aterat | Pulse 003

Entry tags:

Pulse 003

Who; Everyone
What; Monthly Pulse!
Where; Throughout the City and Beyond!
When; Throughout September
Warnings; None as of yet, will warn if this changes.

As Summer Fades

The winds from the sea and from the north are chilly as the month changes and life in the city seems to fade back into a sense of normalcy from the celebration last month. The sun is setting earlier in the day and rising later, signs that the summer months are coming to an end and autumn is approaching. Milder temperatures aren't the only suggestions that things are changing in the city. Beginning with the new month and growing in intensity as the month progresses, those sensitive to magic, psychic imprints, or the dead will have a growing sense of foreboding. If observed, the barrier encircling the cemetery, once a nearly imperceptible sheen in the fading light of dusk, wavers like heat off hot stone, and if observed for long enough, it happens in a pattern, as though the wavers have a rhythm. Will the barrier keeping the undead at bay in the cemetery hold?

A Pulse of Business Opportunities

With proof the new arrivals from other worlds are here to stay, several places around town have opened their doors, and their employment opportunities, to all the newcomers. The Guard are hiring patrolmen to help keep the city streets safe. Patrols will be regular and will include keeping the peace in nearly ever quarter of the city. Craftsmen are needed at the Carpentry as rebuilding amps up. A huntsman's lodge has even appeared at the edge of the southern forest, with a working tavern and a room full of gossip.

Another notable addition is the Notice Board that has appeared outside the Market District Pub. It seems to be a place where anyone, natives and foreign arrivals alike, can use this as a place to solicit aid in whatever endeavor they may have at the time. There's a bounty there from the Guard, and also advertisements for local businesses as well as a few choice criticisms on various things in the city, posted by "concerned citizens" (you're free to use your imagination for this graffiti).

Aside from the above mentions, the City and its Environs offers a lot of fodder for exploration and play, and all players are welcome to devise their own encounters and locations as well. In fact, if you want to make them official, you can always submit them to the Content Submission!

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As Summer Fades

As August fades into September Athala starts to venture out into the City more and more often. Most of the time this culminates with Athala in her full plate armour running herself repeatedly through her axe skills, the sounds of buzzsaws and eruptions clear to anyone near the edge of the office.

Any of the early risers among the residents of the city who head down to the docks will encounter a very different side of the gruff Hyurian woman as Atha settles onto the rickety wooden docks to meditate.

Business Opportunities

Atha isn't exactly an inconspicuous figure as she fills most of the free space in front of the pub's Notice board. She has been there for a while and it didn't look like she was going to be moving any time soon as she attempts to set the many notifications alight with the power of her glare alone. Why did the handwriting on some of these notices have to be so bad? Reading was hard enough anyway when it was printed, this chicken-scratch was nearly incomprehensible.

Atha sigh is long, drawn-out and put-upon. Maybe she should go and drag Aragibal over here, he was always better at this than she was. But he might be busy... Atha sighed again and remains stuck in a cycle of indecision outside the pub.

Edited 2020-09-10 21:02 (UTC)

Aragibal - ever the early riser - had gone for a run before the sun's rays touched the morning sky. He took a different route every day and used it stay in shape and get to know the city. He slowed to a walk and then a stop as he noticed someone sitting on the rickety dock, seeing to meditate. The sun had started to rise he could see the gleam of glass beads and the blue of her hair.

He did not conceal his footsteps as he walked onto the dock and next to her, but he made a point not to disturb her as he sat down next to her and assumed his own meditation position. It was almost like being back at home. Almost. He would meditate next to her until such a time she stirred.

She would be greeted with an easy going smile from him. She might even forgive him for not wearing a shirt on his morning run. "Good morning."

The act of meditation is still somewhat novel to Athala, the way it redirects her normal tenancy for hyper-vigilance towards the gentle whistle of the wind, the sqwauking of the gulls and the rustle of the tide instead of the barrage of 'How far away is that person from me? Are they armed? What direction are they heading in? Posture? Mood? Do they have coin or food?' that normal occupies her head when out in public. Atha barely even twitches as Aragibal settles down beside her bringing an extra source of warmth and a sense of his usual steadiness and calm.

Opening her eyes slowly at the half an hour mark of her meditation Atha turns to her partner and drinks in the sight of him in the early morning sun rising over the water that is doing a rather excellent job of highlighting the Xaela's beautifully toned body. She smiles as her gaze roves across Ara's chest.

"Who knew there was an even more magnificent glittering view here than the sea, maybe I should have been meditating to the sight of this instead of the docks for the last half a bell."

The teasing compliment felt somewhat odd on Atha's tongue but it made her happy to give as a show of her appreciation, she could see why Ara tended to give them and she wanted to continue getting better at expressing herself to him. It was safe, it was alright to feel vulnerable here.

Those reasons are exactly why Ara pushed to shard for Atha to start meditation. He hoped that it would allow her to quiet her mind and maybe relax some of her paranoia. Aragibal, on the other hand, was quite the pro when it came to meditating. He was relaxed and still next to Atha, a faint smile on his face. He loved the ocean breeze and the sound of the waves.

Ara didn't stir as Atha did, but he couldn't stop himself from grinning and opening his eyes to look at her. In how she just drank him in, he drank in her face. She had always been so beautiful, and the morning sun only accentuated it. The happiness and love on his face is immeasurable.

"Imagine my surprise to be on my morning run and to find the most beautiful jewel of Limsa sitting here."

Chipper as usual, even for so early in the morning. It was almost like home: early morning run, early morning meditation, get home in time to make breakfast as the kids roused...

"I should have come sooner, but then I might not have borne witness to Azeyma clearly showing who she favors this morning."

Atha's jaw drops as heat blazes across her face, her tanned skin taking on a deep red hue that almost manages to disguise Atha's face paint with its intensity. Atha quickly snaps her jaw shut shut but has no control over how her gaze raises to Ara's and then dips to the side nor the way the edges of her previous smile has softened even as it grows and grows and grows.

A bashfully delighted Atha and Ara is the only one privileged with such a sight in the early morning sun.

"Well, I don't think I'll top that." Atha scoots over so that she can press a tentative kiss to his cheek and leans against him, "You continue to flatter me with such sweet words and we'll have to find more privacy than this you soppy bloody git."

"Gods I love you."

Ara couldn't stop himself from laughing as Atha admitted she couldn't top his compliments. The fact that she tried filled him with joy. She had grown so much since they had formally met each other. He gave her a side hug as she leaned into him and kissed her on the head.

"Oh heavens no, I want all of the different worlds out there to see you as I do." He gave her a little squeeze as she had whatever reaction she was going to have, chuckling quietly. "I love you too."

He let her out of the hug and leaned back so his weight rested on his hands and she could continue to lean on him as he looked out over the ocean.

"I'm glad this place has the docks and the sea." It was something she absolutely loved while she was at home, so having something familiar was nice. A level of familiarity helped create at least some stability. "It's not quite the same, but... It's still nice."

"No-one else could ever see me the way you do and I don't want them to." To emphasise her words she relaxes completely into the kiss and lets Ara support her weight as she continues to lean on him. Nobody outside of their family would see her like this if Atha had anything to say about it.

"It is nice but we are two too few for it to be perfect," The absence of Ahweh’a and Xahqoh sat heavy in Atha's gut. "I keep expecting to hear them splashing and playing about. It makes me itch. I need to do something."

Ara knew that having anyone see past her rough exterior was always going to be a trial and a half: they would need to be around her long enough to get her to trust them enough to let her guard down even a little. His hope in getting her to meditate was to help temper that even more than he already had. He did have an appreciation for it though. She'd pulled him out of a mess a time or two because of it.

He sighed as she mentioned the kids. "I know. I wish they were here too. When we get home at night I keep expecting them to run up to us asking for whatever trinkets we found for them." Little grabby claws reaching for whatever trinkets or treasures from the market, from the path they traveled that day: a cool rock, a flower, maybe some new colors for them to draw with, or a snack from the market. He looked sad. "I miss them every moment of every day." His heart hurt.

"But, until things are done here, we may as well try to do our best not to be too down. They're being well taken care of." Of that he was certain, but he knew that they weren't being taken care of by their parents, and he knew that distinction was very important. "We'll be home soon, I'm sure."

"...I've noticed that they have put up requests for help. Perhaps joining the city guard could help with the idleness. I was thinking of applying to be a cook at the Hunter's Lodge that's recently risen."

Atha's hands tightened into fists and trembled almost imperceptibly as she closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. "I know know we can trust Cherry and yet...I want them to be here but I also don't." Atha is a woman of few words and it's clear from the frown now marring her face that she's struggling to find the right ones, "We don't know this place, it wouldn't be safe for them but I still want them here."

Atha forces her fists to uncurl as she pulls a slightly dog-eared sheet of paper from her pocket, showing Ara the crayoned family portrait drawn by two enthusiastic sets of hands. "I hope so."

"...Maybe I could help the Guard. Dunno how well the whole orders thing will go, you know I'm not so great with that."

He agreed with Atha's general feelings about it: he wanted the kids with them, but this place was strange and new and who knew what sorts of trouble could come to pass. They also had an entire support network back home in Eorzea: the entire warriors of light, the rest of their own party, Cherry, the entirety of the Kha tribe, Lhaminn... The list was pretty extensive. Here? They had each other. The others were likely good people, but they were unknowns. At the end of the day, though, Aragibal felt that Atha and himself were their best protection.

He reached out and gently touched the drawing, but didn't try to take it from her. "I agree. I wish they were here too." He could only imagine the amount of trouble they'd get scaling the buildings here.

Ara was quiet for a moment after her comment about authority. She was right: she wasn't very good with it, but it would be an excellent opportunity to grow in yet another way. There's a twitch on his face as he remembers another detail.

"The Huntsman's Lodge is also looking for hunters." He offers it in place of the guard duty. He'd be more inclined to push for her to work on her issues with authority, but there was too much going on now. Not being home, not having the kids anywhere accessible. "Certainly more like what we're used to."

(Pretend I didn't fuck up the Lodge's name in previous post haha heehee)

It's probably for the best that Ara doesn't mention the kittens scaling buildings to Atha. Their children might be Miqo'te but that certainly doesn't stop Atha's heart rate from spiking whenever she finds one of the tiny children perched precariously in a ridiculously high place. But Ara's solidarity is soothing and Atha warms with the confidence his emotional agreement brings about the current separation of their little family.

"Hunting." Atha perks up, "I could do that. And you'd be a good cook." A gleam enters Atha's eyes at the mention of Ara cooking, one the man would be very familiar with from their years together. "They'd let you bring home leftovers right?"

The way she perked up brought relief to Ara. He could have kicked himself for not thinking of that first, but, well, he'd had a lot on his mind even for being here this long at this point. Finding ways to fill their time would be a good thing so that they didn't dwell on what was bothering them for too long at a time.

He smiled at the gleam in her eyes, recognizing it as he chuckled. "I'd like to think they'll let me bring leftovers home, but if they don't I'll cook for you anyway." He very gently, playfully elbowed her in the side. "That might be better anyway - I could make all your favorites without having to subject you to whatever the menu was for the day then."

"I'd probably eat it whatever it is," Atha mutters mutinously at the playful elbow and returns it with a poke to Ara's side, "If you cooked it it would be pretty decent regardless of what you had to cook."

All the talk of food interrupts whatever Atha might have said as her stomach inserts itself into the conversation. Atha pushes herself up to stand on the dock, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "It's breakfast time now ain't it? Come on, you owe me food."

Her compliments for his cooking always warmed his heart. He admitted he was no slouch in the kitchen, but he always likened himself more towards that grandmother that is a super good home cook. "You flatter me as if I'm the master of the culinarian guild." He gave her a wink.

With a laugh he stood up next to her and reached up into a big stretch, even rising up onto his tip toes. He grinned and started towards the apartments, his tail swishing cheerily behind him as he walked. "What do I owe you this morning? Feeling sweet or savory?"

Atha scoffs as Aragibal stretches, "The Culinarian Guild think they're all that but no-one who makes such tiny dishes should be considered a good cook. How in the seven hells is something the size of my toenail and so bloody expensive suppose to feed people?!" The concepts of fine dining continue to pass the Highlander by.

Sweet or savoury...Atha takes a moment or two to think about it before responding "Both. You could do both right?"

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Pulse 003

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Meidtation - i wish i could make him look soft and not like he's about to kick a kitten

The curse of the angry Au Ra face

i'd say that he's the one with resting bitch face and she looks nice but atha's glares can kill

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A Post-Prog gift <3

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