Heavensward

[arroganceandangst]

Coming to Ishgard

The Crystal Braves's betrayal still fresh in mind and only the Warriors of Light, Alphinaud, and Tataru accounted for, Cid Garlond whisks our heroes away to Coerthas to avoid detection of the crew they thought were friends. They find themselves in Ishgard where they are greeted warmly by House Fortemps and granted sanctuary, much to the displeasure of King Thordan and his Heavens Ward.

Alphinaud's despair about being unable to "Save Eorzea(TM)" comes to a head and Tatarus and the Warriors of Light set him straight. Together they move forward to find their scattered friends and allies and move forward. Meanwhile, the Dragonsong War begins to set back into motion after years of an unease and tense ceasefire.

Amongst the chaos a strange and desperate from another world slips into our Eorzea with the intent of saving their land at the cost of ours.

Welcome to Heavensward, I hope you packed your furs.

Comments

[arroganceandangst]

Aragibal paused as she snarled and whirled around and stomped down to the bar, the smile fading from his face. There was something more significant than just running into him that evoked this kind of response. He couldn't really help but wonder what it was. He determined he would find out, but only after taking a quick trip to the market. He left The Forgotten Knight and walked over to a nearby aetheryte and teleported to the shopping distract, stumbling upon arrival and holding back the urge to vomit. He still wasn't used to teleporting places.

He went to an armor fitter and chatted the salesman up, describing Athala based upon his short interaction, critically looking over the armor he had. He had seen her war axe and guessed she was at the very least a marauder, so she would wear plate armor. She also bought soft leathers and furs to wear under the plate as padding and to keep her warm in the event she stayed in Coerthas long. He put the armor away and then returned to The Forgotten Knight. He went down the stairway to the bar proper - she was still there, but was likely finishing up.

He caught the bar tender's attention and signaled for two warmed non-alcoholic ciders, pointing to Athala to signal the second was for her. He sat on the stool next to her, welcoming the glass of cider as the bartender put it down in front of him. He pulled the glass to him, mostly just to keep his hands warm. It had been quite a while since he had been in the colder regions of Xaela territory, so the warmth was very welcome. His voice was uncharacteristically quiet and calm when he spoke, staring down at his cider.

"Not everyone is out to get you, you know." He took a drink of the cider, glancing at Athala. His face had drawn into a serious expression. "Sometimes people do just want to help. No strings attached."

[provokedultimatum]

Of fucking course her day was going to keep getting shitter and shitter. Since when have the Twelve ever given her a damn break? Not today that's for sure. She had been so sure, so damn sure that the wanker have buggered off for good, she had settled into her seat, dug into her meal and no-one was trying to bother her. And then he came back.

She just had to focus on her food, and then she could leave, when she spots the drink being placed in front of her. Her grasp on her fork and knife becomes white knuckled, and then he opens his damn gob and her faces flushes in anger, jaw clenching, and fucking hell this sod didn't even remember her did he?

"Fuck OFF!" She roars as she pushes herself up, chair toppling backwards. She slams some gil gil down on the table as she kicks out at the back-right leg on his chair, easily splintering it and feeling a little bit of satisfaction as the chair unbalances him. She doesn't care that at this point the entire bar is silent and staring at her. Fuck 'em. Fuck all of them. She'd just make her way back now, fuck it.

If her entrance into the bar was heralded by slow, stomping, her exit is one of silence and long, marching strides as she takes the stairs three at a time and slams out the door, back into the snow.

Back through Coerthas Central Highlands it is.

[arroganceandangst]

Well she certainly was angry, and for absolutely no good reason, as far as he was concerned. He almost made a most undignified sound the moment his chair started to topple backwards, but habit had him reach back and plant his hand for stability, flipping over to his feet. It was messy and not graceful and even he would admit that without his tail he probably would have failed, but he managed to stick the landing. He looked up to her from her crouched position, his tail swishing back and forth like an agitated cat. He straightened back to standing as she walked out. He went back to the bar, sat, and finished the first cider, then went ahead and ordered a triple order of roast, having them pack up two servings to go. He ate the third that wasn't packed.

He paid for it all and the chair, then got up and left, giving a nod to Sidguru on the way out. He asked the locals what direction the "tall angry woman in ill-fitting armor" went, and easily followed her out the gates to the central highlands. He hoped he'd given her time enough to calm down at least a little, but not so much that she was in any real danger, but the wind was starting to kick up and the sun was down and he could feel the temperature dropping. He could feel worry gnawing at him as he wrapped a fur around his neck and lower face. Aragibal found some degraded tracks that looked like they may have been her size and quickly started to follow, hoping to find her before they were erased by the wind.

He found her wandering on a plain, clearly lost, clearly freezing. His limbal rings glowed softly in the darkness as he approached her. He hailed so as to keep from frightening her. "You lost? It's pretty hard to navigate out here after dark! Come on, let's find some shelter!" He had come up to her. She was pale, the color leaving her face. She was freezing. Aragibal immediately became distressed. He pulled a heavy fur from his pack that he used as a blanket while out adventuring in Coerthas and wrapped her in it, being somewhat forceful and ignoring her protests - verbal or physical. If she put up much of a struggle he couldn't help but growl at her. "Woman you're going to die out here if you don't calm down. Be angry at me after we make camp."

He ushered her into a nearby cave to get out of the wind and immediately built a small fire for them to sit next to and get warm. Aragibal fished the roast (still warm - he really knows how to pack) out from his pack and offered it to her, then dug out the armor and furs he bought for her. He also pulled out a small container, filled it with snow, and sat it next to the fire to melt it so that Athala would have water to drink. "I got you that armor anyway, despite you telling me not to. I also got you new leathers and furs to keep you warm out here. You can't be out here as exposed as you are. Especially at night."

[provokedultimatum]

Fucking, fucking, fucking fuck!

Athala aims a particularly vicious kick at the snow drift she was currently knee deep in. She'd been fine leaving. Cold but fine. And the path had bee perfectly clear on her way in despite the constantly falling slow. But she'd been too busy cursing out that sodding Au Ra to pay attention to the road as the cloud cover thickened and the wind picked up and now she was lost.

Her throat tightens as her toes start feeling numb and she shouts at the snow. She hated this Coerthas place, why had no-one mentioned the cold when she'd been sent here on a damned errand?! She could feel her steps becoming heavier the more she trudged on, eyes widening as she started to panic. Shit where was the path?!

The shock of hearing the Au Ra's stupid voice and the cold vice of Oh gods he followed me here freezes her long enough that the prick is able to get right up into her personal space and -

"NO! GET OFF OF ME! FUCK! NO NO NO NO!" She spits and struggles even as he wraps her in the softest fur she has ever felt, which only spurs her to hurl more insults especially as he growls back at her. His irritation a small victory despite being swaddled by this man.

Athala can feel her heart hammering between her cold, cold ears as she's carted into this cave, eyes darting about in the gloom, trying to follow Ara's movements until he coaxes a fire to life and Athala realises how much everything hurts as the warmth of the first starts to lick at her skin. As he goes about his busy work, Athala shifts, keeping the fire between them at all times and snarling as she realises what he's done.

"I TOLD YOU I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP!" There is an edge to her shouts this time, barely noticeable, one that hadn't been there when they had been surrounded by people. The flickering flames highlighting other things about Atha to the keen of eye. Bruises emerging under her eyes from lack of sleep, and a hint of sallowness to the skin of her cheeks, like she hasn't eaten properly. "I WAS FINE! I DON'T WANT YOU HERE!"

Even with her shouting, her eyes remain unblinking as she refuses to look away from him, and her entire posture is rigid. As Ara settles down, Atha vows not to rest, to instead wait for him to relax or fall asleep and bolt. She couldn't stay here with him, it wasn't safe!

[arroganceandangst]

As she yelled at him he got up and fastened a tarp across the mouth of the cave to help keep the wind out - a trick he'd picked up when he was still a kid on the Azim Steppe. It wasn't perfect and there were definitely gaps between between the threshold of the cave and where the 'tarp' ended that a person could definitely wriggle through, but at least it kept more of the warmth in. He gathered up a large handful of snow and dropped it into a container and set it closer to the fire to melt for himself, just like he had for her. He removed his sword from his back and let it rest on the ground, hilt next to him on the left - a hint that he tended more towards being left handed. He kept it near in the event she chose to attack him - a possibility considering the venomous edge her yelling had taken on. He began to undo the straps of his armor as he spoke.

"You sure do have a funny way of thanking people, you know." His voice was calm, a cheery tone to it. He noticed how tense the woman was and specifically avoided her gaze and generally did his best to appear nonthreatening - moving slowly, making sure to keep his hands visible as much as possible while removing his armor. "You were dying out there. Freezing to death.." He finished removing his armor, wearing nothing but his furs and leathers now. He slowly pulled out tools to maintain his armor, setting them out so she can see them and still moving slowly so he didn't startle her. He began working on his armor, moving deftly and working as if he's done this once or twice before. "No furs, your armor barely fits - your axe looks like you haven't sharpened it since I was an ankle biter." At the mention of her axe's blade, he pulled out a few tools and set them with the armor and furs he was giving her. Another gift.

He stoked the fire, glancing back to Athala to check her color. She was looking better. He had a feeling she would fly the moment he rested, so she wanted to be sure she was alright before going. He hoped that she would take the armor with her, even though she definitely didn't need his help and she was completely fine on her own. He noticed the markings on her face showing the lack of sleep and how gaunt her face was. He knew he would have to pursue her and make sure she was okay, but he would have to check in on her occasionally rather than keep tracking her down like this - her fear of him was unsettling. He would have to be careful.

"Please, eat." He motioned to the roast he'd brought for her. "I interrupted your meal earlier." He fell quiet and went to work on his next piece of armor, shifting his focus back to his armor.

[provokedultimatum]

Eyes dart to the tarp being pulled over the entrance to the cave and back as he settles down, and it's when he removes his sword Athala's vocal aggression dies down but her body stiffens, hand creeping back towards the handle of her axe under the cover of the furs, ready and unwilling to be caught off-guard.

Every flaw he pointed out rankled more and more because Twelve damn him she knew. Knew it wasn't good enough, and now knew it was too dangerous in Coerthas. Gods damn did she want to hurt him but...she wasn't suicidal, she needed to get back to Limsa and staying here on full guard was looking to be the only way that that was happening.

It was the food that got her, the smell hit her nose and all bets were off. She snatched it up with a snarl and wolfs the food down, glaring at Ara the whole time like he might try and snatch the food back.

Food eaten, she ignores the gear Ara had placed down for her in favour of continuing to wordlessly glare at him from across the fire as she waits for her opportunity to leave.

[arroganceandangst]

After she had finished eating and otherwise looked like she would be okay he wrapped up his work with his armor and set it aside. He checked the fire one last time, then addressed her a final time, looking at her. "Tomorrow I can help orient you the right way to wherever you were going, since you seem to have gotten lost - navigating Coerthas when you're not used to being here can be a little tricky. But some rest is needed before heading out. Besides, it's easier to navigate with the sun up." He knew these words meant nothing to her and very strongly suspected she would leave the moment she was certain he was asleep. He chose to put the display on anyway. "So. Good night, then."

He moved a little further away from the fire and more towards the back of their shelter, away from the entrance, specifically keeping his sword close to him just in case she decided to get a little feisty. Folding a spare piece of leather he had, he rested on his back rather than his side due to his horns with his head on the soft leather he folded, folded his hands over his stomach, and closed his eyes. It wasn't long until his body was fully relaxed and his breathing was slow and rhythmic, obviously not faking his rest.

Even if she were to wake him, he wouldn't stir and would just keep pretending to sleep, letting her leave if she chose to do so.

[provokedultimatum]

Atha watches and waits as he finally shuts up and starts to settle down for rest. She remains frozen in place as Ara starts to fall asleep. Even as his breathing settles out she doesn't move, unwilling to chance waking him back up if she moved, and besides the weather was still shit out there, it would do no good to leave now.

Atha waits, and a couple of bells pass, marked only by Atha's frustrated growls at her own weakness whenever her head starts to droop ad her eyes start to slide close. But finally, finally the wind died down enough for her to be able to see the path when she poked her head around the tarp.

She pauses, glaring at the fur around her shoulder and the gear. Hated the fact that she knew she'd take them with her. It felt like a loss, like that arsehole had won somehow but as always she had no choice not if she wanted to keep clawing out an existence for longer.

Eyes affixed on Ara with an angry intensity Atha divested herself of her current outfit as quickly as possible without causing too much noise, Twelve only knew what would happen if he woke up, she certainly wasn't going to chance it...The insulating fur layer was thrown on and the metal of the armour swiftly buckled over the top. Nald's Balls it was so much better,although...

She glares at the pieces of her old armour, she couldn't leave it behind...Removing the large fur from around her shoulders, she lay the old armour onto it, wrapping it up and then tying the fur back around her like a bastardised rucksack. "Hope you're not wanting your fur back arsehole." She mutters, swiping the canteen now full of water from the melted snow.

As Atha makes her way past the tarp, she glances back briefly, and for a second her anger subsides slightly as she watches Ara continue to sleep, before the comforting familiarity of rage bubbles up renewed and she scoffs as she leaves. "Bastard."

el threaderino closedero

[arroganceandangst]

Morning came and Aragibal woke to not just the armor being taken, but his fur and one of his canteens as well. He gave a light sigh as he sat up and prepared a small fire, not surprised. He may have been a little disappointed, but he had already resigned to this - he had at least put a linkpearl in the gear that she had taken and had already entered his information into it so that she could contact him should she ever need help, though there was little chance of that.

Once the fire was started he pulled out some paper and a quill with ink and began writing a letter, taking his time since he was already comfortable. Upon finishing he packed up and returned to Foundation to send the letter off with a mail moogle and get some food for a proper breakfast.