Aaaahhh, I'm sorry very sorry. I was writing yesterday and just wanted to rest my eyes while I was mulling over a line and when I opened them again it was the next day!
Anyway here's the chapter!
And to answer the question: they're roughly the same height, with S'eni being maybe just a teensy bit taller if you really pay attention.
The Color of Joy
After a difficult battle follows a moment of rest. While you returned to Sharlayan, some of your companions decided to travel to your many allies to tell them about the scales that would allow you to finally take the battle to the enemy.
As you watch the purple sky turn into the black of the night, you find yourself wondering...
Sitting on the windowsill of her room, S'eni looked up at the sky, watching as one by one, the first stars began to twinkle into existence. Amidst the gentle evening breeze, she could hear the faint chatter of two Sharlayan's as they made their way down the path, discussing something or another that was not of great importance, and she felt herself smile. After all that had happened so far, it was good to simply relax, if only for a brief moment.
Tearing her gaze away from the firmament, she instead turned it to the flower resting in her lap, a faint shade of yellow still present as it slowly turned into a neutral white that was no less beautiful to look at. As she looked at its soft petals, the words Nhidana had spoken to them earlier sprung back up inside her mind.
"Akasa can neither be created, nor destroyed. It is beyond our power to purposefully manipulate."
Akasa, she thought, grasping the flower's stem and raising it up, slowly turning it. An unseen energy, only able to be influenced by an abundance of spiritual emotion. It was a strange concept, to think that something like that might even exist, yet here she was, holding a flower that could apparently sense it.
It just went to show that there were still things about their world they didn't know.
Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the reveal and released a sigh. Almost unbidden, the words Vrtra had spoken to her came back to her. "If you wouldst continue on this path, then protect them."
But before she could further go down that train of thought, a sudden gust of wind blew from the harbour, sending a shiver through her body as if to remind her that they were indeed rather far up north. Getting up from the sill, she closed the window and walked away from it over to the bed. S'eni gave the flower in her hand one last look, before placing it on the bedside table. It was now entirely devoid of color again.
"Well, guess this is as good a sign as any to get some sleep, don't you thin—" a knock resounded at the door. "—or not."
Walking over to the door, S'eni opened to reveal Alisaie, Alphinaud, Krile, and G'raha standing there, each of them holding bags. She blinked once, twice.
"Good, you're here!" Alisaie said with a wide smile.
Another blink. "Yes, where else would I be?"
But instead of answering, the young woman just shifted the bag in her hands and asked right back, "You haven't eaten yet either, have you?" Not even waiting for S'eni to reply, Alisaie pushed past her and walked towards the table in the center. "We've bought quite a lot and thought you might like a bite as well. It's from the Last Stand, so it's tasty!"
S'eni looked to the others, whose faces held quite similar smiles then turned back towards Alisaie. Exhaling almost inaudibly through her nose, she shrugged. They were doing this apparently.
"Yeah, sure, I haven't eaten yet," she said and stepped aside to let the others into the room as well. Not long after, they were all sitting at the table and enjoying the finest cuisine Sharlayan had to offer, from cake to cookies to sandwiches and even the burger that G'raha had praised. And now that she was holding it in her own hands, it looked quite formidable.
Looking at it for a few seconds longer, S'eni slowly raised it to her lips...and took a bite. For a second, it seemed like everything stopped, only to resume as an explosion of flavor sent her senses alight. The meat, the cheese, and all the other ingredients came together in a perfect mix that seemed to intensify the more she chewed. She almost didn't want to swallow!
This was a godsdamned good burger!
"Delicious?" Krile asked, not even bothering to hide her grin behind her cup of tea.
S'eni just nodded and took another bite, quickly making up her mind then and there: she would get her hands on this recipe!
On the opposite side of the table, G'raha too was very much, if not more so, enjoying his burger, while Alisaie was busy dumping any undesired toppings onto his plate. After she swallowed this second bite, she placed the burger back on the plate to wash it down with her own tea. "You sure weren't joking," she said to the Lalafel.
Krile just chuckled and took one of the cookies.
"In case you are wondering, we invited Estinien as well," Alphinaud then said. "But he just made a face and waved us off. Perhaps Sharlayan cuisine is not to his liking...?"
"Oh, I don't know—" Krile took a small bite from her cookie. "—maybe our lone wolf just needed some time alone."
"To what? Perfect his brooding stare!?" Alisaie scoffed. "Next time, I'll drag him out by the ear to eat with us. And then I'll shovel down a whole mountain of delicacies down his throat until he likes it!"
Her brother smiled. "An excellent plan, Alisaie. A warrior like him must be properly nourished and rested to maintain a healthy constitution."
"Poor Estinien..." Krile said, barely keeping herself from laughing.
"While we are on that topic...is everything alright, Krile?" G'raha asked, looking up from the meal in his hands. "I heard you recently acted as host for Hydaelyn while in the Labyrinthos."
"I'm alright, don't worry. I was quite tired right after the fact, but no lasting effects." The Lalafel sighed. "I would have actually liked to talk with Her a little bit longer...I haven't felt even a hint of her presence since."
That was of little surprise to S'eni. Hydaelyn had already been quite weak when she had appeared to her on the ship, and using Krile as a conduit was only marginally less strenuous. It would probably be quite a while until Hydaelyn once again contacted her one way or another.
"Hydaelyn told you to carry that flower, yes?" Alisaie asked her. "It will be your guide and offer you a glimpse in the hearts of others. And she also said something about 'seeking joy in darkness', didn't she?"
"Yeah." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, frowning. "Though I have absolutely no idea what she meant by that."
"Hmm, could it be that light we saw back in Radz-at-Han?"
"It did seem like the manifestation of our feelings," Alphinaud said. "As if reflecting the relief of Nhidana and the people of Radz-at-Han. But also the elation we all felt at that moment."
"Indeed." G'raha nodded and put his burger down. "And in turn, I felt downright invigorated. Filled with renewed courage to take the next step of our journey. I know we've not yet triumphed over the Telophoroi, nor learned the full extent of the Forum's plans...But even amidst our struggles, we find small moments of joy to sustain us. Rare they might be, but it's this pursuit of happiness that gives us the strength to carry on, day after day..."
A silence set over them as they all stared at G'raha. It lasted for a couple of seconds until Alisaie's lips suddenly quirked upward and she reached out to swipe one of his cookies. "H-Hey! That's mine!" he exclaimed and tried to make a grab for it.
"Was!" Alisaie pulled her hand back to keep him from getting the cookie. "But you could try to get it back with that quick levitation spell of yours, Raha!"
The young woman bit a huge chunk off.
G'raha sighed. "If only. But the spell needs time to be properly prepared. Using it spontaneously in battle is proving to be quite difficult. Perhaps I simply require more practice, I only learned it rather recently."
"While searching the depths of Noumenon, I presume?" Alphinaud asked.
"I did, and from a mountain of tomes, I might add. It was...necessary for my explorations..."
"Ah, I get it. You used it to sneak around the forbidden archives," Alisaie commented.
"Ah...y-yes, well...," G'raha said, scratching his cheek as he lowered his gaze to the table. In a small voice, barely audible, he then added, "...they're just so tall."
"Tall?" S'eni tilted her head questioningly.
"The shelves! They're too tall for me!" it practically burst from the other Miqo'te. "And I could hardly use the library's platforms after breaking into the place, could I!"
Another round of silence followed, only to be pierced by a round of laughter. G'raha blinked once, then joined in as well. After their laughter subsided, they went back to eating and idle chatter. When they were done with all the food, S'eni took a quick look at the window to see that it was well and truly night-time now.
"It's going to be a long night, hm?" she asked with an amused smile.
"Just sleep in tomorrow," Alphinaud replied. "We can't do anything until we receive word from the others anyway. And I think it is nice to just idle away once in a while."
"Yeah..." The corners of her lips curled into a warm smile. "...It is."
It wasn't long after, though, when Alisaie was the first to feel the day's events finally catching up to her, and soon enough the twins, followed by G'raha, left to get some sleep. Only Krile remained, still not yet finished with her last cup of tea. An idea sprung up in S'eni's mind then, and she rose to her feet and walked over to her bag.
"Well then," she said, kneeling down and reaching into it. "I know the tea tastes excellent, but how about we have a proper nightcap instead?"
She pulled out a bottle of wine, holding it up for her friend to see. "Fruit wine from the Southern Sea. A specialty of my home."
Krile looked a little unsure at the prospect and glanced down at her cup. But her expression swiftly turned into a smile. "You know what. Why not?" She pushed her tea to the side.
"That's what I like to hear." Pulling out two glasses from her bag as well, she placed them on the table, uncorked the bottle, and began to pour its contents into them. "Now I was actually saving this for Shtola and me, but I'm sure I can get another one pretty fast if I ask. Still..."
S'eni sent her friend a conspiratorial wink, receiving a giggle in return.
"My lips shall be sealed," Krile said and accepted the offered glass. Holding it up to her nose, she took a whiff of its bouquet, before taking a sip. "So you started writing your village?"
"Yeah, well, mostly my sister Neena," she replied and sat back down again. "After having been there again after all this time, it felt wrong to not at least tell everyone how I was doing occasionally. It's been...nice."
Though she had obviously deigned to not mention her rather close brushes with death in her letters. She very much doubted they would enjoy stories about how she had nearly turned into a monster corrupted by Light. So she kept it simple instead.
Raising her own glass to her lips, she smiled as the all-too-familiar taste spread throughout her mouth. "And how about you?" she then asked. "Any tidings from the Isle of Val?"
"If by 'tidings' you mean self-absorbed reports by Ejika, then yes. Quite a lot in fact," Krile said and rolled her eyes.
"Are things going well?"
"As well as things can be in the state the Isle is in." The Lalafel sighed and took another sip. "It'll never be as it once was. Especially not in the state the Students are in right now. All we can do now is to find a new place to settle and restore our ranks."
"I'm sorry, Krile..."
"Don't be. If not for you, we might have never found out what truly happened. Just like I said to Ojika, we'll rebuild one day."
"And if you need any help, you know who to ask," S'eni said and raised her glass.
"Believe me, I most surely will." Sharing a chuckle, they brought their glasses together. "He would've liked you, I think."
"Who?"
"My grandfather. You're just the kind of person he'd enjoy being around. Always seeking new adventures and traveling like the wind."
"Now you're making it sound much more romantic than it is," she said. "There are some days when I'm feeling more like an errand girl than an adventurer."
"And yet you're still doing it," Krile pointed out with a smile.
"That I do." She mirrored her friend's expression. In the end, she couldn't complain. After all, it was this life that had made it even possible to meet everyone. And that was worth anything. "...Hey, Krile?"
"Yes?"
"Tell me a little about Galuf. I had visions of him, but you actually knew him. And I would like to hear more about the man that raised one of my friends."
A warm look entered Krile's eyes and she nodded. "Alright. Hmm, where could I start—Ah, how about that one time he worked together with a pirate lady pretending to be a man..."
Listening to the fascinating and, in parts, quite funny tale of Galuf Baldesion, S'eni watched as the Lalafel began to practically glow, making it all too clear how greatly she loved the man. And now that he was gone, it was up to her to follow in his footsteps. But there was no doubt in her mind, that Krile was more than up to the challenge.
The Students of Baldesion were in good hands.
After she was done with that little misadventure, another swiftly followed, and by the time she was done with that one, their glasses had long since been emptied. "Well, this has become much later than expected. We'd best get some sleep," Krile said and got off her chair. "Have a good night, S'eni. And thank you for the wine, it was quite good."
"Good night." As soon as the door closed behind her friend, a yawn made its way past her lips, and she turned her head towards the bed that looked quite inviting right about now. But when her eyes came to rest upon the comfortable mattress, they were immediately drawn towards the flower resting right next to it, its pale white color having given way to a warm green sometime during the evening. Reaching out towards the bottle, she poured herself one more sip and raised it.
Anything... she thought, and then downed her drink.
I absolutely love this scene. It was such a nice little calm moment between Thavnair and all that would follows soon after, I just had to make a chapter out of it.
