Something that probably will go without saying, but the story is gonna contain spoilers of pretty much the entire main story. Just figured I should still mention it.
Oh yeah, for anyone wondering, S'eni is pronounced according to Seeker of the Sun naming conventions, so Soo-Eh-Ni, like Y'shtola is pronounced Yash-Toe-Lah (even if only the Japanese and sometimes the German dub seem to do that).
La Noscean Night
It wasn't just the Primals that were a major problem. There were also the Ascians, manipulating things from behind the scenes; all to further their own goals.
And it didn't matter one single bit how many innocents were suffering because of it...
The night was quiet, or at least as quiet as it could be in a town where people came and went, and alcohol flowed as freely as the waters surrounding Limsa Lominsa. S'eni's ears twitched at the sound of music in the distance, and she released a little sigh at the fresh breeze caressing her skin.
She was seated in a corner of The Bismarck, the city's well-known restaurant, overlooking the bay in which ships were sailing in and out of at every hour of the day.
Truly, it was a city that never really slept.
Unconsciously, her fingers started to drum in rhythm to the music and a tiny sigh escaped her at the feeling of the fresh sea breeze caressing her skin.
It carried something nostalgic with it, reminding her of the winds of home, but also different, yet strangely familiar in other ways.
But before she could mull that over, someone approached the table, placing a bottle of wine and a wine glass in front of her. A pretty Miqo'te girl, with long scarlet hair and eyes as round as the moon on this evening.
"Thanks," S'eni said with a smile, taking the bottle and sending her a little wink, before uncorking it and pouring herself some. She watched the waitress go, chuckling at the little wiggle her ears did. After putting the bottle back down, S'eni took the glass and raised it to her lips.
The earthy, dusty taste and strong fruit flavor filled her mouth, making her taste buds stand at attention. She swirled the wine a little before swallowing.
"I confess I didn't expect to find you here," a familiar voice said no sooner than she lowered her glass.
"I could say the same to you, Y'shtola," S'eni replied as the woman in question stepped into view. "Ah, but I forgot: 'Limsa Lominsa has the pleasure of being under your care'."
Y'shtola released a little huff, but still sat down opposite of her when she motioned for her to do so. S'eni took another sip while the other woman looked at her, the question in her eyes going unspoken.
"I needed to unwind. These past couple of days have been something, to say the least," she said, placing the glass on the table.
"Yes, I have heard about what transpired in Little Ala Mhigo."
S'eni nodded, a frown forming on her face as she leaned back in her chair. "By the time I managed to gain their trust it was already too late."
She couldn't blame the people of Little Ala Mhigo for their mistrust, but at the time she had been more than frustrated considering what was at stake. In the end, a lot of young Mhigans lost their lives. Or worse.
"Desperation drives people to extreme measures," Y'shtola said. "And makes you susceptible to the sweet words of a master manipulator."
"Lahabrea..."
"That's right." The other woman nodded.
S'eni sighed, visibly deflating a little. "But as bad as the whole situation with the Mhigans turned out to be, it was nothing compared to what happened in Gridania."
"Gridania?" Y'shtola asked, her ears perking up at this new information.
"I was investigating another sighting of Lahabrea, which led me to Fallgourd Float. It turned out that he was somehow connected to a string of mysterious deaths that had been happening recently." S'eni grabbed the glass and took another sip. "Each victim had her face torn to shreds."
The other woman's face darkened, but she didn't say anything, waiting for S'eni to continue her tale instead.
"The only lead I could find on the latest victim was a button with the sigil of a lily engraved on it, but it was enough to go on to find out who was responsible for the murders and where to find her." she ran her free hand over her face. "Turns out the lady of Haukke manor was disfigured five years ago and sought to find ways to restore her beauty. And as just so happened, a few fellows wearing masks had a way to do so."
"The entire place was crawling with demons and the undead; her included. All of that just to be pretty again." With a sardonic smile, S'eni threw back her head and emptied the rest of the glass in one gulp. "Like you said, desperation drives people to extreme measures."
"I can see why you would need a drink after that," Y'shtola said, as S'eni refilled her glass.
"Actually," she replied, turning to wave the pretty waitress over once more as she passed by. "I'm having dinner."
"Somethin' else I can get ye?" she asked.
"A glass for my friend here, and something to eat. Whatever she wants." S'eni looked back towards Y'shtola. "My treat."
The Archon raised an eyebrow but didn't comment further, instead turning her gaze towards the waitress. "Some grilled Dodo, please."
"Gotcha!" the waitress said, writing the order down on a little note. Making to turn around, she sent S'eni a friendly smile before heading back inside.
"You know that wasn't really necessary," Y'shtola said.
"Maybe." S'eni shrugged. "But I was taught that it's rude to have someone watch while you eat without offering them some."
Her lips curled into a smile and she leaned forward, resting her cheek on the palm of her hand. "So tell me, why Limsa Lominsa?"
"You mean why it has 'the pleasure of being under my care'?" the other woman asked with dry amusement. She turned her eyes away, looking out towards the bay that S'eni had been watching just a few moments ago. "I like the climate."
"That's it?" S'eni asked, a look of disbelief on her face.
"I also appreciate that the people here speak their minds. It's an honesty that I can very much relate to."
"Yes, I've noticed that you tend to be blunt, to say the least."
Y'shtola's lips quirked upward and she tore her eyes away from the bay to come to rest upon S'eni's. Steps approached them, shortly followed by a wine glass being placed in front of her.
"Thank you," the other woman said to the waitress.
"Yer orders shouldn't be long," the waitress told them, before heading over to the next pair of customers.
"So the climate and the people?" S'eni asked after they were once more alone, watching as Y'shtola took the bottle of wine and gave it a quick sniff, before pouring some into her glass.
"The quality of their shoe craftsmanship is also very good," Y'shtola replied, placing the bottle back down onto the table.
S'eni couldn't help the snicker that escaped her.
"What?"
"Shoes? Really?"
"I don't see what's so funny about that," Y'shtola said.
"It's just that when I look at you, the first thing that comes to mind sure isn't 'this woman loves shoes'," S'eni said with a grin.
"I could say the same of you." The other woman raised her glass and pointed at her. "How many pairs of earrings does that make now?"
S'eni's hand shot up almost reflexively, fingers touching the cut aetherial sunstone dangling from her ear. "You got me there," she replied with a chuckle. "I guess we all have our feminine fancies."
"Indeed we do." Y'shtola took a sip of the wine. Her expression grew serious. "But Limsa Lominsa has its own share of problems."
"The pirates that don't want to play along?"
"Yes. But there's also the ongoing conflict with the Sahagin and the encroaching on the territory of the Kobolds. It makes the threat of their primals an ever-present one," Y'shtola explained.
"I see..." Having to deal with one primal was already hard enough, keeping an eye on two sounded downright impossible. "Not an enviable task."
"And one I shall hope you will assist me with when the time comes," Y'shtola said, raising her glass. With a quirk of her lips, S'eni raised hers as well, clanking them together.
The pretty waitress returned soon after, carrying a plate in each hand with practiced dexterity.
"Here ye go," the waitress said, placing the plate with the delicious-looking tenderloin in front of Y'shtola. That smile from earlier returned to her features, as she placed the plate with a very sizable grilled trout in front of S'eni, leaning down a little while doing so to send her a wink.
S'eni's ears moved upward and she couldn't help the little sway her tail did when she took notice of the playful curve the other woman's held as she walked back inside.
Huh... Blinking, she returned her attention to Y'shtola, who was looking at her with a quirked brow but otherwise didn't say anything as she grabbed the cutlery that came with the plate.
Deciding that it was probably for the better not to pursue this particular topic, S'eni grabbed her own cutlery. She placed the knife just behind the gills and started to cut into it, her nostrils flaring at the delicious smell. With practiced ease, she cut off its head, then placed her fork on top of it to hold it in place as she used her knife to cut the belly open from head to tail.
"You certainly know what you're doing," Y'shtola commented while S'eni deboned the fish.
"Fish," she said pointing with her knife at her dish, then tapped it against her glass. "And wine. The foods of my people."
That managed to get a chuckle out of the other woman.
Ah, so she does laugh. S'eni thought in amusement.
The rest of their dinner passed in relative silence, with only a few words passing between the two of them in regards to the other dishes.
Once they were done, S'eni paid for both of their meals and gave the pretty waitress a little tip on top of that.
"Not going to stay a little longer?" Y'shtola asked after the waitress had left again.
S'eni shook her head. "No. I should get back to the Waking Sands. I haven't reported Minfilia of what happened in Gridania yet and I don't want her to get worried."
And from what she learned of the woman, she tended to worry, even if she was good at hiding it at first glance.
Both women got up from their seats and headed towards the Mizzenmast Inn, where Y'shtola was sleeping for the night.
They were just walking over the bridge leading to the Mizzenmast when the other woman spoke up.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Hmm?" S'eni turned to look at her.
"You have a limp."
"Oh..." she looked down at her right leg. "Well, the lady of the house deigned it necessary to toss me across her chambers. I guess I landed a little unlucky. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll fix itself right up overnight."
"Let me see," Y'shtola said. When S'eni was about to protest, she shot her a look that didn't leave any argument, and she subsequently found herself pushed on a nearby bench.
"Take off your boot and roll up your pants," she practically commanded. After S'eni did so, Y'shtola placed a hand underneath her knee and another on her calf, gently raising and lowering it.
"Tell it to me straight, am I going to lose it?" S'eni joked.
Y'shtola scoffed. "It doesn't look broken, so nothing a simple cure spell won't fix."
The other Miqo'te raised her hand from underneath her knee and let it hover over the exposed part of her leg, a warm light emitting from its palm that chased away the pain.
"There. You're going to make it."
Pain. Blood flowing from a deep wound.
A pair of hands holding her down, a comforting voice amidst pained cries.
"Hold her still!"
Warm light. Pain fading fast.
"You're going to make it."
It was over in the blink of an eye, the sharp pain that had shot through her brain already pulsing back into a dull ache, yet it still left her reeling, making her lean back against the solid stone of the bridge. Thankfully, Y'shtola was busy giving her leg one last once over so she didn't seem to have witnessed her little episode, and by the time their eyes met once again, S'eni already felt like herself.
"Thanks," she said to Y'shtola, moving her leg while offering her a smile. "Feels good as new."
"No thanks necessary. Just don't let it become a habit."
"I can't make any promises, I'm afraid."
Continuing on their way, the two soon after arrived at the Mizzenmast Inn and Y'shtola turned towards S'eni.
"I have to admit this was quite fun. I'm glad I chanced upon you," she said.
"Glad to be chanced upon then! And, well, thanks for listening."
The other woman's lips curled into a full smile. "You're welcome. Give my regards to Minfilia."
"I will," S'eni said, then closed her eyes to concentrate, floating in the air for a moment before teleporting away.
Y'shtola remained where she was standing, looking at the place where S'eni had just stood moments ago, before turning around and heading into the inn, the look on her face having become one of deep thought.
I always found it hilarious that Y'shtola has a fondness for shoes. It seems to be so unlike her, and I guess that's why it's is so weirldy fitting.
Anyway, more to come.