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vahalia-cress-ffxiv · 1 year

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Compensation Abroad

The day had started off as most, the very early morning wake-ups and slimming through her agenda for the day with a cup of tea. The personal routine was a swift one and in no time Vahalia was out the door on most days and off to the company estate for work. Depending on the day she was in the office tending to the ledgers and books for Hadriel or overseeing some tasks abroad for the company as a whole and bridging deals or holding meetings. This morning specifically she was to meet with someone in Ul’dah over some hiring prospects. Such a thing was common in her line; it was how she found much of the crew for the Wolves in Limsa, after all. It was how she had obtained her sister’s book too but that – in the rare case that it was – turned out to be more of a personal trade than anything linked to the Ashen Wolves themselves.

Vahalia hated Ul’dah for its blazing heat and sand that would often find itself wedged in just about every corner of a person’s being. The city wasn’t so stuffy during morning hours and she relished in the delight of the quiet streets and the few merchants who were taking the time to set up their stalls and work before their neighbors, getting a crack at the first sales of the day. She took her time through the Ruby Road if only to try and find some semblance of joy through her distaste for the city. To her surprise, she was then met by a Lalafell at the lift who bowed and smiled up at her, “Miss Cress I presume?” “That is I. You’re well informed of my arrival then?”

“Oh yes. Please, this way.”

The pair stepped into the lift and eventually touched down on the landing below, “It is odd to me that people tend to partake in meetings on their ships these days.” her voice hummed out gently. “It’s quite common here. Just yesterday I escorted a lad down into the Landing for one. I suppose it’s more private that way. Ah! Here.” the door opened and the Lalafell escorted Vahalia out, the pair seeing to the desk and clerk who had eventually handed out a simple pass to each of them. Vahalia simply let the man go about his business in escorting her around the landing and through a push gate which eventually lead them out two sets of doors and then outside where several bridges had airships that were docked. Lifting her hand Vahalia shielded her eyes from the beaming sun and took care to notice the direction they were walking in. A large Airship was present and one which the Lalafell had brought her to, allowing her to be the first to board; and board she did. Finally stepping to the deck she was eventually led into what she could only imagine was the Captain’s quarters or a mapping room. It was spacious and held a large table with plenty of chairs around for sitting. A huge bay window at the far end where she could see the clouds just beyond was a decent source of natural light. There were two bookshelves and maps along the walls within the room, “Am I early?” she simply asked.

“No, you’re right on time.” an unfamiliar voice came behind her and she turned to look. Instinctively her eyes fluttered when the dust had been blown into her face, caught unawares and trying to see through the small cloud that had been blown into her face by the stranger, her hand shot up to cover her nose and mouth by sheer intuition, body turning for the door but it was too late. The door was closed and between she and it was the man who had caught her off guard with his concoction. Vision blurred and the sensation of numbness tingled at her fingertips and toes, traveling northbound to her head and entire nervous system. Fumbling fingers found cloth before her and falling to her knees she found a strange darkness.

Dark.

Such was not a mystery to her, she thrived plenty in the darkness of her own mind but this time it was as if though she were seeing and hearing things through a more stable consciousness of being beyond herself. Creature perhaps? Muffled voices and the sensation of movement came and after what seemed like hours she finally came to.

The colors when she opened her eyes were distorted and cloudy but the more she forced herself to open her eyes and focus, the more she realized she had been staring at a wall. The urge to rub her face was halted as her hands were bound behind the spokes of a wooden chair. With each movement her hair shifted down over her face, cheek moving at the surface to look where she could to garner her location.

“Ah. She’s awake.” the deep voice sounded out, “Apologies for misleading you. You won’t be doing business with Mr. Siguard today. See, your business will be with me.”

“Fucking Lalafells…” Vahalia seethed out, her face propping at the surface at her chin and then she eventually found the balance and core strength to set herself right in the chair with no small amount of annoyance in her exhale on the way up. Golden-honey eyes fixated on the person across from her despite the lingering disorientation she felt. He had dark hair, Hyur, and what she could only tell were deep brown eyes. He wore a traditional hanfu decorated in accents of red and gold against the ebon material which was no doubt very expensive. She was uncertain if this was customary for him, if it was something he was wearing to go somewhere or if he was arriving.

Hatefully she glared across at him and eventually took noticed to the man at her right about 5 feet away, the same one she had caught a glimpse of earlier before hitting the floor. The very same who had put her out; prick. He stood quite vigilant and never so much as exchanged a look with the Cress woman during her silent ire.

“You’ve met Oktai already. He doesn’t talk much, he tends to express himself through more physical means.” the man at the other end of the table smirked in her direction, “I figured there was a chance you might have been late but perhaps being a creature of habit you’re always the punctual sort, hmm?”

“Who are you?” the question came, quickly and with intent to entirely derail the man’s mild-mannered introduction to others within the room besides himself. Quick to fire up and ill-tempered, Vahalia remained her gaze in his direction with disdain.

“You may call me Ichiro and you’re on my vessel.” a hand lifted to motion, “You see your company is in a great deal of debt with me and my colleague Baidar and who else to sit and speak with than one of the people that pulls the strings there.”

“I’ve heard nothing about you.”

“I’m sure you have in some light or another. Not too long ago your company stole something from me and my companions. Ceruleum. You see, that was something that didn’t belong to you.” He adjusted in his seat and calmly rested his hand along the curved pommel of his sword. She could have easily guessed his skillset was likely that of a Samurai. Everything else tracked.

Vahalia went silent.

“I’m expecting your lot to compensate me and my comrades for several things. The further damage done to the vessel that was carrying our ceruleum that day as well as my irreplaceable business partner in Ul’dah.”

“I suggest you find new business partners then if you’re looking to keep your business clean and out of a speculative eye. We took from thieves, it matters little.” “And it has painted you and yours thieves as well. You are no better off than us in that regard. You tampered in business that was not yours to tamper with. Had your crew left our business as our own we would not be here right now. And thus, I have questions for you.”

“As yes. Interrogation – this certainly was not on my dance card for the day.” “I hate to disappoint you then. I am looking for our ceruleum. Where is it?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t laid eyes on it since it came into our company’s possession.”

Ichiro expelled sharp breath through his nose, a prolonged pause came and he tilted his head, “I’m not in the business of hitting women, Miss Cress. I would ask you to comply.”

“I don’t know where it is. It’s possibly used now, it has been months.”

The well-dressed man looked to the corner where Oktai stood and nodded. No commands were given vocally and once more before Vahalia had pieced together what was happening the Monk’s hand snapped out and a searing pain split through her jaw, her face physically casting to the side at impact. Her stomach lurched and she exhaled obnoxiously to regain herself, breathing through the sweltering pain in her face – the metallic taste seeping into her mouth.

“Some coaxing to jog your memory, dear.”

“Careful…” she breathed, “You might shake my brain up too much where I won’t remember shit.”

“I’ll ask again Miss. Cress, where is the ceruleum.”

Silence came between all three and she huffed in disbelief at the question. In truth she had no actual idea where it had gone. She was the one that recorded inventory. How much of when, where it was bought and where it would be placed and how much was needed between weekly or monthly turn arounds. Stolen ceruleum though?

She bared a red grin and spat the flood of blood in her mouth to the ground if only to keep her mouth from filling entirely. Again the pain came when the fist was hammered into her jaw a second time, higher up and the blinding sensation gnawed at her eye and cheek bone.

Once more there was a deafening silence and Ichiro seemed annoyed, a curious gaze given to Oktai. The door opened and a few crewmen walked in with some papers that they had went about handing off and delivering without much fuss. Ichiro took that moment of quiet to partake in his newest task that held his attention while Vahalia reeled from the second blow at the other end of the table, “Good.” was all she heard him say, “Get us in the air then.”

The scuffling of boots and exchange of words were drowned out by maniacal laughter. All within the room had purchased their attention to the bound woman in the chair who had been slumped over from the impact to her face twice over, her attention shifting across to Ichiro yet again, “You’re wasting your tiiiiime!” she laughed and she then looked to Oktai, “Go ahead, beat me until you get your fill because the fact of the matter is you’re children playing at a game. You lost your toys. Those weren’t even yours to begin with. SANDBOX TANTRUMS!”

Vital had streamed from the wound just under her eye and her red grin, ear to ear, bared towards the two, eyes having bled a milky black to leave no golden fleck behind and her right side almost convulsed when a black mass formed from her person. Aether seeping into a form – almost like a mist that snapped out towards one of the crewmen closest to her left. Hand and claw-like formation, void in nature throwing the form of the man across the room, the other drew a sword instantly and began trying to wail at the creature’s hand but was soon pinned to the wall as the forming hand shaped into a spear and pinned the body of the other into the wall and maps behind him. There were screams of pain when Oktai moved into action at Ichiro’s side. Bewildered and perplexed one of the two men had started calling into their Linkpeals, “ Get Fueki in here, NOW! NOW!”

The thrown man that Creature had first preyed upon was picked up again and the massive void-like limb began to thrash the limb body from ceiling to floor several times before Vahalia, a mere vessel, snapped her attention to Oktai and Ichiro. The chair under Vahalia began to wane and crack, pieces of it having eventually been picked up and flung in the direction of the two other men when Vahalia drew herself along the side of the table and made her way towards them, body almost contorting in unnatural movements.

̴̨̨͑̾I̶̗̮͋'̴̺̞̽̒l̶͉̇̍l̵̘͝ ̴̼͂f̷̻̈́͝é̷̮ã̴̞̙s̷̨̞̊̐t̸͎̖̓ ̴̮̅͝o̵͗͜n̵̘͉̍͝ ̴͉͐y̷̖͉͒̈́o̸̰͙͐́ȕ̴̫r̸̡̂̔ ̷̳̺̉b̸̪̆l̶̨̯̽̓ǫ̵̇ő̸̯̉ͅd̴̙͝.̸̎͌͜ ̶̓͜I̶͉͖̔̎ ̷̩̚ w̷̡̗͂̌i̵͍͋̐l̵͍̈́̆l̶̘͕͑ ̴͈̊͝d̵̦̓r̵̥̖͛i̵̥͍̊͋n̴̘͒́k̵̙̲̔̿ ̵͚͐͝ë̴͗͜v̴̧̛̝̑e̸̝̋̽ͅr̶͙͆y̴͇̓ ̶̪̇͝p̴̗͍͝à̵̢͓̀r̵̢̕t̷̯̋̎ ̷̱͛̎o̴̙͋f̸̥͙́̀ ̶͔͗͋y̷̭̓ō̷͍͚͝ṳ̷̂̚ ̸͇͐ͅd̴̫̥͒o̷̡̓w̷̡͂n̴̡̢̓̋ ̴̞̈́a̴̼͆̓ͅn̸͈̏̕d̵̨͙̍ ̵̻̼̈́s̷̨͠á̷͚͖v̸̟́̕ö̶͓́r̴̛͍͜ ̶͈̀è̵̳͕̈́v̸̦͈̀̎ě̶̗̂͜r̸̨̉y̵͎̮͗ ̷̲̈́m̷͓͛o̷͔͋̍r̴̠͑s̶̼̰̋e̴̺͑͗ĺ̴̢͈̓ ̷͚͌o̴̖̠̕f̸͚̓ ̵͙̍̌ỳ̴̧͚ô̴̫̼ṵ̷̦̐̈́r̵̮͑ ̵̤̐͝m̵̲̭͋ā̶̖r̴͇̃r̵͚̉̽o̷̫̫̓w̷̨͋͗ͅ .̵̟̼̓̍ ̵̨̳̐̀

Hurried feet came down the hall and a woman with blonde hair ran in with a few colleagues after her that shuffled into the room and before Vahalia had reached Ichiro, fingers working through the fabric of his clothes and with intent to harm him, a face had begun to form in the collective mass behind her, it sneered and hissed – no longer mere whispers and guttural sounds within her braincase. It was manifested. A creature.

“The manacles!” Fueki called out to one of the women with her who hurried off once more out of the room and it was here that Yui Fueki, under Ichiro’s employ, stuck Vahalia in the side of the neck with a sedative. A wild roar came from the half-formed face above Vahalia’s shoulder and Vahalia clasped her hand to her neck wildly, turning on the other woman in the room. A garbled ‘You!’ burned past her lips in sheer anger and the Ishgardian woman turned to reach for Yui’s throat when the claps of a steel manacle came down on her wrist, glowing and humming vibrantly. Barely grasping her own consciousness, Vahalia stumbled along the table and chairs trying to keep herself up right only to flounder and fall to the wooden floor beneath her.

Whatever Creature and mass had formed in her rage had slowly begun to slither and slink back into Vahalia’s personal aether and physical body as Yui crouched down beside the unconscious Vahalia, “What was that?” “I don’t know but there is now a change of plans.” Ichiro cleared his throat, “See to it that she cannot lash out again. Get this…” he looked to the blood-spattered room and two lifeless bodies of those he had under his employ only minutes ago, “-- have this cleaned up.” Ichiro reached for the cloth Oktai had been offering him and he went about wiping off his hands and stepping over the corpses on the ground to head for the exit, “I want to be in the air and on our way within the next 30 minutes, no delays.”

Yui adjusted the other manacle over Vahalia’s wrist, “These should keep her from any tricks. Those who use Magika and are able to manipulate aether have always scared me. You never know how unpredictable they can be.”

“A-are you sure they will hold her doctor? Or….that thing?” “I would be surprised if they didn’t but you best pray to the twelve that they do otherwise everyone on this ship might end up dead. Help me with her. We’ll get her to the hold and run some tests before she wakes”

“What are we going to do with her after?”

Yui tipped her head down to look over the rim of her glasses to the other female who was assisting her, “Are you kidding? Someone like her would call for a heavy price for pit fighters. Whats more? Who wouldn’t want an exotic-looking woman who can pull tricks such as these? The options are endless and either way that's a heavy sum of gil for Master Noguchi if he can find a buyer.”

The two women grunted trying to adjust the unconscious Vahalia, a third even entering to help her mentor as they went about the task of securing their catch of the day. Echoing through the linkpearls on board the airship was a voice….

“In three…”

“Two…” “One…” “The Mirage is in flight.” Menion(s): @ashenwolves-ffxiv

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