WARRIOR OF LIGHT

They landed in a pile on the floor and after taking a moment to make sure they weren't going to get up again, Hope turned his attention to the remaining two skeletons. Neither of them seemed the slightest bit impressed by the fact that he had taken down one of their comrades...at least, that he could tell. They were skeletons after all, it wasn't like they had any expressions.

They were doing well, though! What a relief. It was a shame they hadn't let Hope join the vanguard -- although, then they'd have to let G'raha Tia join, too. And then with her luck, twenty more Miqo'te lads of various color schemes would sign up.

Too many. That was just too many damned cats.

-- She was distracting herself.

"Enough already!" She dashed forward to the next-nearest platform, meeting the skeleton advancing upon her party-way. She slammed her chakrams down against his chest, blunt and scraping against the magicked bones. It staggered and she twisted, slamming her left leg into the creature to knock it off balance, followed by a shove that sent it tumbling into the liquid below.

Ah. But right. It didn't have any skin. So it just sort of fell over, injured but yet defeated.

The sudden commentary on her practice made her stumble once again, but she quickly caught herself and turned to face the newcomer. It was clear from first glance at the Viera's clothes that she was a dancer, but Yana remained unsure as to whether or not she was part of the troupe.

Nashmeira had mentioned that they had another member who was out running errands, but that didn't necessarily mean this woman was her. Still, she seemed to know what she was talking about, and she'd already seen Yana failing miserable, so why not take advantage of her presences.

"I had those thoughts afore as well. But th'steps will come -- first, ye have tae learn how tae just move."

Other than her father's, of course, in which she not only attended, but hosted and participated in as his only living relative. It had been difficult, exhausting and heartbreaking, and the ceremony itself had spanned days — and the mourning period extended even further than that.

But this… This was very different. Heartbreaking in its own way, but so… Brief. Perhaps because so many had lost their lives? With so much work to do, there was no time for funeral rites or properly honoring the deceased… They were just buried, and that was that. 

As she stared at the myriad mounds of dirt in the lichyard, Borte prayed in silence for each of them. She remembered their names, how they had spoken or worked together… But she soon realized that so many of them, she had never had the pleasure of meeting. She didn't learn their names, or hear their stories… And now she would never be able to.

When Borte turned to face the woman who now spoke to her, tears were already streaming down her cheeks.

❝What..?❞ She sniffled, quickly reaching up to wipe at her eyes. ❝S-sorry, this is… This is all so new to me, I don't—❞

She looked at the woman properly. Borte had seen her before, usually accompanying the one named A'kihiko, but she had not yet had a proper conversation with her. How unfortunate, that they should officially meet under such grim circumstances.

"--A-Aye. It is." She took a moment to look away, trying to compose herself. They couldn't have a proper conversation if both of them were a tearful mess.

The Viera took a shaky breath. Then she went on, clearing her throat, "I know we should expect this sorta thing, opposin' th'Garleans an' all. S'naive tae imagine we'd never be hit at home. Still..."

Mei had seen her fair share of corpses back in Wadewick, but it was rare they were anyone she'd known well. She hadn't acquainted herself with everyone who worked in the Scions, but they had all shared a roof under the Waking Sands. It felt almost violating, seeing their headquarters invaded so.

"...We just... have tae mourn, but not stop, aye?" she muttered finally, looking back down at her. "Hiko said th'others were taken. We have tae do what we can tae prevent more of...this."

She paused, then shook her head at herself.

❝ since when did i even care what anybody thinks of me? ❞ ❝ a few true friends are better than a thousand friendly-feigning faces. ❞ ❝ curse these old wounds of mine…i once was stronger than this. ❞ ❝ look at yourself, you are too calm. suppressing your anger for the illusion of control. ❞ ❝ in spite of everything, i don’t hate you. not entirely. ❞ ❝ forgiveness is like a special healing ointment, to be applied sparingly. ❞ ❝ better to be modest than a braggart, i suppose. but you might aspire to be somewhere in between. ❞ ❝ there is a stir of something different in the air tonight…you feel it too, yes? ❞ ❝ when tears well up, let them spill forth; they’re not so precious that they need to be contained. ❞ ❝ i have outsmarted you…and i shall overpower you as well. ❞ ❝ my pain i can handle fine, who cares? yours, i don’t think i could live with. ❞ ❝ you really do care about me, huh. for the longest time i just wouldn’t let myself believe it. ❞ ❝ tell me you killed the bastard? drove your staff into his wretched skull, slid a dagger in his gut? ❞ ❝ you’ve a defiant streak in you. one you’d be wise to hold in check. ❞ ❝ you gods never forgive; why then should i? ❞ ❝ you cannot break me; that i know. ❞ ❝ if suffering brings about a better tomorrow, so be it. ❞ ❝ loyalty is either earned or bought, and it makes little difference either way. ❞ ❝ we are most powerful when we remain obscure; when we are underestimated. ❞ ❝ as you begin your next attempt at the seemingly impossible, know that i shall be with you to the bitter end. ❞ ❝ good thing i can drown my sorrows here, and guess what? so can you! ❞ ❝ if my safety is now your concern…you can begin by showing yourself out. with all due respect. ❞ ❝ if you undermine my authority, you shall suffer the consequences. simple. ❞ ❝ let’s not talk about the past, all right? i much prefer the present. ❞ ❝ even in a place of sorrow such as this, there’s beauty…gentleness. ❞ ❝ power always contains the secrets of its own undoing. ❞ ❝ for you? i shall not hesitate to pierce the heavens and the earth alike. ❞ ❝ i feel sorry for you. really do. we always want what we can never have. ❞ ❝ that was one of the worst sentences i think i’ve ever heard. ❞ ❝ gods do not go quietly, and history repeats. ❞ ❝ you got into my head. i want you out. ❞ ❝ sounds like you’ve had quite an eventful night. ❞ ❝ i don’t know, this sounds a little treasonous. ❞ ❝ we get to know each other, you’ll live to regret it. happens all the time. ❞ ❝ what are you fighting for? what do you hope to prove? ❞ ❝ my pain i can handle fine, who cares? yours, i don’t think i could live with. ❞ ❝ if there is some bad blood between us, i would like to know the cause. ❞ ❝ in this world, you can’t rely on anybody but yourself. ❞ ❝ spilled half my blood back there… ❞ ❝ quickly now, tell me but this: have you been…are you well? ❞ ❝ why do the gods do anything at all? simply because they can. ❞ ❝ spare not a single wretch that dares to stand against you. ❞ ❝ look at you, it’s like, just…wow. don’t even have the words. ❞ ❝ love and hate! the most powerful emotions, and the underlying causes of war. ❞ ❝ i am no stranger to the punishment of gods. ❞ ❝ you know who i am, and you know why i’m here. ❞ ❝ get up. you get off that stolen throne. ❞ ❝ must we always have to take a blasted side in everything? ❞ ❝ stand tall and show no weakness. ❞ ❝ the bigger they are…the harder they fall. ❞ ❝ come on, we all have fantasies. ❞ ❝ if i can’t see into the shadows, i’ll cut through. ❞ ❝ come to think of it, i’ve never seen you angry. ❞ ❝ things were quite recently much worse, and we’ve weathered worse storms. ❞ ❝ it’s commonplace to fear what we don’t understand. ❞ ❝ truths are only truths if they’re believed. ❞ ❝ oh, i don’t get offended…i get even. ❞ ❝ the more we wander, the wiser we get, hey? ❞ ❝ if you insist on siding against me, then i insist on making you regret it. ❞ ❝ appreciate the silence. we will have company any moment now. ❞ ❝ for all the dread and despair everywhere i turn, you’ve come to be a welcome sight. ❞

The beast tribe members were not exactly the most quiet bunch, kobolds most of all.

"Made the best jewelry, alas... My village barely had a scent outside of buying new seeds for crops."