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------- One day later, elsewhere... (( After this post )) -------
At the base of the Waterspire, leaning up against the stone wall with both arms crossed and resting on the cold, limestone top, Yheli stared out into the Strait of Merlthor. Stars a plenty lit up the clear, night sky, coupled with the lights of buildings and lamps nearby shedding light to areas the moon's light could not touch.
Her nose also picked up the faint, salty smell of the seas in additional to what smelled like a late-night barbecue session at a neighbour's house. The smell of food distracted her, as she couldn't help but wonder at the ingredients present. Buffalo meat... garlic... onions... a hint of black pepper... and more salt. Perhaps a side of tomato sauce to dip the grilled meat in later?
Spectacled, silver eyes calmly scanned the waters around the beach as her mind went away from the food. There was something about the waves she saw that calmed her; the push and pull of water hitting against the docks, cliffs, and sands continuously, with no end in sight. Due to the high tide, most beachgoers were on the raised platform around the Seagaze Markets rather than the sand themselves. She saw the occasional couple, the lone merchant, and shaded individual in her gaze, but paid them no attention, as she had her own demons to tackle.
Lieutenant W'Chaza Yheli. The head of the defense counsel whom reduced Morris' sentence to a mere 100 floggings and three years imprisonment with the help of a rag tag team of individuals. Two of them were requested by the accused, along with Yheli; Tiergan and Liadan. The three brought along Leanne and Gallien, as well as a hunter whose stench received reprimand from the Board.
Most she met in passing or in more pleasant situations, but the hunter... she didn't know. An unknown variable in her machinations for solving the case at hand. She kept her wits about him, but she soon realized his strategic and tactical potential as it was by his hand they survived the first day and managed their victory in the next.
The hunter? Dirk Problemsolver... or, perhaps as she would call him. Osric Melkire.
Former Sergeant of the Flames. Murderer-for-hire. A man of the people.
There were many phrases fit for a man of his deeds and reputation across all of Eorzea. However, Yheli didn't fixate on his criminal past or what he did that was wrong. What mattered most, in her mind, was his assistance to her cause. In her mind, Yheli could only describe him simply as...
A friend.
Not just any ordinary friend, either. No... he was a most useful friend, even in Yheli's calm, silver eyes. His acumen was admirable, his disguise was impeccable, and his courage was commendable.
When he took off the mask, proclaimed a threat greater than Morris to all present, and brought the Board to its knees--if only for a moment--it was then Yheli knew that Osric was a man able to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Here was a wanted criminal, throwing away his self-preservation--for reasons likely unknown to the woman--and... she chuckled. This was the card up his sleeve. A riskier and bolder plan than any... were it not for the fact he was sent away to prison right afterwards.
She lowered her head and gazed downwards at the stone railing, letting out a heavy sigh. Of course, the woman knew most of Limsa's laws, however unrefined they were, and she could've prevented his removal.
Saying a separate case is required. Saying he was part of the defense counsel whom held critical evidence pertinent to the case. Saying he was allowed to stay for the duration of the trial due to prior agreement by all present. Anything.
And yet, the words couldn't come out of her mouth. She stood, ready to object, and yet Haelstyrmm stood above the rest and even her; his willpower holding sway and presenting a difficult and life-threatening choice. To defend Melkire and herself taken to prison as well... or to sacrifice him so she may fight another day?
She closed her eyes and clenched her right fist as she leaned her body up on the railing, controlling her breathing. Despite her feelings, she kept herself composed, deeply exhaling, relaxing her fingers, then looking back out to the sea with a sad smile strew across her face.
"Of course... the moment I start blaming myself for someone's death is the moment I cannot come back from it all."
An odd chuckle sneaked past her voice, and her face went plain once more, thinking about the trial. In the end, she and her fellow associates won over the majority of the board and prevented a hanging. She won, afterall. A victory indeed, but not one without sacrifice.
Her lips contorted, trying to make sense of what all of it meant, especially combining the fact an Ul'dahni ship openly fired inside of Limsan territory at Limsan citizens. Before her mind drifted, she collected herself and stayed focused on the matter of the man at hand.
She gazed out into the sea, mulling over what could and would happen next, as if planning out her moves several steps ahead of whatever adversaries lurked behind the scenes. A few minutes later, she heard a 'plunk' of a letter to the right of her. Her head turned right, glanced about the area, yet found no person who stood out as the messenger.
"...Strange." Yheli couldn't say much more than that, given the circumstances. She waited a few more moments before picking up the letter and examining it more closely. "...Wax seal. 3rd Squadron. Merlthor." It took her a few moments to put together the pieces in her head. It made sense for the 3rd Squadron to be near the Mists, as it bordered the Strait, but Yheli belonged to the 1st Squadron; letters like this don't--
"Captain Holskstymm? It can't be..." She hurriedly slashed open the letter with a knife stashed on her boot and unfurled the paper within, scanning it and absorbing all information present. "Dirk Problemserver deported... sentence reduced... information stays confidential... don't let him set foot in Vylbrand again?" She raised an eyebrow at the last part; that didn't sound like a polite exile but rather a warning in her mind.
"Well. Shite." Yheli blinked, glanced around the area, then use a small lighter device to ignite the paper she read, setting it down on the ground until it fully burnt out, then stomped it down, and let the indistinguishable bits take flight in the wind. She turned her body around, crossed her arms again, and looked up towards the night sky deep in thought. Yheli held this pose for more than a few minutes, before she looked towards the fountain of the Waterspire with a face full of determination.
"No better time to pay back his favor and advice to me than now then!" She pushed her body up and off the railing and turned herself 60 degrees to her left, putting her hands on her hips and and giving one more glance at the shoreline behind her. She lets out a sigh, followed by a small smirk.
"Been a while since I disobeyed orders, sers. Yheli, out." She gave a half-baked salute off into the night sky, grabbed her blade, and went back to her own apartment, preparing herself for the conflicts to come.