Not long after half fleeing and half being driven away from K'luha, K'ile, and K'hai (though the latter may not have been an entirely fair interpretation), Antimony had retreated to her inn room where, stomach churning with emotion, she found herself overcome and simply dropped to the floor once inside. There she cried.
Ulanan bashed her tiny hand against the door. In some cultures, this was called "knocking". In this lalafell's mind, though, it was a "Ritual of Announcement" and it involved a complex rhythm and careful timing. So, naturally, this meant she just hit the door with her knuckles four times in a row.
The knocking sent a shiver through her ears and she looked up in a hurry. K'airos? Back already....? No, she'd gone to say goodbye to... Antimony's breath hitched and she wiped hastily at her eyes beneath her glasses before stumbling to her feet. When she opened the door, she did her best to look composed but likely failed miserably. She blinked at the empty space in front of her for several seconds before dropping her gaze to Ulanan.
In that moment, the lalafell thought she should find a taller, pointier hat. She smiled at the woman, not showing much concern for her state initially. "Hello!" she said, waving a basket filled with papers, jars and a half open bag filled with fruit.
"He...llo," Antimony mumbled, coughed once to try and clear her throat, and watched the swaying basket with some measure of confusion. "Ulanan," she sighed. "It's good to see you."
Ulanan stopped smiling and raised her eyebrows. "You look terrible! Is everything alright?" she asked.
Antimony was silent for a moment, looking way from the lalafell, and then in an unsteady voice, "It seems family is... common these days." Her tail shook and she looked again to the basket.
"I'm sorry. I thought you'd be happy to see your daughters again." Ulanan said, pouring disappointment all over the place.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean it like--" Antimony gave Ulanan a pleading look, searching for understanding. Her hands twisted about one another until she finally dropped to one knee to pull Ulanan into a hug. "Not that at... I'm so grateful. So, so..."
She was completely confused by the hugging woman. "Then what happened?"
Antimony's arms shook around Ulanan. She didn't respond immediately, instead biting back tears that wished to spring up once more. "It's all a such a mess," she finally breathed. "I... should have stayed away from them the moment I knew they were in Ul'dah."
Ulanan continued to be confused. "Can I come in? This situation and squeeze have a scale that requires privacy."
Grimacing, Antimony pulled back slightly and ducked her head away before nodding. "Yes, yes of... course," she muttered and stood unsteadily. "I'm sorry, I..." She took a few steps back into the room and made way enough for Ulanan to enter.
"Thank you." Ulanan said while entering. Once inside, she left the basket on the floor, very close to her. "Now tell me accurately who are the acting actors of this account?"
"The actors," Antimony echoed as though confused by Ulanan's words, and then shook her head slightly. "They... They're from the tribe," she offered quietly before suddenly exploding, "I didn't intend to--didn't mean to... seek them out but it just--first K'ile was there and then K'luha was hurt and I tried to run from them but then Airos! My baby--my little girl! And she came back to Ul'dah and I couldn't not follow and they were still here and I know I should not want to see them, not when they still remind me of--I can't see them, I'm an--an exile! And they still--they still... I should never have even spoken to them, Ulanan!" She felt very, uncomfortably childish in that moment, and her words dissolved into sobs as she dropped to her knees.
Two small hands rose from the lalafell and clutched Antimony's shoulders. "Calm down! It's not so bad, is it?" she said. "If these people were forbidden from speaking to you, they would not have done so in the first place, right? So no rule was broken!"
Antimony shook her head and moaned. "K'hai knew. He knew--he told... told them just so. Told me--"
"I'm sorry." Ulanan said after a long pause of uncertainty. "But your daughters are still around, right?"
"...Yes," Antimony breathed. "But Aijeen.."
"That's the one who's angry with you?" Antimony's only response to that was a short sob and a nod. "I'm sure she'll come around. Just give her time! Or...give D'hein time, I guess. How's K'airos?"
It took Antimony several long moments before she could calm herself enough to respond. When she did, her voice was low and thick but carried a sense of awe, almost worship, "She's beautiful. She's... got a job and... happiness. I still can hardly believe she's..."
"Then not all is bleak tribal laws and related sillyness. You should be happy for this!" Ulanan took off her hat and dropped it on top of the basket.
"I... am," she admitted in a choked voice. "It's just..."
"...your tribe's terrible timing." Ulanan finished, in a tone that denoted grumpiness but some degree of joke at the same time. "I'm sure they are fine. You should focus on your daughter being alive. Alive and happy!" she added.
"It's just that I can't help but wonder if... I should try to hold on to them as well," she whispered and then immediately regretted it, saying quickly, "But you're right. Airos is--is alive. That's all that matters."
"You can only focus on one thing at a time. We both know your daughters should be first." Tha lalafell turned, taking the basket and her hat into her hands. "Now I stop crying and tell me about your daughter while we have an appetizer!"
 Antimony watched Ulanan move to the basket, blinked at it dully for a moment, and then let out a shuddering sigh. "I'm... certainly not being the best model for behavior right now, am I," she muttered and carefully folded her hands in her lap. "... Appetizer?"
Ulanan pulled a jar out and shaked it. "Olives! With cheese and thyme. I have forks!" she declared.
"... Olives, of course," Antimony smiled faintly. Ulanan's familiar antics were comforting in their own way. "Airos... I'm not sure where to... I've had so little time yet to even speak with her..."
Ulanan looked around for a table, instead finding a nightstand. She walked to it and unloaded various jars. All of them had olives, mixed with different fruits and vegetables. It was almost like a collection of olive recipes. "Surely, she'll find time to share with you. I imagine her sister is being less than ideal for that, but we can work something out!"
"I don't dare risk Aijeen even... suspecting my presence," Antimony muttered weakly. "But Airos, she... she seems to be doing so... well."
"That's good!" Ulanan said. She placed a small bowl on the nightstand. A fork quickly followed and not long after that, the bowl was filled with olives, cheese and various unidentifiable veggetables. She walked to hand them to Antimony, smiling and all. "I don't know many happy Brass Blades, but it looks like she enjoys her job."
Antimony pressed her lips together briefly. "She's... dedicated." A sigh. "I'm very proud of her."
Ulanan held the bowl in front of Antimony. "These olives will catalyze that proudness and make you even happier!" she smiled. "And don't forget you have to make her proud, too."
The older woman took the bowl after a moment, hands only somewhat shaky. She looked away. "There is little for her to be proud of," she replied. "Though... at least I... think I am not unemployed anymore. Or... for now? It's... confusing."
"Oh! You...got the job back? Did that Elezen peiste show sympathy for once?"
Antimony winced at that. "No, ah... D'hein offered to... well, he wants the investigation finished and--I'm not sure it's actually my job back or if... it's something at least." She sighed and added in a quieter tone, "Airos deserves more than a mother who needs more caring for than she."
"You'll work on that!" Ulanan picked up her own bowl. The olives inside it seemed to be mixed with chocolate bits. "First order of business is finding out if your job is stable or not. And secondly you have to not run from your past anymore." she said, speaking strategically and using a spoon to take a bite out of her weird appetizer.
Antimony's ears drooped low and she said in an equally fallen tone, "That won't be an issue anymore. They're... leaving."
"What if they come back?"
The only response to that Antimony could give was silence. She bowed her head and looked to the bowl in her hands.
"We'll have to work on that." Ulanan mumbled to herself. Then, in louder tone, she changed the subject. "I checked on Loughree and she was quite fine. Though she didn't want my help."
Antimony greeted that announcement with vivid relief, letting out a long sigh. "Good. That's... good. Not--not that she didn't want your help but that... ah."
"That she's fine, yes." the lalafell smiled. "I have the feeling Megiddo is only trying to keep her terrified. He won't kill her, or he would have already
Antimony frowned, looking away. "No, he's trying to..." She trailed off then and shook her head before taking a deep, only somewhat unsteady breath. Her eyes returned to the bowl with its strange mix of olives and she said rather apropos, "I'm unsure how you maintain a balanced diet on all this, Ulanan."
"It's the olives." she explained, munching.
Ulanan bashed her tiny hand against the door. In some cultures, this was called "knocking". In this lalafell's mind, though, it was a "Ritual of Announcement" and it involved a complex rhythm and careful timing. So, naturally, this meant she just hit the door with her knuckles four times in a row.
The knocking sent a shiver through her ears and she looked up in a hurry. K'airos? Back already....? No, she'd gone to say goodbye to... Antimony's breath hitched and she wiped hastily at her eyes beneath her glasses before stumbling to her feet. When she opened the door, she did her best to look composed but likely failed miserably. She blinked at the empty space in front of her for several seconds before dropping her gaze to Ulanan.
In that moment, the lalafell thought she should find a taller, pointier hat. She smiled at the woman, not showing much concern for her state initially. "Hello!" she said, waving a basket filled with papers, jars and a half open bag filled with fruit.
"He...llo," Antimony mumbled, coughed once to try and clear her throat, and watched the swaying basket with some measure of confusion. "Ulanan," she sighed. "It's good to see you."
Ulanan stopped smiling and raised her eyebrows. "You look terrible! Is everything alright?" she asked.
Antimony was silent for a moment, looking way from the lalafell, and then in an unsteady voice, "It seems family is... common these days." Her tail shook and she looked again to the basket.
"I'm sorry. I thought you'd be happy to see your daughters again." Ulanan said, pouring disappointment all over the place.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean it like--" Antimony gave Ulanan a pleading look, searching for understanding. Her hands twisted about one another until she finally dropped to one knee to pull Ulanan into a hug. "Not that at... I'm so grateful. So, so..."
She was completely confused by the hugging woman. "Then what happened?"
Antimony's arms shook around Ulanan. She didn't respond immediately, instead biting back tears that wished to spring up once more. "It's all a such a mess," she finally breathed. "I... should have stayed away from them the moment I knew they were in Ul'dah."
Ulanan continued to be confused. "Can I come in? This situation and squeeze have a scale that requires privacy."
Grimacing, Antimony pulled back slightly and ducked her head away before nodding. "Yes, yes of... course," she muttered and stood unsteadily. "I'm sorry, I..." She took a few steps back into the room and made way enough for Ulanan to enter.
"Thank you." Ulanan said while entering. Once inside, she left the basket on the floor, very close to her. "Now tell me accurately who are the acting actors of this account?"
"The actors," Antimony echoed as though confused by Ulanan's words, and then shook her head slightly. "They... They're from the tribe," she offered quietly before suddenly exploding, "I didn't intend to--didn't mean to... seek them out but it just--first K'ile was there and then K'luha was hurt and I tried to run from them but then Airos! My baby--my little girl! And she came back to Ul'dah and I couldn't not follow and they were still here and I know I should not want to see them, not when they still remind me of--I can't see them, I'm an--an exile! And they still--they still... I should never have even spoken to them, Ulanan!" She felt very, uncomfortably childish in that moment, and her words dissolved into sobs as she dropped to her knees.
Two small hands rose from the lalafell and clutched Antimony's shoulders. "Calm down! It's not so bad, is it?" she said. "If these people were forbidden from speaking to you, they would not have done so in the first place, right? So no rule was broken!"
Antimony shook her head and moaned. "K'hai knew. He knew--he told... told them just so. Told me--"
"I'm sorry." Ulanan said after a long pause of uncertainty. "But your daughters are still around, right?"
"...Yes," Antimony breathed. "But Aijeen.."
"That's the one who's angry with you?" Antimony's only response to that was a short sob and a nod. "I'm sure she'll come around. Just give her time! Or...give D'hein time, I guess. How's K'airos?"
It took Antimony several long moments before she could calm herself enough to respond. When she did, her voice was low and thick but carried a sense of awe, almost worship, "She's beautiful. She's... got a job and... happiness. I still can hardly believe she's..."
"Then not all is bleak tribal laws and related sillyness. You should be happy for this!" Ulanan took off her hat and dropped it on top of the basket.
"I... am," she admitted in a choked voice. "It's just..."
"...your tribe's terrible timing." Ulanan finished, in a tone that denoted grumpiness but some degree of joke at the same time. "I'm sure they are fine. You should focus on your daughter being alive. Alive and happy!" she added.
"It's just that I can't help but wonder if... I should try to hold on to them as well," she whispered and then immediately regretted it, saying quickly, "But you're right. Airos is--is alive. That's all that matters."
"You can only focus on one thing at a time. We both know your daughters should be first." Tha lalafell turned, taking the basket and her hat into her hands. "Now I stop crying and tell me about your daughter while we have an appetizer!"
 Antimony watched Ulanan move to the basket, blinked at it dully for a moment, and then let out a shuddering sigh. "I'm... certainly not being the best model for behavior right now, am I," she muttered and carefully folded her hands in her lap. "... Appetizer?"
Ulanan pulled a jar out and shaked it. "Olives! With cheese and thyme. I have forks!" she declared.
"... Olives, of course," Antimony smiled faintly. Ulanan's familiar antics were comforting in their own way. "Airos... I'm not sure where to... I've had so little time yet to even speak with her..."
Ulanan looked around for a table, instead finding a nightstand. She walked to it and unloaded various jars. All of them had olives, mixed with different fruits and vegetables. It was almost like a collection of olive recipes. "Surely, she'll find time to share with you. I imagine her sister is being less than ideal for that, but we can work something out!"
"I don't dare risk Aijeen even... suspecting my presence," Antimony muttered weakly. "But Airos, she... she seems to be doing so... well."
"That's good!" Ulanan said. She placed a small bowl on the nightstand. A fork quickly followed and not long after that, the bowl was filled with olives, cheese and various unidentifiable veggetables. She walked to hand them to Antimony, smiling and all. "I don't know many happy Brass Blades, but it looks like she enjoys her job."
Antimony pressed her lips together briefly. "She's... dedicated." A sigh. "I'm very proud of her."
Ulanan held the bowl in front of Antimony. "These olives will catalyze that proudness and make you even happier!" she smiled. "And don't forget you have to make her proud, too."
The older woman took the bowl after a moment, hands only somewhat shaky. She looked away. "There is little for her to be proud of," she replied. "Though... at least I... think I am not unemployed anymore. Or... for now? It's... confusing."
"Oh! You...got the job back? Did that Elezen peiste show sympathy for once?"
Antimony winced at that. "No, ah... D'hein offered to... well, he wants the investigation finished and--I'm not sure it's actually my job back or if... it's something at least." She sighed and added in a quieter tone, "Airos deserves more than a mother who needs more caring for than she."
"You'll work on that!" Ulanan picked up her own bowl. The olives inside it seemed to be mixed with chocolate bits. "First order of business is finding out if your job is stable or not. And secondly you have to not run from your past anymore." she said, speaking strategically and using a spoon to take a bite out of her weird appetizer.
Antimony's ears drooped low and she said in an equally fallen tone, "That won't be an issue anymore. They're... leaving."
"What if they come back?"
The only response to that Antimony could give was silence. She bowed her head and looked to the bowl in her hands.
"We'll have to work on that." Ulanan mumbled to herself. Then, in louder tone, she changed the subject. "I checked on Loughree and she was quite fine. Though she didn't want my help."
Antimony greeted that announcement with vivid relief, letting out a long sigh. "Good. That's... good. Not--not that she didn't want your help but that... ah."
"That she's fine, yes." the lalafell smiled. "I have the feeling Megiddo is only trying to keep her terrified. He won't kill her, or he would have already
Antimony frowned, looking away. "No, he's trying to..." She trailed off then and shook her head before taking a deep, only somewhat unsteady breath. Her eyes returned to the bowl with its strange mix of olives and she said rather apropos, "I'm unsure how you maintain a balanced diet on all this, Ulanan."
"It's the olives." she explained, munching.
"Song dogs barking at the break of dawn, lightning pushes the edges of a thunderstorm; and these streets, quiet as a sleeping army, send their battered dreams to heaven."
Hipparion Tribe (Sagolii)Â - Â Antimony Jhanhi's Wiki