#schicksalsdorn

Valentine’s Day. The merman had looked at the human with eyes of curiosity and wonder as he listened to her explaining this very particular human custom; this special day where you would give a gift to the person of your heart. It was very similar to the custom of merfolk, where one would start with giving gifts to the person one wanted to court, then it would switch to sensual dances before merfolk would mark their love with a bite.

The merman’s cheeks flushed in a warm pink as he made his way to the surface to meet up with Hikari at their usual spot, the basking rock he had once used to save her life. The little gift clutched tightly in his hand his heart was about to jump out of his chest. Would it be too straightforward for him to try and participate in this human custom? How would she even react if Hythlodaeus confessed his growing affection to her? Would he be rejected? Would she welcome it? Well, even if she did reject his advances did he hope she would still enjoy his gift.

It was a necklace he had made out of a couple of cowrie shells, they were rather rare, especially the amber coloured one that was flanked by a couple of smaller shells; it was indeed a rare treasure, one Hythlodaeus had crafted himself. How delightful the idea was.. of gifting Hikari a trinket.. a necklace that would always remind her of him whenever they were away from each other.

He reached the rock she was already waiting on and with a bright smile he approached her, stopping in front of her where her feet were dangling into the warm water; that was where he reached out his hand towards her, handing over the gift he had brought with a shy smile on his lips.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Hikari was thoroughly unaware of merfolk custom in the realm of romance, nor did she understand the extent at which her dashing, purple-scaled savior was going to court her. Every day, without fail, she'd visit him on the allegedly cursed beach, swim out to sea, and climb upon the very rock he had laid her upon when she'd nearly drowned. And every day, without fail, she found herself falling deeper and deeper into her affections. Listening to his song, the way it seeped into her bones, resting against his tail and humming along in a duet. Oh, if she could spend the rest of her days in such bliss, she'd never want for anything again.

Her clothing clung to her stocky frame, sticky with saltwater. She had her own gift for him, of course, hidden close behind her. Part of her wondered if he knew how she felt. In the silence of her cottage in the inner kingdom, the crippling loneliness she once filled exclusively with her passions and hobbies now more isolating than ever. She was an outcast and eccentric, two things that her peers deemed undesirable and ignorable. If she were to cease putting her produce to market, would they care? Or would they be briefly inconvenienced before returning to their lives until someone new takes her place?

She can't help but resent it now. She forces it away, determined to not have anything ruin one of their coveted and treasured visits.

But when she spotted what was in his hand, her heart immediately softened despite its pounding tempo. Her brows upturned in warm delight, her lips curling into a genuine smile that rivaled the setting sun in its comfort. She took it in her own palm and slowly clipped it around her neck. The shells were cool against her chest, each cowrie shiny and stunning. She'd never even seen these shells before, much less considered them jewelery.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she whispered, embracing him warmly. "I love it, thank you. I got you a li'l somethin' too."

Aymeric's trying to get Estinien to come to a gala with him, but the damn dragoon is giving him a HEADACHE, daring to suggest wearing his armor, of all things, to this very formal, very prestigious event.

It wasn’t often that Rhea so poorly planned her return to Amaurot that she would return in the dead of night. Traditionally her returns would be in the early morning or afternoon when her partners and friends were awake. Tonight was a different circumstance. Rhea felt compelled to go back home after the day she’d had. Azem had been lying there, unable to sleep, when she felt the most logical decision was to just rejoin Igeyorhm in their shared residence. It was rare that Azem felt such an unease at the weight on her shoulders, but here she was, stepping into their sky-rise condo at two a.m. in the middle of the week.

Rhea entered as quietly as she was capable of at the moment and discarded her mask with a sweep of her hand. The robe was next discarded as she shrugged out of the material, too lazy to unmake it to recreate it later in the morning. She shed everything but her underwear as she padded to their bedroom. Navigating the space didn’t require light, with how familiar she was with its landscape. The mint-haired woman slipped into bed behind her partner. Magenta hues traced over the other woman’s shape in complete darkness before slowly wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Of course you can,” Amara murmured, surprised that he’d actually asked. Most people just went for what they wanted with something like this. “Though I will admit, I am surprised you’re asking me of all people.” She didn’t exactly have the best reputation amongst the Garleans. Not that she cared. It was just…you kill enough of a certain population, they didn’t really regard you in the best light. And Amara? She’d killed a lot of Garleans. It wasn’t murder though. She had been protecting herself and Eorzea at large in her actions, regardless of how they may have painted her with their propaganda.

“Yeah I did,” she stated matter-of-factly. The idea that she wouldn’t simply hadn’t crossed her mind. Zenos was just such an integral part of her life it was difficult for her to consider him not being in it. Which was exactly why she did what she did despite the unpopularity of it. He was always there, previously a looming threat, and now he was just a guy. Still someone who could kick her ass if she ever let her guard down. Now, if you’d told Evan that during their coup of Ala Mhigo that she’d one day grow fond of seeing this blond-haired Garlean, she’d have called you crazy. Evan? She also didn’t care to examine her emotions or thoughts about Zenos too closely.

mermaid muse takes over other's bathtub (Hyth~)

This was surely a roundabout way to have a houseguest. Though her washtub was more than enough to accomodate the merman's bulk ( most of which consisted of his tail and ruffley pale purple fins ) and certainly more comfortable than a barrel besides, she couldn't help but fret if he was comfortable or not. The water was warm, thankfully, to mimic a blanket or sleeping-spot, but the size was what was bothering her. Her new friend was much more used to open ocean than a dingy little wooden washtub in a farmhouse in the kingdom's inner city.

She had made it clear she could always haul Hythlodaeus back in the barrel to their beachside meeting spot, amidst the caves and tidepools and rocky tides. But, he wanted to come and stay the night; to see the lands beyond the shore. And so she obliged.

[  forehead  ]  sender  rests  their  forehead  gently  against  receiver’s (merfolk!Hyth~)

Hikari lazily wrapped her arms around Hythlodaeus' neck as their foreheads touched. His skin and scales were always so cool against her flesh, spurring her on to seek out that tender affection more and more. To think all of this had sprouted from a freak storm...