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"Alphinaud, get your nose out of your book!"
The boy in question sighs, reluctantly putting down the book. "I'm trying to study up so I don't make a fool out of myself in the Studium," he points out.
"That's the agenda for today, though. We have to go submit our paperwork to finish our applications," Alisaie points out.
That's enough to make Alphinaud put a bookmark in place and actually put his book away properly. "Well, I suppose that's as good a reason as any," he decides.
Alisaie is already up and back in his doorway, nearly vibrating with impatience, so he deliberately takes his time braiding his hair back and tying it with his customary blue ribbon.
It had been tempting to cut his hair when he'd come out as a boy and gotten his own bedroom and everything, but he likes to keep the possibilities that are available to a pair of identical twins open as long as he can.
Eventually they'll mature, and hopefully he'll grow taller and they won't look completely identical anymore, but for now it has its uses.
"Come on," Alisaie demands, and alright, he's excited too, so there's no point in torturing her any longer.
"Let's go," he decides, and pauses in the doorway. "You don't think me being trans will make the paperwork more difficult, do you?"
"No, I don't think so," Alisaie muses as she leads the way out the door. "I can't see why it would."
--
"No, I'm afraid you'll need your identification papers to receive your admission papers, which you'll need to finish your registration," the man at the front counter of the Studium informs them.
"Okay," Alphinaud agrees, nodding. "Where would we get those?"
"You should have received them when you came of age," the man tells them, a little absently, and then looks more closely at them. "Ah, which… you have not. My apologies. If you proceed down this street and turn left at the first crossing, the third building on your left should be able to help you with that."
Alisaie leads the way out of the building, and since her sense of direction has always been better than his, Alphinaud lets her.
They reach the crossing, make their turn, and then head into the building labelled Ministry of Citizens, and his sister lingers in the doorway for a moment, allowing him to take the lead once more.
Alphinaud marches up to the desk and clasps his hands behind his back, standing as straight as he can. "Greetings, sir. Can you tell me how I would go about getting my identification papers early?"
The man frowns down at him. "What do you need them for?" he wonders.
"I've been accepted into the Studium, and I need my papers to finish registering," Alphinaud explains.
"Alright. I'll need a letter from the Studium to process that request," the man informs him. "For both of you, if you're both looking for it. Separate papers if you can - it makes it easier to file."
Right then. Back to where they just were.
"Thank you. We'll be right back," Alphinaud offers, and lets Alisaie lead him out the door.
--
They're back ten minutes later with two quickly-written letters from the secretary at the Studium counter, and the man stamps both letters and hands them back.
"Alright, go down the hallway on your right, up the stairs, second door on your left, give them these, and let them know you need your identification papers."
They head down the hallway together, newly-stamped papers in hand.
"All that work just to be sent somewhere else," Alisaie grumbles as they make their way up the stairs.
The lady in the office revealed when they enter the second door on the right smiles at them as they come in.
"Hello there. How can I help you?" she asks.
Alphinaud runs through his explanation again, and she takes the papers and reads them.
"Oh, I see! I'll have to split you up from here, according to your paperwork - Alisaie, you can head down the hall, make a left at the dead-end, and take the stairs down to the basement. Give the man at the desk down there these pages, and he'll be able to go get your identification papers. Alphinaud, because of your recent transition, you'll need to drop by the health department first with this set of papers, get a letter documenting your gender change, and then bring that back here so I can give you the rest of the paperwork you need."
"I'll go with you," Alisaie decides before Alphinaud can protest being split up.
"I don't need you to help with this part," Alphinaud points out as they're heading back down the street towards the Building of Health.
"I know, but I don't want to be kicking my feet and waiting for you, so I figure it's easier to do it together," Alisaie explains. "Plus, it's like a mini-adventure! They never let us have actual adventures, so it's kind of fun."
"When we get to Eorzea--"
"If we get to Eorzea," Alisaie corrects.
"Fine, if we get to Eorzea, we can have all the adventures you want."
"But not that you want?"
"I just want to help Grandfather. Be a messenger or a diplomat to the city-states, to negotiate alliances or request assistance, or just to know everything that's happening that they won't tell a ten-year-old about," Alphinaud replies. "You can go off and fight primals, or battle against Garlemald if you like, but I want to… oh, I don't know. I want to solve all the problems so that we have no need of fighting at all."
"Always the pacifist," his sister agrees. "You have your role and I have mine, and if Eorzea is still standing when our graduation from the Studium comes, we'll go there."
"Good," Alphinaud decides, and makes the turn into the next building on their errand-turned-scavenger hunt.
"You'll need a BI-964 form to get that letter, I'm afraid," the woman at the front desk there tells him.
Alphinaud pastes on his most polite smile. "And where might I get that?"
"Down the stairs, follow the hallway down until it turns, then it's the first door on your right," she says.
Alphinaud sighs.
"Let's go," Alisaie suggests, and together they trudge down the stairs.
A number of minutes later (and a few more detours through the building, to Alisaie's building resentment) they have the form they need, and they're back out on the street.
"To the Ministry of… Education?" his sister wonders.
"No, it's back to the Ministry of Citizens," he corrects.
"Are you sure?" she asks doubtfully.
"Positive," he says, and starts walking again.
--
"Forget Eorzea, I'm going to stay here when I graduate and spend my life metaphorically burning every last onze of paperwork in Sharlayan," Alphinaud grouses as they make their way from the Ministry of Citizens to the Ministry of Education. "There is no reason for all of this nonsense."
"Metaphorically?" his sister scoffs. "If we stay here, dear brother, I will literally burn all the paperwork in the country."
"My hero," Alphinaud replies, though he's too tired to put much feeling into it.
"I know," she replies with a bright smile.
They head into the next building, and minutes later, begin their trek back to the Ministry of Citizens with even more paperwork in hand.
"If this process repeats every year, I shan't wait until my graduation to begin burning paperwork," Alisaie tells him.
"Dear sister, I will be right next to you, maintaining the fire spell," Alphinaud grumbles as they climb the steps to the building once again.
They head past the lady at the desk, down the hallway and down two flights of stairs, and then arrive once again at the desk in the basement.
"Well…" the man there says slowly, "it looks like you're almost there! You just need one more form."
He jerks back as Alisaie slams both her hands down on his desk.
"We have spent three hours running back and forth for forms that nobody ever told us we needed. This process happens automatically in three years when we come of age, so there is no excuse for this much hassle just to get identification papers to register for classes!" Alisaie tells him, voice steadily increasing in volume. "If this form is necessary, so be it, but it better be available from one person in one office in one building, or I will summon my carbuncle and remove all the paperwork to solve the problem the easy way. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, ma'am," the clearly cowed worker agrees. "I'll handle the last form for you, and I'll be right back with your identification papers."
Alisaie waits right there at his desk, tapping her foot impatiently, until he comes back with their ID cards and full identification papers, handing them over with a bow.
"Thank you," Alphinaud says, giving him his most charming smile. "We really do appreciate all your hard work."
The man looks uncertain, but makes another bow. "You're welcome," he offers.
Alisaie hands Alphinaud his set of papers, and together they leave the building, hopefully never to return.
--
"I think that would have been easier if I'd just been born a boy," Alphinaud sighs as they leave the Studium, freshly registered for classes.
"I doubt it. I mean, I had to make 10 different stops to get or fill out forms, and you only had a couple more than me," Alisaie muses.
"Either way, I hear Eorzea has much less paperwork. We're the youngest entrants to the Studium - let's become the youngest graduates to match, and then go do something worth doing."
"I bet I graduate before you," she challenges.
"You will not!" Alphinaud replies indigently.
"First one home graduates first!" Alisaie decides, and takes off running.
"Alisaie! That's not fair!" Alphinaud calls after her, but breaks into a jog himself.
Maybe he won't win, but at least he'll try.
They'll both try, and keep trying, until they've changed the world.
He may not have faith in much, but he's always had faith in that.
--