The carriage stopped to let on another passenger. Sayano was already half asleep by the repetitive motion and sounds of its movement, and the moment of silence and stillness lulled her the rest of the way, sinking away from the desert air and into the memory of a cool night, five years ago.
Rounaut and his fellow adventurer Argus had been in their company from the moment they had crossed the Eorzean border, and Rounaut and Sayano had been nearly instantly smitten with one another. Tonight found them in the shadow of some large rocks near the family wagon, curled up in one another's arms. Rounaut hadn't quite finished growing into his long Elezen limbs, and they wrapped around her awkwardly, though he'd managed to get into a position to play with her long silvery-blonde ponytail.
But where in reality he'd made some remark about how close they were to Ul'dah, and how he wished they would never part despite his business there, he said, "We were foolish."
"I'm sorry?"
"To think this meant anything more. You were my first love, and I yours. But how can true love blossom when we travel with entirely different goals?" A red glow settled upon the land and shone harshly on his face, growing more intense and darkening the shadows of his slender countenance until he looked sinister as any voidsent. "How, dear Sayano, can anything beautiful blossom with that monstrosity in the sky?"
Her gaze turned upwards, to the ominous glow of Dalamud hanging low, far too low.
All at once, it exploded into a burst of a million fireballs, in the center a draconic face of flame laughing down at her and as her legs moved almost of their own accord to flee, they were not in the wilds of Thanalan but the streets of Ul'dah, choking on the breath of the dozen morbols that had broken through the gates as they hurried for shelter. Everyone but the tallest, Rounaut's retainer Strongarm, held another's hand as they navigated the stinking miasma, bodies sluggish and unresponsive. Only Argus's healing spells provided any relief, the old man himself visible through the fog in his obnoxious shocking pink garb. When anyone lost hold of someone's hand, it was Argus or Strongarm they found, and between them, the Gakunin family and their escorts stayed together.
Someone yelled at them to "get inside", though Sayano never saw inside where, only a door into pitch darkness that they all tumbled into. All but Argus, who stood silhouetted against the flames raging from the battle with the morbols outside and the harsh red moonlight.
"Argus, get inside!" Rounaut shouted.
"I cannot," Argus replied, his voice far calmer than it ought to be. "It is a healer's role to protect those in battle, not lie in hiding."
"You'll all die! Argus!" As he called his name, the conjurer fled, vanishing from sight immediately. Sayano caught Rounaut around the waist and Strongarm blocked his master's path, a looming Xaela hulk in the darkness that obscured the battle from view.
The doors slammed shut.
Somehow, their wagon survived. The air was thick with dust and the stench of death as Sayano sat as close to the back as she dared, clutching the clockwork doll and weathered hora Rounaut had given her. The young pugilist himself stood at the gates, his eyes locked on hers as he watched them go. Somehow, they looked much older than the sixteen years they had seen.
"I told you we were fools," he whispered, his voice carrying clear as if he'd shouted. His face blurred in her teary vision, watery ripples fading to white and the rocking of the family wagon becoming like turbulent waves that calmed as the white smoothed into intensely crystal clear blue, and then the light-speckled void of night, wrapping her mind in a confused serenity.
A voice rang out, powerful and soothing. "Hear..."
A Dream
Rounaut and his fellow adventurer Argus had been in their company from the moment they had crossed the Eorzean border, and Rounaut and Sayano had been nearly instantly smitten with one another. Tonight found them in the shadow of some large rocks near the family wagon, curled up in one another's arms. Rounaut hadn't quite finished growing into his long Elezen limbs, and they wrapped around her awkwardly, though he'd managed to get into a position to play with her long silvery-blonde ponytail.
But where in reality he'd made some remark about how close they were to Ul'dah, and how he wished they would never part despite his business there, he said, "We were foolish."
"I'm sorry?"
"To think this meant anything more. You were my first love, and I yours. But how can true love blossom when we travel with entirely different goals?" A red glow settled upon the land and shone harshly on his face, growing more intense and darkening the shadows of his slender countenance until he looked sinister as any voidsent. "How, dear Sayano, can anything beautiful blossom with that monstrosity in the sky?"
Her gaze turned upwards, to the ominous glow of Dalamud hanging low, far too low.
All at once, it exploded into a burst of a million fireballs, in the center a draconic face of flame laughing down at her and as her legs moved almost of their own accord to flee, they were not in the wilds of Thanalan but the streets of Ul'dah, choking on the breath of the dozen morbols that had broken through the gates as they hurried for shelter. Everyone but the tallest, Rounaut's retainer Strongarm, held another's hand as they navigated the stinking miasma, bodies sluggish and unresponsive. Only Argus's healing spells provided any relief, the old man himself visible through the fog in his obnoxious shocking pink garb. When anyone lost hold of someone's hand, it was Argus or Strongarm they found, and between them, the Gakunin family and their escorts stayed together.
Someone yelled at them to "get inside", though Sayano never saw inside where, only a door into pitch darkness that they all tumbled into. All but Argus, who stood silhouetted against the flames raging from the battle with the morbols outside and the harsh red moonlight.
"Argus, get inside!" Rounaut shouted.
"I cannot," Argus replied, his voice far calmer than it ought to be. "It is a healer's role to protect those in battle, not lie in hiding."
"You'll all die! Argus!" As he called his name, the conjurer fled, vanishing from sight immediately. Sayano caught Rounaut around the waist and Strongarm blocked his master's path, a looming Xaela hulk in the darkness that obscured the battle from view.
The doors slammed shut.
Somehow, their wagon survived. The air was thick with dust and the stench of death as Sayano sat as close to the back as she dared, clutching the clockwork doll and weathered hora Rounaut had given her. The young pugilist himself stood at the gates, his eyes locked on hers as he watched them go. Somehow, they looked much older than the sixteen years they had seen.
"I told you we were fools," he whispered, his voice carrying clear as if he'd shouted. His face blurred in her teary vision, watery ripples fading to white and the rocking of the family wagon becoming like turbulent waves that calmed as the white smoothed into intensely crystal clear blue, and then the light-speckled void of night, wrapping her mind in a confused serenity.
A voice rang out, powerful and soothing. "Hear..."