At the Temple of the Twelve [Open]

[Clover]

((OOC: Happens after this post. Any other character who caught that image and wants to investigate it is more than welcome to join!))

 

 

Through a narrow path of dark hawthorns, the girl walked. It wasn't the first time Clover visited the Temple of the Twelve; her parents took her there years back, before the Calamity changed everything, and the surroundings were still as terrifying as she remembered from her childhood days. Back then, she'd firmly believe that, at the end of the path, it wasn't a sacred temple but the black castle of a witch what she'd find.

 

She walked alone this time, holding no one's hand. Her steps had come to a halt from time to time, when strange and unknown noises alerted her senses. Eorzea was no longer the safe place she used to believe it was, and perhaps having come completely on her own was quite risky. It was still something she had to do, she wouldn't stop.

 

Alert eyes kept focusing on their surroundings as the path moved behind, until something else finally emerged from behind menacing thorns, like waking up from a nightmare. At the end of the journey (oh, but it was just the beginning), Clover raised her head and saw it. The Temple of the Twelve, colossal and beautiful as she remembered. It towered protectively above her, offering comfort for the lost.

 

 

 

"......"

 

Whoever or whatever awaited inside, it should give her the clue -even the answers- she was searching for. Risky, perhaps, but Clover was too thrilled to unfold the mystery. It was like reading a tale; she needed to know what would happen next. The who, the why, and the how. Everything.

 

With a deep inhalation, the hyur girl resumed her walking into the temple. Albeit her face was serious and focused, inside that chest was an expectant, fast beating heart.

[Kieron Lohengrin]

The sanctum was quiet, save for the sound of occasional birdsong overhead. After Clover entered through the ornate gate, she saw that the grounds themselves were well-kept, rather than overrun with vines and leaves. The water on each side of the massive stone bridge leading to the structure remained clear.

 

As she moved forward, she was met by a gentle breeze, rustling her hair. A cloud began to drift over the already-overcast sky, further darkening the day. A faint sense of disquiet began to creep over the hyur girl - the place seemed completely empty. Upon rounding the corner of a stray path, however, she heard the noise of paws padding across the stone floor.

 

A shadow fell from around the corner, skipping forward oddly. While Clover's heartbeat quickened, a stalking shape came forward to meet her - that of a small wolf pup. It bounded out, then yapped a challenge at the girl, hopping up and down in a small circle. The puppy growled, trying to look menacing.

 

"Mr. Scruffington, don't go too far," called out a stranger's voice calmly. Another shadow fell from around the corner, approaching and resolving itself into the shape of a tall man - a male highlander. Well over six fulms, he paused, then regarded the midlander girl with a single eyeblink.

 

An eyepatch covered half of his face, and an oddly ornate tattoo was upon his brow. His long, crimson locks drifted slightly in the wind, and he was dressed for war, but his posture seemingly held no immediate threat. In his hands, he bore... not a weapon, but a potted lily. The man's muscular form was partly caked with dirt, from the work of gardening and groundskeeping.

 

 

After a pause of a few silent moments, he smiled. "Good to see you again, daydreaming miss," Schezar greeted her gently. "Are you here to pray to the Twelve?"

[Clover]

 

Instinctively, Clover took a step back when a feral creature startled her. It wouldn't take long before she could actually realize what it was, finding herself in front of an adorable puppy which tried to be a giant. She stared at it for a few seconds; it wasn't a wild but a domestic animal, and the fact it'd had access to the temple could mean that the owner was around.

 

The sound of a masculine voice quickly confirmed her thoughts. When the girl raised her head in its direction, she saw the man-- the warrior, emerging from behind the corner. Green, well open eyes automatically landed on the potted flower he was carrying.

 

Even before he spoke, she knew who he was.

 

(You called me here... didn't you?)

 

She asked with the silent voice of her mind, her expression changing back to her usual, serious self as she looked at his only eye. Albeit Clover didn't believe in fate, she did tend to think that there was a reason behind every occurrence. A man had entered her mind and showed her this place; she was thrilled to find out why.

[Kieron Lohengrin]

Schezar closed his eye briefly, listening to Clover's question in his head, feeling the power of the Echo flow through them both. After a few moments, he looked at her again and offered the girl another kindly smile.

 

"Maybe so," he answered. "But still, it'd be easier for us to use our own voices for now, don't you think?" As the puppy at their feet saw him addressing her calmly, in a friendly manner, it bounded up and down again. No longer hostile, now it yapped playfully at the girl, wagging its tail for attention.

 

The highlander turned and nodded in the direction of another small temple monument nearby, one dedicated to the god of time, where he'd been carrying the lily to. "Would you care to join me? I've just been tending to the plants here in my spare time, making sure they aren't forgotten, during this season of the Starlight Celebration."

 

He began to move along at a leisurely pace. "My name is Schezar. What's yours, miss?"

[Clover]

Clover's lips parted slightly, albeit no voice came from them. So it was true, he was able to read her thoughts without difficulty, at any moment. The Echo... There wasn't much Clover knew about it, other than what her grandpa told her. Some people were born with it, albeit many of them wouldn't realize this until much later. So far, Clover believed that the Echo was something she didn't possess, and perhaps it was better this way. As much as she'd wanted to be a ghost who could observe and have access to all the stories taking place around her, another's mind was a sacred temple she had no right to invade.

 

After the realization, her expression softened once more with a nod of her head. Her initial question had merely been a test, after all; she'd use her voice from now on. As much as she tended to use it, anyway.

 

The now friendly yapping of the puppy caught her attention the next moment, succeeding at making her crouch down to pet its head. It was soft and adorable, and if Clover's mind hadn't been so full at that moment, her smile might have become more visible. There were many things she wanted to ask, but the man spoke first, offering both his name and an invitation to walk with him. Clover stood up then to follow him.

 

"I'm Clover... Clover Blake."

 

It was surprising, she thought, that the man who'd seen inside her mind wouldn't know her name. The Echo was still a stranger to her, but so far she got the impression that he couldn't see everything. Or perhaps it was due to the lack of practice he mentioned in his letter.

 

As she walked beside him, she spoke again, albeit she left her questions for later on. There was something important she wanted to say first.

 

"My grandpa... You wished him well, thank you," she said, and albeit her expression was serious, her grateful words were noticeably genuine. "Sadly, he died half a year ago."

 

Her thoughts finished what her words didn't. Schezar had seen her grandpa inside her mind. Alive, somehow. He might have seen bits of him, of the beautiful thing he's always been. Clover considered that the Echo user deserved to know.

[Kieron Lohengrin]

Schezar paused, frowning for a moment, then nodded sadly. "I'm truly sorry to hear that, Miss Blake. You must have cared for him very deeply." He glanced back, hiding a smile as Mr. Scruffington nuzzled into the girl's touch, then licked her fingers.

 

He slowed as they approached the small monument to Althyk, setting his plant down. "I sense you have a lot of questions. I'm no expert scholar on the topic, but I'll try to answer what I can." He produced a rag from one of his side pouches, and began the task of cleaning the ornate stone.

 

"You've probably heard rumors of the Echo before. There's a lot of speculation going around about what it can and can't do, and who gets to use it or not." The man looked up at her again briefly, meeting her eyes with his. "Here's what I can tell you for certain - it's a blessing from Hydaelyn, the mother crystal: the spirit of our world."

 

Schezar then continued cleaning. "You've also probably heard whispers of the new horrors out in the world - of the Primals tempering innocent people, turning them into mindless slaves. Those of us with the Echo are protected from that." As he gazed down at the rock, he recalled his most recent encounter with Ifrit, recalled the desperation in the miqo'te group's eyes as they heard the crystal's voice for the first time.

 

He stood, wiping at his hands, then looked over at Clover again. "Because of that protection, some have chosen to fight back. Not that it's required in any way - it's simply a personal choice." He glanced up at the temple looming over them.

 

"Whether to fight, or to continue living in peace - that's a decision that no one should ever have forced on them. We should all be free to walk our own path."

[Clover]

The young girl listened to Schezar's words, amazement displayed in her open eyes and slightly parted lips. Naturally, she'd heard horror stories about the Primals, as well as about the heroes who risked -and often lost- their lives to fight them. She'd always wondered if there'd be a time where she, too, would eventually have to face them, just like she had to face the Calamity. The world was full of danger, and there was no place to hide from it.

 

What had been unknown to her so far was the role that the Echo took in the fight against the Primals. The more she heard, the more she realized that it was as much of a blessing as it was a curse. Definitely, not something she'd want to possess.

 

Her expression softened, back to her serious self, and she couldn't help but to lower her gaze for a moment, lost in her own thoughts.

 

"Even if you say you have the choice to live in peace... can you? Knowing that you can prevent the loss of lives who stand no chance against the Primal's tempering..."

 

The puppy tried to get her attention again, but Clover didn't crouch down this time. She'd barely noticed it. Instead, she raised her head once more to look at Schezar.

 

"What path did you pick? ..."

[Kieron Lohengrin]

Schezar finished placing the potted lily where it would get the most sunlight, in a gap under the canopy of leaves overshadowing the sanctum's borders. As he stood back up, considering Clover's question, the sphairai hooked to his sides clinked softly with metallic noise. "Part of me wants to say that the path of war chose me. But, that's not entirely true. My family would welcome me home at any time, without question."

 

He shook his head for a moment, offering her a faintly embarrassed smile. "Not too long ago, my youngest brother said he worried for me. Said that I should just leave the fighting to others, and settle down." The man reached up to the eyepatch across his face, slowly removing it. His other eye blinked open - perfectly fine and healthy, save for a faded scar or two.

 

The highlander stared down with both eyes at the eyepatch in his palm, a look of wistful nostalgia upon his face. The magitek gadget glowed softly, revealing the glass readout on the inside of the device. He then glanced back up calmly at Clover. "I should have died five years ago, at Cartenau. But I had someone who found me, rescued me, brought me back from the brink. She taught me everything I know... gave me new direction and purpose." He began putting the device back on.

 

"It would be a waste of my master's teachings if I were to walk away from the war now. So that's partly why I continue to fight, Miss Clover."

[Clover]

Once more, Clover's features didn't hide her small surprise when Schezar removed his eyepatch. Far from her initial idea of a terrible wound she wasn't sure she wanted to see, his eye appeared unexpectedly healthy and well functioning. She stared at him, wordlessly, as he spoke of his participation in Cartenau, of his purpose. Of war.

 

And then, unblinking eyes couldn't but travel to the lily that the man had been carefully taking care of. It was so fragile, so peaceful, foreign to all the things that were poisoning the world. It'd been the warrior's gentle hands making sure that the little flower would have everything it needed to survive, to grow strong under the warm sun. And those would be same hands brandishing a deadly weapon in the middle of a battlefield, inflicting pain and fear.

 

He was like Andre, somehow.

 

Her eyes had turned slightly more crystalline when she looked back at the kind man. They were open, they hid nothing. Not until she bent down in a deep and respectful bow.

 

"Thank you... very much..."

 

Her words said, and she knew he'd know everything. It was because of people like him and Andre that she, an useless hyur who'd never done anything for the world, could live to see the sun rise every morning. The respect she felt for him couldn't be measured, just like her own guilt.

[Kieron Lohengrin]

Schezar blinked in surprise as the girl bowed low to him, faint color rising to his cheeks. "Clover, you don't have to--" He paused, glancing over again at Mr. Scruffington Woofpaws III. Rather unhelpfully, the puppy was busy chasing its own tail.

 

The highlander shook his head, before stepping close and offering his hand to the midlander lass, along with another friendly smile. "Those like me... we chose to fight of our own accord. Of our own free will." His fingers were rough and calloused from countless hours of martial arts. However, as Clover noted earlier, they were also gentle outside of the battlefield, in a place of peace like the temple garden.

 

Schezar gazed directly and evenly at her. "I'm not the only one. I have... associates, allies and friends similarly blessed by the crystal. We used to operate out of the desert, near Ul'dah... but we've been packing up shop and moving north of Thanalan, to Mor Dhona."

 

He didn't fully know the depths of the guilt she felt, but he could sense that the troubled girl had a lot on her mind. "We fight, so that free Eorzeans everywhere don't have to bow and live on their knees. Not to the Primals, not to the Garleans, not to anyone."

 

Schezar offered her another quiet, reassuring smile. "So stand tall. Continue living like your grandfather taught you - kindly, without bringing harm to others. That's something you can take pride in."

[Clover]

When a gentle hand was tended out to her, Clover raised her head. She looked at Schezar's eyes for a second, before her hand hesitantly accepted his. It was a strange, almost familiar feeling. From the time her grandpa had left this world, perhaps this was the closest to his touch she might have experienced. It might be the unique brand of gentleness that both men displayed, even if they were still very different.

 

Schezar continued sharing his words, his personal tale with her. He mentioned comrades, as well as his wish to protect people from Eorzea-- more so those who couldn't fight on their own, but who still could bring some good into this word.

 

"My parents were soldiers during their youth," she explained, her tone serious, calm as usually. "I've been considering to take a similar path and join the Twin Adders. Living everyday is not enough; I want to be of real help."

 

Then, another thought, a darker one crossed her mind as she remained silent for a few more seconds. The real world might even be harsher than what some tales made it be, but she didn't want to ask, no matter how much her mind would betray her in front of Schezar. War was no game, and perhaps the loss this man'd had to experience and witness was nothing to take lightly. Clover knew how much joining any sort of military ranks scared her; it wasn't as easy as simply saying she wanted to do it.

 

All the horrors her parents and Schezar had witnessed in Cartenau... all those horrors...

 

"..."

 

As if trying to conceal her thoughts from him for his own sake, she looked away from the man, hiding her eyes from his view.

 

"Any help should be welcome, shouldn't it? This world is still at the edge of war."

[Kieron Lohengrin]

((merry christmas, btw :3))

 

Schezar listened to the calm, serious girl explain her family's history of military service, pausing for a moment as she mentioned the Order of the Twin Adder. He kept his expression outwardly neutral, but he thought back to his recent meeting with the Elder Seedseer. Remembered telling Kan-E-Senna the fate that had befallen the Wood Wailers in Haukke Manor, how they'd been tortured and transformed into nightmarish voidsent.

 

Even just the memory of Halicarnassus' scream continued to chill his blood.

 

Aloud, the Scion agent answered, "It's true, the Adventurers' Guild and the Grand Companies are still welcoming recruits and assistance from anyone willing to step up. Raya-O-Senna of the Padjal, in particular, has been providing guidance and training to those who study the healing arts."

 

He glanced down briefly at their clasped fingers, giving the girl a single reassuring squeeze, before gently letting go again. "I won't lie to you, Clover - it's a difficult, often dangerous calling. A hard life where one can witness unforgettable horror and cruelty. Where you can lose people you love, in spite of all the training and discipline and preparation in the world."

 

He knelt down to pick up the puppy at their feet, who had started snoozing as the sun had slowly gone down, and the first stars of the night began to appear in the sky.

 

Schezar then looked directly at her, as he carried the wolf pup in his arms. "But it's a hard life with meaning. And something tells me that's what you seek." The monk raised his head skyward again for a moment, looking up at the stars. "In all honesty, my only initial purpose here earlier was to explain the Echo a bit to you, to explain how souls resonate, and how to shield your thoughts, for privacy."

 

The highlander gazed back at the young girl. "In the end, though... only you will decide the path you wish to be on. You'll decide if there's someone you want to fight for, to protect." The clouds began drifting overhead, and rays of moonlight illuminated the two hyur.

 

"As soldiers, I'm sure your parents wished to protect their families, their friends... but also, most of all, I believe they wanted to protect you, and your future. They wanted to protect your smile." A stray snowflake landed on the man's cheek as he stood before her, cradling the sleeping puppy.

 

"They fought so you could live free, to choose your own path without fear. I can think of no greater legacy than that."

[Clover]

((Merry belated Christmas! ^^))

 

Schezar's thoughts, all those memories that still managed to haunt him like nightmares, remained luckily unknown to the girl. It was safe to assume that she wasn't gifted with the Echo. If she actually possessed it, she certainly hadn't developed such a gift at all.

 

As he spoke, a darker colour had started reigning in the sky. Clover only noticed that night had slowly fallen upon them after a shiver ran through her body. It was becoming colder, she'd have to return soon; not to Gridania, for the path back would be especially dangerous at night, but to the small settlement at south.

 

"I'm not gifted with the Echo, but I can't simply ignore what's happening to the world. That you taught me more than what you initially wanted was only inevitable."

 

Her eyes raised to the now black sky, where another snowflake greeted her with its uneven dance.

 

(Peace is not a real choice in times of war...) She said with the soundless voice he could still hear, before her head moved in his direction once more. She observed him for a few seconds, his warm, peaceful figure as he held the puppy in his arms. It was amazing. Tragically so.

 

Her eyes had become a bit more crystalline when she spoke again.

 

"The next time we meet..." She raised her voice, trembling slightly on this occasion. The cold air was unforgiving. "Please teach me how to shield my thoughts."

 

(I don't want to hurt you with them.)

 

Somehow, it was a promise Clover wanted him to make. That he'd stay alive.

[Kieron Lohengrin]

Schezar nodded. "It's a promise, Clover. You have my word." The highlander paused upon hearing her soundless voice again, feeling her quiet concern for him, and also noticed her shiver from the cold. He then took a few steps off to the side, kneeling and reaching for what appeared to be a small pile of belongings resting by the temple's stone steps.

 

The monk straightened back up. Walking back to the girl, he carefully and gently draped clothing of Ul'dahn design around her shoulders, ornately decorated with the emblem of the Immortal Flames. The officer's overcoat appeared bulky on the outside, tailored as it was for Schezar's muscular size, but the fleece lining within was comfortably warm enough to shield Clover from the winter chill like a blanket.

 

"But until that day, promise me in return that you'll stay safe, as well. Whether you join the Twin Adder and follow in your parents' footsteps, or continue living peacefully here in the woods." The wolf pup resting in the crook of his arm yawned sleepily, before continuing to doze and dream. As their crystalline gazes met once more, green and violet, Schezar offered her another calm and reassuring smile. "I'll walk you back home. It's getting late."

[Clover]

Andre wasn't the only person Schezar had reminded Clover of that day. When the man approached her with a coat that clearly seemed to belong to him, when he wrapped it around her shoulders to keep her warm, her eyes softened and her gaze lowered slightly. Being taken care of had become a strange, albeit nice sensation, one Clover hadn't experienced in a while. Not from the time her grandpa fell ill and it was her taking his hand, just like he'd always taken hers. She thought of him, also of her father.

 

Memories had always been precious belongings, but happiness wasn't the only emotion they brought.

 

To his request, an echo of her own even if their words had differed, a nod from her head was the only reply she could actually offer. The future was uncertain for the two of them; a soldier's life took place away from safety, for there was no such thing in war. She could only do her best, like he'd been doing up until now. That much, she could promise.

 

Then, when her eyes raised again to meet his smile, two silent words could be read in them. 'Thank you', they said, sincere and open.

 

[...]

 

That night, alone in her room and about to sleep, Clover talked to her grandpa again.

 

'Dear grandpa.

I know you've always been aware of this. Even in war, even in pain... this is still a beautiful world.'