#musosai

[mosthuggableffxiv]

Most Punchable Job Trainer (Melee DPS)

Dragoons Estinien, who gains relevance in the MSQ, is an outlier and was not counted.

#final fantasy xiv #ffxiv punchability #ffxiv dragoon #ffxiv ninja #ffxiv monk #ffxiv samurai #ffxiv reaper #alberic bale #heustienne de vimaroix #oboro torioi #musosai #makoto obinata #drusilla varus

[aoife-asturmaux]

"Oh, this? It's the newest volume of the Tabibito Kengo series. Have you heard of it? It's about this wandering swordsman who was once a bloodthirsty killer, but swore off killing and is trying to live a new life. I've been following it for years - I even got a volume signed once!"

"That's all well and good, but you'll have time for reading later."

------

Continuing on my young Banri thoughts - have had the idea for a little side adventure with him and Musosai floating around in my head for a while. idk if I'll get around to fleshing it out anytime soon, but I wanted to crime up some pics for it anyway :3

#viera #musosai #warrior of light #bunboy pics #narrative #ffxiv #and before u get on my case for making a kenshin reference in the year of our lord 2024 #i should mention that this is a side adventure for processing my grief about kenshin #no spoilers but this is a 'we do not condone watsuki' zone

[joiedecombat]

Of all the classes Raine's taken for all the jobs she has, who was the best teacher and who was the worst? Who was her favourite if neither of those.

Even narrowing it down to just the people whose official job it was to teach Raine things, it's hard to point to a single "best." For the purpose of this answer, I'm going with the ones from whom Raine learned the most valuable lessons, above and beyond the skills they set out to teach her - things she's continued to apply not only to one specific field, but in her many adventures since.

I'm also breaking it down between both the teachers of combat skills, and the ones who taught tradecraft.

With that in mind...

Among the leaders of Eorzea's fieldcraft and tradecraft guilds, H'naanza doesn't stand out as an especially colorful character. She has her shit together and she stays in her lane, focused on training capable armorsmiths and maintaining Naldiq & Vymelli's reputation for quality goods.

Most importantly, H'naanza has no tolerance for needless elitism. She recognizes that skill is learned with persistent effort, not based on inborn natural talent granted only to a select few. Raine learned a lot about professionalism from H'nanzaa, and a few important lessons about not letting perfectionism get in her way.

Speaking of colorful characters, though... Honestly, Severian barely had the inclination to teach Raine all that much about alchemy, so it's a good thing she had at least some basic education in the field before she came to Eorzea.

However, the great project that occupied Severian's attention over teaching happened to come to fruition while Raine was still struggling to cope with the tragedy at the Vault. The timing meant that Raine was forced to confront some home truths about loss and letting go. It wasn't at all a comfortable or pleasant experience, but it helped her come to terms with some things and it taught her a lesson she's carried with her since.

As far as tradecraft goes, Redolent Rose is probably Raine's favorite of her many guildmasters and teachers. Textile work was a chore she didn't particularly enjoy - mostly because as the only girl among her siblings, she was the only one expected to devote time to sewing and needlework while her brothers got to be outside doing more interesting things - and working with Rose helped Raine put aside her childhood grudge and recognize what a vital skill it really is. The two of them share a belief about the importance appearances can play in social interactions, and get along quite well.

No few of her tradecraft guildmasters emphasized the importance of listening to the client and understanding their needs. From Rose and their shared travails with Wawarukka, Raine also learned that sometimes the client doesn't know what they want, and often has no idea at all what they need.

Among the people who've taught her combat skills, Musosai holds a special place. The old man who set Raine on the path of the samurai taught her to take decisive action to confront injustice and stop evil, rather than hold back dithering over whether or not it's her place to step in. He also taught her to be ready to forgive, and to offer second chances when the wrongdoer seems sincere in their remorse and their crimes unlikely to be repeated.

Most importantly, Musosai taught Raine to hold herself accountable to the same standards of justice she applies to those around her, both for her own actions and the wider impact those actions have. And, at the last, he affirmed and reinforced the difficult lessons she had to learn about letting go.

I've talked before about Ywain and Raine's time with the Lancer's Guild in Gridania, but here he is again. Raine has lingering misgivings about how Ywain handled matters with Folques and the way that whole business played out... but the fact remains that the training she received from Ywain and the Guild has informed her fighting and adventuring style ever since, no matter what weapon she has in her hand.

From Ywain, Raine learned the importance of keeping a calm head and maintaining self-control under pressure. She also learned the difference between true courage, which sets aside fear in the face of danger in order to confront it calmly, and empty bravado which seeks to deny that the danger exists.

For the worst teacher that she's had, Raine can only have one possible answer: Solkzagyl. Fuck that guy. If there's anyone Raine would fistfight in a Denny's parking lot, it's him.

She found his treatment of poor Constaint reprehensible, and if he'd been the only example she'd had from which to learn how to be a paladin, she'd have hung up the sword and shield ages ago. If she never sees his face again, it'll be too soon.

As far as an overall favorite teacher, there's likewise no contest: X'rhun Tia remains the mentor Raine feels the closest connection with, and considers a particularly valuable friend. Though they haven't been teacher and student for some time, she's always enjoyed his company and looks forward to seeing him again and hearing what he's been up to since they last spoke.

#ffxiv #oc: raine d'arcy #h'naanza esi #severian lyctor #redolent rose #musosai #ywain deepwell #solkzagyl keltnaglsyn #x'rhun tia

[edbydawn]

a peaceful teatime with makoto and musosai AND momozigo

#ffxiv art #ffxivtober #musosai #ffxiv makoto #momozigo #oc: kumokiri #ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ff14

[jarael]

Even in his old age, Musosai had excellent hearing. Thus, he knew someone had been following him.

"Another drink, sir?" the waiter asked politely.

"No, thank you, young man," Musosai returned, offering a warm smile. He had taken to hospitality in Eorzea--not that he had much of a choice.

Musosai paid, and began to walk away. He heard the slightest patter of feet on wood. This person was nimble, and had experience in following others.

He turned, and hurriedly licking the crumbs off his plate was an Auri girl, perhaps in her very early twenties, with jet black hair that had seen better days.

She froze when they made eye contact.

"You're a long way from home, aren't you?" His question was earnest, but she was still frozen, calculating. "Forgive me, I do not see many Xaela, especially this far west."

She sat the plate down, ashamed, and let the very confused busboy take it away. She was wearing chainmail, which certainly weighed heavier than it ought, due to the layer of dirt and sweat on it. On her hips were sharp looking daggers.

A shinobi--out here?

"You are Sekiseigumi, yes?" Her voice was hoarse from lack of hydration.

If he lied, she would kill him. If he told the truth, she would kill him. "In a way. And you are a shinobi?"

"My village is gone. I have been running since. You're the most familiar thing I have seen in a month."

So she was looking for safety. He couldn't guarantee that, but he could give her security. "I could use a pupil, if you wish to learn."

"Yes, please, sir--anything to stop from running."

"Indeed. Call me Musosai, young...?"

"Mai. Mai Qerel."

#ffxiv #fanfic #Musosai #mai Qerel

[nickisnecromancy]

no one asked but heres my ffxiv character

#i barely use gpose so i know its not the best in terms of like setup or framing but i want yall to look at her #her name is Cynthia Niloticus #she started as a lancer/dragoon and after her clash with estinien she trained under master musosai as a samurai #however after her journeys of hunting villains she abandoned her oaths to justice and reveled in combat #and now after entering a pact with a voidsent she hunts the corrupt as she pleases as a reaper #okay now im done nerding out about this #this game is very fun and i rlly like coming up w a more involved story for my character as i go on

[dante-heller]

I have something to work towards now... Besides clearing my name.

#final fantasy 14 #wayfinder ignis #musosai kogarashi

[voidsentprinces]

Mylla: Another word out of your mouth, Aldis and I'll beat you to death. Solkzagyl: Nah, therapy would take too much time. Imma just create an entire gaslighting plot around my death to recreate batman for Ishgard. Wyrnzoen: We get into some mild shenanigans here. Curious Gorge: I could try to look inward and explore my emotions...or I could just keep hitting things. Fray: This is bullshit, this whole thing is bullshit, that's a scam, fuck the church, here's a dark soul crystal. Sophie: Walk, walk, fashion baby. Hamon: It isn't violence against the elderly, if I call it TRAINING and I AM the elderly. Widargelt: Going to have more royal drama than the Sultana. Foulques: Gridania is racist...they will never fix this. But I can! BECAUSE I AM THE BEST LANCER IN THE WOR--OH NO! Estinien: Ishgard is classist...they will never fix this. But I can! BECAUSE I AM THE BEST DRAGOON IN THE WOR--OH NO! Jacke: We can stab people AND stop acts of terrorism. Karasu: Just having a little giggle. Having a bit of a laugh. Master Musosai: DAME DA NE! DAME YO DAME NA NO YO! Drusilla: Grandad was mad that the Emperor trolled him and is now making it everyone's problem. Sylphie: You may not like it but this is what peak conjury looks like. Raya-O-Senna: Hello and welcome! A-Ruhn-Senna: Die in a forest fire. Alka: Is it me or is that tonberry kinda...cute? Leveva: I would say I am sorry for blacking out, beating you and then burying you up to your neck in the middle of Coerthas. But I am not. Jannequinard: It is QUITE fine, my dear Lady Leveva. You did only what the stars asked, as any astrologian worth their salt would do. Aries Rising and all that. Loifa: I could easily explain my motives and backstory but this quest line has to last 8 more levels. Silvairre: Gridania is racist and shall never change its wa--oh no something happened to me personally. I have seen the error of my ways! Sanson: I can still hear his voice. Guydelot: Gay, gay, homosexual, gay, gay Stephanivien: Gonne training requires a steady hand and a leveled head. So I shall send you to someone who will teach you these things. Rostnstahl: ...sorry what? That guy over there has been looking at me for a while. Joye: That's your reflection. Rostnstahl: Oh right...hey you, shoot that guy over there in the ass. Nashmeira: Therapy would take too much time, lets dance for people's enjoyment. Cocobuki: How do you feel about casting Fire I for 50 levels? Shatotto: An arrow may have your name on it. But a fire ball is addressed to whom it may concern. K'lyhia: If my calculations are correct, you are only in this to get God and Anime on your side. Y'mhrita: I hear you know my sister. Well good news, cause we're about to harnass the power of GOD AND ANIME TO OUR SIDE! X'rhun: Yeah, I don't know why people keep running past and yelling, "Would you care to fuck this catman". Martyn: I am helping cure the smallpox by putting on shows to raise awareness. Quickly, VOMIT A FISH AT ME!

[rhaeth-nordfjall]

In his days as woodwarder, Rhaeth was a fierce and merciless, brutal fighter. He witnessed several attacks of Garlean forces against villages of his folk - the only answer the Viera had was violence.

After he left the woods, a sense of restlesness took possession of the young Viera. No matter what he did, on how many hunts he went, with how many lovers he slept, Rhaeth couldn't find inner peace for the longest time.

It was Musosai and the training of a samurai that finally brought the relief Rhaeth was looking for. Endless lessons of meditating and calming down to find inner strength, of tea ceremonies and meals in silence let Rhaeth find his peace of mind.

He became an excellent sword fighter, his strength being to perfectly balance the calmness of an experienced samurai, paired with the fierceness of a trained woodwarder.

To this day, Rhaeth keeps up a meditation routine. He tends to look for calm, quiet places far away from the busy, needless noise of towns and chattering, where his mind could settle down to find peace and inner strength.

#rhaeth nordfjall

[cidnangarlond]

ffxiv twitter ignoring peepaw musosai when showing off the samurai and red mage jobs. WHERE'S MY GRANDPA I MISS HIM!!!!

[mintibunny]

FFXIV Write '23, Day 5: Barbarous

An ambush in the woods is thwarted.

CW: Implied violence.

"Please, I haven't got anything a' yours, I swear. Please don't kill me."

He couldn't have been more than sixteen summers, the hyur boy in the leathers and black shoes. The knife he held in his right hand was quivering, shining in the evening moonlight. The black cloth mask he was wearing was slashed in half, and lying pathetically on his lap. He wasn't bleeding, not yet, but the reddish sign of a blade touching skin could be seen, now that his shirt was cut open. "I got no friends out 'ere, I promise, I swear. You're a nice lady, ain't you? You'll be nice to me?" A mixture of sweat from his raven-colored hair and tears from his brown eyes rolled down his cheeks.

Look at him, begging for his life, from a trained warrior. He should not have tried to put that knife to your throat. Novice move for a would-be bandit, if you ask me.

Evil like his should be treated like how the gardener regards a weed that chokes the rose bush. He is weak, Minti. You know what voidsent do to the weak.

Her katana was still in its sheath - there had been need for only one good swing of the blade. Minti Chocolate, samurai, had simply been walking towards Gridania's Lavender Beds, in the moonlight. The intention was to go home, but this boy thought it best to interrupt her. That was a mistake. And now he was at her mercy, scared half out of his wits, crying out to the open air. "I'll scream, and the Wailers will come fer me. Not a good, not a good look for you, miss?"

She put a hand to the blade's grip. This could all be ended now, and nobody would come calling for this boy.

But killing is not what Master Musosai would have wanted for her.

"From this moment forth, do you solemnly swear to be a changed lad? To never do a foolish thing like this again?" Minti pulled the blade out a bit more, letting it shine far greater than any hunting knife.

"Yes, miss! Whatever you want! I'll say my prayers, and eat my vegetables, and whatever the hells else you want."

Minti's blade came forth, then snapped back sharply into its sheath. "Then, by my blade, I cleanse the evil from your heart. Go home, and pray that I don't see you play bandit again."

If you didn't know better, and were passing by Quarrymill, you might have thought you'd seen a boy being chased by voidsent, from the way he was hollering about a mad-woman with a blade in the woods.

Minti hoped that scaring him was enough. Master would have been proud.

#final fantasy xiv #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy oc #ffxiv #minti wol #final fantasy viera #minti chocolate #samurai #ffxivwrites2023

[mosthuggableffxiv]

Most Huggable Job Trainer (Melee DPS)

Okay, I added Karasu for the funsies, but I'm still not putting Estinien on this thing.

#final fantasy xiv #ffxiv huggability #ffxiv #ffxiv dragoon #ffxiv ninja #ffxiv monk #ffxiv samurai #ffxiv reaper #alberic bale #heustienne de vimaroix #oboro torioi #karasu kanshi #widargelt beake #master musosai #musosai #makoto obinata #drusilla varus

[aoife-asturmaux]

realized I didn't have any pics of banri and musosai hanging out yet, so I crimed some up :3

i had fun imagining their past together, though it was a little bittersweet knowing how things play out...

#viera #warrior of light #bunboy pics #musosai #ffxiv #narrative

[motheatenscarf]

I've been working my way to getting all classes leveled up for Talia because... I'm insane and love to set impossible goals for myself. I haven't been talking about too many of them bcs I have nothing to say about most of them, but since I've played through 9 now

Here is a quick summation of my thoughts, ranked from least to strongest reactions I've had;

Paladin: This is boring. I'm bored. I don't care about any of these people or their dumb problems, let me kill class enemy lalafell.

Astrologian: I don't care about these people or their problems, I already know from MSQ and better job stories that Ishgard sucks. These outfits DO rule tho.

Dancer: Huh, that dance to cure people of the morbs turned out surprisingly relevant... too bad it didn't matter! Oh well. Who are these people? What are their problems? Nevermind, I don't care. Dancing scenes are pretty at least.

Red Mage: These outfits rule. But wow, I don't care about these people. I actually weirdly hate this amnesia girl? Not for GOOD reasons, just for like. Trope reasons. Not her fault, but still, I hate when she's here.

Samurai: I don't care until suddenly for 2 minutes at level 60 it stops just being fun Samurai movie homages and tropes and gets REAL with Musosai trying to suicide by WoL. A momentarily beautiful moment that reincorporates and recontextualizes a silly moment from earlier in the story, describing atonement through having to LIVE and make amends, arguing that remorse is what separates good from evil, and wow! This was great! I legit loved- oh, they immediately ruined it with the Stormblood quest to uphold the status quo of a corrupt regime and made Musosai's student morally in the right thus making his death and guilt meaningless.... well, I hate this! Least favorite class story now.

Reaper: I love a mean old battleaxe so Drusilla is rad as fuck and this is some fun lore on Emet and Garlemald in general. I choose to care about this because I headcanon that my own WoL is from Garlemald and this is relevant.

Ninja: This is boring and kinda sucks, but Karasu is here and I love him. An eccentric theatrical weirdo here to test the hero and cause problems for drama? Yes, I DO love trickster figures, thank you. Oh wait, he's not a villain, just a decent dude trying to get out of a bad situation and being cagey to cover his own ass and help you so you can get him out of this jam? Rad. But why can he control bats as his Children of the Night if he's not evil? ... Don't worry about it! I don't know if he's a GOOD character, but my god is he a FUN character. That's all I care about. Look at how much I love Zenos; I DON'T need depth to have a good time. That said;

Dark Knight: I am WEEPING inconsolably over Fray and Myste, chortling over Moogles and Sid, and Rielle is but one of my many, MANY adopted kids from this game. It is perfect. I could talk about Dark Knight for hours, I lost an entire day of progressing through story just having to be insane about the reveal that Emet Selch was a Dark Knight, perhaps the FIRST Dark Knight, because OF COURSE HE WAS. Dark Knights are about LOVE and grief manifesting tangibly, and oh my god, everything ties in together as a coherent whole. I'm not normal about Dark Knight. I'll never be normal about Dark Knight. It invades my brain and gives words to the Things I'm Trying To Say about characters and what I want out of stories. Finding out that the woman who wrote Dark Knight took over as lead writer got me through the worst of how much I HATED base Stormblood and thank god it did because it meant I stuck with this game long enough to play Shadowbringers and Endwalker and didn't consider Heavensward just a fluke. Dark Knight saved this game for me. Dark Knight is incredible. Dark Knight has more to say about storytelling, motivation, and a player's role in and relationship to a story than anything I've ever seen from a SINGLE PLAYER RPG, let alone an mmo. Dark Knight is fucking transcendent.

Fishing: This is the dumbest story so far and I fucking love it. I love traveling the world with this lunatic who took up work as an ASSASSIN to fund her fishing hobby. She has her priorities in order, she is the most correct about the point of this game and I love her.

#Caitlin Plays FF14 #FF14 spoilers

[tahri-nhupuju]

Surprise Posey propaganda!

As far as I know, there's nothing in the @woltourney rules against propagandizing for someone else, so have some fun behind-the-scenes information from the GM of the tabletop campaign that Posey was created for!

Posey's love interest Zavuh'to was originally made to test the character sheets I made, and was later refurbished into the main antagonist of the campaign's first arc. He is the last living member of clan Mhakuru, and learned the art of the samurai from Musosai himself (the campaign started in the ARR patches timeline-wise, so he was still wandering around searching for capable pupils.)

In the campaign, Tahri plays the role of the Warrior of Light, but both Posey and another player character do have the Echo, which only recently awoke for them.

"Cooking" is a skill in the system we're running, and Posey literally tries to use it whenever he's able.

In fact it is by far his highest skill, and his average results produce food that would be the star of the show on the Sultana's table. His free company members are very spoiled when it comes to food as a result.

Posey has all of his free company members' favourite foods memorized (@motley-ember made all the other players pick one)

The party managed to sneak into Ishgard circa late Heavensward and Posey set up an impromptu soup kitchen in the Brume.

Posey has thrown a motherfucker at another motherfucker.

Posey's grandmother (Known to all as Babushka or Baba) was a former member of the Bozjan royal guard who fled with her grandkids to Eorzea after their parents died fighting the Imperials. She lives just north of East Shroud, and is the one who taught him how to fight like a paladin and how to cook.

She is also where he got his size from, and she is bigger than he is even in her old age.

Posey doesn't realize that most people in Eorzea think Hrothgar are kind of intimidating or even scary.

One of Posey's fellow party members is Zavuh'to's adopted sister, so he keeps using that as an excuse to go see him or to call him. Just keeping him up to date on his sister is all. No massive, obvious crush here, no sir!

To wrap this post up, here's a link to the poll and some bonus pics of his soon-to-be boyfriend:

#ffxiv #ffxiv oc #warrior of light fight #screenshot #zavuh'to mhakuru #posey the paladin

[a-soul-full-of-stars]

“almost saying i love you before stopping themselves”

(this one got a little away from me, so I've stuck most of it under a cut! thank you so much for the ask @umbralaether! this matchcred moment takes place about halfway through their story, post-stormblood, pre-shadowbringers)

...

Match stares out over the midnight streets. Another night in Ul’dah. How long has it been since the last one? His months away in Ala Mhigo and Doma have added up; the still-fresh bruises and cracked ribs speak to that.

It is good to be back and not recognized. The title of champion has always sat funny on his shoulders, but since Ishgard it has sat heavy indeed. What good is a champion if where he champions never grows, never changes? And what if there is no place for him there anymore?

But these aren’t questions to ponder alone. Match stares out over the balcony, and awaits his company.

He doesn’t have to wait long. He hears the balcony door creak open behind him. “Evening, stranger.” Match turns, unable to keep the awkward smile from his lips. There he is, Thancred, with that same mop of tousled white hair, that same sly grin. “Momodi said I’d find you up here.”

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself.” Thancred moves closer, joining Match at the balcony. For a moment, Match thinks about going for a hug, embracing him like he has so many times before. But no. Better not. After all, there’d be too many words in that hug, too many things that need saying that have been left unsaid too long already. Thancred watches him a moment longer. “So,” he says at last, grin fading. “To what do I owe the pleasure of the Champion’s company?”

“Har har.”

“Sorry. Would you prefer warrior of light? You do seem to accrue the titles these days.”

“I didn’t ask for any of them.”

“I know you didn’t.” Another moment’s silence falls between them. Thancred looks around. “A pleasant enough night. Reminds me of the last time we were up here.” He glances sideways at Match through his pale fringe, as if measuring the miquote’s response. “A few years back now, of course.”

“I remember it,” Match replies, blushing. How could he forget? That perfect day followed by a perfect night, followed by a perfect kiss…

“Is that why we’re here? To reminisce?” There’s something new in Thancred’s voice, a note of scorn that hadn’t been there before. “Because if so there’s a few memories that aren’t so pleasant.”

Match cringes. “I know, I know. What I did back then-”

“What you did back then, you did back then. It’s done,” Thancred interrupts. “No point going over it now.”

“But I should! Let me apologize at least!”

Thancred watches him levelly. “…Alright. What do you think you need to apologize for?”

“For… For running away. For leaving without telling you where I was going, or why. For you having to come and pull me out of a jail cell.” Match looks away, unable to hold the hyur’s piercing gaze. “I was an idiot. I didn’t even think. All I cared about was saving my own skin.”

Thancred watches him for another second, then exhales a long sigh. A weary smile tugs at his cheeks. “Well, I won’t deny it’s nice to hear you finally say it. The way you’ve been acting I was starting to think you were blaming me for the whole mess.”

“What? Why?”

“Why?” Thancred says, raising an eyebrow. “You didn’t exactly welcome me back into the fold with open arms, Match. We never talked about it when I handed you over to the Scions, and we never talked about it all over again when I met up with you and the others in Dravania. Then you pull another disappearing act and the next time anyone sees or hears from you you’re waiving a Doman sword around and going on about this Musosai fellow, and we still don’t talk about it.” His face grows darker. “Not to mention the few times I did see you, you constantly made those little comments.”

“Little comments?”

“You think I don’t hear you? That I don’t see that judging look in your eye when I speak to Hilda, or any woman for that matter that you happen to be in earshot of? You were never any kind of master of stealth.”

Match cringes again. “When you put it like that, I guess I have been pretty shitty to you, huh?”

“That’s one word for it.”

“Well I’m sorry for all that too.” Match looks away, unable to look Thancred in the eye. “For what it’s worth, I didn’t mean any of it. Not really. I’ve just been… It’s like…”

Match trails off, words leaving him again. Thancred watches him, his eyes widening in surprise as his companion’s shoulders start to shake, as tears start to tap onto the balustrade. Thancred reaches out and places a hand on Match’s shoulder. “Hey now… No need for that. You said sorry, no need for tears.”

“It’s not.. I meant, it’s not just that. Oh gods.” Match wipes his eyes with his arm. “Gods, Than. It’s all gone wrong. None of it makes any sense anymore.”

“What doesn’t? Talk to me, I’m here.” He leads the shaking m’iquote back to the stone bench set against the back of the balcony, sitting him down gently. “It’s alright, Matchstick. Talk to me.”

Match sniffs. “I should never have told you about that nickname.”

“Too late now. Now, what’s caused all this?”

Match takes a long, slow breath. “I just. I’m supposed to be this great hero, right? Everyone’s expecting me to save them from whatever the next horrible thing to show up is. Ultima Weapon. Nidhogg. Thordan. Every damn Primal, over and over. But how long am I supposed to keep doing that, you know? When do I get to stop? Haven’t I done enough yet?”

“I suppose we’re a little over-reliant on you sometimes. But you know you’re valued more than any of us.”

“I know, I know… It’s just… I still don’t remember anything from before this, you know? None of it. I’ve been so many places, seen so many m’iqote tribes now, and every time I do I walk in with part of me hoping that this is it, this is the one. This is where…”

He trails off. Thancred watches him, his expression unreadable. “Where you’re from.” Match nods. “I see. You still haven’t found a family.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I love my life with the Scions. I’d die for any of them. But with all this business with Doma and Ala Mhigo… I don’t know. It’s just been hurting more lately. It’s like every time I get something solid its all snatched away. And not like for the others.” He gazes despondently out over the city lights again. Below, a pair of lalafel courters stroll arm in arm through the quiet street. “Everyone else has gone through stuff, sure, but they have that surety. They know where they’re from. Raer and Muirrean, they have homes and lives they could go back to, if they wanted. I think Muirrean might even stay in Doma, the way she and Hien hit it off. But there’s nowhere for me to go except back to the Rising Stones.”

“Is that so bad? It’s a damn sight better than Pearl Alley at least.”

Match sniffs again, managing a weak smile. “And I’d definitely be able to hold onto a box better these days.”

“Exactly.” Gingerly, Thancred puts an arm around Match’s shoulders. His foolish, perfect Matchstick. How can he even begin to comfort him? How do you sum up so many years of gratitude, of resentment, of the mess they’d left behind them right here in Ul’Dah?

Another moment passes. At last, his voice slow while he searches for the words, Thancred speaks. “For whatever it may be worth… There is far more to family than tribe or name. Those back at the Rising Stones, they miss you when you’re gone, you know. They worry every time they ask you to step into danger. We all do. We ask the impossible of you, and you make it look easy. And more than that…” He squeezes a little tighter, his other hand turning Match’s face so that his despondent eyes are locked with his own. “Were you ever to ask for a reprieve they would grant it. You are more than an ally, Match Munroe. You are more than simply those titles of yours. You are family. You are so, so loved. We all love you.” A moment passes. “I…”

But he can’t say it. Not yet. Those last two words die in his throat, choked by the bitter ghost that still haunts him, that echo of nights on this very balcony that whispers on the desert wind what if, what if, what if. Still too soon. Still too late. When? When will it ever…

All of sudden his thoughts are interrupted as Match presses his lips against his own. Just for a moment. Then, Match breaks a way, his eyes still closed, his forehead still resting gently against the hyur’s.

For once in his life, Thancred doesn’t know what to say. “Match…”

Match’s eyes do not open. “Yeah. I know. Me too.”

And there, on that balcony in Ul’Dah where they’ve left so many words unsaid, three more words remain silent thoughts, as warm as that endless desert wind.

...

unresolved feelings prompts!

#matchcred #thancred x wol #thancred #match #ask me about match #ask me about my wol #umbralaether