Case 1: Yellow Moon
When they returned to the booth, likely only Nashu was naïve enough not to realize what they had been up to – not that Senri minded in any way, though throughout the rest of their stay, his cute redhead avoided looking his way, blushing beautifully. Especially since the former Warrior couldn't help his silly, goofy grin whenever his eyes landed on his mate.
They finished their by now completely melted ice cream to the sound of Nashu's chatter – and at least his husband looked toward the Keeper in a much warmer way, asking questions about her mentor with apparently unbidden interest.
When they gathered to leave, the flushed server refused to let them pay – tossing a meaningful look toward the crowded interior, and Senri decided to go with that without insisting. He was quite used to the effect of his fame among the traders and such – working as an involuntary commercial that brought them clients whenever he went.
When they left the restaurant, he wrapped his arm around his lover's shoulders, following the enthusiastic Keeper until they stopped near the aethernet shard by the Chamber of Rule.
"Where could he be…?" Nashu muttered, leaning over the balustrade and looking down the circular pit.
"I suppose we should split up and ask around…?" Raha suggested calmly, looking between the two of them with a cute wrinkle between his dark-red eyebrows. But yeah, everything about his redhead was absolutely adorable! "Considering his… attire, someone's bound to notice him, yes?"
"Mhmm…" Senri sighed, pulled his arm back, and stretched his arms over his head, arching his back, then rolled his shoulders and looked side to side the round space before nodding absentmindedly toward his husband while pointing his thumb left. "I'll go this way, you go right, Raha and Nashu…" he looked toward where the girl stood a moment ago and blinked… seeing that she was gone. "…huh?"
"She used the aethernet," his husband chuckled at his dumbstruck look, then turned and headed in the given direction. "If we don't find him, let's meet by the Aetheryte, Snark? It's getting close to dinner time, and you know your mom will be cross if we miss it," he waved toward him over his shoulder, and Senri sighed, then turned and headed left.
His husband was more than right about that, though. Unless excused by 'special' circumstances – and that was considered only something on the level of saving the world – his mother, Rhasa, insisted all her 'boys' attended prepared by her dinners.
Most of them didn't even truly need to eat – but that wasn't an excuse in his mom's eyes. And even the powerful Emet-Selch didn't dare to defy the tiny blonde – least he faced the disappointment of his violet-haired husband.
Not to mention that this whole thing with Hildibrand came out so out of the blue that it completely twisted his plans for the day. Yeah, those dancing undead were definitely funny enough to warrant getting his mate involved, but Senri had a multitude of things to do planned for today before that. Tomorrow was Ares's day, so as he headed down one of the staircases, he made a mental list of the things that he could still do after dinner and before the switch at midnight.
We can always switch the days around, boy, his immortal chimed in with amusement, and he shook his head involuntarily.
Nah, it's fine, Ares, he replied. This whole thing was worth putting off some of my plans, he chortled, thinking back to the restroom and his lover's wonderful eagerness. And I know you have things planned for tomorrow, too. To be frank, I only really need to look through the list of potential families whose eager to adopt Tama's litter. And I can do that before the switch… I think.
Tama was one of their 'oldest' cats – the second female after Salina, their Princess. With already ten talking Nagxian cats under their roof after Sali's first litter, they agreed to find proper homes for the following kittens – and to say they didn't lack in offers was an understatement. And he – with Ares's incredibly useful skill – was determined to make sure that the people they would choose would take proper care of their potential pets.
Very well, Ares chuckled, and he smiled involuntarily, feeling a gentle pat on his soul.
It was funny – in a way – that he came to love his Ancient. There was a time when he blamed everything that went wrong in his life on the 'Ascians,' who Ares – technically – was representative of. But his immortal – the Azem of the Convocation of Fourteen – was always unique among his kind, no less than his extremely powerful husband.
Who else would think to literally change the miserable future that Senri was unknowingly heading toward without their Ancients' interference? Now, thanks to them, he had everything he could ever need: Raha, their families, and friends.
He sometimes wondered what became of that first timeline – feeling a tad sorry for his version of it. And grateful, too, that that 'T'senri' unknowingly sparked this timeline to become what it was now. And thinking back to Ares and Damon, he and Raha met in Elpis… he hoped that theirs went better, too. Perhaps even better than this one… who knows?
He chuckled involuntarily at the memory of how 'their' Damon pretty much dared his past version to create a better version of their story.
He tends to be competitive, yeah, Ares snickered as he left the elevator leading to the Hustling Strip and headed toward the Adventurers Guild – deciding to start searching for Mandeville there.
He asked Momodi – busy by her usual spot, then a bunch of adventures coming and going from the building of the Guild, but while none of them seemed to remember seeing a tall Highlander Hyur in torn attire, a few eagerly shared the gossip about so-called 'duelist' stealing the weapons of the fighters he defeated. He shrugged that off – mostly because if whoever that was defeated his opponents fairly – as it sounded – was it really stealing?
His collection contained so many trophies from his felled foes… he wasn't a hypocrite to scorn that person for doing pretty much the same, right? He rarely took weapons from his enemies – unless they were 'special' enough, but the idea in his head was pretty much the same. At least that 'duelist' left his prey alive – something that rarely happened with Senri's opponents.
His fans liked to see him as the hero – but the truth was he was a glorified killer. And that was only when one thought of his 'official' activities.
…his side activities were a whole different can of worms that none but his husband and their Ancients knew about. Some of his friends suspected something – Alisaie, his best friend, most likely, especially after their stay in Old Sharlayan – but none of them called him out on the way some people… tended to disappear in Eorzea since the Final Days were behind them.
Since all of those tended to gain their attention by the… particular set of circumstances, not many missed them. And between his and his lover's skills – there was no evidence to tie any of such 'disappearances' to the famed saviors of the star. Which fit them just fine.
Finally giving up, he headed back to Wymond's usual post on the road leading to the Aetheryte, where it all started. He could wrap it up with him – leaving a message for the insane Inspector or his assistant – before heading to the meeting spot and waiting for Raha if his husband wasn't already there.
Raha rolled his eyes at his lover's snickering when they landed in front of their home, then headed inside and directed his steps straight toward the dining room. He didn't need to check to know his husband followed – Senri's obvious excitement had the already present look over his shoulder with mixed levels of confusion.
"What got him so… enthusiastic?" Hades asked from his spot with the usual scowl on his handsome face, and Raha sighed with resignation, dropping into the seat across from him.
"Explosives," he answered curtly, sending his lover a deadpan stare when Senri laughed as he dropped in the seat next to him, stretching his arms toward the little girl that – lured in by his amusement – neared her brother's chair with a curious expression on her beautiful face. The former Warrior tugged his sister in his lap, smiling toward the twins who stayed in their spots but gave him as curious stares of mismatched eyes.
"…explosives?" little Ralla tugged at her brother's vest, her dark, navy eyes huge under her blonde fringe. "Like bombs?"
"Yeah, exactly like bombs," Senri chuckled, wrapping his arms around the girl and then looking across the table at the 'newest' couple to join their daily meetings.
"What did you blow up now?" Alisaie Levellieur sighed, crossing her forearms on the table before her and giving her best friend a narrowed look. Though she was over twenty, due to Elzen's much slower aging than it was in the case of Miqo'te, she still looked very much like a teenager. Which one may consider ironic while looking at her Ancient lover, Themis – who sat next to her, looking between them with obvious curiosity in his bright, blue eyes. He also looked like a teenager – at over eight hundred years old… if one didn't count the time he spent as the broken Elidibus before Damon restored his soul and mind to what it was before Sundering.
"Some crates," his lover shrugged nonchalantly, but there was no missing the sparks of amusement in his pale eyes when he leaned back against the backrest of his chair.
"Yeah… crates containing people," Raha deadpanned, though he smiled gratefully toward his older sister, Jalla, when she set a cup of tea in front of him, then sat down on the available chair beside him – her expression as curious as that of her kits. "It's a long story… But we ended up getting entangled in solving a theft in Ul'dah."
"…with bombs?" Hades drawled with disbelief, raising his white eyebrows pointedly when his husband, Hythlodaeus, leaned against his side, a mix of interest and amusement in his Ancient-bright, purple eyes.
"Apparently," he sighed, still more than a bit baffled by the whole situation.
He just arrived at the Aetheryte after questioning people around the Coliseum when Senri called him to 'get his ass' to the Weavers Guild. And it went from there…
"It was hilarious!" his husband laughed, putting his fingertip against his sister's cute nose. "There was this Roegendyn woman, Yellow Moon, who lost her purse. This man we met today… Hildibrand Mandeville decided to help her, especially since she had a bunch of other items disappear, and we tagged along to see what happens…"
"Because Senri couldn't resist," Raha added, carefully sipping his drink while tossing his lover a fond look.
"Well… They keep calling him a 'brilliant Inspector,' but the man seems more like a moron to me," Senri shrugged helplessly, smiling sheepishly. "I'm still not clear which one is true, either. Anyway… whenever we went, there were those crates piled up about the city… and when Nashu – his assistant – suggested to blow them up…"
"Blow up crates… in the middle of Ul'dah?" Alisaie drawled with a deadpan stare.
"Mhmm," his husband grinned toothily. "…how could I say 'no' to that?"
"And there were mortals inside them…?" Themis frown, looking between them with a confused frown on his beautiful face. "Didn't they die?"
"Stupid don't die," Raha hummed his personal moral of the day, and Damon laughed in the back of their shared head.
"Seriously… seems that way," his lover chuckled. "Those were apparently Yellow Moon's… admirers, following her around and picking up the things she… ah, misplaced. So – in a turnabout way – we solved the case for that… man," he added innocently toward the curious kits.
"Seems more like a joke than a 'case,'" he sighed, setting his cup down, then dragged his finger around the rim of it, resting his cheek on top of his palm and looking toward his husband with narrowed eyes. "Honestly… we were a tad more intrigued about those rumors running around the city of the weapon collector."
"Ah… the so-called 'duelist'?" Senri raised his eyebrows, and he nodded before frowning with consideration toward his tea. Considering their current company, he didn't dare raise the other point he and Damon discussed while following Mandeville around the desert city-state.
That was better left for when they were alone.
Senri was quite right, Hildibrand Mandeville seemed like an even bigger airhead than his assistant, but he didn't miss the way that man seemed to grow interested in the other rumors circulating the city.
Ellie, the 'Mythril Eye's' reporter they met inadvertently – and helpfully – diverted the Hyur's attention to the gossip about the weapon collector, yeah, but he was quite suspicious that when done with that, Mandeville might turn his attention toward the 'mysteriously' missing people in Ul'dah… and other city-states.
I had other plans… but it might be reasonable to follow that fumbling fool tomorrow again and make sure he isn't a… threat to our interests, Damon sighed with resignation, and he nodded, involuntarily smiling at the sound of Ralla's giggles when her older brother tickled the girl before setting her down on the floor again.
Perhaps that would be reasonable, he agreed carefully, then added with some amusement. If you can keep yourself from snapping him out of existence, Damon.
Hildibrand's… wisdom rode the edge of his immortal's temper quite harshly throughout the day.
I'll… do my best, but honestly, I almost wish he prove worth the title, Damon sounded petulant. Otherwise, this whole thing is a huge waste of our time.
"Dinner's ready!" Senri's mother called from the kitchen, and he absentmindedly snapped his fingers, in a flash, moving the prepared plates to the table from the next room. Rhasa chuckled as she stepped into the dining room and nodded toward him with a fond smile. "Thank you, Raha," she said, taking her seat next to her son.
"My pleasure," he said honestly, grinning at the beautiful woman. He never got bored of her praises.
"We might need to change our plans for tomorrow, Themis," his lover said, and when Raha looked at him, he raised his eyebrows at the sight of Ares's sky-blue eyes directed at the teenage-looking immortal.
"…oh?" Themis tilted his head slightly, but there was no missing hint of disappointment in his bright eyes.
"Sorry, boy, but this whole Mandeville… piqued my interest," Ares said easily, but Damon hummed with consideration when his husband tossed them a brief, unreadable look while keeping his trademark, crooked grin on Senri's beautiful features.
He's in agreement, then, his immortal drawled. Not that it's a surprise. Better make sure this whole 'Inspector' is a fool he appears to be, I suppose.
"I'll go fishing with you," Alisaie chimed in, setting her hand over her lover's, earning his pleased smile… while she tossed them a suspicious look. She clearly suspected something was up – and not for the first time, Raha admired her instincts no less than her willingness to cover for them when necessary.
"Thank you, my dear," Themis raised her hand and set a kiss on top of it, making the girl blush beautifully. He bit back a grin when Damon gushed in the back of their head, clearly pleased with the display.
They make a cute couple, he agreed to his immortal's enthusiasm, then sighed and raised his fork, focusing on the meal before him.
Of course, Damon stated hauntingly, then hesitated briefly. So would Nico with Nashu, don't you think…?
He choked on the first bite, coughing violently enough for his husband – back in control – to pound his big hand over his back while he fought to catch his breath.
"I'm fine, thank you," he wheezed at his lover's worried frown, wiping his teary eyes before looking toward their son, seated beside the twins and looking toward him with a frown on his youthful face. Over my dead body, Damon. He's barely sixteen!
Don't be melodramatic, boy. The wry tone was nearly dripping with snark. And doesn't your race reach sexual maturity at this age? He stated the obvious, and Raha stabbed at his plate with a stubborn grimace.
Nope, not happening, he hissed internally, tossing another brief look toward Nico.
If you say so, the immortal hummed far too innocently, and he scowled even darker, then exhaled slowly and focused on his meal, leaving that… discussion for later.
Stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the fact that his Ancient was very, very rarely wrong with his… matchmaking ideas – usually for a reason.