It's a desert out there!

Asher Devereux made his way downstairs to the library and adjoined combat room. His brows were furrowed, and he was armed with a wooden tray that had sushi, prepared potstickers and buns resting upon it. Two sets of chopsticks resided, one on each side of the tray. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs upon seeing Layla, freezing as he examined her. Every muscle in his body was tense for a moment, but it was just that; a moment. When it passed, he continued on and made his way over towards the fire she had situated herself in front of. "Hey," he murmured quietly, smiling down to her before he extended the tray down in offering. "Food?"

Layla Locklear looked up, jerking her head to the side at the sound of Asher's voice. Her eyes were wide, staring into the fire, that is until they turned on him. She bit her lip and forced a smile. "Hey." She said, moving her hands to rest in her lap, one clutching the other.

He resisted the impulse to frown, instead, he maintained a soft smile for the woman. "I made your favorite... As best as I could, anyway." He settled himself down on the floor beside her, placing the wooden tray of food in front of them. "I'm not well practiced in the culinary arts of Doma... But I hope I did alright." He looked back towards Layla and shifted his gaze down towards her hands, inhaling deeply before he sighed. "Are you feeling better?"

Layla turned her head, shaking it side to side lightly. "No." She said, eyes turning from him, from the fire, down to her hands. Her fingers twisted and twirled over one and other. Nervous? Uncomfortable? She didn't say. "You don't have to sit with me." She finally said, allowing that long pregnant pause between them to finally subside. It was then, though, that her eyes moved to the food. "I feel like I haven't eaten in weeks." Had she?

Asher gave a slow nod and turned his gaze to settle upon the fire. Each individual lick of flame was observed as he considered his next words. Eventually, he sighed, nodded his head, and cleared his throat. "I know." He looked back towards Layla, peering at her from the corner of his eyes, glimmering with painful uncertainty. He reached out for her, curling his gloved fingers over the top of her stacked hands. "I made a lot..." he offered, his smile growing somewhat, even genuinely. It was the truth, the tray was covered in different assortments of sushi from the hostelry that they had enjoyed in Kugane... Or, well, Asher's imitation of them. Buns resided on each corner, and several plates of potstickers were present between them all. There was a lot there... He'd truly gone above and beyond in food preparation. But it was always easier to cook than think. "I hope you won't mind sharing some of it with me?"

Layla jerked her hand back quickly. Too quickly. At first, she had not noticed he was gloved, but it didn't matter. She didn't trust him, or herself, for that matter. It was a familiar feeling, not trusting herself, and she was caught off guard by not only the feeling but that she didn't really know why. She shoved her hands into the long robe she wore, pulling a pair of thick, black gloves free. Each hand was slipped into the gloves and then placed into her lap again. "I know I make you uncomfortable." She finally said, whispering the words. It was then that her eyes finally settled on the tray of sushi and other items. She. Was. Starving. So, so starving.

Asher froze for a moment as Layla jerked her hands away beneath the cover of her robe. He furrowed his brows and gently pursed his lips, worry overtaking him for a moment. "You don't make me uncomfortable," he murmured, pulling his hand back to his knee and settling his gaze upon the tray of abundantly full Doman cuisine. "I... Make me uncomfortable around you." He wrinkled his nose at the explanation and shook his head. "I don't trust myself." Those last words came out as a low whisper, hardly uttered. Just loud enough for her to hear. He paused again, letting only the crackling of the fire remain between the two of them before he plucked up a set of chopsticks. He extended them out to her and lofted a brow. "Food?"

Layla furrowed her brow, chewing on the inside of her cheek. She lifted a hand, taking the chopsticks. She moved them, clutching them in a closed fist, back into her lap. "What does that even mean?" She asked, shaking her head as she looked over at him again. "You pulled away from me cause I was drai--" Her head shook from side to side again, fingers wrapping hard around the chopsticks she still held, nearly breaking them.

Asher bit his lip gently and canted his head to the side as Layla posed her question. It was a good question. One that he wasn't sure he really had the answer to. "Bad dreams," he tried to explain feebly, plucking up the other set of chopsticks. He couldn't bring himself to pick at the food he'd prepared, not yet... Not after Layla had finished speaking. "I would let you drain me," he said, almost emotionlessly as he shrugged. "I don't want to be without you, not in this life... Not in the next." He sighed and finally plucked up a single piece of raw tuna draped across a slab of rice. "When you stumbled... You surprised me. It was a lot at first, but I would put up with it, even though I know you don't or wouldn't want me to."

Layla Locklear almost didn't let him finish. She was up, on her knees, and turning to face him faster than she should have been. It was almost inhuman. The moment she was up on her knees, staring him down with intense blue eyes, she pushed him. Not just a normal push, but a hard, heavy-handed shove. "Are you a fucking idiot?" She asked him, eyes lit with a bluish flame. It lasted only a moment though, and before he would even have time to react to the shove, she was slumped back down beside him as she had been before.

Asher lurched to the side with Layla's heavy-handed shove. It was hard, it wasn't what he'd come to expect from her usual playful self, but it still wasn't quite enough to knock him off balance. Not truly. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Probably," he murmured and recentered himself. His piece of sushi had escaped his chopsticks during the shove, and it fell just off to the side of the tray on the ground, pieces of rice broken off to surround the tuna. Luckily there was a lot already. "You're not diminished in my eyes, Layla... I'm just happy that you're back." He plucked up the spilled sushi and rice with a gloved hand, tossing it forward into the fire. Nobody wanted to eat that now. "I was afraid for you."

Layla picked up the chopsticks she had dropped in the process of moving to shove him. The wider top of one was broke, bent, and splintered. They were still useable, that was all that mattered. For a long time she sat there beside him, simply processing all of the things he had to say. Each word. All of their meanings. "You are an idiot." She said, finally, just before dipping her set of chopsticks down to pluck up one of the smaller roll pieces. She didn't even care which one. She knew his cooking was A+. "Asher," she continued after swallowing down the raw fish and rice. "What happened?"

Asher glanced down to the chopsticks she rebrandished, examining them as she began to pluck up some pieces of sushi. "After Booshie's gauntlet of fights we had to return to your Father's... We had moved residences temporarily to help distance you from the person that was stalking you." He cleared his throat and prepared to continue, but inevitably furrowed his brows and reached out with an upturned palm for her chopsticks, his other hand extending his own out to her. She might've pushed him, incurred that damage upon her own utensils, but he wasn't about to let her sit there and eat with them. "You were getting ready for bed when you disappeared, none of the Guards knew where you had gone or seen anyone... That's when we discovered that the thing that was interested in you was a Mindflayer." Even as he continued to explain, he was gazing at her expectantly.

Layla Locklear jerked, once, at the exact moment he mentioned the Mindflayer. It was almost as if her body responded it to, the familiar name, but her mind was still lost to why. For now. She took his offered chopsticks, smiling up at him weakly. "Why are you like this?" She asked him, already reaching down for the second segment of a roll. "Everything in my head is just..." She paused again, popping the bite into her mouth and remaining silent while she chewed. "It's just a fucking mess." She finally finished, eyes on him again. "And, it was so strange earlier today, when I woke up. I was so hot. But the room wasn't hot... and I... I could feel you. And Eme. And Kayne. I knew you were there. But, not because I heard you, or saw you..." She stopped once more, swallowing back a lump that had formed in the back of her throat. "I could taste your aether. It was so raw. And I just..." She paused, again, looking down at the sticks in her hand.

Asher snorted quietly and retrieved her own chopsticks, fiddling with them in his hand to get a proper grip with them. She was definitely more practiced with them than he was, but he'd make due. "You were..." he trailed off, searching for the words as he retrieved a bite for himself and silently chewed. Once he'd swallowed it down he shook his head. "You weren't entirely yourself, I don't think... You were manic, aware of certain things at some points, and slipping at others." He shook his head and looked back towards her, offering a smile. "Are you feeling that right now?" He examined her from head to toe as he posed that question, inevitably settling his gaze upon her own. He remembered how those green eyes had turned a fiery blue. It was hard not to imagine them doing so again already... But that was something he felt he'd keep to himself for now.

Bold for the main responses, italics for conditional/complicated

PLACE IN SOCIETY

✖ FINANCIAL – wealthy  / moderate / poor / in poverty

✖ MEDICAL – fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / deceased

✖ CLASS OR CASTE – upper / lower / middle / working / unsure

✖ EDUCATION – qualified / unqualified / studying

FAMILY

✖ MARITAL STATUS – married, happily / married, unhappily / engaged  / partnered / divorced / widow or widower / separated / single / it’s complicated

✖ CHILDREN – has children / no children / wants children / adopted children

✖ FAMILY – close with siblings / not close with siblings / has no siblings / siblings are deceased / it’s complicated

✖ AFFILIATION – orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by both parents / other

TRAITS & TENDENCIES

✖ disorganized / organized / in between

✖ close-minded / open-minded / in between

✖ cautious / reckless / in between

✖ patient / impatient / in between

✖ outspoken / reserved / in between

✖ leader / follower / in between

✖ sympathetic / unsympathetic / in between

✖ optimistic / pessimistic / in between

✖ hardworking / lazy / in between

✖ cultured / uncultured / in between

✖ loyal / disloyal / in between

✖ faithful / unfaithful / in between

SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION

✖ SEXUALITY – heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual / omnisexual / demisexual

✖ SEX – sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable

✖ ROMANCE – romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable

✖ SEXUALLY – sexually adventurous / sex experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious / uninterested

ABILITIES

✖ COMBAT SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✖ LITERACY SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✖ ARTISTIC SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✖ TECHNICAL SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

Costa Del Sol was always beautiful. Today, though, there was something very different about it. About all of it. The wind blew a little stronger and Layla’s hand moved up to the wide brimmed straw hat that sat on her head, holding it in place. There was a wide smile on her face, a grin some might say even. 

She stood on the end of the longest pier, simply standing there, hands clasped in front of her, staring out into the water. It stretched out for malms, as far as she could see. Sure, here and there were dotting spots of coral, stone, and sandbars but for the most part, it was simply water. And schools of fish.

She was a woman on a mission. Many, actually.

Firstly, she had to prove to herself that she was capable of taking on this journey without the constant help of others. Sure, having them around was nice. It helped. But there was something about all of this, the reason behind it, that made her think twice about leaning on them so hard.

And, of course, there was always Asher. Their upbringings were so similar, yet, so vastly different all at the same time. He was so capable. Everything he did he excelled at. She knew he didn’t expect her to do anything alone, in fact, he may be upset with her for venturing out on her own. But here she was, alone, and she was going to accomplish her goal. Of that, she had no doubt.

The Blue stone was tucked into the shallow pocket of her cute shorts, cuffed at her thighs. She pat her leg, both because she was checking to make sure it was there, and also to allow herself that small moment to appreciate the shorts.

They were cute. And she bought them for this very occasion.

A swift turn on her heels sent her walking swiftly down the pier, once again, a woman on a mission. Two spells. She was leaving here with two spells.

Quickly enough her feet met with the soft sands along the beach, taking her along the shoreline until she found a spot she thought would be best. There were many schools of fish in the waters here, colored red, blue, green, in a variety of hues. 

She pulled the hat from her head, setting it in the sand near her feet alongside her grimoire. The stone was pulled from her pocket, sat on the grimoire with the hat just over the top. There, safe. She thought to herself, smiling again.

First things first. 

SPLASH!

Layla dove into the water, pushing into it further. Fish divided, breaking their schools into two parts to let her pass, quickly forming up again as she passed. She waited till she was out some yalms from land before rolling to her back.

The water was warm, gently lapping at the skin along her arms and legs. Her eyes closed and she simply lay there, taking in the sounds and warmth around her. She would stay here forever if possible.

Several moments passed as she lay back, floating on the water. The sun was already moving rapidly across the sky and she knew it was now or never. Weather reports had mentioned rain likely for the day.

A few breaststrokes pushed her through the water, smiling as the local fish population made way for her to pass once again. If only they knew what was in store for them.

Her feet met sand again, this time small bits clung to both her skin and the leather of her sandals, wet prints left in the sand where ever she moved. She scooped the hat and grimoire back up, once again finding the perfect spot. She settled into the sand, making herself comfortable, legs tucked under her, grimoire in her lap.

Page after page was turned, a small lick to her thumb making it easier, before she found the spell she was after. Leave it to Elias to place the most rudimentary teleportation spell in her grimoire. Bless that mess of a man. She would have to thank him later.

She focused on the diagram on the page she had opened the grimoire to, chewing at her lower lip, allowing it to sink into her mind, taking purchase there. Committed to memory. It was then, and only then, that the words quietly drifted from her lips.

There are places you need to go With my aether With my mind You shall go anywhere You shall go anytime Come To my desired place

The sudden pop in the water and the pull on her aether almost caused her to break her concentration, and for a moment, she was certain the small fish would plop back down into the water. But there, on the sand in front of her, was a small red fish.

“Holy shit!” She called out to no one, “I fucking did it!” Another one she would have to mark down to tell both Asher and Elias. The small red fish flopped against the sand, looking up at her wish wide, empty fishy eyes. “Oh... oh...” She stood, quickly, moving the small fish back into the water. “Not you little guy!” She almost yelled, letting the little fish go in the water. She flopped back down, leaning back to reach for her grimoire again. “Fi would have killed me...” She sighed, shaking her head. “Note to self, no more promises things won’t die.” She said, once again chewing at her lower lip.

She would have to try harder. No more small fish. They would not do what she needed anyway, unless, of course, she were looking for dinner. No, no. Concentrate, Layla. Her head shook again, setting her eyes on the water. There had to be something in there. Something she could use.

It seemed as if hours passed, days even. Fish, after fish. Slimy sea cucumber after slimy sea cucumber. They really did look like gross disfigured penis’, she thought, thoroughly grossed out after the fifth one. She had almost given up, almost closed her book and stood.

Then. There is was. Swimming along as if it didn’t have a care in the world. And until this very moment, it didn’t. A bombfish.

He was large, brown, and covered in spiky scales. Perfect. This one would do, it had to. Surely.

Once again, the spell was cast, and before Layla could so much as utter the last word, the bombfish was floating in the air before her, both of their eyes wide at the new situation they were in.

It was angry. As expected. Immediately it turned on Layla, bright yellow eyes wide and glaring at her. Oh the things it would have said had it the voice to speak. Scrambling back, Layla pulled the small blue stone from her pocket. Her eyes closed and she held the stone close to her chest.

SPLASH!

A blast of water came from the fish’s mouth, blasting like canon at her face. She was happy she had taken the hat off earlier, surely it would have went flying. Her hair blew back, wet and tangled. Her eyes closed harder, trying with all her might to keep the wicked jet of sea water from blasting her eyes.

“Okay! Okay!” She screamed, one hand up to block the water. “I’m sorry!”

The little bombfish glared at her again, just before turning and floating back out to sea. For several long moments it stared at her, hanging over the water with a look of distaste for the Hyur woman written all over it’s face. Seconds later it was gone, lost again to the depths of the sea.

But there, in Layla’s hands, where the blue stone was held, a bright light began to form. Brighter and brighter still. For two whole breathes the light shown, casting a warmth over Layla that brought another smile to her face.

She watched as the light began to fade once more, leaving nothing more than a faint reminder of it’s presence int he heart of the stone.

Layla shrugged, pointing to the door as if she wanted him to follow, she had not yet answered his question.

Asher followed after Layla, searching for her the moment that he was out the door only to find her situated just beside the garden. He inhaled deeply through his nose and approached her, sizing her up through furrowed brows. Nothing was said... It just appeared as though he was waiting for something.

Layla looked up at Asher, chewing at her lower lip. "I said I was sorry." She whispered, knowing she hadn't -actually- said she was sorry, but he knew what she had meant with that small kiss earlier in the night. "Don't look at me like that."

Asher canted his head to the side, brows furrowing deeper as the words left her. He shook his head and sighed through a small parting between otherwise pursed lips. "How do you want me to look at you, Layla? A few days ago I didn't know if you were alive or dead, we got you back in a state where you were scarcely hanging on to life and then you just disappear and cut me out for a few days without so much as a word or explanation." He shook his head again and looked back to her.

Layla stared him down, running her tongue over her teeth from behind tightly pursed lips. "I am not going to beg you for forgiveness, Asher." She said, spitting the words out the moment they hit the tip of her tongue. "I fucked up. Again. I know..."

Asher peered at her intensely then, an anger welling up within the greys of his eyes. "Forgiveness? You think I haven't forgiven you?" He shook his head again and looked away from her, turning his attention instead towards the sky. "Of course I forgave you... I've forgiven you for six different things since you disappeared. That doesn't mean that it didn't hurt, or that I'm not angry about it." He lowered his hands from his chest, letting them hang by his sides as he looked back to her. "The thing is, I didn't want or need an apology, Layla. What I wanted was an explanation. To be involved. To be trusted."

Layla curled her arms closer to her body, holding herself tightly. "I know..." She said, the words weakly falling from her lips. She took a small step closer to him, reaching out for his hand if he would let her. "I didn't realize how much I missed you until you were there again. I don't think I ever realize how much I need you until you are there again. I have been on my own for so long, it's..." She shook her head, sighing heavily. "It's hard to let someone in. I'm sorry..."

Asher didn't shy away from her, but the hand that she took was devoid of any sort of warmth, at least for the moment. "I know you know... Which makes it even worse." He shook his head and grit his teeth as she continued, explaining the difficulty. His hand tightened in her own, a mixture of emotions coursing through him. "It's pretty hard not knowing if the woman you love is dead or not for nearly a full two days before you can do anything... It's harder still finding her on the cusp of death... And then she runs off? Has her family guards borderline forcefully escort you away from where she's run off to?" Asher grit his teeth and looked away from her for but a moment. With a blink, his gaze had flicked back to her own. "Because that's the truth of it Layla, I love you and I know you went through something terrible. But I went through it too, in a different way, and you wouldn't even talk about it."

Layla's eyes went wide, staring up into his. "You... love?" She asked, chewing at her lower lip with enough force to nearly draw blood from the surface. She was a mess, like always, but this was kicking her right in the gut. She shook her head, closing her eyes. "No. That's silly. Don't say that." Her head shook again, moving almost violently from side to side. "I am no good for you. Not... no, not like that. Fun, we have fun. Sure. But... Asher, you cannot love me." She said, eyes opening to stare back up into his again.

Asher clenched his jaw and took a firmer hold of her hand as she began to shake from side to side. "No. Stop." He took a hold of her other arm with his free hand. "What you're doing right now, stop it. Because you've known for almost a month that I've been in love with you, ever since it 'slipped' and you ran off upstairs to get more drinks." He shook his head and inhaled sharply. "This thing you've got in your head... That you can't let people in, that you're better by yourself, or that other people are better without you. Just stop it, because it isn't true, and I do love you."

Layla felt his hand squeeze harder around hers, his hand move up to her arm. He held her still. There. In front of him. Just as he had since they had met. There was something about him, about this Ishgardian. He was unwavering. "I don't... Asher... I can't." She whispered.

Asher forced a smile, his nose tightening up and wrinkling as Layla whispered to him. "You can't." He echoed back at her and released his hand from around hers, and his other from around her arm. A single step back was taken and he lazily held his arms out to each side. "Layla, I've been through enough... Really, I have. If you don't know that you can... Well, I'm not going to be able to convince you of it, but I know you can. And when you're ready... If you're ever ready, you know where to find me."

Layla felt an emptiness when he pulled away. Something hollow inside of her, echoing, beating. She closed her eyes and shook her head again. "Wait..." A single tear rolled down her cheek. "That's not... that's not what I meant." She said, turning bright green eyes on him again. "Please don't go..."

Asher had begun to move towards the exit of the grounds encompassing the observatory... And then he heard her voice ring out. It rose in him again, something between fire and calming waters within himself. He shook his head and turned back around to face her. "What do you want from me, Layla? Honestly." He placed each of his hands on his hips and looked back towards the house. "I try to get close and you run away. I chase after and you have me thrown out. I try and uplift you and you turn around and tell me that it's not possible. You can't. What do you want from me? What do you want out of us?"

Layla watched him move away, farther and farther away from her. Each footfall of his boots echoing deep within her heart. "Wait..." She said again, this time only a whisper of a word on her tongue. She didn't know what to do, how to act, what to say. She shook her head again, another tear falling from her eyes, rolling gently down her cheek. "I want you." She finally said, once again chewing at her lower lip. "Isn't that obvious, Asher?" She asked, a bit of anger rolling up from her gut to mix with her words. "You know who I am, you know what I do, but every time I do it, you get angry with me. I don't know any other way to be." She said, hands balled into fists at her sides. "Don't stop fighting now." She said, looking down at the gravel path, words once more nothing but a whisper.

Asher scoffed and shook his head again, eyeing her for a moment before he looked back down to the gravel pathway. "No, it isn't obvious at all, Layla. I followed you and you had me thrown out of your house. You didn't want me then." His fingers dug into his coat and he shook his head again. "I've fought enough, Layla, and I'll keep doing it too. I'm just hoping that you're going to decide to do the same thing. Because this thing that we have, us, is not just fun. Sometimes it isn't. At all."

Layla shook her head again. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to make the emotions inside of her come out in a way that made sense. She was terrified. Every moment with him was amazing, but there was always that nagging feeling in the back of her mind. He was going to leave. He was going to get sick of her shit. Another small tear rolled down her cheek and she took a single step forward. Without thinking she moved, quickly, bringing herself to stand just in front of him before anything could stop her. She pushed all the doubt and all the worry from her mind. She needed him. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she pushed up on the tips of her toes, kissing him deeply. "Please don't go." She whispered. "I need you."

Asher stared at her for a good long while as she seemed to consider what to say or do. After a moment he began to turn, just in time to hear her step upon the gravel. He stopped and looked back to her, only to find her wrapped around him and with her lips pressed against his. The conflicting emotions he had held began to fade away, leaving something much calmer and relaxing, even if the rapid beating of his heart could've meant otherwise. He canted his head to the side slightly, kissing her back and curling his arms around her waist. He held her tightly to him and closed his eyes, relishing the feeling before she pulled away just enough to whisper. "I'm not going anywhere, Layla... I just..." he whispered back, trailing off. "I love you, and I'm pretty sure that you love me too... And I was just hoping that this once you'd chase after me instead."

Layla pressed her forehead into his chest, allowing the tears to fall from her eyes freely now. "I love you too." She said, perhaps for the first time in her life, at least to another person. "I'm sorry. I'm trying, I am trying so hard." She said, sniffling back a small sob.

Asher squeezed her even tighter as she began to cry into his chest. "You don't have to apologize..." he murmured quietly and tilted his head forward, resting his chin gently over the top of her head. "I'm never going anywhere out of reach. I'll always be here for you."

Layla pushed back on his chest, looking up at him. "Promise?" She asked, reaching up to wipe at a stray tear. "I don't think I could make it without you, not anymore. Not now that I have had you. Nothing would be the same if you left."

Asher lifted his head from hers and met her gaze. "I promise," he swore and offered a subtle nod. One hand unfurled from around her and rose to help wipe away some of those stray tears. "You don't have to hold back with me, run, or do anything like that." He leaned down and pressed another kiss to her lips, not quite so deep as their previous one, but one that he held to her for a few long moments all the same. When he finally pulled away he inhaled deeply and cleared his throat. "Let’s go home?"

Blood caked over one eyelid, making it nearly impossible to open. The air around her was cold, almost sterile in a way that made her skin crawl. The aether in the air around her was odd, different, something was… off.

Where was she?

Eme. Where was Eme? And Rose? Booshie? The night was a blur, and her head was pounding.

A blood-curdling scream ripped through the room, crawling up her spine so that the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up on their ends. And then it came, the pain.

The kick force the air from her lungs with such force she was uncertain she would ever have the strength to inhale again. She sputtered, gasping for air as the pressure from the kick to her gut released. Silent, heavy footsteps moved away from her.

And then it was quiet again.

He’d been there since she was just a young thing, sweet, innocent, ignorant of the troubles of the world. He too had been innocent. Inquisitive and searching to learn. It was those small things that made her laugh, the things that sent the peels of childish giggles echoing through the house that he was most interested in. All he had ever wanted to do was protect her, make her smile.

She had taken to the spell quickly, far faster than most children her age should of. But it was this fact that made her mother push her so hard. “Most girls your age have their head int he clouds, Layla. Playing with dolls. Look at you, a Carbuncle at your side already.” She had smiled so brightly, so wide, and with such admiration.

It became the one thing she wanted to achieve, again, and again.

In one smooth, even motion, Duke had been ripped from the world. Right before her eyes. This time, it had been different. Every time something happened to him in battle, there was a part of her that cinched up inside, a part of her that ached. But each night, when she had returned home and called on him again… He was there.

This time, she knew, would be different. Nothing had been the same here. The sound he had made. The hole in her chest. He did not belong to her anymore.

There was laughter, talking all around her, and then… Rose screamed. The sound was so loud. Her eyes squeezed shut, she wouldn’t look. She couldn’t look. The scraping of the metal box was moving away from her now, Rose’s muffled screams moving with it.

He’d put her in the box… He was taking her someplace… She would… She had too…

I’m sorry. My FC is better than your FC.

@saphyra-tsuki​ @rosettevaleria​ @kayneblackfire​ @aetherwatchsociety​

––– THE BASICS –––

Age: Twenty-Four (24)

Birthday: 10th Sun of the 3rd Umbral Moon

Race: Hyur; Midlander

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Marital Status: Single (Technically...)

––– PHYSICAL APPEARANCE –––

Hair: Natural - Dark Brown, Current - Eggplant Purple with Violet Highlights

Eyes: Light Green

Height: 5′3″

Build: Lean, Feminine

Distinguishing Marks: Beauty mark on the ride side of her jaw

Common Accessories: 'Enchanted Glasses’, Various rings, bracelets, & necklaces, Summoners Tome

––– PERSONAL –––

Profession: Mercenary & Redresser for @aetherwatchsociety​

Hobbies: Avoiding her father, giving Asher a hard time, Reading

Languages: Eorzean

Residence: An apartment in the Lavender Beds

––– RELATIONSHIPS –––

Spouse: None, technically...

Children: None

Parents: Cecil Locklear (father), Eloise Bisset-Locklear (mother, †)

Siblings: None

Other Relatives: None of note

Pets: Daisy a Mameshiba pup, female

––– TRAITS –––

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between /  Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal

Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

––– ADDITIONAL INFORMATION –––

Smoking Habit: Hardly ever, perhaps a cigar to feel ‘cool’  Drugs: Hardly ever, unless the party is wild enough...  Alcohol: Socially and when really stressed!

––– RP HOOKS –––

Ul’dah Native: Layla comes from a prominent family in Ul’dah. Her father is an extremely successful businessman with ties to the Ul’dah underworld. He, himself, is not a criminal, but he has been known to cavort with a less than reputable source when the needs arises. His shipping business is both know for their trade deals and the ability to get almost anything from point A to point B. If your character has any interest in these things, they may know her as Cecil Locklears daughter.

Sharlayan Academy: Layla’s mother was born and raised in the Sharlayan City-State. As such, she was formally trained in magic at a private school on the main island. If your character studied anywhere, or spent any time, they are likely to have known her as the party girl who was way to good at her studies for someone who spent so little time studying. Beware: She hides her ability to use magick, so this approach may get you shrugged off as someone she actually doesn’t know!

Mercenary Work: Turning her back on the her mothers family legacy, and refusing to take over her fathers business has sent Layla on the path of the basic Adventurer. Along the way she has taken on many odd jobs and become a decently known Mercenary. Not having worked with any one company long, it is still likely that your character may have worked with her, or at least been in some of the same areas as her previously!

––– CONTACT INFORMATION  –––

Typically in game under the same name!