Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Riyi'to woke up surrounded by their family members with names and faces that shouldn't exist. Their head was pounding, and the sky was covered in leaves as tall trees watched over them passively. Their other family members, a total of nine Miqo'te and a single Au Ra, were scattered around them. 

Yet there were more and more names that filled their head, replacing the names of their actual family members. As they scrambled to get up, they drifted off to their cousins, knowing exactly who she was despite being aware that her name and current appearance had changed on the surface.

"Suyah," Riyi'to gasped, "Are you okay?"

Elih'to hissed. "Do we look okay? We're catpeople! Some random weebs wet dream! Where are we even?"

Riyi'a was cursing up a storm at the side, and F'enix was with his brother, who was an Au Ra. They looked at them and then back to where they were.

"Where else?" Riyi'to replied, raising an eyebrow, "We're in Final Fantasy 14, and you guys are in my alts. F'enix and Tseren play with me, so they got stuck in their characters."

Suyah sighed, "I need to check for injuries. Arah and Yuhrna haven't woken up yet, and I know Elih'a is pretending to be asleep."

Riyi'to nodded. "We'll have to work on building our home, but I think Shien and Ehlin can help design them. You all should have some basic skills in crafting as well as war or magic, seeing as you're all alts."

Soon all their cousins were awake and the next point was shelter.

Making a house was actually pretty easy if you had leveled Carpenter multiple times on various alts, if only because you had enjoyed the Carpenter quests due to a certain Master Beatin. Soon enough, they had a large home built for all of them, with individual rooms for each of them and a larger room with a large bed for when they had the urge to sleep together.

There were other buildings built as facilities such as a library because Riyi'to, Riyi'a, and Shien insisted on it, while a hospital was built on Suyah's insistence. Elih'a then began working on a mechanical shop because he missed working on his engineering projects with Yuhrna insisting on an art station to which Arah insisted on a music room. 

The music room ended up becoming a concert hall because Elih'to and Tseren kept expanding it with recreations of various guitar models they had always wanted before they came to Eorzea, not that anyone was complaining, seeing as the Dinahmeih were always fond of music. As such the concert hall now includes guitars, a grand piano, and some flutes for Riyi’to, an entire traditional gong set for Riyi’a, as well as a few other miscellaneous instruments. 

F'enix was eager for a training ground, an endeavor supported by Elih'to, and unsurprisingly, Riyi'a. The training ground is situated beside the main compound compared to the rest of the buildings which were placed further away due to Shien’s desire to put her city planning dreams into effect despite this ‘city’ only consisting of the ten of them. Riyi'to reluctantly indulged them in training from time to time but they were quite conscious of the fact their levels had transferred over and they were severely above the levels of everyone in their family because of this.

Which brought them to the next point of their survival efforts: food and water.

Riyi'to found that they were close to a water source and with a water crystal as well as the help of alchemy thanks to Shien and Ehlin, could easily purify water in order to ensure they have a good and stable source of water. As for food they had enough in their inventory to last them for a while but they had to think of the future…

"Alright, now!" Riyi'a directed. 

"Doton!" Riyi'to made the hand signs and softened the rice paddies. 

Riyi'a regarded their work and nodded to himself. "Nice!" 

They ended up recreating the rice fields of their ancestors, the mountainside being quite fortuitous for that. It was stunning seeing the number of rice paddies as Elih'a irrigated the river using a drill he had fashioned and Shien's use of arcanima. The usage of doton allowed the rice paddies to soften so that they could work the soil. 

Ehlin, Riyi'to, F'enix, and Tseren went to gather the seeds for not just rice but also other foods including cabbage, popotoes, and wild carrots, with Tseren acting as their guard while they did so. As for the meat and farm animals, that job was left to Riyi'a and Suyah, with Riyi'to joining them in order to subdue the wild boars or otherwise kill them for their meat if they were too aggressive to be soothed.

Notably, Riyi'to was the only one of them who had been a full level 90 on all the different roles, most likely due to being the only one who played for so long. After all, F'enix and Tseren had been on the free trial and only just arrived at Ishgard. Thus, Tseren was a Dark Knight who started as a Warrior, while F'enix had stayed loyal to Monk.

"That should be everything, right?" Arah asked as they finally collapsed into the large bed after a nice shower.

"It should." Suyah nodded as Elih'to fell face first into the pillows, Riyi'to blinking sleepily whilst buried in pillows and blankets.

All of them were in the large bedroom, the one they had dubbed a 'conference room' seeing as they all had a habit of sleeping in a giant pile on the bed anyway even with their individual rooms. Sure their individual rooms held glamour and armor chests, a cabinet, their own personal items and a bed but at the end of the day, they all find themselves sleeping in the 'conference room'.

Tseren shrugged. "For now that's probably it."

"Shouldn't we name this place? Like what if we go somewhere and need to say where we're from?" F'enix asked, as he nudged at Riyi'to to move aside.

Riyi'to huffed and moved. "We can hold a poll or something tomorrow. As for what else, well, I want to know where we're at in Eorzea. I can tell we're in the Black Shroud, but nothing more than that."

"Sure, now go to sleep." Suyah urged.

And so, the days continued.

Chapter Text

"No, we are not naming ourselves ‘Moon Moon Kingdom’!” Suyah crossed her arms as she glared at the snickering Elih’to.

“Let’s look at our more viable suggestions,” Riyi’to scratched the back of their head, holding up the paper they had made. 

The suggestions were one part meme, one part game references, and one part serious. 

Peterland

Barbieland

Hyrule 

Cowboy Town

Town

Town town

Town Town town

Taquito

Home

Moon Kingdom

Narnia

Melacca

Temesek

Eclipse

And on it went. They vetoed out the more meme-y names like Town and its ensuing iterations, as well as most if not all of the video game references from Red Dead Redemption, Legend of Zelda, and Riyi’to’s joke suggestions from various other MMOs such as Lion's Arch, and Riyi’a’s more ominous sounding suggestion of ‘The Citadel’. 

“Seriously, we need to give this place a nice name, or we’re stuck if we try to trade, which, if Riyi’to is right, we will be.” Suyah huffed, “At this rate I’ll just stick to ‘Town’ and be done with it.”

“What and have it be known as the ‘Town town’?” Riyi’to snickered, “At that point why not stick to ‘Bansa’ and have us be ‘Country’?”

The ensuing silence as they all thought about it made them balk. “Are you guys really thinking about this?”

“It does flow off the tongue.” Arah scratched the back of her head. F’enix nodded, eyes curving at the thought as he mouthed the name ‘Bansa’. 

Riyi’to looked at Tseren, hoping he would provide some form of understanding only to see him nodding along. They glanced at Elih’to, their next best choice who was also…

Nodding! Along!

“Argh, fine!” Riyi’to relented as Suyah laughed at them. “Just don’t make ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ our national anthem.”

Suyah stuck out her tongue at them. “Who knows? Now, you said something about crystals, and frankly I don’t want to deal with a lack of plumbing in our home.”

“Well, Elih’a would probably be able to pull this off better. I remembered something about how oysters were being used to clean water in order to get some distilled water. We can do the same using water crystals and alchemy, Shien, Ehlin, and I have alchemy in our skill sets, but Elih’a’s a machinist, so he could help with making a proper plumbing system.” Riyi’to explained, glaring at the ceiling as they went over the ideas in their head. “The only thing we need to figure out is how we’re going to work on human waste cleaning. We need to be ecological about this, or we’ll end up dying like medieval peasants.”

They all turned to look at Shien.

She sighed, “Just because I was in architecture doesn’t mean I know about waste management.”

Ehlin gave her sister an unimpressed look. “You’re a science nerd, you probably know at least something .”

“...” She looked away. “Fine, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

So began the start of operation ‘Ecological Waste Treatment’ or ‘Oh Shite!’ began, with Shien explaining that they’d have to think long term about how the implementation would be just in case they end up expanding their facilities. They would need a sewage system and a way for it to recover any purifiable water which is possible with the water crystals as well as separating the waste itself into something usable. 

Seeing as they were going the agricultural route in the acquisition of food thanks to the Twelve’s bounty, Shien figured it would be best to have it turned into fertilizer. This then led to a separate discussion on the planning of the location of the other farm foods beyond their rice steps. The planning ended up with them having the farm be on the other parts of the steps, making it so that they would build separate terraces to make space for non-rice farming. Then it went towards figuring out how to implement it.

“We’ll need to tumble the crystals in other crystals if we’re shaping it to be grates, and even then how would that divert to separate into the different pipelines of the purified water and the waste line?” Elih’a hissed.

Elih’to had long given up on thinking about it, which is fair seeing as he’s only 14 years old, and his nerdiness can only go so far in the actual implementation process. So he’s in the music hall with F’enix and Tseren, his fellow agemates. Yuhrna and Ehlin meanwhile left long before to go about doing their own thing in the art room.

Instead, all of the planning is left to the ‘adults’ of the group. Well, they probably are considered well into adulthood by Final Fantasy standards seeing as the oldest of them, Riyi’a, is 23. The youngest of them are at the very least within the age range of 14, so they needn’t worry about having still-developing young ones being exposed to this. 

The mere thought of having the 6-year-old twin sisters of Elih’a and Elih’to in their current situation, lacking proper sources of food and the like, is enough for Riyi’to to shudder.

So caught up in their musings they missed most of the brainstorming session which suited them fine seeing as they understand that their knowledge doesn’t lie in this area. 

“Okay,” Elih’a nodded to himself. “I’ve got it. The water separation from the rest of the waste will first be through a mesh, the water will pass through, but the waste won’t then after that they’ll both be treated after the separation. There’ll be a second separation and filtering system after the first to ensure nothing has contaminated the separated water, and then there’ll be a third treatment with them finally separated and then sent to their differing uses. The waste will go towards agriculture, so after the final treatment of the waste, it will be dried and stored close to the fields for future use. The water will be checked for quality and kept in a freshwater pool to ensure it stays fresh as part of our water system to be reused.” 

From there, the project ‘Ecological Waste Treatment’ was greenlit.

And so, the days continued in Bansa.

Chapter Text

Riyi’to didn’t understand half of what Elih’a and Shien hashed out in the more detailed parts but they understood the gist of it and are all too happy to let them deal with that. They can help with crafting and acquiring everything but even then, they frowned as they realized their inventory food storage was running low.

At least, if you don’t consider the two hundred glasses of orange juice.

Their in-game inventory was cluttered and for once, they’re glad they were such a pack rat since it allowed them to provide plenty of materials for their needs.

Desynthesizing items has never been as useful as it was today. Another thing they noticed is that only they, F’enix, and Tseren were able to access the game’s UI, and even then they had to activate it like Eagle Vision from Assassin’s Creed. Still, even game mechanics can only go so far for living day-to-day.

They’ll need to figure out a way to address the more pressing needs. 

They were pulled from their thoughts to watch Shien and Elih’a draft out the plans. It was a pleasure watching Shine’s architecture training coming through, and Elih’a hashing out the drafts from the engineering side. Truly, they’re blessed with having a family full of nerds, otherwise, none of this would even be possible. However, they were stuck dealing with their current problems. It's true that they have things growing and the farm work has a rotation going on, whilst the farm animals are lovingly tended to, addressing their future food needs. With their inventory of food running low, they knew they needed to get some and fast.

The first thing in mind was trade. After all, not everything from the game was easily inherited, and the currency was one of those things. So they summoned up the map and actually, finally, gave it a proper once over. 

They had known intellectually that they were in the Black Shroud. The thick canopy of trees looming overhead made it abundantly clear where in Eorzea they were, yet to have the confirmation plain in front of their face makes it finally sink in. They moved through the map, eyes drinking in the labels of places that made up the East Shroud. They made a side note to teach the Eorzean alphabet to their family and practice with Tseren and F’enix.

Being in the East Shroud meant they were close to the Sylphs but also Buscarron.

They’ll need to acquire milkroot and honey, easily obtainable. The milkroot can be gotten from killing some of those overgrown weeds while the honey can be bought from Buscarron. They can establish a trade with the man to exchange other goods, then trade the milk and honey for thread from the Sylphs after dancing and getting to know them. Temporary food can be bought from Busc’s as well, which pleases them greatly. 

With that in mind, they walked out only to hiss at the bright sunlight. It was like their astigmatism but worse, the bright light left them blindsided, and they were left curled up on the ground in stunned pain.  

"Riyi'to?" Tseren's voice called out. "Are you alright, this is the fourth time it happened now, I'm starting to think you guys are more sensitive to light than F'enix and I…" 

"Huh?" Riyi'to lifted their head up, careful to keep their eyes covered. "Wait, who else was affected by this?"

"Elih'to, Yuhrna, and Ehlin." Tseren said. "F'enix is taking care of them."

"Ah, then, if it's only us Moon Keepers, then it might be due to us being nocturnal by nature. Our eyes don't change pupil shapes based on light, so now we're stuck letting in as much light as possible." Riyi'to explained, "We'll need some blindfolds or shades of some kind for us to be able to wander around the day."

"Wait here." 

The sound of footfall, and before they know it, Tseren is back with a blindfold. Handing it to them, they take it gratefully and covered their eyes. 

The limited light is enough for them to see objects and generally navigate, which is better than being unable to see at all. Still, the fact they needed this when most, if not all, Moon Keeper NPCs in the game don’t have any sight impairments makes them wonder…

It’s a headcannon of theirs, born from the fact they loved the idea of the nocturnal Keepers of the Moon. They had surmised that due to their nocturnal nature and their eyes being unable to change pupil shape based on the amount of light in the room, perhaps the daylight may be bright.

It’s an idea they liked enough to incorporate it on their Warrior of Light, giving their character blindfolds and masks to protect the eyes from any ‘harm’. They even made sure to have a separate face glam for when it was nighttime, letting their character’s eyes be shown though they still kept part of the face obscured with a veil over the lower half. The choices delighted them as it gave them a challenge to customize and accessorize based on the headgear. 

Now though, it seems that this headcannon has been translated to this world. They frowned and lifted a hand to their scar-free face. Perhaps it’s a coincidence. They aren’t blind in one eye, nor do they have the scar running over said eye. Of the original character they had made, the only thing that lingered were the face tattoos, not any of the scars.

In their Warrior of Light’s backstory, they envisioned that Riyi’to or erm, game Riyi’to, would be half-blind due to an incident regarding the Garleans of Castrum Oriens. The Garleans attacked the home, leaving Riyi’to blinded while Riyi’a had sacrificed himself to protect him, Suyah, and their mother.

Of course, unlike their Warrior of Light, they don’t have their mother here, and Suyah isn’t their sister but their cousin. They also had the rest of their cousins here, so they’re sure it’ll be fine. That and that particular tidbit had happened to their Warrior of Light as a child, and they were a full-grown adult. 

“Better?”

The voice of Tseren snapped them out of their musings, and they nodded. “Yeah. Come on, let’s bring blindfolds to the younger cousins now.”

Together they made their way over to the arts district, the concert hall and art room coming into view. Riyi’to was adjusting pretty well to their impaired vision, the blindfold didn’t block out all the light and they could make out shapes and the like.

They made a mental note to include lampposts in the city for Tseren and F’enix because the two will most likely need them in the future. Nodding to themself, they opened the door and took a blindfold, bounding up to where Yuhrna is. 

They can hear her soft noises of discomfort as she bickered with Elih’to over something or the other. 

“Shut up, you bloody twat!”

“Wot wos that? Wot wos that? I can’t hear you over the sound of your colonized British accent!”

“Monkey!”

“Elih’to! Yuhrna!” Riyi’to hissed, breaking up their bickering. “Yuhrna, wear this blindfold. Elih’to, take yours from Tseren. F’enix!”

F’enix perked up. “Yes?”

“Where’s Ehlin?” 

F’enix tilted his head, his tail swaying back and forth. “Art room, she closed all the curtains.”

Riyi’to nodded, turning to the tallest figure in the room aka Tseren and giving orders, “Close the curtains a bit, to darken the room, then explain what we figured out to them. Yuhrna, Elih’to, keep the bickering to a minimum until I come back with Ehlin. I have things to do and I want to talk it through with you guys.”

“Got it.” Tseren nodded and Riyi’to left the concert hall to go to the adjoining art room. 

The art room is connected to the concert hall, with an entire courtyard garden across from it. The room was designed to give a cozy feel, with simple but holistic arrangements that allow the artist to thrive, as well as specific shelves for materials and areas designated for the artwork to be displayed. Riyi’to noted the less amount of light and lifted up their blindfold, blinking as they found the room to be suitable and dark enough for their eyes. 

There sitting in the center, is Ehlin, a lost look on the young girl’s face. 

“... Riyi'to?" She called out softly, her garnet-red eyes shining as they approached her.

"Hi," they smiled at the curled-up girl. "How are you?"

"The light hurt, so I limited the light. I'm guessing the blindfold is there for that reason?" She nodded her head at the white cloth in their hand.

Handing it to her, they said, "Yes, I had Tseren close the lights in the art room. Yuhrna and Elih'to should be done bickering now."

Ehlin giggled, her voice fragile. Noticing her low mood, Riyi'to frowned and approached her closer. "Ehlin, that's not the only reason you kept yourself here, is it?"

The silence was all they needed, and they placed the blindfold on a nearby shelf. Reaching out, they stumbled a bit and received an armful of their younger cousin. The girl had tackled them, burying her face in their chest. The young girl sobbed as Riyi'to held her close. 

I shouldn't have made those alts. I stole you from your life. I'm sorry.  

"I-" She hiccuped, "I miss my camera. I miss our cats. I miss- I miss-!"

"I know," Riyi'to said softly, rubbing circles into her back. "I'm sorry."

She clutched them close. "Don't apo-apologize! You didn't do anything wrong!"

Riyi'to paused. They can feel guilty later, for now their focus is to comfort Ehlin. They hummed, hoping to soothe her. Rare is it that the girl cried, having excelled in academics while still remaining humble. She didn't have much problems as she had her own quiet little friend group from what they knew. Their young cousin had a bright future.

Well, had.

She was about to go to senior high after all. Valedictorian, again and again, a bright girl… They were quite aware of the brilliance she had. She was much like them when they were younger, for all that they lacked the title of Valedictorian and only because of the fact they struggled with keeping their math grades high. They frowned as they rubbed circles into her back, kissing the tween’s hair.

Slowly, her cries dwindled into sniffles as she wiped her eyes. 

“...Thank you.” 

“It’s the least I could do. It’s understandable to mourn that we have lost.” Riyi’to replied, and a thought struck them.

The rest of their family must be mourning that too, right? If not their life before, then the people they all had to leave behind. Wouldn’t it be perfect to have a memorial of sorts, an event for them all to come together and mourn while giving them closure? The thought was worth something, and they were sure to bring it up to their cousin. They could bring Nymeia flowers, hold a huge memorial, and maybe even put up a memorial statue of some sort. 

“Are you ready to join the rest of your peers in the Music Hall?” They asked her, lifting up the blindfold for her to take. 

With a nod, the young girl put it on, and together, they walked hand in hand to the Music Hall. Already they can hear the sounds of a simple jamming session. They exchanged a dry look with Ehlin. Even with their blindfolds on, the light was still enough for them to see, though it was like looking through some sheer silk. Blurry and vague but enough to see gestures. 

“Is that Evanescence?” Ehlin tilted her head, ear flicking.

Riyi’to huffed in amusement. “I think it is.”

As they entered, they found the rest of their cousins equally blindfolded, their chatter filling the air as their cousins played a somewhat decent rendition of ‘Bring Me to Life’. It seemed that everyone was gathered, so once that was done, they raised up their hand and called for their attention. 

“Everyone, I have an idea to get us alcohol and other stuff,” Riyi’to grinned, “There’s an easygoing guy called Buscarron that lives ‘round the South side of the Shroud, so I’m thinking of trading with him. There are also these little leaf people who like dancing, honey, and milkroot that should be fine with trading these in exchange for cloth.”

Suyah perked up. “Clothes? Finally! I was beginning to think we’d have to wait for you guys to gather cotton and manually make everything by hand.”

“With how many of us are here, that will take a while. I’ll make a variety of styles but I’ll start with the traditional stuff. It’s easier to make that since my weaver is only up to level 70. That and I’m the only weaver here right now that isn’t level five.” Riyi’to said poking F’enix, who gave a sheepish laugh. 

“Sorry, I uh… got distracted with fishing.”

Riyi’to sighed, giving their younger cousin a hapless shrug. “At least you can fish up something for us when we build a fish pond.”

“Alright, so who's going to these trades?” Riyi’a asked, arms crossed. “Because I’m coming with.”

Riyi’to looked around. They could see Elih’to bouncing at the opportunity to explore and Tseren eager to come with, but these were trade negotiations. They were training for this. 

“Me, Suyah, and Riyi’a. Suyah because you’ve always been representing us, and me because this is literally what my degree is about. As for my brother, it’s because he’s additional help.” 

Tseren nodded, accepting this, while Elih’to pouted. Rolling their eyes, they manhandled the boy, grabbing him by the shoulder and bringing him in to ruffle his hair. He always enjoyed sticking with them, following after them like a lost puppy.

“You can come along next time. I’ll make sure to bring you along, alright?”

Elih’to beamed. “Alright! That’s a promise!”

“We’ll start traveling in tomorrow. Pack everything you need.” Riyi’to reminded as Suyah and Riyi’a did as told. They turned to their remaining cousins with mischief in their voice. “We should all vote for Suyah to be our Datu. After all, Bansa needs a leader, and she’s always been our representative.”

Arah nodded. “Definitely.”

And so the days continued in Bansa.

Chapter Text

Buscarron’s no stranger to the lowlifes and the barflies. The people who linger because they have nowhere safe to go and the adventurers passing through to get to Gridania and find their fortune come around a gil a dozen. Buscarron’s Druthers doesn’t discriminate from its patrons, and from there, he’s learned the stories of many folk. Coeurlclaws, and down on their luck Duskwights, to the poorer bracket of the lancers. 

Yet from these people, the three blindfolded miqo’te with white and red colorings stood out the most that day. They all looked similar to one another, family. Two men flanking a single woman, a rarity amongst miqo’te, Keepers of the Moon more so. The woman approached him, her words carefully picked out. 

“Are you Buscarron?” She asked her accent hard to place, melodic in a way he hasn’t heard outside of a certain few Coeurlclaws. 

“Yes, can I help you?” He asked, aware that every patron was watching them with wary gazes.

The woman turned to the shorter male and nodded at him.

“This is my cousin Riyi’to, and their older brother Riyi’a. They say you have alcohol, and other foods. We… do not have gil, but we are willing to trade.” 

Them, he amended mentally, chastising himself for the assumption. He knows the miqo’te held different cultural gender roles and easily accepted the gender-neutral term. He watched Suyah make a motion, and the siblings brought out bags. 

"Riyi'a is holding a cold box with meat while Riyi'to carries a sack of popotos." She gestured as Riyi'to and Riyi'a stepped forward, placing the goods on the counter. "We hope these will be enough to encourage relations between you and the Clan Dinahmeih."

The two stepped back and gave a short bow. 

Buscarron raised an eyebrow but otherwise accepted it. "My thanks to Clan Dinahemeih."

Suyah smiled at him and sat down. The other two followed suit, Riyi'to beside Suyah and Riyi'a beside his brother, making it so Riyi'to was sandwiched between them. Visually, it seemed as though they were protecting Riyi'to rather than Suyah, a strange choice of seating considering their formation earlier.

"What food do you sell, Master Buscarron?" Riyi'to spoke, their voice light yet laden with a smoothness. "The journey from Bansa to here was quite tiresome and I'm sure our Datu would appreciate a good meal."

Buscarron blinked before listing off the items from the menu. Riyi'a was eager to get his hands on a steak, while Riyi'to and Suyah were more discerning. Riyi'to ordered first, getting a much gentler meal than a steak, which Suyah followed. Again, it seemed that Riyi'to was the one leading than Suyah, but who was he to question things?

"How much is it?" Suyah asked. 

"That should be a total of 450 gil." 

Riyi’to bit their lip and held up a pouch. “... This should roughly be equivalent to 450 gil. 2 Allagan Tin Pieces and 4 Allagan Bronze Pieces. Is this acceptable?”

They weren’t kidding when they said they’d be willing to trade but had no gil. “That’s acceptable. I can have this exchanged later.”

And so they settled as Buscarron fixed them a meal, the rest of the patrons going back to their meals, though their eyes never left the strange and fey Dinahmeih. The three of them chatted to one another, uncaring of the gazes from those around them. Curious, Buscarron found himself talking to them.

“Say, how’d you even know to look for me? I doubt the rumor mill worked fast enough. Did I build a reputation while I wasn’t lookin’?” 

“When your former enemy starts selling good alcohol, then yes.” Riyi’to spoke, a smile curling on their face. “You are a good man or so they say, Busc.”

Buscarron rubbed the back of his neck, and from the corner of his eye, he could see a few patrons nodding along, raising a glass at him in cheers. “You flatter me, ah…”

“Sri. Sri Dinahmeih.” Riyi’to provided, and Buscarron took note. Sri, it’ll take a bit of time for him to practice saying that, but it’s worth it. 

“Alright, Sri Dinahmeih, your food will be ready in just a moment.”

Turning his back, he focused on cooking up their meals. While many eccentric characters often frequent the Druthers, never has he run into a mystery like the ones the Dinahemih have posed. Including the fact he never heard of a ‘Bansa’ before. 

Riyi’a was all too happy to eat his steak. His younger sibling was right, it was actually pretty good! 

If he’s honest, he knows plenty of Eorzea from the rants of Riyi’to. He knew their favourites of this world, places for pictures, places to stay in, the npcs they loved, the npcs they remembered, the story, the narrative, he listened to them rant about it all. Rare is it that his sibling professed a love for something, especially to him. They were a quiet and private child and when they started talking about their views on things, it excited him. He genuinely wanted to hear it everything.

His sibling, in their teenage years, had been reluctant to share. Their fights with their father had made them guarded in expressing their opinions. He didn’t understand it then, but now he’s embarrassed on behalf of their father. He glanced at Riyi’to as they chatted to Suyah. They were so guarded, but now this guardedness has faded away. Pride bloomed in his chest.

Turning to Buscarron, he began making conversation. “What made you decide to swap careers?”

“I used to be the one patrolling the East side of the Shroud, but when they constructed that watchtower, I was honorably discharged, so I opened the Druthers,” Buscarron replied, tapping his eyepatch with a cheeky smile. “This here is part of that time.”

“I see,” He hummed, “I would have thought they’d try and keep you since you’re an experienced fighter or something like that.”

Buscarron shrugged. “Ain’t something they tried, that’s for sure.”

“Shame that, but it’s a plus for us!” Riyi’a grinned, lifting his glass in cheers.

Riyi’to had paused in their conversation to do the same, “My brother speaks true. Cheers.”

“Yes,” Suyah added, “Your food is good, so while those Wailers lost a good man in their ranks, we gained plenty in the form of food and respite.”

Buscarron rubbed the back of his head, sheepish as the three complimented his cooking. “It ain’t that special.”

Riyi’to shook their head. “A place such as this is special. You accept anyone into the fold, how many of your patrons would have been shunned should they have gone to a different place? This is a haven.”

With that, the conversation began flowing more. As Riyi’to, Suyah, and Riyi’a kept the conversation going, answering and giving their own questions to Buscarron.

“So, what is Bansa?” Buscarron asked, curious. 

Suyah replied, “It’s a village founded and built by Clan Dinahmeih. We used to be isolated, but after Calamity, our numbers have been greatly reduced, and our landscape changed. Thus, we decided to branch out beyond our borders.”

“Ah, I’m sorry to hear that.” Buscarron frowned as he looked at Riyi’a. “I suppose that would explain the lack of gil?”

He’s glad Riyi’to prepared all these answers to the questions. Otherwise, he’s not sure if he and Suyah could answer them properly. 

“Yes, we lack gil, so we trade instead. It made more sense when Bansa was larger, as everyone was essentially family there. Hence, we didn’t require any need for money.” 

Buscarron nodded along. “Well in that case, feel free to come by and keep trading. I might ask you guys to do something every once in a while for me, but the promise of good food is enough to make up for it, right?”

“Right!” Riyi’to beamed as they turned towards Riyi’a. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah.” He paused, then looked at Buscarron. “Say…Ah, do you have any alcohol we can get by the bottle?”

Riyi’to gave him a look. “Brother, we don’t have anything on hand to trade for that. We still need to go to Little Solace if we wish to establish relations with the Sylphs.”

“Ah, it's fine. I can give this on the house. As thanks for the meat,” Buscarron grinned, taking out a bottle of spirits and handing it to him. 

“Thank you so much!” He smiled, bowing as he took the bottle with both hands. Together with the rest of his family, they bade the man farewell.

Once the Dinahmeih left, Buscarron set about gathering and cleaning their dishes. When he returned to his post, however, he found a determined Coeurlclaw at his bar. 

“Yes?”

“You’ve received quite the blessing, Buscarron.” She explained, her bright purple hair distinctive against her stone blue skin. “The fact a Keeper of the Moon village has survived through the Calamity is a blessing of Menphina. Many of my fellows will be visiting the Druthers if only to catch a glimpse of the Dinahmeih.”

Buscarron hummed but wondered if there was more to it, “I see… Is there anything else you should let me know about?”

“Sri Riyi’to carries a light within them. It’s quite reminiscent of our many spiritual leaders, though it’s been long since we saw one as the Calamity scattered many of us. Treat Riyi’to kindly, I have reason to believe they may be one of those spiritual leaders.” 

“And who should I thank for this little warning? I’ll be sure to set aside a bottle of mead for you.”

“Emi.” The woman replied, taking off her mask for a time to reveal deep purple eyes matching her own purple face paint, a playful smile on her face. “Emi Sossa.”

Chapter Text

“The Sylphs are next,” Riyi’to hummed. “I already hunted the milkroot, and we did grab honey from the honey farm nearby.” 

“We’re lucky they seemed willing to give us some honey after beating back some imps.” Suyah sighed, “Even luckier than your theory held true and we did inherit all of the skills these ‘alts’ of yours has.”

“Did you really have to choose the farthest area first?” Riyi’a asked, “We live closer to the Sylphs after all.”

Suyah gave Riyi’a a dry look. “That’s precisely why we went to Buscarron’s Druthers in the first place. Get the farther place out first before going to the Sylphs on the way back.”

“Remember, the Sylphs require a quick dance as a greeting, then we give our names and the milkroot and honey. We ask for thread and cloth, then go back home.” 

“We remember, you’ve been reminding us since we got the honey from that bee farm. And since we left Bansa, and when we left the Druthers.” Suyah poked them on the shoulder in amusement, her tail flicking at the end, expressing this.

They flushed, ducking their head as their tail whipped about. “Ah…”

Riyi’a perked up. “Oh! I think I see it!”

They looked up, head lifting as they worked on seeing through the blindfold. The afternoon sun shone brightly down at the odd architecture of the Sylphs. They can see the shapes of the two sylph guards at the side. Falling into formation, the three of them paused and greeted both the guards. It was embarrassing to burst into dance suddenly, but Riyi’to had settled on a simple dance for them to do at the same time. 

Together the three of them did a quick dance, mostly choreographed by Suyah. If they were still back at home, Riyi'to might have joked that they should upload it on TikTok because of how short and simple it is. 

“These ones greet the dancing ones!” The guard beamed. “This one is named Mirixio, and that one is named Nexeria.”

Nexeria tittered, dancing a bit before saying, “This one is pleased to meet dancing ones but must ask why dancing ones are here. Are dancing ones lost?”

“It’s good to meet flying ones, this one is named Suyah,” She patted herself on the chest. Her hand waving to Riyi’a, “That one is Riyi’a,” then she waved it to Riyi’to, “And that one is Riyi’to.”

The three bowed slightly before straightening up. “These ones wished to visit to trade. These ones bring milkroot and honey to gift to the Sylphs.”

Mirixio spun in delight, “Oh! Milkroot and honey, these ones are sure the Elder will be pleased. Come, come, this one will escort dancing ones to the Elder.”

Riyi’to’s ears wiggled, pleased by their progress. They followed Mirixio, all the way to the Elder’s hut where the entrance was guarded. 

“Mirixio!” The sylph greeted. “This one is confused, why is Mirixio here?”

“Noraxia, this one brings dancing ones to Elder.” Mirixio reported and Riyi’to took that as their cue to dance. 

Again, they greeted Noraxia, and the sylph regarded them, bobbing up and down. “This one greets dancing ones, but dancing ones aren’t from Gridania, are they?”

“Correct, these ones are from a different place: Bansa, which is also in the East Shroud. And these ones came with milkroot and honey to give in exchange for cloth and thread.” Suyah explained.

Riyi’to took out the milkroot while their brother took out the honey. They offered them to Noraxia who took them with gratitude. The Sylph danced, pleased by these. “This one shall alert the Elder at once!”

It seemed like an elaborate show and tell if Riyi’to were honest. But they understood the necessity for ceremony and the need for these sorts of drawn-out rituals. Mirixio, to his displeasure, was ordered to go back to guarding by Noraxia. Their wait was rewarded when the Sylph Elder came out of the hut to greet them.

“These ones greet the Elder.” Suyah spoke. “This one hopes the Elder finds the milkroot and honey in good condition.”

The Elder smiled, floating gently up and down. “This one is pleased by the gifts dancing ones brought us. This one heard that dancing ones are from a different place and are hoping to trade for thread and cloth, and are happy to allow this.”

“These ones are grateful, and hope to continue the relations between Bansa and Little Solace in the future.” 

“Speak to Ameexia, she will be happy to provide thread and cloth to trading ones. Ameexia can be found near the colorful cloth.” The Elder bade, “This one hopes to see relations with trading ones thrive.”

From there, it was easy to dance and get the thread and cloth they needed, grabbing some wonderful white cloth, as well as some black, red, and yellow threads. Perfect for when Riyi’to will start weaving their more traditional garments. They said their goodbyes and were quick to leave the village. Riyi’to wanted them to go home before the night settled, and Suyah was quick to agree after seeing the size of the ziz that roamed nearby. 

The travel back is pretty much ordinary as their cousins greet them home with a warm meal at the end of the day.

And so the days continued in Bansa.

Chapter Text

They often traded with Buscarron and the Sylphs on rotational days. The rice terraces were doing pretty good, though they often tended to the paddies at night. The rice was taking a while but the other fruits and vegetables were already up for harvest. They oscillated their fruit and vegetable rotation, expanding it greatly as Riyi’to took to using the potatoes to supplement the rice they often traded for from Buscarron. 

They had also managed to get their hands on wild sweet potato- ah, popoto , which was surprising initially, but they were quite happy with it. Animal rearing wise, they’ve slowly started rearing boars, expanding it to include the rearing of buffalo once Riyi’to had recalled some living in the shroud. The buffalos were rather large but relatively docile. Though the animals were terrible for tilling the rice fields like they had hoped they could do, they found the creatures helpful in hauling crops and produce as well as other things around, making it easier on them.

Hunting food and preparing the creatures had worried F’enix at first due to the concept of Greenwrath. Thus, Tseren had gotten three copies of the hunting laws released by the Trapper's League thanks to Buscarron on one trade day to soothe his brother's anxious worries. Now, it falls to them to read through the copy. 

Riyi’a had read through the laws front to back and back to front, going over them with an irritated Riyi'to and a very unhappy Arah, as the two of them were also humanities students before the fateful Isekai. Riyi’a was quite gungho about it all, considering he actually enjoyed the philosophy of law, while Riyi’to only properly got into it if the topic held something they considered interesting.

As for Arah…

“This is so tiresome!” She snarled, glaring at the offending book. “I don’t get why you guys wanted my help, my course was more focused on classical literature, not law.”

“You’re still a humanities student and of the eight of us, it's me, Riyi'a, and you, who have a full understanding of these things.  Still, you're right. This is repetitive and seems to be in between modern-day anti-poaching laws and some laws that read as targeted against Keepers of the Moon and Duskwight Elezen." Riyi’to hummed from where they were lounging, eyes lazily tracing the pages. "After all, we’re only supposed to hunt in Gridania-sanctioned hunting grounds, which oscillate and change locations every so often. As such, only those who live in Gridania or other settlements under Gridania rather than those within the vicinity of the Black Shroud are aware of their location unless they went out of their way to find out. If they hunt in an unsanctioned hunting ground, it’s considered poaching.”

Riyi’a frowned. “It sounds bloody neat until you break it down and realize this means simple Keeper of the Moon settlements cannot get access to these hunting grounds easily. Another section states that one requires a hunting license from the Hearers of Gridania, a difficult task considering how hard it is to get an audience with a Hearer, and even then, the Hearer has every right to deny or approve of anyone, completely halting the process and preventing anyone from gaining a hunting license.” 

“All things considered, many of these laws are Gridania-centric,” Arah pointed out. “With little understanding of the lifestyles of Keepers of the Moon or Duskwight Elezen.”

With a sigh, Riyi’to closed the book and placed it on the table beside them. “And with the entire West Shroud currently changed from the Calamity, the hunting grounds are limited. I wonder… Do you think they might have seized land from other locations to compensate for the loss of hunting grounds?”

“That’s depressing to think about…” Riyi’a muttered. 

Arah groaned. “See, this is why I don’t want to keep going.”

“We can look at it another time.” Riyi’to huffed. “Or, in my opinion, we can keep doing as we’ve done. I know we don’t waste anything, we’ve been raised better than to waste anything!”

Riyi’a snickered, standing up and putting down his copy of the law on the chair he was sitting on. “Is this your ‘Keepers of the Moon Miqo’te are actually indigenous to the Black Shroud and since they act like hunters, they don’t trigger the Greenwrath’ agenda?”

“Yes!” Riyi’to hissed, pointing at their brother. “I stand by that and will continue to stand by that concept until proven otherwise. I did not spend so much time projecting my specific cultural experiences onto Riyi’to when playing this game only to be proven wrong.” 

Arah patted Riyi’to on the shoulder. “I believe you. Now, come on, I think we should go and join our family outside.”

“Smoked meat for dinner!” Riyi’a crowed as the three of them left to join the rest of their family at the compound’s clearing. The waning moon high in the sky, meaning that most of the light were from the lamp posts and lanterns Riyi'to had strung.

As the three of them approached, they heard Elih’a laughing. 

“Oh? What did we miss?” They asked, settling themselves next to Suyah as per usual.

Suyah beamed at them, handing them a plate. “Elih'a has been telling us about his progress with Operation Oh Shite.”

Riyi'to perked up. “Really? How is that going by the way?”

Chewing her food and swallowing quickly, Shien replied from across the bonfire. “It's going good! We’re making lots of progress thanks to Elih’a making some robots to make this go by faster. My carbuncle also hastened the process.”

"Does this mean we have a sewage system now?" Riyi'a asked, eager to know if they could finally have proper indoor plumbing.

"The estimate for this being finished is within the week, if you guys can spare a hand, we should finish this within five days." Shien replied taking a bite out of her smoked meat. "By the way, thank you for crafting the fiddlier parts for us, Riyi'to. It really hastened up the process."

Elih'a puffed up his chest. "After seeing your work, it took me a while but I was able to replicate it to a similar quality then, I added onto it. We can assemble the purifiers tomorrow and then implement things. With your help as well as the help of the rest, we should have it readyf or a test run soon. All we need now are crystals."

Everyone clapped, grateful to hear about their plumbing situation. Still that's not the only project Elih'a and Shien ended up working on. As Elih'to was pleased to bring up talks of amplifiers, and Ehlin mentioned the work Elih'a did on modernizing their buildings after hearing Suyah had wistfully missed many of their modern day conveniences. 

Riyi'to regarded Elih'a. Then, they assessed him, blinking as they ‘turned on’ the UI. Names floated above their cousins, and they examined at Elih’a.

“Woah!” They exclaimed blinking the UI away. “You leveled up Machinist.”

“The fuck you mean by that?” Elih'a asked, making a face.

F’enix hummed and regarded Elih'a as well. “Huh, they're right. You’ve levelled up a lot.”

“So, does that mean we can still progress our skills similarly to that of the game?” Ehlin asked, her tail waving around in excitement.

Not surprising since Ehlin was hoping Elih'a could try and reconstruct a camera next.

“I guess it works like that to how NPCs progress. Time, effort, and skill, allowing them to keep some old skills like how Thancred can use shukuchi despite being a gunbreaker. There won't be exact skills but it should be in the realm of those skill sets.” Tseren said, looking at them for signs of confirmation, his white limbal rings standing out against the fire light.

Riyi'to nodded. “That's right, your jobs won't be exact replicas too. Y’shtola for example held the job ‘Sorceress’ though her skills worked similarly to Black Mage.”

“So what you're saying is that I should just call myself an engineer instead of a Machinist.” Elih'a replied drily.

His brother was quick to laugh. “Nuh-uh, you just want to be called that because you didn't your degree!”

“Man, shut the fuck up before I give you a degree!” Elih'a replied, his amused face telling them otherwise.

Yuhrna spoke up, confused as she regarded her cousin. “What does that even mean?”

Elih’a flushed, “I- uh…”

Soon enough, they were all laughing as the conversation turned to lighter topics.

And so the days continued in Bansa.

Chapter Text

It was their turn to trade with the Sylphs today. 

The Sylphs were always delightful and quite respectful of their pronouns. The bee farm had become familiar with them and they’ve often helped out the farmers ward off unwanted imps. In return, they seem all too happy to save a jar or three for the Dinahmeihs to use. Riyi’to was grateful for it, seeing as they can’t go through life without some form of sweet treat. They’ve gotten to the point of specifically scavenging for any sort of crop similar to taro and sweet potato. 

Luckily, they did find some sweet potato variant and was now only holding out in the search for taro or, if the Twelve answered their fervent prayers, ube. The thought of it is enough to make their mouth water, and they had to shake their head. The buffalos required their set of feed and Riyi’to was worried they wouldn’t have enough straw for them once rice season was done and over with. Thus they set out to get a few bundles of straw as well as some cloth to make beddings out as a gift to their cousins.

The trade itself went relatively smoothly, it was only when they were on their way home that they ran into trouble.

Two men, a hyur and an elezen, were running from overgrown ivies. Riyi’to immediately recognized it as that FATE of those things running amok every once in a while. They frowned. It would be best to save those guys. They look like they’re in terrible condition. They put down their bag and sped towards the seedkin.

“Tch!” They grunted, jumping onto one and stabbing it from above. 

Using it as a springboard, they jumped back and stabbed another. The seedkin dropped dead and they sped past another, their dagger slicing through it. One by one, they sped through, daggers unfailing, unflinching, as they twirled through the vines. They lost track of how many of the overgrown ivies they killed, only barely registering the splatter on their clothes.

It's as easy as breathing. They grinned. Rather, it's as good as muscle memory.  With one final flip, they stabbed the last one. They scowled as they pulled their daggers out from it. Around them were a dozen or so overgrown offerings, dead. They sheathed their weapons and walked over to where the two people were lying on the ground. Sunlight sifting through the Twelveswood eaves and onto them, casting them in a golden glow. 

They sighed. It seems the immediate danger has passed, but with all these dead seedkin around, it could attract more trouble. They stepped over dead ivies, picking through them and taking their leaves. The leaves worked a lot like bay leaves, and they missed the taste of the spice. The pile they gathered was sizable, pleasing them as they inhaled the fragrance of the leaves. Once dried, they can make some asado, or if they can convince the rest of their cousins, they can make another pot of pork adobo .

Once done, they stepped over to better examine the two. Both were in Garlean colors though they’re clearly not pure Garleans, one was dressed in alchemist clothing, implying his station to be an engineer or scientist of some sort, while the other one was clearly a bodyguard. Judging by the distance, these two must have come from Castrum Oriens for some reason or another…

Riyi'to huffed, tail swaying in deep thought. Though they had saved the two men from being eaten by the overgrown ivies, they didn't know what to do with them now. It's not like they could return them to Castrum Oriens, could they? They would be shot at before they could make it a step inside the place. 

But… they can't just leave them lying there.

They swapped classes, taking out their codex and summoning a Carbuncle. They had tried to summon Selene but to no avail. Unlike with Ninjutsu which they had access to despite lacking the required soulstone, they could still use mudras, though it was for a much more limited effect. 

Tseren had theorized that it was because Ninjutsu was drawn from multiple sources of aether (Heaven, Earth, and Person), and with Riyi'to’s mastery of ninja when they played, they could adopt Ninjutsu despite only having a single charge for mudras rather than two like a regular ninja. Meanwhile, Selene was born from generations of scholars. So until they can crack how the fairy is formed, besides knowing it’s related to arcanima and healing magic, they’ll settle for carbuncle.

They brandished the codex and used esuna on the two, clearing them of any immediate problems such as poisons and infections. Two quick casts of physick, and they grabbed their things, shoved the leaves into a pocket in their bag, and hauled the two over their shoulder. They wheezed a bit, wincing from their weights. It didn't help that they had kept their short height, though unlike in a game where their avatar once had the preset of 0 equal to 159 cm, it, unfortunately, copied their actual height, that of 150 cm.

They gave the two Garleans a glare as if to blame them for their weight.

It sucks being nice sometimes.

Suyah stepped out of the hospital, the moonlight gently shining above them, soft in its light. She sighed. Magic still takes some time to get used to but it has its uses, conjury especially. It made the processes much easier, that was for certain. She flexed her hands as if to get rid of the warmth left behind from healing those two men. 

Riyi'to had told her that she should draw from the world around her in order to use conjury, and she had taken to it easily. Probably because her level, according to Riyi'to, was thirty. This new world, to her, wasn't exactly what she wanted. She was no traveler. Her heart did not long to wander but she had been making things work, as she always had. The Dinahmeih need someone stern and grounded to guide them. Riyi'to while wise has the heart of a traveler, and Riyi'a is equally as filled with wanderlust. Arah, while their age, would not want any position of authority, the pressure would no doubt get her. 

No, it falls to her.

Suyah walked into the clearing where the rest of her cousins were gathered, a roaring fire in the center to keep them warm. It seems they were in the mood for dining around a fire, she mused. She can see a plate of hot food prepared, amusement as she realized it was asado over Riyi'to’s suggestion for yet another night of adobo . She knew it was their comfort dish but eating it three nights in a row is bound to make anyone sick of it. 

Elih'to is the first to notice her, waving at her with a smile. The others perked up and moved to greet her, their voices all jumbled over one another as they called out her name. It warms her heart, to hear them all.

“So, what are their conditions?” Riyi'to asked, their heterochromatic eyes reflecting the firelight. 

“Stable, you got there in time and took away most of the more life-threatening damage. I cleaned up the rest easily enough.” 

Riyi'to nodded, sighing with relief. “Good, I'm glad to hear that.”

Yuhrna beamed, “Good job, pookie snookie.” 

Elih'to tossed her a glance over his brother’s shoulder. “Man, listen to her! Who the heck is your 'pookie', monkey?”

Lifting her hand in a rude gesture, completely ignoring Elih’a in the middle, Yuhrna glared at him. “Monkey!"

“Co-co-co- colonized!”

Elih’a twitched. With a dark look on his face, he glared at them. “Both of you stop and let me eat in fucking peace.”

Cowed the two went back to their meals but not before scowling at each other and making vaguely rude gestures at one another. 

Suyah walked to sit beside Riyi'to, taking up her meal. She listened to them chatter. It was said that they never ran out of stories to tell, a joke the older generation of their family made to sum up their dynamic perfectly. It suits them just fine, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

F’enix frowned as he tilted his head. “Why didn't you just dump them at the Castrum? After all, they would have been fine.”

Tseren shook his head. “That wouldn't work. Between the watchtower and the Castrum, if we want to keep Bansa hidden from the rest of the world, it would be hard to do so if Riyi'to got caught.” 

Arah hummed. “But what do we do now? We can't just hold them prisoner here, we don't exactly have the facilities for that.”

“We could give them to the Wood Wailers…” Shien hummed. 

“But that takes us back to square one.” Ehlin completed, disheartened.

Riyi'a crossed his arms, eyebrows furrowed. “They're still injured, so we can keep them in the hospital. Hold on to them until they prove to be hostile, and if they are, we can put them close to the Castrum and Watchtower to be found by whoever.”

Suyah nodded, “That sounds like a good plan. Riyi'to, what say you?”

They hummed before nodding along. “It's a good plan, but we'll need someone to monitor them, and seeing as I brought them home, it's my responsibility. I do make a request that we treat them nicely if they’re not hostile.”

“Very well, Riyi'to is on warden duty once they wake up. As for us being nice… We’ll see.” 

With that done and discussed, they moved on to a new topic. Still, her mind lingered on the Garleans in their hospital. She never expected it to be used not by any allies but by their enemies. Casting the thought aside she bit into her meal, smiling as she watched her family. Elih’to and Riyi’to are talking and nudging each other, Elih’a listening quietly while Yuhrna and Ehlin are in a quiet conversation about art. 

If their strays do anything to hurt her family, then… She’ll just have Riyi’to help her with her conjury. 

And so the days continued in Bansa.

Chapter Text

Astert groaned, slowly rising from the bed. Holding his head, he focused on breathing in and out, gaining an awareness of his body before opening his eyes. The sunlight streaming through the windows took some time for him to adjust, but he knew three things for certain: he wasn’t in Castrum Oriens, the savages didn’t capture him, and he was most likely presumed dead. 

Looking to his side, he found himself grateful to see Oswin by his side. He clenched his fists. He has to find a way to bring the two of them back to the Castrum. 

At this moment, a female miqo’te walked in. The first thing he noticed was how eye-catching her grey hair was, like the snows of Garlemald at night. The second thing he noticed was the tray she was holding filled with various potions. 

Once she closed the door, she turned around and jumped a bit, startled. “Ah, you’re awake. Wait over here, I’ll call over Suyah.”

Then she put the tray on a nearby shelf and closed the door again. Presumably, to fetch this ‘Suyah’. He moved to stand up, wincing as his muscles screamed at him to rest. He pressed on, examining himself better. He’s dressed in a simple hospital gown, with Oswin dressed similarly. Looking around the room, he was surprised to find it up to standard, not at all like the hospitals he’d expect of a savage. Scratching at his head, he crossed his arms and went to examine Oswin’s condition. 

Breathing is stable, wounds are cleanly stitched together with magic, no infection… 

“Safe.” He mumbled, falling back onto his cot in relief. 

“I’m pleased to hear my healing is up to standard.” A woman’s voice called out. 

He turned and found another miqo’te with silver hair and red highlights, eyes also covered by a white blindfold. She’s dressed simply, white shoes, a white blouse, and black pants. She has a wand at her side and is unimpressed with him thus far. Approaching them, he watched wary as she pulled out her wand.

This woman is clearly Suyah.

“Are you the person we must thank for saving our lives?” Astert asked, curious. 

She shook her head. “That honor falls on my cousin, Riyi’to. They’ll be in charge of watching you two. I’m here because I want a word with you two before I leave you with them.”

“If this is for information-” 

“I don’t care about your information. Riyi’to probably knows more than you ever will. No. I’m here to warn you that should you do something, anything , to threaten or hurt my family, I will make you wish you never knew we existed.” She snarled, fangs bared as she pointed a finger at him. “Do you understand?” 

He closed his eyes, nodding. “I understand.” 

“Good, I’ll do a general diagnosis, then give you your potions. Shien worked hard to ensure their quality.” 

Astert sat calmly, after all, this woman won’t kill him after going through the trouble of healing him. Instead, his mind was racing. He’ll find a way to explain their disappearance but still, why save them? They were the enemy after all. And while he came from one of the annexed territories in Othard, Oswin had come from Werlyt, he had followed Gaius out of true loyalty compared to Astert who simply stayed in the XIVth because Gaius treated non-Garleans kindly. 

How would Oswin react? 

“Well, you're in decent condition, take these potions and stay in bed for the rest of the day.” Suyah told him, turning her attention to the still unconscious Oswin. “I’m not surprised your friend is still unconscious, he was in a worse state than you were. Riyi'to did what they could but they specialize in shield healing.” 

“When do you think he'll wake up?” 

“We can't say for sure. But we're doing what we can to treat him. As you can see, we’re not exactly staffed.” She said, and it was true.

Astert never noticed anyone around him besides Suyah and that girl from earlier. After she checked on Oswin, she tended to him and fed him the potions, massaging his throat to help him swallow it down. Once she was sure of their health, she walked out.

“I’ll call Riyi'to to watch over you. Please rest.”

And with that, he was alone with Oswin once more.

“Your strays are awake,” Suyah called out to them.

They were at the training ground, working on their healing with Tseren as their willing meat shield and F’enix acting as the aggressor. Hearing Suyah’s call, they nodded and turned to Tseren and F’enix.

“Alright, time out! My charges are awake now.” 

Tseren nodded and turned to his brother, “Ten minutes break.”

“Got it!”

Riyi'to sighed, wiping away their sweat as they approached Suyah. “Which one is awake?”

“The Elezen.” She replied and they nodded. 

“See you in a bit then.”

As they headed to the hospital, their mind wandered. They’re aware their family all had adjusted differently. Tseren and F’enix had taken to Eorzea about as well as they expected, which is with the glee of an Isekai protagonist. Their older brother had taken to it well enough, as he missed his friends but cared more about his family. 

Shien is still mourning for the fact she can't be with her best friend now. Ehlin misses her cats. Elih'to often longed for home, complaining about how much he missed places and people. Elih’a was distracting himself by rebuilding the amenities they had in the modern day, and if not that then he was furthering things for his gun, slimming down the aethercharger to make it charge bullets in a way that's similar to gunbreakers.

As for Arah and Suyah… they're not sure how they're coping.

All too soon, they arrived at the hospital. The building is made of wood, and it’s not exactly as impressive as hospitals from their original world, but they’ve managed to adjust it as best as they could. The wood walls are painted white, and the floor is carefully tiled to make it more hygienic. The place is furnished precisely to Suyah’s specifications, and she has a lot of them. 

She wanted instruments that she had to draw for them to make. She wanted separate beds and rooms and curtains. She wanted scrubs and other materials that Riyi’to is tempted to call her a custom delivery NPC! They shook their head, taking a deep breath as they entered the relatively simple hospital. 

There, sitting up on the bed, is the elezen man. His flint black hair is a bit limp with oil. His eyes, while a light green, are shadowed, making it harder to read. Riyi’to stood in front of him and gave a shallow bow.

“I am Riyi’to Dinahmeih, the one who brought you here, and as of this day you and your friend are my charges.” They said, “I will represent you in front of the clan and vouch for you. I will be the one who will bring you meals and accompany you while you recover.”

They rose up and waited for a reply. 

“...Why?” The man asked, giving them a cold glance. “Why did you save us?”

“Because I was there.” 

Astert frowned, confused. “What?”

“I was there, and you were hurt. I couldn’t just leave you there.” They replied.

It was true. They couldn’t just leave them there! It didn’t sit right with them at all. Their tail swayed back and forth in thought.

“You saved us simply because you were there? I-” The man paused, frowning. “I see…”

Silence hung over the two of them and Riyi’to turned to check on the still-sleeping hyur. “Tell me, what are your names?”

“I am Astert kir Viridis and that is my faithful guard, Oswin pyr Silva.” He sighed, “Though Oswin has yet to wake.”

Riyi’to ndoded, humming with a frown. “He’ll have to wake by himself. I’ve done what I could and Suyah has seen to him. At this point, there’s little else we can do. How are you feeling?”

“Sore. Tired. Are you really going to be our warden for the duration of our stay?’ He asked, tilting his head.

This guy lives up to his middle name, he’s certainly inquisitive enough to make it to kir. Riyi’to thought with a hum, making themself comfortable on a nearby chair. “As I said, you are my charges, which means that you are for all intents and purposes my wards rather than my prisoners for the time being. Besides, it’s not as though Bansa has prison facilities.” 

Astert frowned. “Bansa? Where exactly are we?”

Riyi’to grinned in response. “You’ll see soon. Once your friend wakes up.” 

Across from them, Astert sighs and lays back down. “No use for it then. Watch away, warden. I’m going back to sleep.”

And so the days continued in Bansa.

Chapter Text

Oswin found himself waking to the sounds of people’s voices talking over him. 

Astert? Willingly talking to someone, is the moon falling again? He thinks groggily as he registers another voice.

“-king up now.” That gentle voice said, gender uncertain, “I’ll send my carbuncle to fetch Suyah.”

“I’m a veteran medicus, I can examine him myself.” Astert said, his voice gaining a protective edge to it.

“And our Datu ,” The voice said pointedly, “Is a skilled medical professional as well. Please be patient and allow yourself to rest, otherwise I’ll cast Repose on you.”

Oswin blinked awake, curious to see who exactly would have the guts to threaten Astert with a sleep spell.

There before him is a silver haired miqo’te with feathers braided into their hair and red highlights. A lion tail curled around their seating position as they balanced atop it, their chest is wrapped though it still bared their midriff while their lower half was covered by a wrap around skirt of sorts. He can see the claw marks on their face as well as the black teardrop like designs on their nose, arranged like a flower of sorts. Their eyes are covered by a blindfold and their clothes stood out for being a mix of bright red, white, black, and yellow. 

The miqo’te smiled at him, fangs flashing in the light. “Good afternoon, Master Silva, you’ve been sleeping for quite sometime.”

Oswin blinked before cracking a smile and chuckling. Bad idea. Pain shot through him from his abdomen, and it felt as though he had decided to do every abdominal work out he could ever imagine. He winced as he lifted a hand to his stomach, forcing himself to sit up and look around better.

“Easy now, easy,” The miqo'te urged, finger alight with green as they eased the muscle pain. “You’re still recovering. Now, what questions do you have for me before my cousin arrives?”

“Who are you? What is this place? Why are we alive? Wh-”

Astert placed a hand on his shoulder and he turned, surprised to see the man without his alchemist monocle for once. “One at a time, Oswin.”

The miqo’te chuckled, tail swaying this way and that. “He’s an excitable one. Well, first things first, I am Riyi'to Dinahmeih and you are my charge for the foreseeable future. We’re in Bansa, my clan’s home, as for why you're alive, it's because I was there to help you, so I did. Satisfied?”

“You helped us because we were there?” Oswin repeated, confused, “Just like that?”

“Just like that.” Riyi’to said a kind smile on their face. Their ear twitched and they turned to the door. “Ah, Suyah’s here.”

Lo and behold another miqo’te, a woman with her own blindfold approached them, a conjuring wand on her side. Her hair is equally as silver as Riyi’to’s with faint hints of red streaks here and there. Her hair is fluffy, brushing up to her shoulders as she regarded them. She’s dressed in a simple white form fitting shirt and a black flowing pants. In front of her is a ruby carbuncle. 

Riyi’to smiled, calling the carbuncle over. “Well done. Now that you’re here we can work on examining them.”

Suyah gave Riyi’to a raised eyebrow. “ We? You’re a shield healer.”

“A healer is a healer, Datu.” They teased. “Come now, we can make things go by easier.”

Suyah sighed, “I’m only Datu because you guys unanimously agreed to it.”

Riyi’to laughed, light and mischievous. “Worth it.”

With an annoyed sigh and an indulgent smile on her face, she cleared her throat and resumed a professional aura once more. “Let me examine Oswin then Astert, after that you are free to take them around Bansa. Now get out, Riyi’to. You’re going to be a distraction.”

Riyi’to stood up, and waved. “As my Datu commands!”

Suyah huffed and turned back to them. As she examined them, Oswin relaxed enough to ask questions once more.

“Say, what did they mean when they called you ‘Datu’?” 

Suyah hummed. “Datu means leader and the clan has elected me to be our leader. Though, if I’m honest there’s little work actually involved seeing as the clan is only eight people now.”

Astert frowned, and Oswin can the man’s brilliant mind latching onto the topic. “Your clan, tell me more about it. How many were in it once?” 

“About three hundred,” Suyah mused, “Since the Calamity however, our number has dwindled to eight.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Oswin replied, looking away in guilt. 

How many of them died because of the Calamity and how many of them died because of Garlemald?

“...Thank you.” 

She worked in silence before declaring him and Astert fit to walk around for exercise but not yet in the clear to go back to their Castrum on their own. 

“The poisons from the overgrown ivy had weakened you both greatly. Some exercise should do you good but you’re not fit enough to wield a weapon, let alone venture back to your Castrum without aid, and no offense but I’m loathed to have any of my cousins guide you back as they may very well be killed, or captured.”

Astert nodded. “A good call, Datu Suyah.”

Suyah scowled at him. “Not you too!”

“It is your title,” Astert said, a small smile and a playful gleam in his eye that Oswin found rather…fetching. “It would be best to respect that.”

Suyah crossed her arms and flicked her tail before heading out. The door closed behind her though they can clearly hear her calling out for Riyi’to. The door opened and Riyi’to entered, sunlight streaming in behind them. They were grinning as they carried a change of clothes. 

“We tried to salvage your gear as best as we could but for now, we’ll let you wear some of our clothing. I hope you don’t mind wearing these in the meanwhile.”

Their clothing style turns out to be a vest coupled with a wrap around the legs, flowy pants, and stylized shoes. Both he and Astert were wearing black with yellow accents though, which Oswin found curious. Still, the clothing seems to have Astert hesitate in coming out with him. In Oswin’s opinion, Astert looks quite lovely with his chest bared. 

He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to think of his charge with his chest bared. 

“Come, I’m sure you’re eager to see what exactly Bansa looks like,” Oswin urged the medicus. “We can have a good look around, and we might find something to suit what you were searching for before we got into this mess.”

Astert nodded at him, shy before giving him a surer nod. “Right. If I’m right, this area might be perfect for the ingredients I need for an improved recipe.”

“That’s the spirit!” Oswin beamed. 

Together the two exitted the hospital.

Outside, they could better see their warden, Riyi’to waving at them with their carbuncle by their side. “Wonderful, it seems I was right about those measurements. Now, you’re my charges, you will have to stick with me. Luckily, now that you’re both able to walk around, I could use your eyes!”

Curious but well, it’s not as though they have anything better to do. Exchanging a look with Astert, they walked with Riyi’to.

“I presume this is related to the fact you and yours have blindfolds around your eyes?” Astert asked, looking down at the miqo’te.

Riyi’to nodded, still energetic. “You’re correct in that, our clan is mostly made up of Keepers of the Moon, hence our eyes are not fit for sunlight. This wouldn’t be a problem in the central parts of the shroud as it’s covered by the trees, but this side of the mountain isn’t covered by taller trees.”

“‘Mostly’? I thought your clan would be made up of purely Keepers of the Moon, seeing as you’re all relatives.” Oswin asked.

They nodded, “Out of the eight of us, only two of us are non-Keepers, that would be F’enix whose mother was a Seeker of the Sun, while Tseren is an Au Ra, who was adopted into the family after his own tribe, the Orl, scattered.” 

They walked through a bit more trees, passing by different wooden buildings. Some were larger and tall, grandiose in structure while others were small and seemingly innocuous. The only thing consistent is the color scheme being white and green. 

Oswin didn’t know what those buildings were but he was able to identify the training ground, where another miqo’te, a man in the same clothing as them only in bright red, was going through exercises. This guy had his hair closely shaved to his head, flecks of red staining his otherwise silver hair. He can see distinctive claw marks on the side of his face that are bold black and an upside down tear mark on his forehead. 

Come to think of it… Oswin turned his eyes to Riyi’to’s forehead, spotting their own upside down tear mark. They have one too. Except, Suyah’s tear mark was right side up. What’s up with that?

“Hello, Riyi’to!” the man called out, pausing to wave at them. 

“Don’t mind us!” They called back, “We’re just heading to the rice fields, they’re going to help me with tending to it.”

“Oh, good luck then. Tseren and F’enix are there too, so I’m sure they’ll appreciate the help.” 

Riyi’to nodded. “Thank you.”

They smiled, turning to them. “That was my older brother, Riyi’a. It seems we’ll meet Tseren and F’enix at the rice fields, so we’ll at least have help.”

“What exactly do you need our help with the fields for?” Oswin asked, knowing Astert wasn’t the type to ask much if he felt the answer would be made clear in a while.

“We’ll be catching field pests, such as mussels, they’ll be used for dinner tonight.” They explained, “I’ll also need your help in picking out some weeds as well, but there shouldn’t be too much.”

Astert hummed in acknowledgement but didn’t speak. Taking this as a sign that the information was enough, Oswin kept quiet as well. He noted them passing by the larger building this time. He mistook it almost for one of those Far Eastern styled mansions before realizing it wasn’t a mansion but a concert hall of some sort based on what he could see from looking through the opened door.

The door itself was opened as two younger miqo’te, a young boy and a young girl were squabbling. The boy was about the same height as the girl, both of whom were about the height of Riyi’to. The girl had shorter hair, the red staining one side of her bangs distinctly. The boy meanwhile had a windswept hairstyle that looked rather fluffy. While the boy wore something similar to Riyi’a, the girl was wearing something similar to Riyi’to.

“If you needed more resin, you should have mentioned it earlier!”

“Hey, don’t act like I’m the only one who forgot something, monkey! You’re the one who needs a replacement string now.”

Amused, Riyi’to waved at them. “Elih’to, Yuhrna, what’s this about needing supplies?”

The boy paused and flushed, nudging at the girl. “You tell them what happened.”

“No, you.” She nudged back.

Riyi’to sighed. “Elih’to, you first. What are you missing?”

“Erm, one of our guitar’s string broke. I was trying to do the thing you did with aether and sound but I think I overwhelmed it and it snapped.” The boy started.

They nodded and turned to the girl. “And you?”

“My resin cracked but it’s still fine-” “Shut up you monkey, you were literally complaining about it a while ago.” Elih’to scowled.

Yuhrna scowled. “You muppet- ”

“Ahem!” Riyi’to cut them off. “As you were saying?”

Yuhrna at least had the decency to blush. “Erm… When Elih’to broke the string, the soundwave broke my resin.”

“Alright, we’ll add that to the requisitions list, okay you two?” 

Yuhrna nodded alongside Elih’to. The two of them looking perfectly in sync. 

“Oh hey, are those the Garleans?” Elih’to asked, his ears perking up with curiosity. 

Startled, Oswin looked at Riyi’to to see how they would react. Astert had crossed his arms, ready to hear less than favorable things. Riyi’to gestured at them.

“Yes, these are my charges. The hyur is Oswin while the elezen is Astert. I’m taking them to help me with the rice field.” 

Yuhrna hummed, drawing closer to them. “They’re going to be staying?”

“For the time being, yes. They’re still healing so be kind to them. I’ll be properly introducing them to the clan later.” Riyi’to grinned. “And I mean properly.”

Yuhrna frowned. “Awww, really?”

“Yes really, now go on. We’ve enough distractions as it is.” Riyi’to said, urging them along after messing with Elih’to’s hair and patting Yuhrna on the shoulder. 

As they continued walking to the rice fields, Astert couldn’t help but note. “You’re well liked amongst your clan.”

“I would hope so, seeing as I’m their cousin.” Riyi’to replied. “Yuhrna and Elih’to are still quite young, so I hope you don’t judge them for their directness.”

“How young are they, if you don’t mind me asking?” Oswin prodded, eager to learn more about their hosts.

“Fourteen summers, both of them. Though Elih’to was born on the 29th day of the fifth umbral moon and Yuhrna was born much earlier, on the 17th day of the third astral moon.”  Riyi’to smiled, fondly. “They’re both quite tall for their age, aren’t they? And one would think them siblings with how they quibble. But they’re simply cousins.”

They let silence fall again and this time, they held no distractions. Instead, they made it to a beaten path that led to one of the most breathtaking views in Oswin’s life. Tall green mountains lush with life across from them, filled to the brim with trees. White clouds descended overhead, as though obscuring it. When he looked at the rice fields themselves, it reminded him of steps, leading up to the heavens. 

Not all of the fields were being used, most likely because their numbers have dwindled to precious little. Still, the effect was beautiful, with fog descending on the fields as though obscuring it from mortal gaze. His eyes turned to Astert and he drank in the sight of the man’s awe. 

“Welcome to the rice terraces.” Riyi’to said, their voice holding a quiet sort of pride in it. “It used to be that the village was at the bottom of the rice fields but when Baelsar’s Wall was erected, the village moved up. After that, the Calamity only further cemented the relocation of Bansa since we found that the old village was swallowed by the earth.”

Oswin’s eyes roamed the fields, spotting two people that stood out. A young male Au Ra with pale skin and short black hair framing his black horns while on a different field was a young boy with golden hair and a much warmer brown skin tone compared to the cooler browns of the Dinahmeih he had seen thus far. 

“I'm guessing those are Tseren and F’enix?”

“Indeed, come let's get to work. You can meet them properly at dinner time.” 

And so to work they went. The rice wasn't like what Oswin had expected, having previously been stationed in Yanxia before finding his way to the XIVth legion. It's a shame that they're not there to harvest rice today but to catch the pests that lurk in the fields. Riyi'to took up the bulk of the work, grabbing mussels that live in the waters of the paddies. 

He and Astert mostly pointed out where they were while Riyi'to dutifully picked them up. They would put them into a basket then sling it over their shoulder. There was another basket though it was empty that Riyi’to balanced on their head, Oswin’s not sure it’s alright for them to carry it on their head and kept glancing to see if he should offer his help or not.

“Alright, these should be enough to feed the clan!” Riyi'to beamed. “We’ll be making a portion of these into oyster sauce.”

Astert nodded. “Say, are those red roots part of your rice fields?”

Riyi'to frowned. “Red..? Oh, dear I thought we weeded out all of them last night!” 

Oswin stepped to it, curious as he examined it. Red root, no flower, fleshy stem… “Say, Astert, isn't this the plant you needed for your improved recipe?”

“Wait, you mean to tell me-?” Astert rushed to his side, examining the plant. “Yes! These are Red Arrowshoots.”

“If you have need for them, you can have them,” Riyi'to said, picking it out from the field, and handing it to Astert for examination. “The Red Arrowshoots as you called them, had no discernable value aside from being additional food.”

“I needed these for my research.” Astert simply said.

Honestly, Oswin has no idea what that research is, but he's fully supportive of Astert’s aspirations. The man is close to getting promoted from kir to lux. In fact, Oswin recalls learning that the only reason Astert isn't a Primus Medicus yet is because he isn't a pure blooded Garlean.  Then when he joined the XIVth, it was because he lacked experience.

“You can have it then. If you require the tools, then I can provide, and if the tools we have are still wanting then Elih’a should be glad to work on something aside from heaters and his precious bike.” Riyi’to offered.

Astert gave them a glance, “You would offer your own facilities for the enemy’s research?”

Riyi’to tilted their head. “When put like that, then it does sound strange. However, we’re not stupid. The research will be monitored by Shien and I, and what you produce will be checked for the sake of safety.”

Oswin blinked before nodding along. It does make sense… “Still, why offer in the first place, doesn’t this make more work for you?”

“You’re not prisoners.” Riyi’to reminded. “Bansa is close to the Castrum Oriens but we are not the savages you think us to be if you believe we will simply shove you in a darkened cell with no medical aid nor hold you captive. Besides, your work could benefit us as well.”

Astert nodded, relaxing as he looked down at the root. “...Are those your terms then?”

“Yes.” 

“I accept.”

Riyi’to nodded and brought down the basket they had held over their head. “This was for if the other crops were harvestable but we can put your Red Arrowshoot here.”

Watching Astert place the plant in there, Oswin can see his hand shake just a bit. He can tell it’s important, Astert had been insistent on it. It’s the reason they had a bad run in with those overgrown ivies in the first place. 

What exactly is it used for?

“Come, we’ve cleared this area now. Let’s keep going for half a bell then we can prepare the mussels.” Riyi’to said, breaking his line of thought. “I can see Tseren and F’enix finishing up as well.”

With that, Oswin went to work. Though, he wondered if this place would benefit from Lord Gaius. After all, this life can’t exactly be easy. He frowned as he regarded the fields. He knew better, after all Werlyt had seen imperial rule but Gaius…

Gaius made it better. The orphanages were well kept and well funded. The magitek from the Empire was useful and helped in fishing and the like. Life was easier compared to before they had the industrial works of magitek to help them. And while he disagrees with the labels of ‘savages’, he can see why exactly these people may be seen as barbaric. 

They’re doing all fo this by hand, and their eyes can’t work in the daylight. It’s a simple life but they’re so close to the Castrum, war will inevitably be at their doorsteps. Not only that but… They used to be about three hundred people but now only eight of them are left. Who then would they be with? Who then would keep this small village running? 

A hand patted his shoulder, causing him to look up.

“If you’re tired, I can ask Riyi’to to let us leave earlier than planned.” Astert said, soft and gentle. 

Hearing Astert’s low voice whisper gently to him caused him to flush but he shook it off. “I-I’m fine. I’m just… thinking.”

Astert hummed. “I understand, I was much the same. We can speak later after dinner, Riyi’to will leave us be so as to not disturb our rest, or so they said. There’s still much I don’t know about but we’re stuck here for the foreseeable future until we can return to Castrum Oriens.” 

“Right.” Oswin nodded, “We still have much to do for Lord Gaius.”

Riyi’to stood tall, turning to their direction, the two of them realized they had gone further ahead from them. Their host called out to them, waving their hand.

“Are you two alright over there?” 

“We are!” Oswin called back. “Just taking a bit of a break!”

“Alright!” 

Astert and Oswin shared a look that promised to continue the discussion later. For now, they’ll stick to Riyi'to. Night fell soon and they were given a humble meal. There, they met the rest of the Dinahmeihs. 

“So, Tseren right?” Oswin said in greeting. 

Tseren nodded, “You must be Riyi’to’s charge. How are you feeling?”

“Like I got into a fight with a tree and lost.” He remarked drily, smiling as he looked around the Dinahmeih’s home. 

Their home is cozy, for lack of a better term. Its wooden walls are charming and decorated with cloth and paintings. There’s a few carved figurines of animals displayed on shelving alongside snacks and other items. There’s couches in the living room, though the living room seems more like an extension of the dining room than anything else. There’s portraits of the family scattered about, and it’s jarring .

Oswin has never felt more guilty for being in the Garlean army as he is right now, standing in a room full of the people they should be subjugating. From the corner of his eye, he can see Astert speaking with Shien, who introduced herself rather shyly alongside her equally hesitant sister, Ehlin. Meanwhile Elih’a seems to be giving him the stink eye. Understandably wary, he supposes while the younger brother Elih’to was bickering with Yuhrna once again. 

Suyah, Riyi’to, and Arah were in their own little group, sticking close to one another as they chattered away. After Arah had been introduced to them, Riyi’to had given the two of them the go ahead to wander about on their own. It made sense seeing as they’re surrounded by their host’s clan, there’s no fear in them running away.

Tseren laughed. “You did just fight a bunch of overgrown ivy. I’m not surprised. Come, F’enix was curious about you. You mentioned using a lance?”

Oswin nodded. “Yes, though my lance broke in the skirmish. Why?”

“F’enix is interested in trying his hand with one. He works with his fists but he figured it would be fun to try and learn.” Tseren nodded at his younger brother. “He’s a bit excited, so do forgive him.”

Oswin chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’s a fine lad.”

If Oswin were honest, he had picked Tseren because he was used to dealing with Au Ra. Though the Au Ra from Werlyt are Raen, it was still a welcomed familiarity. Imagine his surprise when he learned that Tseren was actually sixteen summers old, only two summers older than his adoptive brother, F’enix! He had apologized, stammering about Tseren’s impressive height only for the lad to grin at him and reassure him it was alright.

Before he knew it, he was sitting with F’enix and Tseren and across Astert, the two of  them balancing out the table as the rest of the Dinahmeih took their seats. Pointedly, the two ends of the table are left untouched, as if in respect for positions he isn’t aware of. 

“So, Tseren said you could tell me more about wielding a lance?”

“That’s right, though I can’t guarantee much since I’m still recovering from my injury.” He replied.

“That’s alright, I just need you to show me the forms. I’ll figure the rest out myself.” The boy reassured him.

Dinner was a surprisingly simple affair. He found himself laughing and talking, learning more about the Dinahemih. The table was never quiet for long as soon one or another would begin speaking or asking about him and Astert. 

“So, what are your exact relations to one another? I know who are siblings with who but what about everyone. Are you all cousins?” Oswin inquired.

Riyi’to grinned, their odd colored eyes of white and red sparkling with amusement. The others seemed to exchange looks of amusement. Astert gave him a look that said he must have unleashed a great evil. But, it can’t be that bad right? Sure there’s eight of the Dinahemih, but besides that they can’t be too complicated.

Right?

“Well, actually. Tseren and F’enix are our nephews. The rest of us are cousins, yes. But their parents were technically also our cousins, despite them benign older than us.” Riyi’to explained. 

Suyah snickered. “Are you going to explain our family tree next?”

F’enix turned his bright, gem-like eyes of red and yellow. “ Do you want to hear about it?”

“Erm- No need, thank you.” Oswin gulped. 

They all laughed and even Astert broke into a small smile. Oswin relaxed, laughing alongside them. Even if he felt a sense of disquiet, knowing that if circumstances were less charitable he wouldn’t ever be surrounded by this cozy little family, he still felt at ease.

And so the days continued in Bansa.