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Snow gently fell, like cotton wisps caught in the wind, around Shirafina as she sat astride her feathered companion as it trudged through the snow, it’s feet sinking through at least a foot before finding solid ground. Pulling the fur-lined hood of her coat further down to shield her face, she sighed. She was returning from a business meeting over in Ishgard with her family and she had no idea why Harkas had wanted to move this far out, sure it was peaceful and quiet, but it was miles away from the nearest village, let alone any city. The same peace could’ve been found much nearer to civilization, but this was where they lived now, and with all the snow, she had to admit that it was quite beautiful here. The snow muffled almost all noise save from that of her chocobo, and there was very little wildlife active this time of year. However, there was one clear blight on this scene that she saw as she reached the gateway into the farmland they now owned.
Where all the fields were smooth and clean, there was a large furrow leading from the outskirts of the forest nearby and along the pathway, it’s banks spattered with pine needles. It was clear to the Au’ra that someone had dragged a whole pine tree back to the house, and she knew that there was only one person that would’ve gone through all that effort, after all, that person had done it every other year when it approached the Starlight Festival. Settling her chocobo into the stables nearby and savouring the warmth inside, she stared out at the farmhouse that was now her home. It was a pleasant house, large enough to suit all her needs, including a mechanics workshop where she could practice her crafts and storage where they could store considerable amounts of food, mostly made of simple grey stone with some tasteful highlights made from a chalk-white slate. Wisps of grey smoke floated from the chimney, so at least it would be warm inside and as the duo of Chocobos chirped her goodbye, Shirafina started to push through the snow, which reached up to her knees, soaking her legs. Thankfully, the trail the tree had left allowed her to continue much more easily once she’d reached it, though once she reached the covered porch and climbed the steps, she could see scattered snow where the tree had passed, and she dreaded the mess she might find inside.
Pushing the door open with a creak, she slipped inside, quickly closing it behind her. Hanging up her pistol on the weapons rack just inside the entryway, she threw her hood back, letting her silver-blonde hair flow free as she removed her thick, red coat, before slipping off her boots, peeling off her soaked socks before sliding into some soft, fluffy slippers. When she made her way into the living room, she saw just what her wife had created. A trail of water, which was once snow, lead through the center of the room and up to a pine tree which stood proudly in the corner, slivers of green scattered beneath it. A warm, inviting fire was dancing in the fireplace, a large iron cauldron hanging above it giving off a fruity smelling vapor, and several feet away, on her knees, hunched over a small wooden table surrounded by tools and metal scraps, was her wife, Harkas, loosely wrapped in a ash coloured tunic, tinkering away at something.
“I see you’ve already pulled a tree through our house, Harkas.” Shirafina said with a sigh. “You could’ve at least cleaned up the water, could you?”. Craning her neck round, Harkas smiled softly.
“Sorry. I got distracted. How was the meeting?” she asked, before turning back to her work, with a clinking as metal softly hit metal.
“It could’ve gone better, but we got it in the end. My father’s sorting out the details though, I was just needed for the proposal.” Shirafina replied as she made her way towards the couch, settling down as near to the fire as she could and holding her hands out to allow them to warm. “What’re you doing?”. There was a few more hits before Harkas turned to respond, holding up a small figure in a silver dress, mythril hair draped behind its head, tiny, sparkling diamond eyes and sapphire horns, adorned with intricately crafted silken wings.
“The angel must’ve gotten broken when we moved all the stuff in, so I…improved it. What do you think?”. Despite her impressive stature, Harkas almost sounded solemn as she presented her work.
“It’s a sweet tribute to your sister.” Shirafina answered, a gentle, warm smile appearing on her face.
“It’s that obvious, is it? I guess it means I did a decent job of it, at least.” Harkas beamed.
“It was always going to be her. But it’s nice to think she’s watching over us.”
Slowly Harkas rose to her feet and stretching her arms up with a groan, the Xaela angel glinting in the firelight. Towering over Shirafina, her hands brushed against the ceiling, before she strode over to the tree that stood nearby, easily reaching the tip to display her handiwork, the miniature Reisui gazing across the room. Taking a moment to admire her handiwork before joining her wife on the couch, Harkas curled her arm around her much smaller partners shoulder, pulling her in close. Together, they shared a long minute of silence, just savouring the time alone, and it would’ve lasted much longer, had they not been interrupted by a banging on the front door. The couple shot each other a confused look. They were a fair distance away from any village, much too far for any simple visits. Both rose to their feet, Shirafina barely half the height of her wife, as they went to investigate, Harkas standing just behind Shirafina as she opened the door.
Outside, stood a Hyur, decked in a mixture of furs, leather and metal plates, a longsword hanging at his hip and a shield strapped to his left hand. Behind him stood two more men in the same attire, one Roegadyn with an axe, the other a miqo’te with a spear, and beyond them, off the porch stood another half-dozen folk, both male and female of various races, all similarly dressed, a variety of weapons at the ready, and Harkas’ shoulders dropped, crouching down to start donning her boots.
“Yes?” Shirafina groaned, the discontent clear in her voice. “Can we help you?”. The three men closest laughed.
“You can help yourself if you’re smart.” The spear wielder croaked in a husky voice. Shirafina’s eyes narrowed as she clicked her fingers behind the door, signalling Harkas to pass her pistol, who pulled the straps on her boots tight, before rising up and lifting the holstered gun off the rack, handing it to her wife, and hefting the battle-axe that housed the Anima spirit from it’s resting place just beside where the pistol hung, all hidden behind the front door.
“What my companion means to say” the sword bearer started, sounding more like a frog than a man, “is that you ought to know that these lands are owned by our boss, you see? There’s lots of dangerous folk about, you know, and well, our boss is kind enough to help provide some protection for you both.” He mouth curled into a devious smirk. “For a price, that is. You know how it is, nothing comes for free.” Rolling her eyes, Shirafina quickly scanned the folk further out. Most were armed with bows, a couple with staves, the rest with assorted melee weapons, though none of them looked that tough.
“And if we don’t pay?” she asked, though neither she nor Harkas really cared about the answer.
“Well, then who knows what’ll happen to you. These are dangerous times. Maybe your little farm here gets attacked. Maybe there’s some fires, animals and food taken. Maybe you get hurt. Who knows?” his voice taking on a more threatening tone, not that it’d help him. “And you know, little lady, all the folk around here pay for the bosses protection. So you might become a target quickly. Maybe even tonight. So, what do you say?” he finished, holding his hands up invitingly. Shirafina looked him up and down, before turning to her wife, who slowly nodded back to her.
“I think you don’t know who you’re talking to.” She replied, swiftly bringing up the gun until the barrel was an inch from his forehead and sending his body sprawling several feet, blood fountaining from the newly created hole, his companions barely having time to flinch before Harkas span around her wife, her boot meeting the Roegadyn mans chest, ejecting him through the banister that surrounded the porchway and crunching into the snow that unfortunately cushioned his fall. As quickly as he could, the miqo’te drew his spear, only for Harkas’ axe to cleave through the shaft, it’s shimmering, glass like flame gliding through it like it was butter, and he soon found himself hanging, Harkas’ hand clenched around his neck. As her grip tightened, he frantically grabbed at her arm in a desperate attempt to free himself, until with a snap, his body went limp, and he was thrown aside, his body crumpling as it hit the floor.
“Let’s make this quick, Harkas.” Shirafina said as she joined her wife on the porch. “It’s cold out here, so I really don’t want to be out here any longer than I have to be.”
“Gotcha. You’ve got the archers, I’ll deal with the ones who get close.” Harkas replied as she strode over the Hyurs body and down the steps into the snow. Grunting as he rose, the Roegadyn bandit was already barking orders, bringing his axe to bear.
“Come on you bastards! Let’s show them not to mess with the BearClaws! They’ll make fine prizes for the boss!” Arrows were knocked and bows drawn with a groan, The spellcasters began their chants as aether swirled around them and a battlecry was loosed as the bandits with melee weapons charged in, deep furrows left in the snow behind them. Arrows flew overhead, hitting wooden beams with a thud around Shirafina, who brought her pistol up and with the repeated crack of gunfire, sent a hail of bullets at the bandits backline. Some screamed as metal tore through their flesh, writhing on the floor, hidden under the piled-up snow, others just fell silently, their bodies ragged.
Amidst the sound of gunshots, there were clangs of metal striking metal as the two Roegadyns clashed, the bandit giving a frenzied assault only for each swing be batted aside by Harkas, her aetherial axe blade gleaming in the snow. His next swing was stopped by the hilt of Harkas’ axe jamming into his right elbow, the sudden stop causing the axe to slip out of his left hand, and with a twist, Harkas yanked his right arm downwards, wrenching his axe out of his grip before slamming her forehead into his face, knocking him to the floor with a scream of pain. A fireball flared to life atop the staff of the thaumaturge as he hurled it towards Harkas. Slamming a fresh clip into her gun, Shirafina aimed high, blasting shot after shot into the flame, each hit tearing slivers of flame until it withered and faded. The next shot struck the thaumaturge in the shoulder as he channelled his next spell, sending him spinning to the floor, the conjurer already rushing to his side to aid him, but sliding on the compacted snow underfoot and disappearing from view.
Grasping the hilt of the stolen axe with one hand, Harkas twisted to face the oncoming fighters, bringing her arm round high before letting it fly free, sending it spinning through the air straight into the chest of the closest swordsman who was thrown backwards. His remaining compatriots charged past his body, winding up their swings as they neared the warrior, and there was a crash as all three overhead swings collided with the metal haft of Harkas’ axe. There was a moment of struggle, all three pushing with all their strength in an attempt to overpower the warrior, but with a shout Harkas pushed forwards, throwing the swordsmen off balance before her axe came down, shattering the skull of the rightmost, before wrenching it left, scattering bone and brain across the snow, and into the side of the next bandit too quickly for him to bring his shield down. He screamed before his torso snapped, his upper body sent toppling in the opposite direction to his legs, as the axe continued on it’s swing. The last swordsman had managed to get his shield into position and braced himself, but as the axe stuck his shield he felt his arm break, and the shield crack as he was thrown loose, the shield stuck to the axe embedded within it. He tried to scramble away, terrified, but a foot came down on his ankle, pinning him in place before his suffering was ended as the second axe head cut through his neck.
As quickly as it had started, the fight was over with a clear victor, and as the Roegadyn bandit lying on his back tried to rise and flee, the towering form of Harkas appeared above him, and he felt the weight of her foot on his chest push him down. Seconds later, Shirafina appeared at the top of his vision, staring down at him with a scowl.
“We’re going to give you a choice.” She growled.
“You can either go back to your boss, tell him to leave this farm, the villages, everything around here, alone.” Harkas snarled, pushing down on him harder to emphasize the her point. “That he’ll deal with us if he doesn’t.”. The Bandit stared up at the two, nearly frozen with fear, before stammering a reply.
“T-the boss won’t listen. He-he’ll throw more at you. He’ll come to crush you.” He sounded like he was trying to reassure himself more than threaten them.
“Second choice it is then.” Shirafina sighed. The bandit quickly glanced between them, shaking. First at Shirafina, then at Harkas, and as he looked back to the Au Ra, he found himself looking down the barrel of her gun. Before he could even scream, he was silenced with a bang. Lifting her foot from the body, Harkas turned to view the battlefield.
“You heard that too, conjurer. We know you’re out there, hiding in the snow. Are you going to deliver the message, or are we going to have to deal with you, as well?” she bellowed. Quickly, the conjurer jumped up from his snowtrench, giving a salute.
“I’ll do it! Don’t kill me!” he shouted, before spinning and running for the gate as fast as the snow would let him. Watching him go for a moment, Harkas turned to her wife, shrugging.
“And that deals with that for now.”
“You know we’re going to have to deal with them again, right?” Shirafina asked. “Their boss won’t move on.”
“Then we’ll just deal with him when he shows his head. It’s all you need to see, isn’t it?” she chuckled, imitating a gun with her finger, axe resting on her shoulder. “But anyway, you should head inside. It’s freezing out here and you never got much of a chance to warm up since you got back. I’ll deal with the cleanup.” She finished, looking out at the scarlet stained snow. Shirafina simply smiled and nodded, giving her wife a hug before returning inside.
“Guess I’ll get the bonfire going.” Harkas sighed, before trudging through the snow towards the firewood shed.
It was an hour later when the door clattered open and Harkas returned. Tapping the tip of her boots on the floor outside to shake any clinging snow loose before heading in, hanging her axe on the rack before removing her boots. Inside, Shirafina was sat where she had before, on the couch a few feet from the fire, enthralled in the pages of a book. It was only when Harkas’ footsteps drew closer that her attention was pulled away, greeting her with a soft smile, which would have been charming to everyone had it not been spattered with flecks of blood.
“Bodies should be gone soon. Except the bones, but bonemeal is good for plants, at least.” Harkas broke the silence, matching her smile. “I’m surprised you’ve not cleaned yourself up though, it seems. You’ve got spots of blood all over yourself.” She said, almost teasingly.
“You’re one to talk. Have you looked at yourself?” Shirafina responded, feigning offense, her hand brought to her chest, and Harkas realised just how much of a mess she was. She’d been at the frontlines of the fight cleaving away, spreading gore over everything within several feet and on top of that, she’d been moving the bodies as well. The result was her looking like she’d just come out of a war, her tunic dyed a deep crimson, her face, neck and hands coated in viscera.
“Alright, point taken. We could both used a bath.” Harkas chuckled. “I’ll go draw one for us.”. Quickly bending down to give her wife a quick peck on the forehead, she span on her heel and left, disappearing through the doorway, and Shirafina returned to her book.
It wasn’t much longer until Harkas reappeared, leaning through the doorway and calling out.
“It’s all sorted. Water’s nice and hot.”. She had a strange grin on her face, though Shirafina either didn’t notice, or chose not to bother asking, slipping her bookmark in between the pages and laying the book down on the table before rising to her feet and moving to join her wife. As she drew near, a sudden flash of green caught her eye up above, and she noticed a sprig of leaves hanging just below the rim of the frame.
“And what’s that?” she asked, her tone almost accusatory, her gaze shifting back down to her wife.
Harkas spent a moment faking confusion, before pretending to notice the leaves.
“Oh, look at that. Mistletoe.” Her voice full of false surprise. “Did you know they say that if someone refuses a kiss underneath mistletoe, it’s supposed to bring terrible luck?” she asked, the smirk returning to her face. With that, Harkas’ plan clicked within Shirafinas mind, the result being her eyes rolling almost involuntarily.
“Harkas, we’re married. I don’t know what you were thinking with this.” She replied matter-of-factly and Harkas’ smile quickly disappeared, her shoulders drooping ever so slightly. But as she opened her mouth to respond, Shirafina jumped, hooking a hand over each of Harkas’ shoulders and pulling her down, so that their faces were almost level, before quickly wrapping her slender arms around her spouses neck and pulling her in for a long, passionate kiss. She even felt her wife melt in her arms, just briefly, before Harkas’ arms curled around her body, pulling them together and soon Shirafina felt her feet leave the floor as Harkas rose to her full height, bringing her wife with her. There Shirafina’s legs dangled several feet from the ground, the two still entwined and joined at the lips, enjoying each other’s touch. Moments later, Shirafina pulled back, much to the obvious disappointment of Harkas, and gently ran her hand down her lovers face.
“You don’t need to pull little stunts like that if you want a kiss.” She whispered, planting another quick kiss on her wife’s lips for emphasis. “Now come on, we don’t want the bath to get cold, do we?”. Harkas said nothing, simply giving a broad smile and shaking her head and sliding one of her arms down Shirafina’s back and thighs, hooking them under her knees, and carried her away like the princess she was.