Work Text:
The first time Thancred saw her, it was in the Quicksand.
“Thancred!” Another adventurer calling his name, another glass slipped in his direction. “Been a while since I’ve seen you here.”
Thancred, half tipsy and desperately trying to keep his faculties, chuckled, wrapping his hand around the newest glass, keeping it firmly on table. “You’ve missed me that much, eh? I ‘ought to come around more often then.”
“Pay him no mind.” The barkeep and guildmaster, Momodi, smirked as she cast a glance to Thancred. “I saw him by just the other day with a little kitten in his arms. Though...haven’t seen her around since. Suppose he’s only back to lick his wounds.”
He chuckled awkwardly, finally raising up the glass to his lips. “You truly have such a low opinion of me.”
Around, the adventurer’s all laughed and jeered at him, and Thancred only laughed and played along. Slowly, he lowered the glass from his lips, the liquid virtually untouched.
It was always a rowdy time whenever he visited the Quicksand, especially with his reputation. Though all in all, it wasn’t so bad. Even with the jeering and teasing of budding adventurers and the occasional awkward meeting with a former flame, Thancred always appreciated his rare stays at the bar, nursing drinks slowly through the night, stringing along a slight buzz to keep the spirit high and his ears sharp.
The guild was always such a valuable place for information, after all.
Local gossip. New faces that came to town. Rumors around the region, of strange happenings or monster movements. Even hardy adventurers sobbing about their latest ill-fated assignment. All information, no matter what it was, held value, especially when it came to his work for the Scions. Even the tiniest morsel of gossip could be used in the long-run, whether it be to push towards a larger goal or to keep someone from sniffing down the wrong path.
Honestly, Thancred had to admit it was the most enjoyable of his job. He just wished people wouldn’t buy him so much alcohol.
He picked up his glass again, swirling around the contents. Just how long could he fake this one without someone noticing. Wouldn’t want to insult anyone, now would he?
Just as he began to pretend a sip once more, he heard a voice. It was quiet, nearly drowned out by the spirit filling the room. It was small. Fragile. Unfamiliar.
“Oh, please excuse me…” The voice called out. “Ah, p-please excuse me! Just coming through…”
Thancred rose an eyebrow, looking around for the source. And finally, he spotted a flash of blue hair poking out from behind a roegadyn. Then a small frame darting between two adventurers covered in armor. The figure kept trying to get closer to the bar, but faltering every time a boisterous adventurer boomed out a laugh, or whenever groups cheered happily over empty glasses.
Finally, there was a delicate hand on his shoulder, gently pushing against him. “Sorry! Please excuse me…!”
And squeezing in between him and the large highlander beside him, was her .
She was a small midlander with long, blue hair, slightly out of sorts from weaving through all the commotion in the Quicksand. A tall, fairly new thaumaturge’s staff was safely positioned behind her, which she occasionally reached to whenever things got just a little too loud. It only took one look for Thancred to size her up, and it was all the more easier that she wore her thoughts right on her face. She was uncomfortable, a little uneasy.
Ah, a new adventurer, it seemed.
“It’s alright.” Thancred chuckled, scooting over a little to make some more room for the poor girl. “Are you that eager for a drink?”
The woman looked desperately over towards the guildmaster, who was busy serving some of the rowdier guests on the other side of the bar. “No...I’m just here to turn in something…” She placed a fist on the bar, a note firmly clasped inside of it. Notice of a completed job.
“Ah, let me help you out, then.” Thancred looked over to the guildmaster. “Hey! Got some business over here, Momodi!”
Momodi shot a glare over towards Thancred, but soon her expression softened when she caught a glance at the adventurer. “Ah, you’re back!”
In an instant, the woman beside him relaxed, a relieved smile spreading on her lips.
Thancred couldn’t help but take in that little smile. A rather cute new adventurer, wasn’t she?
He passively listened, pretending to sip his drink as Momodi and the adventurer talked about some standard business. It was nothing he really needed to pay attention to. It was clear that she was new, and Momodi wouldn’t send her off on life-changing missions so early.
But he was still curious, passing glances at the adventurer with a little smile on his face. It was always exciting to meet a new person, especially when the faces around Ul’dah could get dreadfully stagnant sometimes. Didn’t help that airship travel was so restricted these days. Not much of a chance to see new faces if people couldn’t fly to the twelve-damned city.
Finally, he could hear the conversation die down. An assignment was passed on from Momodi to the budding adventurer. Thancred smirked, taking in a deep breath and clearing his throat.
He turned his head...and she was gone.
Thancred blinked, looking around. She was gone, already? Finally, he turned around to see an opened door, a retreating flash of blue hair vanishing into the streets.
He frowned, letting out a sigh.
“Ahem.”
Thancred immediately turned back to the bar, meeting Momodi’s eyes.
“Erm...is something the matter, guildmaster?” Thancred asked.
“I see you sneaking a peek.” Momodi kept a level eye to him, her eyebrows slowly furrowing. “Don’t go playing with this little lady, got it?”
“Playing with your new adventurer? Perish the thought.” Thancred chuckled, this time taking an actual drink from his glass. “I didn’t even catch her name. Unless you would honor me the chance of that information?”
“In your dreams, bard .” Momodi snorted, waving him off as she attended to the other adventurers at the bar.
Thancred fell silent, trying to pay her no mind and fall back into the crowd, to rejoin the rowdy adventurers and listen to all the information get passed around.
And yet...his thoughts could only drift to the flash of blue hair. The new adventurer looking uncertain in a sea of sand-hardied adventurers.
Perhaps it was just the thrill of meeting a new person. The possibility of learning about a rare new flower in a monotonous city was always a treat. That had to be the only reason why.
He drank the rest of his glass. If he could hardly think of the conversation around him, perhaps he would allow himself one treat between his espionage.
--
One evening of drinking soon turned into two, three, four.
“You’ve been here a lot.” Momodi finally commented, sliding him a glass. “Don’t even get free drinks anymore.”
“I’m sure you’re happy to finally get your hands on my coin.” Thancred replied dryly, sliding another coin towards her.
“Oh, I definitely am.” Momodi eagerly snatched the coin and smirked. “Though it’s not like you to linger like this. Makes me feel like you’re up to something.”
“Pray tell me what you think it is, then?”
“I’ll keep that to myself. Maybe I’ll make a betting pool for everyone else who notices.”
Thancred laughed, “Perhaps I’ll just take my leave, then. Don’t want you to get too many clues.”
“Ah, there go my chances to join the syndicate. Was going to go all or nothing, you know.” Momodi teased, slowly walking away and giving him a wave. He gave a wave of his own before walking out of the Quicksand, off to a night sky and dry, desert air.
Just what was he doing?
Thancred didn’t even know what to put in his next correspondence to the rest of the scions. It was like his head was in the clouds, too far to even pull back down to earth. Practically all of his evenings were spent at the Quicksand, eyes wandering and waiting for a woman who didn’t even know his name. Not that he even knew her name to begin with (Momodi was clear to withhold that information). Without a lead or anything, Thancred was just wallowing at the Quicksand night after night like one of those drunken fools he always poked fun at.
Perhaps this was a twisted bit of revenge. Some karma for some of his antics in Ul’dah.
“Hey...it’s okay…”
A quiet voice, carried gently on the wind. Thancred stopped in his tracks, listening intently. It was a small voice. Quiet.
Familiar.
Thancred weaved through the darkened streets of Ul’dah, listening to that quiet voice. He walked through dark paths between cracked buildings. Looking around worn corners and closed street vendors.
And finally, he saw her.
Beautiful blue hair, a small frame kneeling right beside one of Ul’dah’s many walls. Her hand was outstretched, palm open to a larger crack, widened in the center, large enough to see through. Thancred looked at her a moment, before his eyes slowly drifted to that hole. Sitting right inside, peering up at the adventurer, was the head of a small, white snake.
Snakes, this far into Ul’dah? Thancred raised an eyebrow, taking a step forward.
The noise resounded through the ground, echoing off the walls and vibrating through otherwise silence. In seconds, the snake retreated further into the crack, vanishing.
“Oh, wait…!” The adventurer reached forward a moment, pressing her hand against the cold stone. But soon, she faltered, letting out a disappointed sigh and lowering her arm back to her side.
Thancred took a step back, feeling awkward. After days of waiting for this new adventurer at the tavern, the second he sees her again, he goes to ruins a moment like this. He hardly expected to see her cooing over a little snake like most would to a stray kitten, and yet he went and ruined it.
Still, he needed to say something. At the very least apologize to her.
“Erm…” Thancred took in a deep breath, scratching the back of his head. “I apologize for startling your friend, there.”
Finally, she cast her gaze onto him. Beautiful, bright eyes, looking him over in a mixture of surprise and nervousness, lingering over some of his features and passing over others. The moonlight perfectly illuminated her, casting an ethereal radiance upon her, especially amongst the darkened, dusty streets of Ul’dah. Slowly, she reached up to tuck some blue hair behind her ear, and he could swear he saw some color on her cheeks. Though he hardly knew if it was a trick of the mind or otherwise.
Her answer came longer than it should have. Though Thancred didn’t notice. Nor did he point it out.
“O-Oh, it’s alright,” she replied, looking nervously back over to the crack in the wall, “I’m sure he’s just a little nervous. I don’t think he’s accustomed to people.”
Good, she wasn’t spouting curses at him yet. He could at least salvage this.
“You seemed to be an exception.” Thancred chanced one step forward, trying to keep his eyes on the crack.
“I’ve been coming here nightly, so I think he’s used to me.” She sighed, leaning away from the crack, giving some space. “Maybe I’ll try again tomorrow, when he’s had some time. Back when I first noticed him, he wouldn’t even come out from all the way in the back. So...I don’t want to pressure him too much.”
“Ah.” That explained it. “Seems you’ve made great progress, then. Though I’m sure seeing a beautiful lady helped coax him out.”
The adventurer’s gaze snapped up at him, cheeks flushed bright red and eyes wide. She didn’t say a word, just staring up at him in complete disbelief.
“Erm…” Thancred was starting to get nervous - what was he doing, feeling like a young school-boy? “Did I speak out of turn?”
She looked down, slowly shaking her head. “No, erm...thank you…”
“You’re welcome…” Thancred shifted. “Though if I have caused offense, you’re free to unleash all hell upon me.”
“No, you haven’t, not at all!” The adventurer firmly shook her head, looking a bit embarrassed. “Though, to receive such a compliment without even knowing your name…”
“Oh.” Thancred immediately took a step back to greet her in a sweeping bow, the dramatics of a bard quickly overtaking every ounce of his body language. “My apologies for not greeting you earlier. My name is Thancred. It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss…?”
The adventurer stared up at him, blinking with a faint flush on her cheeks. It took her a moment to shake herself out of it, nervously looking down to the ground.
“Um...Melusina.”
“Melusina…” Thancred let the syllables sit on his tongue a moment, going over the sounds in his head. “A beautiful name for a beautiful lady. Pray, do I have the pleasure of escorting you home this evening? It’s awfully late, after all.”
Melusina blushed, and slowly a smile began to set on her lips.
“Yes...of course.”
Thancred offered a hand, which Melusina happily took. Slowly he lifted her to her feet, and allowed her to lead the way through the streets of Ul’dah.
All the while, he repeated the coveted name over and over in his head.
Melusina. Truly a name to remember.