"Osric."
"...Mikh'a?"
"It's done."
"It's...? Oh. Oh! It's done. Good. Aye. Definitely good."
"Yes."
A long moment of silence passed between them.
"....what's next?"
"I'm meeting with Rotunda."
"That, uh. That sounds like a change o' plans."
"He needs to stop recruiting. I'm not leaving Mor Dhona until he's gone. Have you found a place to detonate the bomb?"
"I've only been out that way once, mind, but there's a spot or two that seemed suitable. What they call the Singin' Shards, for one. That damned tower for another."
"I want to cross the threshold of the Crystal Gate. There’ll be no risk of anyone else getting hurt that way, in case something goes wrong."
"We'll need t'scout the place, then. Ain't sure there's anywhere t'hide two or more bodies. We're bein' followed, Sei isn't."
"We'll find somewhere. He's killed us for the last time."
"He…." A grunt. "Let me know what y'need, 'n' when."
"He's really dead this time." There came a sharp intake of breath. "I saw it."
“...let me know.â€
"So... what's this private talk about, eh?"
Osric glanced down at Kanaria as she rested against his shoulder, and then he looked back up at the horizon. He’d brought her to this small little corner of Ishgard -- a quaint balcony, hidden away behind the manse of House Haillenarte -- for some much-deserved peace and quiet. They’d spent the past half-bell or so speaking in low, hushed tones… talking, laughing, fooling around as they watched the men and women bustling about, far below, in the Crozier.
"I've a lot to tell you. Been waitin' on a good time for it... didn't want you worryin' any more than you already were, what with expectin' and everythin' else we've got on our plates."
"I understand, but I still need to be let in now and again, love."
"I know. First thing's first, then, and I think you might already know this bit: I want you t'meet Thomys. Properly, I mean, not in passin'. Mirke's gettin' close. Should be able t'return to Limsa soon, the two of us together."
Kanaria bit down into her lower lip.
"You mean...." She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "I hope she can do it! I wouldn't have to rule out a beach house for us, then."
He laughed. "I thought you wanted somethin' in the Beds?"
Kanaria shrugged. "Maybe... but think... the beach…."
"Heh. Aye, not a bad thought. I'd like that." His eyes gleamed as he smiled and nodded. "Second item o' concern: might have found someone who can help us with shippin' and receivin' out of and back into the Goblet."
She lofted an eyebrow, and Osric waved a hand.
"You know, for the less legal shite."
Kanaria leaned in and pressed a loving kiss to his cheek. Her lavender eyes shifted to the side and back. "Do we really want to get into things like that?"
“We're sort of already into things like that. I'd like t'keep us out o' trouble, at the least." Osric tossed his head this way and that. "Would you like to meet the man handlin' the details for us? I need t'speak with him within the next sennight or so."
She chuckled. "I know... still. And yes, I'd love to."
She took his hand and pulled it closer to rest over her stomach. He grinned… then eyed her warily.
"That's the good news,†he went on to say. “The rest is bad. Bad, 'n' worse, but we can pull through. Just need you to trust me, alright?"
"Always love... I know what you are speaking of... and I doubt I have to tell you that I had a run-in with your Master."
"...you did?"
He blinked and stared at her.
"Yes.." Her hand squeezed his gently. "It's alright... nothing bad happened, and nothing will."
“....alright." He shook his head and let that topic pass. "What's next has t'do mostly with the runt... and partly with you. With what you've got up here."
He reached up and tapped her temple with a finger. She looked down at her lap.
"I've had a feeling about that…."
"Mm. Let me finish?"
She nodded.
"Might recall, moons back, I told you I had t'go with Nahare 'n' Mikh'a. Askier was missin', and word was the runt had him. This ringin' any bells, or...? Was a bit rushed at the time, I might not've gotten all the words out right."
"Yes, I remember…."
"We lucked out. Had the... ain't goin' t'call him good... had the sane one on our hands. We spoke. At length. About his other half, the half that's posin' as some sort o' avatar o' the void hellsbent on destroying everyone and everything." Osric shrugged. "He had a very interestin' theory about his other half that terrifies me even now."
Kanaria licked over her lips. "You know that darkness I mentioned in my letter to you…?"
"Aye, that'd be what he was tellin' us about." He sighed. "Said that the reason Epinoch seems t'defy all sense 'n' rules is because he's half here 'n' half not. Caught between our world 'n' the void. That there's a piece of him that's tetherin' him to our reality."
She looked away, went pale. He reached up, his hand leaving her stomach to cradle her chin.
"Listen. We're going t'deal with this. We'll handle it. And I'll tell you how, right now."
She closed her eyes. "By being strong."
Osric smiled.
"That, for starters. But you're goin' t'need to trust me 'n' the rest of the company for a short while. Not long. A sennight or two. Because, as far as we can guess, we don't know what he can and can't know if you're the one who knows it first." He lifted her chin, turned her eyes back to his. "Can you do that for us? Just for a little while?"
Kanaria looked up at him. "I understand, and I trust you, all of you…."
He kissed her, soft and swift, his hand running through her hair. She shivered and, after what seemed like an eternity, he pulled back a touch, caught his breath, and whispered.
"One sun soon, one of us'll come to you. Might be me. Might be Mikh'a. Might even be Adin, damn him. That's when you'll have to act. That's when you'll need to end him. Bait him, flush him out, throw him out the doors, make him leave you in peace. Understand? Not yet. But soon. When we come t'you."
Osric looked into her eyes. There was a brief moment in which he thought he could make out his emerald eyes in her lavender… and then the moment passed as she set her jaw and nodded to him.
"Of course... but for now... will you stay with me tonight?"
"Aye. I'm plannin' on stayin' for a few suns, at least. Spriggan missed her mother… hells, I missed her mother.".
"I've missed all of you." She hugged him close. "Mind if we go now? I'd love to cuddle up with the both of you… fall asleep in a warm, comfy bed…."
He barked a laugh as he offered her a hand. "Course! Up you go, then."
"Mm. Thank you love."
He rose to his own feet after her, and there came that familiar brush of warmth, that voice inside his head….
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
A dull ache, intruding upon his thoughts. The stones slipped out from beneath his feet as the world twisted and turned over onto itself. Sharp pain. Red… then black.
An image… a scene, unbidden… Mikh'a, atop a table in a dim-lit room. Osric's voice drifting in from just out of sight....
"You're askin' me to hide this from Kanaria, if I even can. She might forgive me for tryin' t'keep her safe... but she'll rip into you for this."
He fell silent. Of course he fell silent. This was Korofi’s turn to speak.
Mikh'a's expression.... sour. Mikh’a’s voice… serious.
"If the price to pay to protect all of us from Jin'li is her hating me, then so be it. But this is just as much for her as it is everyone else. There is too much at stake. If this works, then it will be worth any anger anyone might theoretically have. The benefits of this going off without any issue far outweigh what should be a brief bout of anger over secret keeping.â€
The calico’s eyes… narrowed.
“He. Lives. In. Her. Head.â€
Forceful enunciation… frustrated tone.
"We cannot risk this!"
The hard press of solid stonework against his back… he clutched at his forehead, at his temples, teeth grinding against one another until the red receded. When he could see again….
What he saw took his breath away, though not in the usual way. This was less the vision of strength and beauty he’d grown accustomed to, and more a vision of fear, pain, and loss.
Kanaria stood before him, her hands holding him steady. Confusion was in her eyes… as were tears, welled up, yet to be shed. Her lips were somewhat parted, and whatever question had been weighing her down and gracing the tip of her tongue vanished into thin air, and what came out instead was--
“Ossy…?â€
He experienced a moment of panic… then he drove out each and every thought. A new slate. Fresh. Warm. Blank.
“I’m fine, I’m fine… I think… what…?†He blinked. “...to the Knight, right? Don’t know why I just lost m’footing there.â€
He smiled for her, and she returned the gesture, stepping to his side to take him by the arm.
“N-no….†Damnation. She still sounded concerned. “Em has a room for us at his place.â€
“Oh… oh, right! Thought I was goin’ to have t’fetch Spriggan. Alright, then. Onward!â€
He tried to look as jovial and confident and carefree as he ought to have been. Difficult. He tried to think of anything but his half-hearted deception. Impossible.
He knew… for certain, he knew… that she hadn’t intended to look. That what may or may not have passed between them just now had been an accident, a mishap. That didn’t keep him from wondering whether or not the Spinner might have had a hand in tonight’s affairs. That was a minor concern, though.
The thought that ran through his head over and over and over again was....
I hate this.
"...Mikh'a?"
"It's done."
"It's...? Oh. Oh! It's done. Good. Aye. Definitely good."
"Yes."
A long moment of silence passed between them.
"....what's next?"
"I'm meeting with Rotunda."
"That, uh. That sounds like a change o' plans."
"He needs to stop recruiting. I'm not leaving Mor Dhona until he's gone. Have you found a place to detonate the bomb?"
"I've only been out that way once, mind, but there's a spot or two that seemed suitable. What they call the Singin' Shards, for one. That damned tower for another."
"I want to cross the threshold of the Crystal Gate. There’ll be no risk of anyone else getting hurt that way, in case something goes wrong."
"We'll need t'scout the place, then. Ain't sure there's anywhere t'hide two or more bodies. We're bein' followed, Sei isn't."
"We'll find somewhere. He's killed us for the last time."
"He…." A grunt. "Let me know what y'need, 'n' when."
"He's really dead this time." There came a sharp intake of breath. "I saw it."
“...let me know.â€
"So... what's this private talk about, eh?"
Osric glanced down at Kanaria as she rested against his shoulder, and then he looked back up at the horizon. He’d brought her to this small little corner of Ishgard -- a quaint balcony, hidden away behind the manse of House Haillenarte -- for some much-deserved peace and quiet. They’d spent the past half-bell or so speaking in low, hushed tones… talking, laughing, fooling around as they watched the men and women bustling about, far below, in the Crozier.
"I've a lot to tell you. Been waitin' on a good time for it... didn't want you worryin' any more than you already were, what with expectin' and everythin' else we've got on our plates."
"I understand, but I still need to be let in now and again, love."
"I know. First thing's first, then, and I think you might already know this bit: I want you t'meet Thomys. Properly, I mean, not in passin'. Mirke's gettin' close. Should be able t'return to Limsa soon, the two of us together."
Kanaria bit down into her lower lip.
"You mean...." She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "I hope she can do it! I wouldn't have to rule out a beach house for us, then."
He laughed. "I thought you wanted somethin' in the Beds?"
Kanaria shrugged. "Maybe... but think... the beach…."
"Heh. Aye, not a bad thought. I'd like that." His eyes gleamed as he smiled and nodded. "Second item o' concern: might have found someone who can help us with shippin' and receivin' out of and back into the Goblet."
She lofted an eyebrow, and Osric waved a hand.
"You know, for the less legal shite."
Kanaria leaned in and pressed a loving kiss to his cheek. Her lavender eyes shifted to the side and back. "Do we really want to get into things like that?"
“We're sort of already into things like that. I'd like t'keep us out o' trouble, at the least." Osric tossed his head this way and that. "Would you like to meet the man handlin' the details for us? I need t'speak with him within the next sennight or so."
She chuckled. "I know... still. And yes, I'd love to."
She took his hand and pulled it closer to rest over her stomach. He grinned… then eyed her warily.
"That's the good news,†he went on to say. “The rest is bad. Bad, 'n' worse, but we can pull through. Just need you to trust me, alright?"
"Always love... I know what you are speaking of... and I doubt I have to tell you that I had a run-in with your Master."
"...you did?"
He blinked and stared at her.
"Yes.." Her hand squeezed his gently. "It's alright... nothing bad happened, and nothing will."
“....alright." He shook his head and let that topic pass. "What's next has t'do mostly with the runt... and partly with you. With what you've got up here."
He reached up and tapped her temple with a finger. She looked down at her lap.
"I've had a feeling about that…."
"Mm. Let me finish?"
She nodded.
"Might recall, moons back, I told you I had t'go with Nahare 'n' Mikh'a. Askier was missin', and word was the runt had him. This ringin' any bells, or...? Was a bit rushed at the time, I might not've gotten all the words out right."
"Yes, I remember…."
"We lucked out. Had the... ain't goin' t'call him good... had the sane one on our hands. We spoke. At length. About his other half, the half that's posin' as some sort o' avatar o' the void hellsbent on destroying everyone and everything." Osric shrugged. "He had a very interestin' theory about his other half that terrifies me even now."
Kanaria licked over her lips. "You know that darkness I mentioned in my letter to you…?"
"Aye, that'd be what he was tellin' us about." He sighed. "Said that the reason Epinoch seems t'defy all sense 'n' rules is because he's half here 'n' half not. Caught between our world 'n' the void. That there's a piece of him that's tetherin' him to our reality."
She looked away, went pale. He reached up, his hand leaving her stomach to cradle her chin.
"Listen. We're going t'deal with this. We'll handle it. And I'll tell you how, right now."
She closed her eyes. "By being strong."
Osric smiled.
"That, for starters. But you're goin' t'need to trust me 'n' the rest of the company for a short while. Not long. A sennight or two. Because, as far as we can guess, we don't know what he can and can't know if you're the one who knows it first." He lifted her chin, turned her eyes back to his. "Can you do that for us? Just for a little while?"
Kanaria looked up at him. "I understand, and I trust you, all of you…."
He kissed her, soft and swift, his hand running through her hair. She shivered and, after what seemed like an eternity, he pulled back a touch, caught his breath, and whispered.
"One sun soon, one of us'll come to you. Might be me. Might be Mikh'a. Might even be Adin, damn him. That's when you'll have to act. That's when you'll need to end him. Bait him, flush him out, throw him out the doors, make him leave you in peace. Understand? Not yet. But soon. When we come t'you."
Osric looked into her eyes. There was a brief moment in which he thought he could make out his emerald eyes in her lavender… and then the moment passed as she set her jaw and nodded to him.
"Of course... but for now... will you stay with me tonight?"
"Aye. I'm plannin' on stayin' for a few suns, at least. Spriggan missed her mother… hells, I missed her mother.".
"I've missed all of you." She hugged him close. "Mind if we go now? I'd love to cuddle up with the both of you… fall asleep in a warm, comfy bed…."
He barked a laugh as he offered her a hand. "Course! Up you go, then."
"Mm. Thank you love."
He rose to his own feet after her, and there came that familiar brush of warmth, that voice inside his head….
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
A dull ache, intruding upon his thoughts. The stones slipped out from beneath his feet as the world twisted and turned over onto itself. Sharp pain. Red… then black.
An image… a scene, unbidden… Mikh'a, atop a table in a dim-lit room. Osric's voice drifting in from just out of sight....
"You're askin' me to hide this from Kanaria, if I even can. She might forgive me for tryin' t'keep her safe... but she'll rip into you for this."
He fell silent. Of course he fell silent. This was Korofi’s turn to speak.
Mikh'a's expression.... sour. Mikh’a’s voice… serious.
"If the price to pay to protect all of us from Jin'li is her hating me, then so be it. But this is just as much for her as it is everyone else. There is too much at stake. If this works, then it will be worth any anger anyone might theoretically have. The benefits of this going off without any issue far outweigh what should be a brief bout of anger over secret keeping.â€
The calico’s eyes… narrowed.
“He. Lives. In. Her. Head.â€
Forceful enunciation… frustrated tone.
"We cannot risk this!"
The hard press of solid stonework against his back… he clutched at his forehead, at his temples, teeth grinding against one another until the red receded. When he could see again….
What he saw took his breath away, though not in the usual way. This was less the vision of strength and beauty he’d grown accustomed to, and more a vision of fear, pain, and loss.
Kanaria stood before him, her hands holding him steady. Confusion was in her eyes… as were tears, welled up, yet to be shed. Her lips were somewhat parted, and whatever question had been weighing her down and gracing the tip of her tongue vanished into thin air, and what came out instead was--
“Ossy…?â€
He experienced a moment of panic… then he drove out each and every thought. A new slate. Fresh. Warm. Blank.
“I’m fine, I’m fine… I think… what…?†He blinked. “...to the Knight, right? Don’t know why I just lost m’footing there.â€
He smiled for her, and she returned the gesture, stepping to his side to take him by the arm.
“N-no….†Damnation. She still sounded concerned. “Em has a room for us at his place.â€
“Oh… oh, right! Thought I was goin’ to have t’fetch Spriggan. Alright, then. Onward!â€
He tried to look as jovial and confident and carefree as he ought to have been. Difficult. He tried to think of anything but his half-hearted deception. Impossible.
He knew… for certain, he knew… that she hadn’t intended to look. That what may or may not have passed between them just now had been an accident, a mishap. That didn’t keep him from wondering whether or not the Spinner might have had a hand in tonight’s affairs. That was a minor concern, though.
The thought that ran through his head over and over and over again was....
I hate this.