Thread Closed
A single step… every one with a burden. The Thanalan sun shone overhead as the adherent stepped forth… one by one. Under the unflinching eyes of onlookers and alert guards, a re-enacted punishment for a daughter of Ul’dah.
It went so wrong…
However, she was still a scion of Ul’dah. And she must always be aware of her breeding and responsibilities, for good or ill.
“I am disappointed in you.†The first and only words stated by her father upon her return from Limsa. She stared blankly first as he walked away, surrounded by panicking retainers and managers. She continued to stare in his general direction as he disappeared into the doorway out the streets. Shock ripped through her body, whom never has known such emotions of distress. Her heart felt as if it stop and her body quivered, her eyes shimmered and she fell to the floor.
The guards had left the area, accompanying her father, but the glum lighting seem to reveal shadowy figures, like a jury staring down a guilty defendant. Tears dropped down from her emerald eyes, splattering the marble floor of the spire with her regrets. In the middle of the hallways, she did not appear the confident daughter of Hihijewa Cacajewa, heir to the family’s magical legacy, but a miserable creature curled up in a web of her own making.
It is said superior breeding created a superior individual, but Hisa felt anything but superior. Even in Ul’dah, where everyone presumed that each individual was responsible for their own lot in light, the aristocracy persisted, although now determined by wealth, alongside blood. Many of the old aristocracy were part of the Royalty Faction, and the power of the Monetarists grew regardless of the walls thrown up by the old nobility. Hisa’s brothers and sisters have gone their way, and she as the youngest, sought to make her mark on the world.
The sinner continued to walk. Every step with purpose, yet growing weight on a body unused to prolonged physical activity. The crowd jeered at her, watching a highborn of Ul’dah brought low, throwing mud and objects at her. The Blades largely kept them back, if she were to fall, it would be through the own limits of her body. Some of the Blades sneered as well, sure of her failure.
In the end, it ended like this, in a moment of youthful panic and implicit arrogance. With one panically order, one confused officer, and one volley of powder, the fate of her father and all that her family built, stood on the precipice of the world of darkness. She recalled the angry rebukes from her siblings, the glaring stares of their retainers; she recalls her brother’s angry, but smug sneer, directly at her.
Her heart was grinded and crushed as her father mouthed the words, his eyes looking into her face and dragging her soul into the seven hells. She curled up on that dirty floor, her gold dress wrinkled and her veil dropped to the floor, as her pride, her large glorious pigtails, flowed out of their bindings. The light reflected off her blonde hair, damped by black highlights.
The display contrasted with her face, tears streaming down, makeup twisting with liquid and sorrow as she cried in despair. Her lalafellin features curled with her body, creating a vision of a sorrowful curse doll from the Far East as she sobbed for a bell, then two, laying on the floor like the peasants she had looked down upon. Her cries rebound off through the halls, the voice sounding upon a statue of Nald’thal. The Traders have their way of equaling the scales for the conceited.
She panted, but never broke her stride. She slowed down at points, but continued onwards regardless. The sun rose and fell, as replaced by the moon, and the cold Thanalan night. The crowd gradually dissipated; while it was amusing to watch a supposedly pampered daughter of a Monetarist punished, her name was barely of note in the wider scenes. The next day, a big Coliseum event drew most of the onlookers, leaving only grumbling Blades and herself, a sinner trotting the steps of sin.
Hihisa looked up at the door of the Chamber, where the Executive Council of the Eastern Aldnarld Trading Company met. Lolorito himself was absent, gone on business, but his aid was present, alongside a special link pearl connecting him with Lord Lolorito. Alongside representatives of every subsidiary, the actual heads couldn’t be bothered with the pleas of a low-level executive, even though she was partially to blame for the fiasco.
She was dressed in a jet-black traditional tunic, none of the gold-threaded robes she wore during the Limsan Disaster. Hisa was still dressed in relative finery, she could still not embarrass herself in front of those who would decide her father’s fate.“Madam Hihisa Hisa, you may enter,†A stern Brass Blade stated.  She took a breath, adjusted her long-flowing pigtails, and entered the room. Eyes centered at her figure, it was intensive; the pressure could be felt physically, and it took all of Hisa’s breeding and training to remain standing. She scanned the room and identified persons of interest, those who would benefit from her father’s removal, those who still supported him, placing the fault on the person before them. “Miss Hihisa! You come here to appeal on your father, Hihijewa Cacajewa’s behalf,†spoke the aid of Lolorito. “Indeed, good ser,†she curtsies promptly.
“What do you argue?†he spoke promptly and briskly. Hisa bows before the committee, “I ask that you reconsider the decision to remove my father from his position as president of EADI. The actions of the Limsan Incident are not his… it was my own independent action, created by my inexperience and loss of self-discipline.â€
“But it is true that Mr. Hihijewa appointed YOU as the field manager of EADI’s Limsa Division, and it was under HIS auspices that a ship of the Sultana’s Fleet was dispatched to Limsa during such times,†the aid retorted. With each statement, Hisa slightly flinched as the aid’s words rammed into her psyche. “Above all, it can be questioned as to the whole purpose of the dispatch! What reason was the ship sent, other than to shore up his own personal interests, represented by YOU, outside of the intent or vision of the EATC!â€
A sun has past, but she continued her punishment, the crowd largely gone, only members of her own retinue remain. It was strange, why are they still here? She was nothing now, another sinner serving her penance. However, many of her servants are here… are they mocking her? Mayhap… but their faces lacked any sign of sneering or disdain.
Hisa clunched her fists, her hands, normally soft and silk, have become slightly callused, quite quickly she might add. “My lords and ladies, there is a reason for the deployment of the ship to Limsa. Mayhap, you’ve heard the rumors regarding the ceruleum shortage in Limsa, or the influx of magitek household goods into the common market - outside of the EATC’s or Syndicate control?†Hisa stated. “Yes and?†the aid spoke dismissively. Hihisa continued,“It appears the magitek goods originate from a wide variety of vendors throughout Eorzea; however, the ceruleum that fed them comes from an alleged ceruleum deposit in the Sea of Jade.â€
Hihisa continues onward, “One red-shirt man, and accompanied by a Aya Foxheart of the Quicksand, contends that there is a ceruleum field located in the Sea of Jade, currently under contest. There is evidence that Gridania is involved.†Hihisa held up a pile of documents in her hand, pieces of a ledger from her meeting with the red-shirt man, and handed it over to the committee aid. He passed it over to the aid, whose lalafellin eyes briefly scanned the pages, and his eyes briefly widen, before reverting to their normal shape. Hihisa noted this and her spirits soared somewhat.
She continued, “There has also been sightings of a mechanical beast in the area, the red-shirt man contends this is a Garlean-construct. I surmise a mammet-like underwater machina that hunts down ships in the area. This may have implications for Ul’dah and EATC’s Far Eastern trade.†Whispers could be heard among the committee, as well as into the linkpearls of the various aids and representatives around the room. The aid, after finishing his discussion with the other end of his link pearl, realizes that the others were also whispering all around the room, signaled for silence. The silent conversation continued regardless and he had to bang the ebony wood table to get the attention of the other representatives and aids.
It was a wonder she could move still. She had an advantage that the namesake of this path did not, she was a Thaumaturge, expert at manipulating the aetheric energies within herself. Her training unconsciously helped maintain and ration her body’s dwindling aetheric reserves. Mayhap the consigners of this fate did not believe she truthfully passed her studies. Nevertheless, this was still a punishment, and a throbbing pain was persistent throughout her body as the aether that sustained it was exhausted by persistent repetitive activity.
“These findings are of interest to the Eastern Aldernald Trading Company, and of value to our future planning. But they do not absolve you nor your father of your blat violation of the Sultana’s grace and our Alliance relationships,†the aid declared, adjusting his glasses dramatically. “But you say they are of use! If you were to condemn my father, you would lose one of your most experienced managers, with extensive experience of our Far Eastern trade routes! My family has been in the naval trade for generations! When all else were still bribing the Ala Mhigans, our family braved the Limsan pirates for the riches of the Far East!†Hihisa retorted.
“My family have served Ul’dah for generations! And now you want to throw them away as refuse! My family will survive this. Our knowledge is bound to Belah’dia and the /Legacy/ that came before, it is knowledge that cannot be priced!†[Hisa spoke with conviction, determination and a hint of desperation. “Even if you throw them out! My family will wait in the shadows, for moons or generations mayhap, but they will return to our place in the jewel of the desert! Silence fell over the chamber, the committee members simply stared at her. After talking into his linkpearl, the aid shrugged. “That will be all, Miss Hihisa Hisa. Please wait in the lobby while we discuss our options.†In shock, she curtises once more and leaves the chamber. The wait was long, and every moment, her heart pounded against her chest. Her lalafellin skin was covered in goosebumps and her legs slightly shook. It was strange… what she dreaded the most now, was what would happen to her family.
Her beloved father of course, but also her mother, and even her siblings, whom she saw as competitors. Her father emerged in her mind, a jolly fellow who always looked out for his employees. A rarity among the often-stereotypical caricatures of the Monetarists, barring the upper members of the Syndicate, such as the Prioress, and the incomprehensible Manderville. A eternity passed and the words came, “Miss Hihisa, the Committee will see you.â€
Hihisa Hisa, a sinner under the Traders, consigned herself to her fate. “Miss Hihisa Hisa, minor executive of the Eastern Aldernald Distribution Inc., you are hereby demoted to entry-level manager and Ser Fufurito be forced to give up his previous and ongoing bonuses, however, he shall retain his position in the EATC, upon successful completion of a punishment selected by committee and with Lord Lolorito’s recommendations. If you fail to accomplish said punishment, you and your father will be removed immediately from the employment of the EATC,†the aid declared. He then read out the chosen punishment, “Do you accept this contract?†Hihisa stood there for a moment, before stating,“I do.â€
The Eighty Sins of Sasamo, the memory of a daughter of Ul’dah who was punished for plotting to seize the throne. Mayhap it was a fitting punishment for a daughter who plotted and failed to seize the limelight, the depths of her mind mused. She walked and walked and walked, and at last, she reached the end of her journey, not a single step missed, not a single sin forgotten.
Two suns had past. Two suns was the punishment. Only treason against the Sultanate allowed more. Her punishment was conducted in public, so not only could the citizenry see her repentance, but so would the other members of the Alliance. It was noted that she completed the punishment without complaint, without hesitation, nor any behavior that the populace expected of a supposedly spoiled rich girl. Nevertheless, with war looming over the border, new crises and gossip popping up all over Eorzea, the event barely warranted a footnote in the Mythril Eye. That said, the event did note a bigger section in Limsa, although the artist’s bias and self-image of lalafells twisted Hisa’s image into a one substantially different from her true natural doll-like face.
Hihisa Hisa looked out over the city from the top of her family's spire, the cold Thanalan wind blew past her face and her precious long-pigtails blew in the breeze. She was dressed again in her golden dress, the reflective surface reflecting the city lights. Her legs were still wrapped in bandages, and it was a medical miracle she could still walk, despite essentially being starved of food and water for two days climbing the Sins of Sasamo. Her aetheric training proved a boon, worth the days when she had entertained the notion of paying her way to success.Â
Nevertheless, as in the past, there was no shortcut to the desired future; all needs to be achieved with her own hands. For this, another change is needed. From her golden robes a dagger was drawn forth, not unlike one used by her serv... her friend. She needs to re-established contact. As another wind blew, she brought the dagger up and sliced off her beloved pigtails. As the blonde hair blew away in the night, she looked up at the moon. "And so we begins again..."
It went so wrong…
However, she was still a scion of Ul’dah. And she must always be aware of her breeding and responsibilities, for good or ill.
“I am disappointed in you.†The first and only words stated by her father upon her return from Limsa. She stared blankly first as he walked away, surrounded by panicking retainers and managers. She continued to stare in his general direction as he disappeared into the doorway out the streets. Shock ripped through her body, whom never has known such emotions of distress. Her heart felt as if it stop and her body quivered, her eyes shimmered and she fell to the floor.
The guards had left the area, accompanying her father, but the glum lighting seem to reveal shadowy figures, like a jury staring down a guilty defendant. Tears dropped down from her emerald eyes, splattering the marble floor of the spire with her regrets. In the middle of the hallways, she did not appear the confident daughter of Hihijewa Cacajewa, heir to the family’s magical legacy, but a miserable creature curled up in a web of her own making.
It is said superior breeding created a superior individual, but Hisa felt anything but superior. Even in Ul’dah, where everyone presumed that each individual was responsible for their own lot in light, the aristocracy persisted, although now determined by wealth, alongside blood. Many of the old aristocracy were part of the Royalty Faction, and the power of the Monetarists grew regardless of the walls thrown up by the old nobility. Hisa’s brothers and sisters have gone their way, and she as the youngest, sought to make her mark on the world.
The sinner continued to walk. Every step with purpose, yet growing weight on a body unused to prolonged physical activity. The crowd jeered at her, watching a highborn of Ul’dah brought low, throwing mud and objects at her. The Blades largely kept them back, if she were to fall, it would be through the own limits of her body. Some of the Blades sneered as well, sure of her failure.
In the end, it ended like this, in a moment of youthful panic and implicit arrogance. With one panically order, one confused officer, and one volley of powder, the fate of her father and all that her family built, stood on the precipice of the world of darkness. She recalled the angry rebukes from her siblings, the glaring stares of their retainers; she recalls her brother’s angry, but smug sneer, directly at her.
Her heart was grinded and crushed as her father mouthed the words, his eyes looking into her face and dragging her soul into the seven hells. She curled up on that dirty floor, her gold dress wrinkled and her veil dropped to the floor, as her pride, her large glorious pigtails, flowed out of their bindings. The light reflected off her blonde hair, damped by black highlights.
The display contrasted with her face, tears streaming down, makeup twisting with liquid and sorrow as she cried in despair. Her lalafellin features curled with her body, creating a vision of a sorrowful curse doll from the Far East as she sobbed for a bell, then two, laying on the floor like the peasants she had looked down upon. Her cries rebound off through the halls, the voice sounding upon a statue of Nald’thal. The Traders have their way of equaling the scales for the conceited.
She panted, but never broke her stride. She slowed down at points, but continued onwards regardless. The sun rose and fell, as replaced by the moon, and the cold Thanalan night. The crowd gradually dissipated; while it was amusing to watch a supposedly pampered daughter of a Monetarist punished, her name was barely of note in the wider scenes. The next day, a big Coliseum event drew most of the onlookers, leaving only grumbling Blades and herself, a sinner trotting the steps of sin.
Hihisa looked up at the door of the Chamber, where the Executive Council of the Eastern Aldnarld Trading Company met. Lolorito himself was absent, gone on business, but his aid was present, alongside a special link pearl connecting him with Lord Lolorito. Alongside representatives of every subsidiary, the actual heads couldn’t be bothered with the pleas of a low-level executive, even though she was partially to blame for the fiasco.
She was dressed in a jet-black traditional tunic, none of the gold-threaded robes she wore during the Limsan Disaster. Hisa was still dressed in relative finery, she could still not embarrass herself in front of those who would decide her father’s fate.“Madam Hihisa Hisa, you may enter,†A stern Brass Blade stated.  She took a breath, adjusted her long-flowing pigtails, and entered the room. Eyes centered at her figure, it was intensive; the pressure could be felt physically, and it took all of Hisa’s breeding and training to remain standing. She scanned the room and identified persons of interest, those who would benefit from her father’s removal, those who still supported him, placing the fault on the person before them. “Miss Hihisa! You come here to appeal on your father, Hihijewa Cacajewa’s behalf,†spoke the aid of Lolorito. “Indeed, good ser,†she curtsies promptly.
“What do you argue?†he spoke promptly and briskly. Hisa bows before the committee, “I ask that you reconsider the decision to remove my father from his position as president of EADI. The actions of the Limsan Incident are not his… it was my own independent action, created by my inexperience and loss of self-discipline.â€
“But it is true that Mr. Hihijewa appointed YOU as the field manager of EADI’s Limsa Division, and it was under HIS auspices that a ship of the Sultana’s Fleet was dispatched to Limsa during such times,†the aid retorted. With each statement, Hisa slightly flinched as the aid’s words rammed into her psyche. “Above all, it can be questioned as to the whole purpose of the dispatch! What reason was the ship sent, other than to shore up his own personal interests, represented by YOU, outside of the intent or vision of the EATC!â€
A sun has past, but she continued her punishment, the crowd largely gone, only members of her own retinue remain. It was strange, why are they still here? She was nothing now, another sinner serving her penance. However, many of her servants are here… are they mocking her? Mayhap… but their faces lacked any sign of sneering or disdain.
Hisa clunched her fists, her hands, normally soft and silk, have become slightly callused, quite quickly she might add. “My lords and ladies, there is a reason for the deployment of the ship to Limsa. Mayhap, you’ve heard the rumors regarding the ceruleum shortage in Limsa, or the influx of magitek household goods into the common market - outside of the EATC’s or Syndicate control?†Hisa stated. “Yes and?†the aid spoke dismissively. Hihisa continued,“It appears the magitek goods originate from a wide variety of vendors throughout Eorzea; however, the ceruleum that fed them comes from an alleged ceruleum deposit in the Sea of Jade.â€
Hihisa continues onward, “One red-shirt man, and accompanied by a Aya Foxheart of the Quicksand, contends that there is a ceruleum field located in the Sea of Jade, currently under contest. There is evidence that Gridania is involved.†Hihisa held up a pile of documents in her hand, pieces of a ledger from her meeting with the red-shirt man, and handed it over to the committee aid. He passed it over to the aid, whose lalafellin eyes briefly scanned the pages, and his eyes briefly widen, before reverting to their normal shape. Hihisa noted this and her spirits soared somewhat.
She continued, “There has also been sightings of a mechanical beast in the area, the red-shirt man contends this is a Garlean-construct. I surmise a mammet-like underwater machina that hunts down ships in the area. This may have implications for Ul’dah and EATC’s Far Eastern trade.†Whispers could be heard among the committee, as well as into the linkpearls of the various aids and representatives around the room. The aid, after finishing his discussion with the other end of his link pearl, realizes that the others were also whispering all around the room, signaled for silence. The silent conversation continued regardless and he had to bang the ebony wood table to get the attention of the other representatives and aids.
It was a wonder she could move still. She had an advantage that the namesake of this path did not, she was a Thaumaturge, expert at manipulating the aetheric energies within herself. Her training unconsciously helped maintain and ration her body’s dwindling aetheric reserves. Mayhap the consigners of this fate did not believe she truthfully passed her studies. Nevertheless, this was still a punishment, and a throbbing pain was persistent throughout her body as the aether that sustained it was exhausted by persistent repetitive activity.
“These findings are of interest to the Eastern Aldernald Trading Company, and of value to our future planning. But they do not absolve you nor your father of your blat violation of the Sultana’s grace and our Alliance relationships,†the aid declared, adjusting his glasses dramatically. “But you say they are of use! If you were to condemn my father, you would lose one of your most experienced managers, with extensive experience of our Far Eastern trade routes! My family has been in the naval trade for generations! When all else were still bribing the Ala Mhigans, our family braved the Limsan pirates for the riches of the Far East!†Hihisa retorted.
“My family have served Ul’dah for generations! And now you want to throw them away as refuse! My family will survive this. Our knowledge is bound to Belah’dia and the /Legacy/ that came before, it is knowledge that cannot be priced!†[Hisa spoke with conviction, determination and a hint of desperation. “Even if you throw them out! My family will wait in the shadows, for moons or generations mayhap, but they will return to our place in the jewel of the desert! Silence fell over the chamber, the committee members simply stared at her. After talking into his linkpearl, the aid shrugged. “That will be all, Miss Hihisa Hisa. Please wait in the lobby while we discuss our options.†In shock, she curtises once more and leaves the chamber. The wait was long, and every moment, her heart pounded against her chest. Her lalafellin skin was covered in goosebumps and her legs slightly shook. It was strange… what she dreaded the most now, was what would happen to her family.
Her beloved father of course, but also her mother, and even her siblings, whom she saw as competitors. Her father emerged in her mind, a jolly fellow who always looked out for his employees. A rarity among the often-stereotypical caricatures of the Monetarists, barring the upper members of the Syndicate, such as the Prioress, and the incomprehensible Manderville. A eternity passed and the words came, “Miss Hihisa, the Committee will see you.â€
Hihisa Hisa, a sinner under the Traders, consigned herself to her fate. “Miss Hihisa Hisa, minor executive of the Eastern Aldernald Distribution Inc., you are hereby demoted to entry-level manager and Ser Fufurito be forced to give up his previous and ongoing bonuses, however, he shall retain his position in the EATC, upon successful completion of a punishment selected by committee and with Lord Lolorito’s recommendations. If you fail to accomplish said punishment, you and your father will be removed immediately from the employment of the EATC,†the aid declared. He then read out the chosen punishment, “Do you accept this contract?†Hihisa stood there for a moment, before stating,“I do.â€
The Eighty Sins of Sasamo, the memory of a daughter of Ul’dah who was punished for plotting to seize the throne. Mayhap it was a fitting punishment for a daughter who plotted and failed to seize the limelight, the depths of her mind mused. She walked and walked and walked, and at last, she reached the end of her journey, not a single step missed, not a single sin forgotten.
Two suns had past. Two suns was the punishment. Only treason against the Sultanate allowed more. Her punishment was conducted in public, so not only could the citizenry see her repentance, but so would the other members of the Alliance. It was noted that she completed the punishment without complaint, without hesitation, nor any behavior that the populace expected of a supposedly spoiled rich girl. Nevertheless, with war looming over the border, new crises and gossip popping up all over Eorzea, the event barely warranted a footnote in the Mythril Eye. That said, the event did note a bigger section in Limsa, although the artist’s bias and self-image of lalafells twisted Hisa’s image into a one substantially different from her true natural doll-like face.
Hihisa Hisa looked out over the city from the top of her family's spire, the cold Thanalan wind blew past her face and her precious long-pigtails blew in the breeze. She was dressed again in her golden dress, the reflective surface reflecting the city lights. Her legs were still wrapped in bandages, and it was a medical miracle she could still walk, despite essentially being starved of food and water for two days climbing the Sins of Sasamo. Her aetheric training proved a boon, worth the days when she had entertained the notion of paying her way to success.Â
Nevertheless, as in the past, there was no shortcut to the desired future; all needs to be achieved with her own hands. For this, another change is needed. From her golden robes a dagger was drawn forth, not unlike one used by her serv... her friend. She needs to re-established contact. As another wind blew, she brought the dagger up and sliced off her beloved pigtails. As the blonde hair blew away in the night, she looked up at the moon. "And so we begins again..."