FFXIV Misc. Posts

[eightlazylegs]

For Eithyrs related threading.

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[snapandflounce]

"It doesn't matter if you are or you are not," Gaius points out, looking up from his notes. Obviously, Estinien understands this kind of hate, the weight of this sort of rage. He explained he was merged with it, after all, held it in his hands, in his body, in his heart and soul -- if Gaius could believe in a soul.

"He cares that if I find a shred of peace, he may soil it in some way. I am, in essence, his prisoner and he my captor. In the absence of an attempt to rehabilitate me or kill me, he must remind me that I am weak. The Black Wolf, defanged, muzzled, with Valdeaulin's hand on his leash. It is merely him reminding me of his hand on my collar, and he cares not if you tangle in the lead," he says, watching the elezen for a betrayal of emotion. He is Gaius Baelsar, and while he can be kind, there is no real reason to be here. Not at the moment, anyway.

"Did you shed tears when heretics turned up in your path, tangled in draconic machinations, forcing your hand to cut them down -- even when they were your kith and kin?" he asks, steady as stone and twice as stoic. "Valdeaulin does not care if you suffer along side me; you are merely an Ishgardian that, by his measure, was absent in a war that you were protected from by virtue of your own, embittered conflict. He cares that I suffer and if you do too, so be it. The work will be done, and I will see it through, regardless of small humiliations. He knows that. You should too."

[eightlazylegs]

There's a flicker of emotion there, yes, but it's...pity. Sadness. A strange emotion on Estinien's normally sharp and derisive features that softens the edges of his face. But the pity is not for Gaius.

"I could tell him how many lives that road has claimed, both by those walking it and by innocent bystanders. If anything Ishgard should serve as an example to the world of the price paid for the indulgence of mindless, eternal vengeance." He can't help but think of Nidhogg in such a place. Chained, declawed, kept alive but harmless in the bowels of the Holy See - would that have made the life of a single child in Ishgard any better? No.

"None of his bitter words can harm me, because I don't care about his opinion. Perhaps it is the same to you. I worry about the collateral damage he may cause, though."

[snapandflounce]

"Set your mind to ease, dragoon," Gaius says, sitting back in his seat and pinching the bridge of his nose once more. "I do not think that Valdeaulin will risk the mission with more than pettiness. He knows it is too large, means too much. We hunt together, we break bread together, but he will be at my back when I need him in the fight. In the mean time, he needles now and again. He needs must remind me that there are shackles, even if no one sees them."

Tucking the papers aside, he lets his mind turn the thought over in his head, before something occurs to him. His gold eyes peer back up at Estinien. "Doesn't your church condemn the practice, anyway? Just tell him that and make your piece clear. What happens in camp is not what happens when a soldier re-enters civilian society, after all. Anything you do here is a nonissue, regardless of who you do it it. Nothing of this will make it back to Ishgard. Your reputation will remain unsullied. No one would believe him if he shouted it from the top of the Holy See."

[eightlazylegs]

Estinien snorted. "I have not cared what the church thought before, and I am hardly about to start now. Besides, I doubt Garleans are considered as unclean as Dravanians by Halone. What little I recollect of our lectures did not mention your people in the slightest."

The 'two men' part had gone right over his head, just as sure the dragons he wasn't allowed to fuck.

[snapandflounce]

Gaius's brows knit up a bit as he was bemused by the comment. "I meant men laying with men, though I suppose it puts me at ease that mighty Halone does not see me as inherently unclean." His atheism is showing through, but Gaius doesn't care. Eikons are still eikons, no matter what the people of Eorzea call them.

"At this point I must assume you have laid neither with men or with Garleans, so the point is moot. Let Valdeaulin have his tiny amusements-- if you take offense, let it be for your sake and not mine, and make it clear to him. I have little influence in what he does or who he speaks to."

[eightlazylegs]

Estinien rolls his eyes. "Haven't lain with anyone, really." The words escape his lips as a thoughtless mutter, and Estinien's stomach cringes the moment they are in the air. Shit. He does not need to be telling this man about his personal life, the man clearly could not give one single damn about him or his entire country.

[snapandflounce]

Gaius' bemusement deepens, before something like a light passes over his face. He understands now!

"Ah, so it's offense that he speaks of an experience you don't have at all, and turn it into something newly mocking," Gaius says, relaxing a fraction. This gives him an iota of power, and he'll take it. "The truth is so far different it's doubly offensive. Well, if you get curious, there are soldiers of either sex that would gladly take the Azure Dragoon to bed. Severa herself casts a glad eye on you, if that's your interest."

If Estinien wants to become more worldly, a no-strings, no-feelings liaison in camp would absolutely be a good place to start. The elezen is comely with his silver hair and narrow eyes, cheekbones that could cut diamonds. Gaius is no fool: Estinien Wyrmblood is easy to look upon.

[eightlazylegs]

It will not get the reaction Gaius expects. Estinien scowls, turning his face away again. "No soldier with sense would get close to an Azure Dragoon. If your Severa pleases you, take her for yourself, I do not need such things."

People who get close to him die, or are maimed. The only exception so far has been the Scions and that's because they're powerful enough to protect themselves. An ordinary soldier would stand no chance. Even with the war over, the violence that acccompanies an Azure Dragonn seems to Estinien to be inevitable. A fact of fate.

[snapandflounce]

Gaius tilts his head for a moment; Estinien doens't realize that's half of why Gaius has not had much by the way of love across his years. Who wants to take a wolf to bed, when his enemies also have fangs?

"Estinien, I cannot claim to fathom your thought that anyone here has sense, when we hunt Ascians," the man called Shadowhunter says. "I doubt that prove an obstacle, should you invite someone to your tent for a night. But if you simply don't want to, you have no need to make excuses or posture. No one will make you, and you have all the tools you need to stop Valdeaulin from making light of you."

A third thought comes to him, and he speaks it before his brain catches up with his own weariness. "If you need knowledge of the subject, Maxima can give theoretical education, though I don't know if he'd aid you half so well with practical. The Populares don't come from soldiers. Either way, I hope this has at least given you the answer you seek in regards to Valdeaulin's comments."

[eightlazylegs]

Estinien is silent again, digesting the information. Then he gets up without prelude and leaves, heading across the camp to where Maxima's tent is.

The mage elf who haunts Gaius's footsteps gives a small snicker from his vantage point, and then goes back to watching the horizon.

[snapandflounce]

Gaius holds the tent flap open for a moment, looking out from where he sits with his reports.

"Leave him be," he says quietly, not wanting Estinien to hear. Still, something needs to be said to Valdeaulin before it goes too far. "He's an ally, and has done you no wrongs. Have your justice if you wish, but you need not punish a man who has done nothing but help you."

[eightlazylegs]

"A man like that won't die just because I accused him of making bad sexual decisions." The mage rolls his eyes. "And he ought to know what will happen if he gets too close to you. He should hardly be ignorant, just because his nation was one of the few you didn't fuck."

Meanwhile, Estinien is seeking out Maxima, sticking his head in the man's tent and blunting asking for what texts he might have on biology.

[snapandflounce]

"Comrades you agitate are comrades who hesitate to trust you when they need you," Gaius said, tone kept as mild as possible. "At least pretend you care about the fight and the mission and not simply tagging along to be my jailer."

Maxima, completely unawre of any of this, is sitting in his tent, hating every fucking thing about this. He was a soft civilian, who did his miltary service in a lab or behind a desk. this is not an easy time for him, but his expertise is needed to help with the systems protecting the Black Rose.

When there's movement at his tent flap, he looks up and says, "Hello?"

[eightlazylegs]

"Gaius requested I come and ask you about...a science question." Estinien wasn't making eye contact as he asked it. The man seemed fine enough, far too soft to really respect but there was a place for soft in this world. Probably should be more places for it, really.

"Particularly on the specifics of intercourse."

[snapandflounce]

Maxma's brows do this thing where his eyebrows they go up and down his brow in various elevations, trying to experience five emotions at once. Gaius asked him to do what? This must be some sort of miscommunication. He knew there were sometimes language barriers or differences in concepts, but...

This couldn't be right.

"Can I ask... what specifics?" he said, amazed he can keep his own voice level.

[eightlazylegs]

"He said you would know. Are there texts, or can you simply give me a summary?" Estinien crossed his arms impatiently, glowering at the Garlean. It could not be too complicated, could it?

[snapandflounce]

"They... lack comprehensive sex education in Ishgard?"

Maxima tries to be open-minded. He's and Athiest like most Garleans, and his view of eikons aligns with the national loathing for them. He thinks those are all reasonable positions to keep and that his nation is not wrong about those things. However, he is trying to not hear Gaius van Baelsar's voice in the back of his head: they really are savages!

How can they be so civilized and yet... fail in this basic function of all Mankind?

"Are you looking into the reproductive sense? The, uh-- safety of said acts? I -- this is a very board question, Ser, I'm sure you understand I needs must ask for more information before I can properly assist you."

[eightlazylegs]

Estinien gives him a flat look that Maxima is probably used to having by now, though not from such intimidating people. The look of 'I know you think I'm a barbarian, but could you get your three-eyed head out of your pureblood ass long enough to at least hold a conversation with me.' Maxima's received a warm enough welcome from the Eorzeans just based on how valuable he is, but they are all deeply aware of how Garleans perceive them.

"Information on the act between two men," Estinien says in low tones, each word digging in like a dagger. "So no, the reproductive aspect will not be relevant here. We do know how babies are made, even in Ishgard."

[snapandflounce]

"Ah, excuse me that's -- hmm. Not among my documents," Maxima says, blanching under his pale skin. "Normally, in larger operations we'd have someone who'd -- see to that sort of material, but with such a small group of us, we do not have, ah, that sort of officer."

No porn fairy in this tiny sortie. They all have to look each other in the face every morning.

[eightlazylegs]

"You have an officer for this?" Lord. And here he'd been told the Garlean army was uptight, but they had an entire assignment just around male sex documentation. "I cannot imagine it is particularly complicated...but no matter. It is hardly important."

He took up his spear and ducked his head to leave the tent again.

[snapandflounce]

"W--well not as s--" But there he went, and Maxima realized he'd given him the worst fucking advise ever.

What the fuck was going on, anyway?

[eightlazylegs]

Estinien, as he often was, went AWOL for the next few hours. The group would be used to having him just drop off the map and abruptly show up again at mealtimes like a stray dog, sometimes with fresh caught game or new intel but not always. This time Estinien was gone until long after sunset, until most of the camp was already asleep.

And then he was sliding his way into Gaius's tent, most of his armor off to allow quieter movement.

[snapandflounce]

A wanted man sleeps light, so the golden flash of Heirsbane in his hand is the first signal that he is awake, the click of it's hammer that it's primed to fire. But he stays his hand as he realizes that this is not his enemy. Instead it's... well, they're not exactly friends.

"Do you have a deathwish, Wyrmblood?" he asks, tense and quiet. The hammer clicks back into place, and Gaius's finger eases off the trigger. Heirsbane finds its place among his things once more, next to his bed roll. "What're you doing here?"

[eightlazylegs]

The first question gets a small chuckle, a knowing smile, because Estinien has exactly zero interest in actually answering that question. The flash of the blade doesn't even seem to surprise him.

"Your man Maxima wasn't particularly useful," he says quietly, sitting at the tent opening. The butt of the lance is in his hand, its length trailing out of the tent, as if he can't bear to be without keeping it to hand. Gaius will understand. "Apparently we lack the officer in charge of such matters, having such a small party."

[snapandflounce]

Gaius' brows lift and rise, barely due to the light glinting off the pearlescent third eye in his brow. But he sits up -- still wearing bandages across his ravished slowly healing left arm of his, strapping across his chest, and likely his smalls beneath the blankets. With so little on, he smells like medicinal herbs, gun oil and sweat.

Maxima failed to teach the man anything. Likely was bewildered. Eorzean didn't know how to approach anything, did he.

"So you come back to me for... what, practical instruction?" he asks, still bemused. By the Emperor (may he know peace, far from Zenos) he does not understand this particularly feral Eorzean.