Chapter Text
No one had known what to make of the Warrior of Light’s passing- the effect it would have on both the First and Source as a whole to both have their champion ripped away from them so suddenly.
It initially seemed as though the entire Crystarium itself was in an ongoing state of denial, speaking about their Warrior with the sort of reverence and eagerness that indicated that any one of them might’ve been awaiting the time where their Shadowbringer would some stumbling out of the Crystal Tower- scarred and hardly-recovered, but well enough alive. However, as setting suns continually gave way to the starry nights that had been returned to them, everyone retired to their homes with less and less confidence that their hero would ever some back as quickly as she had been taken away.
Ironically, everyone except the one who had been there to see the life drain from her eyes.
“Exarch? The manager of the Pendants has informed me that you’ve been making trips to the Warrior’s suite since… your return. Is everything all right?” Lyna asked, voice evidently tinged with trepidation and concern.
In contrast, the Exarch appeared more jubilant than perhaps one would expect from someone who parted ways with such a dear friend so recently. In fact, it was a lighter mood than what he often would've been in even prior to the Warrior’s passing.
“Oh? The concern is much appreciated, but I assure you that all is well. I’ve simply taken it upon myself to ensure that their private quarters be kept well and orderly in their stead.”
He spoke so matter-of-factly, as though oblivious as to why Lyna and the keeper of the Pendants might find his behavior disturbing.
“Ah, I see…” The Viera paused for a moment, observing the cowled man as he hummed and went about organizing his study. “The Manager of Suites has requested that I relay to you and the Scions that her belongings be removed by the month.”
At that, the Exarch froze in place from where he stood, hand reaching up to place a book on a shelf; his back was facing Lyna, but even so she could still sense the shift of the atmosphere between them. Without any expression with which she could gauge his reaction, she hesitantly continued speaking.
“It’s been over a month since she’s been able to make use of it, and they were kind enough to postpone vacating it while we all take time to grieve. However, now that trade and traffic between nations grows more and more everyday, they’re coming to increasingly need all the spare rooms they can for travelers.”
Lyna stopped herself when she saw the Exarch’s crystal had trembling as it tightly gripped the book in his hand, the spine visibly warping and straining under the pressure. She desperately wanted to close the distance between them, comfort the man she had come to see as a father figure and be the shoulder he could cry on, but everything in his posture and foreboding silence pleaded with her to leave him be- to allow him to relish in this self-delusion that has some to be his only manner of coping with her loss.
“I… I will send word to the Scions to come and fetch her belongings-”
“No.”
His voice was so low and monotone that Lyna stopped her sentence in its tracks, her ears quirking back against her head to shy away from its source.
“I’m sorry… could you-”
“Tell the Manager that I will compensate him for the suit- thrice whatever its value to him may be. No one is to enter the room, whatever reason it may be. Anyone who seeks to gain entry, Scion or no, must be directed to me prior with no exceptions made. Are we clear?”
Lyna was stunned into silence, not quite recognizing the emotion with which the Exarch’s words were being spoken- it was certainly intense enough to root her feet to the floor and plant her ears against her head, but not quite clear enough to put into words why this may be. Perhaps she wasn’t presently too concerned about most of the Scions finding out about this new policy having been out into place surrounding the Warrior’s room; all were too preoccupied with finding a way to return to the realm they hailed from, along with three intent on investigating The Empty prior to their return. However, more concerningly, the elven twins were more frequent visitors to the Crystarium, and both had often made it a point to pay their fallen friend’s room a visit at least once before setting off again. The thought of either one of them potentially having to witness the quiet fury of the Exarch sent an apprehensive chill down her spine, but Lyna presently found herself in no position to get on his bad side either.
“I understand, My Lord. As you say.” She forced out a succinct reply as quickly as she could after coming back to her senses.
Following this, the Exarch allowed his grip to loosen on the book and slide it back into its place on the shelf. His handiwork on its spine was still clearly present to her from where she stood across the room, and served as the only evidence of their unpleasant interaction when he rounded on her with an undisturbed smile once more. With his eyes still shrouded in shadow, unwilling to grant her further insight into whatever had just occurred between them, he continued to speak as though nothing had ever happened.
“Wonderful, I will make it a point to contact the Manager when I find the time. Is there aught else that you would like to speak of with me?”
For a moment, despite the pleasant tone he was using, Lyna almost found herself feeling defensive, perhaps as though she were being interrogated. However, seeing that the question was posed with a less hostile intent than initially assumed, she merely shook her head in response. Talking with the Exarch now felt like walking on eggshells, and she didn’t trust herself enough at the present not to unintentionally provoke him in his sensitive state.
“Very well then, if you’ll excuse me, I will continue my work in peace.”
She took the dismissal for what it was, sensing that perhaps, despite the unwavering smile on his face, she had most likely struck a nerve and left him desiring solitude in his study.
On her way out, the Viera took notice of a sandwich basket that lay untouched on his desk, along with a familiar collection of memoirs that she recalls the Exarch reading to her as a child. The sight gave her momentary pause, but she continued out the door before she could give him reason to ask if something was wrong.
The basket was an odd and unfamiliar detail, especially in the private study of a man who she had never known to be one to eat when not in the company of others. However, the memoirs struck a particularly nostalgic chord within her, bringing up memories of a younger Viera being tucked into bed and read to sleep with fantastic tales of a hero that slew Nidhogg and brought about the end of the Dragonsong War.
A hero that opposed all odds, that remained standing with feet firmly planted where others cowered and stumbled.
A hero like her.
The Warrior of Darkness was a fairytale that Lyna grew out of eventually, but she known how closely the Exarch always held that book to his heart. It brought about the humanity in him, helped her see that even a man as seemingly infallible as the Exarch finds himself relying on the forgotten tales of a fallen hero for guidance.
However, with that selfsame fallen hero now fell for a second time, Lyna now finds herself dreading what will become of that reliance.