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They stared at her, speechless, until Gosetsu's loud, incredulous laugh shook dust down from the dirt walls. "All this time you have been in Doma, you have not had one sip of saké?!"
The girl shook her head.
"Unbelievable!"
Hien waited for a lull in the laughter to wave her over to the table. "Shall we fix that for you, my friend?"
Of course, Gosetsu was already pouring her a cup. Even while drunk, his hands were steady, and he filled the ochoko to the brim without a single spill. Liborette sat down on the empty stool beside Hien, scooted close to the table. She poked at a chip in the rim.
"Go on," Hien said. "Should you dislike it, trust me... someone else shall finish it off."
Gosetsu winked. Yugiri smiled and shook her head.
While lifting the cup to her lips, some saké sloshed into her lap. They all watched her face, looking for even the smallest shift in her expression. Alas, Liborette was placid as ever... but she did tip her head back, and back, exposing her neck. It was kind of captivating, watching each gulp go down. Her long eyelashes rested on her cheeks as she licked from the edge the very last drop.
"Well?" asked Gosetsu. A curt nod was enough to make him to cackle and fill her cup anew.
Hien grinned at her, at everyone seated with him on this eve of destiny. Tomorrow they would storm the castle and everything would change— hopefully for the better. Definitely for the better! Each day he fought to keep thoughts of defeat far from his mind. Whether or not this night was his last, he cherished it all the same: good company, good drink, and finally good tidings for the nation he was born to rule.
The turn of fate in their favour, he knew, was mostly thanks to Liborette. He should have congratulated her sooner— someone, anyone should have. Wartime precluded most festivities, but alcohol was always on offer, and this was the sort of woman people toasted for. The Warrior of Light, he'd heard, was her Eorzean moniker. The way she shone on the battlefield, the optimism she inspired in everyone she met... Yes, the sight of her surging forward, sword in hand, reminded Hien of clouds parting to reveal the sun.
Otherwise, he would liken her to an ember. An ember that, on command, roared into a wall of flames. What began as a single spark devoured whole forests— whole legions of enemies— leaving naught behind but ash and bone. And there in the wasteland she would stand, only a little ember again, a spot of chocobo-yellow on endless black. With someone else's blood on her face, she would look up at him with innocent eyes. Waiting for the next command. Eager to kill again. To keep from fearing her, Hien thanked the kami she was on their side.
"Should we add drinking to your lengthy list of skills?" he mused.
"I think not, my lord." Yugiri, who rarely laughed aloud, had pure amusement creeping into her voice. He followed her gaze to Liborette, totally flushed, swaying like a branch in the wind beside him. The girl squinted back at him, as if trying to consolidate two or three blurry copies of his face.
All he could do was laugh.
When she listed too far to the side, towards the floor, Hien swooped to catch her. She was obviously petite, no taller than those Sharlayan twins, but to actually touch her made it too obvious. How could such strength reside in such a small body? Anyone would wonder. But, for the moment, the smoke of destruction, the shadow of raw power... Every fear Hien held of her evaporated.
"Whoops...! Are you all right?"
She nodded... or mayhap nodded off. She wouldn't nuzzle into the furred lapel of his dōgi if she was awake, would she? So there went any chance of her sitting up again. To spare her from sagging between two chairs, he pulled her (with one hand— she weighed so little) into his lap, where she flopped against him like a small sack of rice.
"It would seem our friend is done for the night."
"She is truly unconscious?" Gosetsu had the good grace to lower his voice.
"Yes. And drooling."
"We ought not speak of this." Yugiri hid her smile behind her hand. "Such weakness is quite easily exploited."
"If we were suddenly in danger, she would leap up to battle in her sleep. Wouldn't you, O Warrior of Light?" He jostled her just enough for the joke, not enough to truly rouse her. In response she offered a sleepy hiccup and nothing else.
"Such is the way of our Riibo-chan." Gosetsu sipped from the drink he had poured for her. "Ever full of surprises."
The conversation turned to her strange mannerisms, oft overshadowed by her fantastic accomplishments immediately before and after. The way she shook like a dog after swimming in the sea... Her obliviousness to her injuries until they were pointed out, and how her first instinct was to poke them, then lick the blood off her fingers... Her willingness to rest only if allowed to sleep directly on top of a friend... Mayhap that was why she slept so soundly, even as the three of them bantered over her head. Hien was holding her and, more than he ever feared her, he was fond of her. It was nice to know she felt the same.
Had they not called her over for a drink, would she still be running errands around the House of the Fierce? They all felt that itch. Always, always, there was much and more to do. In truth, calming down, resting, and sharing your comrades' sorrows and joys were tasks of equal import. The hours between them and destiny dwindled fewer and fewer. Tomorrow... Tomorrow, the world was going to change. No small part of their fate relied on the girl fast asleep in his arms.
"I shall put her to bed," he said at last. "The women's barracks are... which way, Yugiri?"
"Follow me, my lord. It is time I retire as well."
Through the cave they walked, Liborette's arms draped over his shoulders, her sleepy murmur in his ear. A few soldiers gaped as they passed, but when Hien smiled at them, one finger over his lips, they bowed and went on their way. Would they cease fearing her, too? So long as she remained an aspirational figure, someone to fight for and alongside, he had no complaints. He himself had to remember who she was, after all. Unlacing her shoes, the soles of her feet no larger than his hand, made it easy to forget.
With Yugiri's help, they got her into bed. She twisted into the sheets and curled into a ball. Speaking aloud the dialogue of dreams, she said, "yes, Fray, I promise."
"... Fray?" whispered Yugiri. When he shrugged, she said, "an old friend, mayhap."
Of whom their Warrior dreamt and why— these were conversations for another day, likely not the one awaiting them at sunrise. Tomorrow promised victory, freedom, and all the saké Doma could drink.