Coastal Errands
Before the Warrior of Light and others blessed by Hydaelyn, it was up to regular folk to fight against the primals. Soldiers and sellswords, many of which would give their lives to give Eorzea a few more moments of peace.
There was one particular group of sellswords that had made a name for themselves by not only beating one but two primals in their heyday.
What was their name again?
The Costa del Sol deserved its name. Clear water that sparkled in the sunlight, clean sand that invited one to just lie down and relax, and a breathtakingly beautiful sunset to top it all off.
S'eni had to hand it to Gegeruju, he managed to turn unusable farmland on the east La Noscean Bloodshore into a little paradise.
Just sitting here made a wave of nostalgia wash over her.
It would be perfect if not for the Castrum looming in the distance atop the Agelyss Wise, reminding everyone of the ever-present threat of the Garlear.
Turning her eyes away from the monstrosity of steel, standing out like a sore thumb, S'eni looked at the Roegadyn chef standing opposite of her while he placed a plate in front of her.
"I hope ya like it," he said with his deep voice, a broad grin on his face.
Lowering her eyes, she looked at the plate. It looked good. She took the offered fork and gathered some of the food on it, slowly guiding it to her mouth and taking that first taste.
Her taste buds immediately cried out in delight, and S'eni felt as if her soul was transcending at the taste of all these exotic flavors. Reality came apart and she took a small glimpse at existence in its pure, unadulterated nature, and, for that smallest of moments, comprehended its fleeting nature, before coming back to the here and now.
By the twelve, this was some good bleeding food!
The chef looked at her knowingly and, with a satisfied nod, gave her a thumbs-up before attending to another guest.
Taking another bite, S'eni cooed in delight. Yes, this truly was a fruit of labor.
Her labor.
For as good as it tasted, there was the lingering bitterness of having to travel all across Eorzea to gather all these ingredients just to have the Company of Heroes run an elaborate test.
S'eni's ears twitched when she heard small steps approach her, and she turned to see Shamani Lohmani approaching her. The blond Lalafel reached a hand out in search of a stool and, once he had found one, climbed on top of it.
"I hope you're enjoying the festivities," he said, inclining his head into her general direction.
S'eni inhaled deeply. "I suppose."
The older man, though it was honestly hard to tell with a clean-shaven Lalafel, released a chuckle. "Let me apologize in the name of the Company then. I know it was deceptive of us, but I hope you can still understand our reasoning."
"I do. I really do," she admitted after taking another bite. "It's still frustrating. But I'll get over it."
"Good! Now, how about some wine to wash it all down?" Shamani snapped his finger and the cook returned with a bottle that he promptly uncorked to generously fill a glass for each of them. The plainfolk vintner grabbed his glass, a grin splitting his face, and held it out in her direction. "To the Titan's Bane!"
S'eni grabbed her glass and clinked it against his, before bringing it to her lips. The taste was as marvellous as the meal.
"Aaah," Shamani sighed out in appreciation. The grin on his face then fell, replaced by a solemn expression. "When you face the Lord of Crags, don't think of Limsa Lominsa, Eorzea, or anything beyond his chamber. Think of the men and women fighting by your side."
"Fight for them, and they will fight for you," he said, taking off his shades and revealing the silvery-white eyes that had been robbed of their light. "Remember that no great victory was ever achieved alone."
"I will," S'eni said with an expression that mirrored his, even if he could not see.
The Lalafel only smiled and put his shades back on.
After having finished her meal and drink, S'eni rose to her feet to walk around, taking the time to talk with the rest of the Company and receive their encouragement; acting as if she was already the victor. And while she assumed that Ifrit's defeat by her and her comrades' hands had been part of the stories they must have heard of her, she would rather not ride the Chocobo before it was hatched.
Once she had managed to pry herself away from the festivities to look for her wayward companion, who decided to not participate. She found Y'shtola a good distance away from everyone, lounging in one of the many beach chairs and watching the setting sun.
"Decided you have had enough?" Y'shtola asked as she approached.
"You could say so," S'eni replied, sitting down on the chair next to her. She took off her boots and placed them on the ground.
"You're kind to indulge them, even if this banquet is just as much for them as it is for you."
"Don't get me wrong. I'm just as frustrated as you are here. But even if this entire thing has been a giant pain in the tail, I really can't fault them for it, I suppose."
"I don't deny that they mean well, but it's not the time for celebration," Y'shtola said, finally turning her head to look at S'eni, her mint green eyes almost glowing in the sunset's light.
"Yet-" S'eni's lip quirked upward and she pointed at the empty plate and glass resting between them. "—You seem to be enjoying the food."
"I would loathe for all your endeavours to have been in vain," the other Miqo'te replied dryly.
"Glad to be of service then." They both released a chuckle.
S'eni's looked out towards the horizon, where the sky was slowly turning dark as the sun made its descent. A few clouds were marring the otherwise beautiful view.
In the distance she could spot a ship as it passed by, heading towards distant shores, and she couldn't help but smile while she nestled into the beach chair.
"So what do you think of our dear Company of Heroes?"
"You mean aside from wasting our time on an elaborate test?" Y'shtola released a huff, before continuing. "I believe they're good people, and their experience with Titan will be of great use, I'm sure. When the good captain makes good on his promise, that is."
After she said those words, Y'shtola glanced over to the rest of the banquet, where Wheiskaet currently engaged in a friendly wrestling match with U'odh Nunh.
"Whenever that might be."
S'eni could only shrug.
"But while we're here, why don't you tell me about your heroic labours?"
"You mean, tell you about all the hoops they made me jump through for your amusement?"
A little smile was all that Y'shtola gave as an answer.
And so she told her. How she fought and slew a giant Adamantoise to get its egg despite Landenel telling her that it was folly to do so, followed by a retelling of how she had to first prove her worth to the Drake tribe before U'odh Nunh even considered telling her where to find her prey.
"I think I made some of the hunters a bit jealous when I returned. It was quite the sizeable catch if I do say so myself," S'eni said.
"I believe you earned a bit more than just ire if the look our dear Nunh gave you earlier is anything to go by."
Yes, she had noticed that too, but it was not a topic she was particularly interested in pursuing, so she continued with the next stop of her tale, where she had to reclaim the home of Brayflox and her fellow goblins from the claws of a dragon only to be nearly knocked out by the stench of the cheese afterwards.
Part of her was still morbidly curious how it was made.
Then came the last part, the one where she had managed to rediscover a grapevine thought lost in the Calamity with the help of a poor imperial deserter from Dalmasca that wanted to repay the kindness shown to him.
"That was a stroke of luck indeed," Y'shtola commented after she was done. Her expression then became thoughtful. "Dalmasca you said?"
"Mhm." S'eni nodded. "I heard stories of it when I was a kid. Do you know anything about it?"
"Only that it fell to the Garlean empire thirty years ago and its royal family died. A once proud kingdom becoming just another province."
"I can't imagine what it must feel like for him, being sent to the other side of the world in a war you don't even want to fight," she said, crossing her arms.
"All the more reason for us to do our part to keep Eorzea safe."
S'eni hummed in agreement, eyes once more returning to the Castrum in the distance. Conflict was all but assured. She could only hope they would be prepared when that time came.
Her attention was drawn away from the Garlean outpost when, all of a sudden, a cold breeze caressed her neck, making the little hairs on it stand on end. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head upward and sniffed the air.
"Something the matter?" Y'shtola asked.
S'eni opened her eyes again and looked towards the sky, frowning. "A storm's coming."
"I don't see anything."
"Not yet, but you can smell and feel it in the air. Trust me on that."
"Very well. Then I suppose it would be best to tell our host and the Company that the banquet is being cut short," Y'shtola said, starting to rise to her feet. "Maybe we can get the captain to make good on his promise before seeking shelter still."
A chuckle escaped S'eni. Leave it to Y'shtola to immediately take advantage of it. Grabbing her boots, she started to put them on when the other woman's next words made her freeze up.
"I don't envy the ships that have to travel through it. Let's hope the sea doesn't claim any victims tonight."
Thunder crashing in the distance. Rain pelting sharply against her skin.
"Look out!"
A sudden wave knocking her against a mast.
White hair entered her vision, followed by familiar mint-colored eyes.
"Hurry back to your cabin, friend," she said. "Lest you become the sea's next victim."
Within the blink of an eye, S'eni was back in the here and now, a boot in her hand while her mouth hung agape.
Was that Y'shtola?
But before she could think about what she just saw, S'eni heard her name called out by none other than the woman herself. Slowly, she turned to look at her.
"Are you coming?" Y'shtola asked an eyebrow cocked in question.
"Y-yeah," she managed to say, nodding her head almost automatically while turning her attention back to putting her boots back on. Once she had done so, S'eni followed after the other Miqo'te, a deep frown forming on her face.
She really needed to have a talk with Minfilia once she got back to the Waking Sands. But for now—
S'eni took a deep breath, letting the salty air calm her nerves, before joining with Y'shtola, who had already started talking with Wheiskaet.
—she needed to focus on the task ahead; stopping Titan.
If only she could have foreseen the events that were about to unfold for her and the rest of the Scions...
Ah, don't we all remember all the hoops we had to jump through to unlock the first battle against Titan? That was fun...
More to come soon. See ya!