aetherflows | prismatica inbox.

[ to say that alisaie is not satisfied with their work in norvrandt would certainly be a lie. things were difficult, the road was not always easy, and they all of them worked tirelessly to see it through to the end, but it was well worth the results. not only did they learn much and more about the nature of their universe, they also defeated a terrible ascian threat, and saw to it that what remained of the first was well and truly saved. there is an immense satisfaction to be had in that, and alisaie does not regret even one moment spent there. watching hades disperse into the aether had lifted a great weight from her chest.

but there are.. things that still remain with her, difficult and painful memories that she has not gotten the chance to fully process and internalize. life in amh araeng was painful and difficult even before losing tesleen, and since then, from the moment the warrior arrived their days had been full of movement and purpose. she had had no time to mourn. no time to process her grief. she had buried it instead, as she is wont to do, and now that she is here again, back in lunatia where time feels slow and lazy, it is.. beginning to catch up. wearing on her.

it creeps into her dreams, as insidious as a poison.

alisaie's hands tremble as she carefully turns the knob to alphinaud's door.

more often than not it was alphinaud who crept into her bed, when they were young - thunderstorms or ghost stories or things that went bump in the night, all of these would send him wailing to her bedside. it was not as often that alisaie returned the sentiment but sometimes.. sometimes when she was feeling lost, or lonely, she would come to him. it's been many long years since last they shared a bed at night, not since they were children, still close, before age and life drove a wedge between them. but she goes to him now, stricken and pale, and without a thought she slips under the covers and presses close, her hands grasping tightly in his nightshirt.

he's here. he's alive. he's real. it was.. it was only a dream. ]

[Alphinaud stirs slightly at the sound of his doorknob turning, but it isn't until he feels another weight in the bed that he wakes halfway. Still half-asleep, he instinctively turns into her and wraps his arms about her tight, like when they were kids. Normally he was the clingy one but sometimes he could hold her too, so close she might not be able to wriggle free without a bar to pry herself off. But that was the nature of children-- to think in terms of absolutes. Either they were together, or apart. Grandfather was here, or he was lost. Either a friend, or an enemy.

The truth is rarely so simple.

He breathes in slowly, deeply, and his lashes flutter. He's no use in the darkness. But he realizes immediately why she's here because he felt it too, his dreams haunted by the thought of Alisaie perishing in his arms. Her pulse had been so thready when Emet-Selch lay waste to them. He thought he was dead as much as anyone, and that unsettling cold feeling hasn't left him since they were released from the crystal.]

Alisaie, [he whispers, and presses the softest kiss into her hair, like their mother used to when they were small.] I am here.

[His voice is thick with conviction (and sleep).]

My world has become bigger since we sailed to Eorzea. And yet, the heart of it remains the same because it lies with you. You are my heart, Sister. And to you I shall always return—this I swear, with everything I have...

Edited 2019-08-12 10:28 (UTC)

[ he always knows just what to say.

alisaie has not spoken a single word and yet still he says what he knows will soothe her heart, and the tears rise unbidden to her eyes, bright and stinging and plentiful. she does not like to cry, she feels foolish and childish for it, and yet sometimes she must, sometimes there is nothing for it but to get the ichor out of her heart, expelling her pain through her tears and sobs. alisaie has ever had such a tender heart, she feels things so very deeply, so keenly, her spectrum of emotion wide and deep as the sea. it is not easy for her to control. ]

I thought -

[ she whispers, her breath trembling before at last breaking into a hard, wrenching sob. alisaie curls into him, his arms so tight around her help her to feel grounded, to feel safe. ]

Gods, I had the most.. the m-most..

[ she can still see it - the aether bleeding from his white eyes, his body twisting, breaking, changing - ]

[Alphinaud knows she doesn't like to cry but sometimes you have to lance a wound to make it better. He holds her patiently, and the thought that her crying might make him cry doesn't even pass through his mind. He's been sleeping fitfully too, but he was trying to endure it. He should have checked on her, first.

He sucks in a breath as he hears her sob, and leaves more soft kisses in her hair, nuzzles into it even. He would never be caught dead doing this in public but it's them and it's okay and it's what their mother would have done.]

We're all right.

[He pets her hair with one hand, and then her ears.]

Whatever you saw will not happen. That cannot happen... We will not let it. We are here, safe and surrounded by friends, and the threat is gone.

[They've fought to the brink of the darkness itself. He thought he was dead when he covered her body with his own. And while he never wanted to die there, he was ready to.]

And if a new one is born-- [he swallows harshly, having trouble with his throat so full of sleep and feeling] -- if it should come to that, then we will face it as one.

[Gods strike him down should he ever manage to become separated from her. He loves her so much that the world seems incomplete, gray, broken without her in it. He could never.]

[ he isn't wrong. they have faced so many terrible things since first they left sharlayan's shores - monsters and beasts, great primals, even their own grandsire, and that was during their first year alone. since then they have come so far, grown so much; alisaie is ever protective of him, and that is not anything new, nor will it change any time soon. she may very well always be protective of him.

but she stood aside when he left for garlemald. she did not chase him to kholusia when they arrived on the first. she trusts him, his strength, and his ability to look after himself. logically, she knows this, and that affirmation will settle into her heart soon enough.

after the image of his face and body twisting with light begins to fade from her memory.. ]

Aye..

[ she finally manages at last, once her sobs have slowed to soft sniffles and thready, hiccuping breaths. ]

[It's so rare that she's so broken, but lately it feels as if the world has been testing them. And he feels for her, for being separated from him for so long only to go to the First--

There are so many things that could have gone wrong, and so many that did. If she was having nightmares, then he couldn't blame her, because he has found himself sitting straight up at night clutching his blankets thinking that it's Alisaie's shoulder. Not for the first time, either.]

Aye, [he repeats, soft and tender. And, given a moment, he begins to hum a very, very old lullaby. His voice isn't... professionally trained or anything, but it doesn't matter because it's them and it's familiar, and it gives him some measure of comfort too.]

hey, err, alphinaud.

i seemed to have acquired a large amount of cakes and i can't possibly finish them all myself.

care to help?

Ah, Kaelas! That is... certainly a unique kind of problem, and I would be very interested in hearing how this came about.

How fortunate that as I consider how best to go about lifting my own spirits, you appear.

[He'll gladly spend time with him. Cake feels like an excuse.]

Would it be possible to set some aside for my sister? As much as she is loathe to admit it, she does enjoy her treats.

Where shall I find you?

ah, well, I occasionally helped an old lady with her cake stall and she tends to reward me not only with chroma, but cake as well.

but today's gifts are... uh, a bit too much. hence my troubles.

and of course! i know of alisaie's sweet tooth, and i feel she'd appreciate a slice from her beloved brother.

[ He notes Alphinaud's mood from his text, and would start preparing a pot of tea for him the moment he sent Alphinaud his apartment's location. ]

It sounds to me as if she is doting on you.

[He should know, he has a certain fussy Midlander doting on him all the time.]

Thank you, my friend. I will let her know that you thought of her, too.

[And off he goes. Alphinaud shows up a few minutes later. He knocks politely on the door, and he has some kind of bound leather book tucked underneath his arm. If he looks a little nervous, it's nothing unusual, though he's not sure how to broach the topic of remembering his stay in the First. Maybe he... won't...]

Kaelas?

I'll be with you shortly, Alphinaud!

[ There's some clattering Alphinaud can hear as the inhabitant of the apartment had just finished cleaning up in order to make it presentable for guest.

The door opens a few seconds later, showing a slightly disheveled Kaelas. Compared to the last time Alphinaud saw him, he's sporting a slightly familiar haircut as well as having a bit more... settled air around him compared to how listless he was before. ]

I'm so glad you're here my friend, there's cakes to be had, and of course, tea!

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