#phiros

What an awful habit to grow used to, Ruby thinks as she awakens silently as Phiros groans at her side. Keeping her eyes closed and her expression neutral in what she knows to be complete darkness, she listens to her lover as he moves around the apartment, his steps heavy as his limp pains him even more than during the day. From the slight sound of fabric swishing, she guesses that it was a bad night, one that would lead him outside to walk the pain away.

Despite her nightly spells, the stiffness always came around the same time. In what was an adorable habit of his, though it had frustrated her before their talk, her lover was kind enough to attempt to let her sleep, carefully exiting their bed before walking around the apartment or the neighborhood. Being a light sleeper however meant that Ruby rarely slept through the night, either waking up at the same time as Phiros or a short while later as his side of the bed grew cold.

For the past week, she had followed him outside whenever he would exit the apartment. Out of the both of them, Phiros was clearly more knowledgeable when it came to Hingashi and Shirogane, yet it had been decades since he had truly been a citizen and his current physical condition made the usually near invincible Raen an easier prey than usual.

Picking up her one handed cane – a weaker weapon than her favorite staff but more discrete in order to walk around the housing district – Ruby slips on a summer yukata and a long skirt to cover her legs in order to mingle with the local inhabitants and follows her partner outside after a few minutes. This time however, her footsteps are lighter and her lips graced by a smile as the worry that Phiros might be meeting a lover is now completely gone from her mind, their afternoon talk and subsequent time learning each other again in bed had left a giddy joy warming up her chest. Even the sight of his limp cannot smother her happiness as she follows her lover's meanderings into the streets of Shirogane a few yalm behind.

Several passersby throw odd looks her way at her unconventional attire but she does not seem to draw their attention for longer than the one odd glance, which allows her to trail Phiros up to a small outside bar... The one she was meant to meet up a man who helped her earlier. Well, shit.

Looking around, she spots a small cart she can hide behind to keep watch over Phiros, cane tightly gripped in her hand should one of the drunkards decide to bother her partner. Squinting at the mostly male Raen crowd, she notices Phiros sitting next to an awfully familiar man. Shit, stupid Kami! If she got close enough to listen to the conversations, one of them would definitely notice her and either way, it would go very poorly.

Hissing, she forces herself to stay crouched behind the cart, peeking at the two men and holding her cane at the ready to shield her boyfriend if necessary. The situation is very unfortunate, yet a small part of Ruby cannot help but wish the young Au'Ra would say something to clue in Phiros. Her boyfriend was more akin to a gentle giant than his severe scowl would betray, but when he got jealous... Possessiveness looked good on him, especially when he turned his focus on her and focused entirely on making her his.

Her wishful daydreaming is soon interrupted as she notices something shift in Phiros' posture, his shoulders tense and his arm held back, a posture she is quite familiar with from watching over his back in their many jobs. What are you thinking of doing, you big silly. Don't get hurt on my account.

With relief, she watches as Phiros steps away, exchanging a few words with the man before leaving quietly. The hiss that she had not realized she was projecting dies in her throat as she stands up, ready to follow him home. After following him for a few minutes, a sense of uneasiness grows in her chest until it feels suffocating. There is something she hates about seeing Phiros limp home with such a defeated air.

The night was still young, wasn't it? Glancing about, she spots a small liquor shop and heads towards the merchant with a smirk on her lips at her brilliant idea. Not even the merchant's attempt at fooling her annoys here, and she refuses the cheap sake he is attempting to pawn onto her by mentioning her Hingan husband. The comment seems to do the trick and after paying the merchant off with her emergency gold ingot, she soon catches up to her lover with a fancy bottle of sake and two small cups held precariously in her arms.

"Hey, Phi." She calls out to him casually before linking her arm with his and pushing him off in the direction of the beautiful ponds he had made her discover several years ago.

"Have a drink with me, darling?" Winking, she sets the glasses down on the wooden bench and motions shyly for him to join her. This way she feels like she is making up for inadvertently preventing him to drink at the bar, and they have the chance to spend time together in a quiet environment. Getting drunk with Phiros was how they got together many years ago and every time they learned something new about the person they loved.

After slurping noisily the last drop of champagne off her glass and checking that the bottle at the foot of the futon was indeed empty, Ruby leans back against Phiros' chest and sighs happily. Her boyfriend is so warm and cuddly, she thinks before whining at him as her hands find his tail.

"You missed a spot, left side of my right ear." She nags annoyingly as her ear flicks in Phiros' face who dutifully resumes lapping at her ears. With a touch as gentle as she is currently able, Ruby begins scratching his tail from root to tip, checking for any stray or misaligned scales on her path, though the scales almost seem to blur together in her inhebriated state.

"So I was thinking." A strong opener, good. "We made exactly four millions each from that item Adler sold so y'know we could buy that house immediately and we wouldn't even be touching our saved up money!"

Her ears twitch in her lover's grip as she gets excited talking about her grand plan once more, both hands now moving his tail around for emphasis.

"We could have a big futon bed instead of this tiny one and a real kitchen where your bartender wouldn't glare at me as she keeps my donuts away from me, and a garden! Where we could grow plants! And no employees would bother us in the morning! And we'd be able to have sex everywhere in the house anytime we want!"

Tail wiggling wildly on the bedcovers, smaller hands tap around the bed to find her lover's larger callused hands and slip them under her shirt, placing them over her breasts, freed miraculously from her bra some time ago. A happy sigh escapes her mouth as she leans deeper into Phiros' embrace, tongue now lapping at his tail to clean it up, her entire body heavy and languid in her lover's arms.

Usually, his grip on her breasts would be enough to alight an insatiable fire within her, yet there was a mellowness overtaking her at this moment, partly champagne induced certainly but if she was honest. It had been a long week without Phiros by her side, she had had many moments where she would turn to share something with him and did not find her gentle giant at her side, her tail reaching up to twine with nothing and falling limp.

"Mmmmrrrr. I mmmmissed you."

Lovestruck eyes look up to her lover only to find his eyes closed as his ministrations on her ears had slowed down, warm hands limply cupping her breasts.

"Did you even listen to a word I said?! ...A Xaela cutie decided I was his Nhaama so obviously I told him 'no I already have a boyfriend' but he still followed me around all week, helping me and attempting to seduce me! He was very good at helping me wash up in the creek, especially that spot in my back I can't reach, and very delicate with my tail and-" No reaction?!

"And on the last day we had a giant orgy, five Xaela men and two lovely women, very talented wih their tails, and the padjal! Even he joined in!"

A heavy exhale musses with her hair, causing Ruby to sigh, disappointed that she would not get an answer regarding the house. Gently, she tries to entangle herself from her lover without waking him up and slips in under the covers, pressing her naked chest up to his for warmth as a loud purr escapes her.

The whistle of an axe heading for her head clues her in, aether pouring through her cane to maintain focus on her shield, Ruby drops to her knees, barely glancing at the cœurl whining at the axe embeded in its chest. No time to look to her savior, no need to thank him either as they go through this familiar dance.

Winds howling as her magic throws their enemies under his axe, the ringing steel echoing through the cave as the battle continues on. Pants reach her ears as the collision of axe and flesh dwindles, her focus turns to her partner, calling onto the land's aether to empower her healing spell as Phiros makes quick work of the remaining beasts with a final burst of energy.

The hard rock floor now slippery with blood, the Miqo'te's red hair appear to be part of the now red scenery as she rummages through crates and old chests for treasure. Whatever loot she finds is stuffed in her bag as her aetherpool regenerates slowly. Red eyed and panting, the Au'Ra looks down at her with a smirk, his bloodied weapon resting so casually on his shoulder.

"More?" He questions as he walks up to the next door, beasts growling behind the heavy steel door.

"Ready when you are." She retorts with a hungry smile as she throws a quick glance back at the bloody trail they have left in their wake, already mouthing the words to burn their enemies with holy magic.

Axe at his side, he swings it around once, a habit he could not shake, winking at her as he unlocks the door, the enemies closer to the door getting hit by an unexpected axe swinging at them. "I've got more kills than you so far, love, you better catch up fast!"

Holy light bursting forth from her hands, Ruby smirks as her following spell slams a manticore's tail into the ceiling, her words barely loud enough to be heard amidst the cacophonous battle sounds. "Don't you worry, darling, I have a plan and it's called winning!"

How freeing it was to be able to jump from aetheryte to aetheryte without worrying about a twelvesdamned Padjal looking at her the wrong way. The Kami knew she certainly had no interest in being put to death over something as trivial as her using white magic every now and then, Gridania's law be damned.

Her final port takes her to her Goblet house, she is not but half a bell away from her lover, less if she takes her beloved chocobo for a ride. Exerting great control after a week away from Phiros, she decides to let him get on with his work for now, the noon rush was always a good source of income for him.

Travelling pack dropped in the entryway, her body falls into her desk chair as Moriarty looks at her with barely concealed laughter.

"Padjals?"

"Fucking Padjals."

Quickly, their conversation switches to business, her retainer appraising her of the many sells, contracts and rumored alliances amongst Ul'dahn families. Her interest is caught by a bill for the Beh'ladian relic she and Phiros had found on their first real job following their return from Hingashi. Three millions total, split between Adler's commission fee and their share for finding the relic. One million two hundred and fifty thousand gil each.

Phiros would surely be glad for the income, Ruby thinks as her hand reaches for the apparently expensive hair ornament he had gifted her back in Kugane. Her boyfriend was not one to brag about the cost of a gift, but whenever she had worn it in the streets of Kugane during her mission with the conjurers, women had come to her and offered her what she understood to be congratulations while pointing at her hair. Surely they were congratulating her for snatching such a rich boyfriend.

Her eyes then drift to the note Phiros had sneaked in with his gift, the Hingan sentence she has not yet been able to work on translating as she had forgotten the note on her desk when she had packed hurriedly for the Steppe.

Bloody Padjals and fucking Elementals. Her ears still rang from their awful screams that stunned the mind and made one's aether boil. It had taken them three days of wandering Othard to find the cause of the disturbance: a dozen or so portals that were releasing voidsent out into the Steppe. It had taken them another day to destroy the voidsent and close the portals. Had E-Sumi-Yan not been there, the job would have only taken them half a day as she would have been able to draw on the Steppe's infinite ressource of aether but alas.

Ruby shakes her head to clear her mind from her dark thoughts. There was no point in rehashing the past, she was nearly home, in two bells time she would send Phiros a message to let him know she was back in Eorzea and they would meet up at her house or his. Her ears twitch in displeasure at the thought of deciding where they would stay for the night. If only they had a place that was theirs... A house of their own where they would both come to at the end of the day instead of meeting up at either house depending on who finished work earlier.

Pink slit eyes lift to meet Moriarty's sunset eyes, a scheme assembling in her mind as she interrupts Moriarty's menial filling with a question.

"Do I still own that house in Mist I bought a few years back?"

If the question surprises her, the older woman never lets it show as she puts away one last file and turns her attention towards the Miqo'te. In the eleven years they had known each other, Ruby does not remember a time where the Hyur woman had let her emotions show, not even in private.

"You do, it's been fixed up and has been sitting empty since you were trying to decide whether to move the office or not after the Sultana's assassination attempt and ended up deciding against the move."

"Right, the false assassination to protect her from the real assassins. How much would this house cost currently?"

"About... eight millions, I would say. Do you wish to sell it?"

Eight millions. Four each. It could work. An ounce of guilt makes itself known to her at the thought of lying to Phiros, however her need for them to have a shared home overshadows the guilt quickly enough. She had saved up more than enough over the years, a fortune she shared with her partner often enough, but his cautious nature made him less likely to spend his money on things he thought frivolous. Reaching a finger to trace her hair ornament, she amends the thought, except to please me.

"I want to buy the house again." Her hands slam on the wooden desk and she stands up, tail swaying broadly as her ears twitched in joy.

"Change the receipt for the relic to say we made five millions each and then draw up a document for Phiros and I to "buy" the house at eight millions. That way he gets the money he actually made from the sale and we update the deed of the house to co-ownership."

"Can't you simply tell the man you want to move in with him?"

"I don't want to move in with him, I want us to have a home together. Now hush, no talking back!" Her index wiggles in front of Moriarty's eyes before poking her cheek gently. "How long will it take, to have all those papers drawn?"

A darker hand slaps her finger away with a put upon sigh as Moriarty catches her by the shoulders and twirls her around out of her way as she goes to sit at Ruby's desk.

"Two hours."

A soft voice calls her name as she skips up the stairs to propose to Phiros her idea of buying a house together.

"Ruby, you're already sharing so much with him, things you've worked hard to achieve. Are you sure?"

"Moriarty..." Leaning over the banner, Ruby winks at her her oldest friend, warmed by her care. "Ever since I met him... It was always meant to become ours."

"Now where do you think you're going?! Come back he-" Ruby dives down into the sand as she hears the familiar whistle of an axe fending the air and rolls over only to see it hit the ground, sand and rubble flying out. Glancing at her companion, she points to their target fleeing into the dense trees and calls out gruffly.

"What were you aiming at, you big silly?! The mage is running off that way!"

Phiros does not respond or shifts his attention in their target's direction, angry eyes staring down at her as he hoists his axe up and... Is he aiming at her?! Again, Ruby moves out of the way, her robe dragging down on the sand, his eyes tracking her even as his axe splinters loose white rocks.

"What the hell, Phi?!" Now upset and worried, Ruby takes a few steps back, keeping some distance between them – though she is well aware of how quickly he could close any gap between him and an enemy if he wished to – and casts a quick esuna spell on him, confident that it would resolve the situation quickly as it had never failed her.

Her aether returns to her cane, having somehow failed its mission and carrying back with it a diagnosis: confusion curse. Damnit, she thinks, those were the bad kind of spells, very hard to dispel when cast by a semi-competent mage and their target was wanted for a reason. Who knew what the mage's range was or for how long he could keep it going! Without back up, she cannot even hope to catch up to the mage, not with an angry Phiros at her back. Staring out at the deserted La Noscean beach, Ruby finds herself giving in to panic. This is the first time she is unable to simply cleanse a curse away, and to lose Phiros of all people... He was her rock, catching her back when she wanted to give in to fear and run away. Phiros who was heading for her again, the hatred in his eyes felt like needles were piercing her heart.

"Hey, Love, remember me, your girlfriend? It's me, Ru-" Her barrier spell pushes him back a few meters as she tries to bring him to reason, the axe clearly aimed at her neck. She comforts herself with the knowledge that he loves her, he would not hurt her if he was in control, and though he would want her to, the thought of hurting him even if only to defend herself... No, she will find another way! She might be able to bring him out of it before the end of the curse or outlast it, at the very least. A feeble hope, but it is all she has.

"It's Ruby, the Miqo'te you live with! The one who eats all the donuts at the shop before the customers get there, and-" The sand beach causes Phiros' next attack to miss as he trips on a quicksand, thankfully, though she can see from his tense shoulders and loud huffs that he is getting quite frustrated which meant... cleaves.

Hands up in front of her, her cane paralell to the floor as a last defense in case he did reach her, she chuckles awkwardly, walking in circles around the tall and very angry Au'Ra who was usually nothing but a giant sweetheart.

"Right that usually pisses you off so maybe I shouldn't mention that now... Okay, okay, how about this, what if... I promise to no longer eat all the donuts, huh? Will you stop hitting me? You can't stay mad at me forever, babe!"

Sensing an opportunity as Phiros seems to be gathering his energy for what she knew was a stronger attack, she chants the incantation for a holy spell, placing it just ahead of him so he would only be blinded by the holy light as she draws aether from the land behind her, the lush green grass withering into a dull yellow. Axe dropped at his feet, he growls and claws at his face, her smile strained as she casts another useless esuna spell in futile hope.

"I see that's not enough to convince you, but honestly, I don't know what else to offer you. I mean, I could stop demanding you make rolanberry cheesecakes every sunday morning, sure, but where would be the fun in that? Hmm? You'd get to sleep more? Alright, maybe that's a thing I can do as well... Do you love me again now?"

Tears begin to drip down her face as Phiros blinks the blindness away and rushes towards her, red eyed and axe poised to gut her. Her aether reserves dwindling, she reaches for her strongest spell and wraps herself in wings of pure light, arms shaking from the strain as she hopes it would withstand at least one hit.

"Fine, fine! I'll take off the sign that says no Miqo'te can enter the shop! Now come back to me, Phi, please!"

The axe strikes her wings, the screeching sound of metal over pure aether near deafening as she falls to her knees, cane thrown away from the strength of the impact, hugging herself as the axe comes up once more, ready to do her in as he stands over her.

"I love you." The whisper is swallowed by the dull sound of axe hitting the sand, armor clinging as Phiros drops to his knees and hugs her tightly, pulling her small frame into his lap, whispering apologies into her hair as she sobs uncontrollably.

"My Ruby, I am so sorry, I would never hurt you like this, I am so sorry." Sniffling as she tries to find her poise, she responds in what is obviously a shaky attempt at a smug voice.

"I totally lied, Miqo'te are still not allowed inside the shop... My territory, my cakes, my boyfriend."

When you have spa at 9pm, and plans to take over the world at 10pm, you make do for both.

//

If Ruby could see herself at this moment, she would feel an immense amount of shame at her behavior, which would be soon eclipsed by a wave of warm and fuzzy feelings for her adorably patient partner as he allowed her bratty intoxicated self to move him around as she wished.

"And like, clearly I did not drink it all cause I'm not dumb and I have better things to do with my life than become someone's collared kitt- Oh, look, I did it!"

Ruby crows as she shows Phiros their entwined tails which she had "braided" together as she spoke. Her ears flap against his throat as she scratches her head on his scaled chin, her warm back pressed to her lover's chest as his long hair tickle her bare shoulders.

Phiros' eyebrow lifts up as he looks at his lover with barely concealed amusement, his arms flexing as he leans back on his hands, smirking as Ruby seems to follow his movement and lean even more on his chest. He is clearly concerned about how she has ended up in such a state but for now, he will happily enjoy watching over her silly self. It was a rare treat to see his love so carefree and he would savor it.

"Good job, love." He mocks her as his tail twists against hers, Ruby's focus immediately snatched by the wiggling limb as she had been about to whine about Phiros leaning away from her.

"I can't scratch my ears if you- Stop! Stop being all wiggly, you'll mess up my work!"

Ruby pokes at the scaled tail in a threatening manner that causes Phiros to sit up as one hand covers his face to smother his chuckles.

"Phi!" Angry narrowed eyes glance up to the Au'ra as Ruby repeatedly pokes their tail while attempting to press her head under Phiros' chin. "Tail your tell to stop!"

Loud giggles emanate from Phiros as he can no longer hold them back, the laughing fit nearly dislodging Ruby off his lap, his tail slumping loudly on the futon while Ruby stares at him with an offended pout.

"Why are you wiggling so much? I want hands."

Slumping from her sitting position to be now leaning across Phiros' thighs, the Miqo'te contorts her body as she scratches her lower back onto the harder scales of her partner's upper thighs, not even realizing that the movement had caused her bra to untie as it caught onto Phiros's right thigh.

"Nya?"

From under her heavy lidded eyes, her slit pupils now blown wide as an effect of the drug she had ingested, a thin pink ring is the only remnant of her irises. A high pitched chirping sound emanates from her throat, a playful sound that most Miqo'te knew as a request for contact, her hands curled into paw like imitation as she looks up to Phiros in what she thinks to be a cute pose.

Intrigued, Phiros merely stares down at her, waiting to see what his love's next move would be which causes Ruby to hiss unhappily and chirp again, this time more aggressively as her tail coils around one of his wrists and pulls his hand towards her belly.

"Pets. Now." Her voice softens as Phiros' arm no longer resists her pull, she blinks up to him with a dopey smile, her head drops onto the bedding as her neck muscles ache from keeping her head up and her hands land on Phiros' calf, fingers tracing patterns on her lover's skin. She feels so happy under her lover's hands, cherished and wanted and safe.