"How is that holy water coming along?" Said a stern voice coming from a large dark-haired Au Ra male with glasses.
"Almost done Mr. Nassau, I just need to add the Dravanian Mistletoe." Replied the small Hyuran male as he carefully added the final ingredients to his concoction.
"Excellent, Rose. You've advanced quite quickly in your understanding of alchemy." Gaius praised as he examined the vial Rose handed to him. "You are dismissed for the day, I'll see you tomorrow for more combat training."
Rose stood from his chair and bowed to Gaius before exiting the room and returning to his chambers. Removing his boots and leaving them by the door as he entered, the Hyur stepped towards his bed and collapsed on it lazily. It was still early in the evening and the company cafeteria was soon to be serving dinner, yet Rose didn't feel like eating. He didn't feel like doing anything. All he could do was stare at the ceiling and reflect upon his time here. He had been with the Free Company and under Gaius' tutelage for almost half a year now. He had grown to understand and control the corrupted force stirring inside himself, yet he could not shake this feeling of unease he had since he arrived. At first only Gaius knew of his true identity and gender, yet thanks to Paris soon everyone in the free company knew. Rose had almost no choice but to reveal it to her one day after a major incident while out in the field.
Paris and Rose were sent to investigate an aetheric disturbance emanating from a cavern in Thanalan. What they found was a tear with various Voidsent slowly seeping out from it. Paris urged Rose to move in and investigate it further when suddenly the creatures noticed the intruders and attacked. Rose turned to flee from the area but before he could reach Paris she ordered her Titan-Egi to slam the hollow ground in front of her, creating a large gap that showed only darkness when peering down into it. It was too wide for Rose to leap and so out of desperation he cast a Manawall around himself as he waited for Paris to pick them off from a distance yet she just watched with a taunting grin as the creatures attempted to slash through the barrier.
Her expression quickly changed however as one of the larger, flying creatures of the group flew towards her rapidly for a surprise attack. Rose couldn't stand the thought of allowing his companion to get injured and so he had no option but to attempt a new technique he was still learning and manipulated the aetheric energy around him to dash through the air and by her side instantaneously, just managing to block the creatures attack with his staff. Paris, now ready for combat, aided him in defeating the enemies and closing the rift they had created. She later confessed that she planned to trap him in there as a crazy, desperate attempt to keep him away from Gaius as she felt he was a threat to her. Feeling as though there was no other option, Rose revealed his true identity to the Roegadyn to put a halt to the jealousy she harbored towards him. After that it didn't take long for everyone else in the company to find out the truth about Rose.
Although everyone in the company still accepted him, he felt as though he would now never be able to escape his past and the self he was trying to leave behind. The Hyur sighed deeply and got up from his bed, leaving his room. He waited down the hall from Gaius' chambers, hiding behind a wall and waiting for the Au Ra to leave for his meal. After a short while the door opened and the Scholar exited the room and headed towards the other end of the hallway. Waiting until he was out of sight, Rose rushed to the door and carefully entered, making his way towards a large bookshelf behind a wall dividing the room where Gaius kept his private collection of rare tomes, stepping over the large clutter of books piled on the ground that stood in his path.
He skimmed his way through the shelves, as he searched the spines of each book for any indication of alchemy recipes until he finally stopped at the one he needed. Rose hastily removed the book and hid it beneath his coat before quietly stepping out of the room and rushing out of the company building and towards a large greenhouse that was used to cultivate various plants and herbs. He sat down at a bench with the tome he had stolen and flicked through the pages. Rose continued searching until suddenly something caught his full attention.
"Fantasia. A chemical said to completely alter ones physical form. Once consumed the subject will be rendered unconscious and their body will change to the shape of that which they dream of. Danger: Results vary significantly, may result in disfigurement, dismemberment or death." The man read to himself. He took a moment to consider the dangers, but with a burst of adrenaline he ignored the warnings and began gathering the necessary ingredients.
Some time had passed and Gaius was returning to his room after dinner. As he opened the door he came to an immediate halt after stepping inside. He squinted his eyes as he felt something was amiss. He knew the layout of his room down to every speck of dust and even though he didn't yet know what it was, Gaius could sense something was off.
His thoughts immediate went to the assumption that Laris was causing his trouble again, but then he remembered the commotion the Miqo'te caused at one of the tables in the dining room and figured it was improbable. He walked over to a large cage that sat on a desk and opened the hatch, allowing a small squirrel to climb it's way up his arm and onto his shoulder.
"What happened here?" He asked it naturally. The creature rushed down from his other shoulder and let the Au Ra to the bookshelf as the pet climbed up and sat at a small gap within the books. Gaius took a moment to recollect his layout for the shelves when suddenly his eyes widened as he realized what was missing. He rushed out of the room and barged into Rose's room, only to find it empty. The man searched frantically around the building before eventually making his way to the greenhouse.
"Rose?!" He shouted as he entered. He searched around frantically for a moment before his attention turned to an object lying on the floor that he had accidentally kicked in his haste. He knelt down and picked up that which was revealed to be the missing book, and as the man looked up his eyes fixated onto a small, feminine body that lay still on the floor.
"You gods damned fool, what did you do?!" Gaius shouted as he knelt down in front of the figure and checked their pulse before lifting the body and carrying it out of the building. A few days had passed and Gaius was sat in front of a pile of papers and reports at his desk, concentrating on his work until he was suddenly interrupted by a knock on his door.
"Come in." He invited as the door slowly opened in reply as the guest entered the room. It was a small Au Ra woman with familiar looking short brown hair and light blue eyes. Her clothes resembled that of the ones Gaius were except hers were coloured in shades of black rather than white.
"I'm ready for my lessons today, Mr. Nassau." The woman said.
"Ah, excellent Rose, on time as always. Let's begin." He instructed as he rose from his desk and led her out towards the training yard. Rose simply followed along obediently with a smile on her face.