#but i also don't wanna have to go into a tangent on emet's mindset either

[takethistoyourstardust]

Wondrous Tails of FFXIV - Music

(Important context; my WoL’s Echo, other than the canon ways it manifests, also manifests in being able to literally hear trial boss music. While most of the soundtrack you hear in game is non-diegetic, the trial boss music is diegetic to her and no one else. Also this is not WoLRaha; Ahrora is aroace.)

~

“Have you ever tried transcribing your songs?”

“Huh?” Ahrora looked up from her bow, examining it for any damage, Miqo’te ears flicking. “I didn’t hear you, sorry.” She re-adjusted her headband, since it slipped a bit forward with her head down. G’raha Tia has asked her the question, a fellow bow user, like her. He was the one who seemed to be the most excited to travel into the Crystal Tower, his enthusiasm seemingly only matched by Xiyu Moonfire, a Viera who Ahrora quickly claimed was her own brother. It was a bit odd, but he seemed so trusting, and he didn’t seem weirded out when she said it.

“Oh, sorry,” G’raha said, crouching down near her. “But I noticed you’re a bard, but you don’t seem to have a set list of songs you sing when you’re barding. Maybe if you wrote them down, you’d be able to remember them better, and you’d be able to fight better.”

Ahrora raised her eyebrow at him. “It’s not a bad idea, but I… don’t know how to write. Not very well, anyways.” It was a bit embarrassing to admit, especially when she could very clearly see the Archon marks on the side of his neck, proving he was much, much smarter than her. But while she had a basic understanding of reading, and had learned to read at a much higher level thanks to her dad, and she could at least write her name, she had no real reason to learn how to write.

“Oh,” G’raha said simply, looking down. He seemed to be thinking about how to change the subject.

“No, don’t feel weird about it,” Ahrora shrugged. “I just don’t know how. I mean, I can write my name, but that won’t help with writing down the music I hear.”

“Well, maybe when you have some free time, you can teach yourself how to write sheet music, at least.” G’raha said. “I could even help you!”

“You seem really insistent about this…” Ahrora said, smiling a bit warily. “Do you like writing your own music?”

“Ah, well,” G’raha started, “I don’t always, but sometimes, I’ll overhear Xiyu singing, and I’ll write it down, if only a little bit of it. He gets a little embarrassed by it, but he’s such a good singer, I can’t help it.” He was blushing a bit.

“Maybe he should be a bard, too,” Ahrora said.

“Maybe,” G’raha smiled. “But I can show you how to write the sheet music once we finish exploring all the secrets the Tower holds for us!”

“I’ll hold you to that!”

–

The candlelight of her inn room was surprisingly bright, even this late at night. Ishgard’s winds were howling, blowing snow against her window, but Ahrora didn’t notice it, or it at least didn’t distract her. She plucked a few strings on the small lyre she had been gifted by Jehantel, humming a note to see if she matched it to the string’s note. When she was satisfied with the match, she jotted it down on the paper. She pushed her hair out of her eyes on instinct, despite her hair being much shorter now, not even touching her shoulders.

G’raha had only given her the most basic tutorial on how to write her own sheet music. To be fair, he was a very good teacher, and she was able to grasp the fundamentals. But he had decided to leave a deeper dive for later, not elaborating that “later” would be “when he woke up from his sleep in the Tower, which might not even be within her lifetime”. Xiyu seemed to be the most devastated by G’raha choosing to seal himself in the Tower, but G’raha had promised that he’d see him again. Considering Viera lifespans, she didn’t doubt that G’raha was being absolutely serious about that. But again, that was not occupying her mind as she read what she had written down, playing along with the lyre.

“These voices telling me let it go… Let it all go… I try and try but I can’t say no… Try and say no… This endless nightmare has just become… Nowhere to run… My heart is dragging me down into…”

She sighed. It was much slower than the song she heard fighting Shiva. The guitar she had heard, that was a much harder sound than any guitar she had heard. Still, she wanted to get this song down, if only to understand Ysayle a little bit more. She plucked a few more notes on her lyre, and sang those last few notes as she wrote them down.

“Oblivion…”

–

It was a quiet night in the Crystarium, a rarity in recent days. With the permanent return of night, even with a few days having passed, people were still celebrating it. Even from her suite in the Pendants, she could hear the people cheering to the return of the moon. But tonight, the one night she didn’t want to sleep, everyone else seemed to. So, to hopefully not disturb anyone, she had retreated to the highest place she could think of, the watchtower near the rookery. It wasn’t her first choice, but it was the quietest choice. Now, sat up here, with her lyre in hand, she sang to the stars;

“La la la la la, lying lost in thought, Do you love me not? Follow these Petals cast aloft, la la la la la, Will you, when I’m gone, remember me?”

The notes on the lyre were light, but Ahrora’s own voice was dark. She felt it was the only way to honor the Lightwarden’s song, and the pixies in general; playful, yet dangerous to those who didn’t know better. She wasn’t a bard anymore, not in combat; when she was in Doma, she had come across the art of dancing, and had since traded in her bow for a pair of chakrams. Still, she found comfort in singing, in playing her lyre, even if it was to no one but herself. She was so focused on the song, that she didn’t hear footsteps behind her. She wasn’t even aware anyone was behind her until he spoke.

“And here I thought you had abandoned barding, Ahrora Xue.”

Ahrora had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. “You don’t have to address me so formally anymore, G’raha,” she said, turning around. The Crystal Exarch, G’raha Tia, had come up to see her. She was vaguely aware he didn’t need sleep, but she still felt the urge to ask why he was up so late.

“It’s a habit now, I’m sorry,” he said, walking up near her, but not sitting down. “Is that a song you wrote.”

“A song I wrote down, yes,” she said. “It’s Titania’s song… the former Titania’s, rather.” She stood up, holding onto her lyre tightly. “I’m not sure of the name yet… I’ll come up with it later, though.”

“I see,” he said, looking down at the lyre. “I’m sorry I abandoned our promise to teach you how to write sheet music, but you seem to be doing quite well on your own.”

“You didn’t, though,” she said, cocking her head to the side, her braid falling a bit quicker than the rest of her somewhat choppy hair. “You made good on your promise, remember? You taught me the basics, which was enough. So don’t worry about it, okay? Not after… everything.” Indeed, the events of nearly turning into a Lightwarden herself in front of a man who seemed so full of hatred that she was turning, despite absolutely encouraging it, was extremely fresh in her mind, as were the marble scars on the back of her legs, hidden by her jeans.

G’raha seemed to be quiet for a moment. “I… hadn’t forgotten I taught you the fundamentals. But I had promised-”

“You didn’t promise to teach me more than the basics, just that you were saving other lessons for later,” She shrugged. “It’s not ‘later’ yet, but if it makes you feel better, you can still teach me. I’m sure my sheets are only really legible to me and me alone.” Ahrora smiled, and G’raha, for the first time in a couple of days, returned her smile.

“I believe I can make time to do just that.”

#wondroustailsofffxiv #wondrous tails of ffxiv #wondroustailsofffxivWriting #ahrora fantasy 14 #i do feel like i have to put in the disclaimer that It's Not WolRaha when i post abt rora and raha #that is an aroace catgirl and her brother's boyfriend!!!! #i could go into a whole diatribe actually abt how raha didn't connect the dots and realize he was in love w her brother until post 5.3 #and how he REALLY SHOULD HAVE REALIZED IT SOONER YA DINGUS #but that would also involve me going into... it's not crackship bc i don't ship it in the way crackship implies #but i also don't wanna have to go into a tangent on emet's mindset either #ANYWAYS THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE STORY #i'll uh Try to do this :) #so uh *jazz hands* enjoy i think! #the mage writes #this isn't Good i wrote this in a fugue state and barely edited it #just *shoves my skrunky in your face* LOVE HER