#lyrha

Of all the places Lyrha could have been unmasked, the Shroud certainly wouldn't have been her bet. And yet, she'd walked past the Wailer patrol - well, not nonchalantly, you didn't grow up terrorizing the seas and just ignore armed guards - but without any real sense of dread.

Not five paces later the brunette Elezen leading them had yelled, "Wait. You there--!"

Words were exchanged. Denials made. Scoffed at.

And well, here she was. Fleeing blind through the woods.

It would have been easier to kill them. They weren't even in a town. No reinforcements to call. No witnesses. But Lyrha didn't do that sort of thing anymore.

Wailers knew the forest like she knew the seas, and evasion quickly became a mad scramble through the bracken.

She found a covered break in thick undergrowth by chance or providence, the reason hardly mattered. It was obscure enough she hoped her entry would go unnoticed by those in pursuit. At least long enough for her to be long gone.

What had looked to Lyrha's untrained eyes like a deer trail, though, opened to a homey little house and a field full of sheep. It was so idyllic it stopped her in her tracks for a dangerous second to blink at.

Then, seeing no immediate, obvious sign of a farmer, she decided hiding here to catch her breath might be a better option. Maybe borrow that chocobo in the stable, there. Steal a pie off the window. Fleeing the law worked up an appetite, after all.

Mind made up, Lyrha darted down the path, cleared the ledge of the stable, and ducked down out of sight in one of the currently unoccupied stalls. It had lower-set walls than the bird's. Probably for the sheep. She waved her hands at the chocobo, trying to shoo its interest away quietly.

And then she heard a growl. Her ear flicked slowly back, and she turned her head with equal caution until she could see a dog - blotchy black and grey - staring at her from over the side of the stable. Shit.

"Please uh, stay calm, boy...?"

Tagged by @ainyan @mimble-sparklepudding, and @briar-ffxiv, thank you! :D

I'm not sure who all has been tagged already so sorry if you get duplicated lol but I'll tagggg @seasaltandcopper @boggleoflight @sinus-lacrimarum @orime-stories @sayonaramidnight @blucifer08 @starscytheskies @thorstyr @adventuresofmeghatron @dragoon-mid-jump @ronqueesha aannnnd @fieryvoid-scout

Since I got tagged three times, I'll do three characters!

Pretty spot on for Lyrha actually! xD She has a huge symbolic connection to the wind in her story. I wanted to fit the pelican in but I think Gyarados and Mantine link her to the sea well enough, at least

Also a good fit! I just wish there were more birdlike electric types. She gets Zapdos bc the Elementals chose her ok take it up with them

If you really piss her off she'll pull out a party of all stunfisk instead and annihilate you

I did the quiz twice for Nahte bc there were a few questions I felt he could go either way on. It was between Psychic and Dragon, and I felt this description suited him a little better!

He gets solrock and lunatone bc he's half sunseeker/half moonkeeper. And bc i said so

Chingling and Inkay are there because they are cute. 100% in character. They're probably ridiculously strong too you laugh at the little squid guy and then it just latches onto your face

Also as a bonus, Nahte's team, if he was just a Guy instead of a gym leader:

———

Lyrha growled — but it came out bubbly and hot as a fizz of thick drool leaked from her mouth. Her claws dug into the earth, sticky with blood. She could not rise.

The woman sneered down at her with rounded pupils, tail swishing idly. This was a hunt and Lyrha was prey made docile.

“It hurts don't it?” V’mirrha sneered, mouth full of teeth filed sharklike. “My poison’s turning your insides to jelly about now. Right easier death than you deserve. But it’ll keep your face pretty when I turn you in for the bounty.”

Fire burned in Lyrha’s swollen throat. It was hard to breathe; her nose clogged with an iron tang. The searing throbs in her gut urged her to vomit, but she couldn’t muster the motion, everywhere felt too tight. Too sharp.

V’mirrha sat, eager to watch the process through to the end. Confident in her victory.

Fucking sadist. Lyrha thought. Anger felt more noble than panic.

Lyrha had long since been desensitized to the possibility of dying. She could fight. She could face horrors. Take risks in the name of reward. She would not hide and freeze when a way out remained open to her.

But no matter how accustomed to its closeness you became, fear of death was too instinctive to fully expunge.

He expected her to meet a nice rich Sharlayan Elezen scholar from a Good Family in their neighborhood

Not two hooligan Miqo'te from EORZEA living in a polycule

Doesn't matter they saved the world this is Highly Inappropriate one of them keeps hissing at him

He wants her to be happy

She's made up her mind

Which brings us to The Dinner

Most of the polycule and Leveilleurs are expected to attend so he can get to know them

So now there's Haurchefant, Alphinaud, Fourchenault, Ameliance, Alisaie, G’raha, Aymeric, Estinien, Nahte'to, A'mahl, Lyrha, and X'rhun Tia sitting around the table in roughly that order

Why are X'rhun and Lyrha there?

Lyrha was A'mahl's "+1." She's not in The Polycule but she's in his polycule so he figured it counted

X'rhun is Lyrha's "+1." X'rhun was not informed properly the nature of this dinner and is trying very hard to make the best of it.

Everyone else finds out about 10minutes before dinner that they're coming its a whole thing

Awkward conversation ensues. Nahte and Alphinaud and Aymeric are doing their best to keep things civil

Lyrha is doing her best to make Fourchenault's eye twitch because she's decided he needs to lighten up and he's too easy to tease

Food comes out. There's mushrooms "hidden" in the soup.

Lyrha hates mushrooms

Not realizing it's a mushroom she puts one in her mouth and takes a bite and

GAGS loudly the way cats coughing up hairballs do

Reaches into her mouth and pulls the half-chewed mushroom out

Dangles it

and drops it on the plate in front of everyone, nose wrinkled

Fourchenault stops talking to watch

Alphinaud is about to have an aneurysm

A'mahl scolds her for wasting good food and grabs her plate to eat the mushrooms himself

Including the half chewed one

Everyone at the table takes psychic damage

Lyrha makes a Remark to which he replies, and I quote,

"wHAT? my mouth has been on much worse parts of you, a little spit wont kill me"

A'mahl realizes immediately that was probably not a good thing to say at This Dinner in front of Papa Fourchenault

X'rhun Tia is about to have an aneurysm

Fourchenault is making a face like if Elrond was trying to strangle you with his mind

Alisaie launches herself across the table at A'mahl who's now at the top of her enmity list for ruining Meet-the-father-in-law-in-a-positive-not-apocalyptic-setting-so-he'll-accept-you-dinner

Did you try too hard? Your mind too meager The whispers follow when you leave

You read it wrong A bold-face fever You’ve stolen everything you believe