Leo Verglas

Leo was sitting at a bedside, he closed his book as he exhaled out of exhaustion, he rubbed his heavy eyelids in an attempt to wake up but to no avail. “What time is it even?” He asked himself quietly as he looked out the window, only to see the night starting to fade.

“Do not worry about such things Mr. Verglas.” He heard an authoritative tone behind him as he turned out of respect, it was one of his old instructors. “You couldn’t sleep if you tried, I know I could not… not while hearing everyone in pain.” The instructor looked at the injured patient resting on the bed.

“Good job on stabilizing this little one. I’m sure he will grow up to be quite humble.” He gave a small smile as he walked over to pat Leo on the shoulder. “Thank you for the good news. Every bit counts.” With that, the instructor began to walk away to see the other numerous patients.

Kuretz limped to the bar from the clinic. He wished to get a drink to help keep his mind off his injuries from a rough job.

He walked through the doorway as he heard a familiar voice to the right of him. 

“Kuretz?” He heard the midlander ask, he quickly turned to face her.

“Helena?” He responded in turn and examined her in surprise.

“Wow, it’s so good to see you again!” Helena exclaimed with a smile.

Kuretz slowly held his arms out to receive a light hug from her. “Likewise! H-How’ve you been keeping?”

She pulled back from the hug and started to examine the bandages all over his body. “I’ve been well... I doubt you could say the same with those wounds...”

“Yeah... it’s been a... rough couple of days.” He rubbed the back of his neck when he felt her eyes on his wounds.

She sighed when she heard his response. “Don’t push yourself too hard, alright? I mean we know how badly injured you got in the past from that bandit leader...” 

Her eyebrows furrowed as she reconciled the event. “Good thing help arrived when it did, else you wouldn’t be here right now.” 

“...Y-you’re right I won’t...” Kuretz said with an apologetic tone as he noticed her expression.

Helena caught this, she slightly lightened the mood up with a gentle nudge. “Hey... don’t get all down like that, cheer up. We can finally have that second drink together.”

Kuretz looked at her for a bit before scoffing with a small smile. “Did we agree that I was paying this time? I forgot.”

Helena chuckled as she makes her way to the bar. “You can pay next time when you don’t look so unfortunate with that limp.”

She looked down for a moment before looking back at him with a smirk on her lips. “Then again... I shouldn’t be talking, should I?” She asked as she patted her weak leg.

Choose words to describe your muses’s home

This would be Kuretz’s home

Five Visuals 1. A open front yard 2. A green roegadyn with a moogle cap 3. A shirtless black hrothgar 4. A giraffe  5. A dark-toned Viera

Four Sounds 1. A disappointed sigh   2. A hearty laugh  3. Rants about the annoyances of the day 4. Heavy hits on the striking dummy

Three Scents 1. Burnt wood 2. Freshly cut grass 3. A fart passing through the wind Two Tastes 1. Sour cream espressos 2. Syrup dosed with enhancement drugs One Touch 1. The cold feel of tough love.

Tagged by: @ainarosewood

Kuretz sat in silence as he looked on to see Aergitar on his final match towards being the Grindstone champion.

“Aergitar... A tough, persistent fellow ain’t he?” A spectator asked as he perched upon a spot beside Kuretz.

“You have no idea.” Kuretz scoffed and turned his sights back to the match. 

The spectator raised an eyebrow towards his response. He looked to his mysterious black visor and began to build more interest. “You have personal relations with him?” 

Kuretz paused for a moment before answering. “Yeah... we work together.”

The spectator became surprised as he turned back to see Aergitar's strength in battle. “Must be reassuring to have a guy like that on your side... how’d you two find each other anyway?”

“...At first, it was just a simple job together... then we realized we had common goals and it went on from there.” Kuretz said as his eyes did not waver from the match.

“Ahhh... Hm.. who you reckon would win in a fight between you two?” The spectator smiled and glanced between the two in question.

“Huh.. between us...” Kuretz quietly said to himself, he sat in silence for a while before reaching an answer.

“Him.” He stated with certainty as he looked to Aergitar.

The spectator grinned and chuckled. “Yeah, I had a feeling! He’s like twice your size!” He softly nudged Kuretz.

“It’s not the size that convinced me.” Kuretz began to stand up from his spot.

“Oh? Then what was it?” The spectator looked up in pure curiosity.

“He’s kind... all truly strong people are kind.”  

With that, Kuretz walked away from the match, with Aergitar being crowned the Grindstone champion. 

“Ahh shit..” Kuretz said as he began to retch on the side of the sailing ship he was on. 

Heavy footsteps with clinking armor can be heard coming up to him as he turned around to see Aergitar, chuckling slightly. “Here my friend, I brought you some water. Drink, it will help.” He exclaimed as he handed the water pouch to him. 

“Ah.. thank-... Urp!” He quickly leaned over the ship before vomiting once more. Aergitar scratched the back of his head as he began to sit on the stairs next to him, before looking up at the sails of the ship in contemplation. “With these winds... we should be arriving at our destination soon.” 

Kuretz’s ears perked up as he heard his words, he lifted the pouch of water to drink before turning around to lean on the railing of the ship.

 “...Doma...Hopefully, we’ll find some answers there.” 

“And if not?” Aergitar asked as he began to stand up once more, placing his sword and shield behind his back. 

“Well... we’ll figure out that problem if it comes to it.” Kuretz responded as he picked up his katana to place it on his belt. 

“Aye. As we always do.” Aergitar said with a smirk as he began to stand. “Come let us help the crew with the ship.” 

“Aye aye~.” Kuretz sighed jokingly as he unhooked his visor from his belt and hooked it on his face with a click.  

“You... worthless insect...!” Kuretz hissed in anger as he held up a hostile woman, targetted as a bounty by the neck. 

Tears dropped from Kuretz’s eyes in rage as he tightened his grip on the target’s throat, choking her to death. “Ack..” The hostile woman clawed his arm for air as she began to slip away.

“K-Kuretz.. stop..” The voice behind him weakly rasped as he looked back in surprise. 

“M’rie..!” He exclaimed as he saw her struggle to get up from his watery eyes. A puddle of blood appeared below M’rie as the stab wound on her stomach began to pour. 

Kuretz quickly let his right hand go from the target’s neck to unsheathe his blade. “KURETZ STOP... W-we need her alive...” M’rie stated as blood began to run down the side of her mouth. 

Kuretz gritted his teeth in anger as he hesitated from her outburst. “BUT SHE ALMOST KILLED YOU.” He yelled as he began to dig the tip of his sword in the target’s stomach. 

“ALMOST. I’M STILL HERE!” M’rie responded in desperation as she started to cough blood. 

Kuretz turned his head in worry as he heard her suffering, he turned back to the target to withdraw his blade, throwing her to the ground before swiftly kicking her in the jaw, harshly, to knock her out.

He turned again and ran towards M’rie, crouching on his knees to check her. He placed pressure on her wound with his hands. “A-are... w-what do you need?” He asked as he looked to his friend in fear. 

“I’m gonna be just fine Kuretz... I should last long enough for help to get here...” She stated calmly before suddenly feeling drips of water on her hands.  She looked up in surprise as she saw drips of tears falling from Kuretz’s chin, unbeknownst to her as he hid his face behind his pitch-black visor. 

She smiled softly to him as she placed her palm on his shaking hands. 

“Thank you for heeding my words...”  

“...Are you alright?” Kuretz asked as he was beside his comrade, they trudged up the path from a certain quest they came back from. 

“What? Of course I’m not.” Zakuro responded as she began to pick up a brisk angry pace towards Liberty Gate.

“How come?” He questioned as he kept his gaze forward to the entrance.

“Because we failed our duty.” She responded in a firm irritated tone. 

“It’s okay. We can just try our best in the next job.” Kuretz said with no resentment in his voice.

Zakuro stopped in her tracks to face him. 

“...You’re being far too optimistic Kuretz. A boy on our watch died in front of our eyes.”

He tilted his head slightly and away from her as if he didn’t want to hear her point. “...If that’s what it costed, then I don’t mind it at all.”

She was taken aback, her eyes became furious to the point where they began to water. “...What? Do you even hear yourself? What you’re saying?”

“Yes, I do.” Kuretz responded flatly as he turned to face her. 

Zakuro dug her nails into her palms until she started to bleed. “Stop. Fucking. Around. Kuretz.” Her voice began to crack as she shook with anger. 

Kuretz started to get irritated as he spoke out to rebuttal. “I’m not fucking around! It was either let him die or you!” 

He pointed at her to make himself more clear. “And I sure as hell care a whole lot more about you than some dumb kid!” 

Without a word, Zakuro leaped towards Kuretz and punched him in the jaw, stumbling and sending him to sit down on the ground. He squinted in pain as he now bled from a cut on his mouth. 

Kuretz looked up to Zakuro in anger until he saw her face in tears and pain. She turned around and walked away from him. 

“.....” Kuretz sat there and sighed about what he said and how much it had affected his friend.

The guard of the gate began to walk towards Kuretz after witnessing the whole scene. “I don’t know if she’ll forgive you for that one. Personally, I wouldn’t either... But... I get where you were coming from.” He said before slowly lending a hand for Kuretz to stand. 

“...Yea.. I hope she does too...” He said softly as he reached to grasp the guard’s hand.

“Hm... what about this one Pso?” Kuretz asked as he sniffed the plant in his hand at the food stand in sapphire avenue exchange.

“...Did you even read the list? This is supposed to be an easy job for gil...” Psoglav said as he shoved the paper retaining the information to Kuretz’s chest.

Kuretz grabbed the paper to read carefully, Psoglav then stared at him, while beginning to shake his head. “Anyways, no, that’s not the right one. We’re supposed to purchase robe lettuce... Be careful not to just buy the wrong one.”

“A-ah, I see...” Kuretz responded as he began to rub the back of his neck while looking back at the invalid item he almost purchased.

They began to walk down the market, Kuretz stared at Psoglav walking ahead with a huge bag containing groceries over his shoulder. “So... where’d you come from anyways Pso?”

Psoglav heard his question but decided to keep looking ahead. “That’s not important right now.”

“Hmm... no family or anything?” Kuretz asked once more, at the moment, they caused the crowd to make way as they walked through the busy street.

“Look, why does it matter? It’s not like we’ll keep seeing each other after this small job is done.” Psoglav said with a grumpy sigh.

“I was just curious, you seem different from anyone I’ve met.” Kuretz said just when he began to pick up the pace to walk next to Psoglav.

“Did the horns give that away for you?” The words left his mouth with a stoic expression.

“Anyways, the less you know.. The better. Let’s just leave it at that.” Psoglav stated as he shoved the huge bag of groceries onto Kuretz. “Here carry that, since you seem so busy with asking questions.”

“A-alright..” Kuretz struggled to speak as the bag was heavier than he thought. “B-but, will there ever be a day where you might share... what goes on in that mind of yours?”

Psoglav turned around to place another food item on the list he just purchased down hard on the huge bag Kuretz was now carrying. “No.”

“Anyways, come, let’s meet up with that girl, Sjasaris and that roe, Aergitar,” Psoglav ordered as he motioned his hand to beckon. “Hopefully they have the right items they were supposed to get...”  

“O..okay..” Kuretz said while he carefully began to walk, not being able to see in front of him.

Unbeknownst to Kuretz, Psoglav glanced at him with dangerous wild eyes for a moment. Until he began to walk ahead once more. “Will this one be another problem later...” He asked himself in his mind as he now looked ahead with a dead-serious expression.  

Somewhere in Limsa, Kuretz and Will sat at a bar in peace until they heard a commotion behind them, between a husband and wife.

The wife started to pummel the man with her satchel, “It’s all your fault that we couldn’t make this damn marriage work!” She yelled in anger.

“Calm down ye crazy shite!” The husband responded as he cowered his head under his arms to protect him from the blows.

Will watched with amusement and chuckled before turning back to the bar for his drink.

“Do you suppose she’s telling the truth?” Kuretz asked before he lifted his mug to his mouth. 

“I don’t know if it’s even worth asking man... that whole monogamy thing is silly,” Will stated as he reached for his own mug.

“Cause when you think about- Oof!” Abruptly, a drunken man next to them laughed from his jests with a friend and bumped into Will and his drink, spilling it.

“Hey! Watch your surroundings you fucking prick!” Will yelled, just when he shoved the drunk back into his friend. 

The drunken man fell onto his friend and spilled his drink, he instantly turned around with furious eyes. “Oi! You spilling my drink you fucking short ass!” 

Kuretz turned to face the two at each other’s throat. Will responded in annoyance. “You spilled mine first, you damn idiot!” He then threw his empty glass at the drunken man’s face. 

The mug flew into the drunk man’s forehead with a loud thunk and shattered into pieces when it hit the ground. “Argh! You’re dead meat!” The drunk hissed in rage as he leaped towards Will.

Kuretz scoffed with a small smile when suddenly, the drunken man’s friend began to walk towards him with his fists balled. “Hey! Control your stupid friend you-Oof!” 

The drunk’s friend couldn’t finish his sentence as Kuretz’s mug came crashing into the side of his face, breaking on impact and knocking him out. 

“Shaddap...” Kuretz said as he turned back to the bar just in time to find the bartender return to see the chaos unfold before his eyes. 

“W-what the hell do you think you’re doing breaking my cups!?” The bartender asked in fury and looked at Kuretz as if he was the only one in the room. 

“...What? They started- Oof!”