But I... [He was so lost now. How could she not despise him for such a display, how would she not do everything in her power to see that he was punished to the highest degree. It always happened when he failed, so why not now? Why not with the one woman who has the authority to do so? The damned Warrior of Light herself.
He didn't understand. He couldn't understand. But if this was what she wished to do, should he not just accept that? Why couldn't he now...
In the end it mattered little either way considering Yuzuka was little more than a stain on the wall. At least that's all Takame saw of him after he regained awareness. The fact that he survived this long and was called to Gyr Abania was all but a confirmation that the Empire had been combining forces for an All Out Ala Mhigan Assault. It did not bode well.] ... Indeed. He and his unit would have been executed for failing to capture you again.
Of course they would have. Hard to believe the Empire refers to us as savages when they go around killing their own people.
[Rose frowns. Even if they are her enemies, they’re likely to have their own families and loved ones. If the Empire had threatened her or her sister, Rose’s parents wouldn’t have hesitated to become soldiers. It was likely the same for the division that pursued her. Not to mention, if the Empire is so content to murder it’s own citizens, how would they treat the Scions? She had never let on to anyone, but it concerned her.]
What will you do now? The Alliance could use a soldier like you, I think.
[Said half to himself just as a statement of fact. He may have no right to call them out on it, though. Having believed in that so strongly as well... Believed, was told to think, he didn't know. He didn't believe in anything.
He couldn't even work up the courage here to say something to soften the truth. It didn't matter. Rose already probably thought nothing of him.]
... Me? What will I...? [That was a question he never knew how to answer. He just went where he was told... but he came to Eorzea to find something he could do with himself. But even to this day he did not know. A millennia long war ceased, two lands liberated since he arrived in this realm. Even longer since the Crystal called to him. And he still didn't know. He never considered the Alliance. Their time was spent in Gyr Abania in these recent days. A land he'd only traveled to for this mission.] The Alliance could... Is that what I should do?
A cleansing, is it? Not what I'd call murder, but to each their own.
[Rose frowns. The more she hears about the Empire, the more afraid she becomes. What had she done to deserve this? She never meant to be the one foiling their plans, it just kind of happened. Repeatedly. And then she killed their prince.]
[There's a heavy sigh and she's lost in her own thoughts, until she remembers she has company. Rose looks at Takame, and shrugs her shoulders. She shouldn't tell someone else what to do. She does a piss poor job of it when she's telling herself what to do.]
Far be it for me to tell me how to live your life. It's ultimately your decision.
... My decision? Hm... [He noted that sigh of hers. He knew that sigh well, being frequently lost in indecision and having traveled alongside others who held much on their shoulders.
He never knew what to do save listen, offer an arm to curl into, a shoulder to lean on. But he did not feel worthy of touching Rose here. He didn't know her well. Perhaps it was just to avoid making his own decision, he never knew what the hells to do. He didn't know if he should enlist with the Alliance.
There is a long silence. The only shuffling in the room at the moment being Takame actually moving to sit on a short chair left by Rose's bedside.] Are you alright?
[The movement sets Rose on edge, and the next thing she knows, Takame is sitting beside her. Had she put off such an aura of concern? Usually, she’s better at hiding it.]
[It’s not that she wants to be a martyr, but there’s some things she can’t say for fear of worrying others. There’s some things she can’t voice for fear of worrying herself. There’s only one thing to do, and that’s pretend that she doesn’t understand the nature of the question.]
Yes. I’d be a rather piss-poor healer if I couldn’t heal myself, wouldn’t I? Besides, I’ve had enough people circling around me the last few days to staff a small hospital. I’m fine.
Well... I am glad to hear that. [A pause. He let out a huff, barely audible or noticeable, and shook his head softly.]
But that isn't what I meant. Hm... [He was quiet for a bit, unsure of how to ask what was on her mind. There were queues he did not always pick up on in social situations, to be sure. He admitted to being rather daft when it came to this, still learning what to do and how best to manage what gained Hina such a following.
He spent enough time around her and Zhian, however, to learn what people do when something is weighing on them so much that they can no longer carry it. Hypocritical of him to want to lend Rose his help, perhaps. But he's done nothing worthy of praise or aid.]
No, I don’t suppose that’s what you were talking about at all.
[Busted. Rose’s lips form into a pensive smile. If Alphinaud or the others had ever recognized her worry, they’d done a good of hiding it. Chances are the younger boy had noticed, and not know how to address it with her.]
[Either way, it’s more difficult to avoid the question when she’s faced with it directly. Perhaps it’s better to open to up to Takame; at least she can avoid seeing him afterwards.]
Your old companion wasn’t lying. I doubt the Empire will come after you or your friends, but they will certainly come after me again. They will come after me again, and people will die.
[Takame could say nothing to that. She wasn't wrong. The Empire would stop at nothing to catch the Warrior of Light, he needed no current affiliation with them or knowledge of their movements to know this. There was nothing he could say. Had the hands of fate turned a different direction he would only be thinking of the day that he saw Rose's lifeless eyes at the end of his blade as it pierced through her heart.
He wouldn't have cared if she was a good woman like she seemed to him now.
And yet she thought nothing of him save that he was a monster, he assumed. So it did not matter what he said to her now. Be it a sweetened lie, or the painful truth.]
... No. They will find me. They will find the ones most important to me, the daughter of a traitor and her associate. And they will destroy us, they will not even grant us the mercy of death. We who hold critical information of their strengths and weaknesses. [He's silent for a long while, clenching his fist in his lap at the thought of what they might do to Hina or Zhian.]
The Empire will always leave a trail of blood in their wake if it means accomplishing their goals. [Whatever they may be, he did not know, he did not question it.] Death is inevitable in the everlasting quest to silence their biggest obstacles. [And you, Rose, are that obstacle. He's silent again, feeling like something is caught in his throat. He remembered her look of horror when he cut the soldiers down in the Castrum. Warrior of Light she may be, accustomed to death she is not. He remembered the fear on the faces of others, hired light parties and even Hina and Zhian, when he would kill opposition without a speck of mercy or regret then they would avoid him, never hire him again. The next thing that comes out of him is habitual. And it's quiet as if he's holding back the urge to scream in frustration. Instead he shook his head again finding himself thankful that he could hide behind his long hair.] I'm sorry.
[Rose repeats his words, her voice hollow. For once, it’s nice to have someone that isn’t insisting everything is going to be okay. That isn’t insisting they’ll protect her no matter what, despite the abysmal odds of a small group taking down the Empire, much less one person. Rose may be strong, but she’s not enough, and she can feel Hydaelyn’s blessing weakening by the day.]
I don’t like fighting, you know, and I was against liberating Ala Mhigo. We didn’t have the strength to hold it then—we still don’t, no matter how the Alliance pretends otherwise—but I didn’t want to risk anyone I cared about getting hurt, and so I did what I could. I never wanted to kill the Empire’s crown prince, but he kept chasing me, and I was fighting for my life. I never even wanted to be the gods-damned Eikon slayer, but after Titan I had little choice. I don’t know what the Empire is planning, only that apparently I’m the only one who can stop it. I don’t know if the people close to me know how likely I am to die in the process. I don’t know if they’ve prepared themselves.
[Once she opens her mouth, she doesn’t stop talking. She can’t stop talking. One thing leads into another, and before she knows it, she’s blurted out her entire life story to someone she barely knows. She’d say it’s possible that he’s working for the enemy, but no sleeer agent would leave that many dead Imperials in their wake.]
[Hearing Rose unload like that took Takame by surprise, his eyebrows show up and he could not stop himself from frowning. The most expression she'd probably seen from him since his outburst. Kami forefend, how much has this woman been through? She looked like a Miqo'te like any other, but barely a fighter. She was brave to admit that she did not want any of this, that she never wished to be the Warrior of Light, essentially. A claim so bold and yet Takame found it respectable that she would want to badly to do anything but what was told of her. To not wish to passively accept the role forced onto her.
He had been a sound board for his companions before, but with them he had a level of familiarity. He did not have that with Rose. What could he say to her? Could he say anything?
He was so useless. Useless when it came to anything other than fighting and killing. He wanted to lament his lack of talent at comfort and not look anywhere else but the ground. But he would not disrespect her in that way. Though it took much of his willpower, he looked right at her, lifting his hand from his lap hesitantly and letting it linger in the air before putting it back down. And he shook his head again.] ... Please do not apologize. You've no need to.
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He didn't understand. He couldn't understand. But if this was what she wished to do, should he not just accept that? Why couldn't he now...
In the end it mattered little either way considering Yuzuka was little more than a stain on the wall. At least that's all Takame saw of him after he regained awareness. The fact that he survived this long and was called to Gyr Abania was all but a confirmation that the Empire had been combining forces for an All Out Ala Mhigan Assault. It did not bode well.] ... Indeed. He and his unit would have been executed for failing to capture you again.
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[Rose frowns. Even if they are her enemies, they’re likely to have their own families and loved ones. If the Empire had threatened her or her sister, Rose’s parents wouldn’t have hesitated to become soldiers. It was likely the same for the division that pursued her. Not to mention, if the Empire is so content to murder it’s own citizens, how would they treat the Scions? She had never let on to anyone, but it concerned her.]
What will you do now? The Alliance could use a soldier like you, I think.
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[Said half to himself just as a statement of fact. He may have no right to call them out on it, though. Having believed in that so strongly as well... Believed, was told to think, he didn't know. He didn't believe in anything.
He couldn't even work up the courage here to say something to soften the truth. It didn't matter. Rose already probably thought nothing of him.]
... Me? What will I...? [That was a question he never knew how to answer. He just went where he was told... but he came to Eorzea to find something he could do with himself. But even to this day he did not know. A millennia long war ceased, two lands liberated since he arrived in this realm. Even longer since the Crystal called to him. And he still didn't know. He never considered the Alliance. Their time was spent in Gyr Abania in these recent days. A land he'd only traveled to for this mission.] The Alliance could... Is that what I should do?
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[Rose frowns. The more she hears about the Empire, the more afraid she becomes. What had she done to deserve this? She never meant to be the one foiling their plans, it just kind of happened. Repeatedly. And then she killed their prince.]
[There's a heavy sigh and she's lost in her own thoughts, until she remembers she has company. Rose looks at Takame, and shrugs her shoulders. She shouldn't tell someone else what to do. She does a piss poor job of it when she's telling herself what to do.]
Far be it for me to tell me how to live your life. It's ultimately your decision.
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He never knew what to do save listen, offer an arm to curl into, a shoulder to lean on. But he did not feel worthy of touching Rose here. He didn't know her well. Perhaps it was just to avoid making his own decision, he never knew what the hells to do. He didn't know if he should enlist with the Alliance.
There is a long silence. The only shuffling in the room at the moment being Takame actually moving to sit on a short chair left by Rose's bedside.] Are you alright?
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[It’s not that she wants to be a martyr, but there’s some things she can’t say for fear of worrying others. There’s some things she can’t voice for fear of worrying herself. There’s only one thing to do, and that’s pretend that she doesn’t understand the nature of the question.]
Yes. I’d be a rather piss-poor healer if I couldn’t heal myself, wouldn’t I? Besides, I’ve had enough people circling around me the last few days to staff a small hospital. I’m fine.
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But that isn't what I meant. Hm... [He was quiet for a bit, unsure of how to ask what was on her mind. There were queues he did not always pick up on in social situations, to be sure. He admitted to being rather daft when it came to this, still learning what to do and how best to manage what gained Hina such a following.
He spent enough time around her and Zhian, however, to learn what people do when something is weighing on them so much that they can no longer carry it. Hypocritical of him to want to lend Rose his help, perhaps. But he's done nothing worthy of praise or aid.]
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[Busted. Rose’s lips form into a pensive smile. If Alphinaud or the others had ever recognized her worry, they’d done a good of hiding it. Chances are the younger boy had noticed, and not know how to address it with her.]
[Either way, it’s more difficult to avoid the question when she’s faced with it directly. Perhaps it’s better to open to up to Takame; at least she can avoid seeing him afterwards.]
Your old companion wasn’t lying. I doubt the Empire will come after you or your friends, but they will certainly come after me again. They will come after me again, and people will die.
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He wouldn't have cared if she was a good woman like she seemed to him now.
And yet she thought nothing of him save that he was a monster, he assumed. So it did not matter what he said to her now. Be it a sweetened lie, or the painful truth.]
... No. They will find me. They will find the ones most important to me, the daughter of a traitor and her associate. And they will destroy us, they will not even grant us the mercy of death. We who hold critical information of their strengths and weaknesses. [He's silent for a long while, clenching his fist in his lap at the thought of what they might do to Hina or Zhian.]
The Empire will always leave a trail of blood in their wake if it means accomplishing their goals. [Whatever they may be, he did not know, he did not question it.] Death is inevitable in the everlasting quest to silence their biggest obstacles. [And you, Rose, are that obstacle. He's silent again, feeling like something is caught in his throat. He remembered her look of horror when he cut the soldiers down in the Castrum. Warrior of Light she may be, accustomed to death she is not. He remembered the fear on the faces of others, hired light parties and even Hina and Zhian, when he would kill opposition without a speck of mercy or regret then they would avoid him, never hire him again. The next thing that comes out of him is habitual. And it's quiet as if he's holding back the urge to scream in frustration. Instead he shook his head again finding himself thankful that he could hide behind his long hair.] I'm sorry.
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[Rose repeats his words, her voice hollow. For once, it’s nice to have someone that isn’t insisting everything is going to be okay. That isn’t insisting they’ll protect her no matter what, despite the abysmal odds of a small group taking down the Empire, much less one person. Rose may be strong, but she’s not enough, and she can feel Hydaelyn’s blessing weakening by the day.]
I don’t like fighting, you know, and I was against liberating Ala Mhigo. We didn’t have the strength to hold it then—we still don’t, no matter how the Alliance pretends otherwise—but I didn’t want to risk anyone I cared about getting hurt, and so I did what I could. I never wanted to kill the Empire’s crown prince, but he kept chasing me, and I was fighting for my life. I never even wanted to be the gods-damned Eikon slayer, but after Titan I had little choice. I don’t know what the Empire is planning, only that apparently I’m the only one who can stop it. I don’t know if the people close to me know how likely I am to die in the process. I don’t know if they’ve prepared themselves.
[Once she opens her mouth, she doesn’t stop talking. She can’t stop talking. One thing leads into another, and before she knows it, she’s blurted out her entire life story to someone she barely knows. She’d say it’s possible that he’s working for the enemy, but no sleeer agent would leave that many dead Imperials in their wake.]
I’m sorry, you didn’t need to hear all that.
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[Hearing Rose unload like that took Takame by surprise, his eyebrows show up and he could not stop himself from frowning. The most expression she'd probably seen from him since his outburst. Kami forefend, how much has this woman been through? She looked like a Miqo'te like any other, but barely a fighter. She was brave to admit that she did not want any of this, that she never wished to be the Warrior of Light, essentially. A claim so bold and yet Takame found it respectable that she would want to badly to do anything but what was told of her. To not wish to passively accept the role forced onto her.
He had been a sound board for his companions before, but with them he had a level of familiarity. He did not have that with Rose. What could he say to her? Could he say anything?
He was so useless. Useless when it came to anything other than fighting and killing. He wanted to lament his lack of talent at comfort and not look anywhere else but the ground. But he would not disrespect her in that way. Though it took much of his willpower, he looked right at her, lifting his hand from his lap hesitantly and letting it linger in the air before putting it back down. And he shook his head again.] ... Please do not apologize. You've no need to.