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The sky burned in crimson and amber as the sun began its descent toward the horizon. Lyse sighed louder than she intended. It was mostly a contented sigh; the warmth of the hot springs in Kugane were wont to calm the soul. But she had so much on her mind…
“Wondered where you’d run off to,” came the sound of a familiar voice in the distance. Lyse sighed deeply. This was not what she needed right now.
Lyse had opted to stay near the waterfall, away from others so that she might think in peace, and yet here was Rivayn. Again. Why does he always just show up like this?
“Here I am,” she replied halfheartedly, finally turning her attention to the intruder. He approached her with his customary lopsided grin, and suddenly Lyse felt entirely underdressed. Not that he was wearing any more than she was. Which was, of course, the entire problem.
Lyse turned away from him, pretending to be enthralled with the sunset and hoping he wouldn’t see the blush she could already feel burning in her cheeks. She yelped in protest as he plopped down next to her none too gently, splashing hot spring water every which way.
“Oops,” he muttered with a poorly-hidden smirk. Lyse tried to glare at him, but found her motivation immediately wane as she saw his smile. Why was he so bloody charming? Focus, Lyse.
“How did you find me?” she finally asked, turning back toward the sky. The sun had dipped even further toward the sea, and the waves glittered like stained glass beneath it. Lyse had been born in the desert and despite having spent so much time on the water’s edge in Vesper Bay, she had never really paid much attention to her surroundings. It was dazzling, now that she was actually paying attention to it, and she didn’t even hear Rivayn respond.
“Hey,” he finally barked, snapping his fingers at her. “You still with me?”
“I, uh… yeah, of course,” Lyse returned, “it’s just…” She gestured at the sunset.
“I forget sometimes that they’re stunning,” Rivayn admitted, leaning back on both hands. “Saw so many of them when I was… y’know, sailing…”
“Right, sailing,” Lyse replied with a laugh. “You can just say it, you know.”
“I could,” he agreed with a shrug, “but you know sometimes it’s hard to just say things.”
“I guess I do more than most,” Lyse said with a nod. “I don’t think less of you for it, though.”
“I know you don’t,” Rivayn told her with a smile. “And you know I feel the same way about you.”
Oh, there’s that blush again. “Anyway, how did you find me, now that I’m paying attention to you?”
“Funny thing, that. It was actually–“
“Me!” Both Lyse and Rivayn turned to see Tataru at the water’s edge, striking a typically adorable pose. She made a beeline for the two, sitting herself just between them. Great, Lyse thought to herself, now this is even more awkward.
“I didn’t think you’d be coming along,” Rivayn mentioned, seeming a bit put off himself. Lyse couldn’t help me snicker under her breath.
“I mentioned I would,” Tataru replied with a frown. “I suppose maybe you didn’t hear me.”
“Apparently I did not,” he agreed with a sigh.
“I figured a dip in the hot springs with the two of you would be just the thing before you all set off in the morning,” Tataru continued. “Who knows when we’ll meet again, after all?”
“Tataru, you know our boat isn’t going to sink on the way back to Eorzea, right?” Lyse asked with a laugh. “You make it sound as though we’ll never see each other again.”
“Better to be safe than sorry, I always say!” Tataru responded with more cheer than seemed appropriate. “Besides, you’ll miss me even if everything goes to plan.”
“Everything will go to plan,” Rivayn assured her with a confident smile, “but you’re right, we’ll miss you while we’re apart.”
Now Lyse felt extra guilty for being disappointed by Tataru’s arrival.
“Gosh, this sun certainly is bright considering it’s nearly gone,” Tataru complained, turning her attention to the Warrior of Light. “Rivayn, do you think you might go fetch my hat? I left it in the changing room, thinking I wouldn’t need it.”
“Of course,” he agreed with a nod before pushing himself out of the water and heading toward the entrance.
Tataru smiled as he disappeared from view. “Good, now that he’s gone, we can talk.”
“Wait, what?” Lyse asked quizzically. She certainly hadn’t expected that.
Tataru placed her gaze squarely on Lyse in a way that made her feel slightly uncomfortable. “Lyse, you ought to just tell him how you feel.”
“What?” Lyse could feel a lump rising in her throat, and she was sure the crimson in her cheeks could be seen all the way from Eorzea. “I don’t know what you–“
“Bollocks,” Tataru interrupted with a dismissive wave of her hand. “We all know.”
Seven bloody fucking hells. Lyse wondered what color she was now. “All…..?”
“You’re not that discreet,” Tataru returned with a giggle. “You’re going to be walking into the belly of the beast, soon. You don’t want to have secrets you might regret leaving unspoken.”
“I just–, um…” Lyse sputtered as she tried to swallow the now massive lump in her throat.
“He’s coming back,” Tataru warned, glancing over her shoulder before turning her attention back to Lyse. “Just remember what I said, alright?”
“Hope this one’s yours,” Rivayn said as he approached them, holding out the hat for Tataru. “It was buried under a pile of clothes. I damn near got tangled in something I couldn’t quite identify.”
“I’d have paid good coin to see that,” the Lalafell returned with a laugh.
Rivayn’s attention settled on Lyse, much to her dismay. “Are you alright, Lyse? You look like you’ve cooked through a bit.”
“Nothing for you to concern yourself with,” Tataru chided him playfully. “Although I daresay you took long enough with the hat that I no longer need it.”
“Great,” Rivayn returned with a defeated sigh.
“Mayhap we ought to consider retiring to the inn for supper,” she suggested with a smile. “If you two stay in here any longer, you’ll be all pruny.”
“Too late for me, I think,” Lyse replied with a shrug, letting out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.
“I don’t prune,” Rivayn claimed with a grin, “but I am hungry.”
“You’re always hungry,” Lyse pointed out with a grin of her own.
“Well then, we better feed him, shan’t we?” Tataru suggested, leaning in and nudging Lyse, much to her abject horror. Rivayn, of course, had turned his thoughts to eating so he was thankfully oblivious to her sudden change in demeanor.
Rivayn continued to distract himself with thoughts of consumption. “Wonder if they’ve got any more of that, uh, rice wine… I think?”
“Sake,” Tataru helpfully offered, “and yes, I’m quite certain you haven’t already drunk it all, already.”
“Not that he hasn’t tried,” Lyse muttered under her breath with a smile. “Alright, back to the Bokairo, then.”
The sun beat down upon all of them as they boarded the vessel that would bear them back home to Eorzea. Lyse wasn’t looking forward to the journey – she and open ocean did not fare well together.
“Can’t believe you called it a boat,” Rivayn whispered from behind her.
“What?” Lyse asked curiously, turning her head toward him as they walked up the gangway.
“Last night,” he clarified. “In the hot springs. You called this a boat.”
His tone was entirely sincere, though she couldn’t imagine he actually was. Although…
Rivayn’s laugh finally answered the unasked question. “Don’t be so serious, Lyse.”
She opted to press her luck. “For all I know, you could take this boat very seriously.”
“It’s a ship!” he all but hollered, much to their mutual surprise. Rivayn waved away the many turned heads. “You set me up for that.”
“Maybe,” Lyse returned with a smirk. She sighed as she set foot on the deck, remembering their initial trip from Eorzea. Hopefully she had learned something from Rivayn’s advice on the way over.
“Don’t worry so much,” he told her, clearly noticing her immediate discomfort. “We can play triple triad all day to distract you, if you like.”
“You took all my cards,” she reminded him with a raised eyebrow.
Rivayn shrugged. “I can give them back.”
“Oh really?” she asked with a laugh.
“Consider it a loan,” he returned with a shrug and a smile. “In any case, if the sea still doesn’t agree with you, I’m happy to distract you.”
“Don’t stand on the deck,” she repeated, his advice somehow still fresh in her mind. “I remember.”
Rivayn smiled and nodded. “Into the belly of the beast.”
Lyse’s smile faded as she remembered Tataru’s words from the night prior. “What did you say?”
“The cabin,” Rivayn clarified with a sudden frown. “I meant stay in the cabin.”
“Oh, right,” Lyse replied with a blush, making her way to the door.
Rivayn, of course, followed her. “You alright?” he asked with genuine concern.
“Too much sake last night,” Lyse returned with a smile. It was a lie, which Rivayn almost surely knew, but he would understand that it was something she didn’t want to talk about. “So, you said you’d give me my cards back?”
“Until I win them away from you again,” he replied with a smirk.
Lyse laughed. “And what will we do the rest of the journey, after you’ve taken all the cards back?”
Rivayn smiled, and the unexpected warmth of it somehow both put Lyse at ease and made her uncomfortable. “Don’t worry Lyse,” he told her, “we’ll manage.”
“We always do,” she returned, mirroring his smile as best she could.
“And we always will,” he agreed. “I promise.”