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It was a simple routing mission—Arya and Alys staring down a horde of Gigas as X’rhun watched over the duo.
Alys fired off a Veraero II into a Verthunder II, to which Arya sighed before giggling and then locking into the enemy, firing off her own Verthunder II into Scatter. A batch of the horde fell as the resplendent crimson shards dispersed, to which Arya smirked.
“Don’t let up just yet!” X’rhun called out, another horde of Gigas and Hapalits on the horizon as Alys went to put away his rapier.
Alys fired at the enemy with a Contre Sixte before X’rhun called out once more.
“Now cast Acceleration into Scatter!” X’rhun commanded, pointing to the incoming crowd.
Alys shrugged in confusion but followed up to the best of his abilities.
As a batch of the Gigas were felled once more, Alys noticed the enemies beginning to slowly encroach on Arya’s space as her spells stilled.
Damn it. I can’t let her get hurt. Alys thought, readying to lunge out at the crowd before an impulsive idea occurred to him.
Now was the time to act.
The enemies closed in near Arya as not a spell left her rapier. Arya shook with fear, looking towards the Hapalit that had its claw raised as it was poised to attack.
In that moment, Alys fired off a Verthunder II as he slid with his run, bounding towards Arya at such a speed Arya could not help but turn to look in fear.
As the Hapalit brought down its claw, Alys dove in, scooping Arya up in his grasp as he looked at the voidsent, somehow firing off a Scatter on his own as he came closer to the ground.
As Alys and Arya landed on the ground, a couple loud booms pealed out, to which the source made itself apparent.
“Get yourselves to safety, you two.” X’rhun beckoned to the pair, Alys guiding Arya up while noting a shaken yet noticeable blush on the Midlander’s face.
As the enemies turned their attention to X’rhun, it was within a few seconds that the horde dropped to the ground in defeat as X’rhun underwent Manafication and slashed out an Enchanted Moulinet combo with his imbued blade.
But as Alys and Arya watched X’rhun fell the enemy, Alys began to worry about Arya. Was she hurt? Was she okay from having the enemy that close?
Alys’s eyes turned to where the claw seemed to have met with Arya, noticing the tear in Arya’s red dress-coat that exposed her pink undercoat.
“Are you alright?” Alys stammered as he noticed the mild rending of Arya’s coat, “I thought I’d saved you from that attack, but some sign of damage remains.”
Arya nodded shakily, then meeting Alys’s eyes before blushing, mainly from the gallant action she realized Alys had done for her.
Once the coast had finally cleared, X’rhun nodded to Alys and Arya, “Let’s head back now. Training is over for today.”
With a sigh, Arya’s eyes lowered to the ground, her face growing to a frown.
The walk back to Mor Dhona was mostly quiet, however Alys and X’rhun went for a more jovial route.
“None of that was your fault, Arya. We all have our starts; and perhaps I feel that we would’ve been better practiced on the remaining Garlean forces by the Castrum.” X’rhun softly smiled, “Us red mages do have low moments, but that is where we tap into our Lucid Dreaming!”
Alys cursed himself however, balling his fist up before sighing after a moment. “Had I been better with my magics, you wouldn’t have been in harm’s way. Instead, I feel like I chose the weakest option when I thought it was most efficient. I feel I’m to fault for this.”
Arya shook her head in denial, “It’s not your fault, Alys. Nor is it yours, X’rhun. I know I’m growing as a red mage, but it can be daunting facing hordes of enemies like that. I just feel bad because I want to get stronger—no, I want to get better at my mastery over black and white magics. I don’t want to cower in fear at the enemy but face them head-on.”
“And you will get better.” X’rhun smiled at the pair, “You both are still growing as Arya said. It just takes practice.”
Upon returning to town, Arya fretted with the tear in her coat as she approached the bench by the aetheryte.
“Wait.” Alys looked to Arya as she fidgeted with her torn coat nervously. “X’rhun, would you by chance know if there’s anywhere…”
Alys then had a realization before facepalming.
I had forgotten about the Rising Stones.
“I’ll go check if Tataru is willing to give us use of the sideroom.” Alys nodded before walking to the Rising Stones, leaving Arya and X’rhun in the plaza.
X’rhun looked to Arya, who was looking towards Alys in confusion.
“What’s he going to do?” Arya wondered, continuing to fret with her slightly rended coat.
After a few moments, Alys returned with a smile and a nod.
“Hm. Well, we could use a bit of respite after that training session.” X’rhun sighed with a smile, walking with Arya towards the entrance of the Rising Stones.
Alys led his mentor and co-mentee into Dawn’s Respite where he then encouraged Arya to sit down, X’rhun then standing aside as he watched what Alys would do.
In a moment, Alys had reached for a needle and pulled out a kit of various threads, comparing them again and again until he found a thread that matched with the Dalamud red of Arya’s coat.
Arya modestly shook her head, “No, no. Don’t worry about my coat. I can get it mended by a local or—“
Without hesitation, Alys gave Arya a gentle smile, “You don’t need to pay me back for this. Besides, what is it X’rhun teaches us?”
“Regardless of the circumstances, a red mage must strive to achieve the greatest good.” Arya replied with a slight mumble, while X’rhun proudly spoke, amazed that one of his proteges would take his words in such a direction.
As Alys finished his words, he took to threading up Arya’s coat, his needle doing its own Corps-a-Corps into Displacement as it bound the fabrics back together. The needle danced with such precision that it almost seemed taught.
X’rhun’s eyes traced over to Alys’s threading and stumbled on a moment of realization.
“Alys… would you perchance know a…”
Alys turned his head up to X’rhun before the older Miqo’te lightly chuckled as he closed his eyes for a moment, the vision of his old Studium days with a similarly lavender haired Elezen man and another white haired Elezen man entering his mind.
“Never mind, don’t mind me.” X’rhun smiled softly.
That one of my proteges would be an old colleague’s son, X’rhun thought to himself, If the lad knows his father’s technique, that must mean you’re still out there.
Continuing to thread, Alys thought to himself as he mended together more of the tear of Arya’s coat, keeping his father’s technique at the back of his mind. In that moment, Alys looked up as Arya looked back down, the two meeting eyes before they both blushed and looked away.
Arya looked back at the Elezen as he returned to his work, then remembering how Alys had dove in to save her from the Hapalits, though the slash ultimately rended her coat—Alys had saved her life from that slash.
“Why’d you save me from that attack?” Arya asked as she played with her hair, “You were at danger too in that moment.”
Alys looked up once more from his work at Arya, “It wouldn’t have been right for me to leave you in the bight of the attack. Besides, you’re a dear friend of mine, though I’ve only known you for about a year or so.”
The words ate at Arya, given the gallant action that made her heart stir, “I… I see.”
The dive that saved her life and the fact that Alys insisted on mending her coat made Arya feel some sort of way, putting her hand to her heart. The words dear friend and the feeling Arya felt in that moment juxtaposed; was this feeling of love reasonable enough to feel after knowing someone for around a year?
Arya shook off the growing heat to her cheeks, all the while, X’rhun sighed to himself.
Destroyer and Scholar be damned, X’rhun thought as he looked on at the Elezen’s density and the Midlander’s noticeable realization of her feelings, These kids are helpless.
The thread had finished mending the fabrics together as Alys knotted and snipped up the remaining string. “All better now; almost like new.”
“Th… Thank you.” Arya modestly smiled as she felt over the patched-up tear, surprised at its accuracy. Gratitude surged within her in the moment as she looked at Alys, action before thought clicking in as she went in to hug Alys for his work.
As Alys was caught in the sudden embrace of Arya’s arms, the Elezen’s face went flush red as he nervously grinned. Perhaps he was more touch starved than he had thought.
“I’m… glad you liked my work, Arya. I’m willing to help you anytime.” Alys shakily acknowledged Arya’s gratitude as he processed the hug, “Let me know if you need anything else mended!”
X’rhun groaned to himself in embarrassment as he watched the pair of his twenty-something apprentices act as though they were unknowing lovebirds, Just kiss already, you two.
As Arya and Alys got to their feet, X’rhun began to walk towards the door, “We can do a little bit of debrief in the main lounge for today and report back to Rowena. Does that sound good for today?”
Alys and Arya agreed, and within a few minutes, X’rhun had discussed with his apprentices what to work on for next lesson as he also noted the strong points of each of his apprentices fighting styles and what worked well.
As the debrief concluded, Alys thanked X’rhun and nodded to Arya in an odd gratitude for letting them mend her coat, then proceeding to teleport away as Sirius, Selenia, Aella, Praxis, and Frani had been awaiting Alys in Gridania to discuss the report about Baelsar’s Wall.
When Alys was gone and X’rhun had went his own way for the day, Arya sat on the bench by the aetheryte and looked up to the sky, thinking about how training went for the day. However, Arya’s mind tossed over the actions Alys did for her, again and again.
Arya never fell for anyone before; yet something inside of her knew that her feelings for the Elezen had been growing. Someone she felt she knew for only a year.
No, something about that last bit sounded wrong. But why?
Perhaps Alys’s face had seemed familiar; the Elezen’s face in her mind called to her as she remembered a moment and had put the pieces together.
All that Arya knew was that she was in love. She was in deep.