Aadhira

Well- maybe not quite Dalamud, but Aadhira could understand being sent to fight a war in which one previously had no part. Hydaelyn had done something similar of course- chosen warriors to awaken the echo within, to grant her blessing. Even he had gone from someone who had no true place on the battlefield, to the Warrior of Light. Though- the way Sviat worded it, those chosen didn’t seem to have an option. Atleast Hydaelyn granted her chosen such luxuries.

Aadhira opened his mouth to speak but refrained when Sviat mentioned the thing about hope. He smiled, looking at the other. ’A universal language then, I suppose. Hope seems the driving force between most things…’

Perhaps that’s all it was for him too- the only reason he fought. He hoped to make the world a better place. He perked when the other offered him a cloak, and shook his head. ’Don’t worry. I’ve suffered far worse than stares… thou should have seen how I was recieved in my first day in Gridania- after all, male Viera are quite a miracle among my kins litters….’ He giggled- though it once again was echoey, spacey with how he communicated and his expression outwardly was really only a closed-eyed grin.

Still, he took a few seconds to make sure he looked his best, readjusting the flowers in his hair. It was mostly just a habit- appearances were important after all, even if he wasn’t going to be looked at in this world like he was in his own. Or atleast, not in the same way. If everyone else looked like Sviat, all humans… well. he was sure his races features would catch him a few odd stares.

Still, he walked forward and past Sviat, brushing against the other gently as he did. He paused at the top of the ramp, looking back for a few moments with a smile before stepping down. His heels clicked against the floor, and already, he could feel some odd looks but… well, so far so good. He hadn’t been shy for a long time anyways, so who cared if people looked at him.

… and yet, something still struck within him. He turned, going to say something to Sviat before he was hit with a splitting pain through his head. He brought a hand to his forehead, leaning over a little as his face scrunched up unpleasantly. He set a hand on his knee, trying to not fall over as the world around him was sent spinning faster than a carousel. A mere sensory overload- The weird rustling feeling he’d come to know light around him as, the whine that had gotten louder, all the voices- and the god awful scent that smelt like ceruleum. His ears tilted flat against his head, flopping over. ’Seven hells…’

Sviat stared after Aadhira for a moment, trying to tell himself he’s just overthinking simple things. He shook his head, momentarily touching his arm as if to dispel the ideas with it. A small smile, hidden underneath the helmet, came up to his lips, a lot less guarded when no one could see it.

He liked Viera’s confidence of facing the unfamiliar, though probably it was to be expected from what he had gathered so far. Before he could say anything, the other leaned over. Not knowing what it was, Hunter’s heart sank, afraid it might have been something serious.

“Aadhira!” Sviat rushed over, quick to put one arm around Aadhira’s waist, the other taking his free hand gently to support the Viera as best as possible. “Come, sit down. We don’t have to rush.” He nudged the other a little towards a nearby crate.

“I should have let you rest properly before bringing you here… Traveler knows what this whole thing did to you.“

He gave a soft smile to Sviat, shaking his head. 'I think I'm fine. I'm... most grateful for thine help.' He looked back down. 'I'm just not used to places being so crowded- my company only consists of 5 others most of the time...'

He went to stand, and slowly but surely did, shaking his head as he readjusted his balance. He reached out, gently taking Sviat's hand- once more forgetting that the other may not be as keen to touch as he and the people around him usually were. 'You truly are a kind man.' He gave a small smile, before dropping the others hand.

Aadhira turned, his tail twitching, able to be seen just underneath the large bow as he placed his chin in his fingers. 'Now... thou said someone might be able to help me here. Any idea on who that someone might be?' He cast a glance over his shoulder, before sharing an almost sympathetic gaze. 'As nice as your world is, and you are, I have a war I need to return to, assuming nothing great happens while I am gone...'

“  i thought you were gone.  for good. ”

“  you left and—  i thought you weren’t coming back.  ”

“  i miss you.  i know i’m not supposed to,  but.  i just had to see you.  ”  

“  please don’t scare me like that again.  i can take a lot of things,  but not losing you.  ”

“  i can’t even take the very thought of you getting hurt.  ”

“  you could’ve gotten yourself killed! you could’ve— fuck!  you scared the shit outta me.  ” 

“  yes.  i am telling you what to do.  i’m telling you not to pull something like that again because—  ‘cause fucking hell.  i care about you.  okay? ”  

“  i found myself driving home and then.  well i was on my way here.  ‘cause i guess…you’re still my home.  ” 

“  please,  tell me why you’re upset.  tell me who did this?  ”

“  you don’t have to come over here and take care of me you know.  i can clean up my own messes.  ”

“  don’t talk.  just get the fuck over here and hold me.  ”

“  loving you is like having my heart just out in the world.  outside of my body walking around.  every time i see you hurting,  it kills me.  ”

“  i made you cry.  and i hate myself for that.  i swore i wouldn’t be one of the people who left you hurting.  ”

“  you really hurt me this time.  but i want to let go of that.  i really do want to forgive you i’m just scared you’ll hurt me again.  ”

“  i know you’re mad at me right now,  but i’m the one who’s here.  let me be here.  let me help.  you can be angry later.  ”

“  i’m here now.  i know i wasn’t before.  but i should’ve been.  and i’m not going anywhere.  i’m not gonna let that happen again.  ”

“  it’s time to come home now.  ”

“  that’s enough.  you’ve got your revenge.  let’s go.  ”

“  i know you’re hurting.  and i can’t fix that.  but i can refuse to let you hurt alone.  ”

“  i’m never letting go of you.  i missed you so fucking much.  ”

“  look at me,  you’re safe.  and you’re not alone.  and i’ll never let you be alone again.  you understand?  ”

“  i broke my promise to you once.  i’ll never do it again.  ”

“  i don’t need you to go white knighting and fix all this.  i just want you here.  with me.  that will make me feel better.  ”

“  just stay still and let me hold you.  ”

“  you don’t have to hide your tears.  let it out.  then we’ll move on,  together.  ”

“  i just.  needed to talk to you ‘cause.  somehow you always know what to say.  ”

“  don’t bury your feelings.  sadness.  hurt.  rage.  feel it.  acknowledge it so you can decide what you want to do with it.  not what it will do to you.  ”

“  i miss your smile.  and not that sad one you try to fool everyone with.  the real one.  the one you used to show me.  ”

“  come here.  i’m taking care of you tonight.  and you’re gonna let me.  ”  

1) our muses reunite after sender thought receiver was dead. 

2) our muses reunite after receiver thought sender was dead. 

3) sender shows up at receiver’s house drunk after they’ve broken up. 

4) receiver shows up at sender’s house drunk after they’ve broken up. 

5) our muses are on bad terms but reunite after one of them nearly dies. 

6) sender finds receiver crying and approaches,  clearing the tears with their hands while demanding to know what happened. 

7) receiver finds sender crying and approaches,  clearing the tears with their hands while demanding to know what happened. 

8) our muses haven’t been speaking,  but sender rushes to take care of receiver after they’ve been injured or fell ill. 

9) our muses haven’t been speaking,  but receiver rushes to take care of sender after they’ve been injured or fell ill. 

10) sender hurt receiver in some way,  which led to receiver doing something reckless and sender shows up to stop them/or deal with the aftermath. 

11) receiver hurt sender in some way,  which led to sender doing something reckless and receiver shows up to stop them/or deal with the aftermath.

12) our muses are in a fight,  but cuddle anyway because they don’t like sleeping alone. 

13) receiver wakes sender from a nightmare. 

14) sender wakes receiver from a nightmare. 

15) sender wakes up in the hospital and finds receiver at their side,  who is in the same clothes as the day they were admitted because they’ve refused to leave their side. 

16) receiver wakes up in the hospital and finds sender at their side,  who is in the same clothes as the day they were admitted because they’ve refused to leave their side. 

17) our muses are currently on the outs,  but receiver goes through something traumatic and sender pushes past their friends to get to them. 

’Russia,’ Aadhira tested the word on his tongue, and leaned his head down to catch his chin between his fingers. He thought abput what Sviat said afterwards as well- the world going through environmental changes, turning drastically into something else becauee something or another was thrown off balance.

’Like our calamity…’ He muttered after a while, to no one in particular. His ears twitched, lying back slightly before they pricked as Aadhira looked at Sviat. When prompted, he followed curiously.

Aadhira’s eyes widened at the sight of the traveler, and her city beneath her. He paused, just staring for a while until finally; he took a step forward, then a second. This continued until he reached out, pressing fingers agaonst the glass as he stared.

’Dalamud.’ He said, his voice quieter over the echo. He looked at Sviat. “It’s what it reminds me of-’ he paused. Oh, the other would not know. He looked back out, thinking of how he could word it before finally bringing the words to light.

’A long, long time before I was born, there was an empire called the Allagan Empire. Holding back all the other things they did- they created a moon, called Dalamud. It was around for a very long time… did many things. Acted as another one of a planets moons- and held within it a beast. Not long before I became an adventurer though, some very bad people brought it down to earth, and it made all sorts of bad things happen. And then… it broke in the atmosphere, and caused even worse things things to happen- and released the beast. It triggered something like your collapse- ours was called a calamity. Primals were summoned, cities destroyed… lives lost. The world has never been the same. ’

His hand fell a little, and he looked down. ’The Viera had some of the least of it. We never really interacted with those outside the tribe- and our hearing allowed us to avoid danger altogether. I never faced what the people of Thanalan or the other places did.’ He had some lingering guilt, even if he could have never possibly been there to help everyone- and even if he had been able to help, they’d still lose lives. It’d have been impossible for him to save anyone. ’I’ve seen visions of it sometimes. My echo- it allows me to glimpse into the memories of others, but never of my own will or want. As much as others think I do it willingly…’ He paused, before looking at Sviat. ’And not that I think your Traveler is big or fake or anything, but it’s big and round like a moon. And I’m sure your planet already has a moon.’

Sviat couldn’t help but watch the other carefully, his gaze lingering at the small mist on the glass that formed around Aadhira’s hand from the warmth. He approached the window as well, hovering close behind him, distantly thinking to give some comfort against the clearly unpleasant events of the other’s past. It wasn’t that odd for how little space there generally was in the cockpit, though if one really took a good look… such proximity was scarcely warranted. 

The mention of Aadhira being able to look into someone’s past didn’t sit all too well with him, and Sviat really hoped that this Echo was not able to work in this world. His past wasn’t anything to be proud of, or at least he thought so, and someone poking around it, even if without control… it would do no good to either of them. Still, he was more focused on the Traveler, his thoughts drifting with other’s words, not really notice how close he got, only making a half-step back when the Viera looked at him again.

“Well…” The Hunter nodded, his face dusting with a blush at the realization of his closeness. “Yes, we indeed have a moon already. The Traveler is… resting here.” He gleaned over Aadhira’s features before looking out again - there was no denying the other was quite dashing… Maybe it was a sign that he should spend more time around people? His mind was far too occupied by things it shouldn’t be in such circumstances.

Sviat shook his head a little, trying to get his thoughts back on track. “When Traveler entered our system some centuries ago, she started to change every planet she came in contact with, making them habitable, changing their atmospheres. We were able to establish colonies in otherwise before hostile environments, our lifespan extended to even three hundred years, while before Humans could live up to one hundred at best…” He paused when the ship went into the hangar’s approach, the tunnel obscuring the Traveler. “But Darkness followed her and she came here for her final stand, giving us Ghosts to fight what she could not by herself anymore…” Sviat sounded quite bitter, his nose scrunching. “We’re fighting a war that is hardly ours, something we hardly understand even now after making contact with both sides. You wouldn’t be alone in thinking ill of the Traveler…”

He closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the engines slowing down, waiting for the familiar jolt of the ship settling down against the landing pad. It came soon after, and Sviat turned around to walk back towards the ramp that opened with a hiss in the adjacent room. “Anyway, it’s best to not express doubts to most other Guardians. People like to have hope.”

Aadhira opened his mouth to speak but refrained when Sviat mentioned the thing about hope. He smiled, looking at the other. 'A universal language then, I suppose. Hope seems the driving force between most things...'

Perhaps that's all it was for him too- the only reason he fought. He hoped to make the world a better place. He perked when the other offered him a cloak, and shook his head. 'Don't worry. I've suffered far worse than stares... thou should have seen how I was recieved in my first day in Gridania- after all, male Viera are quite a miracle among my kins litters....' He giggled- though it once again was echoey, spacey with how he communicated and his expression outwardly was really only a closed-eyed grin.

Still, he took a few seconds to make sure he looked his best, readjusting the flowers in his hair. It was mostly just a habit- appearances were important after all, even if he wasn't going to be looked at in this world like he was in his own. Or atleast, not in the same way. If everyone else looked like Sviat, all humans... well. he was sure his races features would catch him a few odd stares.

Still, he walked forward and past Sviat, brushing against the other gently as he did. He paused at the top of the ramp, looking back for a few moments with a smile before stepping down. His heels clicked against the floor, and already, he could feel some odd looks but... well, so far so good. He hadn't been shy for a long time anyways, so who cared if people looked at him.

The closed off expression which seemed further than even his only lended to make Aadhira close up even more aswell. He crossed his arms, listening to the other speak. His eyes closed and his ears twitched in signs he was listening but he had looked away- not looking at Sviat anymore. A Guardian shutting up and not being expressive was one thing- but a male Viera doing so was a different beast. Many of the ones who lingered in the woods to protect the tribes were slow to show emotion anyways.

’Nessus sounds nice. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a field of flowers- atleast, not any large one. But the planets you speak of, covered in ice- that seems more like something I’d like.’ He feigned checking his nails idly, his ears tilting back and down. ’My home was a range of ice- my family lives in a tribe situated within the peaks. I spent…’ Aadhira went quiet for a second, thinking. ’we’ll say 170 years, maybe more. They tend to blend into each other after a while.’

The next question made him pause even longer. ’Yes… and no. It’s certainly not accesible to most, and if I’m honest, I’ve only heard about it in the cases of the Garlean Empire. That’s if rumours are to be believed…’ Finally, he looked back at Sviat, but he still seemed guarded. ‘But it seems commonplace in your world. The way you describe yourself and the others like you leads to the idea, anyways.’

’Where are you from? Your home or whereever you came from… I’d imagine the environments we’ve been shaped by are quite different.’ A small, very small quirk of his lips came about with the next comment, his eyes squinting just a bit. ’Well, considering you don’t have the rabbit ears, or the tail. Or the nose.’

Sviat couldn’t ignore the telltale signs of the other closing off as well. On one hand, he was grateful - it was easier to just… be like this. On the other… It felt wrong, even if he was used to that.

The question surprised him, though it really shouldn’t, but talking about himself never was an easy thing. The Hunter cocked his head, looking at the tip of his boot for a moment, before his gaze moved back to Aadhira.

“Me? I believe I was born here, on Earth. If the language I spoke when I woke up is anything to go by, somewhere in the deep Russia… Not much exists of it but wilderness now, though.” He shrugged. “When the Collapse came, the entire planet underwent many changes due to natural disasters. Some parts collapsed into the oceans, some were left abandoned after climate changed too drastically. If you like cold, I might take you there if it turns out we have… time. Maybe even to Europa, though Earth is much safer.”

Keeping Aadhira out of his world wasn’t what Sviat wanted but he didn’t think that the solution will come just like this. Who said the other couldn’t have a peak here or there in the meantime? As long as nothing bad happened, that is.

He got up and went over to the door leading to the cockpit. They slid open and Sviat looked behind at the other. “Come. You will want to see this.”

'Like our calamity...' He muttered after a while, to no one in particular. His ears twitched, lying back slightly before they pricked as Aadhira looked at Sviat. When prompted, he followed curiously.

Aadhira's eyes widened at the sight of the traveler, and her city beneath her. He paused, just staring for a while until finally; he took a step forward, then a second. This continued until he reached out, pressing fingers agaonst the glass as he stared.

'Dalamud.' He said, his voice quieter over the echo. He looked at Sviat. "It's what it reminds me of-' he paused. Oh, the other would not know. He looked back out, thinking of how he could word it before finally bringing the words to light.

'A long, long time before I was born, there was an empire called the Allagan Empire. Holding back all the other things they did- they created a moon, called Dalamud. It was around for a very long time... did many things. Acted as another one of a planets moons- and held within it a beast. Not long before I became an adventurer though, some very bad people brought it down to earth, and it made all sorts of bad things happen. And then... it broke in the atmosphere, and caused even worse things things to happen- and released the beast. It triggered something like your collapse- ours was called a calamity. Primals were summoned, cities destroyed... lives lost. The world has never been the same. '

Aadhira noted the tone of his chuckle- and looked away, a small frown crossing his lips. It was less at Sviat and more of the fact that maybe he had gone too far- which was wrong on his part. Perhaps Guardians were far less willing to be touchy than the people he had chosen to spend time with in his world- not that the Scions were constantly doing so with each other, but hand touches and hugs weren’t uncommon or taken badly.

’Of course,’ He resigned himself a little more, drawing his hand back and setting it back beside him, the magic fading back away. He’d keep himself in check. ’I’m sure I will meet many on my adventures, or mayhap one day, I will even begin to see one of my current allies in a different light.’ After it was all over, of course- if it would ever be. He wasn’t sure how easy fostering a relationship could be when he was busy almost every hour of every day, seeking how to help best, or where he needed to go.

’So… the woods we met in- how big are they? Is most of your world wooded like this?’ Aadhira tilted his head, looking back towards Sviat and putting back on a smile. He could change his emotions so fast- atleast, on his face. ’Mine has a place with deep wooded areas…- Or lots of them- There’s mainly Gridania, where I trained as an Archer and Bard… Ivalice… thats where many Viera of from- people like me. The Golmore jungle and… well, where my tribe is from, the Skatay mountain range also has some forests. I used to love those woods…’ He looked away, his ears lying back a bit as he got lost in his own thoughts. Oh- how he missed his family, his tribe, the woods he had called his home for over 100 years. But he was an exile to them- and he could never return and be one of them once again.

“Earth is pretty much forests since Humanity huddles mainly in one spot. Nature reclaimed what was hers over the centuries… Of course, there are different biomes, but if there is no forest or no desert, the ruins are anyway green.” He looked towards the cockpit to get his expression under control, though it wasn’t really much different from the usually gloomy aura. Once his attention returned to Aadhira, there was no sign of the smile, even the faint one, his eyes cold and the aura guarded.

Zviezda popped up beside Sviat out of thin air. “We’re almost there. Do you want me to park in the Tower?” The Hunter glanced between her and Aadhira, before nodding. “That will be best, yes.”

She bobbed in the air and disappeared again, letting Sviat come back to the topic. “If you travel to Venus, that’s quite a forest… though with all the bogs its charm diminishes a lot. I think you would love Nessus, it’s covered in fields of flowers. The rest of the planets… Either ice or barren deserts. One more infected with aliens than the other, too…”

'Nessus sounds nice. I don't think I've ever seen a field of flowers- atleast, not any large one. But the planets you speak of, covered in ice- that seems more like something I'd like.' He feigned checking his nails idly, his ears tilting back and down. 'My home was a range of ice- my family lives in a tribe situated within the peaks. I spent...' Aadhira went quiet for a second, thinking. 'we'll say 170 years, maybe more. They tend to blend into each other after a while.'

The next question made him pause even longer. 'Yes... and no. It's certainly not accesible to most, and if I'm honest, I've only heard about it in the cases of the Garlean Empire. That's if rumours are to be believed...' Finally, he looked back at Sviat, but he still seemed guarded. 'But it seems commonplace in your world. The way you describe yourself and the others like you leads to the idea, anyways.'

Aadhira gave a soft noise- not quite a purr, but perhaps similar. Sort of a churr, but with a growl-like hiss behind it as if he couldn’t really properly make the noise. As much as it was a habit, Aadhira was not draconic like those he had picked it up from, and the damage to his vocal chords made it even harder. And yet…he had still managed to make something.

’Thats the joy of it. Thou wouldst need not know how to dance, even. It’s only a title, something Dancer’s began using to explain it, really it’s like...’ He paused, his ears twitching before he narrowed his eyes. He took Sviat’s hand once more, and with a bit of focus, the magic took on a deeper purplish-red hue. The feeling changed from light and refreshing to one that easn’t quite like anything else- like a tug at the soul, like it wanted to settle within Sviat but would not, being held back by something.

‘It tethers the dancer and the one it is bestowed upon. A soul link, almost. Allows the partner to recieve what attributes a dancer would grant to themself- the ability to take more hits, a healing breath, many different things…’ He leaned forward, leaning onto his other hand, dragging his fingers up Sviat’s palm and pressing their tips into the very top of it, the magic taking to his own fingers. ’Many different things. On rarer occassions, I have heard of dance partners being able to feel the phantom touches of things their dancer is feeling- but only in the cases of soulmates and lovers being bound like such have I heard these rumours.’ Aadhira looked up at the other from under his bangs, smiling sheepishly at his next words. ’I will admit, one of mine own dreams was to feel it one day, but I am almost sure it is just that; rumours with no truth behind them.’

His hair fell over his shoulders, snow-white and tipped with black like an Artic rabbit. Maybe it became apparent- the rabbit people from their world were remnants of humanity trying to play god, faux hybrids with merely the parts plastered on. There was no evolution behind them, it was only dna loosely patched onto anothers. But Aadhira… he was different. Years of evolution to what he was- the parts that were prominent more set in. Hell, he probably had paws under his boots too, with fur peeking out from under his clothes.

Sviat gave Aadhira a curious glance when the other made such an odd sound, but did not comment on it. Clearly, he did not speak so there probably was something wrong with his vocal cords, and the Hunter wasn’t going to dig deeper. He was glad they could still communicate and that he didn’t have to use sign language - Sviat didn’t use it in a while, and who knew if they even shared any common signs.

His attention was stolen once more by the touch and the colors of the light, a soft gasp accompanying the shift in the feeling. He only felt something similar once, a long time ago, when he let someone’s Light into his own. Someone who mattered. This was far more delicate but still made him feel strange. Too close.

'Of course,' He resigned himself a little more, drawing his hand back and setting it back beside him, the magic fading back away. He'd keep himself in check. 'I'm sure I will meet many on my adventures, or mayhap one day, I will even begin to see one of my current allies in a different light.' After it was all over, of course- if it would ever be. He wasn't sure how easy fostering a relationship could be when he was busy almost every hour of every day, seeking how to help best, or where he needed to go.