To answer the question of my dear guest here: S'eni's current main outfit in the story right now are the Brightlinen Himation of Striking, the gloves from the same set and the Angelic Thighboots dyed black. Oh also a pair of Triplite Earrings and Hermatite Choker for accesories. Also no weapons, I don't really like most of the Monk weapons to be honest so I always go with the Emperor's New Fist and just had her wear gloves that made sense for a martial artist to use until I settled on this combination as my to go to Monk glam (subject maybe to change when I find something better lol)

Oh, and for when she switched class, that's the Kaladanda Lux staff.

I could try to make a list of outfits she wears across the story though.

Hitting the Books

And thus the truth about Radz-at-Han's Satrap was revealed. To us, Midgardsormr and his brood had always been an unknown factor; outsiders from beyond our star that we very rarely involved in our plans.

To think that one of them would entangle himself so much in the lives of man that he came to rule them with his ageless wisdom.

But there was little time to dwell on that revelation, as your companions in Sharlayan were eagerly awaiting your return to seek answers to a mystery much closer to home. What will you find, I wonder?

I do hope you enjoy reading.

The Noumenon. Sharlayan's greatest collection of books and tomes. She had heard the name a few times, mentioned by her friends in passing while discussing one topic or the other, and by Matoya during the time shortly before her venture to the First, which consisted mostly of the old woman's begrudging admittance that the Great Gubal Library paled in comparison to its parent. And now she stood within its very halls.

Bookshelves filled to the brim covered the walls to the left, the right, and the back of the hall, connected with one another by stone walkways and platforms in the center. Looking over the edge of the one she was standing on, S'eni saw more shelves, extending way beyond the ground and into a subterranean level, each floor housing a vast amount of knowledge. Absolutely incredible...

The feeling of a warm finger brushed against her chin and she felt her mouth being snapped shut, followed by an amused giggle from her left. Turning her head, S'eni saw Y'shtola pull back her hand. "Careful. Someone might think you have never seen books before."

Her face was split by a grin and she chuckled. "Well, certainly not this many," she said and pushed herself away from the parapet. "Doesn't this get confusing real fast?"

"It might seem overwhelming at first, but one swiftly learns to navigate these halls. And we do have Mammets keeping things orderly." Just as her lover said that, one of the tiny clockwork constructs zipped past them, dressed in oddly fine clothes and wearing an elegant-looking wig. Their eyes followed it until it rounded a corner before landing on one another.

"I guess?" S'eni tilted her head slightly and crossed her arms in front of her chest, not really convinced. All of a sudden, she wasn't all too bothered about the fact that she could only browse the first floor according to Krile. "Well, I better get started, don't I?"

"Indeed. I shall see you later then. Happy reading," Y'shtola said with a little wink as she headed in the direction of one of the many restricted sections only available to Archons.

Now left to her own devices, S'eni looked around. As it turned out, while she had been in Thavnair, the investigation here had been going slow, to say the least as they had purposefully waited until her return to really dig around the Noumenon. But now that she was here, they could begin in earnest. And her task was to find anything pertaining Sharlayan history and Forum policy!

Alright, let's go! She punched her palm, causing a loud slap to echo through the otherwise silent hall. Stopping in its tracks, a nearby Mammet turned towards her and raised a tiny hand to its featureless face. Her cheeks instantly grew hot and she dropped her eyes to the ground. As her ears drooped she murmured a "...sorry."

The Mammet nodded its head and went about its business once more. Once it was out of sight, S'eni exhaled through her nose and began to search for what she was looking for. And as luck would have it, she found something promising almost instantly, a book about Archon Nyunkrepf's journey to Eorzea during the great flood and his subsequent return to the northern sea with those grateful for his help. It was a story she had been vaguely familiar with, as the ark he had once built still resided in the Peaks of Gyr Abania, but she never had known the details.

A man disappointed by the violence of those he sought to rescue... she thought as she placed the brightly colored book back on the shelf. Her next few finds were less relevant, a rather recent book about the colony, one about what might lie beyond the confines of this planet, and another one about how a healthy way of living could maintain a person's physique, explained from a biological, aetherological and arcane viewpoint. That last one especially caught her interest and she mentally filed it away for later.

Then she found a book explaining how the Forum came to be. Though the information inside wasn't much different from what Krile had explained to her the day they arrived, it gave her some much-needed context and, above all, led her to another book explaining in great detail how Sharlayan's policies had come to be. After witnessing the horrors caused by the Sixth Umbral Calamity, Archon Nyunkrepf and his newfound followers had renounced the ways of war and pursued enlightenment through knowledge. Over the years and generations, this pursuit had turned Sharlayan into a thriving nation, their highly sought-after expertise in practically every matter always ensuring that their coffers were filled to seek further knowledge.

For a better tomorrow.

"It is who we are," Fourchenault words echoed deep within her mind.

Yes, she understood their position a little better now. But she still disagreed with them. The book claimed they wished to deliver the world with knowledge, but at the same time they chose to avert their eyes from the suffering said knowledge might have prevented. Truly...

"...Indolence," she muttered and shoved the book back in place a little rougher than necessary. Figuring she had found all she could without spending days in here, she turned on her heels and left the Noumenon, heading towards the stone benches they had all agreed to meet at after their search. Little to no surprise, she was the first to return, but it wouldn't be long until Alisaie and G'raha arrived, each with sizeable stacks of books.

Alphinaud and Krile arrived soon after, carrying armfuls of books as well. Y'shtola was the last to join them, appearing in the corners of S'eni's eyes just after the Lalafel had finished questioning her about what they had seen when Emet-Selch had shown them the Final Days of old.

"Well, I see everyone already began," her lover, shifting her weight a little to keep the tomes in her arms from slipping.

"Found something?" she asked and stepped forward to take some of that load off her.

"A few books that might prove useful," Y'shtola replied and, after putting the books down, added, "But I wouldn't get my hopes up. Do you remember where Urianger first learned of the Source's reflections?"

"Uh, the Gerun Oracles, right?"

"Correct. The book was deemed too dangerous and sealed away in the depths of the Great Gubal Library. So it seems even less likely that knowledge of the world before the sundering, or even the horrors of the Final Days, would simply be sitting on a shelf for any curious scholar to find. It's very reasonable to assume my colleagues, Archons and councillors alike, are wholly ignorant of the topic." A thoughtful frown then formed on the other Miqo'te's face and she gently rapped her knuckles against her cheek in the way she always did when she was thinking hard. "Yet when you confronted Master Fourchenault with knowledge of the Telophoroi and their plans, he scoffed and claimed the Forum would know when the Final Days were truly upon us. Which only supports the conclusion that whatever knowledge guides their hand, it's kept secret from the rest of the nation."

"So what do you suggest?" S'eni asked, earning herself a raised brow in return.

"We read, of course. Whether they hold information about the Final Days or not, they could still hold valuable information." A little twinkle entered silvery white eyes. "You weren't going to run off to another errand, were you?"

"Me? Of course not," she said and did a little bow. "After all, I can hardly say no to studying with the legendary Master Matoya, right?"

The corners of Y'shtola's lips curled into a smile that was a little too sweet and she reached out to run the tip of her silver claw against S'eni's cheek. "Ah, my dear Warrior of Light. Are you truly so eager to be put across my knee?"

"It depends," she replied, a playful hum passing her lips as she gently took hold of Y'shtola's wrist. "Will this one be more than an empty promise?"

Her lover was about to reply when Krile cleared her throat much louder than she needed to, making them break apart. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the Lalafel nod towards the books while the twins shared some awkward looks. Only G'raha didn't seem to notice, already too engrossed by what he was reading.

With a giggle she turned back around and shrugged. They were right though. There were more important things right now. But the look Y'shtola gave her while reaching for the first book made it adamantly clear that this would be a topic resumed at a later time.

Taking her own book, she began to read. When she was sure that the info they were looking for wasn't found on those pages, she switched to another book. And when that didn't provide it either, another.

And another.

And another.

And another...

...wait, she already read that one, didn't she?

Gods, she couldn't tell. The sheer endless stream of words filled with knowledge that flooded her brain began to turn into a thick fog that clouded her mind, creating a wave of fatigue that went through the rest of her body and making her cover her eyes for a moment to give herself just a tiny bit of a break. She would consider herself quite adept enough at pouring over a book, after all she had managed to study Matoya's tome and then some, but this was beginning to wear on her and if not for the occasional exchange of words between Y'shtola and her, she might have drifted off once or twice.

Something that didn't escape Y'shtola's notice, as shortly after S'eni lowered her hand to resume her research, she reached out to touch her shoulder. "I should be able to manage on my own for a bit, so why don't you take a rest?"

"Yeah, I think—" S'eni rubbed her face. "—I think I'll do that."

Placing the still open book on her stack, she gave her lover a grateful little smile before stepping away and looking around. All were very much engrossed in their reading material. All, except Alisaie, who looked like she was about as much in need of a break as her.

"I think my neck and shoulders are going to calcify any moment now," the young woman said after S'eni walked over, putting her own book away. "Krile showed you the Last Stand, didn't she?"

"Hm. She did."

"Come, I'll treat you to their coffee. It's quite good!"

They made their way to the café, taking their time to get some life back into their limbs and enjoy the otherwise nice weather. When they arrived, they found it buzzing with customers, which was a little surprising, as it was around noon now. The Elezen crossed her arms as she took in the sight.

"How very Sharlayan that no other gourmet café has sprung up to compete for customers. But this gives me an idea, why don't we ask a few questions to gauge the mood in the city?" Alisaie asked. "Might be worth a try, don't you think?"

"Sure. Lead the way," S'eni replied.

Which, as it turned out, proved to be less than a good idea as Alisaie seemed to have rather the opposite effect and caused people to clam up instead. It looked like the words of the woman at Wordly Affairs rang quite true and the news of the twins' disownment had made the round through town. Who knew that the citizens of Sharlayan were such a gossipy bunch?

Thus having their plans dashed, they headed towards the counter instead. Behind it stood a Highlander of darker complexion, dressed in a white shirt and blue apron. Noticing their approach, he offered S'eni a friendly smile.

"Welcome madam, what may I offer you today?" his eyes then landed Alisaie and they widened in surprise. "Mistress Alisaie, is that you? My word, how long has it been!?"

"Too long." Alisaie smiled and looked towards S'eni. "This is Dickon, the owner of the Last Stand."

"Ah, so you're the one who couldn't stand the bad food anymore and declared war on bad taste," she said with a grin. "I'm S'eni."

"A pleasure to meet you," he said, mirroring her expression. "And I do try."

"I used to frequent this place in between lessons at the Studium," the young woman explained.

"That feels like ages ago now. I remember hearing you and Master Alphinaud had set sail to Eorzea, but you never returned." Dickon's face darkened slightly. "And lately there's been gossip about your father disowning the two of you. Everything alright at home?"

"It's...complicated. I hadn't expected complete strangers to be so familiar with our situation quite so quickly." Alisaie sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Everyone has an opinion, it seems..."

"Well it is House Leveilleur," he pointed out. "No matter how discreet Master Fourchenault may have been, news of your family never stays a secret for long. But things being as they are, what brings you back to the city now, of all times?"

"We have quite a few questions only Sharlayan can answer. Say, have you heard anything about an apocalypse called the Final Days?"

"What? Like the end of the world?" Dickon shook his head. "Not that I can recall. And that's why you're here? To find information on this...apocalypse?"

"Yes, whatever we can find. Though it seems your patrons are all very much unwilling to talk to me," Alisaie replied, looking over to where the guests were seated with a little "Hmpf!"

"I wish there was something I could do to help...hmm, perhaps there is..." rubbing his chin, he looked at S'eni. "You're a visitor to Sharlayan, then that means not a lot of people will know your face. We could pass you off as one of our servers."

"Not a bad idea," Alisaie said. "What do you think, S'eni?"

"Sure, but don't you think I'll be sticking out like a sore thumb if I wear these?" she asked and raised the lower part of her himation for emphasis.

"Not a problem, I can give you a uniform. While you get changed I'll prepare a few dishes."

"Huh. Alright then."

"That's the spirit!" Dickon said and handed her the clothes. After heading to the Annex to get changed, she returned in the same combination of shirt and apron, as well as a very comfortable pair of pants and shoes. Just from a few minutes of walking, she could already tell why this was their chosen uniform.

"Well, how do I look?" she asked and did a little pose.

"Like you've been working here for ages," Alisaie said with an amused tone and even Dickon seemed to agree with the assessment. He then proceeded to show her the dishes and where she needed to take them. First on her list was a group of rather chatty individuals who wished for some tea.

"Here you go," she said as she placed the tea set on the table, offering the round a friendly smile.

"Ah, the tea! Lovely, thank you!" a Midlander woman said.

"Say, you seem like you speak to a lot of people, so I was wondering if you or your friends might have heard of these Telophoroi that seem to be all we talk about these days?" S'eni asked while pouring their cups.

"Telopho-who?" the woman shook her head. "I'm sorry I never heard of them. My friends and I are a bit uninformed when it comes to current events. Now, if you wanted to hear about ritual arcane practices of the Sixth Astral Era then I'd be happy to talk your ear off..."

"Ah, I'm afraid I don't have the time for that," she said with a little chuckle. "Always busy with serving, you see."

"Yes, yes. Of course. And thank you again!"

The next patron on her list was a Highlander woman who seemed to be growing quite impatient from the way her foot was tapping while reading her newspaper. But if she was annoyed, she didn't show it when S'eni placed the freshly made omelette on the table in front of her. "Ah, finally!" She said and folded the paper, before putting it to the side and taking her fork. "Time to dig in!"

But before the woman even had the chance to do so, S'eni nodded towards the newspaper. "Anything about the Telophoroi in there by any chance?"

"Hmm? Oh, no not in this one. But I read about them in last week's gazette. How they claim to bring about the end of days." The woman snorted at that. "Same old warmongering if you ask me. When will those fools grow tired of spilling each other's blood? Best stay out of it, I say. The Forum made the right choice, and I fully support our decision to remain neutral!"

"I see..." she could have just left right then, but that tiny voice in the back of her head kept her from doing so without getting one last comment in. "Though I have to wonder what would've happened if Eorzea fell five years ago. Maybe Garlemald would have set its sight upon Sharlayan afterwards. Barbarians, am I right?"

And with that little nugget, she left the woman to enjoy her meal, taking a bit too much delight in the look she received. Last on her list was a Miqo'te man, who seemed much more eager for a chat after she placed an oven-baked lobster on his table.

"The Final Days? No, that is the first time I have heard about them," he said. "Although that would explain why my friend in the gleaners seems to be so busy these days?"

"The what?" she asked.

"Gleaners. They're...collectors for want of a better word. They travel around to procure things we don't have here in Sharlayan. Hmm, if these Telophoroi make good on their audacious threats then many uncatalogued rarities could be lost forever. Why else would the gleaners be buzzing about in such a frenzy? Watch the harbour and you'll see what I mean—" the man nodded into the direction of the pier and indeed there were many men and women unloading various crates of all sizes. "—they're doing this all day these past weeks. It's never been this hectic before. Not like this."

Interesting... So for some reason, Sharlayan was hoarding stuff. I might not be much, but this seemed like a clue if she ever heard one. Thanking the man, she headed back to the counter where Alisaie was waiting and filled her in.

"So apart from what vague news the gazettes are printing, they seem unaware of the Final Days. And with Dickon not knowing anything either, that means the Forum has done an impressive job from secrets getting out." Alisaie furrowed her brows for a moment, then shook her head and smiled. Turning around, she picked up one of the two steaming cups and held it out towards S'eni. "Here, the coffee I promised you. For playing your part so well."

"Thanks, I need it."

The young woman took her own cup. "Come, let's enjoy our drinks somewhere away from all these wagging tongues."

Walking away from the Last Stand, they sat down near the canal that snaked itself throughout the city. Taking her first sip of her coffee, S'eni felt herself invigorated almost instantly and she nodded. Alisaie did not oversell it, this was quite good.

After another sip, she placed the cup to the side and watched the calm water as it licked against the stairs leading down to the boats tied against the side. Next to her, Alisaie stared down at her own cup, idly running a finger along the edge. A moment passed before her friend spoke up.

"You know...despite not looking very bothered by Father disowning us, I am. I think I just didn't want to accept it, and now that I'm hearing all these rumors I realize just how much it actually hurts," Alisaie said. "Do you remember our decision to come here and how Raha said he acted the way he did because the Forum is hiding something?"

"Of course."

"I think he's right. Sure, we are a family of bullheads and our father argued a lot with our grandfather, but it's just so unlike him to accuse us of bloodlust and cast us out!" taking a deep breath, the Elezen raised her eyes toward the blue sky. "Him asking us if war was worth all the sacrifice left me especially speechless. Alphinaud was conflicted, but I don't believe for a single second that we were wrong. That's also why I was so godsdamned angry."

A smile formed on Alisaie's face. "It also made me realize that I'm quite stubborn and self-righteous myself. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I suppose."

"Nothing wrong with that," S'eni said, taking another sip and winking at her. "In moderation that is."

The young woman chuckled and raised her cup. "Maybe if I told him what was on my mind, things wouldn't have gone this far," Alisaie said and took a sip as well. "...hm?"

They both turned their heads to the left to see three boats passing by them, each carrying a large amount of cargo and making their way into a nearby tunnel.

"Those must be heading to the Labyrinthos," Alisaie commented.

"Labyrinthos?" she asked. "What's that?"

"Ah, it's a facility deep underneath the island. Sharlayan is the place where all knowledge of the world is gathered, right? But that doesn't mean said knowledge is limited to scrolls and tomes in dusty libraries. Animals, plants, and other creatures are studied as well."

"Ah, so kind of like Saint Mocianne's Arboretum in the Hinterlands?" She just hoped much less hostile. It still ranked rather high on her list of the least pleasant errands she ever had to do.

"Not a bad comparison, though I only ever heard the stories of that. Anyways, all things that do creep and fly get bred and catalogued inside the Labyrinthos." A frown then formed on the Elezen's face. "That was quite a lot of cargo though...Wait a minute! You mentioned that the deliveries have increased in recent days, and the gleaners answer to the Forum. Could it be that it's connected to the appearance of the towers? If that's the case then we might find answers down there!"

Narrowing her eyes, S'eni looked in the direction of the tunnel. "Guess our break is over then," she said and downed the rest of her coffee, before rising back to her feet.

"You go on ahead to the Noumenon, I'll bring the cups back. Oh and don't worry about the uniform, Dickon said you can keep it!"

Hurrying back to the Noumenon, she was not surprised to find her friend's noses still buried in their books. From the way Y'shtola's ears perked up though, she had noticed her and, once close enough, wasted no time addressing her. "Ah, my loyal assistant returns! There's a lexicon that I need you to—" she immediately fell silent upon turning around and looked her up and down instead. "I assume you've found something, haven't you?"

"You assume right. Come, I'll fill you guys in until Alisaie comes back."

You guys think that Y'shtola and Thancred were hitting that healthy lifestyle book too? :P