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Yet another party came barreling down upon the Scions that they were required to attend as honored guests. Another evening that Tataru had tirelessly planned, having made one-of-a-kind attire for each and every one of them (save Lyse, who insisted on wearing more traditional Ala Mhigan dress). Another handful of hours where Alisaie could unwind, though the more she thought about N’adana, the more her brain was doing the exact opposite of that.
She nervously stared at herself in the mirror, tugging at the loose strands of hair that fell around her shoulders. The way it brushed against her back made her antsy, but she fought the urge to put it back up in her typical braid.
“You look so good with your hair down, Alisaie! Why don’t you wear it like that more often?”
Just thinking about her saying that made Alisaie blush again, covering her face with her hands and groaning into her palms.
“Almost ready, Alis-“ Alphinaud stopped in the doorway, Alisaie catching his surprised expression from the mirror. He was already dressed in his formal attire – a typical silhouette for him (an embroidered, tailored coat and boots), but it was obvious Tataru had made him a set light enough for the Ala Mhigan heat. He tilted his head in question, not even needing to ask for Alisaie to know what had him so confused.
“N’adana suggested it quite a few moons ago, and so I figured this would be a good occasion to try it down for a change.” Alisaie tugged at a stray strand of hair, loosely curled so that she looked somewhat presentable. The dress did most of the work already, with the fabric colored her signature red and adorned with gold filigree on the bodice. There were extra gold buttons that almost gave it the vague look of a Maelstrom uniform, but the combative additions were welcomed. It looked formal without feeling stuffy, thanks to Tataru’s skill in crafting a skirt that was easy to maneuver in.
Alphinaud cracked a grin, “Ah, I see. ‘Quite a few moons’ is a long time for you to remember something so small, Alisaie.”
“Oh, shut up.” She muttered, pushing past him before he could tease her any further.
Alisaie stood with the rest of the Scions, minus N’adana, who Lyse had somehow convinced to stand in front of a crowd and accept recognition (for once). The miqo’te stepped out from beside Raubahn and Nanamo, dressed in a muted orange gown that made her look absolutely stunning. The Warrior found them in the crowd and smiled towards them, keeping her gaze on her friends rather than the large crowd ahead of her. N’adana looked so regal in the high neckline of the dress, paired with an embroidered cape of the same fabric. When N’adana turned around to return to her spot, Alisaie noticed that the cape dipped low in the back, just enough to show her freckled shoulders-
Alphinaud elbowed his sister in the side, interrupting her shameless fantasies and jolting her back to reality. “Perhaps you should go find our Warrior something to eat? I am quite sure she will be hungry once she finally finds a moment to step away.”
Alisaie quietly cleared her throat, “Right, thanks. I’ll… do that.” She practically stumbled away from the group to search for the table of food she knew was around here somewhere. Suddenly she was quite grateful for the idea of wearing her hair down for parties – her and Alphinaud’s iconic braids were the one thing that signified them as ‘the Scion twins,’ so for now she was simply another partygoer. She could certainly work with this if it meant not being mistaken for Alphinaud by strangers who wanted to chat ad nauseam about politics.
Eventually she found it at the back of the ballroom, having to shove past countless people to get there. Her efforts were rewarded with a gluttonous array of treats from appetizers to dessert, with much of it familiar to her as foods they were given while working with the Ala Mhigan resistance. It made her heart swell with pride, seeing the meals she was given throughout her travels upgraded and decorated to the finest of qualities. Alisaie grabbed a plate and thoughtfully picked out the things she remembered N’adana liking – aldgoat steak kebabs from their first night at Rhalgar’s Reach, deviled gryphon’s eggs from a lady they had helped with her bear problem – and by the time she made her way down the long table the plate she had made was a mountain that threatened to topple if Alisaie wasn’t careful.
Now for the hard part: finding N’adana in this godsdamned mess. Everyone had dispersed now that the introductory speeches were over, music now playing from across the room that only somewhat masked the dull roar of individual conversations. N’adana was on the shorter side, so finding her just by sight was near impossible. Luckily, Raubahn was not, and he was quite easy to spot as he towered over most of the other guests. Alisaie made her way over to him (much more carefully this time as to not spill the food) and tapped his shoulder.
“Yes?” Raubahn asked as he turned around, his dark eyes finding Alisaie and taking a moment before processing who she was. “Ah, Alisaie! It is good to see you, and of course, thank you for your help in retaking Ala Mhigo.” He smiled at her eagerly, “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Yes! I was looking for the Warrior, if you have seen her?”
Raubahn glanced around before pointing towards the stage, “Unfortunately, she has not been able to get very far, as expected.”
“Great. Thank you, General Aldynn!” Alisaie nodded as politely as she could manage while simultaneously bolting past him.
It was easy enough to find N’adana now that she could see the crowd of people who were eagerly making a circle around her. A hero never rests, even at places where she is supposed to. “Excuse me-“ Alisaie muttered, less polite than before as she pushed through the crowd. “Apologies everyone, but the Warrior of Light is needed elsewhere.”
N’adana turned to Alisaie with a worried expression, but Alisaie gave her a smile before escorting her away that let N’adana know everything was fine. It was of many things they could communicate about silently, especially after how much time they had spent together these past few months. “Thank you,” N’adana sighed heavily, “that was getting exhausting.”
Alisaie chuckled as they turned the corner into a side hall, the music fading from across the wall as they found a place to sit on the floor between two columns. “I grabbed some food – are you hungry?”
“Gods, yes.” N’adana groaned, eagerly taking a kebab from the top of the plate as they searched for a place to sit. Eventually they found an alcove in the wall that was deep enough, nestled between two columns that were worn from years of disrepair. Lyse had mentioned how they started tidying up the Ala Mhigan castle, but it certainly was far from being restored to its former glory. Alisaie could still smell the faint musty air, much more prominently outside of the ballroom, which was a mix of flowers and food and the perfume she was wearing from Doma. She had bought it after N’adana had mentioned liking the smell of it in the markets, quite shamelessly when she thought the miqo’te wasn’t looking.
The two sat in comfortable silence while they picked at the plate of food, with N’adana insisting that it was too much and that she wasn’t going to eat it all. It wasn’t until N’adana leaned back against the wall and breathed a satisfied sigh that she spoke up, “I can’t thank you enough. I never would have been able to eat tonight if it wasn’t for you.”
Alisaie conveniently chose to leave out that it was Alphinaud’s idea in the first place. “I’m sure someone would have rushed to feed you by hand if you had asked,” she chuckled, which only made N’adana roll her eyes.
“I’m glad it was you, at least. It gave me an excuse to get out of there and spend time with someone I’d much rather chat with.” N’adana continued before Alisaie could respond, “Also I forgot to mention, I noticed your hair when I was on stage! I told you it looks good like that!”
Alisaie was thankful for the dim light of the hall, knowing with certainty that she was flushed from the compliment. “I, uh… thanks. It feels a bit weird, but I’m glad you like it.” She rubbed the back of her neck, brushing white hair over her shoulder in the process.
N’adana hid her flushed face as well, using a large cookie like a Doman fan to hide her cheeks as she munched on it. “Has anyone else mentioned it? I’m sure Tataru was surprised,” she giggled, imagining the woman doing a double take at the idea of Alisaie actually caring about her appearance for one of these events.
“I actually haven’t seen Tataru yet tonight. Likely she’s fluttering about making all sorts of contacts for us, now that we have another city power to worry about pleasing.”
N’adana smiled, “I’m sure we’ll be fine – they love us, right? I’m sure Lyse will always be putting in a good word.”
Alisaie nodded, relaxing against the cold stone of the wall behind her. It did well to cool her flushed form, the closeness of N’adana’s hand as they reached for the food on the plate making her dizzy. “Alphinaud made fun of me, thinking I was out to impress-“ Alisaie caught herself, pretending to cough on the kebab she was chewing on, “- someone.”
“I’m certainly impressed,” N’adana teased, nudging Alisaie’s knee with her foot as she leaned back on the opposite side of the alcove. Alisiae almost actually choked on her food before the miqo’te continued. “Regardless, though, you could find someone covered in dirt and shit.”
Alisaie huffed through her nose in disbelief, “As if! I’m not the one that has Ishgardian nobility asking for their and in marriage!” She hid it well, but N’adana’s comment stung. Someone, she had said. Not her. Had she already lost her chance after that night in Kugane? Alisaie had the perfect opportunity to kiss her, their shoulders touching in the gardens of the Doman city as they watched the stars…
They had talked about it before, her and Alphinaud and N’adana all huddled around a fire in Yanxia. The miqo’te had struggled with liking women for most of her teenage years once she had realized – and she talked about this unspoken border that was crossed between potential interest and friend. Girls had this way of being friendly with each other in a way that made pursuit near impossible after a certain time in the relationship, she had explained in frustration. Alisaie had known this weird feeling all too well, when a pretty hyur girl from the Studium kept mistaking her for Alphinaud. They eventually became friends, and gods, was she pretty – but Alisaie just wished that she had been pining after her, not her brother.
Alisaie wondered if she was in that same position now. Sure, she knew N’adana didn’t like boys, but she was friends with Alphinaud first – had even had to deny his advances, ironic as it was, since the shoe was now on the other foot for her dear brother. Did N’adana just see her as Alphinaud’s sister? An addition to their friendship instead of a bond of their own?
It must have been obvious that Alisaie was uncomfortable, because N’adana reached out for her shoulder. “…alright, Alisaie?” The Limsan twang in her voice rang in her ears in the way it did when she let it slip, knowing she didn’t need to sound proper for a crowd. She knew the sound well, and it brought her down from her worries and calmed her like a gentle breeze.
Alisaie cleared her throat, “Yeah, just I think this dress is a little tight, that’s all.” Alisaie tugged on the collar around her throat, a part of a separate piece that attached to her bodice with golden chains, almost like a heavy necklace.
“Here, turn around.” N’adana instructed, and Alisaie obeyed almost without thought. N’adana brushed Alisaie’s hair over her shoulder gently, the touch of her calloused fingers making her shiver. “Sorry, know it’s a bit chilly out here. Let me just…” N’adana unclasped the chain that held the piece around her neck, loosening it and letting it drop.
“Better?” N’adana rubbed her back, as if trying to soothe the pain that wasn’t even there. If anything, her touch was making Alisaie feel even more faint.
“Yeah,” Alisaie lied, taking a deep breath to solidify her deceit. She adjusted the piece to hang loosely on her chest, though she was imagining N’adana helping her take the rest of her chest piece off, her rough fingers brushing against her collarbone. Then she’d lean in to kiss her, lips tasting like the sweetest of honey and a tinge of salt…
Alisaie forced herself to snap back into reality before N’adana worried any further, turning back around and resting her back against the stone wall again. She watched as the Warrior of Light did the same, mirroring her as she relaxed into the cold mosaic tile of the palace. She wanted them both to melt into the wall, to stay there forever in comfortable closeness instead of returning to the party, their duties, the world that needed them.
As if N’adana sensed it as well, she sighed and swiped the last chip from the plate between them. “Now that dinner break is over, I suppose I should get back inside. It’s my job to shield our friends from foes, is it not? I’m sure Alphinaud is the only one excited to fill my position while I indulge.”
Alisaie frowned, “You don’t have to-“
“But I do, Alisaie, you know that. As much as it’s Tataru’s job to manage us, it’s my job to be the Warrior of Light.”
Alisaie sighed. She had never really thought of it that way – as a job. N’adana was always so on top of her duties, but now Alisaie wondered if it was to the girl’s detriment. Was it worth it to throw away what was supposed to be her free time? She never got to turn off being the Warrior of Light, except when she was alone with her and Alphinaud. As much as Alisaie was jealous of the position her friend was in sometimes, it was that moment in which she realized she really shouldn’t be.
“Thanks again for the food, Alisaie. I really appreciate it.” N’adana leaned forward and gave her a quick hug before standing back up, walking over to the archway that was aglow with light and music and chatter. She turned around before entering, red hair haloed in gold from the party. “Save me a dance later?” She called back to Alisaie.
All the elezen could do was offer a nod before the Warrior of Light disappeared into the next room, leaving her alone with her thoughts and an empty plate of crumbs.