An evening in Gridania[Closed]

[FreelanceWizard]

"Oh..." she said, her ears drooping at the mention of the Battle of Carteneau. She continued, her voice softer and more introspective. "I... the aftermath of that wasn't great for my village. And then I saw what happened to Limsa Lominsa just a few months afterwards and, I don't know. All that destruction... no one should have to experience that, to lose their friends or family that way. I think that's part of what got me motivated to really study the Aether." She then perked up with a smile. "Other than how awesome I am with it, anyway!"

 

"I'm actually staying at the Carline Canopy inn, too! And I'd be happy to have a gentleman escort!" she stated, her tone revealing a complete lack of comprehension of the various ways one could take such a phrasing.

[sanguineFenrir]

Kevaraan nodded solemnly, and would place a hand on L'yhta's shoulder in sympathy if she allowed it. "I'm very sorry for your losses..." The fear seemed to creep behind his eyes again.

 

"Y-yes... I think some night air would do me good; let's not loiter here for any longer. It's convenient we're staying at the same place, though it goes without saying I wouldn't be the sort to invade your privacy in any base manner. I just supposed you'd like the company."

 

Outside on the forest roads, he walked close but did not touch her. He spoke again, his voice low.

 

"What happened in Limsa Lominsa...those few months after? I remember a light, and then I was suddenly in La Noscea, after the battle... I had followed my father to Carteneau against his wishes. I thought that maybe a mage had invoked a powerful mass teleportation, or something. But, when I went back to Lominsa, the date on the signs had changed. Please, please tell me it's not just in my head."

 

Kevaraan stopped walking, almost as if something had frozen him in place. "If the city was attacked, then..." He shook his head, his ears dropping. "No."

 

After a few exasperated, quick breaths he seemed to regain his composure, snapping back. "Tell me, do you know a woman named Ciselia Annorek--a middle aged Keeper, about this high... long hair, hair and eyes the same color as mine? She worked as an apothecary in the Lominsan markets for a few years when we decided to settle there for a while, and has a.... thick cultural accent, I guess you could call it."

 

He looked down at the leaves, practically worn into mulch. "She's my mother. We'd assumed the city would be a safe place, even with the military tensions, so we looked into a safehouse there. But, when I went back, the place was empty, and she was gone. If there really was destruction in the city..."

 

Kevaraan left the rest of the sentence open to the obvious interpretation, and moved to make up for the strides he'd lost in contemplation.

[FreelanceWizard]

L'yhta didn't flinch or recoil from the touch at all, instead nodding solemnly. "Thanks. We -- I -- lost some very dear people that day, and so did a lot of other people."

 

While walking, the purple-haired miqo'te sorcerer kept her head held high, her eyes flicking between the various buildings of the city, the canopy of trees, and anyone who passed by. She tried to stay very close to her escort, very nearly but not quite bumping into him with an apparent utter lack of regard for personal space. When he stopped, she'd been eyeing a lamp ensconced in fireflies; she spun on her heel to listen, then waited for him to catch back up before speaking quietly.

 

"So... I don't know what happened at Carteneau, but I know people have been, uh, appearing lately. Like... people that no one can seem to remember. People who say that the last thing they remember is Bahamut appearing, and their friends and family saying that they've been missing for the last 5 years and the last thing they knew was them going off to be an adventurer, then never coming back. It's really, really weird. So, I don't think it's all in your head. I think there's definitely some kind of mysterious force playing with people's minds."

 

She looked down and scraped at the road with the tip of her right boot. "I haven't heard of your mother around the city..." She then turned her gaze back to Kevaraan. "But I don't know everyone, right? There's lots of people in the city I've never met. So, she definitely could be around and I've never seen her! I'm sure if you look hard enough, you'll find her," she said with a confident nod.

[sanguineFenrir]

Kevaraan was slightly baffled by his companion's closeness, and his steps were erratic for a while before he had stopped. He followed L'yhta's gaze to the lamp and the gaggle of pulsating, minuscule yellow spheres that flitted about it. The light caught on the metal of his facial piercings, causing them to glint brightly as he contemplated.

 

"So five years really have gone by..." He continued to watch the lamp, mildly gritting his teeth before exhaling through them. "People just... being erased like that, then showing up and proclaiming something that sounds more at home in an anthology of epics... I don't disbelieve them, even though I can hardly remember what it was like myself. The Empire, Dalamud... the times were so stressful I hardly remember."

 

He smirked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "Not that I really want to. But, if what you say is true, denial is the least of my problems: my mother might not even remember me or my father, or at best, what we went off to do."

 

Kevaraan crossed his arms. "I despise lying, even if it's to cover for something as improbable as this. The empire's grand schemes left me with quite the mess to sort out--but I suppose they wished to do that to all of Eorzea. Perhaps if we study the Aether more, we can find clues to what's causing these... abnormalities."

 

He smiled at her, though it was a bit crooked. "Yes, if you'd met Ciselia, I doubt you would have forgotten her. She'd make sure of it..."

 

As they continued to walk, he kept his eyes in the direction of the inn, and seemed to ease up. "I think I'll be in the city of Gridania for a week more, maybe two. You might run into me in the mornings, if you stay yourself."

[FreelanceWizard]

As he spoke, L'yhta tapped her left index finger on her right wrist. She then replied with her head canted to one side, her gaze towards the sky, "I've heard all sorts of things about what people remember. A lot of people say it's like... they try to remember, but then everyone's all washed out in the shadow of a blinding light. I've heard some people say no one remembers them at all -- like they were wiped out of history entirely -- and some that no one remembers just the last five years.

 

"But! You're right that studying the Aether's the best chance we have to figure all of this out," she agreed, her voice thick with enthusiasm as she looked back at him.

 

"I'm a morning person too, actually! I travel around a lot for my practice, but I'll be in Gridania for a bit longer. Maybe we can catch breakfast together some time?

 

"And if I see or hear of your mother at all back home, I'll be sure to hunt you down and get you two reunited."

[sanguineFenrir]

"It's all up in the air then..." he replied. "I should just focus on my training then, for once."

 

Kevaraan spread his arms wide above his head, yawning and stretching. "Hmm... I know I don't have the looks or blood of a Seeker at all, so it's surprising I get up relatively early--but my family is used to foraging in the morning. And the fact that modern cities and commerce revolves around a diurnal schedule doesn't help much. It's a world vying against biology, but the worst I've felt of it is that I wake up sporadically and get woozy sometimes."

 

"I'd enjoy sharing my morning tea with you, I think. Also, if we study Conjury together, maybe the instructors will stop harping on us..."

 

They approached the thick wood of the inn's double-doors, and Kevaraan tested the knobs briefly. "Good, they aren't locked just yet."

 

"I had a pleasant evening meeting you, L'yhta. Thank you very much for offering to help me find my mother. It's my wish that we'll cross paths again soon!"

 

He held the door open for L'yhta, beckoning with a flourish. "Good night, and pleasant dreams."

[FreelanceWizard]

"Tea and magical studies? You're speaking my language!" she proclaimed, not even remotely keeping her voice low for the late hour. "I'm glad I met you, and I certainly hope we run into each other more! I mean, not literally, of course!"

 

She then bowed to Kevaraan with a broad smile and wide flourish of her arms before stepping into the Canopy and up to her room.