#graha. graha tia. well. you know. you know what he did
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Evermore questions for you!
As I understand things, Yume was banished by her family and ultimately ended up living somewhere very different and Graha Tia was sent away by his family to live in Sharlayan to keep him (and Allagan secrets) safe from the encroaching Garlean Empire.
Obviously there are some important differences - Yume was banished with little regard for her safety and Graha was sent away with his safety in mind and he was somewhat younger when he was sent to Sharlayan.
But I wondered how much they have shared about their experiences of leaving home and family in difficult circumstances and how these conversations went? Do they see themselves as having something in common in this regard? Do they have empathy for each others experiences? And perhaps most importantly, what does Graha think of Yume's family...?
Ohhhhhh yay another Mimble ask!!! 😁 And this is a great one too, because I’ve been meaning to talk about this more since G’raha’s past was discussed in Endwalker.
First, as you said, Yume was banished and dishonored by her father after disobeying him, so she’s not allowed to return to her home. The closest she can get is Kugane, but she’s not allowed past the gates into Hingashi proper, as her father’s lands lie just beyond the city. Yume was banished when she was 19, so she was already an adult, though a very young adult who struggled to live on her own, especially when she lived in such luxury before and had servants to do everything for her.
G’raha, on the other hand, was given to the Students of Baldesion at what we can assume is a much younger age, and we aren’t sure yet (in canon anyway) how much G’raha remembers of his family, of his homeland of Corvos, and how much of Corvosi culture he feels he is a part of. We know that G’raha greatly identifies himself as a Sharlayan, and he is proud to call Sharlayan his home now, as he has said as much. But he also has said that he wants to see Corvos again at least once, even though he feels like he’d probably never live there again, and this is a sentiment that Yume shares with her homeland.
Though their circumstances were quite different, both of their individual experiences really are similar in nature, where they both are disconnected from their families and their homelands, and they have found a home elsewhere. This is actually something that Yume and G’raha both share with each other in part soon after they meet, and then later while on a vacation trip to Costa del Sol, they share their life stories to each other. They feel this deep connection to each other in part because they understand each other so well in that way.
While Yume sees why G’raha’s family decided to give him up for adoption, and she and G’raha both believe that they must’ve thought that they were doing the right thing and hopefully they did it out of love for him, both Yume and G’raha struggle to see just why Yume’s father decided to not only allow Yume to try to commit seppuku, but also changing his mind at the last minute and banishing her instead.
G’raha has read a lot about Hingan customs and beliefs before even meeting Yume, so he assumes that Yume’s father is all about saving face, protecting his honor, and protecting the honor of the Aino clan at large; so while allowing Yume to commit seppuku made complete sense, allowing his daughter to live and have her dishonor not only herself but also the Aino clan just doesn’t fit with Lord Aino’s nature.
Yume thinks it’s because he was being particularly cruel and trying to inflict a cruel fate upon her for disobeying him, but G’raha sees it differently. He suggests to her that perhaps he couldn’t see his daughter die, and wanted her to live a life of her own choosing. While Yume still isn’t convinced of this suggestion, it is what she hopes her father’s motivation was nonetheless.
But whatever Lord Aino’s true intentions were, G’raha still is very angry at Yume’s family regardless, because of how much pain and suffering Yume was put through just because Yume refused to marry whom her father chose for her to marry. Yet, G’raha can’t deny that it was the reason that Yume came to Eorzea, and he’s so thankful because he met the love of his life, the one person that he has loved for hundreds of years and changed the entire timeline for.
Thank you so much for this amazing ask @mimble-sparklepudding!!! I always enjoy your asks so much! Feel free to send me more anytime!! 🥰💖
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idk man I just really like your style of rambling about them ig? like I find peoples' enthusiasm for things very sweet and infectious sometimes and your emetkoto posts defs hit that spot for me? like your joy and love for them seeps through and infects me too it's great. emetkoto good. anyway tell us about after vauthry. do it. give us the deets.
well thank you very much, it makes me happy to hear that ive had that effect on you 🥺🥺🥺 thats exactly what i hope to do with my posts about them but i do have bad demon brain so sometimes im like hmm. 'am i just being unbearably annoying instead actually???' and ofc sometimes its 'oh this is not original at all nobody wants to read this' so its always nice to have a little reassurance like this ghsljgsfd….
cracks my fingers so hard they all break anyway now for that essay you asked for
RIGHT SO LIKE right before vauthry, literally the night before that fight is when emet selch takes k'oto to the tempest to marry him and seubsequently erase his memory of it to "keep things fair" or whatever (basically he still had tiny little pangs of doubt about how things would turn out bc of yknow the whole being tempered for 12k+ years situation and he wanted to make sure that if it like. came to them having to fight. k'oto wouldnt hesitate bc he had smth like that holding him back :,) little did he know that he tried to hesitate in the end anyway and was only stopped from sparing him by ardbert) but thats a whole like other thing i still have to finish writing the worlds longest stupidest hardest to read post about so im physically restraining myself from going on about this anymore right this moment as much as i want to repeat myself forever about it bc GOD. God. god.
but anyway he was full of love and hope for k'oto, so much hope that he would be able to hold the light and prove mankinds worth so he could lay his mission to rest and stay by his side (and undo the spell holding his memories of the wedding) he was so SO ready for it and then. it just. all came crashing down :,) he'd allowed himself to let his guard down and put his duty aside and have hope in humanity again one last time and fall in love and k'oto just couldnt do it! even with his subtle help holding the light back he couldnt handle it, he was still too weak at 7 rejoinings and that shit hurted bad!!! he succumbed to the tempering and grief and rage and disappointment and closed himself off again…from there its probably the more canon adjacent bit of their story, graha tia acting embarassment, back to the tempest (altho k'oto doesnt remember having been there once before AUGH), amaurot, dying gasp :,)
throughout it all k'oto is trying desperately to get him to listen to him again but emet selch keeps cutting him off and ignoring him which hurts A LOT and ofc he says some. mean things to try and get him to just leave it be and accept what has to be done and stop talking about it bc HE didnt wanna think about it anymore EITHER obviously here but k'oto doesnt give up he keeps trying all the way to the very end….he never planned to kill emet selch, he just wanted to weaken him enough that he would take a moment to stop and think and listen , a last ditch effort to fix things but ardbert (and everyone else really) saw that it was like. too late for that. there was no way in hell emet selch was hearing reason anymore and if k'oto let him live there was a pretty high chance he would just kill him when he tried to get close to him so he took control of his body and made sure that axe killed, oops! way to kill a dudes soulmate and then be absorbed into his soul so you can never actually apologize for it…when the dust settled and k'oto realized what had happened he. was. A MESS!!
the only thing stopping him from breaking down right away was emet selch shushing him like 'let me enjoy this last moment with you in peace and quiet'……remember us and all that (although 'us' had a very obvious double meaning here
anyway tldr; WEHHHHHHH,,,,,,,
sorry for unreadability i very much wrote it exactly as it came out of my brain which is a long run on thought with no consideration for line or paragraph breaks. i tried to turn it into a few chunks for you
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I have a funny (and spicy) HC Request if possible! How do Graha/Ayemeric/Urianger/Yshtola/Thancred react if their S/O comes up to them, clearly irritated, and just says they have been trying to be subtle about the fact they are in the mood all day but now they just want to be bent over the nearest flat and solid surface?
A/N: I don't really know how I feel about this. I tried my hand at this ^^'' I hope it's not too horrible.
Warning: Slightly NSFW
Note: Established relationships
Aymeric
he was very much aware of your not-so-subtle behavior
and you had been quite a distraction
he could not get a single thing done
he wasn't going to reward you for that
but if you asked him nicely, he might just change his mind and give into your desire
but not until
if you continue to whine, he would deny you outright
he didn't like it when you were a brat
besides, if he gave into you now, you would just be rewarding bad behaviour
and he wasn't about to let that happen
G'raha Tia
He would have no idea that that was what you wanted
honestly he was so focused on reading up forbidden magicks-
he would have to do a double take
"Pardon?"
once it really sinks in, a mischievous smirk appears
"Is that what you want? Show me."
100% will give into you
Thancred
He would smirk
of course he would
he loved hearing you get all worked up like this
and all for him
he would be very smug about it
if this is what you wanted, he would willingly give it to you
just be sure you're prepared, he won't be going easy on you
he would remind you for days after this, just to watch you get worked up all over again at the memory
Urianger
He would pretend that he didn't hear you
although he very well did
as a matter of fact, he is very aware of what you wanted
he just wanted to see how long it would take for you to finally beg
honestly once he sees you on your very edge, he will go ahead and relieve you
"My love, enlighten me of your filthy thoughts."
Y'shtola
"All you needed to do was ask."
No, even if you would have asked nicely, she wouldn't have given you what you wanted
teasing you was much more entertaining
but since you were borderline begging, she would give you what you want
#ffxiv#ffxiv reactions#aymeric x reader#g'raha tia x reader#urianger x reader#thancred x reader#y'shtola x reader#aymeric de borel#g'raha tia#thancred waters#urianger augurelt#y'shtola rhul
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Took several attempts to get to the character select screen and ~20 minutes in queue but we made it
time for Endwalker pt 1
(this is a fucking novel)
LET TATARU COME WITH MEEEEEEE, cant believe she’s front and center on the poster and she doesn’t even get to come with WHAT is the deal
oh jesus, it’s him, the rat man is our narrator for this one. who summoned grandpa back, wasn’t me this time
the fucking reaction I just had to hearing Answers, holy shit
oh hello ma’am, was that you singing? i love your work. oh okay she’s literally just hydaelyn we’re not beating around the bush on this one
alright Yshtola coach us in committing immigration fraud, let’s go
also can we stop calling Graha “Graha Tia”, like I get that we need to remind everyone that he’s not a mega-chad Nunh but like, we get it
“name and occupation” uhhhh????? I don’t have a fuckin job?????? I’m an artisan ok I’m an omnicrafter
OH THANK GOD KRILE PLEASE HELP ESTINIEN IS TOO FUCKING STUPID TO LIE ON THE SPOT LMAOO, he is such a good addition already, “you’re paying me right” lmaoooooo
not Krile dropping the G and calling him Raha omgggggggg
LETS FUCKIN GOOOOOOO GRAHA AND KRILE FOLLOWING ME AROUND OMGGGGG, this is the best fucking feature I LOVE this
“the average Sharlayan tends to regard seasoning and flavor with...a certain indifference” yes krile drag the white people, also Sharlayan is lovely and the inn room is adorable
oh hell yeah boy’s trip to Thavnair let’s goooooooo
love to embarrass Estinien, me n the boys are down for the fuckin count lmaooooooo, personally I do the curl into a ball on the ground that Urianger’s got going on when I get pukey
I love big elephant man, what a sweetie
no FUCKING way they did NOT fucking make FANDANIEL be fucking AMON???? THIS IS THE BEST, like yeah this midboss from syrcus tower is a main antagonist now lmao, THIS is the shit I play this game for
and like of fucking COURSE, of COURSE Fandaniel’s dramatic ass would be the same person as the dude with the most flamboyant hat and over-the-top mannerisms whose boss fight is literally set in a theater, like the fact that this was obviously the plan from the start and not some random ass-pull just for the shock factor is what makes this kind of thing so effective
god this shit is just. so fucking good. this game fucking rules. the way it leverages shit from two, three expansions ago, payoff for things I didn’t even know were setups, like. FUCK yeah Estinien just knew this kid was Vrtra’s eye in a body immediately, of COURSE Vrtra knows who Estinien is. OF COURSE
poor krile trying so hard to talk to hydaelyn when she literally just showed up on a boat unprompted to chat with me, its clear who the favorite child is
LMAO YSHTOLA “oh we need to remain undetected? well I don’t know vanish, so BOOM you’re frogs, go get em”
Comrade Erenville, standing up for workers’ rights, identifying the real toads and the fakes, legend
hm. hm hm hm. hey hydaelyn who did you bring back to the source with minfilia. quick question. just real quick who was it.
FUCK YOU ELF DAD, EAT SHIT “restricted section of the library” who the fuck?? even says that shit??? god you fucking suck
WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!! KRILE WITH HER HOOD DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!! WHO IS THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
mama leveilleur!!!!!! she really said “kids come to the house for your presents, i don’t give a shit what your dad said, cmon”, casually walking into their fucking museum of a house with 10 servants standing in the foyer waiting
awwwwww they get their new fits from mama!!!!!!!! i didn’t even realize Alisaie’s is a romper with a belt & jacket, stealing KH1 Sora’s look lmao, also literally making Alphinaud a sage bc “these fuckin guns were custom made and expensive as fuck, tired of letting them rot in storage, they’re yours now”
THATS RIGHT MAMA, ASK FORGIVENESS NOT PERMISSION, FUCK FOURCHENAULT
oh my god this cutscene of dinner in my room is so fucking CUTE I die, graha slamming that bigass burger and complaining about being short, alisaie stealing his cookie, im gonna get cavities this is so sweet
THERE he is, no thoughts head empty murder man with the dumptruck ass
oh my GOD “I basked in the afterglow” ZENOS go take a cold shower my guy you’re too horny
ok im gonna run the first dungeon again bc smn isnt lv 82 and this quest requires it (bc I ran it the first time as drk bc fuck Thancred) and then gonna take a nap lmao
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Fourteen: Commend - E
"In that case—O, Bas'ir Bahani! Grace me with your considerable girth!"
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Pre-ARR specific male WoL Bas'ir Bahani and G'raha Tia. The Warrior of Light rewards himself for good grades by indulging in one G'raha Tia. Continuation of heady.
Also on AO3.
Part of the 2021 FFXIV Writing Challenge
The sight of a beautiful man bent over is capable of draining Bas’ir Bahani of his confidence. This specific man—this red-haired, archer-armed, book-headed man in particular—has a harrowing effect on the Keeper, even in his haughtiest of moods. Even after high marks in literary analysis. Still, he cloaks himself in airs of emotional fortitude.
"Aren't you pretty?" he says, snickering. It's as much an act of self-soothing as it is genuine amusement. He has one finger inside G'raha Tia, whose face is turned against a pillow. "Specifically, this part of you. Of course, I suppose you wouldn't know!"
"Plenty have apprised me of the situation." G'raha's tail is lopped over the side of his hips, bouncing idly to the conversation. When Bas'ir's finger goes deeper, the tail twists and tenses. He tries not to make a sound.
"Plenty, hmm?" Bas'ir eyes the hole giving around his index. Excess oil has dripped down G'raha's taint and over his balls. The temptation to clean up with his tongue is palpable, but he aims to serve in other ways today. "Well, now that you've heard it from me, you know it must be true."
"Yes, your word above all others' carries a heavy weight."
"Bah! If you're capable of such sarcasm, you need more things inside of you." Bas'ir twists his lips and collects G'raha's cock with his free hand, gives it a few rough tugs.
G'raha closes his eyes and grunts once. His tone was sarcastic, but his words are truer than Bas'ir realizes. G'raha likes Bas'ir, even when he's manic and making a whole show of how dearly he wants to enjoy G'raha's body, and have his own enjoyed in turn.
The second finger pushes in. Bas'ir rests his head on G'raha's ass and watches his digits disappear from the side. He's being squeezed, being pulled and already imagining the same welcoming reaction around his cock. The wanting casts a glaze over his yellow eyes.
"You could probably...go ahead and fuck me," G'raha says. He's lost some of his vocal control. The words are low and husky.
Bas'ir's ears twitch. "Fuck you?"
G'raha murmurs affirmation into the pillow. "Two fingers ought to be enough, with what you're offering."
With a whip of his tail, Bas'ir straightens his back and narrows his eyes. "Such insinuations are beneath you, Raha."
"Are they?"
"Continue down this dark path and I shall lose interest."
"Oh?" G'raha smiles. He does not imagine Bas'ir losing interest any time soon. "In that case—O, Bas'ir Bahani! Grace me with your considerable girth!"
More confidence whittled away, more pink upon his cheeks. Bas'ir shifts his weight on the mattress. "When I said I wanted you to beg…"
"Forgive me. I suppose you could call me a poor beggar."
Bas'ir squints. Ultimately he forgives, but not before nipping at the base of G'raha's tail and scissoring his fingers a few more times for good measure. He knows his friend is ready when the only noises coming from his mouth are tiny huffs of breath. Bas’ir removes the fingers and winds his cock into position. The head looks plenty big against the Seeker’s ring, stretched and ready.
“Go on,” G’raha says.
"W-wait…" Bas'ir bends over and goes for the braid. "I'm taking your hair down. Just in case you wind up on your back, of course.”
"Just in case?"
"I want to see if it fans." He uses both hands to draw an imaginary crown around his head. "Don't you think that'd be a pretty sight, too? Hm hm…"
G’raha blinks. Such long eyelashes! “You’ll have to tell me.”
“I shall. If you please me. Heheh…”
Bas’ir enters with a hand on either side of G’raha’s ass. He doesn’t look until he’s all the way in; best to absorb the imagery once he’s sure he isn’t going to burst. The pressure is so immense, he wants to collapse on Graha’s back to simply hold and be held. He's sure if G’raha kept twitching around him, he’d be able to come without fucking him properly even once.
G’raha stretches his arms out and arches. “...more than I remembered, maybe…”
“You won’t forget again.”
G’raha laughs. Bas’ir starts moving.
For all the day’s raving, the sex is quiet. Bas’ir bites his lip half the time, trying to make every thrust count for the both of them. G’raha has his fingers making divots in the mattress. When Bas’ir chooses to pick up the pace, G’raha’s cock rubs against the covers. It’s just enough friction to make him whimper. Not enough to make him moan. When they’re both coated in the shimmer of sweat, Bas’ir sets a hand on either side of G’raha to lean over without calling his hips to a halt. “Do you want to touch yourself?” he says, like a villain. “Is that it?”
“I shouldn’t have to.”
“Well now I’m definitely not going to allow it.”
G'raha closes his eyes and absorbs the truth of what's happening: Bas'ir is doing a passable job. More than that—he's doing well. A less prideful man might offer direct commendation. "H-hey actually Bas'ir," G'raha says. The syllables are too quiet for his taste, so he clears his throat and tries again. "Bas'ir, you could pull my tail."
"Hm?" He shimmies deep and nuzzles at G’raha’s shoulder blade. "Is this your way of asking me to do so?"
"Perhaps."
"I expect better on this momentous occasion. Why, you could practice your begging, scholar boy!"
“Please…” What G’raha meant to say was are you not a scholar boy as well? He grinds his teeth and consigns to doubling down. “Please. Give me more.”
Bas’ir’s tail whirls like a whip, his pupils full like dark moons. “I think I’ll flip you after all.”
“Wait—”
Bas’ir pulls out and watches G’raha’s hole react to the change, shifting and tensing while the Seeker groans and curls his toes. It takes a nudge and some shuffling to achieve the next position—G’raha on his back, holding his legs up beneath each knee in offering. This time Bas’ir does watch the slide of his cockhead into G’raha’s ass; he feels like he’s being sucked deliciously inside. The Keeper has a sinister quirk to his lips when his gaze flickers up. “It does look pretty. Your hair,” he says.
“Does it...” G’raha’s words are absent of all question-like qualities. “So you won’t pull my tail, then…”
Bas’ir scoffs and comes forward with a deep, penetrating thrust. He has an elbow on either side of G’raha’s head. “I offer you my lips now.”
The ensuing kiss lasts through the sting of Bas’ir’s biting teeth, through the rumbling in G’raha’s throat. It lasts through the upped tempo of body to body, of the bed frame squeaking beneath the weight of frenzied coupling. It lasts through G’raha’s spill, realized after a few heavy rolls of Bas’ir’s hips and by the graceless rubbing of his dick between their torsos. G’raha keeps his eyes open and barks toward the ceiling, surprised with how much his silly lover has learned since the first night they fucked. And that’s when the kiss ends.
“Raha!” Bas’ir grunts and lets his head drop to G’raha’s neck. Teeth sink into flesh, cock sinks deeper into hole, and then Bas’ir comes, too. The bite lasts for at least as long as the kiss did. When he finally lets off, he collapses without pulling out.
G’raha sighs and sets a shaky hand on the back of Bas’ir’s head. “Bas’ir.”
“Raha.”
“I think you deserve high marks for that as well.”
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Mat I ask from Graha Tai having his ears massaged by WOL. He's stressed and anxious and WOL just forces him in their lap and starts massaging his ears and scalp. Bonus points if Graha can't stop purring.
this is some quality stuff <3 thanks for the ask!
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He’s doing it again. The thing that he does when he’s exhausted. Ergo, he is swaying back and forth and running on nothing but caffeine in his veins.
Your eyebrows were twitching at the sight of him within his tent. Rammbroes certainly wasn’t joking when he pleaded with you to help G’raha get some sleep. For him to have stayed up for over five suns because of a new set of tomes excavated from the Crystal Tower... it was understandable, yes — and a part of you secretly admired the man for his persistence — but enough was enough.
You prepared yourself as you marched right up to the Miqo’te. Even as you stomped your feet, he didn’t as much bat an eye considering how focused he was on the text. You heaved a heavy sigh before grabbing on the collar of his shirt to give him a rough tug — rough enough that he had fallen from his seat.
“What was that for?!” G’raha hissed, rubbing the back of his head.
“That was a warning,” you retorted, crossing your arms over your chest. “Rammbroes said you haven’t slept in five days.”
G’raha snarled before crawling back towards his desk, reaching out to grab the tome so he would be able to continue reading on the ground where he sat.
“I am perfectly well, thank you,” he sassed, flipping the pages in search of where he was before you had interrupted him.
You exhaled a heavy breath once more. The man was stubborn to a fault and you wouldn’t withhold the fact that there was a part of you that was aching if asked. Yet, for the you that constantly pushed yourself when needed because the hopes of several thousand souls are on your shoulders — do you have the right to judge him?
Perhaps not, but you know exactly where such stubbornness will lead if left unchecked.
Once more, you reached out to him, but rather than forcibly pull him away, you wrap your arms loosely around his neck, resting them comfortably over his shoulders. You feel G’raha’s figure going stiff at the contact and with the way his arms scrambled to find purchase, you certainly caught him off guard.
“M-My friend, what is-?”
“Do you want me to beg? Is that it?” you asked, a breathy whisper against his ear.
You felt his body shiver against your own as you lean against him and you praise the Twelve because, finally, you have a chance.
You lift your hands and perform the sacred act, the one your other Miqo’te friends have advised you would be a surefire way to subdue G’raha Tia no matter his mood. You scratch his ear affectionately.
“Th-That is not-!”
As expected, the man almost melts in your arms as he goes limp. Any tension from his initial surprise faded away and the rumbling from his chest against yours was enough indication; he was purring.
Cute, you think and continue onward. Once you were satisfied with giving due affection to his ear, you switched for scratching his scalp. The purring remained constant, only pitching for but a moment when you had transitioned between ear and scalp, but returned to its steady rhythm.
That is, until it had stopped altogether.
Moderately startled, you peer down towards G’raha to see if everything was alright and, sure enough, the man had curled himself into a ball within your arms. His eyes were closed and he was murmuring in his sleep. Your ministrations did wonders, almost like a magic trick, and you couldn’t be any more proud of yourself.
Slowly and carefully, you motion to lay G’raha on his cot so you would also be able to retire for the evening. As you were to pull the covers over him, his mumbling became slightly louder and you leaned in to listen...
...listen as he calls your name. Calls your name with such a content smile as he curled up within himself.
Cheeks flaring a fiery red, you immediately tuck him in and withdraw from his tent. You turn to make your way for Mor Dhona, a flustered mess that you were, while praying no one saw you in such an embarrassed state.
Unfortunately for you, Cid was present as you were leaving. The sight of your expression gave cause for him to eye G’raha’s tent before he shrugged helplessly.
“Young love,” he says to himself with a wicked smile.
At least Garlond has something to blackmail you with if he needs a field tester for any future prototypes he invents.
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Between Heartbeats
i come bearing GIANT SPOILERY but ultimately pointless fanfic about the Exarch, don’t read if you haven’t finished SHB MSQ
features mute WoL
He knew the question behind those large, inquisitive eyes that came to rest on him as soon as they were alone in the Ocular. Well, he thought he knew. There wasn't a particular secret to understanding what the Warrior of Light was thinking. In some ways it didn't matter, because all she seemed to need to do was gaze into one's eyes and all one's secrets would come spilling out into the open. Then she would find and fix the problem. Even Emet-Selch had fallen prey to her curiosity.
Never had the Exarch struggled with keeping his true identity secret before. Every time she peered at his hooded face, searching so hard for a hint, he had wanted to cry out that he knew her, and she him, and that he had waited so long to see her again—
That was no longer an issue now. His hood was down, his greying hair bared to the world and to his hero. Now his hero gazed at him, asking in her silent way what had happened when Emet-Selch had taken him away. She looked from the bruise on his chin to the cleaned and tended cut on his forehead. Once, her eyes flicked to his chest, looking for evidence of the bullet that had rendered him helpless.
“I may be old, but I'm a sight sturdier than I look,” he said. “Rest assured no permanent harm befell me while in Emet-Selch's...'care'. In fact, I'd say I got out with fewer injuries than expected.”
The Warrior of Light—or Darkness, rather—tilted her head in her most dubious way.
“I do believe I owe you an apology still,” the Exarch said, hoping to distract her. “I forced you to help this world when your own has its own issues...to be honest, I truly intended to sacrifice myself to save you.”
Her eyes narrowed. She didn't like his plan. Understandable.
“Since things didn't work out like I'd planned, well...here I am, fully able and willing to apologize for my arrogance,” he said, and bowed. “I'm sorry.”
When he straightened, he found himself speared with a look so potent it could've been bottled and sold at the Musica Universalis for a premium. The Warrior of Light lifted her hand to point at his chest. Her expression was stern. Don't you dare try to change the subject, it said.
“If you insist,” he said as his heart tried to beat its way through his ribs. “Obviously my reluctance is—ahem. I would rather you worry about other things besides what happened to me, that is all.”
He remembered fire. The smell of brimstone. Emet-Selch had taken him around the recreation of Amaurot before trapping him in the end of days. 'You seem an intellectual sort,' he had said. 'Allow me to show you what once was and what will be again.'
“Emet-Selch brought me to his city of ghosts,” said the Exarch. “Since he had need of my knowledge, he healed my wound and attempted to convince me to cooperate.”
The very same nonsense spewed forth by Vauthry, the ridiculous logic that as an inferior fragment, he ought to be working to restore the true perfect society. Raha had never found Emet-Selch endearing, not even for a moment, and this situation only cemented his dislike. Even worse, he knew they had far more in common with each other than he would have liked. The difference was that Raha had his hero.
“When I failed to be convinced, he instead threw me into that hellscape you and your fellow Scions fought through and told me to think on his proposal for a while. I assume by 'think' he meant spend most of my time desperately dodging falling buildings.”
The Warrior of Darkness grimaced in fellow feeling. She, too, had dodged those buildings.
“The majority of my injuries came from that and from facing the various fell fiends the ancients created,” the Exarch added. “I saw you making your way through the calamity from afar and did my best to reach you. I am glad to say I made it in the nick of time to summon help.”
Bleeding fingers clutching at crumbling cermet as he struggled to scale broken architecture, pain with every breath as his ribs screamed. The whole world groaned in agony with him. Oh, it had been its own hell, being just out of reach when they needed help. No healing magic, for he needed every onze of his strength to open the gate for those warriors from beyond the rift. How long had it been since he had bled? He was surprised to find it was as crimson as ever. A miracle indeed that his blood had not been replaced with crystal.
“You know what happened afterwards,” he said. “The long swim to the surface was rather taxing.”
The Warrior of Light and Darkness nodded and let out a little huffing sigh at the memory. Even a hero of legend thought swimming across the sea was a bit much for an after-battle cool down. Her gaze softened, her curiosity satisfied. Her hands came up. To his astonishment, she began to speak using Lakeland Sign Language.
“<GRAHA,>” she said, using fingerspelling.
A jolt hit his entire body. His name...oh, how it all came flooding back. His past, when things had been simpler. Seeing an adventurer and challenging her to a race. In between forays, curling up with a fat tome under a tree...
“My friend,” he said, willing his voice not to wobble. “I...Honestly, I have been the Exarch for so long that that is who I am, but...”
The Warrior of his heart was up to some mischief. “<GRAHA,>” she said again, a twinkle in her eye.
“Now I know you're just trying to get a reaction out of me!” he groaned. “Before you bring me to tears yet again, I'll have you know that I have thought of a proper name sign for myself.” He showed her. As Exarch, the various deaf residents at the Crystarium had long since given him a name sign: the sign for tower, but with one's hands forming C and E. As Raha, however, he chose to create his own.
“<Raha,>” she said, her hands opening as if to read a book, but with one hand forming the letter R.
The sight gave him a terrible case of the butterflies. His tail lashed in agitation under his robes before he could get a handle on himself. “Very good,” he said. “Ah, it would be best to keep that between us. You know the name sign for Crystal Exarch, I hope.”
She nodded and smiled. Those butterflies were not keen on leaving him any time soon.
“Very good,” he repeated. “Is there aught else you would like to know? No? Then if you'll wait a moment, I will attune the portal...”
Today he would send her back to where she belonged. Once upon a time he had dreamed of meeting her again and going with her on all her adventures. Now he knew that she was no longer his. She belonged on the Source, where she could be the hero she was meant to be, while he...he belonged here on the First. Though he had briefly bridged the gulf between them, the time had come to send her on her way.
As she stepped through the portal, her eyes on the invisible horizon, Raha allowed himself one last flight of fancy. He imagined himself following her home, seeing his old friends again—
But the portal would not let him through. That was not his world anymore. Not his past. Not his present. Not his future.
There was still hope for him, though.
“Do you hear me, G'raha Tia? This is no time to be sleeping!” he called, as though his words could reach across time and space to slap himself upside the head. There was hope for some version of himself to wake up to the still living face of the Warrior of Light, to go on adventures with her...
For now, he would wait and remember her calloused hands saying his name.
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