#nayani

Scratch scratch. The quillpen moved back and forth over the page, making soft rustling noises, that were accompanied by the crackling of the fire. Tenaki was filling out her usual daily paperwork, all the while reading mission reports from both the Coeurl’s and the Maelstrom. Her life was extremely hectic, and though she loved her work, sometimes she wondered if she had taken on too much. Pausing for a moment, she looked into the fire, then smiled to herself; nah, it was only a problem if she didn’t get things done.

Blowing on the ink, she looked down at the page in her hand, and sighed; at this point, she was going to need a file cabinet just for Priam and Alex. The amount of information she had recorded about the pair of them was starting to get a little ridiculous; she wondered if there was an upper limit to what she could learn about them, without being… She froze for a moment, looking up. Friends? Is that it? Her brow creased and she put the paper down, looking into the fire. It was something she’d always felt as though she lacked; Shanna had been a sort of friend, these past years, but they’d trained together more than shared intimate moments. Had she ever really had a friend, even prior to leaving Othard?

The thought lingered for several minutes, as she thought about the Coeurl’s; Thomas, Alexander, Priam, Niwa.. They were all good people, certainly, but they were her patients for the most part. Then there were the new ones, who she knew even less. She supposed it was the doctor’s job to remain off from the group, though, and serve dutifully as the physician and confidant. You couldn’t do that if you were close friends with them. What about Nayana? The voice in the back of her mind piped up, causing her back to stiffen momentarily.

Nayana.

Ever since the Dazkar woman had joined the guild, Tenaki had been interested in her. They had spent nights and days together, with the Borlaaq woman teaching her the Eorzean language and customs. She supposed it shouldn’t have been that surprising that she’d developed an interest in her; the way Nayana had responded to her advances had been confusing, though. Folding her arms on the desk, Tenaki laid her chin on her arms.

She’d spent most of her adult life among the Borlaaq, so she wasn’t at all surprised that romantic notions had surfaced around the golden eyed archer - what had surprised her was how strong they were. How much she wanted to lay a claim on her, and make it known to everyone that Nayana was hers. She had tried to voice these feelings, but Nayana seemed oblivious to the idea of homosexual romance. Or romance in general!

Letting out a groan, she sat back up and shook her head. It was a ridiculous notion, anyway. Love? She’d never been in love before. Who knew if she even was, now? So she wanted to spend nights entwined with her; that wasn’t so different to what she’d had before! She was just besotted with the woman’s beauty, bravery and the way her spirit shone like a beacon. Taken in by the way she did the simplest things, and the fact that she’d been strong enough to channel Nhaama’s grace to protect her in Castle Wite.

Yes, the Dazkar woman had brought her happiness in way she hadn’t felt in years, but it didn’t matter - she didn’t reciprocate those feelings, not yet. She couldn’t expect devotion from a woman who had never been made aware of how things were done outside her own tribe. All Tenaki could do was make her aware, and let her decide, in her own time. Until then, she’d been content with the joy that Nayana filled her with.