Chapter Text
“Himi! Quit flirtin’ and get over here!” Van shouted across the plaza after his venture into Hawker’s Alley had completed. Himi squeaked as her face turned a bright shade of crimson and whirled around to flash Van a rude gesture. Ffion let out a boisterous laugh, pinching Himi’s cheek which made the blushing all the more worse.
“Look at ye! Face as red as Limsa’s colours!” She howled. “Ye traipsing into the Sastasha Seagrot, aye? Mind if I join ye?”
“I don’t mind; doesn’t hurt to ask the others first though.”
“HIMI.”
“I’M. COMING. YOU. IMPATIENT FUCKER.” She hollered, flipping Van off a second time. She couldn’t see he was getting entertainment from teasing her, and wasn’t actually mad.
He gave the former-captain a curious look as they approached, flicking is tail as he shot a glance at Himi.
“Van, I thought maybe since your leg is giving you trouble, that I’d bring a friend along, just in case there ARE pirates. That all right?” She scrunched her nose, expecting more harassment.
“Not a bad idea.” He hummed, noting Ffion’s daggers. “Never hurts to have a sister ‘round.” He gave her an approving wink. No one offered an explanation to Resin or Tamru. Ffion simply bowed as if he had said nothing about sisters.
“Pleasure to meet ye all, ye can call me Ffion.” She gave the group a good look. “Any of you able to heal? Or should I stock up on potions?” She grinned, using the top of Himi’s head as an armrest. Himi sputtered, but didn’t move or complain.
“I’m trained in basic healing.” Resin nodded. “I’m in the middle of learning Thaumaturge magic, but I can handle any minor injuries if they happen at all.”
“Yes; Himi has her job stone back, so she may make such quick work of anything, regardless.” Tamru mused.
“Har har.”
“Can we go?” Van flicked his tail again. “Walk and talk. Walk and talk.” He grumbled, motioning for everyone to head towards the docks.
And the world doesn’t freeze.
“If only we had something other than... stale crackers to chew on.” Nero sighed whimsically, holding one up to the light. His lips were pulled into an exaggerated pout as he inspected the pale excuse for nourishment. He tossed a sideways glance at Gaius, who was more focused on the report in his hands than the food in front of him. Though truly, calling it food implied it was nutritious and edible, and gave it far more credit than what it was worth. Gaius didn’t respond to Nero’s bellyaching even if he secretly agreed. Nero, undeterred, sighed loudly as he dropped the cracker onto his plate. “When are provisions being re-supplied again?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Truly? Pity.”
“You never cared before; so out with it. Why are you mewling for my attention so?” Gaius lowered the paperwork to give Nero a tired stare. Nero, of course, perked right up in his seat.
“So I’ve done a little snooping and-“
“If this is about the Populares Woman...”
“I assure you, my Lord, you want to hear this.” There was a mischievous glint in Nero’s eye. Gaius gave him a shrewd look, but eventually relented. Motioning with a hand for Nero to continue. “Despite records indicating a sizable family, no one has ever seen them in the same place in the same moment. Not once! Not once in at least fifty years; though I’m unsure if the past five truly count, but the fact remains that it’s only the women who have ever been observed in public, only one at a time, and not a SINGLE male family member has been seen. Not in public, not in private.”
“Sounds like an elaborate cover, then.” Gaius hummed, rubbing his chin. “But that is his Radiance’s business, and not ours. In fact, I question how you came about all this?” He raised an eyebrow.
“WELL you know what they say about loose lips. Emperor’s business she may be, but that doesn’t stop the populus and lower ranks from whispering in the shadows about what they’ve noticed.” he hummed, rapping his knuckles on the table. A proud smirk spread across his lips. “And I am very good at asking the right questions and listening to what’s not said.”
“And what, exactly, do you plan to do with this knowledge? And why tell me?”
“Apologies! I thought you curious about her, my Lord.” Gaius gave Nero a look, sighing as he picked up the report again to hide his face.
“Unless you think you know who she is, or if she is a viable threat, I desire to hear no more of this.” He grumbled, his curiosity even more piqued. Even if he was loath to admit it.
“Oh, I think I do; and I have another theory... I want to test. Buuuut.”
“Is this your roundabout way of asking my permission to do something? Get on with it.” Nero grinned wide, scooting his chair closer to Gaius before leaning forward. He whispered a few things and immediately had Gaius’s full attention. The report was abandoned onto the tabletop once more, as Gaius steepled his fingers, listening intensely to Nero’s theory and proposal. What neither of them could see, was that a white robed Ascian was listening in on their conversation. He tapped his chin, less worried and more... curious. Wondering how, if at all, he should intervene. Perhaps ‘twould be pertinent to observe her first, before deciding.
She was incredibly easy to find, ironically. He watched from the shadows, amused by her slogging across the slippery rocks, wringing out her hair. The bodies of pirates and Sahagin lay scattered about the cave floor. Himi glanced at the bodies, internalizing her regret. She’d much prefer her usual method of sleeping everything, but in this instance not only was it dangerous to do so as again, as she was not unsundered Hypnos, with everyone watching and already suspicious… She huffed, more upset that she didn’t think to teleport them into a cell much earlier.
“Siren’s piss!” Ffion laughed, clapping her hands. “If we had an army of ye, Himi, Eorzea would be ushered into a new golden age! Shit, we almost didn’t need to come, ye killed everythin’ so fast.” She whistled. “Maybe when this lot stops bein’ lazy and starts helpin’ ye, they can be just as good as ye one day!” She patted Resin and Tamru’s shoulders.
“I suppose we overdid it with the observing.” Tamru hummed, not looking even the least bit guilty.
“You think?” Himi grumbled, as she continued to wring the sea water out of her hair. She kept her back to the ocean, pretending it wasn’t there. “I might be stronger, but I can still get overwhelmed by sheer numbers!” Giving up on her hair, she rejoined the others and crossed her arms. “And then fucking what? If I get knocked out because thirty or so dinkbags overpowered me, do you all think you can handle them?”
“Ermmn...no. Definitely no.” Resin sheepishly grinned.
“Don’t worry dove, bet it’ll take more n’that to knock ye down! Hells hath no fury, as they say.” She winked as she headed for the exit, giving Himi’s rump a playful slap when she walked by. Himi squeaked, face turning bright red for what was probably the hundredth time in an hour. Resin and Tamru cackled after exchanging glances. Van’s ears perked in amusement despite his effort to look apathetic.
“A friend, hm?”
“GODS I have known her five minutes less than Thancred, yes, just a friend.”
“So Thancred stands a better chance, then?” Van quirked an amused eyebrow as Resin, albeit briefly, looked disappointed.
“NO. That’s not what I mean by that!” She squeaked, puffing out her cheeks. “Cheeky... fucking bastards.” She grumbled, stomping off after Ffion.
So flustered she was, that the white robed Ascian almost went unseen. Ffion clearly hadn’t noticed him, but Himi certainly did. At first, she wondered who he was and why Ffion had said naught. Were his robes white instead of black because he was... friendly? She blinked, as she saw him smile. Another blink, and he’d put his fingers to his lips. A third blink, and his voiceless words sent a chill through her body. Her senses flooded with the deep smell of low tide and a heaviness that plunged her heart into her stomach.
He was gone when Van looked; everyone other than Himi remained blissfully unaware that Elidibus was just there.
“Himi, you alright?” Van called out to her, noticing her shift in demeanor. Her lips wibbled, and she sputtered sounds that could have possibly been a different language, but it wasn’t one Van recognized. “I’ll take that as a no. FFION!” He called out, and the newly minted Rogue came running back.
“What’s up-, oi! Himi! Dove! Ye alright?”
Her eyes darted everywhere as she shivered and cowered as if surrounded by threats in every direction. Cold, angry voices badgered her and only her. Van felt as though something was off; Resin and Tamru’s Echo’s were itching but didn’t fully kick in. Ffion dared to put her hands on Himi’s shoulders as she hyperventilated.
“Dove can ye hear me? Nod if ye can.” She couldn’t tell if Himi nodded in acknowledgement or not. Ffion bit on her lower lip, contemplating her options. “Resin, Tamru! Go report in about our success here, say nothin’ bout Himi.” She ordered, easily slipping into the role of Captain. “Van, teleport back to Limsa with me; takin her with us, o’course. I think you know where.” Van nodded. “You two- when ye done reportin’ in. Wait fer us in the Inn. If they drop any more missions on ye, accept ‘em but stall by pretendin’ yer gettin’ supplies in Hawker’s alley. Ye all know what to do, now git!”
Ffion cursed when she rushed into the Rogue’s guild and Jacke wasn’t there. For better or for worse, the room was mostly empty, save for Underfoot; who looked like he was about ready to leave, and V’kebbe, who was chomping away on her sandwich.
“What’s all the fuss?” She quirked an ear, nearly choking when she spotted Van. “Bloody hell, that you X’vanet?” Her jaw dropped.
“Maybe. Where’s Jacke?”
“Out takin’ care o’business.” Underfoot glanced up at Ffion, who by now was carrying Himi. “MMMN. Guessin’ this might be more important.” He flinched. “Hang on, I know where he is. Take her up, V’kebbe, can ye make sure no one other than Jacke is allowed in?”
“‘Course!” She nodded, polishing off her food before leading the other three upstairs.
She was an absolute wreck when Jacke burst into the room. Almost looking completely deranged, her hair still drenched from the earlier excursion. Although a little more calm than she was in the cave, she still paced and fretted, muttering a mix of an unrecognized language and code-speak.
“What happened?” He looked to Ffion and Van for answers; they took turns explaining the situation, glancing occasionally at Himi who seemed lost in her own world. Jacke hummed, rubbing his chin as the details rolled around in his head. “Now the rum-dutchess patters riddles.” He mused. “Ey, dove. Can ye hear me, at least?” He calmly approached. Her attention snapped to Jacke when she recognized his voice.
“LEADER. You’re a leader!” She closed the gap between them and frantically gripped his shirt.
“Aye; I’m the guild master.” He tilted his head as he gently grabbed her wrists to pull her off.
“A leader, I need to tell a leader!” She insisted. “Tongue tied otherwise!” She grabbed his shirt again. Jacke gave her a stern look, but nodded to indicate he understood.
“Ffion, X’vanet, mind leavin’ the two o’us? Actually, Ffion, can ye call-“
“Done and done!” She nodded, opening the door for Van as he hobbled out, no questions asked. Jacke waited a moment before returning his attention back to Himi.
“Now. What d’ye need to tell me, dove?” He felt as though what she needed to tell him differed vastly from whatever had her upset to begin with.
As if injected with energy, Himi released his shirt and bounced excitedly around the room. It reminded him of her burst of energy the night they had found her.
“I remembered what I had been doing! But not the lead up to it, sorry, workin’ on that.” She flinched before continuing, not taking a single breath as she rambled on. “Caught wind of some sort’ve secret lab hidden in the remains of a coastal town. Was told the Empire might be involved so I snuck in to check. FOUND the lab hidden underground a bit, least I THINK I was underground, anyways, and there were definitely Empire soldiers prowling about. And I saw, people! Regular people! Either being sold to the Empire or at the very least they were being compensated for their ‘haul’. Either way, they weren’t conscripts or escapees, they were definitely being paid for.” She paused, wilting a little. “Wanted to help, couldn’t help, too many soldiers! S..so...so many soldiers.” She dropped to her hands and knees, exhausted. “I... I’m so sorry... there were... too many... I couldn’t.. I couldn’t help... they might not even be there anymore.” Himi pushed herself up and sat on her knees, burying her face in her hands. Jacke wondered why the other two couldn’t have heard this for only a second, as his rage over hearing about the pocket of human trafficking victims that’d somehow gone unnoticed. Was she lying, could this be an elaborate trap? She seemed sincere as she lamented her failure, sobbing heavily.
“Hey hey, dove! Dry those peepers o’yers!” He knelt next to her, putting a firm hand on her shoulder. “Even the best o’us can’t always solve a problem on their own. We’ll get those bloody bastards, ye hear? We’ll get those flithy, bloodsucking curs and strin’ ‘em up fer all t’see.” He hummed. “S’why ye needed t’get to Limsa, innit? I’m wagerin ye tried to teleport in the middle o’combat and missed the plaza somehow.” He scratched his head, unsure if that was at all plausible, but for lack of any other explanation, it would have to do. He turned his head towards the door, as Thancred hastily entered.
“Is aught amiss?” He shut the door before anyone else could and enter and rushed to Himi’s other side.
“Well, it’s confirmed. Spyin’ ON the Empire, or at least, stumbled upon them.” Jacke furrowed his brow. “Caught the curs buyin’ other souls, right under our noses!” He spat. Thancred sneered, grumbling to himself.
“And when she tried to leave, they spotted her, I wager?” He narrowed his eyes. “Explains much.” But not everything. He offered Himi a sympathetic glance as her sobbing calmed and she rubbed her eyes. He tucked a strand hair behind her ear. “Chin up; we know now and I can assure you, the dutiful sisters will take care of the fiends!”
“But...but they know I saw them! And it’s been a couple of weeks at this point! What if all those people are dead, what if they’ve moved, what if-“
“We’ll deal with th’ what if’s once we get there.” Jacke reassured her. “But ye damn well believe this is bein’ handled before th' darkmans come.” A determined fire burned in his eyes, dark as his expression was. “Can ye point on a map whereabouts ye saw all this? No? S’fine, we’ve worked with less; no, I ain’t bringing ye with us. Ye’ve got other duties that be wantin yer attention.” Nor did he want to risk seeing her more upset if they did indeed, discover the bodies of the captured civilians. “I gotta get to barkin’ out orders. But ye take care, yeah?” He gave her shoulder one last squeeze before hustling out the door. Jacke passed Elidibus, and was none the wiser.
“You did all you could.” Thancred smiled. “Let Jacke handle this; everyone else is waiting for you in the plaza.”
“What do I tell them?”
“Keep it simple, that you’re relatively fine now, and everything else is none of their business.” He placed a hand on her back. “Do you need a moment to catch your breath?” She nodded, and he nodded in return. “Alright, then I shall sit here with you till you’re good and ready to rejoin them.” He motioned to some chairs tucked in the corner. “Though, how about we move from the floor to something a bit more comfortable, hm?” She agreed, and allowed him to help her to her feet. As he guided her to the chairs, she eyed the door where Elidibus now stood. She opened her mouth to alert Thancred, but the hidden emissary suddenly appeared in front of her, putting a finger to her lips. Knowing full well that Thancred couldn’t see him, he smiled wide.
“Shhh… you see naught.” He stepped back, leaning against the wall, silently watching to ensure Himi said nothing he didn’t approve of.
Thancred stayed mostly out of sight as Himi later joined the other three in the plaza. They conversed for a minute or so, before heading out to whatever task called them next. Humming to himself, he slunk off to someplace quiet and private to make a call, but was immediately stopped by a white-haired Miqo’te giving him a stern look.
“Twice now, I find you in Limsa Lominsa when Ul’dah is where you should be.” She crossed her arms.
“Ah! I swear I have an excellent reason...”
“Not letting mysterious girls teleport away from you again, I trust?”
“No! No, I assure you I’ve not lost anyone else, and I SWEAR I was just about to return to Ul’dah once I’d called Minfilia.” He offered a sheepish grin. Y’shtola tilted her head, curious about his report. “I’m more than happy to fill you in before I call, but let us move elsewhere.”
“Alright.” Y’shtola flicked her tail. “Though next time, I would prefer you warn me when you’re about to pay a visit!”
“I will certainly do so from now on!” He chuckled nervously, leading her away from the plaza.
“Truly! Not a spy from the Empire, but one who worked against them? Oh, what a relief!” Minfilia sighed, placing a hand on her chest. Urianger listened, patiently awaiting the call to end though no less eager to hear the full update. “Yes, I understand... of course! Please, if our aid is required, we shall gladly grant it.” Minfilia eyed the broken Tupsimati hanging on the wall. “Yes, I agree. I will speak with him anon. Keep an eye on her, still, will you? Yes, I still want to meet her. Pray, return to the Waking Sands as soon as you can. Take care, Thancred.” Minfilia collected her thoughts before addressing Urianger. “Well...” she sighed, relieved. “I am happy to report that she is not of the Empire.” Her face dropped into a frown. “However; when she recalled her last scuffle with the Empire, she made no mention of Ascians. Thancred even asked her to be sure, but she was adamant that there weren’t any there.”
“Then there remaineth still, memories that escapeth her yet. Or she doth withhold the truth, perhaps out of fear.” He tapped his temple, mulling over the possibilities in his mind. “The lady doth not seem to realize the mask shard is absent from her person?”
“She does not. Or at the very least, she has not mentioned it missing to Thancred.”
“Then perhaps 'tis the former, and not the latter. I shall have mine own questions upon the hour of her arrival.”
“She has certainly run into them before. How else would the one Thancred helped her fight have her job stone?” Minfilia lowered her gaze, putting a hand on her chest. “Perhaps they are the true reason for her memory loss, and not her run in with the Empire.” She hummed.
“I suspect you are correct, my lady. Is there aught else you requireth of me?”
“No, that was everything! Thank you, Urianger.”
“By your leave!” He bowed deeply before leaving the solar. She smiled warmly and offered a wave as he exited, expression dropping into worry.
“I know she is not the enemy...” Minfilia mumbled out loud. “Yet I worry all the same.”