#drawingthelines

“None save myself, Lucia, and Handeloup know of her presence here,” Aymeric said quietly. “Of a surety, it is the gravest of state secrets at present. Even Captain Whitecape knows not her true identity, only that I have taken her as my personal charge—and that is all he needs know. No doubt you’ve noticed that tensions run high here in the city, of late. Should it be known the infamous Lady Iceheart lies within these walls, too many would bay for her blood.”

“Her name is Ysayle!” Gisele snapped, bristling at his use of the old epithet. But Aymeric spread his hands wide before him.

“Peace, my lady; I meant no offense, only to make clear the complexity of--”

“—nor did you answer my question. Do not think to turn my inquiry aside with a honeyed tongue and a diplomat’s sophistry. Ishgard may think me little more than a common sellsword, but I assure you, monsieur, that I am not nearly so simple a woman as that,” Gisele said coldly.

Aymeric leveled a cool gaze upon her. “Only a fool would believe you a common sellsword, or simple, Mistress Surana. And I assure you, I am no fool.”

“Then answer me! What is to be the fate of Ysayle Dangoulain, who saved my life?” Gisele cried. “Will you at least permit me to say my farewells before she is flung into Witchdrop for the wolves and the carrion eaters, Lord Commander?”

“I bid you please lower your voice, Mistress Surana,” Aymeric said quietly.

Gisele’s lower lip was quivering, and she bit it hard, drawing upon every onze of discipline she possessed not to let him see her cry. “Very well,” she said hoarsely.

“Thank you. As I intended to say…I would not see Mistress Dangoulain marched to Witchdrop, Gisele. Not now, or ever. I have not forgotten the role she played in quelling the violence in the city that night. Neither can I forget that her hands are stained red with the blood of innocent Ishgardians; yet her death would do aught to wash it away, and she has proven a greater a friend to Ishgard than those who deemed themselves most holy, in the end. I would grant her clemency, that she might continue to atone for her crimes, and strive with us in the cause of peace.”

“Aymeric...”

“You have my most solemn vow, upon the sacred hoplon of the Fury Herself: no harm shall come to Ysayle Dangoulain, and I shall do everything within my power both as Lord Commander of the Temple Knights, and interim Archbishop of the Holy See of Ishgard to see her hale and protected. As you know, Lord Haurchefant has been deemed well enough to return home to Fortemps Manor to continue his recovery. His Lordship the Count Edmont has agreed to so care for her, as well, once she is hale enough.”

“Aymeric,” Gisele sighed again. “Thank you. A thousand times, thank you. Pray, forgive me my impertinence; it was cruel and unbecoming.”

She delicately took up her skirts, and swept as graceful a curtsey as she had ever made.

Aymeric smiled at her, bidding her to rise. “I cannot fault you your passion, my friend. Lord Haurchefant yet lives because of it. As does our mutual friend, to hear Alphinaud tell it. Did you truly leap off the deck of an airship in flight?”

Gisele spluttered, raising her hand to her lips. “I—oh, dear. It rather does sound uncommonly foolish when one puts it that way, no?”

You’re the wind that carries my song!

🎁 What would be the perfect gift to buy your OC? What would be the worst gift? Are they themselves any good at gifting things or are they really indescisive? How do they wrap their presents?

Gisele is a magpie and loves shiny things but also somewhat paradoxically things that are really simple and heartfelt? She’s honestly way more impressed when things come from the heart vs. something really fancy and expensive without any kind of meaning because she’s really sentimental like that.

She’s a great gift giver and she loves to spoil her friends, mainly cause she’s very observant and sneaky so like. As an example she once overheard Ryne talk about how her feet get cold sometimes so Gisele made her a pair of socks that have Carbuncle faces on them, because she also caught Ryne cooing at Alphi’s carbuncle and patting it. :D

19. Is there a character/boss/etc that hasn’t appeared yet (or been referenced) that you’d like to see? :)

all this ivalice content, matsuno himself having worked on the game until recently, a whole expansion where we went around calling ourselves warrior of darkness and at one point hung out with a literal religious sect of dark worshipers, lea monde referenced in a quest, dark angel guildenstern’s boss music being worked into t.g. cid’s boss theme in orbonne monastery, ashley and müllenkamp canonically named as zodiac braves in EE2

and still no sydney fucking losstarot