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Dorien Aurirort walked the market streets of Ul’dah, thanking the twelve as the sun dipped below the horizon, taking with it the worst of the excruciating heat. All the research in the world on this place could not prepare him for these conditions.
He was positive that no one was meant to live like this.
Yet, despite all forces working against it, Ul’dah remained one of the most prosperous city-states in Eorzea. It was little wonder why a budding adventurer would choose this place. Especially someone like Dorien, who hardly had the gil to pay the fare, let alone expenses upon arriving. Jobs were hard to come by too. Ul’dah may have been prosperous, but its people could be pretty cruel to those who were not from there.
His copper plait bounced lightly on his shoulder as he “window” shopped the open-air markets, taking note of which vendors sold goods that he would find useful…when he had the money. But, for now, his best bet was focusing on a place to buy a meal for the night.
As he rounded a corner to head up towards the Quicksand when he found himself being slammed into by someone.
Dorien stumbled back, frustration flickering across his features as the stranger apologized, “I—ah, sorry. I appear to hit a bit of a scrape and—” he looked the elezen up and down, “You’ll do perfectly, actually.” The next thing Dorien knew, he was pulled into the shadows of a staircase as the stranger whispered, “Pretend to embrace me, and I’ll pay you. No funny business on my end, I swear on my life.”
Dorien blinked once, twice, before looking over this man himself. He was decently tall for a hyur, but even at Dorien’s short stature, he still stood nearly a head over him. Was his hair ash-blonde? Silver? The twilit sky made it hard to tell. Handsome and offering to pay him? Strictly for pretending to embrace him? Well, that was the most straightforward job Dorien could think to take.
The stranger started getting antsy as he watched the taller man look on in confusion. Before he could give up and try and find a new place to hide, Dorien wrapped an arm around him dramatically and placed a thumb over his lips, pressing his lips to the thumb, separating them only by an ilm. He then pushed the body against the stone wall, now cool to the touch in these late hours as he shielded the stranger with his own body.
Even though he did not find it remotely possible, Dorien found himself getting even warmer. Ul’dah was a desert, no water for miles, but the man before him smelled of an ocean. His hands were calloused, and his arms were strong, but his face, so close to his own, was soft. So what kind of scrape did he get into that made him ask a stranger to hold him in the shadows like a lovestruck teen?
It was not much longer before the sound of footsteps and voices could be heard, and the hyur threw his arms around the Dorien’s neck, going full into the dramatics. When they faded, he tapped his gloved hand to the taller man’s chest, giving him the cue to back away. The stranger’s face seemed red too, likely from the running and stress, Dorien decided. He ran his hands through his hair and said, “Sorry about that, friend. You must not be from around here; you’re dressed awfully for the heat. Maybe invest in some looser clothing? Regardless, know that I appreciate the assistance!” He grabbed a handful of gil, then the elezen man’s hand, placing the coin in it. “Though, next time, you need not make it so formal. It doesn’t have to be theater if you don’t want it to be.” He gave the taller man a wink, and as quickly as he appeared, he left.
Dorien’s face flushed deeply at the suggestion. How dare he? He was the one who wanted a performance! And now he was criticizing him for giving what he’d requested? He stared out to the open street where the man disappeared into the crowd of people. He didn’t even get a look at the people who chased him.
Ul’dah was quite strange indeed.
He looked at the gil and stared agape at the amount.
“Invest in some looser clothing,” he said.
There was enough here to do that and pay for food and board for the next two days. Maybe Dorien should consider taking up a career in the theater if it paid that well. His expression then shot up as he realized something.
He never got the man’s name.