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Green eyes followed Tha'li intently as he spent the last two hours spinning before the full-length mirror, scrutinizing his reflection, only to hiss curses, discard his choices, and dig back through the clothes dumped on the bed for another combination.
The "brilliant" idea of a morale-boosting performance, suggested by one of the twins during a meeting with the Exarch, had been met with enthusiasm by both the Scions and the Exarch himself.
Only the artist himself wasn't exactly brimming with eagerness.
"I'm already saving their world. Why in the seven hells should I give free concerts too?" The muttered complaint from the bard as he finally left the room was heard only by his companion.
"Well, when else would they get to hear such a skilled musician?~ Look at it frrrom another angle—you'll carve yourself deeper into local legends~," came the guttural purr. The sound made Tha'li's ear twitch involuntarily, and he shot an annoyed look at the speaker:
"So saving the world isn't enough?"
"Herrroes who supporrrt people with the power of crrreation, not just destruction... are always morrre beloved in the tales. You're a barrrd—you know this," T'suzima's broad palm slid up the Keeper's back, pulling him close by the waist.
Tha'li flattened his ears irritably, looking away, the tip of his long tail lashing from side to side, mirroring its owner's emotions.
"You'll be fine. And we'll make those little shits pay," the blond lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper and winked at Tha'li, who turned towards him. After a brief pause, Tha'li huffed and nodded.
T’suzima stretched, joints cracking.
First, the ballad debate went nowhere. Now, silent observer duty. He’d tried to help—but it wasn’t enough. Tha'li shot him an irritated look:
"Help instead of staring!"
"And prrrolong your fussing?~" the Seeker couldn't resist teasing the bard, who was always a bit nervous before a major performance.
"Bastard," Tha'li grumbled under his breath, turning back to critically examine himself in the mirror. He was almost satisfied with the result...
Crrrrrrack!
...when the shirt ripped treacherously and loudly along the seam.
"Seven hells!" The Keeper, who had just begun to calm down, flared up again, fumbling angrily with the buttons of the offending garment and cursing everything in sight: "Infuriating! And those two with their stupid ideas!.. And this thrice-damned cloth!.. Stop looking at me like that!"
"Yeah, that was bound to happen…" the pirate muttered under his breath, mentally rolling his eyes.
"What?!"
"I said, let me sew it," T'su raised his hands placatingly, rising from the chair. "Don't yank so harrrd, you'll rip the buttons off…"
"I don't need your commentary!" Tha'li's tail whipped against his calves, his ears pressed tightly to his head.
The blond closed the distance in three strides and enveloped Tha'li in an embrace, immediately burying his nose in the short dark hair:
"Darrrling, we'll fix the shirrrt—and legends will surely include yourrr impeccable style~ It'll be fine~"
The Keeper squirmed in the embrace, swearing and flicking his ears:
"I can sew it myself, stop treating me like a princess!"
"Never doubted your skills," T'su rumbled, his warm breath ghosting over Tha'li's neck, in no hurry to release the irate bard. "But let me help you."
Silence fell, broken less than a minute later by a still-grumpy, "Fine, you can help." T'su smirked and, giving the bard a quick kiss below the ear, pulled back to help him remove the ill-fated garment. The pirate couldn't resist running the very tips of his slightly extended claws down the other Miqo'te's spine to the base of his tail, immediately earning an angry hiss from Tha'li. Winking, the blond retrieved the sewing kit from the wardrobe and moved towards the bed while Tha'li, turning back to the mirror, carefully removed his jewelry. Placing the box on the bedside table, T'su casually brushed aside some clothes lying on the bed with his free hand. As he started to sit down, he saw the expression change on Tha'li's face as the Keeper whirled around, hand shooting up to stop him—hopelessly too late.
CRUNCH.
The sound reached both Miqo'te's ears from somewhere beneath the clothes, and T'su now felt the angular violin pegs digging painfully into his thigh through the fabric.
"Bloody hell!" The thought flashed through the Seeker's mind as his ears pinned back in alarm and he looked guiltily at the bard. There was no doubt a storm was brewing.
Sea devil take my carelessness!
"So this is how you decided to help me, huh?" Tha'li's voice held growling undertones, and the narrowed violet eyes promised no good.
"I-I'll fix it.." T'su mumbled, aware of how pathetic it sounded.
"Fix it?! Like you just 'fixed' it?!" his partner snarled, baring his fangs. "You were just trying to make sure I couldn't play at all!"
"But Tha'li..." the pirate made another attempt to apologize, frustration warring with guilt.
"What 'Tha'li', what?! What am I supposed to do without my violin now, you 'helpful' bastard?!"
"What in the seven hells were your precious instrruments doing on the bed if they're so imporrrtant, huh?" the blond snapped back, unwilling to shoulder blame for things that weren't his fault.
"They were fine until you sat on them and smashed them to the thrice-damned void! Get out, before you break something else!" Tha'li hissed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "How could it possibly get any worse?! You've done enough!"
Anger and hurt darkened the pirate's green eyes, but lacking the desire for a full-blown row, he rose from the bed. With an unerring movement, he fished the ill-fated violin out of the pile of clothes. Tossing a curt "Well then, good luck," at his partner, he headed for the door.
"Where are you taking the violin?!"
"To fix it. I'll brrring it back."
Staring at the door that slammed shut behind T'su for a few seconds, Tha'li cursed again and turned his gaze to the bed. If he wanted to sleep anywhere but a bench tonight, this mess needed clearing.
And I still have to sew that damned shirt! May it rot!
Sighing, the Miqo'te set to work. Methodically folding the clothes back into the wardrobe proved surprisingly calming. By the time the bed was clear and the clothes back in place, the bard realized that only a faint shadow of his earlier nervous anticipation for the event remained – the worry that T'suzima might not fix the violin in time, or at all.
Still, problems were best dealt with as they arose.
Finishing the repairs on the shirt, the Keeper straightened up, stretching with a crack of joints, and carefully hung it on the back of the chair where the rest of his outfit was already laid out.
Well, guess it's time for bed... at least until the Seeker shows up.
***
A quick glance at the gathered audience picked out almost all the Scions... but the pirate wasn't among them. The Keeper frowned slightly: it was very unlike his partner to miss something important to the bard.
I'll think about that later. The show must go on!
However, even finishing his performance peacefully wasn't in the cards – midway through the ballad, the alarm signal blared, forcing an abrupt end.
It seemed Vauthry had indeed sent Sin Eaters after them, just as the Scions had suspected during one of their recent meetings.
While the Crystarium was protected by the aetherial barrier powered by the Crystal Tower, the other settlements in Lakeland were inevitably vulnerable.
Peace? Just a pipe dream…
Rushing back to his room and changing into his combat gear, the bard headed for a small aetheryte. He placed his hand on it, activating the crystal and visualizing the location of its counterpart at the other end of the city, near the amaro launch point.
T'suzima was still nowhere to be seen. The anxious Miqo'te posed his troubling question to one of the twins who happened to be nearby. But the answer came from an unexpected quarter – before Alisaie could reply, the flight dispatcher interrupted:
"Pardon the interruption... but I believe your friend departed for the Ostall Imperative this morning."
"What in the hells does he need there?!"
But at least it was something. Tha'li looked up at the heavy dark clouds threatening imminent rain.
Perfect weather…
The lizardman shrugged in response to the bard's outburst and clarified:
"I assume you'll be heading the same way. Please, here are some available amaro."
Nodding in thanks, Tha'li mounted one of the winged beasts alongside the twins. Obeying the reins, the amaro launched swiftly from the platform.
They hadn't even passed the Exarch Gate before the rain began.
"Wonderful weather for this mess," the bard grumbled under his breath, pulling up his jacket collar and double-checking his quiver.
Hope we're not too late to help.
A shiver of foreboding, like icy pinpricks, raced down his spine, making him shrug his shoulders in an attempt to dispel it.
Near Radisca's Round, things seemed momentarily calm, as far as could be judged from above. But further along the road to the Ostall Imperative, battle raged – the clash of steel and the occasional booming shot were audible even from the air.
"Company!" came a shout from near the twins, and a moment later the air lit up with the flash of a spell striking down one of the Sin Eaters.
Almost in unison came the screech of another fiend hit by a different spell.
Time to land. We're too exposed up here.
The bard cast a quick glance at the creatures he'd shot down and guided his restless amaro towards the local flight manager for landing. Leaving the beasts in the keeper's care with the twins, the Miqo'te surveyed the battlefield slightly below, pinpointing areas where help would be most crucial. Then, moving from the launch pad onto the fort wall, he joined the fray.
The vantage point offered an excellent view, so Tha'li wasn't in a hurry to descend, picking off enemies from the wall. A little further down the road, near the outpost entrance where the main fighting was concentrated, his gaze locked onto familiar figures – Thancred and T'suzima, looking rather battered among the local soldiers, with Urianger covering the reckless pair nearby. Spotting them brought the Keeper a measure of relief – he could breathe a little easier and focus more on the battle.
There were swarms of fiends; the garrison was barely holding the line, let alone counterattacking. The appearance of a clearly stronger Sin Eater than the others explained why the lesser ones fought with such frenzied intensity – it was like the leader of the pack.
Dealing with him should make things easier.
The creature shielded its vulnerable spots with an arm against the arrows flying its way. Almost instantly, ignoring the minor damage, it slashed its sword through the air, tracing a cross of light that struck the wall beneath the bard a couple of seconds later, shattering the stone into large chunks. The shockwave stunned and disoriented the Miqo'te, who had reflexively tried to grab the protective parapet as one edge slid into the fissure – only to upset its precarious balance.
Still stunned – and now by the fall as well – Tha'li was momentarily out of the fight. He barely registered the garrison soldiers trying to reach him through the now-thinned ranks of Sin Eaters; they only succeeded in drawing the fiends' attention. The swooping leader forced them to fall back along with the smaller creatures snapping at their heels.
The winged creature studied the gradually recovering bard and raised its sword.
A thin wave of aether, sliding towards the Keeper, suddenly coalesced into a dome of spiked shield protecting him. The sword struck against it with a BANG!
The Eater, already beginning to turn, roared furiously – a shot had damaged its wing and shoulder. It parried the rapid gunblade strike that followed barely a second later. T'su, not giving the winged terror time to recover, unleashed a barrage of blows, driving it away from the nearly recovered Tha'li.
Rubbing the bridge of his nose and shaking his head to clear it, the bard felt around for his bow, which had flown off nearby. He rolled out from under the Seeker's feet, not wanting to be a hindrance, then scrambled up and loosed several arrows at the Sin Eater. Enraged by the pain, the fiend redoubled its attacks on T'su, easily shifting from defense to counter-offensive. An aetherial shield that sprang up to protect the gunbreaker softened the force of the Eater's blow, giving him a moment to gather his strength – clearly depleted after the prolonged fighting. Out of the corner of his eye, Tha'li saw Thancred and Urianger rushing to help.
BANG! The report of the second gunblade echoed. The creature's severed wing fell to the ground, followed moments later by its owner, landing heavily but no less dangerous on the ground.
Outnumbered four to one, it was clearly struggling. Yet the Sin Eater wasn't ready to yield. After half a minute of stalemate, it suddenly struck out in a wide arc with the flat of its blade, scattering its opponents – Thancred flew unceremoniously into the Astrologian, knocking him down, while T'suzima received the considerably less gentle embrace of the stone wall, the impact driving all the air from his lungs.
What happened next seemed to unfold in slow motion.
The bowstring gave a soft twang as another arrow flew towards the Sin Eater lunging for the still-stunned Seeker. The shot proved fatal for the Eater, but it completed its strike, its blade pinning the gunbreaker to the stonework. The bard caught sight of T'su's wide eyes and the blood that sprayed from his mouth.
NO! No, no, no!
The fiend dissolved into motes of light along with its weapon – and a moment later, the pirate collapsed heavily to the ground. Tha'li, rushing towards him, froze mid-stride after only a step, as if hitting an invisible wall – a cocoon woven of light and feather-like wisps suddenly enveloped the Seeker.
"Don't you dare... damn you... don't you dare..." the Miqo'te whispered, his voice hoarse and trembling, ears low, staring with a kind of bleak resignation at the scene unfolding literally before his eyes.
"Tha'li! Get away from there!" Urianger's voice sounded muffled, as if through thick cotton. "Now!"
A couple of seconds later, the cocoon burst. The light-dust was dispersed by a heavy beat of wings, revealing to the stunned Scions the being that, mere minutes ago, had been their comrade.
Outwardly, the pirate hadn't changed drastically: his skin and clothes had taken on an alabaster hue, his long hair was disheveled over his shoulders and back, the lower half of his face hidden behind a solid gold mask. His once-green eyes were now a deep gold, and his legs more closely resembled bestial paws.
And all this magnificence was roughly three times the size of the former T'suzima.
The Sin Eater shifted its weight, gripping bright, glowing daggers tightly, and shook its head in a painfully familiar motion... as if trying to dispel an illusion. Its attentive golden gaze swept the battlefield, passing over the Scions slowly backing away, finally settling on the figure of the bard, who, defying all logic, hadn't hurried to retreat with the others... and Tha'li would have sworn he saw a flicker of recognition in those eyes.
The Sin Eater tensed for an attack, but the next moment it let out a guttural growl, shaking its head violently, ears pinned back, tail lashing against its legs – a clear struggle was taking place within its consciousness. The Keeper recalled that some victims of the Sin Eaters could retain fragments of their former selves for a short time after transformation, before becoming mindless beasts.
It seemed the Seeker was trying to help... even on the brink of oblivion.
The creature froze for a moment, then looked at Tha'li again. Its eyes held resolve and desperate pleading – and the bard understood he had critically little time. Not tearing his gaze from the Eater, the Miqo'te, blinking away tears, reached for an arrow.
The last one... how ironic...
As he raised his bow, his hands shook violently with overwhelming emotion. But as if by magic, the moment he aimed, the trembling stopped. An infinitely long second passed, eyes locked.
Forgive me.
Thwang.
***
Tha'li didn't immediately realize he was in his own bed in his room. His heart still hammered like a drum, the pleading gaze of golden eyes still burned behind his lids, and tremors from the lingering emotions still wracked him.
What, was it a dream?! Or did it all really happen and I...
Ugh...
The Keeper pressed his palms to his temples, massaging them. His thoughts continued to race like crazed tom-cats, replaying the emotions, and he couldn't stand it. Finding no better idea than disturbing his partner in the middle of the night, he wrapped himself in his robe and, barefoot as he was, headed for T'su's door, nearly breaking into a run.
Bam-bam-bam!
His fist ached from the intensity of his knocking, but Tha'li didn't notice, straining to hear any reaction from inside.
Silence... Could it not have been a dream?!..
His heart plummeted to his boots. Disregarding all propriety, the Keeper pounded on the door again, praying silently that the pirate had simply missed the first knock.
BAM-BAM-BAM!
"Yeah, coming..." a disgruntled, sleepy grumble reached the Miqo'te's sharp ears, followed by the sound of footsteps. "No need to break the doorrr down."
A second later, the door opened, revealing the sleepily squinting Seeker rubbing his face with one hand.
"Tha'li?" T'su finally registered the identity of his late-night visitor and blinked in confusion, trying to shake off sleep. "What's wrrrong so late..."
The bard didn't let him finish. Ears flat, he shoved him in the chest:
"It's all your fault!"
The pirate's face reflected genuine bewilderment and surprise. He opened his mouth to say something, but the look on the bard's face made him reconsider – a bizarre mix of fear and relief that Tha'li was trying to mask with his usual expression, while his ears never stayed still, flicking almost vertically upright one moment, pressed flat the next. The pirate thought for exactly one second, then yanked his partner inside and closed the door.
"Hey, what happened? You look like you've seen a ghost," the now-turned Seeker gripped Tha'li's shoulders firmly, looking at him with concern.
The violin couldn't be the reason, surely? He'd have brought it back in the morning...
The touch felt entirely real, calming the bard somewhat... and making him feel incredibly foolish.
Barging into your partner's room in the middle of the night because of a nightmare... very smart, Tha'li!
After a few seconds of silence, glancing up at the pirate from under his brow, the bard lowered his ears guiltily:
"A nightmare."
T'su tilted his head slightly, still staring intently at the Keeper:
"Must’ve been a hell of one, if you came here…"
The bard flinched at the mere memory of the dream, which had been terrifyingly realistic.
Thank the Twelve it was just a dream...
Closing his eyes, Tha'li leaned forward slightly, resting his forehead against the Seeker's shoulder:
"Yeah. There... you died... twice."
The bewildered pirate was silent for a moment, digesting this, then asked needlessly:
"Once I get. But twice? How'd I manage that?"
"You... became a Sin Eater," the bard mumbled into the pirate's shoulder, ears pressed down. "And... I... I had to kill you."
By the end of the sentence, Tha'li was speaking very quietly, feeling deeply uncomfortable. T'su, still holding his shoulders, felt him trembling – clearly reliving the nightmare.
Damn it...
Embracing the Keeper, T'suzima gave him a quick kiss below the ear.
"I said I'd fix the violin. Didn't need such a rrrradical solution to the prrroblem," came the partner's awkward joke.
The Keeper's ears shot upright for a second. Then he straightened up and gave the pirate a light shove with his fist, feigning a stern frown:
"You are utterly insufferable, you know that?"
"Firrrst I've heard of it," T'su grinned slyly, his ears flicking. "Violin's fixed, by the way. Good as new."
"Thanks. Well... I guess I'll go..." Tha'li tried to sound confident, but apparently didn't succeed very well, because the Seeker, flicking an ear, smoothly interrupted him:
"...to bed, so you'll be rrrrested and ready for the perrformance tomorrow."
"Hey!"
"And I'll be right here to keep the nightmarrres at bay," the pirate bared his fangs in a grin. "Argue, and I'll carry you there."
"Arrogant bastard!"
"Guilty as charrrged~"
Falling asleep in the warm embrace of the Seeker, lulled by his quiet throaty purring, Tha'li managed one last thought: that fate sometimes chose inhumane ways to remind you to cherish what you held before it vanished like smoke.
On that thought, the bard finally drifted off, clutching the pirate's hand like an anchor.