visit the Black Shroud."
"Can you avoid causing another diplomatic incident?" he asked.
"Aye, Sir."
There was another sigh of consideration before a relenting nod. "After all this, I believe you could do with the time away. No more than a sevenday, understood? We need you here, Ser Crofte."
"Thank you, Sir." She found herself standing then, as if she had some pressing business which took priority. Her reflexes stopped her though. Turning back to the desk she saluted with her uninjured hand. "If there was nothing further, Sir..."
The captain returned her salute before taking up the mass of papers she had left for him once more. "If there is, you will be summoned. Dismissed." Turning slowly, she limped for the door.
Silence.
If nothing else she could always count on her captain's office to be quiet. Long red curtains swayed in the breeze from the window behind his chair. The corners of a few stray papers curled upwards but refused to lift past the weight of a leather folio resting upon the pile. Coatleque's eyes slowly trailed to a few tendrils of down swaying at the base of a quill pen that had rolled to the side of the inkwell. Her attention was barely drawn by the clearing of his throat.
"I must say your reports are never bereft of detail, Ser Crofte."
The man's eyes could be seen over the final page by the woman sitting on the other side of the desk. Her hair was uncharacteristically pulled to one side of her head and held in place by a bandage which wrapped around to the other side. One arm rested in a sling upon her lap. Despite these injuries, which were rather minor compared to some others, she chose to appear in uniform sans one gauntlet. She managed to look him in the eyes for the barest of moments. A courtesy of habit if nothing more. "Thank you Sir." she replied dryly.
His brow quirked as the page lowered to meet its brethren. Whether the statement was intended as a compliment or not had seemingly gone over his subordinate's head. The slow sigh of resignation which followed had even less impact. "It is over then. The man has fled Eorzea and escaped justice."
She did not look back to him, merely swallowing.
"Ser Crofte?"
"I did what I was necessary to protect our people." Her voice did not change. There was no lift of defiance nor waver of emotion. Just a dry acknowledgement of her part played before the end of of a very long and wearying trial.
"I was not judging your decision." he replied while staring her down. Eventually the man reclined and looked away. Fingers gripping the arms of his chair. "Where is Deneith now?"
"Unknown, Sir."
He glanced back to her with a careful eye as if gauging the truth of her words before chewing the inside of his cheek. The man stood and turned his back to her to look down on the city from the window. "What happened to our eager, young squire Crofte? Usually you have so much more to say during our little chats."
"I do learn, Sir."
"Clearly so." He turned back to the desk and flipped the leather cover back over the pile of papers. "You cannot return to La Noscea." he stated with some authority. Now she looked at him through something of a daze. "That was the deal to keep the status quo. Your exile being a small price for peace, don't you think?"
Coatleque closed her eyes and nodded quietly.
"If the Maelstrom catches you there, they are authorized to shoot on sight. You do understand, yes?"
Another silent nod.
He retook his seat and leaned forward over the desk. Another awkward silence fell over the room as she awaited some form of judgement that neglected to arrive. Coatleque looked up to the man across the desk from her with a puzzled expression. Her mouth opened to speak but she hesitated, the request which came forth was not at all what she intended. "With your permission, Sir, I would like leave to visit the Black Shroud."
"Can you avoid causing another diplomatic incident?" he asked.
"Aye, Sir."
There was another sigh of consideration before a relenting nod. "After all this, I believe you could do with the time away. No more than a sevenday, understood? We need you here, Ser Crofte."
"Thank you, Sir." She found herself standing then, as if she had some pressing business which took priority. Her reflexes stopped her though. Turning back to the desk she saluted with her uninjured hand. "If there was nothing further, Sir..."
The captain returned her salute before taking up the mass of papers she had left for him once more. "If there is, you will be summoned. Dismissed." Turning slowly, she limped for the door.
