Work Text:
-Meteor-
“They believe that all words are merely lies. The Qestiri way is to show your intentions through your actions. Nothing else shall suffice for them.”
The Qestir were true to this saying. For all the travels that Meteor had embarked on, she could honestly say this was the first time she had ever seen a group of people who literally never spoke.
It was a bit unnerving when she had first arrived at Reunion, the trading hub for the people of The Azim Steppe. Even though they never spoke, they were technically the tribe in charge of Reunion, and the other tribes seemed to respect this. It was mostly apparent in that no violence was permitted, and Meteor could say the closest she ever saw anyone come to blows was when two merchants had argued over some goods.
Being fairly quiet herself, it was a bit of a relief. Meteor was the Warrior of Light, and this title came with lots of attention, not all of it positive. While she was more than able to handle herself, it was sometimes tiring being involved in so many interactions. Most of the time, she remained silent and merely nodded her head in agreement.
While in the course of perusing Reunion’s various stalls, she had come upon another who was a visitor to the Azim Steppe. Their similarities ended there, however, as he was a merchant who was desperate to strike up a business relationship in the area.
He had tried convincing the Qestir of his idea, and they had merely been irritated by him and his incessant talking. Meteor intervened, and eventually, the merchant learned to respect the customs and culture of those who frequented Reunion, and was allowed clearance.
While that was fortunate, Meteor found that the real fortune was meeting the niece of the Qestir tribe’s ruler.
Cotota was the one in charge of the market, while her uncle Iturgen ruled over the tribe itself. She was quiet like the rest of her tribe, but something about her caught Meteor’s attention.
She was gentle and kind, something that the Warrior of Light appreciated with how much violence and chaos was in her life. When attempting numerous gestures to gain her trust to help out the frustrated merchant, Cotota had chuckled to herself with a glimmer in her eyes that Meteor found adorable.
She also found her acceptance of the merchant admirable, as he had been a bit annoying at first, but she had ultimately recognized his newfound determination to adhere to Reunion’s customs as he did business here.
Meteor found herself wanting to keep Cotota’s gaze on her. But what to do? She obviously couldn’t engage in small talk. Actions spoke louder than words, and that was especially true in this instance. What would attract the other woman’s attention? What would have those eyes linger on her?
The first step in any investigation was reconnaissance. Meteor figured she should at least interact with the Cotota to see if she could glean any clues from her behavior.
Entering the hut, Meteor bowed slightly at its occupants. Khan Iturgen’s eyes sparkled in recognition, while his bodyguard regarded her warily with a curt nod.
Looking to the left, Meteor spied the person she was searching for.
Cotota’s expression warmed as their gazes connected. Meteor made her way over, attempting to exude her usual quiet confidence. People were attracted to confidence, right?
Meteor lifted a hand in greeting once she made it over to Cotota, and her gaze seemed to brighten, indicating a fond greeting from her.
Now this was the difficult part. Meteor knew Cotota essentially ran the market at Reunion, so she would probably appreciate help with that. However, though Meteor had gained the trust of the Qestir, she was still an outsider, so her help might not be welcome. The only way to know for sure was to ask, in the Qestiri fashion of course.
Meteor tilted her head questioningly, gestured towards the market area, then pointed to herself, hoping the offer of help was clear.
Thankfully, Cotota seemed to both understand and be accepting of the help being offered. She moved towards the exit, gesturing that the Warrior of Light should walk with her. Meteor eagerly followed.
Cotota approached one of the merchants, who seemed to be bothered by something. In fact, he didn’t even notice their approach. He was muttering to himself, looking between a sheaf of business papers and his supplies.
After a few moments, Cotota tapped the man’s shoulder gently, causing him to jump in surprise.
“Oh! My apologies! I was lost in thought for a moment.” Looking up, he saw whom he was speaking to and immediately went silent. He scratched the back of his head, clearly questioning what Cotota was doing here.
Cotota gestured towards Meteor, who waved in greeting. The merchant nodded waving back. She stepped forward and pointed to what he was holding.
The merchant’s eyes lit up in understanding, and he handed Meteor the papers. Looking through them, she saw that there was a delay in shipment for some of his supplies, and that the cause was a disruption on the trade route. The disruption itself was unclear, but was reported to most likely be an attack from the nearby monsters.
Aha. Monster-slaying and recovering lost goods. That was definitely something Meteor could handle.
She handed the papers back and nodded, placing a hand over her heart. She then jerked her head to indicate her sword that was sheathed at her hip, telling him how she planned to deal with this.
The merchant smiled, then looked in the direction of where the disruption was occurring. It seemed to be north of Reunion. Meteor knew there were some dangerous creatures along that particular route.
Meteor turned to Cotota and nodded, pointing towards the path. She nodded as well.
The Warrior of Light made her way to the gate, slowly unsheathing her samurai blade as soon as she stood outside Reunion’s borders. While Reunion itself forbid violence, outside its walls was a completely different story, and Meteor had to be ready for anything.
Before making the long trek, she turned one last time towards the market, and saw that Cotota was watching her. Noticing the warrior’s attention, the woman’s eyes widened as she turned away shyly, quickly making her way back into her hut.
Meteor smiled to herself.
What a cute reaction.
-A While Later After Some Canon-Typical Violence-
Meteor returned an hour later, carrying what felt like dozens of bags filled with bricks. Her clothes had some blood caked onto them, but other than looking a bit gross, she was none the worse for wear.
Evidently, the rest of the merchants had heard about her task, and she was greeted warmly at Reunion’s gates. There were cheers, and some even clapped her on the back, causing her to stumble a bit due to the weight of what she was carrying.
“Thank you so much, brave warrior!” The man from earlier came running up, immediately relieving the warrior of her burden. “You’ve quite literally saved my business. How can I repay you?”
Meteor grinned at him. “No repayment necessary, friend. I’m just happy to help.” She looked around, wondering if Cotota was there as well.
Only when the crowd dispersed did she see the woman, standing there looking at her with warm eyes.
Trying not to seem too eager, Meteor rushed over to her. Placing her hand over her heart, she bowed to Cotota, wanting to show her a chivalrous side.
What she wasn’t expecting when she straightened up was for Cotota to wrap her arms around her in a surprisingly enthusiastic hug. Though she was startled, Meteor remembered to return the embrace, reveling in her warmth.
After a moment that ended much too soon, Cotota let go of Meteor, a blush evident on her face. The Warrior of Light smiled.
Cotota looked around. Confused, so did Meteor, when the other woman surprised her yet again.
A soft hand was placed delicately on her face, causing Meteor to look back at Cotota. The Au Ra woman’s eyes seemed to soften as her blush deepened. Meteor could feel her face burning in a similar fashion.
It seemed that she had captured the attention she so craved.
Cotota slowly removed her hand and turned away, making her way back into her hut. Before she went inside, she looked back at Meteor, who was suddenly overcome with the amount of attention she was receiving from her. She looked away, scratching the back of her head.
But when she returned her gaze, she saw Cotota laughing to herself before slipping back inside the hut.