#FFXIV Swap Meet

[archaiclumina]

Got matched with the lovely @demianffxiv for the FFXIV Swap and their bun is such a cutie! Here's a little peek at some of the screens I took for them! (I won't post them all so Demian can share some too! Also a bonus pic of their unsundered blorbo and Themis ♡ I ship them lol ) I hope you're happy with them Demian! ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

#ffxiv swap #ffxiv swap meet #ffxiv gpose #others ocs

[spotofmummery]

NOT AN IN-GAME EVENT! (Just to repeat! XD)

Want help out in Almont's plight to purchase a racing chocobo?

Rent a booth, bring your wares (or services), have fun, make gil!

Keep in mind, you can sell anything - including food - and entertainment or informational booths are welcome, too! (It's basically a glorified Eorzean Flea Market.)

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HOW TO JOIN!

Send me an ask with the information below (copy/paste is fine)!

Renter's Name?: How Many Booths?: What are you selling or providing?: Would you like to be added to the Swap Meet post to allow other people to interact with your booth in light RP? (not mandatory!):

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I will be posting your asks as I get them to confirm your booth reservations. RP may or may not follow, but that's up to the renters. No pressure.

Note: This is all just for fun, kinda experimental, and just to get folks active over the weekend. No actual gil will exchange hands, but I will keep a tally of how many booths are rented by Tumblr folks!

#FFXIV Swap Meet #FFXIV #FFXIV RP #Silly Tumblr Event #Come join - just send an Ask with the info above! #Silly stuff

[ainyan]

“Hello,” Saeta greeted politely, wandering up to the booth. “Is this the place that makes plushes?”

Distracted from digging in her bags, Kal'istae popped up to peer over the top of the booth, beaming. "It is!" Straightening, hands filled with plushes of people and animals alike, she set them down upon the surface of the booth, absently arranging them while studying Saeta. "How can I be of service?"

#ffxiv #kal'istae miurani #FFXIV Swap Meet #asked and answered #plushes!

[heiress-incognito]

"Oh, thooose look nice!", Isabelle exclaimed as she stopped at the booth, eagerly looking over all the clothes she could see. "Hmm, i wooonder... Oh! Vaaalli! I didn't expect yooou here! So these are from you? Can i try them ooon?"

Vallencia was just sorting out her receipts and ready to take a stroll along the booths herself when she heard a familiar voice. Without even looking, she already recognized who it was and smiled lightly. "Hello, Isabelle. I did not expect to see you here, either. How are you doing?"

She gestured towards the clothing displayed. "And yes, these are products from the al-Company. You may try them on. If you like something and it does not fit, we can tailor it to your liking."

#FFXIV Swap Meet #rp #replies #Isabelle Birdseeker

[umbralaether]

If there's one thing that can get J'hola's attention, it's the smell of a savory meal -especially one with meat. She isn't sure how in depth 'build your own' goes, but she's willing to find out.

"Hiyah," she says with a small bow, "could I make a ramen?"

(from @jhola-ffxiv !!)

Eisha greets the other Miqo’te with a small wave, “Of course! Today we have three broth bases: savory meat, a fresh seafood, or a hearty vegetable broth.” She gestures to the steaming pots before her, “You can sample any of them if you’re uncertain.”

She moves to stand in front of the glass case that contains a variety of vegetable toppings. “Once you’ve decided a base, you can choose to add any toppings you’d like. Each bowl comes with your choice of meat and three other toppings, but you can choose to add additional ingredients for just 25gil each. Today’s meats are seared antelope, crispy boar belly, and shredded dodo. We also have dodo eggs should you need a vegetarian option.”

She grins, tail flicking upwards happily, “And of course I can offer any suggestions if you’re not sure what to get! So what should I get started for you?”

@jhola-ffxiv

#ffxiv rp #ffxiv swap meet #eisha pantera

[akirakirxaa]

[ day 16: secret ]

𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒂 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎, 𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒘𝒆'𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕

𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰, 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒍𝒚 𝑼𝒏𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓

Bonus: Dog meets Pommy

#ffxiv #oc: persephone 'azem' #febhyurary #febhyurary 2024 #febhyurary2024 #oc: akira kirxaa #verse: canon #I know I've been mostly doing the unsundered azem au for these #but the swap discord prompted our ocs meeting their ancient selves #two birds one stone and all that #ancient oc #azem #for those new around here Seph is Akira's ancient if the azem tag didn't give it away #technically dog and pommy can't exist at the same time but i can do what i want lol

[somakaigo]

The Gposes I made for @mindoveranti-matter 's Vitya! for the ffxiv swap event!

sorry it took a while when these are relatively simple gposes ^ ^, but i still hope you like them! (your wol is adorable thank you for trusting me with him!)

some extra stuffs below

felt bad for how long these took so did a rlly quick doodle ajegvbiuaegbvi

#ffxiv swap #ffxivswap #other wol #hopefully i did vitya justice aubveuija #also bc of vitya's hat his heart lowkey looks like...yeah #also thank you for the meet my wol sheet it was very helpful! #gonna post this in discord later but for right now im just gonna let it marinate #alright! gonna post this and then immediately go offline✌️

[grimmjowjaegerjaquez]

thinking about changing uriel's resurreccion from the. pavo real/fenix idea i had and just makin him paloma instead.

#i still like the peacock/phoenix thing #and i will still keep his color theming to oranges and stuff #but i............. there is symbolism with the dove that i like for him #ive been wanting to redesign him for a while anyway now #his sword still has its pretty gradient ribbon. its crucial. #oh yeah i have. a drawing of my girls that i want to post soon. #i need to finish it though. #suheila got a bit of an update. shes just in her pjs constantly now. with slippers and everything. #vinetta the venus fly trap lady has a solidified name now #and marisol. has a more solidified design. both normal and resurreccion. #i will draw them all. ALL. #god same with nuada and lorcan. theyve got some updates #lorcan though its more like. when alice meets him hes different than he initially looked #hes missing an earring and has his hair down when she meets him #annnd i also solidified ideas/concepts for alice's antagonists i guess? #there is. xavier. her mentor figure. i accidentally made him look like fucking ilberd from ffxiv jghgjkhjdgf #and then the random mook guy that is just kind of an asshole but still a problem. idr his name i think its albrecht????? lmfao #AND THEN: horrible woman main antag: torn between her being named temperance or prudence. both are funny to me. #was also thinking about swapping vinetta and suheila's resurreccions bc i keep thinking about what suits their personalities more??? idk ma #hello i have been thinking about arrancar a lot. #you WILL get to see them soon. once i have the will to finish art.

[the-littlest-kojin]

Hi there! I got you for the gift swap and I see you have a few characters! I wanted to know if there was a particular one that you would enjoy some art for in particular? Thank you ^^

Shio is my main, so is always a safe choice. However, if you want to browse my roster and find yourself vibing with any in particular, I always welcome anything about any! My DMs are open if you want to ask for any clarifying details about any or need any specific reference pics, and I look forward to seeing what you create!

#ffxiv #oc swap meet

[sasslett]

Thank you everyone from the FFXIV Swap server who showed up today for our photoshoot! It was a ton of fun to meet people in person, and thank you so so much to @wingedasarath for spawning folks in who couldn't make it!

This community is so wonderful, I'm so excited to be going into Swap #4 (4! 4 of them!) with you all, and I'm honored to call you all friends.

#ffxivswap

[autumnslance]

Viewing FFXIV's Opening Cutscenes

When you open the Unending Journey to rewatch cutscenes, you'll notice the Seventh Umbral Era MSQ, the default pane it opens on, starts at the level 5 quest, when WoL first meets their starter city's Scions.

It may seem like the introductory cutscenes upon first making a character, with the vision of facing Lahabrea before waking in the carriage/ship with your starter city merchant triplet and the silent Leveilleur twins are lost, right?

Not so! For whatever reason, the opening cutscenes and title card for ARR as WoL arrives in Eorzea are in Sidequests.

In the Unending Journey navigate to the fourth icon, a silvery Q on a light blue backing; in the image below there's a big red arrow pointing at it.

This defaults to "Chronicles of Light" but open the dropdown menu and find the starter city sidequests: Lominsan Sidequests Gridanian Sidequests Ul'dahn Sidequests They're partway down the list. In the screenshot below, I have them boxed in red with another red arrow on the menu's right side pointing at them.

Since Dark's start city was Gridania, I'm going to select the "Gridanian Sidequests". The very first option is "Coming to Gridania" and describes meeting Bertennant at the Blue Badger Gate.

Here's the first five scenes in the game; the first time we hear Crystal Mom's voice (when that was Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, under her "Lucy Todd" credit) and get the vision of our future faceoff with Lahabrea, then the carriage sequence, Louisoix's voiceover intro and title card, meeting your city greeter, and then meeting your city's Adventurer's Guild Representative.

One more note about this opening cutscene!

If viewing as one of the original ARR classes, the initial scene shows them changing into the level 50 Artifact gear and wielding their weapon of choice; in this example, that's a Bard with a Bow of Light.

But swapping to any job introduced in Heavensward or later, it defaults the job selection to Paladin; below Dark is in healer gear as an Astrologian, but ARR doesn't know how to parse that so defaults to the Gallant Armor with a Sword & Shield of Light. We see this "Gladiator Default" with NPCs who don't have their "real jobs" implemented yet (Thancred in base ARR, Alisaie just before Stormblood, etc) and also when a WoL draws their Crafting or Gathering tools.

And there you have it! How to rewatch the very first cutscenes in the game that we see upon making our WoLs and starting the MSQ.

#final fantasy xiv #a realm reborn #unending journey #cutscenes #MSQ #lore #it came up in FC chat so I figured others would want to know #tutorial

[starrysnowdrop]

Modern Coffee Shop AU

The Prompt-of-the-Day on the FFXIV Swap Discord was “Alternate Universe”, so I got the idea to put the Ancients in a modern setting where Hermes is a barista and meets Urania, who convinces him to make a special drink for her with an ingredient that’s out of season. She leaves quite the impression on him, and before he realizes it, he falls for her.

Might actually write something for this AU in the future, as it would be nice to have a happy ending for the Ancients for once.

#modern au #coffee shop au #ffxiv gpose #ffxiv hermes #azem #azem x hermes #unsundered hali: urania #urania x hermes #ship: think of me

[spotofmummery]

Renter's Name?: Zura Calderon How Many Booths?: 2 What are you selling or providing?: Coffee and baked goods! "A small, open-air market? Sounds like the right place to bring some refreshments! Cooking is a skill I rather enjoy but have not had the opportunity to bring to a wider audience. Not that I would want a large audience, mind you, but to be able to share my culinary creations with a handful of passerby sounds like a lovely way to spend a day. I'll have two booths. One, a humble coffee shop- black coffee, triple cream, Ishgardian tea, hot chocolate, and a few others, brewed that morning on-site! The other, sweet and savory baked goods, namely pastries and pies by the slice."

"Zura, my friend, 'tis lovely to have you!" he welcomes with a flourish. "I'm indeed glad to hear that we'll not be without delicious refreshments and confections! I'd thought to offer some tea where I could, but tea is not everyone's first choice, I know. You have a much wider selection, which is simply thrilling!"

Grinning, Amon hands Zura two booth tickets with numbers.

"Feel free to set up as you see fit. I shall certainly be by to sample your tea blends... and your baked goods."

-Would you like to join the Swap Meet, too?-

#Amon of Syrcus #Light RP #FFXIV #FFXIV Swap Meet

[ainyan]

"Sooo many plushes!!" Within seconds, Isabelle stood in front of the booth and had one of the plushy friends in her hands. "Sooo fluffy! And well maaade! I tried to make some myseeelf, but they neeever turned out so great! How many aaare there even?!" The red Miqo'te took a look around, being totally overwhelmed by the booth. [Isabelle from @little-birdseeker :3]

There are probably about fifteen to twenty plushes currently spread across the surface of the booth - different peoples and animals and tribals all represented amidst the cheerful clutter. Kal'istae grins happily at Isabelle's exuberance and matches it in kind. "Thank you! There's... a lot," she finally decides after trying to count them only to lose track of which ones she'd already made note of. "More than some, less than a... tonze," she says after a brief hesitation that suggests there might have been a less than company-friendly term in that space. "Does any catch your eye in particular?"

(Note: Currently present are chocobo chicks, cactaurs, moogles, malboro sprouts, sylphs, a few Alliance Leaders, a Scion or two, two Ananta, a Kojin, and at least one dashing sky pirate, complete with red goggles and a kerchief about his neck.)

#FFXIV Swap Meet #ffxiv rp #kal'istae miurani #asked and answered

[miqotepotatoe]

All of my Ninjago AUs because I am insane & autistic + it's fun

(disclaimer, a vast majority of these focus on cole brookstone because favouritism bias)

My Nonexistant Friend - Ghost!Cole AU where Day of the Departed...did not end so well. He's trapped in the Airjitzu Temple and is effectivly erased from existance. He suffers in nonexistant puragtory for 300 years until Lloyd's future students move in and the Master of Earth of this new era befriends the ghost. Fluff, feels & the power of friendship ensue

Perma Ghost - Ninjago but Cole remains a ghost. To prevent him from fading he anchors himself to friendship bracelets all the ninja + Wu & Pixal wear. He can't stray to far from anyone wearing a friendship bracelet but he doesn't mind he's always with a friend.

Curseworlds - Possession bad end, heavily inspired by The Star from Fionna & Cake. The Preeminent has won and has cursed all the realms and ghosts torment the remaining living souls. A small faction of survivors is fighting to take out the Queen of the Cursed, but it's very difficult with her two princes causing havoc. Anyone order evil Sandstorm?

Reverse - An alt Ninjago where Wu was bit by the Great Devourer instead of Garmadon. Wu becomes an evil dictator, Ninjago is in a lawless era, the og ninja are all traumatised child soldiers made to do Wu's bidding, Garmadon and a few familiar faces are fighting back.

Genderswap - As it says, everyone is genderswapped. But it's like Fionna & Cake where some stuff is different because of the swapped genders.

Elemental Anacondrai - Chen decides to be extra twisted and mark all the loosers of the Tournament with the Anacondrai Mark as a sign of ownership. When the cult is transformed into Anacondrai, they too. So for the last two episodes of ToE, Skylor, Karlof, Gravis, Bolobo, Ash, Cole, Jacob, Chamile & Tox are turned into Anacondrai.

Constrictai!Cole - Cole isn't dehypnotised at the end of Home and is taken prisoner by the Hypnobrai. When the Fangpyre are free and team up with the Hypnobrai, Skales has them turn Cole into a Serpentine. He ends up a Constrictai. The ninja end up rescueing him durring Can of Worms, remove the hypnotism with some anti-venom tea, and now Cole must adjust to his new reptilian body. Lots of Glacier

Lost But Never Found - AU where Cole ends up in the Land of Lost things after running away from his school. He becomes a Finder and is living his best life with his new found family. Sora also ends up there after running away and Cole adopts her

Vampire!Cole - Cole ends up becoming a vampire after getting attacked by one. Lots of hyjinks & vampire hunting (hunting other vampires, not Cole)

Wu Adopts Cole - Wu finds Cole a lot earlier then canon, at 10 years old. He's an orphan, his mum passed from illness and his dad drank himself to death. Wu raises Cole, trains him in his Elemental Power, very wholesome Dad Wu stuff.

Amphibijago - Ninjago + Amphibia crossover. Cole, Kai and Jay take the places of the Calamity Girls and end up in Amphibia. Cole ends up with the frogs, Kai ends up with the toads, Jay ends up with the newts. What could go wrong

The Oni House - Ninjago + The Owl House, basically the Owl House but with Ninjago characters. Cole is a troubled teen about to be sent off to a performing arts boarding school when he ends up in a realm of witches, demons and magic after wandering through a portal. There he meets Lord Garmadon, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles and his baby dragon demon Rocky. Lava time

Ninja in Eorzea - Ninjago + FFXIV. The ninja play the criticly acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV with an extended free trail with unlimited playtime that allows them to play the award winning expansions Heavensward and Stormblood, and they get suckef in...litterally like Prime Empire.

Miraculous: Tales of Firefly & Charcole Cat - Ninjago + Miraculous. Ninjago City is being ravaged by supervillains created by someone known as the Dark Lord. But new heros have arisen, known as Firefly & Charcole Cat, ready to protect the city from the Dark Lord while trying to balance school & dating. HONEYCOMB MY OTP

Age of Elements - My original Ninjago story set 300 years after canon. Lloyd is training 7 new ninja, the Elemental Masters of Fire, Earth, Wind, Nature, Water, Lightning and Ice to protect the world because a prophetic vision of the furure said so. He's trying his best to make sure they aren't super traumatised by having them keep their ninja identity a secret, not keeping secrets about the FSM family lore, having them go to school, but trauma as a Ninja is a canon event. Got 18 seasons planned and counting

#ninjago #ninjago au #kai jiang-smith #jay walker #zane julien #cole brookstone #lloyd garmadon #nya jiang-smith #amphibia #the owl housw #ff14 #miraculous ladybug #my nonexistant friend #perma ghost #curseworlds #reverse au #genderswap au #elemental anacondrai #constrictai cole #lost but never found #vampire cole #wu adopts cole #amphibijago #the oni house #ninja in eorzea #miraculous: tales of firefly & charcole cat #honeycombshiping #lavashipping #glaciershipping #sandstorm shipping

[inkedinfantasy]

FFXIV swap gift for @irisopranta! I thought the suggested fairy tale theme sounded perfect for Iris, so I hope you enjoy this loosely Cinderella-inspired take on her and Stephanivien's first meeting!

Iris adjusted the powder blue dress hanging on the mannequin, admiring the way the fabric caught the light with a subtle shimmer. Truly, it was one of the finest gowns she’d ever made, and it was almost a shame she’d already agreed to sell it.

It had started when a donation from one of Ishgard’s wealthier families had arrived in the Firmament, materials generously earmarked for the reconstruction work. Well-meaning, certainly, but rather out of touch, as it turned out. The lady of the house who had arranged the donation had sent over an assortment of lush, expensive silks and satins along with a note enthusiastically explaining that she’d wanted to provide the Firmament’s artisans with only the best to work with.

Lovely as they were, they were of little use to the weavers who were occupied with filling orders for sturdy work gloves and coveralls for the other craftspeople.

“We’ll see if we can sell it, I suppose,” one of the supervisors said. “At least get a bit of extra coin to keep things afloat.”

Iris ran her hand over the smooth richness of the cloth. It wasn’t every day she had the opportunity to work with material of this quality, and it seemed an awful shame to waste it. She glanced over at the note from the lady of the house, and an idea occurred to her.

“I think we could get even more if we made something from it. Fabric like this would make an exquisite gown, and we’d have no shortage of prospective buyers among the High Houses.”

The supervisor glanced at the ever-growing pile of orders the weavers had yet to fulfill. “As long as we’re able to keep on top of the work here, I suppose you can do as you like.”

“Of course.” Excitement bubbled up in her. She was happy to use her talents to provide what aid she could, of course, but it had been far too long since she’d had a project where she was allowed so much freedom. She was going to relish this.

* * *

What little free time Iris had was now devoted to dreaming up potential designs, allowing her imagination to run wild with the most indulgent possibilities to do the gorgeous material justice. She worked meticulously, rendering each stitch and detail with loving attention.

The end result was a masterpiece.

The generous donation had allowed her to craft a long, flowing skirt, delicate layers of fabric giving it an almost dreamlike quality. The material was a soft powder blue, decorated with white roses. More flowers decorated the bodice, the off-the-shoulder neckline of the dress accented with a small ruffle.

The supervisor who’d suggested selling the fabric had been popping in on her the past few days, checking up on her progress. Iris couldn’t help but feel proud at the grin that spread over their face when they were presented with the final product.

“I must say, you’ve outdone yourself. We’ll have no trouble finding a buyer, especially since we’re coming up on party season.”

That was true enough. Word had spread even through the Firmament of some noble family or another’s upcoming masquerade ball. Valentione’s Day was nearing, and it seemed that many of Ishgard’s wealthier families went all out with their celebrations.

Iris turned her attention back to the dress. With the freedom to design as she’d pleased, she had created the gown of her dreams, and only now was she seeing the drawback: she’d become quite attached. She’d just have to grin and bear it when the time to sell it arrived; she wouldn’t be able to afford to cover the amount they’d make selling it to one of Ishgard’s noble ladies.

She sighed wistfully. It would be such a shame not to have at least one opportunity to wear it…

Iris allowed herself to daydream over the next few days during her more tedious stretches of work: attending a lavish ball wearing her beautiful dress. A little fairy tale of her very own…

One morning, however, she was adjusting the placement of a slightly crooked button when the supervisor approached her. “Would you say your dress there is ready to sell?”

“I’ll give it another look over once I’ve reattached this button, but yes, everything else should be in order.”

“Well, if you’ve any other finishing touches or last minute repairs to make, you’d best do it tonight. We’ve got a buyer coming to pick it up first thing tomorrow morning.”

She felt an immediate pang of sorrow. This was it, then. Tomorrow she’d have to give the dress up to whichever generous buyer had been found for it.

A young couple passed by, chattering excitedly about the Valentoine masquerade, the young woman hoping she’d be finished with work tonight in time not to miss too much of it.

The masquerade was tonight? With how busy she’d been she’d lost all track of time.

Her eye was drawn back to the dress. She had a mad idea.

Surely, one night of frivolous fun wouldn’t hurt? She could borrow it for the evening, duck out before midnight, and bring it back to their workspace to make sure it was perfectly presentable before the buyer even arrived.

It was bold, certainly, but when would she have another opportunity like this, the ball and the dress coinciding at the perfect moment in time?

She tore her gaze away from the dress and began to plot.

Iris offered to stay behind and tidy up that evening, taking her time neatening up the workspace. When the last of the other weavers had left for the night, she glanced about to make sure she was truly alone before slipping the dress off the mannequin and changing out of her work clothes.

The weavers’ workspace only had a small wall mirror, but as she gave her reflection a once-over, her face broke into a wide grin. She looked like a princess. She put the finishing touches in place: a matching mask she’d spent the day hastily fashioning in between orders, and a flower plucked from the decorative bouquet one of the botanists had brought around tucked behind her ear. Giving herself one last look over, she stepped out into the night.

* * *

There were quite a few people still arriving as she reached the manor where the ball was being held, and she joined the crowd making its way steadily inside. The massive ballroom was alive with activity, the scene as bright and elegant as its occupants. She imagined she could content herself for hours just sitting and staring at all the lovely dresses on display as the other guests walked by.

But that wouldn’t do for tonight. She was here to make the most of her night of indulgence.

At first, she’d worried about getting caught in the act, as it were, but as she made her way around the party she began to relax and enjoy herself. Many of the people who stopped her for a chat or invited her to dance were quite kind, but no one seemed to recognize her. It was a bit awkward dodging the question of which noble house she belonged to, but she also received many compliments about her dress, which was a topic she was far better equipped to deal with. Eventually, giddy with excitement and nerves both, she stepped out onto a balcony to get a bit of fresh air just as the chronometer tolled eleven.

“Lively crowd in there tonight, eh?”

The comment came from a tall, richly dressed man leaning against the wall next to the door to the ballroom.

“Oh! Yes, it is. Forgive me, I didn’t know anyone else was out here. I suppose you needed a bit of a breather as well?”

“Indeed. These events can get to be a bit much around the holidays; everyone’s spirits are up and you’re racing to keep pace. Ah, but where are my manners?” He inclined in a small, polite bow. “Stephanivien de Haillenarte, at your service. May I ask your name? I don’t believe we’re acquainted.”

“I’m—” She stopped short, clamping down on the reflexive response. “I can’t tell you.” She could feel her face starting to heat. It felt terribly rude not to be able to answer.

Stephanivien, for his part, only wore a small smile. “Is that so? How mysterious. So, what brings you here tonight, flower girl?”

She reached up reflexively to touch the flower in her hair in a moment of embarrassment, her blush growing deeper. “A rare moment of indulgence, I suppose. Allowing myself a bit of fun and glamor. The company has been pleasant, and I’ve enough new ideas to keep me occupied for years from people watching alone.”

He perked up at that. “Oh? What manner of work do you do?”

“I’m a seamstress.”

“Ah, of course! Yes, I imagine such a setting would provide all variety of inspiration in that regard. Do forgive my enthusiasm; I so rarely meet other tradespeople at events such as this.”

“It’s no trouble. It’s enthusiasm that makes a craft worth doing, after all.”

“Would I be familiar with your work?” he asked. “I confess I do not often seek out formalwear, but I commission much of my work gear from the leatherworkers and weavers of the Jeweled Crozier and I know most of them personally.”

“Oh, I’m not in the business of selling things at the moment. Just volunteering my services to the reconstruction effort in the Firmament.” She wondered for a moment if perhaps she had said too much. There were plenty of artisans in the Firmament, plenty of weavers, even. Surely that alone wouldn’t be enough to give her away? She hastily changed the subject. “What about you? It sounds as though you do plenty of hands-on work yourself.”

“I’m the chief of the Skysteel Manufactory.”

“Oh my. That must keep you busy.”

“Busy enough that I’ve never quite gotten used to events like these,” he replied with a small laugh at his own expense. “But I haven’t lost all of my manners. Would you perhaps agree to a dance? You’re lovely company, and beautiful besides.”

Iris blushed beneath her mask. “You make quite charming company yourself. I’d be happy to.”

She took his offered arm, and they headed back into the ballroom. Their timing was excellent; a new song was just starting up. Iris enjoyed dancing, but she couldn’t claim to be an expert on the popular Ishgardian styles.

If Stephanivien noticed any nervousness in her demeanor, he did not show it, effortlessly guiding her into position. Thankfully for her, he was a skilled dancer, leading her through the steps with that same gentle touch.

“You’ve certainly attended enough of these parties to be good at this,” she teased as he spun her.

He laughed good-naturedly. “Comes with the territory of being the eldest of one of the High Houses, I suppose.”

Looking up at him, his blue eyes bright behind the handsome black and gold lines of his mask, she couldn’t help feeling a pang of regret over the anonymity required by her clandestine little outing. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing him again, she thought as the song slowed to a stop.

Stephanivien withdrew only the barest step to offer the polite bow that marked the end of the dance before he glanced up at her. “Ah, your flower is crooked, here, let me…”

He reached out and delicately removed it from her hair, taking a moment to smooth a few of the petals. The brief brush of his hand in her hair had been entirely chaste, but intimate, and she felt her face warm once more. Before he could replace the flower, however, the chronometer began to toll.

Her heart clenched in a flash of panic. Midnight already? She needed to leave.

Stephanivien was still holding her flower, looking bemused at her sudden change of mood. “Is everything all right?”

“I’m so sorry, but I need to leave. You’re very kind, and I’ve had a wonderful time tonight.”

She dipped in as quick and neat a curtsy as she could manage, and turned to hurry for the door.

“Wait!”

Iris did not stop, did not turn back as she wove her way to the exit.

* * *

She continued at as brisk a pace as she could manage through the deserted streets, making up for losing track of time. The magic of the evening was fast fading behind her as she reached the dark and silent weavers’ workshop, changing as quickly as she could back into her regular clothes. She turned her attention to the dress then, lighting just enough of the lamps to see by as she inspected it carefully to make sure no hems or buttons had been loosened or snagged, nothing had stained the fabric, everything was perfectly presentable.

She gave the dress on the mannequin a final once-over. It was pristine, not a stitch out of place, not a stray thread or wrinkle to be seen. She checked for anything else that might rouse suspicion—her mask was tucked safely away in her pocket, and the flower she’d taken…

Ah. She’d left the flower with Stephanivien.

A single flower couldn’t be too incriminating, could it? Small bouquets had been handed out all across the Firmament to brighten up the crafters’ workspaces. The flower could be anyone’s, really.

Iris sighed. She supposed there was little she could do about it now. Best to get some rest. It was back to work again tomorrow, after all.

* * *

The flower had started to brown and dry out by the next morning, but he carried it with him all the same. It was one of the precious few clues he had; the others led him in the direction of the Firmament now. The woman from the ball had never given him her name, but he had that much to go on, at least. His first impulse had been to consult Francel, but with so little information to work with, he couldn’t be much help.

The Firmament was bustling, even at the early hour. The reconstruction effort had drummed up quite the crowd of tradespeople, and he kept an eye out as he wove his way through the crowd. It was to little avail, for he spotted no familiar face, and the thought occurred to him that she might be working out of sight inside one of the stalls lining the plaza, or she might not be here today at all. He frowned to himself. He’d only wished to see her again, if she wished the same, though with so little to go on he was at something of a loss.

As he scanned the crowd once more, his heart leaped into his throat when he spotted a familiar color—not the rich violet of the mystery woman’s hair or the blue of her eyes, but the powder blue shade of the gown she’d been wearing. Curiously enough, the woman carrying it was clearly not the woman he’d met last night; she was shorter, her hair the wrong color. Still, he hurried his way through the crowd towards her. She looked up as he approached.

“So sorry to bother you, madam, but may I ask where you got that dress? The tailor’s work is exquisite.”

The woman beamed at the secondhand compliment. “Isn’t it just? One of a kind, I’m afraid, but the woman who made it works over there.” She gestured in the direction of one of the stalls lining the plaza.

“Right! Thank you very much.”

His heart sped up as he approached the stall, noticing a bouquet on the counter with flowers matching the one he held. By some serendipity, she appeared from behind a partition at that moment, carrying a folded stack of sturdy workmans’ trousers. She turned to face him as she placed them on the front counter and gasped, her cheeks going pink. He ended up saying the first thing that came to mind.

“Ah, I don’t mean to intrude, but I did wish to return this to you.” He could feel the heat rising in his face as well as he held out the sad, wilting flower. “Though it seems you have a variety of finer ones to choose from.”

That startled a laugh from her. “I…you really came all this way just to return it?” Her tone was warm.

“Not just for that. I wanted to see you again. And perhaps ask your name, if you’d be willing.”

She was smiling now, bright as the sunlight on the snow. “I’m Iris,” she said. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

#ffxiv #ffxivswap #my writing