@mythrileye , askin' me in patch Limbo: "If [Ruckus] was a quest giver, what would his quest be? What lore would we shake out of his pockets?"
If he was a quest giver, you might fetch some tuco taco ingredients for him in early Drybone levels of MSQ. He'd tell you more about the Golden Bazaar's glory days, a haven of a caravan stop filled with lively merchant gossip and duty-free inter-caravan haggling. You'd touch base with his cousin up at Highbridge, who is an archer extra in the FATE chain there. Post-Ifrit, he'd express his contempt and grief and guilt for the community's losses. For Ungust's betrayal.
You'd meet him at Seventh's Heaven in Mor Dhona, later, a barfly adventurer to tap for information in the middle of another quest, marvelling at how Lichyard Marques was really the brilliant Ironworks chief all this time?
You meet him on the road in the Hinterlands, later, schlepping cheese and whirlycogs for Skysteel, a new machinist with an overladen pack. You'd rendezvous at Bigwest Shortstop and wheelydeal with goblins together, participate in a flock-led Bear Hunt FATE. He'd express wariness about Rowena's scrip empire expanding to Idyllshire being 'just another Ul'dahn monopoly', despite the locus of adventuring opportunities developing on the Dravanian Frontier.
During Stormblood, just before the grim tensions of Ghimlyt Dark, a classic 'pass out three servings of rations' around camp quest. Each recipient of a warm slab of Tuco Tuco Tacofied twist on Shepherd's Pie marvels at how the familiar flavor sparks a faded memory of a childhood journey through East Thanalan. One seasoned Maelstrom marine says his father used to make food sort of like this, after a long voyage across the Indigo Deep.
Post-Endwalker, maybe after you'd tied off this coming alliance raid, you'd find him down near the Voyaging Goobbue corpse, scattering seeds. He'd give you a tooth, and suggest you take it up to Oschon's shrine, overlooking Bronze Lake. He'd warmly share in the road you've travelled, beg your stories, tell you that Tacos are actually from the New World, he's learned... And wouldn't it be grand to get out there, someday?
