I Do Love Nothing in the World So Well as You - PumpkinShire (2024)

Chapter 1: Day 1: Envoy I

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If Nevyn cared to count, it had been about a decade since she’d been to Vesper Bay. Ten years, three months, and fifteen days actually, but she wasn’t counting.

She was surprised that the road to the small settlement hadn’t changed much in all those years. The same Lalafell man was still in Horizon; she smiled politely at him, replying to his pleasantries with her own. The swamp was still muggy, buzzard birds eyeing her like she would be their next meal. To be fair, they were large enough that she had no doubt one of them could happily devour a small Auri woman.

An image of an Au Ra lying dead along the road, birds picking at their carcass, popped unwillingly into her mind. The Au Ra looked a lot like—

Nope. Clenching her eyes shut, she willed the image away, but opening them was almost just as bad.

The spot where she had last seen her mother was all too easily spotted, the path still well-worn and covered in wagon wheels and chocobo prints.

She clutched the reins of her chocobo tighter, trying not to tremble. Physically, she was a twenty-something sitting on a large yellow bird, but mentally, she was right back where she had been all those years ago. A small girl writing in her notebook, oblivious to her surroundings and day dreaming of dragons and sea serpents, unaware of the nightmare that lurked just out of sight.

A sound caused her to glance up. A soft shhk of something airborne finding its target. Her father, looking disbelievingly at the arrow protruding from his chest. His Sharlayan scholar robes slowly blooming crimson with his blood. Bandits had appeared in her periphery, her mother screamed at her to go, whacking the much smaller chocobo in the rear and spurring it into motion.

In the present, Nevyn jumped at the sudden chirp of her feathered companion looking back at her curiously. For a moment she could feel the stinging air as the wind whipped through her dark hair, looking back at her mother as she grew further and further away. The bandits had closed in, but Nevyn had been far enough away that they couldn’t be bothered to go after a small child.

She gave her chocobo a few strokes and nudged him onward. Her parents had known the risks, but they were brave and adventurous and curious and outgoing and all the things that she wasn’t. Wiping her eyes to clear any traces of tears (and making sure she hadn’t smudged her make-up terribly), the knot that had been tied in her chest started to loosen as she saw the entrance to Vesper Bay.

She had been asked to do this task specifically, her guildmaster stopping by her workstation to talk her into it earlier that week. Apparently, she was personable and knowledgeable, so that made her the perfect candidate to head to Vesper Bay to meet a new “business partner”. Too bad her guildmaster hadn’t mentioned that she was also quite shy, introverted, soft spoken, and just generally bad at people-ing. Her parents had been Sharlayan envoys, well, mostly her dad. Her mother would always tag along with her father so she could study local flora and collect samples. They had training, and knew how to handle situations that involved talking to other people.

The knot in her chest tightened.

Luckily, Vesper Bay wasn’t huge, and she was able to find her way to the building tucked away in the corner towards the water. She was supposed to say something about Wild Roses? She panicked for a moment, searching her pockets for the piece of paper that had all the information she needed on it.

Her hand was still digging through a pocket when she realized she was at the door to the building.

Instead of standing outside of the door, fumbling through her satchel and every nook and cranny like a weirdo, she just sighed and went in.

“Hello!”

The voice, belonging to a pink-clad Lalafell woman, nearly knocked her over with enthusiasm.

“H-hi,” she replied, her voice squeakier than she would like. “I’m the representative from the—”

“The Weaver’s Guild envoy!” The woman piped up, smiling expectantly at her.

“Oh, um, I suppose so, yes,” The Auri woman cleared her throat awkwardly, trying to regain some composure. “I’m Nevyn Grey, First Hand Weaver. I assume this is the Waking Sands?”

“Yep! You’ve come to the right place. Tataru Taru, at your service!”

Nevyn cracked a small smile at the Lalafell, she was quite cute. “Lovely to meet you. Redolent Rose sent me to respond to your—”

“Shhhhhhhhh!” Tataru had stood on her chair to press a finger to Nevyn’s lips. “Not here. Follow me to The Solar, we can talk more privately there.”

“Um, okay,” Again, Nevyn wondered if this was a good idea, but she followed Tataru down a set of stairs and into an almost empty corridor.

She hadn’t heard of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn before, but they weren’t like a secret organization or anything. They just tended to not draw attention to themselves, which Nevyn could understand. Unfortunately, it also meant that it seemed a little sketchy.

Like the guy that was standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. She had seen him around Ul’dah, mostly flirting with attractive people, but the fact that she could recognize his face made her relax just a little.

She managed to take a few steps, following Tataru closely, before her head began pounding and her vision started swimming. A quiet groan escaped her lips as she unconsciously brought a hand up to clutch her head. This had been happening more and more frequently, and the migraines were getting more severe and debilitating.

“Nevyn? Are you alright?” Tataru’s voice was distant and Nevyn tried to focus on the pink Lalafell, but darkness quickly overtook her sight.

The images came quickly, allowing her just enough time to see what was happening before shifting. An older Elezen man holding a staff. The very same staff broken on the ground, then framed on the wall behind a large desk. A woman looked sadly at the display, with the white haired man from the hallway stepping up next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Nevyn blinked her silver eyes, trying to clear the remaining fogginess that tended to linger after these episodes.

“Can you hear me? Nevyn?” Tataru was standing in front of her, looking up with concern splashed across her face.

“Y-yes, sorry,” Nevyn stuttered, a little shaky from the episode. “I’ve been getting terrible headaches lately.”

“I believe I may be able to offer some assistance,” The white haired man had silently approached, seeming to teleport from where he had been. “This is our guild envoy, yes? Thancred Waters, at your service.”

The Hyur man bowed with a flourish and Nevyn’s cheeks immediately began to turn pink, something that tended to happen whenever anyone looked her way or spoke to her. She could only stammer as Thancred smirked. What was it with these people calling her an envoy like she was someone important?

“Our illustrious leader will be very happy to meet you,” Thancred’s smirk grew sharp, his eyes knowing. Nevyn suddenly felt even more nervous, the knot in her chest taught and ready to snap. “If my suspicions are correct, she has the same condition as you, little ewe.”

That gave Nevyn pause, not just because he was implying that someone else was getting strange headaches accompanied by visions of people and places she’d never seen. Had he just called her a sheep?

Chapter 2: Day 1: Envoy II

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Since arriving in the Black Shroud, Gridania’s fresh air had always been something Selecer was unfamiliar with. Ostensibly, this was her homeland, but she had barely been an infant when her parents fled. And after so long in the stifling heat of Ala Mhigo, the air of the Twelveswood was a balm to the soul she hadn’t felt for a very long time. She leaned against a railing of the airship landing, eyes closed as the whistling of the wind passed her by. Eternities seemed to pass her by in moments.

“Madam envoy?” A voice dragged Selecer out of her reverie. “The airship is ready.”

She responded with little more than a nod as she turned away from the railing. The Wailer who had come to collect her led her down the ramp to the landing. The airship was, indeed, humming with the magitek components inside, a sound she was very familiar with and not exactly comfortable with. Remembering the sound of colossi and predators stomping through Castrum Oriens was hardly something she enjoyed, but she put that in the corner of her mind as she had been learning to do since she arrived in Eorzea. She focused, instead, on the waters of the lake before her, and the veritable ocean of foliage surrounding it.

As the airship lurched out of the landing and began to rise above the city, the detail of everything below her began to blur. People became indistinct blobs of color against the ground, the sharp detail fading to make Gridania seem as a watercolor painting beneath her. Selecer stared down at the world beneath her, a sight she had not seen before.

Lands that stretched on forever. Skies she could drown in.

Despite the difficulties, perhaps this could be home.

Chapter 3: Day 2: Bark I

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Selecer was trying really hard not to laugh.

It was difficult, considering what she was looking at. The snarling, misshapen blue thing that could vaguely be described as a “dire wolf” in front of her was unfathomably amusing to her. A wolf could take many shapes, but this was definitely not one of them.

But her girlfriend was so proud of it. She had every reason to be, after all. In her efforts with assisting the Ehctal Nine, Nevyn had proved many people of Eorzea to be working under myriad false assumptions in regards to the tribes at their outskirts. The Ixali, Kobolds, Sahagin, all just as mortal at their core as any other, just as needing of help and community and compassion. She had done something incredible with the Nine, and she certainly deserved a symbol of that effort.

But did it really have to look like this?

Nevyn looked up to Selecer, a huge smile plastered on her face as she gently ran a hand along the wolf’s ‘fur.’ Selecer, for her part, had her hand held up to her mouth, gently biting the edge of her index finger to stop herself from having a laughing fit.

“I’m sure we could find somewhere for him to sleep. In our room.” She was straining to get every word out as she thought about where this chocobo sized canine could lay down without getting drool everywhere, and was coming up short.

“Yeah!” Nevyn’s reply was filled with all the earnestness Selecer had come to love her for. “He’d get cold out here. But look! It gets better!” Nevyn hopped up and onto the back of the wolf, and he leapt into the air, beginning to float a few feet above the ground. His limbs hung limply beneath him as he stared blankly at Selecer.

Seeing Nevyn’s head poke out from behind the wolf’s back was too much. Selecer broke out into a snorting laugh, doubling over and looking away from the wolf’s vacant eyes.

This would be the first of many, Selecer would later muse. Animals flocked to her girlfriend, many seemed utterly at peace around her and hung off of her every word and action when she was around. There would be many more who would be taken in by the two, and it all started with him.

Chapter 4: Day 2: Bark II

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“Hey Nev?”

“Hm?” Nevyn turned to look up at her girlfriend. Both of them were sweaty, dirty, and a little beat-up, the Crystal Tower was no joke. Room after room, staircase after staircase, it never seemed to end. Nevyn felt personally attacked by the sheer amount of stairs in the tower, and they weren’t meant for people with shorter legs. But that didn’t matter to Nevyn when she saw what was in Sel’s arms.

“Oh my gods!” Nevyn’s voice went up approximately three octaves in pitch.

In Selecer’s arms was a small, furry blob. A puppy to be exact, and when Nevyn got closer she noticed that the black furred creature seemed to have three heads attached to one little fluffy body.

Sel passed the Cerberus puppy to her small girlfriend, who immediately started cooing and cuddling the baby animal. The puppy seemed perfectly happy to begin licking Nevyn’s face all over, excited yips echoing through the Crystal Tower.

“He’s so cute! Where did you find him?” Nevyn giggled as one of the heads found a strand of her dark gunmetal hair and started chewing on it.

“I thought I heard something in the last room, so I checked it out and saw this guy cowering in the rubble,” Sel smiled down at the sight of her adorable girlfriend booping a nose of the almost as adorable (in her opinion) puppy. The tall Elezen woman reached out to scritch the dog’s ears, her smile growing just a little wider.

“We can’t just leave him here, right?”

Selecer Lunarien, Warrior of Light, Garlemald defector, slayer of primals and protector of Eorzea; absolutely melted when Nevyn looked up at her with big puppy eyes. Nevyn needn’t have pulled out the big guns, of course, but it seemed appropriate and the puppy in her arms multiplied the adorableness tenfold.

“Yeah, yeah, of course. He’s coming with us, right lil guy?”

Two of the heads barked in unison, the third just a second later. The couple grinned down at the puppy, which seemed perfectly happy to stay in Nevyn’s arms. Nevyn had always wanted a pet and wondered if this was technically a three-for-one deal?

Chapter 5: Day 3: Pulse I

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The gem pulsed gently in Nevyn’s hand, seeming so small and innocent.

Somehow, Nevyn had accidentally gone from Thaumaturge to Black Mage. Just like how she accidentally discovered her affinity for magic, and accidentally set her apartment on fire. Twice.

Yet, this little innocuous crystal represented so much destruction and pain; was this her destiny? Would her magic consume her and cause her to desire power over all else? She really hoped not, though she wasn’t sure if becoming a Black Mage would then cause a power trip or if it just happened to be a coincidence that the only Black Mages she’d met so far had been like that.

Honestly, her magic did scare her sometimes.

She wasn’t a trained fighter or a soldier or anything like that. She was a weaver. Sometimes in a fight she panicked and would forget spells, forget to change phases, trying to cast spells with absolutely no mana. Papalymo said she just needed practice, and would drag her out to a training dummy and have her casting until she could barely stand.

A training dummy was very different from an angry Sahagin in a blind rage.

This little trinket could be her undoing. Her greatest fear was that she would lose control and hurt someone. Or a stray blast of fire could destroy someone’s livelihood, or their home. Ice could decimate farmer’s crops, kill farm animals; the list went on and on and Nevyn could cause herself to go into a downward spiral the more she thought about it.

“What are you doing out here?” A voice from behind scolded her.

Nevyn managed to not jump in fright but she clutched her chest as she spun around, completely caught off guard. Her heart hammered in her chest, exceeding the tempo of the gem that pulsed gently in her hand. “Papalymo! You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“False, I made plenty of noise. You, my dear Nevyn, were brooding again.”

“Wha-b-brooding?! I do not ‘brood’,” Nevyn frowned, trying her best to not look like a pouting child.

“Indeed. Too dreary of a word. Perhaps ‘sulk’ is more apt?” He rested his hands on his hips, quirking an eyebrow at her.

“I wasn’t sulking.”

“Really? Then what have you been doing out here, pray tell?”

“... Thinking.”

The Lalafell man sighed and hopped up onto the bench next to the Auri. “I can see what’s going through your head; you’re afraid of the power that crystal has over you?”

Nevyn only looked down, her toe poking at a crack in the sidewalk.

“Nevyn,” Papalymo sighed her name, only a little exasperated. “Magi, generally, do not suddenly develop powerful magics overnight. This power has been with you your whole life. You have yet to endanger yourself or any allies with your abilities. Even knowing you for a short time, I can tell you are level headed enough to not let the power get to you.”

“Really?” Nevyn’s voice was timid. Papalymo had hit the nail on the head regarding Nevyn’s fears.

“Really. We would not fight at your side if you were a danger to us. Even if you were, that’s why we train. Like right now, time to get up.” He hopped to his feet and faced her, seriousness and determination flashing in his eyes.

Nevyn groaned, head flopping forward, her long dark hair obscuring her face. “Again? I’ve barely recovered from last time.”

“But you’ve recovered, it’s the perfect time to continue training.”

Another groan left Nevyn’s lips, but she stood, and followed Lalafell as he led the way. Perhaps he was right, she hadn’t been practicing magic long, but she’d always felt it. The draw of the elements and ambient aether was always whispering to her, not in a dangerous way, but just making itself known to her.

A tiny gem wouldn’t dictate her life or cause her to live in fear, her friends would make sure of that.

Chapter 6: Day 3: Pulse II

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Selecer could feel her heart beating in her ears. The chaotic melee she was now embroiled in, paradoxically, narrowed her focus to a point. Everything about how she got here, where she even was, it didn’t matter anymore. The massive greatsword in her hand, the knights in her way, and the ever-present beat of her heart. They were all that existed. A line of three men with lances approached with no small amount of trepidation, and archers had started to set up around her.

Breathe, said a voice not entirely her own. Use the anger within.

The first arrow lanced towards her, and instinct brought her free hand up towards it. A wave of purple energy grasped the arrow out of the air and threw it to the ground. A brief moment of confusion was shared between the temple knights before more arrows began to launch towards her. The energy continued to swirl around her as she lunged, screaming with fury, towards the line of knights in front of her, crashing like a meteor into the first one to meet her. She could barely even feel the tip of the lance pierce her armor and sink into her shoulder as she slammed her greatsword into the man’s upper chest, the bludgeoning force cracking his sternum and throwing him to the ground. As the man collapsed, Selecer whirled her foot back and slammed it into the chest of the one to her left, just as the side of the third’s lance slammed against her helmet’s faceplate. Her head snapped back as she recoiled before quickly bringing her momentum forward and slamming her shoulder into the third knight, grabbing him by the leg and hauling him over her shoulder, throwing him to the ground behind her. A quick pivot and a slam down with the great blade was all it took to stop him from moving any further.

Another sharp pain in her back reminded her of the archers present. As the third spearman collected his bearings, Selecer grabbed the body of another knight and hurled it towards him, leaving him fumbling under the corpse as she lunged towards the archers. Another volley of arrows, all deflected off her armor or not making enough impact to bother her, completely ignored by Selecer as she bounded across the stones of Ishgard’s streets. The archers broke and ran in different directions, away from this terror-beast that had manifested in their streets. And Selecer was just fine with that. They weren’t her quarry, so their time could wait.

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The halls of the Tribunal echoed with the clashing of blades and the breaking of bones. The sheer force of the greatsword hurled a knight to the ground. A chirurgeon, Selecer reckoned, from the staff that had snapped in half from the knight’s attempt to block her blow. She wouldn’t be much of a problem after the blade was impaled into her neck.

The wretch who began all this, some fop playing pretend at knighthood to Selecer’s reckoning, stalked towards her with all the bravado he could muster. “All this for a lowborn bitch? Do you know what you are doing?”

She ripped the blade out of the corpse beneath her and pointed it towards her quarry. “Righting a wrong. Setting this corner of the world right. Like I always have.”

The bastard took exception to this. He drew his blade and ran towards Selecer, his flourishes showing a small amount of skill. She stepped back and let him come to her, crouching low and watching his movements. As he raised his blade for a thrust down, she stepped to the side and spun a wild strike towards him. While easily deflected, the trajectory left him with few options for movement, and he stepped back and away from the wild swings of the greatsword. Selecer leaned down low, a hand dug into the stones beneath her as she growled with frustration. She lunged towards him, leaping through the air to close the distance. He didn’t have much time, but he was just able to bring his sword up and thrust it through her armor, just above her hip. In retaliation, she grabbed his head with her free hand and slammed it into the polished floor of the Tribunal, an echoing crack and weak exhalation the last sounds of the man’s life as his blood pooled beneath him.

The frustration still not quite released, Selecer lifted the head and slammed it back down a few more times. The voice and pulse pounding in her ears gave way, finally quieting as she could now hear the world around her. The sound of distant armored boots against cobbled streets, the dripping of the knights’ blood on the marble floors, and the soft whimpering of the woman they had taken.

Of course. Selecer had almost forgotten she was even here. She turned towards the woman from the Brume, hand still loosely gripping the crushed head of the knight. “Are you hurt?”

“... no, ma’am.” The woman was shaking, but did appear unharmed.

“Then if you’ve any sense, you will leave the Tribunal. Now.” A brief pause. “I would take you there, but the knights will be looking for me now.”

“Why would you do this? Go through all this for me?” The woman’s curiosity and confusion had won out over her better judgment, something Selecer didn’t have time for. But she didn’t have the will to argue with the woman.

“Because a man like him would never have found justice anywhere else. Because I was given the chance to act, and did. Because you are worth saving. Now go, before the Temple Knights arrive and start interrogating you.”

She could tell the woman had a million questions, but the sound of the approaching knights filled her with little confidence. She ran out of the door of the Tribunal and into the cold dark Ishgardian night.

For those we can yet save. Selecer, exhausted and now starting to feel the pain of her wounds, held a hand up to her face and focused, allowing her essence to be brought elsewhere as she teleported away from Ishgard.

It was a city of a thousand injustices, but tonight was a success. For tonight, she could celebrate another knight stuck vitrified in the past being disposed of. That was, after she could tend to her wounds.

Chapter 7: Day 4: Off the Hook I

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“Don’t you ever, ever do that again,” Nevyn spun around to face Sel as soon as the door clicked shut. Nevyn didn’t get angry, not usually. It was a rare sight to see the small Au Ra so furious. She stomped (adorably) over to her seated wife and stood (adorably) with her hands on her hips (adorably.)

Even seated, slouched with exhaustion and pain, Sel was an ilm taller than Nevyn.

“You need to get away from me, I’m a danger to everyone,” Sel groaned, voice straining. The effect of absorbing so much Light was taking its toll on her body. The edges of her hair had lightened, her irises were practically glowing, and her skin was flushed and sweaty from the fever.

“Stop saying that!” Nevyn bit back, tears already starting to dampen her eyes. “Sel, please…”

The Warrior of Light sighed, eyes closing as a wave of nausea washed over her. “Nevyn. You are in active danger near me, I could become a sin eater at any moment.”

“Then the Scions are the best option to stop you!” Nevyn wilted, putting her face in her hands and taking in a deep breath to try and control the stinging behind her eyes, the ache in her throat. “But it won’t come to that. Just… please, Sel. Please.”

Collapsing onto the bed next to her girlfriend, Nevyn wanted nothing more than to fall into Sel’s arms and pretend this was all a dream. Even ilms away from her, Nevyn could feel the heat radiating off of the Elezen next to her.

Sel’s fists clenched as she fought the urge to wrap herself around Nevyn, but she couldn’t, wouldn’t ever hurt her. The light inside of her was too close to overflowing, and she didn’t know how long she could control it.

“Let me help, please. I can take some of the burden, I’ve got the Echo too, you know. I’m not useless,” Nevyn’s voice cracked a little on the last word. Whenever she could, she had been trying to take some of the Light that was expelled when a Sin Eater was slain; her hair was streaked with pale silver, and the limbal rings around her eyes had lightened, but she only had a drop in the bucket compared to what Sel was dealing with.

Sometimes, Nevyn felt useless next to the Warrior of Light; this situation had only exasperated that feeling.

“I know, Nevyn. I am sorry.”

The small Au Ra hesitated before reaching out and taking Sel’s hand. She was feverish and hot to the touch, but Nevyn was used to burning herself on her own magic; no matter how much Sel burned her, she didn’t care.

As expected Sel tried to pull away, shaking her head, but Nevyn followed her hand, turning to face the blue haired Elezen.

“No, I’m not letting you off the hook that easily,” Tears were tracing down Nevyn’s face, but she stared into Sel’s eyes unwaveringly. “I refuse to give up on you, no matter what. We’re not going to be separated, not again, not ever.”

“I love you,” Sel broke at that, her tears joining Nevyn’s.

“I love you too, foolish hero,” Nevyn sobbed before kneeling to kiss Sel’s cheek quickly. “Just don’t do that again, okay?”

Sel nodded, before letting her head drop onto Nevyn’s shoulder, exhaustion taking its toll.

Chapter 8: Day 4: Off the Hook II

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Selecer sat at the edge of the small cliff overlooking the sea beyond Sharlayan. Here, it was easy to see why these people afforded the waters such reverence. History aside, the sheer beauty of this place was unimaginable. Oh, to get lost in the sapphire waves, surrounded by a sea as beautiful and deadly as-

“Selecer?! What are you doing out here?” Alphinaud’s shrill voice called as he began to jog over to where the Warrior of Light sat, legs dangling over the rocky edge. “You know the chirurgeons said you needed rest, not wandering about with a gaping chest wound.”

He was technically correct there. After her fight with Zenos at the edge of all things, Selecer’s body was far from in good shape. He left her with innumerable cuts and bruises, a broken left arm, another scar on the left side of her face, and a scythe’s stab wound that was lucky to not have pierced through the entirety of her torso. She would have certainly felt like hell when her body was teleported onto the Ragnarok, were it not for the fact she was practically dead at that moment.

“You worry too much, as always. Hello, Alphy.” Selecer’s voice was croaking, as if it were trying to tear its way out of her throat. That one, at least, wasn’t Zenos’ fault. The medicine used by the chirurgeons was odd, and her body didn’t entirely agree to it.

“Come on, Selecer. Let’s get you back to the room.”

“Alphy, I swear to the Twelve, if I spend five more minutes confined in that hell smelling nothing but alcohol fumes and old bandages I’m going to go insane. Just… let me have some fresh air for a few moments more. Please?”

She could hear the gears turning in his head, a few long moments as he contemplated. Then he sat down next to her on the rocky face and looked out to the ocean. She smiled and croaked out a quiet ‘thank you,’ putting an arm around his shoulders.

“I swear, you’ve only become more unruly as time wears on. Back in Ishgard, I had thought our experiences were mellowing out, but here you are, breaking out of your room just for a look at the sea. And besides, how did you get out without anyone seeing you?”

“Jumped out the window.”

Alphinaud’s confused sputtering in response was a warm balm to Selecer’s soul. To hear it after their time in Ultima Thule made her smile. “That! Is three stories!”

“Yeah? I’m the Azure Dragoon, remember?”

“And you are in no state to be doing something like that! Here I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Come on, we’re leaving.” Alphinaud tried his best to wiggle out of Selecer’s grip, but she just leaned on him to hold him down, laughing as she did.

Another voice would cut over their laughter. Alisaie’s voice.

“Dear brother, just what are you and Selecer doing out here when our dearest Warrior of Light is supposed to be in bed and recovering right now?”

The two turned to Alisaie, silent for a second, before Selecer scrambled for her cane laying next to her and began to hobble back towards the room she was supposed to be recovering in, leaving Alphinaud to his fate.

Chapter 9: Day 5: Barbarous I

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There was a time when the Garleans’ magitek reapers scared Sel. Here, in the Ghimlyt Dark, she absolutely was not afraid. She was just annoyed.

Yugiri and Hien were escorting a group of soldiers back to Alliance ground, at this point far ahead of Selecer. The soldiers were wounded and needed to re-arm and rally, but they were being pursued by a group of Garlean soldiers and were in no shape to fight them. The two Domans would be more than enough to cover them from any vanguard forces they might find on their way back. The Centurion and his veteran cohort pursuing them would prove to be a challenge.

Would, that is, were it not for Selecer.

She growled in frustration as she jumped back to avoid the reaper’s cannon shot. She’s survived worse wounds than one of those shots, to be certain, but she couldn’t afford to be careless here. The Scions were gone, and the Alliance’s leaders all had their hands more than full with the war. There was very little backup, and none that held a candle to the Champion of Eorzea.

Which is why this damned reaper was pissing her off so much. She thought she could get away with just taking out each of the soldiers and getting to the reaper at the end. But seven seconds between shots meant there just wasn’t enough time. Gripping her axe just beneath the head, she waited for another shot before slamming her fist into the face of the soldier in front of her and taking off into a sprint.

Six. Five.

Soldiers began to jump in front of her, trying to block her path to the reaper. She ignored them, bowling through each one with her arm and axe.

Four. Three.

She hefted the axe above her head, pulled her arm back, and hurled the axe towards the reaper, impaling it into the front face, just above the cannon.

Two. One.

With a roar, she leapt onto the front of the reaper, grabbing the axe’s handle and hefting herself into the co*ckpit as the cannon’s laser lances out into the sky behind her. The Centurion in the seat immediately grabbed the gladius at his side, swiping up towards her in a weak strike easily deflected to her side.

“Traditrice,” he growled through the helmet as he grasped his blade in both hands and stabbed up towards the Champion of Eorzea. This Centurion… he knew. He knew she had been a legionary in the past. He dared to call her a traitor?

She grabbed both of his hands with her own and clenched her fists as hard as she could, feeling the crushed bones of his hand as his gladius fell to the floor of the reaper. Placing her hands against his chest and shoving him to the ground, she grabbed the collar of his armor and began to slam her fist into the black metal helmet. Each punch cracked the helmet more and more, eventually breaking and showing the severely bruised and bleeding face of the Centurion. As the helmet fell off, she wrapped both hands around his neck, lifting him up into the air above her.

“Non sono un traditrice. Ero uno schiavo.”

With a twist and a sickening crack, the Centurion was finished.

Chapter 10: Day 5: Barbarous II

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Black Mages weren’t known to go one-on-one. Nevyn actively avoided having to fight without backup, not necessarily because she doubted her own magical capabilities, but because she doubted her fighting capabilities. Or rather, lack thereof.

Safe to say Nevyn didn’t take too many punches to the face, her girlfriend tended to handle that kind of fight. So when Sadu, who had spent the fight hurling literal meteors around the battlefield, launched herself at Nevyn and punched her squarely in the jaw, she was a little surprised.

Surprised and in pain.

“On your feet, Grey. That little tap is nothing compared to what you will face in the future.”

Nevyn managed to roll out of the way in time for Sadu’s cane to absolutely slam into the ground where her torso had just been. Is this how Xaela from the Steppe trained? Is this what they learned? The Raen assumed that Sadu, being a mage herself, wasn’t a melee fighter, but she was swinging that staff like it was a greataxe.

Those abs weren’t just for show then. At first glance, Sadu seemed lean and lithe, likely stronger than the average citizen from her life on the Azim Steppe, but this seemed to spit in the face of everything Nevyn knew about magic users. Sure she was tall for a female Au Ra, and her abs were impressive, and she had picked up boulders casually to move them out of the way, and she insisted on carrying Cirina with one arm just to prove she could… Okay, yeah, she was buff as hell apparently.

Also, she was a Warrior now?

Nevyn was only able to keep dodging and rolling out of the way. Sadu was fast enough that the smaller Au Ra wasn’t even able to stand up, let alone cast a spell.

A squeak escaped the dark haired Au Ra as Sadu’s staff finally connected with her stomach, driving the air out and momentarily stunning her. Nevyn gasped for breath, not entirely sure she hadn’t cracked a rib.

“What… do they teach… mages here?” Nevyn gasped out, Sadu appearing at the corner of her vision, smirking down at her.

“Survival. If I seem brutal, it is because I am. If I seem merciless, I am. That is how it is here. We do not coddle like other tribes, like your cities. You must be prepared, because if you think I am challenging, you will die.”

Sadu reached down and hauled Nevyn to her feet. Upon seeing how unsteady she was, Sadu sighed and slung Nevyn over her shoulder.

Nevyn squawked, “What are you doing? I can walk!”

“You are too slow. I am delivering you to your wife.”

“We’re—! We’re not married!”

“Hm. Sure.”

Chapter 11: Day 6: Ring I

Chapter Text

Selecer often found her mind wandering when staying in one place for long periods of time. Her body seemed to have a sort of ever-present inertia, and when her body doesn’t move, her mind does instead. And since the Scions had returned to the Source, she hasn’t moved much for three days. Most of that time had been spent laying in bed with her girlfriend.

With the death of the Paragons and return of the Scions, all imminent crises had been dealt with, and the two retired for a long-needed rest. With this time came a lot of contemplation about a variety of things, but on this particular night, her attention turned to a small item she had obtained a long time ago: a golden ring.

It was a beautiful little piece of art she had commissioned from a friend of hers shortly after the death of Archbishop Thordan. A small sapphire was embedded into the face of a thin band of gold etched with flowing lines, looking like a river surrounding the band. By then, she had known she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Nevyn. But she had also at that time wanted her proposal to be something special. Such a momentous occasion in their lives, she had to make it something beautiful. Perfect.

Then came the Dragonsong War. The rebellions of Doma and Ala Mhigo. The Calling of the Scions. Everything on the First. Between her desire to make it perfect and a complete lack of free time, her planned proposal just never ended up happening.

Now, here she was with about a hundred different reminders of how ephemeral life was. How fleeting things could be. And all of that planning just seemed so… flimsy.

Why wait? How could anything be more perfect than marrying this woman? This plan will never be good enough, she thought, because it doesn’t matter. What matters is her.

Selecer looked down to her girlfriend, laying on top of her, half-dozing.

f*ck it. This is the perfect moment.

She placed a hand under Nevyn’s chin and lifted her head up so they looked eye to eye.

“Nevyn. Will you marry me?”

Chapter 12: Day 6: Ring II

Chapter Text

Nevyn had spent the last few hours clenching her eyes shut and staying as still as possible, not wanting to wake her sleeping girlfriend, but unable to fall asleep.

She let out an exhausted huff and opened her eyes, staring up at the dark ceiling. For what felt like the hundredth time, she fiddled with the new ring that was on her finger, turning it around and around. How much did this cost? How many commissions would Nevyn have had to take as a weaver to afford something like this?

Thoughts and questions swirled around her head. Nighttime was a time for doubts and worries, and Nevyn had both in spades.

It took a great effort to halt her line of thinking before she went into a spiral. Sel shifting next to her helped a great deal. The large Elezen was half on top of Nevyn, half using her as a stuffy. Of course, Nevyn was so small next to her girlfriend that she was sure stuffed animals her size or larger existed.

Sel had an arm wrapped around Nevyn, and was cuddled into her side adorably. The blue haired woman’s soft breathing tickled Nevyn’s cheek, and she fought the urge to squirm from the sensation.

Nevyn just laid next to her new fiance, studying the sleeping features and connecting the constellation of white freckles splashed across her nose. Twelve, Selecer was pretty. Selecer was pretty and brave and incredible and she wanted to marry Nevyn. Again, Nevyn broke into a smile, unable to help herself. Even the memory of just a few hours ago was enough to cause her chest to tighten and stomach to flutter.

---

“Nevyn. Will you marry me?”

Nevyn thought for a moment that she was dreaming, she had actually fallen asleep on top of Sel and her dream-girlfriend had said those words to her. Her heart stuttered as her eyes went wide, she was sure Sel could see the pale silver rings around her irises in their entirety. She had a tingling sensation start from her toes and move all the way up to the crown of her head, certainly this was the shock before a sudden awakening.

No, the finger on her chin was warm and real. The clenching of her heart was real. The lack of air entering her lungs was also real; she sucked in a breath, her brain and heart restarting.

“R-really?” Was all she managed to stutter out before her face flushed red and she groaned internally. Twelve help her, was that really all she could say after her girlfriend asked to marry her?

“Yeah, of course,” Sel’s face split into a grin, her eyes practically glowing, pinning Nevyn under their gaze.

“B-but me? You want to marry me?”

“Who else would I want to marry?” Sel chuckled, before her face softened after seeing the genuine concern on Nevyn’s face. “Nevyn, I love you. I want to be with you. Forever. Through thick and thin, no matter what.”

Nevyn’s eyes were starting to tear up and she sniffled, “I want to be with you forever too.” The small Raen finally smiled, even with the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. “Yes, yes, I’ll marry you.”

Sel’s smile grew impossibly wider and she cupped Nevyn’s head in her hands, bringing the two together in a sweet, but passionate kiss.

To Nevyn, it felt like their first kiss again. The feeling of fireworks in her chest, flowers blooming in her stomach and twisting up to encircle her heart. She smiled against Sel’s lips, unable to stop herself. They broke apart eventually, resting foreheads against each other.

“I love you,” Sel said simply.

“I love you too,” Nevyn replied.

In the next moment the Warrior of Light’s smile turned mischievous and she quickly rolled over so she was on top of the little Au Ra, keeping most of her weight off of her soft girlfriend-now-fiancé. Nevyn’s eyes went wide and she barely had time to squeak before Sel was kissing her senseless. Honestly, she should’ve seen this part coming.

Chapter 13: Day 7: Noisome I

Chapter Text

“Might want to cover yer nose while ye work. Some of these folk're startin' to turn…”

Turning away from the man, Nevyn could already smell the bodies and for the hundredth time questioned what she was doing with her life. She dug through her satchel, hoping she still had some scraps of fabric left at the bottom. This was possibly the only time being a weaver would come in handy, she thought as she yanked out a chunk of off-white cotton.

She tied the fabric around her head to cover her mouth and nose, being careful of her horns, and took a determined step towards where the stench was coming from. The cloth wasn’t blocking most of the smell, but it made her feel better as she approached the bodies.

They were laying haphazardly on the ground, like they had been tossed there like animal carcasses. Nevyn hadn’t known most of these people, she’d passed them a few times, nodded or waved, but she didn’t know their names. Her heart hurt at the thought of them being treated so poorly, even though they had rejoined the Aether. Their bodies may have been empty, but they had been alive only a day ago, with families and friends and lives that she would never know about.

Nevyn had a job to do though, and if she stood around lamenting for these lost lives that job would never get done.

The smell was bad, yes, but if Nevyn breathed through her mouth and tried not to think about it, it was tolerable. The second issue was one she surprisingly hadn’t considered before agreeing to the task. Well, she didn’t so much as agree as was volun-told to do this, but semantics.

Nevyn was a few inches below five feet tall, on the smaller end of the Au Ra genetic scale. She struggled to lift large rolls of fabric, let alone adult bodies.

She had been avoiding looking at Noraxia, but she would surely be the lightest of the bunch. After considering how to do this, Nevyn had an idea and asked around until she acquired a tarp from a kind shopkeeper.

Gently maneuvering the sylph’s body to the tarp before wrapping it up felt like the right move. She didn’t have to look into the dead face and she would be easier to carry.

Moving the first Lalafell was much the same, although the armor he was wearing and his density meant he was far heavier than he looked, but Nevyn persevered. Her arms were trembling when she finally got that second body to the cart. The third proved much the same, although this one had a shield that she had carefully placed on his chest before wrapping him up. She definitely did not almost drop him a few times, and managed to get him to the cart as well. The coachman had an eyebrow raised as he watched her huffing and puffing.

“You need some assistance there, lass?”

“No, no, I’ve got it. Thanks.”

She was a hero, right? At least, it seemed like that’s what the Scions were trying to make her.

That was where she was stuck. The remaining bodies were all larger than she was, and she was regretting turning down the man’s help.

Laying out the tarp, she tried to drag a Hyur man’s body onto it, maybe she could drag the tarp with the body on it? She should’ve quit while she was ahead though, all the sweating and the cloth over her face and the beginning to ferment corpses were getting to her. Once the body was on the tarp, Nevyn turned and ripped the makeshift mask off her face, her insides protesting as she tried (and failed) to not vomit.

She wiped her mouth and looked dejected at the bodies. She had been asked to do one task and she couldn’t do it. There was no way she was going to drag five bodies up a set of stairs, to the other side of town, and onto a cart.

Why did she even bother to try? She wanted to cry, but before she could wallow in self pity a voice called out to her.

“Nevyn? Hey, you okay?”

One of the other Scions, a Selecer Lunarien, had shown up and was looking down at Nevyn with concern, her eyes flicking back and forth between the Au Ra and the bodies. Nevyn could only imagine what she looked like, standing next to a pile of dead bodies, sweaty, probably a little green, and about to cry.

“I’m fine,” was the automatic response that came out of Nevyn’s mouth. “What are you doing here?”

“I finished helping Marques and Eluned said you could probably use some help here. Are you… moving bodies?” Nevyn could hear the unspoken ‘by yourself’.

“Yeah,” The small Au Ra said sadly. “I could… I could definitely use some help. If you don’t mind?”

“Of course, yeah, who the hell tried to make you do this on your own?”

Nevyn just shrugged helplessly as Sel got to work. The blue haired fighter gathered all of the remaining bodies up and somehow managed to lift all of them at once. Nevyn tried to help, but ended up just folding up the tarp and watching Sel in disbelief. The Elezen seemed only mildly inconvenienced by the five bodies weighing her down, completely unfazed by the odor.

“Okay, where are these going?” Sel looked down at Nevyn expectantly.

To her credit, Nevyn managed to not stutter when she replied, “Um, this way.” She led the walking cart to the actual cart, wondering if something was wrong with her for thinking Sel carrying five large bodies in full armor at once was hot.

Chapter 14: Day 7: Noisome II

Chapter Text

Selecer never liked Limsa Lominsa all that much. She could appreciate it, to be certain. It was a celebration of life unfiltered and unmarred on the ocean masquerading as a city. There was always some kind of celebration, some kind of haggling, some kind of fight. Limsa Lominsa was the only of Eorzea’s city-states to not put a mask over what it truly was, and she could certainly appreciate that. But it always tended to be a bit too much for her. Nothing happened slowly or quietly in Limsa.

She stepped out of the Fisher’s Guild, checking the seal on the wrapping of the salmon she’d just bought as she strode along the walkway towards the upper decks. She only needed one more stop, and she could head back home. So, of course, that’s when one of the sailors started to approach her.

Even from a few feet away she could smell the alcohol on his breath. He likely thought that keeping half his shirt unbuttoned contributed to a suave and seductive look, but he really just seemed disheveled. His stumbling steps didn’t seem to bother him as he sauntered in front of Selecer, leaning his hand on the nearby rock face with one hand, and pulling a deck of cards out of his pocket with the other.

“Hey,” he said with a stupid grin on his face. “You wanna see a magic trick?”

Selecer was conflicted. Half of her wanted to backhand this fool out of her way and just go get the spices she needed. The other half was thinking that whatever he was going to do next might be a really funny story to tell later.

“Alright, I’ll bite. What is it?”

The sailor took his hand off the rock face and began to shuffle. “Aw’right, think o’ one of the face cards, any of ‘em. Don’t tell me, jus’ think about it.”

Selecer did not think of one, but nodded along as though she had.

“Good, good. Now, keep thinking about it as you cut the deck for me.” He held the deck out, and Selecer removed the top half and handed it back to him, which he placed on the bottom.

“Right, now, top 10 cards aren’t gonna be your suit, and it’ll be 1-10.” Sure enough, he started flipping, and brought out every numbered spade in the deck. “Hells yeah. Go ahead and place your hand on the deck.”

Selecer was hesitant, but slowly placed her hand on top of the cards.

“And here me mum said I’d never get a woman to-”

Before he could finish that sentence, Selecer lifted her hand to his chest and pushed him over the side of the walkway, sputtering and flailing into the waters below, cards scattering all over the old wood.

Gods, she hated Limsa.

Chapter 15: Day 8: Shed I

Chapter Text

“You’re kidding, right?” Selecer, arms folded, shook her head as she looked down to the wolf pup. “I have a dinner tonight. That outfit was my best formalwear. How did you get in that closet?”

The pup rolled over again a few times on the black jacket, getting even more fur on it, seemingly just to mock her. She picked the pup up and held him in front of her.

“You cute little sh*t.” She brought the pup to her face and kissed him on the top of the head. “You’re getting banished for your crimes.” She held up a hand to her ear and tapped the linkpearl. After a second, Nevyn’s voice came through.

“Hey, Sel. Are you harassing the wolf up there?”

“Am I harassing him? Nev, you wound me. Come collect our son before he decides to start biting the jacket too.”

“Okay, okay,” Nevyn giggled. “I’ll be right up there.”

Selecer sat down, putting the pup on her lap. He looked at her with a dopey, excited look, clearly thinking that they’re about to play. After a second, he began to roll from one side to another, trying to wiggle out of Selecer’s lap.

“Oh, no. Absolutely not. You do not get to play after what you’ve done.” She held a hand to the center of his chest to keep him still. “Criminals do not get to play.”

This, of course, did not dissuade the pup. He continued to squirm under her grip, letting out a little whine, trying to lift his head up to nip at her hand. She lifted her free hand to his head and held his mouth closed with it, keeping his head pointed away from her.

It was at this point Nevyn walked into the room, half-ready for the dinner they were both attending later. “See, it’s hard to believe you aren’t harassing him when you hold him like that.”

“That’s how he gets you, Nev. He acts all cute like this so he can get away with his crimes.”

Nevyn giggled as she approached Selecer, kissing her on the head before scooping the pup into her arms. “I will make sure he is punished for his crimes with many belly rubs.”

“Good, no mercy for the criminal.”

Chapter 16: Day 8: Shed II

Chapter Text

“Here, Nev!” Sel ushers her girlfriend into the tiny building and out of the torrential downpour that was outside.

The wind causes the door to slam closed behind the blue haired Elezen. The sound within the small shed surrounds the two like a thick blanket; the pattering of rain so loud against the quietness of the space.

“sh*t, you okay?” The Warrior of Light looked over at her girlfriend as she pushed her shock of blue hair out of her face.

“Mhm, just chilly,” Nevyn replied, taking off her soaked hat and trying not to shiver. The Auri girl really wasn’t a big fan of cooler weather; their friends liked to joke that the ‘lizards’ needed a sun lamp to stay warm. Meanwhile, Selecer was basically a walking furnace, a fact that her girlfriend took advantage of whenever possible.

“We should get out of these wet clothes,” Sel was already peeling off her soaking coat. “We can wait out the storm here.”

Looking around the tiny storage shed revealed that it was more like a tiny, unused, guest house. There was a cast iron stove in the corner with a kettle and a few pots hanging above it, a rug and a single, squishy armchair. The minuscule entrance way had hooks lining the wall that Selecer hung her coat on, a storage bench below that water dripped onto. One wall of the building was just shelves containing all manner of random things from bedding, to boxes, fishing gear, canned food, and tools, all covered in a thin layer of dust.

Nevyn hung her hat on a hook, followed by her own sopping wet coat. She stood, shivering in just her damp leggings and shift, too cold to even want to take off her waterlogged shoes.

“Let me see if I can warm this place up a little,” Sel had already taken off her shoes and socks and made her way over to the little stove, finding a neat pile of chopped wood behind the armchair. Nevyn didn’t move until her girlfriend had piled a few logs in and managed to get the kindling smoking. She slowly unlaced her boots, trying to keep herself busy to ignore her chattering teeth. Sel was moving around the small room, grabbing a few things from the shelves before settling down.

“Nev, c’mere,” Looking up, the dark haired Au Ra saw that Sel’s little embers had managed to grow into a small, but bright, fire. She was sitting on the rug in front of the stove, her long legs crossed and arms open to a certain shivering mage. “Get your shoes off before you get sick.”

This spurred Nevyn to quickly pull her boots and socks off before scurrying to join her girlfriend, who pulled Nevyn down into her lap and wrapped a large quilt around the both of them. Immediately, Nevyn felt better and her shivering died down to exhausted snuggling, as she tried to burrow into Sel to leech her warmth.

The two stayed intertwined for the next few hours as the rainstorm continued its downpour, letting up only to allow the setting sun to just be glimpsed through the clouds.

Chapter 17: Day 9: Fair(e) I

Chapter Text

“Bella, are you sure this outfit works?” Nevyn twirls in her sky blue sundress. Despite spending most of her life in the hot climate of Thanalan, Nevyn wasn’t used to showing a lot of skin. Between her fair complexion and Raen scales, being under the sun for long periods of time typically didn’t go well for her.

The dress was brand new, Bella had taken her shopping in Limsa Lominsa and helped her try on outfits for her date. Nevyn felt only a little exposed, the dress just hitting mid thigh and sleeveless and backless, held up by straps tied into cute bows. She kept having to resist the urge to cross her arms or tug the dress down.

“Duh, I picked it out!” The purple haired Miqo’te gave her a thumbs up. “You look hawt.”

Nevyn, already pink in the cheeks from embarrassment, can positively feel the heat radiating from her face. “Thanks,” she mutters quietly.

“Look, she’s already head over heels for you,” Bella flops onto the sofa, lounging like an actual cat. “All you gotta do is give her a smile, flip up your skir—”

“Yes! Thank you, Bella!” Nevyn interjects, her cheeks beginning to turn red now. “Oh, look at the time! I think I’d best get going!”

Leaving her friend giggling on the couch, Nevyn waves goodbye and leaves the Lominsan apartment to find her new girlfriend. This wasn’t technically their first date, but it was their first official date where she and Selecer had made plans to go somewhere together as an actual couple.

Nevyn had never celebrated the Moonfire Faire in Costa del Sol before, apparently it was the ‘place to be’ to get the best view of the fireworks. To be fair, she hadn’t spent much time in Limsa before joining the Scions, so she only had wild rumors and secondhand accounts of what it was like to party in the ocean-side cities. This, along with the first date thing, made for a very nervous Au Ra. She clutched her purse and unconsciously tried to be small as she moved around the crowded Aetheryte Plaza. Sel was usually quite easy to spot; there weren’t too many Elezen that were Sel’s height, or that had her signature blue hair.

When Nevyn finally spotted the girl she had been daydreaming about for weeks, she could feel all the nerves and anxiety begin fading, like loosening a too-tight screw. She smiled as she trotted over to where Sel was standing, presumably looking around for Nevyn.

“Sel!” Nevyn called, waving and grinning like a fool.

When their eyes finally met Sel’s face split into her own stupidly huge grin. “Nevyn, hi!”

“Hi,” the dark haired girl replied, smiling up at her date. Sel managed to tear her eyes away from Nevyn’s face to notice what she was wearing and how adorable she looked. Nevyn was always adorable, but she was especially adorable in the sundress.

“Ready to go to the Faire?” Sel held out a hand, her freckled cheeks noticeably pink, but her smile never leaving her face.

Nevyn slipped her small hand into the much larger one, “Yep!”

“Let's go then,” Sel leaned down to give Nevyn a peck on the cheek. “You look beautiful, by the way. Blue suits you.”

Chapter 18: Day 9: Fair II

Chapter Text

“Look, I feel like you’re severely underestimating my capabilities.” This isn’t the first time they’d had this conversation, and not even the first time she had said that exact sentence about it. But things have changed since then. The last time she’d asked, she’d ended the Dragonsong War a week prior. Since then, she had gone from the savior of Ishgard to the savior of Eitherys. Compared to Meteion’s twisted form, Nidhogg was practically an afternoon exercise. And yet…

“Sel, it’s fifty people!” Nevyn whined, arms folded.

“Right! It’s hardly fair. I can bench press behemoths, half the gladiators in Ul’Dah could barely survive half a minute in the same room as one.”

“Sel, I don’t care how good you are at fighting, you can’t take on fifty people!”

“Okay, okay.” Selecer put up her hands in surrender. “I totally could, but okay.” Nevyn’s groan of annoyance at this was adorable. “Thirty?”

“Sel.” Nevyn frowned so deeply Selecer could hear it.

“Okay! Thirty, but I can use my weapons.” Before Nevyn could protest further, she added, “just think about how inspiring it will be! The last time most of the Alliance’s people saw me, I was practically dead. Seeing me in perfect fighting form will make for a wonderful event!”

“You just want to show off to as many people as you can.”

“Okay, yes, but-”

“Sel!”

Selecer, jokingly, threw her hands up and rolled her eyes. “Gods forbid I get to do anything fun.”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt unnecessarily. If you’re all alone, you will get hit, and a lot if it’s fifty people!”

“Thirty.”

“Not helping!”

Chapter 19: Day 10: Lipstick I

Chapter Text

“Hey Nevyn, I think your…” Thancred gestures to the vague area around his mouth, “Is a little smudged.”

Nevyn’s heart stopped cold and her eyes went wide. She had just had a long conversation with two Sharlayan scholars, and Thancred was saying her lipstick was smeared during it? Had they noticed? Were they secretly laughing at her now? What if they thought Nevyn was just a silly little trophy wife?

A squeak escaped her mouth as she brought her hands up to hide the bottom half of her face, unable to hide the raging blush that spread across her cheeks.

Ishgard didn’t often have foreign dignitaries visit, even less often were there parties that involved delegates from across Eorzea. Nevyn had been having stress dreams for the past few days about accidentally spilling wine on herself in front of important people. She had been stressing about this formal event for weeks and now someone tells her she’s been walking around, talking to people, with lipstick smeared across her face?

Never had the small Au Ra wanted to melt into the floor more than now.

“What’s happening?” Alisaie questioned as she approached the two, noticing Nevyn’s horrified expression. “Are you alright, Nevyn?”

“Mm! Mhmm!”

At the young Elezen’s questioning look, Thancred happily supplied, “You might want to take her to the washroom. I think she wants to fix her makeup.”

Alisaie quirked an eyebrow before hooking her arm with Nevyn’s and pulling her along out of the crowded room. Nevyn stumbled after her, not making eye contact with anyone.

Once the two were safely in the luxurious washroom, Alisaie rounded on Nevyn, “What was Thancred saying about your makeup? Why are you so embarrassed?”

“He said my lipstick was smudged and I’ve been speaking to people! No one told me! What if they don’t take me seriously? What if this reflects poorly on the Scions or Sel?” Nevyn, still hiding her mouth, is fighting to not burst into tears to further ruin her makeup. She had thought she looked nice, proud of the makeup she had done on herself. It was fairly common for her to darken her eyes a little bit, but she had actually carefully applied a full face for this event, finishing it with a lipstick that had been advertised as ‘smudge-proof’. She knew Sel would put that claim to the test, and it had seemed to pass when she tested it a few days ago.

“What? Nevyn, that’s ridiculous. It’s not like you’ve been sucking face with Sel, right?” The slightly shorter Scion gently takes Nevyn’s wrists and begins pulling them away but notices that Nevyn isn’t looking her in the eyes. “Right?”

Silence.

“Nevyn, really?”

“You know how Sel is!” Nevyn exclaims. She had thought Sel looked more smug than usual after she’d finished rendering Nevyn senseless just by kissing her. Honestly, Nevyn should’ve checked her makeup after that, but she trusted Sel. Her wife had been the one to reassure the nervous Au Ra that there was nothing to worry about; Sel kissing her passionately in the coat check was her way to distract Nevyn from her social anxiety. It worked better than it should have.

Alisaie sighs and finishes moving Nevyn’s hands, studying her face closely. “Nevyn. I think Thancred was poking fun at you. Your lipstick is fine, maybe a little faded, but not messy.”

The room was silent for several seconds. Thancred had seen the couple leaving the closet and definitely knew what they had been doing. That asshole.

Chapter 20: Day 10: Lipstick II

Chapter Text

Selecer always hated when Shtola had that look on her face. It was the slightest of smirks, as the sorceress barely ever smiled more than that, that just felt like Selecer was the butt of a joke she wasn’t even aware of. The two had only just met up and Selecer was already preparing for the other shoe to drop. She wouldn’t have to wait long.

“So I see you have been spending quality time with Nevyn today.”

“Yeah? I do spend most days with her.”

Shtola smirked and swiped a finger across her lips, smile widening a little.

“What are… oh, mother f*cker.” Sel took out a small rag and wiped it along her lips, and sure enough, a small amount of plum lipstick was smeared across it. “God dammit, I told her that one smeared too much.”

“And yet you still went through with it?”

Sel looked away, almost sulking. Shtola was one of the few people who could do that to her. “That was months ago, I forgot.”

“You forgot because you wanted to kiss her more than you cared to remember what lipstick she was wearing?”

“... yeah.”

Shtola let out a cackle, clearly satisfied in her prodding. “Well, I can certainly understand.”

After a moment’s thought, Selecer’s sulking turned into a devious smile as she looked back to Shtola. “You can? So, you’ve felt the same before?”

“I- alright, no, I did not say that-”

“Ohhh, Shtola, have you been holding out on us? Is there something you want to tell me?” Selecer leaned towards the Miqo’te, bending almost 70 degrees to be close to level with her head.

“As a matter of fact, I do not.” Shtola folded her arms.

“Was it Urianger?”

“Selecer, no-”

“Yugiri?”

“No, that’s not-”

“Oh, Lyse?”

“Selecer, that is quite enough!”

Selecer raised her hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright, I’m done.” A tense beat, before she risked saying, “look, I get it, Lyse is hot as f-”

She was interrupted by Shtola casting a sleep spell on her, sending her tumbling to the ground.

Chapter 21: Day 11: Once Bitten, Twice Shy I

Chapter Text

“Yael? I tried to embroider, like you said. What do you think?” The young teenager looked up eagerly at the taller teen. She was clutching a wooden hoop with a scrap of blue-grey linen clamped into it. A design of blue roses was embroidered on the fabric, a little clumsily, but it was noticeable that the embroidery got cleaner and more confident as the design progressed.

“Oh, let’s see then,” The taller teen smirked down at the small Au Ra. It wasn’t terribly hard to be taller than Nevyn, if you weren’t a Lalafell, and being a Hyur like Yael, she was guaranteed to have at least a head of height over the Auri girl.

With a proud grin, Nevyn flipped the embroidery hoop around to show the design to the gaggle of teenage girls.

It wasn’t professionally done, but it also didn’t look like it was made by a first-timer. Nevyn was proud of what she had figured out just by window shopping along the Sapphire Avenue Exchange.

“Oh, look at what the lizard did! Did you steal this out of the Weavers guild? Like the sneaky little lizard you are?”

“What?” Nevyn’s voice cracked and her expression fell. “N-no! I did this myself!”

“Ha! How could a worthless little lizard like you do this? You’re not even from Ul’dah.”

Nevyn started tearing up, but she didn’t want the other girls to see her cry. She kept her head down and let her long, dark bangs fall in front of her reddening face. The older girls kept laughing at her, calling her an orphan, a lizard, a bastard dragon. Nevyn just stood there and took it, if she ran, they would chase her, but if she stayed, they would eventually get bored and leave.

She thought she finally found something she could be good at, but she was as mediocre as ever. Everything she tried, every time she tried, she was beaten down and told she was worthless. She tried to fight back once, but it didn't go well.

Once the girls had finished laughing at her and thrown the embroidery hoop at her feet, Nevyn slid down the wall and sat on the dusty ground. She buried her face in her knees and tried to stop the tears that continued to escape. Footsteps had come and gone, ignoring the crying girl, but one heavy set of boots stopped, the owner reached down and picked up the discarded hoop.

“Well, this is quite impressive. Is this your work, young lady?”

Nevyn peeked her head up and saw a large, blurry figure through her tears. A well-dressed Roegadyn was standing in front of her, inspecting her embroidery with what looked to be a knowledgeable eye.

“Mhm,” she nodded hesitantly, becoming more and more nervous as the man broke into a large smile.

---

“That’s incredible, love,” Sel wrapped her arms around her wife and kissed the top of her head, smiling proudly at her.

“Oh, this is nothing special, really,” Nevyn’s face flushed and she leaned back into the warmth of the Warrior of Light. She whined slightly when Sel moved from behind her to kneel next to her. “No one will ever wear it.”

“Yes, it is, Nevyn. It’s incredibly special, just like you,” She reaches up and gently tucks a strand of her wife’s gunmetal hair behind her horn. “Why don’t you see what I see?”

Nevyn looked surprised at these words, having been used to just brushing off any compliments given to her. She turned away from Sel, fiddling with the needle and thread in her hands. The words were practically ingrained into her at this point, believing them to be true. She wasn’t anything special, anyone could do what she did, and do it better.

The dress she’d been working on seemed to stare back at her, soft indigo fabric deep enough to get lost within its depths. It was the color of the night sky on the first, the embroidery that spanned the entirety of the skirt added texture and life to the otherwise dark garment. For the past few weeks she had been chipping away on this project; she’d been embroidering the iconic purple trees of the first, creating a forest all around the circumference of the dress. It had been something for her to do after they got back, it kept her hands and mind busy from the traumatic experiences.

Objectively, the dress was skillfully made, the embroidery impeccable and flattering. She knew if it had been a commission she could charge thousands of gil for it.

“It’s just… what I got used to being told… I guess.” She remembered Yael and her group of mean girls, teenagers that had been acting out. The other orphans all avoided her for being so different, but they were all just as sad and scared and confused as she was. She hadn’t received compliments from the time her parents died to the day she met Redolent Rose, and she hadn’t believed she’d deserved compliments or kindness by that point.

She shrugged helplessly, looking up at Sel with large, sad eyes.

“Then I will compliment you until you’re used to it, and then believe it; and then I’ll compliment you even more because you’re the most beautiful, talented woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.” Sel cupped Nevyn’s face, stroking away the tear that escaped her silvery eyes.

“And if anyone ever says a single bad word about you, I will suplex them straight into the Bowl of Embers.”

At that Nevyn lets out a watery giggle, leaning into Sel’s hands with an adoring smile.

“Thank you, Sel,” The smaller wife pressed a kiss against her larger wife’s hand.

Sel captures Nevyn’s mouth in a kiss. “Of course, Nevyn. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Chapter 22: Day 11: Once Bitten, Twice Shy II

Chapter Text

“I couldn’t believe what he was saying! The words came from his mouth as though he wasn’t standing in front of every Lord of Ishgard! Utterly unbelievable.” Aymeric brushed his hair out of his face and sighed, exasperated. “The man is without a modicum of respect or understanding.”

“Isn’t he, like, thirty f*ck-billion years old?” Selecer was just about the only person who talked to Aymeric so casually. Even with the Holy See’s hold over Ishgard’s government ended, Aymeric was still very much seen as The Lord Commander, a presence deserving of deference and respect. Selecer, though, just saw him as another friend.

Aymeric chuckled and shook his head. “Yes, and he will not stop reminding everyone about that. His obsession with the past and tradition is exactly what I was hoping to excise after the end of the Dragonsong.”

“Eh, he’ll see sense one day. Maybe when he’s in the grave.”

Aymeric stopped in front of his home’s door. “Either we shall see, or the Fury will.” He opened the door and held it for Selecer to enter.

The de Borel manor was warm and welcoming as always, a welcome respite from the chill of Ishgard. Selecer turned to the Lord Speaker as he entered and was taking his coat off.

“May I make a request, Aymeric?”

He tilted his head, curious. “Certainly.”

“I would rather that I make dinner tonight than the servants.”

“Well. I don’t see why not, certainly, but I must admit I’m curious as to why.”

Selecer remembered the Sultana’s invitation. A place just as warm, thought to be just as safe, with serpents around every corner. So much pain and strife from a few drops of poison and some whispered words. And she was supposed to trust someone else, anyone else to prepare her food? Drink? Selecer Lunarien, Warrior of Light, Eikon-Slayer, Savior of Ishgard, at any moment her legacy could be cut short with a single bite or sip of a drink. Any beast that ravaged the land she could fell, any god she could bring to heel. But at the end of the day, she was just as vulnerable to this as the Sultana.

“Hello? Selecer?” Aymeric’s voice brought Selecer out of her brief mental spiral, and she shook her head.

“Apologies. I just… It would make me feel safer.”

Aymeric nodded. He seemed to take the request seriously, much to Selecer’s relief. “Then come. I must show you around the kitchens, so you might find what you need. I must say, I’m quite excited to try whatever you make.”

The conversation came easier that night. No looking over her shoulder, double and triple checking her food and drink, eyeing every servant with suspicion. Just a dinner with a dear friend, chatting over a hearty stew and a (new) bottle of wine.

Chapter 23: Day 12: Dowdy I

Chapter Text

“What. Are you wearing?” Bella, about to leave the house, did a double take to look at the couple.

Nevyn and Sel, who were cuddling on the couch together with a sleeping three-headed puppy, looked at each other.

“Pajamas?” Sel answered, an eyebrow raised.

“It’s like, eight in the evening! You guys should be in something sexy, partying it up, celebrating! C’mon!” Bella whined, her tail flicking back and forth in agitation.

The couple continued to be sedentary on the couch, watching the Miqo’te huff and puff. Nevyn had been delighted when Sel surprised her with matching sets of flannel onesies printed with little carbuncles. Nevyn’s delight increased tenfold when she discovered they had hoods with floppy blue ears and little tails. The carbuncle slippers completed their look and the two had immediately decided that it was going to be a lazy night. They had set the orchestrion to something soothing and had watched the cerberus puppy tire itself out by rolling around with a cactaur plush.

Bella groaned, as she realized the two weren’t moved at all by her little tantrum. “You guys are so boring.”

Flinging open the door dramatically, the purple haired Miqo’te came face to face with a tall blonde Au Ra woman and another Miqo’te, this one with shoulder-length white hair. The blonde had been about to open the door on her end and looked a little surprised.

“Hey, Bella? You going somewhere?” Aradia asked, a little unnerved by the piercing look Bella was giving her.

“You too? Am I the only one with any fashion sense in this house?!” The short Miqo’te threw her hands up and shouldered past the couple, grumbling about living with a bunch of geriatric lesbians.

The two watched her go, Aradia looking perplexed while Kat lazily says, “I think she’s just jealous that she doesn’t get matching onesies.”

Sure enough, Aradia Pendragon and Kat Solarin were wearing matching onesies, their fabric printed with little round calico cats. Nevyn waved at the two from the couch, not wanting to move and risk waking the sleeping puppy.

“Right… We got the snacks,” The blonde finally entered the house, letting her wife close the door behind the two. She held up a shopping bag filled with treats.

“f*ck yeah,” Sel replied, fist bumping Kat in greeting as the Miqo’te scampered past her wife and flopped onto the opposite couch. “We’ve got the games.”

“And I brought wine!” Nevyn chimed in, beaming brightly.

Kat’s smile was far less innocent, as she pulled a large bottle out from seemingly nowhere, cackling, “And I brought tequila.”

Chapter 24: Day 12: Dowdy II

Chapter Text

“Oh gods’ blood, no. Tataru, I cannot.” Selecer shook her head at the lalafell’s prodding. “They’re going to look ridiculous, on me especially. I mean, look at me!”

“Aww, Sel, it will look adorable! And just think about how cute Nevyn will be too.”

Selecer knew Tataru was baiting her by appealing to her love of Nevyn. She looked to the drawing of the pajamas that Tataru had made; a pair of onesies patterned to look like a carbuncle, complete with hoods that had big floppy ears.

They were ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. She couldn’t be caught dead wearing this.

Right?

“Look.” Selecer sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Alright. We’ll give it a shot. Just, make one for me, and if I like it, you can make it for Nev too.”

Tataru cheered as though she had just won the cactpot. “Right this way, then! Let’s get your measurements.”

______________________________________________________________________________

“Gods, I knew this was a bad idea.” Selecer stood in this… unique ensemble in front of a full length mirror. “It looks ridiculous.”

“Nooo! Sel, it looks great!” Tataru put a hand on her leg, encouraging Sel to turn to the side. “Look at the tail! It’s so cute!”

Selecer groaned, rolling her eyes, but she looked to the mirror. It… was kind of cute.

“Gods, she’s going to laugh at me so much.”

“No no no, Sel, she’s going to laugh with you! You just need to take a different mindset. You two will look so cute, it will be worth it!”

There was a long moment of silent contemplation before Selecer shook her head. “Fine, let’s do it. Go ahead and make Nev’s.”

Tataru jumped and pumped her fist before running off way too fast for Selecer to be comfortable with. She looked back to the mirror and tried to reassure herself. Surely she wouldn’t laugh too much, right?

Right?

______________________________________________________________________________

“Hey, Sel. What’s this box on our bed?”

Selecer had almost forgotten about that. There was a moment’s pause, and she felt some small amount of embarrassment flutter in her chest. “It’s a, uh, gift from Tataru. She made something for us.”

“Aww, that’s so nice!” Nevyn didn’t seem to notice Selecer’s hesitation as she moved to the bed and began to tear open the package. “Do you know what it is?”

“...yeah. I do. But it’s a surprise, so I won’t tell.”

Nevyn stopped and turned to her girlfriend. “What was that pause? You don’t know what it is, do you?”

“No, no, I do. It’s just… you’ll see.”

“Why are you being so cryptic?”

“Don’t worry about it! Just open the gift.”

Nevyn narrowed her eyes at Selecer and gave a suspicious hum, but after a second continued to tear at the package. She opened the box and lifted out the contents, letting out a delighted squeal as she smacked around the big floppy ears of one of the hoods.

“Sel, this is so cute!”

“Yeah, that’s what Tataru said. There’s, uh… there’s two in there. Smaller one’s yours, obviously.”

Nevyn’s smile grew so wide it looked like it was going to break her face apart. She bolted over to Selecer and wrapped her up in a big hug that crushed Selecer’s embarrassment out of her, despite Nevyn’s noodly arms.

“I love it so much, Sel. Thank you.”

Selecer smiled, hugging her girlfriend and resting her head against Nevyn’s. “You’re welcome. I’d rather die than wear that in public, but we’ll look very cute together on the couch.”

Chapter 25: Day 13: Check I

Chapter Text

Nevyn’s eyes snapped open and she was halfway sitting up before she had even realized it. Her eyes darted around the room, before finally landing on the sleeping woman next to her.

She finally exhaled upon seeing Selecer sleeping soundly, arms still loosely wrapped around Nevyn’s waist. Nevyn took a few beats to steady her heart rate and just watch her girlfriend sleep peacefully. She was lucky Sel hadn’t woken up; the thought flashed through her mind as one of her hands began to absently stroke her girlfriend’s short blue hair.

The past few years had been difficult for the Au Ra. Nevyn remembered worrying, her head pounding, and then she was waking up in a different world. The Exarch, as he preferred to be called here, had filled Nevyn in on what had happened. Thancred, Y’shtola, and Urianger had already been on the First for a few years, which made Nevyn’s heart skip a beat.

For the Warrior of Light, it had only been a few days that the others had fallen asleep, but for them it had been years.

Nevyn had felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over her. She was stuck, and Sel was still back on the Source. Oh Twelve, Nevyn realized, she had collapsed like the others and Sel must’ve been worried sick!

It was a long couple years for the small Au Ra, just waiting every day for Sel to arrive. G’raha (she called him by his name when it was just the two of them) supported her as best he could, but some days Nevyn couldn’t even roll out of bed. She wanted to help, be productive here, but she was so worried and anxious all the time. Her staff sat unused, instead Nevyn went back to what comforted her, weaving.

She could do some good while distracting herself.

So she had waited, and waited, and waited to finally reunite with her Warrior of Light.

Now, she could barely take her eyes off of Sel, worried that she would vanish and Nevyn would be alone again.

“Nev?”

“Hm? Sorry, did I wake you?” The dark haired girl’s hands paused in the blue hair she had been stroking.

“Mmm, I could feel you worrying,” Sel’s arms tightened around Nevyn’s waist and she pulled the smaller girl back down onto the bed. Nevyn clutched Sel’s shoulders, pressing herself as close to her girlfriend as she could.

“Sorry,” Nevyn’s voice was small as she tried to find words before being shushed by Sel.

“You have nothing to apologize for, love,” Sel pressed a kiss to the top of Nevyn’s head. “Nothing at all. I’m here now, and we’ll figure this out together.”

Nevyn agreed after letting out a sigh, “Right, right. I’m just overthinking.”

Sel nods, her cheek brushing against Nevyn’s gunmetal black hair. “I know, but worrying about everything right now isn’t going to help. We’ll take this one step at a time, and the first step is to get some rest.”

A wobbly smile managed to appear on Nevyn’s face. She knew that for at least the foreseeable future she’d end up checking to make sure her girlfriend was real. Literally, the girl of her dreams had been haunting her for the past several years. Now, Sel was here, they were together, and everything would be alright.

Chapter 26: Day 13: Check II

Chapter Text

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised she’s still asleep, but I’m still disappointed.” Thancred’s voice pulled Nevyn out of her half-sleeping state next to Selecer’s unconscious body. By the sound of all the pairs of footsteps approaching the room, she was about to get a lot of visitors.

“I was rather looking forward to listening to Alisaie give her another lecture.” Y’Shtola’s voice from behind Thancred confirmed that, as well as Urianger’s reply.

“Come now. Surely we have all given her enough grief?”

“Enough grief?” Alisaie didn’t sound impressed. “For running off without us and almost getting herself killed? No, she won’t be getting any less grief from me.”

Thancred laughed, then turned to Nevyn. “Evening Nev. How are you feeling?”

“Uhh… a little tired? What time is it?”

“We’re a couple bells from midnight. You’re hungry, I assume?”

Nevyn nodded, mumbling and rubbing the exhaustion out of her eyes.

“Here. We stopped by the Last Stand.” He walked over to the bed and placed a small paper bag on the nightstand next to the bed. “Some soup and… other hearty things. I don’t remember. Just make sure she eats when she wakes up, and make sure you eat.”

“I will, I will,” Nevyn whined. “Thank you, Thancred.”

He gave her a smile, and leaned down to give her a hug. “Just take care of yourself, please. She’s got plenty of people worrying about her.” He stood and turned to the door as Alisaie poked her head into the door.

“And make sure she knows I’m very cross with her!” The young elezen pouted to emphasize her displeasure, making Nevyn laugh.

“I’ll tell her when she wakes up.” She waved to the Scions with a smile. “Thank you all.”

The gaggle of Scions moved away from the room, their banter slowly fading as they left the building. Nevyn pawed through the bag of food, pulling out a small bowl of soup and taking out a spoon for it, sitting at the edge of the bed next to her wife. Selecer was still soundly asleep, and would be for a long while, according to the chirurgeons. After waking up, she’d need a couple more days of bed rest and treatments, and Nevyn was certain she’d need a few more days than the chirurgeons had said, as if they thought Selecer was just going to lay here for that long, they were insane. After that, who knows.

Gods. It was just like their return from the First.

After quickly finishing the bowl of soup, Nevyn set it aside and crawled into the bed with her wife, careful not to move her as much as possible.

One day at a time, they’d get through it.

Chapter 27: Day 14: Clear I

Chapter Text

Selecer adjusted the stand of her magnifying glass, bringing her little project into better focus. The clear diamond set into the peak of the bracelet shone beautifully in the candlelight, the most eye-catching piece of the ensemble. A band of silver, wide enough to be worn on Selecer’s wrist, had upon it two engravings: Ardbert’s axe, half of its head buried in the ground, with a long ribbon extending off of its shaft; and Azem’s memory crystal, an ephemeral hand reaching towards it, surrounded by stars.

Engraving was Selecer’s least favorite part of most pieces like this she made. She found the work tedious, repetitive, and unsatisfying. This project, though, was different. Or rather, these projects.

The counterpart sat a foot aside, a small stand on the side of the work table holding it up to catch the light of the candle opposite it. It was a golden band that was much smaller than Selecer’s, with a bright orange fire opal inset into its peak. Its dual engravings were that of a staff surrounded by flowing lines of energy and a carbuncle sat amongst a field of flowers. Selecer sat back, huffing out a sigh. These two things had been weeks of work, but gods she loved every second. She couldn’t wait to finish these and show-

“Dost thou intend to remain here until the next Umbral Calamity?” Urianger’s voice coming from the doorway of the room made Selecer nearly jump out of her seat.

“f*ck, man! Ever heard of knocking?”

“Indeed. I did. Twice. Thou didst not respond.”

“...huh. sh*t. Well, sorry. I was, uh…”

“Lost in thought?”

“Yeah. Just a little.”

Urianger smiled and walked over to the goldsmith’s table, examining the two bracelets. “And what are these?”

“Bracelets. The gold one’s Nevyn’s. I didn’t know how to work with jewelry when we got engaged, so someone else had made our rings. I always felt kinda bad about that, so I wanted to make something similar now that I know how.”

“So, thou feelest an obligation to this task? We can surely both agree Nevyn would be the last of people to expect such a thing from thee.”

“What? No, I don’t feel obliged to this. It’s a nice gift, that’s all.”

Urianger quirked an eyebrow at Selecer. “In all my years I have not met someone more skilled at the art of crafting obligations for oneself. Thou takest upon thine shoulders every task imaginable that thou can, for any and all reasons, and you expect me to believe this is an exception?”

“I…” Selecer paused for a moment. “Okay, point taken, but whether I feel obligated is moot. I do want to do this. I want to give this to my wife, because I love her and I think she’ll enjoy this.”

“Then surely, if there be no yoke upon thine neck, thou can put the tools away for a night and get some sleep. Thy efforts will remain come sunrise, no?”

Selecer looked back up to him, pausing for a long moment. “You’re a bastard, you know that?”

Urianger laughed heartily as he turned out of the room. “Choose what thou will. I have simply come to assure you they will not disappear should you leave.” He waved behind him as he walked out of the workshop. “A good night, dear Selecer.”

Selecer sat in the work chair for a minute or so, staring at the bracelets in contemplation, before picking up her tools, packing the bracelets into their wooden cases, and leaving the desk for the night.

There would be plenty of other nights to get work done.

Chapter 28: Day 14: Clear II

Chapter Text

Nevyn had never looked so much like a defeated, drowned gaelicat, than she did in this moment. She was only wearing shorts and a shirt that was probably Sel’s at some point, but had been stolen and knotted at the waist so it didn’t swallow the small Au Ra. Of course, everything was soaking wet; the shirt even managed to have little muddy paw prints on it.

“Uh, how’s it going?” Sel was standing at the front gate of the house, smirking at her girlfriend and trying not to just burst into laughter.

“Our children are mischievous little imps,” Nevyn replied, deadpan.

Sel looked around at the various animals that had, whether they wanted to or not, been washed. The direwolf at least seemed like he was enjoying himself, his fur was shiny and clean, and he was content to snooze on a blanket while laying in the sun.

The other animals however, were not as cooperative as the chocobo sized wolf.

The griffon hatchling had squawked in protest the entire time, looking up at Nevyn with the saddest eyes. She had been liberal with the treats, which helped, but now the griffon was sulking. The lesser panda had been much the same, clinging to Nevyn when she tried to place him into the water, and was now bundled in a towel with the direwolf after receiving his treat. The trike had seemed perplexed at first, not knowing what to make of the water, but ended up neither enjoying nor hating the experience, so Nevyn considered that a win.

The rotund calico cat was not pleased. Luckily, her form of protest involved being as limp as possible and forcing Nevyn to carry the large feline around. This would normally be fine, but this was no small cat, and Nevyn was a very small woman. No one could say she hadn’t gotten a workout today.

Naturally, the cerberus puppy thought this was all a game. He seemed to not mind the water and the suds, but he insisted on trying to eat the bubbles from the animal-safe shampoo. The puppy was most of the reason why Nevyn was absolutely soaked to the bone and covered in paw prints. At one point he had escaped and Nevyn had to chase him around the yard, only managing to get him back into the tub after he had rolled in a flower bed.

The water in the tub, at least what was left of it, was no longer clear, but rather cloudy and likely needed a wash itself. Nevyn had changed the water out a few times, but the animals (especially the young ones) tended to roll around and play a lot. She was proud to say she hadn’t fallen into the water this time, and was very much looking forward to taking a hot shower and putting on dry clothes.

“Well, it looks like you did a good job. Sorry, I wasn’t here to help.” Sel felt slightly guilty at being called away at the last minute, bathing the animals tended to be an all-day task even with the two of them.

“It’s fine, but you’re making dinner tonight,” Nevyn put her hands on her hips, trying to look stern, but mostly looking adorable.

“Fair enough,” Sel chuckled. “Shall we get these guys inside so you can dry off?”

Nevyn nodded vehemently, pulling a dry towel around herself and going to collect the sleepy animals with the assistance of her girlfriend. She would definitely sleep well that night, buried under feathers, fur, and an Elezen.

Chapter 29: Day 15: Portentous I

Chapter Text

“Look, Lalavi, I think that’s my tailor.”

“Really? They let the help in here?”

“Oh, perhaps she’s a charity case. You know the Sultana loves any opportunity to be a white knight.”

“True! Do you think she made her own dress? How tragic.”

Nevyn was doing her best impression of a potted plant; if she pretended she didn’t have ears, she could pretend she didn’t hear the conversation between the noblewomen.

It wasn’t that she looked out of place necessarily, it was just that a handful of these people were patrons of the Weavers Guild. Unfortunately, that handful of people liked to gossip, and she was right; Nevyn had made a dress for the woman before.

At least she looked the part at this event; Tataru had made her a stunning royal purple gown. When Nevyn tried to refuse the gift the Lalafell wouldn’t hear of it, saying that as a Scion of the Seventh Dawn, she needed to look the part at social events. The dress was certainly nicer than anything Nevyn owned; she had to stop herself from trying to guess how expensive the material had been.

“Excuse me, you’re with the Weavers Guild, yes?”

Nevyn looked down at the pale-haired Lalafell that had snapped her out of her mental spiral. It was one of the socialites that had been gossiping. Nevyn couldn’t help but quickly admire her dress; seafoam green with pale gold accents and matching jewelry, it was a lovely ensemble.

“O-oh, yes, but—” The purple-clad Auri was about to explain that she was here with the Scions, not the Weavers, but she was cut off abruptly.

“Wonderful! I had been wanting to commission another dress, and of course I can pay top gil for the best materials.”

“Actually, I—”

“I was thinking about how precious your dress is, maybe something similar to that. Of course, it would have to be a skosh more upscale, you know?”

“Nevyn! There you are!” A tall figure with a shock of blue hair appeared at Nevyn’s shoulder, nearly causing the small weaver to go into cardiac arrest. “I was hoping to catch you before the Sultana; I believe she’s looking to have a meeting in an hour or so.”

“Oh, thank you for letting me know, Selecer,” Nevyn tried her best to smile normally, but there was just a hint of desperation in her voice.

“Until then, might I have this dance?” Sel bowed and extended a hand. Nevyn’s cheeks flushed pink at the request and she side-eyed the now bug-eyed gossipers before nodding. She had picked up what Sel was up to, and was all too eager to escape the company of the horrible women that had cornered her.

“I would love to,” She slid her much smaller hand into Sel’s and gave a little wave to the women that had surrounded her. “Nice speaking with you!”

Upon being whisked away, Nevyn nearly cried with relief. She squeezed Sel’s hand tightly, taking comfort in the warmth radiating from the blue-haired woman. Nevyn craned her neck back to look at the enormous Elezen, relief plastered across her face. “Thank you for the save, Sel. That was… not a situation I was prepared for.”

“Of course, I couldn’t let such a pretty girl be held prisoner,” Sel’s smile had become much more genuine, her eyes softening at the look of relief on Nevyn’s face. “Also, f*ck them.”

That got a giggle out of the flushed Auri. She returned the smile brightly and said, “I think I can definitely agree with you on that one.”

“It would be a little awkward if you didn’t… Now,” Sel gently tugged Nevyn closer, earning a squeak from the Au Ra. “I believe I am owed a dance.”

Chapter 30: Day 15: Portentous II

Chapter Text

“I knew coming to this event was a mistake!” Selecer flipped a table in front of her, crouching behind it as two arrows slammed into the wood. “Should have guessed sh*t was going to hit the fan when that evocatus started giving his pompous little speech.”

“Yes, thank you for the hindsight!” Thancred curled the barrel of the gunblade around the bar he was hunkering behind, letting out a blast that ripped across the room and through one of the windows, showering one of the assailants in glass. “I’ll be sure to inform anyone who invites us to anything that pompousness will be seen as a threat!”

Selecer groaned at Thancred’s theatrics, standing and turning towards the small group of Garleans. One arrow flew towards her, easily dodged. The second she caught and swatted out of the air. The third she spun beneath, using the momentum to sweep her leg up and kick the table in front of her across the room, slamming into one of the archers with a crack.

“Considering my track record, you really should! Every monologuing prick we’ve come across has tried to kill me.” Selecer dodged another arrow, shouting out a spiteful “asshole!” towards the archer before surging across the room, snatching the bow out of their hands and snapping it over her knee.

“Would you include Urianger in that list?” Thancred followed Selecer’s lead, hurling himself at the third and final archer and slamming them against the wall with his shoulder.

“I mean, he did bring Ardbert and his friends to the Source, so I guess it fits.” Selecer grabbed the shocked archer and threw them through the nearest window, shouting after them “party’s over! f*ck off!”

Thancred let out a disappointed sigh. “sh*t, now our cover’s well and truly blown. Last time I listen to Tribunus.”

Selecer turned sharply on her heel and shoved an accusatory finger towards Thancred. “A Tribunus? Are you f*cking kidding me? Next time, why don’t you write up a little sign saying ‘I’m an Eorzean Spy,’ maybe it’d be less f*cking obvious!”

“I thought it was going well! The way she was moving-”

Selecer threw her hands up. “Nope! You’re not finishing that sentence. We’re leaving.” She grabbed Thancred by the collar of his jacket and dragged him out of the small celebration hall. They’d have to find somewhere else to gather information. Somewhere far away.

Chapter 31: Interlude I

Chapter Text

I
Nevyn was so excited to be traveling with her parents. She’d always known her parents used to be traveling scholars, but when they’d had a child they decided to settle down for a few years to focus on raising her. The Raen girl grew up on stories of far away lands, dragons flying overhead, desert oases, and grand cities.

When the opportunity came for the small family to travel with a group of merchants, Nevyn begged and pleaded with her parents to go. She was eight, old enough to go with them and stay out of trouble.

After a lot of negotiating, figuring out logistics, and preparation; they would be traveling to La Noscea, along the Strait of Merlthor, and down to Thanalan, to spend some time in Ul’Dah. There were a few species of cacti her parents had been wanting to study for some time, and Nevyn was excited to see the flowering cacti she had read about in books.

While usually a quiet, well-behaved child, being on a boat surrounded by water was a new experience that sent the small girl into excited rambling. She asked the sailors dozens of questions, writing down responses in the small journal she had received as a birthday gift. She watched the water and drew the creatures that she could see swimming along the boat. A sailor with lightning quick reflexes had even caught her as she almost slipped off the boat during a storm, she had been so determined to catch a glimpse of the legendary creatures that emerged only when there was lightning.

Despite her excitement and constant questions (and the one time she disobeyed her mother and went topside during a storm), Nevyn was still polite and well mannered and made sure to follow any instructions given to her.

Her energy had waned after spending so long on the boat, but came back in full force once they docked in Thanalan. Everything was so new and different, the architecture was like nothing they had back in Sharlayan, the people were so much more colorful, even the atmosphere seemed brighter and more energetic.

They spent a week in Vesper Bay, collecting samples and taking notes on the cacti species they found on the coast. Nevyn was already quite skilled at note taking, and wrote down what her mother would dictate to her, surprisingly professional for a child her age. She didn’t always spell everything right, or even use correct grammar, but she understood her own notes enough that she could decipher them for proper reports later.

The merchant caravan went ahead of the small family, traveling slower than the group of two adults and one child, and would meet up again on the road to Ul’Dah. The family took the extra day in Vesper Bay to have an afternoon with an old friend from Sharlayan, setting out on some chocobo porters the day after.

Trouble began when the family was less than an hour away from Horizon. Nevyn had heard stories of pirates and bandits that would ambush people who chose to travel on backroads and shortcuts, but their trip had been so smooth so far. Everyone she met had been so nice, surely those had only been stories, right?

She realized they weren’t just stories told to scare her when an arrow hit her father’s shoulder and a spot of crimson began spreading through his shirt.

Faster than she could scream, Nevyn’s mother whapped the chocobo the small girl was riding, causing the bird to squawk, spread its wings, and take off at speeds Nevyn hadn’t thought chocobos capable of. She only caught glimpses of figures in dark clothes, holding wicked looking weapons and yelling dirty words at the family.

Nevyn could only clutch onto the bird as it sped along it’s well-known route, her small form trembling and even paler than usual. She looked back and caught one last glimpse of her mother watching her leave, relief on her features even as a figure in tattered leathers held a scimitar to her throat.

After that was a blur of concerned faces, guards asking her name and what had happened, a kind Lalafell man holding her hand as a blanket was wrapped around her.

They said what her mother had done saved her life, she was lucky that her chocobo had been so fast. Her parents had protected her until the end, but now they were gone.

II
Dating the Warrior of Light had made Nevyn’s already strange and unusual life even more strange and unusual.

But it also made her so happy she sometimes just squealed into her pillow. She wouldn’t trade dating Selecer Lunarian for anything in the world.

Sure, Nevyn was also technically a warrior of light, but she wasn’t The Warrior of Light. She had the Echo, but she wasn’t a frontline fighter and wouldn’t want to try to hold her own against a primal. She had her talents elsewhere, and knew what she excelled in. Just being able to stay by her girlfriend’s side and support her and their friends was all she needed.

Casting spells and weaving weren’t dissimilar to her, and while she’d been a practicing Black Mage for a short amount of time, she was proud to say she could keep up with the other Scions and the Warrior of Light herself. Maybe not literally keep up, her legs were pathetically short next to the Elezen, but that’s what Aethereal Manipulation was for. Others had their weapons and physical strength, Nevyn had a big f*cking fireball to incinerate anyone who threatened her.

That being said, she still hesitated to call herself an actual fighter or warrior. She hadn’t been training for years or served in any military or guard. She couldn’t look at someone with a sword and analyze their fighting style; be able to anticipate how an enemy would move.

This just made her extra careful to not get too close and learn how to fight from a distance. The last thing she needed was to distract Sel because something had noticed her and decided to attack the little Au Ra instead of the big armored Elezen.

Getting injured would also be bad, but mainly she just didn’t want to be a burden on anyone else. She had to hold her own; had to be able to watch Sel’s back and pull her own weight.

Making their way through The Vault had been challenging; there were knights everywhere and they were very angry with the outsiders that had turned some of their own against them. Nevyn tried not to feel too bad for them, they were adults perfectly capable of making their own decisions; they had just never learned better.

After they’d made their way through the absolute maze of a cathedral, Nevyn did her best to give some first aid to the others, mainly Aymeric, putting away the staff for a book. He just wouldn’t stop moving. It’s hard to try and set someone’s arm so it can heal correctly while they’re rushing around trying to check on everyone else.

Nevyn only gave up when word of Thordan’s whereabouts finally reached them. She half expected to turn around and see her girlfriend already charging up the stairs, but Sel was waiting, looking back at Aymeric with cool blue eyes.

Swiftcasting a spell while moving would have to do; she had managed to wrangle the Lord Commander into a makeshift sling, she would have to do the rest of it as they went.

She almost expected a blinding sunset when they emerged out of the tower, but the clouds had fully rolled in, casting everything in gloom.

Aymeric pushed past her, nearly stumbling, more unsure of himself than she’d ever seen him. “Father, please!”

Glancing to the side, she caught Sel’s eye, who gave her a nod and then nodded to Haurchefant. This wouldn’t end well. It didn’t matter how desperately Aymeric cried to his estranged father, the old Elezen would never listen.

Nevyn had time to holster her book before she began sprinting after the blue haired duo.

Thordan had stopped to look back at the Lord Commander, and the trio used this pause to rush the elderly man. He was alone, his knights already aboard the airship, this was their best shot.

Looking back on it, everything seemed so slow, although in the moment it was too fast for her to react.

Haurchefant had glanced back at Nevyn, sprinting as fast as her short legs would let her, but still unable to keep pace with the Elezen. She saw his eyes widen, his lips move, before he pushed past her, the opposite way her girlfriend was going.

Nevyn saw the attack as she fell, one of the knights was up on the roof and had aimed for the slower, less armored target.

She could only watch with wide-eyed horror as Haurchefant struggled against the attack meant for her, seeming to take ages. The javelin of light pierced his shield, his armor, and hit the ground an inch from Nevyn’s foot, splattering blood on the prone arcanist.

“Haurchefant!” The cry tore from her throat as he fell, she scrambled to his side as she fumbled for her book.

She could hear Sel cursing as footsteps pounded the ground. Her fingers trembled as she tried desperately to cast something, anything useful.

The light sparkled around the wound, trying to encourage the healing and stitch the torn flesh back together, but there was so much blood and so much damage. She had never tried to heal something this severe.

“You… you are unharmed…” She looked up at the sound of his voice, his head in Aymeric’s hands. Even through the blood coating his face, she could see him smile at her before he glanced up to Sel. “Forgive me… I could not bear the thought of…”

He brought up a shaking hand and Sel grabbed it, holding tightly, as though she could keep him here if she just held on.

Nevyn kept trying, kept pouring mana into her healing. She could feel the wound as if she had been stabbed through her heart, but she kept trying. She had to be able to do something, even if it was just taking away the pain, giving him enough time to say what he needed to.

“A smile better suits a hero…” She looked up in time to see him turn his gaze back to her, his smile twitched up a little more. “Heroes…” He corrected, and Nevyn had to smile at him even as tears began trailing down her scales.

His gaze turned to the sky and Nevyn could feel when he slipped away, the magic not having anything to grasp onto.

Her hands fell to her lap as the light faded and everything around her grew distant and muffled.

She hadn’t seen her mother die. She had been a helpless child, shielded from harm.

She wasn’t a helpless child anymore, but someone had still given their life to protect her. His blood was literally on her hands and splattered across her face.

III
A mage against the Prince of the Garlean Empire was a pairing that few would bet on the former for. Yet, she had lasted quite a while just by changing up her style of casting. Nevyn wasn’t as used to Summoner as she was Black Mage, but in a fight like this, being lighter on her feet was the difference between life and death.

The only advantage she had on the Garlean was her size. She thought he might not have been used to fighting someone as small as she was, but he was a fast learner.

The two practically danced around each other, the small Au Ra weaving in and out between her carbuncle. She had never been so focused, so determined.

Zenos’s helmet landed on the ground with a thunk, scorched from the dragon fire she had sent at him. It slowed him long enough that she saw his lips briefly quirk upwards before he dashed at her again. She only had to last a little bit longer, she kept telling herself.

He got a cut against her non-dominant arm.

Just a little longer.

A slash to her thigh.

A little longer.

That one went right through her foot.

Almost. She’s almost here.

When she had to hot switch her spellbook to her already injured left arm she began to feel doubt creeping in. Having one arm as a caster wasn’t the end of the world, but she couldn’t feel her fingers and didn’t dare look at the damage he’d done to her limb. She knew what shock felt like.

A little longer. Don’t give up.

Were they even winning? Was Y’shtola even alive? Distantly, she was aware of Lyse holding off the red-head woman, but she wasn’t even sure how that was going. She was so focused on Zenos that she had no idea how the rest of the battlefield was doing. She just knew that if his focus left her, if he got bored and decided to go after someone else; they would be done for.

So she just had to keep his attention long enough for her to get there.

She knew she would come, she always did. It was almost supernatural, her ability to arrive right on time. Nevyn knew theoretically that her girlfriend wasn’t actually omniscient, but she had a feeling that Sel could just tell when there was trouble. Some kind of weird sixth sense.

Her radiant shield wavered for just a second, but that was all Zenos needed to embed his sword into her calf and cause her magic to falter.

Something definitely cracked as the sword that was bigger than her entire body sent her crashing to the ground, ripping out a chunk of her leg in the process. A spell was on her lips, the emerald carbuncle glow charging towards the large Garlean. She could see the grin like a bloody gash across his face, skin sickly pale in the light from her summon.

Zenos had raised his sword for the killing blow on Y’shtola when Nevyn intervened, but would someone do the same for her?

She had barely reached out for her spellbook when he kicked it away, her carbuncle dissipating as it jumped at him.

It was faint, but she definitely heard a chuckle from him as he raised his sword. Nevyn feebly tried to get up, but the pain from her ribs drove the air from her as her vision swam with dark spots. Hopefully she’d stalled long enough and bought them enough time.

Was that someone saying her name? Her barely working arm gave out as she collapsed to the ground. Something shining went flying past her, sliding and skidding along the ground.

She turned her head enough to see a large form with blue hair standing over her, blocking her view of the Garlean.

‘Guess I lasted long enough,’ the thought floated through her head as she watched her protector face off against Zenos, her fingers still weakly reaching.

IV
Nevyn swallowed thickly, glancing between the metallic automaton and Selecer. She knew her girlfriend was hurting. She always tried too hard to be the strong one, the tough one who took all the hits and protected everyone else.

Now, the Warrior of Light was realizing that everyone else had to protect her now. Not dissimilar to what happened on the First, but this was less of a race to stop Sel from dying, and more of a race to get Sel to the end.

And Nevyn knew it was eating the tall Elezen up inside. She hadn’t said anything, hadn’t needed to say anything as they sat together on the futuristic platform, legs dangling off the edge into the abyss below. The way that Sel took her hand and pulled her in for a hug, the way her face was pressed against the pale horns on the side of Nevyn’s head, the kiss she dropped on her temple before she pulled away, it said everything that words couldn’t.

After that, at the end of all things, how did any of them overcome despair?

Nevyn looked up into the face of the most frustratingly beautiful, disastrously gay, unfathomably powerful woman in the known universe, and she knew the answer.

“Love…” She muttered, softly, but everyone’s heads swiveled to look at her. She glanced up at Sel, taking her hand and smiling. “No matter how horrible things get or how far apart we are, I always have hope because I have love.”

She turns to Raha, a big smile still on her face even as her eyes begin to sting. “Even if the present seems bleak and horrible and desolate, I just have to think of something small. It’s the thing that makes your heart beat faster or even just a warm fuzzy feeling in your chest. I can always remember the good times, remember smiles and victories, even pain can be good.”

Nevyn looks back up at Sel, turning so she’s in front of her, craning her neck to smile up at her wife, a tear escaping her eye. “It’s painful to be apart because I love you, but that love will keep me going. It keeps us going.”

She gives her hands one last squeeze, closing her eyes as she brings their joined hands up to kiss her wife’s knuckles, the cool metal of the ring on her finger giving her solace.

The arcanist woman takes a step away from the Warrior of Light, letting her hand go and turning to Raha. She doesn’t look up at Sel this time, she knows her heart will break if she does.

“Even love for a friend,” she takes his larger hand in her own. “Or love for a favorite book, song, or story. The feeling will always be there, sometimes we just need to be reminded.”

G’raha smiles down at her before turning to M-017. “We’re not unalike, you and I. I too have struggled to find the courage to accept and embrace my wants.” He glances back to Nevyn for just a moment, and she swears there was a little bit of pink in his cheeks.

“If you like, I will tell you a tale. A tale of a world on the brink, of a people who never gave up on the future. Of friends who took care of each other, expecting nothing in return. Of lovers separated by unfathomable distance, still connected by love and hope. Of a man who realized his grandest dreams and then awoken to a grander reality.”

In sync, he and Nevyn reached out their hands towards the suffering creature, it’s form beginning to dissipate into darkness.

Nevyn looked back one more time, her silver eyes finding the glowing blue of the Warrior’s. She smiled and mouthed, ‘I love you’ as the darkness began clouding her vision and everything began fading away.
She dimly heard Alisaie and Alphinaud calling for her and G’raha.

Then, there was only hope.

The crystalline structure that formed the pathway up was cool to the touch, but the trio only felt warmth as they ascended further into Ultima Thule.

Sparkling threads of fire and ice wrapped sound them and the walkway, weaving to create colors and lights that could only be described as beautiful. The threads of ice kept out the crushing atmosphere while the fire made the climb pleasantly warm, like a nice summer day.

Towards the top of the ascent the colors shifted to shades of blue, purple, black, and white. The gossamer threads of magic matched the colors of both Sel’s and Nevyn’s hair, weaving together into a protective tapestry of love.

Chapter 32: Day 16: Jerk I

Chapter Text

“sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t!” Selecer wove around the Cania Lupus, inelegantly slamming the hilt of the blade into the center of the soldier’s chest and throwing him back. In better times, she could imagine Musosai chastising her for such a sloppy move, but these were not better times.

All she could focus on was her.

Nevyn fought desperately against the crown prince, Zenos yae Galvus. At the best of times, foes like him were not Nevyn’s preference for a battle. Her magic required time and focus, and she was finding neither. With the sheer speed of the prince’s strikes, nearly every one was finding its mark, lacerating Nevyn and draining her stamina. She could barely stand, that much was clear.

Selecer was running out of time.

Another Cania lunged toward her, and she rolled to the ground, sweeping a leg under the soldier and throwing them to the ground before lunging back to her feet and continuing her mad sprint. Another Resistance soldier took advantage of Selecer’s maneuver and lunges towards her pursuer, but she didn’t even notice.

As she leapt over a stone and started to close the distance, Zenos pulled his blade up over his head, slowly measuring a strike on the dazed Nevyn. Realizing time was up, Selecer lunged towards the Au Ra, snatching the back of her robe and jerking her back as far as Selecer could manage. The momentum drove Selecer forward, and into the path of the blade.

As Nevyn landed behind her, Selecer felt Zenos’ katana drag across the side of her face, cleaving through her eyebrow and cutting into the eye itself. She was able to bring her head back just in time to stop it from cutting into her neck, sprawling into the ground for only a moment before twisting and kicking back into her feet, katana sheathed at her side, hand hovering over its hilt, staring at Zenos with her now one good eye.

“Another fleeting diversion.” Zenos wiped the remnants of Selecer’s eye off of his blade with the inside of his elbow. “At least you fared better than the last. Perhaps you will provide some genuine entertainment.”

Selecer responded by dashing forward and ripping the blade out of its sheathe and up towards him, a strike he casually met with his own blade, holding the Champion of Eorzea in a lock, bearing down over her.

“Do try to die slower than the last.”

Chapter 33: Day 16: Jerk II

Chapter Text

“You’re a cute one.”

The spell Nevyn had been casting fizzled out when a hand grabbed her arm and jerked her back into a sturdy form. She gasped in shock, stumbling and dropping her staff due to the grip on her wrist.

There had been rumblings of a Garlean scouting party around the Queen’s Gardens in Ala Mhigo; Nevyn and the twins had volunteered to go check it out and literally stumbled into the soldiers. They got the drop on the camp, but a few of the Garleans had been scouting around and managed to flank and surprise the ambushers.

The Garlean that Nevyn looked up at appeared to be a male presenting Hyur, with a bushy mustache and disgusting smirk. Nevyn wanted to gag.

Close quarters combat, hand to hand, and anything strength related was always Nevyn’s downfall. All of those things had never caught her interest growing up, and she found that she didn’t enjoy using her body as a weapon. Combat instincts didn’t come naturally to her, and she found out that she really didn’t like weightlifting. She came from a family of scholars and academics, they weren’t really built for this sort of thing.

That being said, she had learned a few things from her time with the Scions.

“Let! Go! You undersized Goobbue!” She struggled against the man, twisting her wrist and jerking sharply down to break his hold. Whether it worked because of her movement or insult, she didn’t know, but her arm was free to throw her elbow back right into the man’s groin.

The strangled, high pitched squeal relieved Nevyn more than it should have. She grabbed her staff and whirled around before kicking the man in the kneecap as hard as she could. When he doubled over she slammed her staff into the side of his head and started running while swiftcasting an ice spell. When the spell was ready, she turned and used the momentum to hurl the freezing magic at the soldier, earning a sharp gasp alongside the sound of shattering ice. Not even breaking her stride, she completed the turn and kept running.

Nearly running right into the camp where the twins were dispatching the rest of the soldiers. A quick Paradox later and Nevyn was breathing heavily, adrenaline still racing through her.

“There were definitely more than our intel said,” Alisaie grumbled, kicking a gunblade away from a twitching arm. “You alright, Nevyn? I heard you scream.”

Nevyn tilted her head to the side, “Scream? I didn’t scream? I—oh. Some jerk grabbed me so I elbowed his…” She let out a little cough, too polite to say she elbowed him in the junk. “You know.”

She did know; the young Elezen’s smile grew wide and possibly a little proud, “Excellent work. I believe our job here is done, right brother?”

Alphinaud’s cheeks had gone pink when he realized what Nevyn was saying and he shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, right, well done. Shall we?”

Nevyn was a little too happy when Alisaie offered her a fist bump, enthusiastically reciprocating before trotting after the teenager. She was excited to tell her girlfriend about the successful ambush.

Chapter 34: Day 17: La Creatura I

Chapter Text

“You two really are stereotypes, huh?”

The two Au Ra looked up at the voice, one with vibrant golden eyes and the other with sparkling silver. Two sides of a coin, that somehow get along swimmingly.

“Hm? What do you mean, Sel?” The silver eyes were genuinely curious, head tilting with a confused little smile.

“Yes, Selecer. Enlighten us.” This voice was flat, her golden eyes saying what the words hadn’t, ‘I f*cking dare you, Selecer Lunarien.’

To her credit, Selecer didn’t even flinch at the scathing look Aradia Pendragon sent her way, golden eyes almost fiery in the late afternoon sunlight. She just casually raised an eyebrow and slowly smirked at the two.

“You’re sitting in the sun, like two little lizards.” Kat poked her head out from behind the Warrior of Light, sticking her tongue out childishly.

Nevyn glanced over at Aradia, anticipating her reaction, and wasn’t disappointed at the scathing frown on the blonde Au Ra’s face. The darker haired Auri couldn’t help but giggle a little at the clash between Aradia’s casually comfortable reading position and the dour look on her face. When the look was aimed at her, she hid behind the knitting she had been working on, shoulders still shaking a little.

“I am a powerful and mighty dragon.”

“Mhm, lizard wife,” Kat practically bounced over to the two and collapsed on top of Aradia, flinging her arms around her neck dramatically.

Sel notably did not crush her girlfriend by falling on her, rather she plopped next to the small weaver and pulled her into her lap, wrapping her arms around her and resting her chin on top of Nevyn’s head. Nevyn practically melted into Sel’s embrace, very pleased with her new seat.

Aradia may have been sitting on the couch that was right in the sun’s path, reading her book and warming herself. Nevyn might have joined her, pulling out the pink bundle of yarn she had been working on. Then the two possibly followed the spot of sun to the rug in front of the couch, piling pillows on the ground and essentially making a little nest. No one could say they weren’t comfortable though.

“... Powerful and mighty dragon…” Aradia grumbled, ignoring the Miqo’te on top of her and going back to reading her book.

Nevyn and Selecer shared a look before giggling to each other, snuggling into the pillow nest and basking in the sunbeam.

Chapter 35: Day 17: La Creatura II

Chapter Text

Alphinaud plodded his way through the Rising Stones, the dark halls seeming to threaten to swallow him whole. He carried the small candle in his hand, his head on a swivel as though he was going to be ambushed. Here. He was self aware enough to feel foolish, but something about the darkness unsettled him deeply. He just wanted to get the water and go back to bed.

He turned through to the small kitchen and froze, his blood running cold. A pair of glowing eyes floated in the middle of the kitchen. One was a bright cyan, and the other a glimmering orange. It was a ghost. He was sure.
“Hey, Alphinaud.”

If Alphinaud had his wits about him, he would recognize Selecer’s voice, and remember that since she was wounded by Zenos, her eyes started glowing. He would laugh it off, get his water, and go to bed.

Alphinaud did not have his wits about him.

He screamed, flailing his arms in front of him, turning around and running back towards his room, immediately tripping over a large crate and sprawling on the floor, still screaming. He only stopped screaming after he heard Selecer’s cackling behind him. With a fwoosh, Selecer formed a ball of flame in her hand to illuminate the room, showing her doubled over and almost falling onto the ground with how hard she was laughing.

Chapter 36: Day 18: Fish Out of Water I

Chapter Text

Selecer hoped she didn’t look as out of place as she felt, but was almost certainly wrong about that. The Admiral of Limsa Lominsa had invited her to this small soiree, but had failed to mention that all of the guests would be well-dressed. Selecer was surrounded by Eorzean natives in fine dresses and well-tailored suits, and there was Selecer, dressed in a rough leather coat and patched-up slacks, barely able to hold a conversation with anyone considering her poor grasp of the Eorzean language.

She was certainly not having a good time.

As she was lingering towards the corners of the room doing her best impression of a statue, she became terrifyingly aware of Merlwyb approaching her.

“Selecer. It’s good to see you are enjoying yourself.”

“Very much, Admiral. Thanks.” She bowed her head respectfully to the Roegadyn.

“It’s certainly not every day someone like you sets foot in this hall, but after all you’ve done for Eorzea, I had people clamoring to meet the Gridanian Envoy. I hope they haven’t made you feel too unwelcome?”

“No, they are fine.” That was a lie. She could tell that just about every one of them had much higher expectations for her. She said little to them, seemed largely unremarkable compared to every other gil-starved adventurer in Eorzea, and did not seem to know how to dress for events like this to boot. Their excitement quickly turned to quiet disappointment.

Merlwyb seemed to catch on to Selecer not quite telling the truth. She swirled the glass of wine in her hand, brow furrowing. “Hm. Well, I hope that the food has at least been to your liking.”

Selecer’s eyes brightened as she nodded emphatically. “It has! Your culinarians are very impressive. Wine, too.”

“That’s good to hear. The Bismarck is famous across Eorzea for a reason, and I do love to employ them. And the wine; do you happen to know much about viticulture?”

Selecer shook her head. “Absolutely not.”

That got a laugh out of Merlwyb. “Fair enough. There’s quite a robust history of viticulture in La Noscea, but it really just boils down to three families of winemakers killing each other for half a century.”

Merlwyb continued to talk about the intricate history of wineries in La Noscea, a long and winding drama. As she spoke, Selecer felt more and more like she actually fit in this place. The sidelong looks and whispers from earlier in the night seemed so inconsequential. Despite how little she spoke, Merlwyb made Selecer feel like part of the conversation.

Eorzea was growing on her. She’d thought about hopping a ship to leave for… well, somewhere else. She hadn’t thought ahead that far, but now she wasn’t going to need to. Things were looking up.

Chapter 37: Day 18: Fish Out of Water II

Chapter Text

“Oh, aren’t you just the cutest, darlingest, little thing!”

This was how Nevyn died. Smothered in a hug by a large catgirl.

Nevyn was used to making expensive things for other people to wear, not having expensive things bought for her, dressing up, and parading around like a living doll.

At least she wasn’t alone; the Au Ra glanced to the side at Alphinaud, who was receiving the same treatment. It was rather funny seeing his face squashed into the bosom of this woman the two had only met an hour ago.

Eulmore was not at all what Nevyn had expected. Yes, she expected extravagance and overindulgence, but not for herself. Alphinaud had made it sound like she would be a personal seamstress; she could do that easily. What he hadn’t told her was that she would also be something to be shown off, a thing to be fawned over and doted on while being a personal seamstress at the same time.

She had been an orphan for most of her childhood, poor, underfed, and wearing hand-me-downs. The Au Ra had gotten good at hiding from bullies, keeping her head down, and generally doing her best to not be noticed.

So when she and Alphinaud had been handed matching outfits and shoved into changing rooms, she didn’t know what to make of it. The fabric had to be real brightlinen, with silk ribbons and precise embroidery and an actual petticoat! She looked like a cupcake after getting dressed in her new outfit.

She was so startled and out of her depth that she just went along with it all, following after Dulia-Chai like a lost puppy.

Luckily, after playing dress up and being smothered, she was able to take the large Mystel’s measurements and interview the woman about what kind of outfit she wanted. This was Nevyn’s element, she could do this.

Alphinaud was a phenomenal artist, and she was a decent (in her own words) seamstress. Together, they would survive Eulmore.

Privately, Nevyn was excited to make a pretty outfit for Dulia that fit in with Eulmore’s fashion. Everything was colorful, decadent, and basically the kind of stuff that Nevyn secretly dreamed of making. Dulia was going to look incredible.

Chapter 38: Day 19: Weal I

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Selecer knelt on the rampart of the Castrum. She had been relieved of her duty earlier, and she was left uncharacteristically at peace. The other soldiers were constantly at her throat, or at least it felt like it. Not being a native Garlean, she was considered persona non grata, only to be considered for what use she could provide to the Castrum. This resulted in many days where Selecer was constantly getting harassed and shown just how much she wasn’t wanted here.

Tonight, thankfully, was different. Head tilted to the heavens, Selecer relished the feeling of the night breeze against her skin. The exhaustion of the past week or so lifted from her shoulders as she watched the veil of night move slowly across the sky. It didn’t always feel good to be alive, but gods if it didn’t feel good right then.

As she looked to the sky, her eyes were drawn to a peculiar sight. Among the shining white and bright blue hues of the stars and the deep purple and inky blackness of the void, a single star stood out to her. It was a bright orange light, looking much closer than many of the other stars present in the sky, a diamond-shaped glare making it seem absolutely massive compared to the others. It moved far faster as well, comparatively streaking across the sky. It was a remarkable sight.

She watched this star, eyes wide and breath nearly stolen from her body. It looked powerful, unstoppable, free. It was everything she wasn’t.

She could be like it. She just needed to run, fly, take that future herself.

She was gone the next day.

Chapter 39: Day 19: Weal II

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“It’s been a while since I’ve done this, so bear with me,” Nevyn’s smile was a little hesitant as she nervously clutched the set of cards as she took a seat next to her girlfriend.

“Hey, it’s just for fun, yeah? No pressure.” Sel wrapped an arm around Nevyn and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. That managed to ease some of Nevyn’s worries and she leaned into her larger girlfriend.

“Okay then, let’s just do a Trinity spread. Simple.” Nevyn nodded, more to herself, and let her hands fall away from the cards. Little sparkles of gold light flashed around the cards as they hovered in the air; Nevyn moved a hand to be above the cards and let the deck shuffle itself before resting on the table. She nodded to Sel, who cut the deck, letting Nevyn restack them.

When Nevyn put her hand on the cards again, she felt a shiver go through her. She brushed it off and carefully flipped the first card.

“The Balance, astral position,” She recited, eyes scanning over the beautifully illustrated card. “So, for the first position, signifying your past, it means… uh…”

Nevyn’s cheeks had gone slightly pink and she opened the book of notes that she held in her lap, quickly checking something.

Sel waited patiently, an eyebrow raising at the flush across her girlfriend’s cheeks.

“It means good came from the bad, things were in balance so your path continued how it should. You were patient and did things as they should’ve been, followed your beliefs and didn’t conform to what others wanted you to be… It also can sometimes mean… meeting a female?” Her pale cheeks grew more scarlet, the flush almost reaching her horns.

“Well, I did meet a female,” Sel smirked at the small Au Ra. “So far so good.”

Nevyn nodded and flipped the next card.

“The Spear, astral position. You currently have a decision to make, and you should hold strong in your beliefs and rely on your compassion. Uh, it also tends to involve romance. Or protecting or guarding someone. Something like that,” Nevyn had started confidently, but when she realized what she was saying she quickly became embarrassed. It wasn’t that she wasn’t confident in her relationship with Sel, far from it in fact. She was still just sometimes bashful around the Elezen; Sel was just so incredible and cool and pretty and Nevyn got overwhelmed very easily.

The smirk on Sel’s face only grew, “Mmm, something like that?”

“Mhm!” Nevyn’s voice squeaked; she cleared her throat and drew the last card.

“The Spire, umbral position,” Her eyes scanned the inverted card, embarrassment draining away as she considered what this meant. “There will be hardships and a drastic change. Not necessarily involving woe, but it will be challenging, maybe even scary. You will come out the other side transformed, and I’m using that word very vaguely, but you will have averted disaster.”

The two sat in silence for several beats, contemplating what this meant.

“So… that all seems about par for the course,” Sel commented, letting her head flop onto Nevyn’s hair, careful to avoid her horns. “We got back from the first what, a week ago? And you’re already predicting that I’m going to ‘avert disaster’?”

Nevyn hums in acknowledgement, pressing closer to Sel, but still eyeing the cards warily. The blue haired girlfriend wraps her arms around her smaller counterpart.

“But… I did meet a great female. The cutest female, actually,” Sel’s grin is back and Nevyn can only squeak in response. “And Twelve be damned, she’s the best Astrologian I’ve ever met.”

Chapter 40: Day 20: Hamper I

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Nevyn heaves the leather satchel and large tool box onto the workbench, letting both plop down with a sigh. Ideally, she would’ve had Sel or Thancred carrying the heavy tool box, but they were both busy elsewhere and Nevyn knew better than to ask Alphinaud to help her lift something cumbersome.

The Au Ra clambered up into the tall chair and set to work on modifying the satchel.

It had been a while since Nevyn had done any leathercrafting, but once she got immersed in her work she hardly noticed the door open and close along with the sound of footsteps approaching.

“What are you working on, Nev?” Sel’s face poked over Nevyn’s shoulder, causing the preoccupied Au Ra to squeak and jump in her chair, nearly toppling over.

“Sel! When did you get home?” Nevyn asked, clutching her chest as her heart rate slowly lowered.

“Just now,” was the response given, before Sel placed a quick kiss on Nevyn’s cheek. “Did I startle you?”

“Only a little,” the much smaller girlfriend replied, reaching out for Sel’s hand and threading her fingers through the longer digits. Her smile is bright and loving when she tilts her head back to look at Sel, “It’s okay though, I forgive you.”

Sel smiles back and moves to stand next to Nevyn, putting her free arm around her girlfriend. “Well, thank you, Merciful Mage. And I am sorry about scaring you, even if your squeak was adorable.”

Nevyn huffs a little at that and leans her head back to rest against Sel. She pouts up at the tall Elezen.

“Hey, I said I was sorry,” She pressed another kiss against Nevyn’s cheek. “Now will you tell me what you’re working on?”

“Okay, okay. I’m modifying Ehll Tou’s tool bag… belt… thing. It was made when she was much smaller so it’s been hampering her movements a bit. She wanted to do it herself but she's already got three other projects she’s working on.”

“Ehll Tou? The little dragon in the Firmament?”

“Mhm, I keep forgetting you haven’t met her yet. She’s recently had a… growth spurt. You should come with me when I bring it back! She would love to meet you!” Nevyn squeezed Sel’s hand, looking excited. “She’s been wanting to get into goldsmithing, but I don’t really have any experience in that.”

“Yeah, that would be nice. I’ve never taught goldsmithing to a dragon before, but from what you’ve told me she’s a quick learner.” Sel can’t help but smile at Nevyn’s excitement. “When are you heading back next?”

“A couple days, we’ve got time.”

“Perfect,” Before Nevyn realized what was happening, Sel swept the small Auri into her arms, smirking down at her. “That means you can take a break from working.”

Chapter 41: Day 20: Hamper II

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“I’ll be there in five, I’ve gotta finish the last touches of this weapon and I’ll be along.” Selecer’s voice crackled through the linkpearl into Nevyn’s ear. “Let Thancred and Urianger know, yeah?”

“I will! Love you.”

“Love you too, Nev.”

Nevyn smiled and looked to the other two Scions. “She’ll be here in five.”

Thancred shook his head, shrugging. “You would think being able to teleport across Eitherys would make it hard to be late, but here we are.”

“Show some sympathy, dear Thancred,” Urianger said. “Gods know she is kept busy enough by her daily obligations.”

“Sure enough, I suppose. I still find it impressive.” He turned to Nevyn. “I’m surprised she asked me along, seeing how she usually takes up the shield herself. Did she say what she was going to be using today?”

“She mentioned something about having met a ‘Troupe Falsaim?’ A dance troupe, if I remember correctly. They’re battle dancers, and I think she learned from them.”

“Ah, like Lyna, then. That should be interesting.” Thancred shook his head. “She never struck me as the type to enjoy something like that. Seems too… impersonal for her.”

A pair of footsteps running towards them caught all their attentions, and they turned to see Selecer running across the docks towards them, calling out, “sorry I’m late!” She was wearing a long black dress, a slit running from each side of the waist down along the full length of the skirt, with long flowing embroidered designs of a flowering tree running from her right shoulder along the front of the dress. A pair of chakrams hung from a thin golden cord wrapped around her waist, and her black thigh-high boots clacked along the stones of the dock.

“Ah. I see why she’s decided on this now.” Thancred turned back towards Nevyn, and sure enough, she was doing her best to hide her reddened face behind her hands. He looked back to Selecer as she slowed her pace and stood before the three. “Let’s hope your choice of attire doesn’t hamper your dear wife’s ability to cast.”

Selecer grinned at him. “What, like all those times I’ve caught you staring at Urianger?”

Thancred tried to stammer out a response, failing to string together anything coherent, and Urianger nonchalantly pulled out a card to hold up to his mouth as he turned his head away from the Warrior of Light. Selecer cackled, stepping over to her wife and leaning down to place a kiss on the top of her head.

Chapter 42: Day 21: Grave I

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Nevyn hated the cold. She loved coats and sweaters and blankets and being cozy, but sometimes it wasn't worth the cold just to bundle up.

The cold might be even worse now, but it might just be where she is.

The wind was biting at her skin as she stood facing the stone, her eyes traced over the engraving for the seemingly hundredth time. She knew that Haurchefant’s death was still recent, the wound still fresh and stinging, but not a day went by when she didn’t think about him.

He had taken the shot that was meant for her, the weakest of the group, and definitely would’ve killed her had it hit. She knew he wanted her to live and be happy and not wallow in guilt. She knew this, but knowing and believing didn’t seem to line up in her brain. It wasn’t supposed to be him, that shot was aimed at her. He didn’t have to push her out of the way to put his body in between the danger and her. That’s not how things were meant to go.

She could tell herself the same thing all day, every day; Haurchefant died so Nevyn could live. It stung the back of her throat.

This wasn’t the first time she had survivor’s guilt, but it had been over a decade since her parents were killed. Haurchefant had awakened all of those repressed emotions that she thought she had buried deep enough. The guilt that burned her stomach, the sorrow that strangled her heart; she didn’t know how she’d managed to hide all of those feelings away.

Snowflakes started gently drifting down onto her, pulling her out of the memory spiral she had been slowly falling into.

He wasn’t here anymore. If she didn’t pull herself together, she might as well be buried with him.

She put the flower that she’d made out of silk on the ground, tucked into the shield that was leaning on his grave. The blue of the silken petals popped against the red in the shield and the white of the scenery. Nevyn gave the stone a wave goodbye, tucked her chin down into her scarf, and turned to head back to Ishgard.

Chapter 43: Day 21: Grave II

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Selecer sat against the massive tree, a bottle of brandy in her hand as she swayed slowly with the breeze, humming a melody quietly to herself. It was a gnarled thing, twisted and rough with bark like cracked volcanic rock. Frankly, it was perfect for her mother.

About three years prior, Selecer’s mother died. It was sudden and painful, like most deaths. She was given two days by her commanding officer to bury her and grieve, so she went home. Family friends helped her with the arrangements, where to put all of her mother’s things and who would take care of the home now that both Selecer and her father wouldn’t be present. In all likelihood, Silas was happy as could be about the news of his wife’s death. There was no love lost between him and the two women in his family.

Selecer, on the other hand, was numb. For the two days, she just silently nodded to whatever was being suggested or told to her, going along with whatever was deemed necessary in the wake of her mother’s death. By the end of it, as all of the legal arrangements had been made, Selecer realized that she didn’t have enough money left to bury her mother in a casket.

She had gotten an idea from one of the others, who had been from Ala Mhigo during Garlemald’s occupation of the area. When the dead could not be given proper rites, they would instead wrap the deceased in linen with the seed of a tree in their hands. At least then there could still be a memorial for them.

It had been too long since she had visited, but the Scions moving into Ala Mhigo gave her the perfect opportunity. She hoped that her mother would understand, especially since Selecer had spent the past hour (drunkenly) explaining to the tree everything that had happened in those three years. She’d laughed, she’d cried, she got a little embarrassed when she started explaining how she’d found someone special she wanted to spend her life with. It would seem a little silly in retrospect, but it really felt like her mother was there next to her, taking all this in.

“You see?” she turned to the gnarled bark, resting her free hand against one of its roots. “It wasn’t all futile. I got here, despite everything.” She pushed herself off the ground, standing and dusting herself off. “And I’ll keep going. I’ll come back, and I’ll have a hundred more things to tell you each time I do. I promise, mom.”

She raised the bottle and whispered, “to those we can yet save.”

She took a long swig, then poured the rest of the bottle on the ground in front of her before walking away.

Chapter 44: Day 22: Fulsome I

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“Well, I’ve never tried to teach someone this, but I’d love to try.” Nevyn smiled her big, bright, beautiful smile. “Thaumaturgy is a very personal art, so I can set you on the right path, but it’s up to you to keep going.”

“And I will, love. Soon as I know what the hell I’m supposed to be doing.”

Nevyn laughed brightly, nodding. “Well, let’s show you. Did you get that scepter from the guild?” She took Selecer by the arm and showed her out to the fields where they could practice with little danger of Selecer accidentally burning anything down. Despite how inexperienced she was with thaumaturgy, Selecer was still a veritable fountain of aether, so the chances of her accidentally overcompensating and creating an unstable blaze were high.

When they got out to the center of the field, they sat together and Nevyn began to explain the philosophical underpinnings of thaumaturgy. As she had said earlier, it was an art of introspection. A thaumaturge needed to shape their understanding of themself in accordance with the aether within and around them. Fire required one to reflect on one’s passions and hopes, Ice on one’s regrets and reservations, and so on.

Within the hour, Selecer was already able to conjure basic Fires. The scepter in her hand thrummed with energy as she drilled the movements, conjuring flames to send into the ground. Soon enough, Nevyn was showing her how to call down shards of Ice and bolts of Lightning. As always, Selecer showed a prodigious aptitude for whatever she set her mind to.

As the sun started to set, Selecer twirled her scepter and hung it on a loop on her belt, turning to her girlfriend with a smile. “Well, I think we’re just about done for the day. Thanks for the lesson, Nev.”

Nevyn smiled bashfully, lowering her head and folding her hands behind her back. “You’re welcome. I don’t know if you needed my help, but-”

“Are you kidding? Do you really think I was gonna miss a chance to learn from the greatest mage I know?”

Nevyn looked up, a little surprised at Selecer’s insistence, but the elezen did not pause.

“I think I notice even more than you do, just how much you do for me. When we plunge into some horrid catacomb full of gods-know-what, it’s hard to overstate just how much comfort it brings me to have you at my back. Whatever wretched thing is going to lunge at me has but a few more seconds before you turn it into a pile of ash. You’re incredible, love, and I wouldn’t ask for anyone else to help me understand this.”

This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. Selecer rather liked to embarrass Nevyn with effusive praise, and this was just another in a long list of times she’d decided to do so. Nevyn giggled a little, tipping the brim of her wide hat to hide her face. With her not being able to see what the taller woman was doing, Selecer took advantage of it by leaning down, wrapping her arms around Nevyn, and picking her up in a massive hug, pulling Nevyn up so their faces were level. With a smile, she placed a kiss on Nevyn’s cheek, and the two stood in the middle of the field, staring at each other like the lovestruck idiots they were.

Of course, because they were out there staring at each other for so long, they got ambushed by a large and angry bear on the way home. But at least it was a good chance for Selecer to practice her thaumaturgy.

Chapter 45: Day 22: Fulsome II

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“Sel, are you alright? Did you get hit?” Nevyn had noticed that after defeating the retinue of soldiers, Sel had stayed turned away from her even when speaking.

“Y-yes, I’m fine,” Sel was uncharacteristically timid, seriously concerning her girlfriend.

Nevyn trotted around Sel, avoiding the axe that was larger than she was, and looked up at the Elezen, examining her face and looking for any injuries. She noticed that Sel had turned away from her and was looking up, so much so that Nevyn couldn’t even see her eyes.

“Sel? Look at me, please.”

Hesitantly, Sel glanced down and Nevyn got a look at her unnaturally red, glowing eyes. The blue haired woman looked worried, hesitant, and maybe even a little ashamed? Nevyn looked from her eyes, around her face, and down her body again, back up to her eyes. “You don’t look injured, are you feeling okay? Do your eyes hurt?”

“Hurt? What?” Sel’s expression turned confused, blinking a few times. “No. My eyes, don’t they— don’t they scare you?”

Now Nevyn was looking confused, still concerned, and reached up slowly to cup Sel’s cheek. “No? Not unless they’re hurting you? Did someone cast something on you? Is your vision alright?”

Sel just stared at her tiny girlfriend. Nevyn didn’t understand why Sel was giving her such a peculiar look and wouldn’t tell her what was wrong. She assumed the red eyes were bad? A popped blood vessel or something dangerous to her health.

After scrutinizing Nevyn for what felt like hours, Sel let out a huff of laughter and shook her head, closing her eyes. When they opened again, they were their regular, piercing blue.

“My eyes glow red like a demon and you’re worried it’s bad for my health?” She takes the hand that’s cupping her cheek in her own, much larger hand. “I’m fine, Nevyn. It’s… it’s a side effect of this job.”

Nevyn’s relief is immediate, and she smiles up at Sel. “That’s good, you had me worried there.”

“I am fine. I promise,” She leans into Nevyn’s hand, pressing a kiss to her palm.

The pink that begins creeping alone Nevyn’s cheeks nearly causes Sel to laugh. “G-good. That was really cool though, Sel. You’re incredible, you know that?”

It was Sel’s turn to flush lightly and give an awkward chuckle. “I don’t know about that. I’m still learning.”

“No way! Sel, you’re amazing! You swing that axe like it weighs nothing, and you can make your eyes glow red? That’s so cool! You’re so cool!” Nevyn emphatically responded. Her staff disappeared in a brief sparkle of light so she could bring her other hand up to Sel’s other cheek. “Twelve, you’re so talented and beautiful and smart and—”

Sel cut Nevyn off with a long kiss, partially because she was embarrassed and partly because she just loved this tiny woman so damn much.

When they parted, Nevyn was a little senseless, having been caught off guard. “I-wow. Uh. Wow.”

Sel giggled and picked up the Au Ra in a crushing hug, spinning around. It only took a moment for Nevyn to regain higher brain function and giggle as well, holding onto the Elezen. The two stayed in the hug for probably too long, but neither really cared.

Chapter 46: Day 23: Suit I

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“She suits you.”

“Hm?” Nevyn looked up from her lunch at the Lalafell that had sat opposite her.

“You and Selecer. You suit each other.” Pippin smiled at her, resting his arms on the table.

This isn’t what Nevyn had been expecting her childhood friend to bring up, she was a little surprised. “R-really?”

“Indeed. You two balance each other out. I think she’s good for you, and you for her.”

Nevyn just smiles a little and looks down at her plate, picking at her food. “That’s good. I… I really like her, Pipin.”

The earnestness in Nevyn’s voice made the Lalafell’s smile turn fond. He had once thought he might have a crush on Nevyn, back when they were both young. The Au Ra could be very dense, so Nevyn didn’t notice any time Pipin had attempted to flirt poorly. Now, he was very glad she hadn’t picked up on that. It had only been a brief time, but he had strong feelings for her, and had misinterpreted those feelings as romance. He knew now that the feeling had been camaraderie and something like a familial love. Neither had many friends as a poor child in Ul’dah, and had struck up a friendship that lasted even after Pipin had joined the Immortal Flames and been away for so long.

Seeing Nevyn with Selecer had concerned him at first. Nevyn had a big heart, and tended to wear it on her sleeve and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. The Garlean defector could easily hurt the small Mage, but after observing them for a time and seeing the two in battle, he could safely put those fears to rest.

His smile turned into a smirk, “Just remember, Evyn; she makes you cry and I’ll break her kneecaps… and then her elbows.”

Chapter 47: Day 23: Suit II

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“Charmion, my love! I have returned, and with a surprise.” Azem swung the door open, twirling inside with a flourish as though there was an audience awaiting her. There was not, not even her beloved.

“I’m in here, Helios.” Charmion’s voice came from a room to the side, sounding quite tired. She was likely working, as she usually was. Azem hoped to put an end to that, so she swung through the doorway and swayed towards the tall-backed chair Charmion sat on, papers sprawled out over her lap and the table in front of her. Azem leaned down over the chair and placed a kiss on the top of Charmion’s head.

“You seem buried. What vexes you?”

“One of Lahabrea’s understudies has sent in something to be held in Elpis for a time. I’ve been asked to review its security.”

“Well, if it’s one of Lahabrea’s fellows, they should just send it to Pandaemonium already. They never behave.” Azem started to idly card her hand through Charmion’s hair, noticing how she unconsciously leaned back towards Azem’s touch.

“There was the Io. That one was… sufficiently non-dangerous.”

“Ah, yes. The 20 foot tall beast with horns large enough to rip a boulder in half and can call down meteors. Practically a puppy.”

Charmion laughed, leaning back in the chair. “Perhaps to you, love.” She looked up with a smile, before doing a double take, noticing something odd. “What… are you wearing?”

Azem grinned, twirling around the chair to present herself. She wore a charcoal black double-breasted coat jacket with brass buttons, intricately carved with what looked to be solar imagery, alongside a pair of pleated black pants and dark brown leather shoes. To the Amaurotines, it was an exceedingly eccentric outfit, far removed from the practical robes near everyone wore.

“Do you remember those people I told you of far to the west, on that volcanic island? They tailored this for me on my latest visit.” Azem turned to give a profile view, flicking her ponytail over a shoulder and giving a smile to Charmion. “I think it looks quite nice.”

Charmion giggled into her hand, shaking her head. “It certainly suits your style.”

“Ooh! I should get them to make one for you!”

“I-! That won’t be necessary, thank you!” Charmion discarded the papers to the side, and stood to move towards Azem as though she would need to restrain her to stop her from enacting that plan. It was, admittedly, not an unfair assumption, considering Azem’s mercurial nature.

“Aww, come now. I think you would look very handsome.” Azem moved towards Charmion in turn, taking her love’s hands in her own and leaning her head down towards her.

“I think it will be well enough to just see you in this attire.” Charmion leaned her forehead against Azem’s. “You do look quite handsome, though.”

“That is nice to hear.” Azem brought a hand under Charmion’s chin and pressed a kiss against her lips.

Chapter 48: Day 24: Translation I

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“I don’t mean to alarm you, but our new recruit has been staring quite intently at you,” Thancred casually brings up, nearly causing Nevyn to choke on her tea.

Once Nevyn’s airway has cleared, she manages to say, “I’m sorry?”

“Oh, I’ve just noticed Selecer pays quite a lot of attention to you. Although, the intensity of her gaze makes me think you’ve offended her.” Thancred crossed his arms, eyeing the pale Au Ra.

Nevyn’s eyes widen and she tries to casually glance around the room, spotting the tall Elezen easily among the other Scions. Sure enough, Selecer’s piercing blue gaze was practically boring holes into Nevyn’s head. Once spotted, the lancer quickly looked away, seemingly engrossed with whatever papers were in her hand.

“You… you think?” Nevyn says with a small voice. She’s dealt with bullies through most of her childhood and teenage years, but it never seemed to get easier.

The beginner thaumaturge wasn’t a confrontational person, so she was already planning the best ways to avoid the Elezen. Selecer was very tall, and Nevyn was shorter than the average Au Ra, so she could use that to her advantage. Maybe Tataru could help, she seemed nice…

Nevyn snaps out her thoughts when Thancred shrugs and replies, “Maybe. She’s hard to read.”

“I wish I knew what I did,” Nevyn said dejectedly, wilting in her seat a little. She resisted the urge to glance back at the blue haired woman, but could practically feel her gaze burning the side of her head. “We haven’t even spoken much.”

“Hm, I can try and find out, wouldn’t want our two newest at odds with each other.”

“If it’s not too much trouble…” Nevyn looks hesitant to encourage the rogue.

Thancred waves his hand, as if shooing away the gloom that had begun surrounding the thaumaturge. “No trouble at all. I’ve been meaning to get to know her, perhaps I’ll be able to translate her mysterious gaze for you.”

Nevyn manages a small smile, at least she had one friend among the Scions willing to go out of their way for her. She hoped that one day Selecer could be her friend too.

Chapter 49: Day 24: Translation II

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“Selecer! I hope you aren’t too engrossed in what you’re doing.” Selecer looked up from the reports on Amaljaa activity in Thanalan to see Thancred approaching with a good-natured smile. She wasn’t the best with names, but Thancred’s was easy, and he left quite the impression. She shook her head in reply, putting the papers on a stand to the side.

“Wondrous! I was hoping you might assist me with something.” He pulled a chair close to the pillar Selecer was leaning against, sitting with his front to its back and leaning his elbows against the top of it. “See, Minfilia’s gathering groups for a few excursions. We already know who’s on the next one to La Noscea, but we need to start planning on dealing with some of the other primal activity. We’re making up the roster, and we need to make sure there’s no complications between personnel. So I’d like to ask you a few questions in that regard.”

Selecer was pretty sure she was keeping up with everything he was saying. Her grasp of the Eorzean language was getting better and better. She nodded. “Sure. Ask.”

“Perfect. First, regarding Papalymo and Yda. They were the first of the Scions to run into you, yes?”

“Yes. The Ixali weapon, I remember. They are fun.”

“They are. I assume you’re getting along well with them?”

“Yes. They save their… bickering for each other. They are very kind.”

“Grand. Yes, they are quite amicable, at least when Papalymo isn’t scolding Yda over this or that.”

“It is usually deserved.” Selecer smiled, recalling the hyur’s tendency towards reckless antics. She understood that tendency quite well.

“Ha! Quite true. Now, someone else: Nevyn. You’ve spoken a bit, if I remember correctly?”

“Yes. She was here when I was first recruited.”

“Any friction there?”

Selecer raised an eyebrow, tilting her head. “No?”

“Really? No slight she has caused to you that would cause you to, say, stare at her from across the room?” He leaned forward, tilting the chair’s front legs off the ground.

“I- ah.” Selecer tilted her head down, covering her mouth with her hand. “No. Nothing like that.”

“That’s good to hear.” He leaned in a little more. “So why are you-”

“Thancred, do not continue. Else I will have an issue with one of the Scions.”

Thancred laughed, leaning his chair back so all feet were on the ground. He continued asking about other Scions, all of whom Selecer liked well enough so far. She hadn’t been here very long, so Thancred wasn’t surprised she didn’t have any conflicts with them. Still, it was good reassurance, and he could report to Nevyn what he’d deciphered from her hard-to-read personality.

“Well, it’s good to hear you’re settling in alright. Be sure to let Minfillia know if there is a problem that does arise, alright?”

Selecer nodded. “Sure. Thank you. Please pass my apology to Nevyn, yes?”

Thancred stood, stretching his arms above his head. “I could. Or you could do it yourself.” He looked to her and winked.

“You…” She looked at him for a long moment. “You weren’t helping with a roster at all, were you?”

Thancred laughed, turning to walk away. “You’ll never know.”

Chapter 50: Day 25: Call it a Day I

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Selecer gingerly opened the door, leaning her head around it to peer inside. She could see Nevyn sitting at her workbench, slumped over a little and drowsily trying to keep working. It just figures. She told Nevyn that she should be resting right now, she’d been running herself ragged trying to get a large number of orders done for the Weaver’s Guild. But here she was.

“Nev? How’s it going?”

Nevyn jumped in her seat, turning to Selecer with a tired smile. “Hey, Sel. I’m almost done.” She was definitely not almost done. Selecer couldn’t tell what the bolt of cloth on the table was supposed to be.

“You mean you are done, right?” Selecer walked up to the table, wrapping her arms around her.

“Noooo, I gotta finish this scarf.” Nevyn whined as she reached towards the cloth, not quite able to reach.

“Oh, that’s supposed to be a scarf. I couldn’t tell.”

Nevyn pouted at Sel. “Just five minutes. I’m almost done.”

“Nev, you gotta call it a day. You’re falling asleep in your chair, love. At least sleep with me on the couch.”

“But I can’t work on the scarf from the couch!”

“You are going to work on it tomorrow. Come on.” Sel lowered her arms to Nevyn’s stomach and lifted her out of the chair, giggling at Nevyn’s gasp of surprise as she did. “And I’ll tell you what. I’ll help you tomorrow, alright? Remember, I’m a pretty good weaver too.”

Nevyn sputtered for a second, trying to muster an indignant response before settling into Selecer’s arms. “Mmmm… fine.”

Chapter 51: Day 25: Call it a Day II

Chapter Text

“Seeeeeeel, come to bed.”

The aforementioned Elezen blinked several times before looking at the clock and then turning to see her wife standing in the doorway. Nevyn’s small frame was absolutely swallowed by the quilt she had wrapped around herself. Her hair was pulled into a messy braid and she looked just a few seconds from falling asleep. She was f*cking adorable.

“I’m almost done, Nev. Five more minutes.”

Nevyn pouted and padded across the wooden floor. She regretted not putting on socks or slippers, her feet were getting cold. “That’s what you said an hour ago. Sel, you need to sleep.”

She wasn’t wrong, it was far later than Sel intended to stay up, but she had gotten lost in her work. The Warrior of Light was conflicted; on one hand, she really was almost done! On the other, her wife was sleepy and adorable and Sel wanted nothing more than to join the small Au Ra in her quilt burrito. She knew Nevyn would try to stay up until Sel came to bed, and her wife did not function well on little sleep.

Exhaustion and impatience won out for Nevyn, she let the blanket fall on the floor and climbed into Sel’s lap, much like a cat would. Her soft pajamas were still warm from the blanket, but Sel knew that Nevyn would soon grow chilled in the cool Ishgardian air.

“Sel, bed, now.” Nevyn practically demanded as she wrapped her arms around her wife and tucked her head into Sel’s clavicle.

A chuckle escaped Sel and she kissed the top of Nevyn’s head. “Well, when you put it like that…” She leaned over to grab the blanket and throw it over her shoulders, before standing with the sleepy Au Ra securely in her arms. Sel quietly turned off the light in the office and took the two of them to the bedroom.

Chapter 52: Day 26: Last I

Chapter Text

Day 26: Last
With a jolt, Nevyn was ripped from the nightmare she had been trapped in. She tried to sit up, but immediately groaned in pain. Zenos did quite a number on her, just based on the amount of bandages covering her body and the throbbing pain she felt from seemingly everywhere.
“Sel! Y’shtola!” Nevyn suddenly remembered why she was in so much pain and tried to sit up again, but small hands on her shoulders stopped her.
“They’re fine, Nevyn. They’re both going to be fine,” Krile attempted to soothe the panicked Au Ra. It took a moment for her words to register in Nevyn’s mind, but when they did she visibly relaxed back into the bed with a sigh.
“Good, good. Where—?”
“Sel is right here,” Krile gestured to the other side of Nevyn’s bed, where the Elezen was asleep in a chair. Her face was bandaged, but that seemed to be the worst of her injuries. At least, that Nevyn could see. “Shtola is in the other bed.”

The Miqo’te woman looked significantly worse than Sel, probably even worse than Nevyn. She was alive though, her chest rising and falling steadily.

Nevyn sighed and closed her eyes. Somehow, she had lasted long enough against Zenos; Sel had arrived and saved the day. She knew, for certain, that if her girlfriend hadn’t showed up when she did, both Nevyn and Y’shtola would be dead.

“You fractured three ribs, sustained several deep lacerations and skin avulsions, and lost a lot of blood. You’re lucky you didn’t puncture a lung.” Krile sat on the edge of her bed, gently putting a hand on Nevyn’s non-injured leg. “In particular, there was a fairly serious avulsion to your calf - a piece of skin tissue was torn away and the bone beneath was fractured.”

Nevyn brought a bandaged arm up to cover her eyes, “Am I better off than Y’shtola?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Nevyn could hear the exhaustion in Krile’s voice. “There were heavy casualties on both sides, but you and Shtola are the worst off.”

A weary smile spread across Nevyn’s face and she turned her head to look over at the sleeping Sel. “And Sel? Is she…?”

“She’ll have to wear the bandages for quite a while, and likely an eyepatch afterwards. Zenos cut deep, but nothing life threatening,” It was Krile’s turn to sigh as she looked over as well. “She might lose the eye.”

Guilt began to creep its way into Nevyn’s chest, if she had only been better at fighting…

“Stop it.” Krile poked one of Nevyn’s bandages, causing Nevyn to squeak and look at her with wide, silver eyes. “I know that look. Don’t you dare go blaming yourself. You saved Y’shtola’s life, you did the best you could against an enemy that even the Champion of Eorzea struggled against. You should be proud, Nevyn.”

Nevyn just stared at the Lalafell, blinking as she digested what Krile said. She knew, deep down, that agonizing over what had already happened was a fruitless endeavor. That didn’t make it any less difficult to believe though. She looked over at Sel again, sleeping peacefully.

“I… you’re right, I know you are. It’s going to take me a while to accept that though,” Glancing over and seeing Krile’s stern face, she quickly amended. “I will try, I promise. I just need time. That was… it was a lot.”

Krile’s face softened at that, “Good. And if I hear of any more coming from you, I’m going to strap you to this bed and let Sel have her way with you.”

Nevyn’s face went bright red at that and she sputtered, “Krile!”

The Lalafell giggled as Sel began to stir, awoken by Nevyn’s embarrassed squeaking. The Au Ra could only hide her face in her hands as she tried to calm the flush on her face, unwilling to let her girlfriend see how Krile absolutely destroyed her.

Chapter 53: Day 26: Last II

Chapter Text

Selecer was doing her best to wish time would stop its forward march. She had brought Nevyn out to a cliff in Othard, overlooking the Ruby Sea. It was a vista she had found during the liberation of Doma, and since then she had always wished to bring Nevyn along with her to see it. A day ago, the two had gotten married, and now seemed as good a time as any to bring her here. She had brought Nevyn on a tour of all her favorite places, whether Nevyn had been there before or not. But this spot was special.

It was all the view, to be perfectly honest. The Ruby Sea looked like it could stretch across the rest of the star with how its crystal waters consumed the horizon, and when the sun set over the waters, it looked as though the entire sea was ablaze. The cliff sat on the edge of an island with absolutely nothing to block the view of the sea. It was perfect.

But that wasn’t what she couldn’t stop staring at.

The two sat at the edge of the cliff. Selecer’s arms hung loosely on Nevyn’s shoulders, forehead leaned against hers, swaying slowly as Sel hummed a quiet tune. They had stayed like this for half an hour, and yet Selecer wanted this moment to last forever. So much has happened, so much pain and loss and death, and yet here, Selecer found herself unable to regret anything. Nevyn was here with her, and that was all she could think about.

Selecer was brought out of her reverie by Nevyn giggling. “You look like you’re thinking real hard, Sel.”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. You know what I’m thinking about?”

“Hmmmm…” Nevyn furrowed her brow as though she were thinking seriously. “What we’re gonna do for dinner?”

“Yeah. I’m staring at the most beautiful woman in Eitherys and I’m thinking about dinner.”

Nevyn laughed, pulling down slightly to hide her face. Selecer ran a hand under Nevyn’s chin and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

“I will do you the favor of not telling the joke that just came to my head. I don’t need you to be a blushing mess right now.”

Nevyn looked up to Selecer, giving her puppy-dog eyes that made her heart melt just as much as it made her laugh.

Gods, she loved this woman.

Chapter 54: Day 27: Sole I

Chapter Text

“Why do you kick so much?” Estinien’s question came completely out of left field, as most of the things he said tended to do. As they tread through Alzadaal’s Legacy, Selecer turned to him, tilting her head.

“How do you mean?”

“I can’t imagine kicks are an incredibly efficient form of attack. You’re already giving yourself a disadvantage in not bringing a weapon.”

“Do I seem like I’ve been at a disadvantage so far?” Selecer’s incredulity turned to well-natured offense.

Heplfully, Thancred chimed in. “By my count, she’s five over your count so far in kills.”

Estinien grunted in annoyance. “Is that why Nevyn is having trouble keeping you healed? You’re paying more attention to us than keeping yourself alive?”

“I’m not having trouble!” Nevyn whined, holding the plainsphere over her hand. “These fish hit really hard, but I’m keeping up.”

“None of this answers my question! Why all the kicking?”

“Because it’s fun.” Selecer grinned at the Dragoon.

“... you’re kidding.”

“Nope! It’s fun as hell. I love slamming my heel into some jackass’ head.”

“Nothing in your monk order’s teachings talking about hitting people with your leg?”

“Well, they use it for exercise and discipline and sh*t. But that’s not the reason I do it. I do it ‘cause it’s fun.”

“Literally any other answer would have been more satisfying.”

Selecer laughed, leaning her head back as her cackling echoed through the halls. “Tell you what, Estinien. Next group of things this hellhole has to throw at us, I will only kick them, just for you.”

Estinien’s groan was drowned out by the laughter of Thancred and Nevyn. “Why are you the way that you are?”

True to her word, when a large group of sea creatures lunged at Thancred, Selecer did nothing but kick the assemblage of sharks and fish. She did make something of a hobby of annoying Estinien. It wasn’t difficult, to be fair, but she was quite good at it.

Chapter 55: Day 27: Sole II

Chapter Text

The Syndicate was throwing some kind of fancy party for their fancy clients and sponsors. This meant that the Weaver’s Guild was busy for weeks with orders for expensive formalwear. So, Nevyn was busy for weeks, even bringing work home from the guild to work on in her apartment.

The Weavers Guild of Ul’dah was filled with competent, moderately-to-extremely talented people. Redolent Rose was picky, and only accepted the best work. He would make anyone in the guild redo their work if it didn’t meet his standards. Nevyn was good, but she wasn’t perfect, and she had to ride the fine line between working quickly and producing the highest quality product she could.

Sometimes the Weavers would work together and collaborate on projects; someone would cut the fabric, another would pin the pieces together, and then hand them off to someone else to get stitched. An event as large as this one meant that everyone had multiple garments that they had to get done by the deadline, there was no extra labor to go around.

Thus, Nevyn was working solo on multiple projects and often found herself getting lost in her work.

Naturally, her girlfriend used this to her advantage and would simply pick her little Auri girlfriend up and deliver her to the dinner table or bed or the couch so she could take a f*cking break.

“Seeeeeeel,” Nevyn whined as she was bodily lifted out of her chair and away from the embroidery she had been hunched over for the past several hours. “I’m almost done!”

“You’ve said that every night for the past week, Nev. You need to eat and sleep, love.” Sel made her way over to their couch, where two warm plates were waiting for them. “I don’t have anything I need to do tomorrow, so I can help again.”

“Really? You sure?” Nevyn looked up at her girlfriend with big, loving eyes.

“Yep,” Sel sat the two on the couch and handed Nevyn a plate. She picked up her own, significantly larger, plate and smiled down at the Au Ra.

Nevyn grinned up at Sel, leaned up and kissed her on the cheek before settling back into the couch, leaning against the Elezen. “Thanks, Sel.”

Chapter 56: Day 28: Blunt I

Chapter Text

“Really? You want to send this… sad child out?”

Nevyn actually huffed indignantly at that. She may have been short for an Au Ra, but she was not a child.

Lyna just rose an eyebrow at Nevyn’s expression and looked back at the Exarch, who sighed, “Nevyn is a very capable mage, trust me. I would not send her out if I did not have faith in her.”

The Auri continued to sulk and frown at the Viera. This wasn’t their first time meeting, although it might’ve been the first time they’ve said more than polite ‘hello’s to each other. It also probably didn’t help that the first time they met Nevyn had been sobbing and homesick.

The first few months Nevyn spent on the First were difficult. There were a lot of tears, heartache, and even some vain attempts at getting back to the Source. At first, Nevyn had held out hope that Sel would show up, as she always did, and sweep Nevyn into her arms.

As the days went by, that hope dwindled. Nevyn would wake up and pray that Sel would be there, but she never was.

The Exarch tried, of course, but it was slow going. He was a good friend though, always visiting Nevyn and trying to get her out of the depression she had fallen into. This latest attempt involved him asking her to assist in clearing out some of the Sin Eaters around the Crystarium. Nevyn agreed, because she was terrible at saying no and she felt she owed this settlement something for feeding and housing her.

She didn’t expect to be called a child right off the bat.

Movement in the violet foliage caught Nevyn’s eye and she looked to the Exarch, still frowning, “One moment please.”

She marched out of the wooden fortress until she spotted the Sin-Eater. It was a lanky, winged thing with spindly arms and fingers like spider legs. She held back a shiver and simply focused her Aether on the spells she planned on casting.

That, at least, hadn’t changed. Her magic still worked, one comforting thing about this place.

The creature barely had time to notice her before it was encased in a large spire of ice. A moment later, a flash of snow white lightning caused the ice to crack and the Sin-Eater was shattered, frozen bits spraying across the ground in a surprisingly beautiful display of light and prismatic ice. She turned to look at Lyna and the Exarch.

A muscle in Lyna’s jaw twitched, “Fine.”

Chapter 57: Day 28: Blunt II

Chapter Text

“When are you going to marry Nevyn?”

Selecer blinked at the question. Shtola has always had a very blunt cadence. Eloquent, yes, but she was not one to mince words. Still, this one caught her off guard. “I’m sorry?”

“You have been dancing around it for a long time. You’re hesitating. It’s quite unlike you.”

Selecer chuckled, scratching the back of her neck. “Well, it’s more complex than hesitation. I wasn’t hesitating, I was planning. It was going to be a whole… thing.”

Shtola tilted her head towards Selecer. “Really? Tell me.”

“Oh. Uh.” After a second, Selecer smiled, shaking her head. “We were going to start in Ishgard. I was going to bring her to different places, and talk about how much she’s helped me. How much she means to me. We were gonna start in front of Fortemps Manor.”

As Selecer started to talk through the circuitous route she had planned to cut through Eorzea leading up to her proposing to Nevyn, Shtola looked to the Warrior of Light. She could only see her soul, and she lamented how such beautiful words came from something that, to her, looked so monstrous. At the center of the mass of corrupted light she could see was a face that looked as though it was carved from marble, eyes closed and mouth open in silent, pained screams. If she squinted, the face almost looked like it belonged to Selecer. Surrounding the head, in a formless mass that stretched across what Shtola assumed was the rest of her body, was a mass of arms. Claws, hands, talons, outstretched and reaching ever up towards the literal figurehead at the peak, always moving towards it. When they reach the top, they grasp and grip and rip and tear fruitlessly, before withering and dying, falling uselessly to the bottom, before rising again to make its way to the top.

She could see, in the space where a person should be, a world dying. And the death of a world was telling Shtola about how she wanted to propose to her girlfriend.

“The last bit was going to be Gridania. We’d head back, and I’d take her to the edge of the lake, and that’s where I’d ask. When I took the airship out to go to the other city states, I looked over that lake, and it was the first time I thought that I could call Eorzea home.”

Shtola nodded with a smile. “And how long have you had this plan in your head?”

“... since Doma.”

The sorceress stood, looking down on the horrific mass of pain in front of her. She wanted to reach out, place her hand on her friend’s shoulder. But she could not bring herself to reach forward. She knew that Nevyn would fulfill that role for her regardless, and to a far better degree than her. So she simply turned to walk away, and gave one parting thought.

“You don’t know when things will end, Selecer. You should claim your happiness while you can.”

Selecer sat there for a long while after Shtola left. With everything that had been happening on the first, thinking straight had been difficult enough already. Talking through everything, though…

Gods, she was a fool.