A Brave Undertaking
But with all the little successes we had, it still wasn't all sunshine and roses in Eorzea as each member of the Alliance struggled with their own internal problems that plagued them. And so it was, after the battle with the newly summoned Leviathan and the pacification of Ramuh, that Alphinaud came up with a bold idea, to found a Grand Company that wasn't tied to a single nation, but spanned the whole realm instead; to protect Eorzea from any threat.
He dubbed this new company: the Crystal Braves.
A round of cheers and applause echoed through the Rising Stones as Alphinaud concluded his inauguration speech, marking the official foundation of Eorzea's newest Grand Company whose sole purpose was to serve and protect the entire realm.
The first members of these Crystal Braves stood proudly in the center of the hall, dressed in ultramarine uniforms, looking every way an official unit. After a few moments of cheer, they dispersed to mingle with the other people that had gathered here on this momentous day.
Standing further in the back, S'eni had watched the entire display with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her eyes landed on Alphinaud as he was talking with a delegate of the Ul'dahn Syndicate, a proud smile on his face.
One of them must have said something funny since they were soon sharing a good-natured laugh that caused the frown on her face to deepen.
Lowering her arms back to her side, she walked past the tables into the area that served as their storage area. There she found Thancred and Y'shtola, sitting at one of the tables and having a conversation.
The self-labelled bard was the first to notice her approach, giving her one of his charming smiles, but quickly dropped it when he saw her expression.
"My, you look like you just lost a lot of coin in Triple Triad," he commented as she sat down.
"Are you alright?" Y'shtola asked.
"I'm fine. Just..." S'eni shook her head. "It's nothing."
"That usually means it's not nothing," Thancred pointed out.
Releasing a sigh, S'eni rested her elbows on top of the table and looked back over to Alphinaud, who was now conversing with Riol, one of the people she had recruited for this endeavour.
She should be happy. This was a good thing for Eorzea.
And yet she wasn't.
Y'shtola followed her gaze. "Are you worried about him?"
"Yeah," she replied. "I know he's a smart kid, but that's also the thing; he's a kid."
"He shares the same ideals as his grandfather," Thancred then said, making them go silent for a moment.
He did. But Louisoix left a hole that was not easily replaced, and she wondered if that final meeting the twins managed to have with their grandfather wasn't the reason for Alphinaud's current decisions.
Crossing her arms once more, S'eni leaned back in her chair. "I can't help but think back to five years ago. Back then ideals were essentially all we had, and in the end it didn't get us far."
"I think the young master is very much aware of that," Y'shtola said.
"I concur. He knows that without political alliances he won't get far. But—"
His eyes scanned the room before finding the person he was looking for: the Syndicate delegate.
"—the quality of some of those leave much to be desired of, I have to say."
"It's the sad reality of things that the Syndicate holds the true power in Ul'dah," the other Miqo'te stated.
"And we all know who else is part of it," S'eni pointed out. Almost collectively all three of their expressions darkened.
Teledji Adeledji.
At first, she had thought the Lalafel to be oddly benevolent, being one of the few to speak out in favor of letting the Domans stay in Ul'dah. But that image was rather quickly shattered when it came to light that it was him that orchestrated the recent refugee riots in the city and it made S'eni wonder if the Domans being refused to seek sanctuary wasn't part of his plan from the very beginning.
All of that just to get his grubby little hands on the Carteneau Flats and whatever it was that had been unearthed there.
And yet, despite the evidence they had gathered, they were not ready to move against him. His influence was still far too great.
"The timing couldn't be any worse." S'eni sighed.
Y'shtola hummed in agreement. "With the war of succession in Garlemald over, the empire is sure to eventually turn their attention back to us. Never mind the ever-present threat of the Ascians."
"And then there's the fate of the Students of Baldesion..."
An entire island...just gone. She didn't even want to imagine how devastated G'raha would have been if he were awake.
Moving her gaze, she looked around until she found Minfilia, in the midst of a conversation with someone S'eni didn't know. She knew the other woman had friends within the Students, so it couldn't be easy for her. Yet here she was, putting on a brave face because there were other, more important things that were happening right now.
She suddenly rose to her feet, heaving another sigh, making her two companions look at her.
"I need a drink," she said. "You two want something too?"
"A glass of wine perhaps," Y'shtola said after a moment of consideration.
"Sure. Thancred?"
Tapping his finger on the table, he rose to his feet as well. "I'm afraid I'll have to pass. I think a little mingling is in order."
He gave both of them the smile that he always had when he was up to something, before walking over to the other guests, no doubt to work some of his conversational magic.
"It seems you made him worried now," Y'shtola said with a hint of amusement, to which S'eni could shrug.
"Any particular wine?"
"Surprise me."
For the first time since the beginning of the ceremony, the corners of her lips quirked upward.
"Famous last words," S'eni said teasingly and walked over to the bar, which was currently manned by F'lhaminn.
There was little one could say to describe F'lhaminn Qesh other than the word striking. Though her days as the Songstress of Ul'dah were long since over, she still retained that beauty and grace that had made her famous, combining both features of the Seeker of the Sun and the Keeper of the Moon in a way that made heads turn and hearts skip a beat.
S'eni couldn't help but feel just a tad self-conscious as she approached her and her tail did a little flick as those round pink eyes came to rest on her.
"S'eni," F'lhaminn greeted her pleasantly. "What can I get you?"
For a second she didn't know what to say but managed to catch herself quickly enough to not come off like a little girl interacting with her first crush. Clearing her throat, she said. "Two glasses of wine, please."
"Of course. Which one do you want?"
Putting a hand on her hip, she tapped her foot in thought. "Can you recommend one?"
"We still have some Thavnairian red left," F'lhaminn suggested.
"Sounds fancy. I'll take it."
The older Miqo'te adjusted the pair of glasses resting on the bridge of her nose, then turned around to look through the bottles resting on the shelves behind her. When she didn't find what she was looking for, she knelt and checked underneath the bar before emerging with a little triumphant "Aha!", a reddish-brown bottle in her hand.
She took two wine glasses and placed them on the countertop, before uncorking the bottle and pouring its contents into them.
"Here you go," she said with a little smile and handed the glasses to her.
"Thanks!" S'eni replied with a little grin, slapping herself mentally when her tail did another little flick.
Returning to Y'shtola, she placed the glass on the table in front of her friend, then sat back down.
"Interesting," her friend said, taking a small whiff of the wine.
"By recommendation from F'lhaminn," she replied before raising her glass. "To a bright future for Eorzea."
"And to your worries being unfounded?" the other Miqo'te asked a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Especially that!"
They both took a sip and S'eni found herself doing a double-take at the taste of foreign spices that were mixed into the fruity taste.
"Mmh, pretty good," she said after lowering her glass. A grin once more splitting her face, she looked at Y'shtola. "So, Shtola, what's your sister up to?"
Her friend just sighed. "Still bothering me with questions about when the three of us would meet up."
S'eni could only snicker at that, earning herself a not too subtle glare. Taking that as her cue, she steered the conversation away from that particular topic, choosing to instead focus on a more idle one to talk about.
She was listening intently to the recounting of a conversation her friend had with Papalymo about their recent venture into the Sylphlands when a person approached their table; Minfilia.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," she said, an apologetic smile on her face. "But there's something I need to discuss with you, S'eni."
Sharing a look with her fellow Miqo'te, S'eni downed the rest of her glass and placed it on the table. "No rest for the wicked," she said, a small smirk forming on her lips before rising to her feet and nodding to her other friend. "Lead the way."
Giving Y'shtola a small wave, and earning one in return, S'eni followed the Antecedent in the solar, where she had no doubt the next task was already waiting for her.
She really should take some time off one of these days.
Short one, but an ever so important point in the story as we're inching closer to the end of ARR, isn't it?
More on Friday. See you then!