Nightly Return
Barely back and already fighting, eh?
But I suppose I should not be surprised. It is you after all. And you will fight no matter the odds stacked against you.
In any case, after your surprise encounter with my wayward great-grandson, you returned back to Camp Broken Glass, where you were soon reunited with a certain friend. And he was not alone. Along for the journey were some of Hydaelyn's fuzzy little custodians, having grown eager from his words to see the world and offer their assistance in Sharlayan's endeavor to ferry people onto the moon.
...really now, what was she thinking when she created them? Hmm...no matter, I suppose. At least they ought to offer some decent warmth on your way back.
Silence hung in the air of the cabin, broken only by the soft hum of the engine and the light breathing of its inhabitants, having all succumbed to the need for sleep a while ago. Pale moonlight was shining in through evenly aligned windows, illuminating the otherwise dark room and offering a glimpse of everyone as they took their well-earned rest. Then, all of a sudden, one of them stirred, before slowly rising up from the ground, careful as to not wake anyone else. Steps echoed through the cabin, shortly followed by the sound of the door opening and closing as quietly as possible.
S'eni opened her eyes.
Casting her gaze into the direction of the door, she furrowed her brows, only to jump when a small hand smacked her right into the face. Following the arm attached to it, she saw Jammingway practically lying on top of her, having apparently decided to join Puddingway, who had already decided in his sleep that she was a far better pillow. She watched the bubble from his nose inflate and deflate for a few seconds, before releasing a sigh and carefully removing his hand. S'eni spent the next few minutes removing herself from the two bundles of fluff and stood up. She watched in silent amusement as, now faced with a lack of warmth, the two Loporrits started to cling to one another instead, then headed over to the door.
As she stepped out onto the deck, she was immediately greeted by a cold breeze that made her want to go right back inside, but the figure standing at the far end of the deck dispelled those thoughts. It was G'raha, his arms resting atop the ledge while he looked out in the distance. Making her way over to him, the rising of his ears told her that he knew she was here, but instead of calling out to him, S'eni simply took her place next to him.
She had already smelled it upon stepping out, but a look over the edge confirmed to her that they were already above the sea. "Hm. Didn't expect to be this far out yet..."
"Indeed. At this pace, we ought to be back in Sharlayan in a few hours' time. Should be enough to catch a few winks of sleep in a proper bed."
They shared a chuckle.
"Can't sleep?" she asked.
He hummed in affirmation. "By all rights, I should be sleeping quite soundly after these last few days you have been absent. We were basically running from one location to the next trying to assist where we could. But...I just find it difficult to settle down. I'm sorry for waking you."
"It's fine. Turns out, I was about to get smacked anyway." He sent her a puzzled look, but she just waved it off. "Krile and Tataru told me about Corvos."
"Ah...I see."
"I'm sorry..." she said. S'eni could only imagine how it must have felt to see the place he was born being ravaged by the Final Days. The image of her tribe's village, teeming with terrible beasts as everything around them burned, flashed briefly through her mind, but she shook her head to dispel it. They were fine.
They had to be.
"Thancred volunteered to stay behind with the troops. I pray that the evacuation efforts are going well. Or as well as they can, given the situation."
"Did you encounter anyone from your tribe?"
"No...We didn't manage to travel that far inland." a small cloud of mist passed his lips as he exhaled. "But it would be futile to worry right now if we can't put an end to the Final Days. So tell me, have you uncovered anything on your journey to the First?"
"I have..." she replied, eyes involuntarily rising towards the stars. "Much more than any of us could've imagined."
"That is heartening to hear," he said, relief ringing clear in his voice. "While I would like nothing more than to question you about your discovery, I believe it's best to wait until we are all together. So instead, let me ask you something else: have you managed to speak with our friends in the Crystarium?"
"Heh, I did. I was actually asked to deliver a message to you specifically."
"A message?" he blinked. "By whom?"
"Lyna and Beq Lugg wish to let you know to not overexert yourself and to regularly rest, dear Crystal Exarch."
He looked surprised at first, but his expression swiftly turned into a smile. "Strange that they would express such identical sentiments, but consider their advice duly noted. It is good to know they are doing well."
"Yeah. And you'll be glad to know that the Crystarium is as lively as ever," she said and looked out into the distance, briefly closing her eyes at a sudden breeze. "It's obvious they miss their Crystal Exarch dearly, but they give it their all, led by the examples you've left them."
G'raha fell silent for a few moments, but when she spoke again his words were warm. "Thank you for telling me this. While it doesn't seem like much, it eases my mind tremendously."
"Don't mention it, Raha. Just make sure to actually heed the advice you've been given." She winked, earning herself another chuckle and a little nod. "And on that note, I believe I shall head back inside. You coming too?"
"In a bit. I think I'll stay just a little longer."
"Alright. See you later, then," S'eni said and began to leave.
"See you later," G'raha replied and turned his attention back towards the distant horizon, listening to her fading steps. Once they had vanished inside, he closed his eyes and let his memories wander. To friends in another time, to those he had seen come and go on the First, and of course that first adventure into the Crystal Tower that had changed everything.
He remained like this, unmoving even as the minutes went by. Then, with a smile, he opened his eyes again and headed back inside.
By the time they returned to Sharlayan, most of the people had long since retired to their beds. Only those whose duties were to take care of the refugees were still wide awake, hurrying all around them as they stepped onto the airship landing. And from the looks of things, the night was still far from other for them.
After making their way out of the landing, Fourchenault turned around to face them. "Given the late hour, I will see our...envoys here to their lodgings. Come morning, I shall talk with the Forum about your questions."
"Thank you, Father," Alphinaud said. "Have a good night."
He offered his son a nod before turning to Livingway and, after exchanging a few words, led her and the other Loporrits away. S'eni watched the crowd leave, then looked at Urianger next to her as he began to speak. "I daresay Master Fourchenault was as nonplussed as we to learn the identity of Hydaelyn's lunar custodians."
"You should have seen his face when he learned that Vrtra was the Satrap." A smirk formed on her lips. She was beginning to understand how Ameliance was able to run circles around him so easily.
"It must have been a sight to behold." An amused twinkle entered his eyes. "And as he will soon discover, the Loporrits have much and more to offer the Forum. But might I suggest we return to the Annex forthwith? The hour is late indeed."
"Agreed," she said and rubbed the back of her neck. What sleep they had gotten was definitely not enough.
They made their way over to the Annex and stepped inside. To nobody's surprise, they found the front desk empty, and S'eni very much doubted that Krile nor Tataru were still awake either. As soon as they stepped into the Andron, she bade the others good night and followed the siren song coming from a comfortable mattress towards her room. By the time she had reached the door, her eyes had already fallen halfway shut once again and her hand idly reached out to open it while she yawned...
...only for them to immediately shoot wide open when she was met by the all too familiar figure seated at the table.
"Eni, you're back," Y'shtola greeted her, pale eyes turning away from the book she was reading to look towards her instead.
"Shtola," S'eni breathed out and immediately made her way over to her lover, who rose from her chair to meet her in a hug. They stayed like this for a few moments, simply holding one another. All of a sudden, Y'shtola sniffed the air.
"You smell terrible."
"I missed you too," she replied with a warm smile. Y'shtola's shoulders shook slightly as she giggled and they slowly separated. "When did you arrive?"
"Not too long after Krile called to tell me you had returned and were headed to Garlemald to assist the others."
"Huh..." her eyebrows rose a little. "Did you stay up to wait for me?"
"Actually, I was just about to head to bed," Y'shtola said. And indeed, she had discarded her robes in favor of a simple black top and a pair of comfortable pants. Yet it was still awfully late, and the half-empty cup of tea standing not far from the book told her that her lover might not have been as ready to head to bed as she claimed.
Instead of pointing that out though, S'eni decided to lean in for a kiss instead...only to be stopped short by a finger pressing against the tip of her nose.
"Ah, ah, ah, I believe you heard me when I said you smell terrible." The other Miqo'te's lips rose into a teasing smile. "So how about you get yourself washed up first, and then we can talk about a kiss."
Releasing a deep, overdramatic sigh, S'eni glanced over to the sink and the bucket within. But a quick whiff was enough to dispel that notion, so the bath it would be. Invigorated by the fact that she was going to share her bed tonight, she hurried over to the bath and proceeded to wash as quickly and thoroughly as possible, impressing even herself by not giving into the pleasant warmth of the water and falling asleep then and there. When she was done, she swiftly wrapped a towel around herself and hurried back with her clothes tucked underneath her arm.
As she returned, she found Y'shtola seated at the table once more. But instead of the book from earlier, a dark gray robe was now splayed out in front of her. And in her hands, she held the mask accompanying it.
"Snooping around?" she asked lightly while walking over to the sink.
"Not exactly hard to miss when it was lying so neatly folded atop the dresser," Y'shtola replied while running a finger across the silver decorations of the mask's bird-like features. "Looks like your journey to the First has taken an...interesting turn to say the least."
"Yeah...I hope you don't mind if I wait until tomorrow for the full story." She dumped her clothes sans boots and jewelry into the sink and filled it with water, then took a block of soap and began to scrub them. Thankfully, they weren't as dirty as expected, and when she was done, let them soak for a little bit. As she watched the thin film of foam slowly dissipate, S'eni felt her mind wander back to the events in Elpis and she shut her eyes.
"I saw it..." she said after a while.
"Saw what?"
"The cause of the Final Days." A brief vision of a smiling girl flashed through her mind before being replaced by a twisted, ashen mirror image of her. Opening her eyes again, she turned around to look over to Y'shtola, whose surprise at those words was evident on her face. "Elidibus, he used the tower to send me back in time. To part of the unsundered world..."
"Eni..." Putting the mask away, Y'shtola stood up and walked over to her. With a sigh, S'eni slipped her arms around the other Miqo'te's waist and let her chin come to rest atop her shoulder. Her lips rose ever so slightly at the feeling of being pulled close and she let herself be immersed in Y'shtola's comforting warmth, the trials of the past couple of days slowly fading away. Gods, she needed this...
After a few, long minutes, which almost felt like hours in her mind, she let go of Y'shtola again, the smile on her lips growing embarrassed. "Sorry, I just—" she was silenced by a finger on her lips.
"Don't apologize. Or have you already forgotten?" Y'shtola moved her hand to cup S'eni's cheek. "Whenever things become too much to bear, I want you to share that burden with me."
"I..." she chuckled. "It must've slipped my mind for a bit..."
"Let me remind you then..."
Their lips met in a soft kiss. Warm and gentle, it was exactly the balm her soul needed right now. Once they separated again, Y'shtola gently stroked her cheek, before taking hold of her hands. "Let's go to bed, shall we?"
"Yes. Let's do that," she said and let herself be guided over to the bed. On their way there, S'eni reached up to undo the towel still wrapped around her, letting it carelessly drop to the ground and earning herself a quirked brow. Without a word, she laid down on top of the bed, slipped underneath the covers, and raised her arms out invitingly while jutting out her lower lip in a cute manner.
"Honestly..." Y'shtola muttered with a fond, yet slightly exasperated tone and laid down next to S'eni, who wasted no time to snuggle up to her. With a flick of her wrist, she cast a quick spell that extinguished the lamps in the room, then moved to return her lover's embrace. No further words were spoken as they both closed their eyes and soon after, drifted off into blissful sleep.
There would be more than enough talking tomorrow.
A short and sweet one to make up for the severe lack of Y'shtola in the last few chapters.