Travellers from the Far East
After our victory against Gaius, we all had been prepared for the inevitable counter-attack from Garlemald, but to our own surprise, there was none. It was only later that we learned that Emperor Solus zos Galvus, the founding father of the Empire, had died at the age of 88.
Without having declared a successor, a battle over the throne broke out that had given us precious time to rebuild.
We were not the only ones that took advantage of the chaos as, far in the east, a small kingdom had risen up to gain back their freedom. Sadly, their battle was not as successful as ours and some of them were soon forced to flee to distant shores.
At the time we couldn't foresee what a pivotal role the arrival of these poor refugees, these Domans, would play in the future.
The sun stood high in the sky over the desert of western Thanalan and S'eni had to shield her eyes as she looked out towards the distance, keeping them peeled for anything that could spell trouble.
"Wark!" Turning her head right, she looked at the cheerful face of the Chocobo that was drawing the carriage that she was walking next to. She couldn't help but smile, and it took all her willpower not to reach out and stroke the big bird. It wouldn't do for their little caravan to come to a stop just because she was in a petting mood.
"You seeing anything?" the Hyur coachman asked her.
"No, all clear," she replied. Aside from the Wandering Eye that she had to slay everything was going smoothly.
"Well, come take a seat then, it won't do us any good if you end up exhausted from walking," the man replied with a grin.
"Don't worry. I'm tougher than I look," she replied, palming her fist.
"I don't doubt that, but a little rest can't hurt now, right?"
S'eni considered his words for a moment, then nodded. "I suppose you're right."
Letting herself fall back a little, she grabbed onto one of the handles at the backside and pulled herself onto the carriage. She looked over her shoulder past the other two carriages, just to make sure that nothing was following them.
Again, nothing out of the ordinary.
Turning around again, S'eni found herself the object of two pairs of eyes, filled to the brim with curiosity. It was Yozan and Koharu, the two children that had already eagerly asked her questions shortly before their journey began.
She raised her hand with a smile, gently pushing past them to sit down, keeping it there until she was properly seated before lowering it to receive the onslaught of questions.
"Why do your eyes look like that?" Koharu asked.
"What's up with your ears?" Yozan asked.
"And your tail!" the girl added.
"Yozan!" a Doman by the name of Hozan, and appropriately Yozan's father, said in a chiding tone. "Didn't I tell you not to bother her?"
"It's alright," S'eni said, looking at the man. "I was overly curious as a child too, so I don't mind."
She turned her attention back to the children. "I'm guessing you don't have any Miqo'te where you're from?"
"What's that?" Koharu asked.
"Me!" she pointed at herself with a giggle. "I'm a Miqo'te."
"Miqo'te..." Yozan repeated.
"That's right."
"Do they all have eyes like you?"
"Some do, others have full and round eyes," S'eni explained, leaning towards the girl and exposing her teeth. "They also have fangs to bite naughty children with."
She playfully snapped her teeth together, causing Koharu to giggle. As she leaned back once more, her ears did a little wiggle at the excitement of the kids. The reaction was almost immediate.
"Do it again!" Yozan exclaimed.
"Hmm?" S'eni tilted her head with a playful smile. "Do what?"
"What you just did with your ears."
Next to them, she could hear Hozan release a sigh, while the elderly Homei, who had watched the entire spectacle, simply chuckled.
"Ooooh, you mean this?" She wiggled her ears once again, albeit with a bit of effort this time, eliciting exciting gasps from both children.
"If you like that then watch this," S'eni said, raising the upper end of her tail and curling it as if to wave at the children.
"See?!" Koharu asked Yozan. "Just like Yugiri's!"
Lowering her tail again, S'eni crossed her arms in front of her chest and watched the children discuss with one another for a moment, before turning her gaze towards one of the other carriages where a certain masked woman was sitting and conversing with one of the Domans.
It was obvious that there was way more to the woman than she was willing to tell at this very moment, and she couldn't shake the feeling that this also applied to some of the others.
Just looking at how Hozan was holding himself, the almost indiscernible way his shoulders were stiffened, told her enough to know that he knew at least how to fight and was more than prepared to do so if need be.
A secret for another time, she thought as her attention was drawn back to the children. S'eni watched them as they whispered to one another, then asked. "So what's Doma like?"
The kids stopped what they were doing and looked at her in unison. "Doma is...Doma," Yozan said.
"Uh-huh!" Koharu nodded in agreement.
Well, that tells me a lot. Turning her head, she looked at the two older men. It was Homei who answered her.
"We're a kingdom in the east of Othard, the continent to the east, in the lands of Yanxia. It's a fertile place with tall mountains and situated at what we call the Ruby Sea."
Her ears perked up at the latter name, drawing giggles from the kids. "Ruby Sea..." she murmured. "That means Doma lies close to...what was it called...Hin...gashi?"
"Oh, so you heard of it?" Homei's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and even Hozan now looked intrigued.
"My father was a seaman. He saw a lot of the world," she told him. "He once told me of a city far in the east that was a place of trade and where every woman was a great beauty."
That made the older man laugh. "That can only be Kugane!"
"Kugane, huh?"
"It's the biggest trade port in the entire east," Homei said. "And while it's indeed true that there are many beauties there, none can compare to the ones from Doma."
"Father..." Hozan muttered with a shake of his head.
"So, S'eni—I can call you that, right?" after she nodded, Homei continued. "What can you tell us about this Revenant's Toll we're headed to?"
"They have rising stones!" Yozan chimed in.
She released a laugh at how matter-of-factly he said that. Perhaps she should have told the kids something else earlier. "The Rising Stones is the name we have given our base there. Don't worry, it will be one of the first things you're going to see," S'eni assured them, then moved on to answer the elder man's question. "It's a town under the management of the Adventurers Guild and its inhabitants are an open and friendly sort."
A pained expression crossed her face. "Just don't lend yourself money from a woman named Rowena unless you're prepared to pay that back threefold in labor."
She was just glad she had more than enough Gil so that when she had to interact with the woman or any of her employees, she could just pay upfront and leave again.
One thing S'eni had to admit though: Rowena had excellent taste in clothes and jewellery, and she could already tell that one day she would give in to the temptation to buy herself a pair of earrings.
Shaking her head, she continued. "I can't really speak for Doma, but believe me when I say Mor Dhona will be like nothing you've ever seen."
"Hoho, now you're making me as curious as the children," Homei said.
"Look forward to it then," S'eni replied with a grin. She certainly was looking forward to their reactions. Unless they too had a giant tower made of crystal reaching for the very heavens and a gigantic corpse of a dragon standing vigil, she would swallow her words then.
"But before that—" leaning backwards, she rested her elbows on the backrest and stuck her neck out to look into the direction of their first destination as it grew closer and closer. "We'll make a stop in Ul'dah."
It was a couple of hours later when the caravan had finally arrived at the Gates of the Sultana. Originally built as a back entrance for the city guard and to help with the tide of refugees after the Calamity, the gates now saw many travellers and merchants as they headed to and from the city.
The Brass Blades standing guard didn't pay them any mind, only really acknowledging them when S'eni raised her hand in greeting as she walked by.
As soon as they stopped at the local Chocobo stable, Yozan and Koharu all but jumped out of the carriage to join up with their friends and take a look around.
"Stay in the vicinity, we're only staying a little while!" Hozan called after them, receiving a small chorus of affirmation in return. Shaking his head, he looked towards S'eni. "Thank you for accompanying us."
"It was no problem, really," S'eni assured him with a wave of her hand.
Giving her a grateful smile, he bowed in a way she had never seen before, then went to join his fellow Domans. She watched him for a moment until she felt a presence behind her. Turning around, she found none other than Yugiri standing there.
Silent one, aren't you? She wondered to herself.
"I would like to thank you as well," the other woman said. "You have nothing to gain, yet you still help us."
"It would be wrong to just sit idly by," S'eni said.
The Doman woman looked at her, the mask she was wearing obscuring her face in a way that she couldn't tell what she might be thinking about.
"You are as honorable as you are kind," Yugiri said, bowing in the same way that Hozan had done just a moment ago. "I swear to you that my brethren and I will repay that kindness in whatever way possible."
Taking a few steps towards her, S'eni placed a hand on the other woman's shoulder, causing her to jump a little and look up into her smiling face.
"Don't worry, there's a lot to do around these parts. I'm sure your help will be more than welcome," she said and gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze before letting go. "I wanted to meet Alphinaud in the Quicksand to talk about our next steps. Would you like to accompany me?"
Yugiri made a small sound of affirmation and nodded. After telling the rest of the refugees where they would be, the two of them walked through the busy streets of Ul'dah.
"Is it always like this?" Yugiri asked her.
"Yes. Ul'dah is Eorzea's biggest trade hub," S'eni explained. "Money makes the world go around and counts doubly so for Ul'dah. Its motto isn't 'For Coin and Country' for nothing."
"I see..."
They had just entered Emerald Avenue when a young man crossed their path. He almost bumped into Yugiri, but the woman was certainly quick on her feet and stepped out of the way. Her hand then suddenly shot forward and grabbed his wrist.
"What the-!?" he exclaimed, trying to pull his arm free.
"I don't have anything to steal," she told him before letting go, making him stumble to the ground. Scrambling to his feet, he shot them a glare, then ran off. The Doman turned her masked gaze back towards S'eni, who could only shrug.
"That's the downside of Ul'dah, I'm afraid," S'eni said. "But I've got to say that was pretty impressive."
"Pickpocketing is the same no matter where you are in the world," was Yugiri's simple reply.
The rest of the walk towards the Quicksand was uneventful, but S'eni couldn't help but shoot her newest acquaintance a few glances from out of the corner of her eyes the entire time, something she was sure Yugiri was noticing, yet chose not to comment on.
What is it that you're hiding? She wondered. But as much as she wanted to ponder it, she found herself once again dropping that thought as they stepped up to the double doors leading to Ul'dah's famous tavern, where Alphinaud was surely waiting for her with new instructions on how to proceed from here.
Either way, she could tell that it was going to be interesting.