sunflare | final fantasy xiv open post

I would apologize, but I'm more relieved there is enough of you there for Emet-Selch to have made corporeal. [ He chuckles, shaking his head. ] Had anyone else wandered past you this morning...

[ He stops. Shakes his head. There were scant few who could see the shades and colors of a soul. If he and Emet-Selch had not passed by this morning, she would have gone completely unnoticed. UNknown. Unseen. Unheard.

That might be a bigger tragedy yet, considering the warnings she had brought with her. He's even more grateful, now, that he insisted Emet-Selch lend some of his own in exchange. ]

It sounds fascinating, though. Would that I could witness it myself, to see how different they could be.

It absolutely is.

[ Hythlodaeus just offers him a bright, cheerful grin in response to that, not at all bothered by the scowl now glaring in his direction. He'd expected that response and in all honesty, Emet-Selch had given in far faster than he'd anticipated. He'd half expected the need to manhandle him out of the office if words didn't win him his case. ]

But if you wish to continue to argue the matter, I can always toss you over my shoulder and carry you out.

[How very romantic.

He lets out a dramatic sigh that fades out into a low laugh, rumbling through his chest as he tugs Hythlodaeus into another kiss, demanding another taste. Leave it to his partner to know precisely how to diffuse any tension— though in truth, this was an inevitability. If they were going to spend the bulk of this 'beautiful day' in bed, then they would certainly be making the most of it.]

Always so demanding.

[Some things really don't ever change. He slaps one hand against his partner's rear with intent, a teasing admonishment that immediately lends to him smoothing his touch over its curve.]

I don't know. You roused me from sleep before I was ready. I might be too tired.

[He can say that all he wants, but Hythlodaeus' attentions had already begun to draw the desired reaction from him some time ago, and there's no denying that.]

[ hades sure did just slap him right on the ass!!

hythlodaeus can't help a merry laugh, as he leans in to nuzzle his nose alongside hades', sweet and affectionate. ]

Is that so?

[ he hmms under his breath, one hand slipping away from hades' jaw to slide down his abdomen, slim fingers tracing the shape of his cock, which, indeed, seems very much awake. or at least, waking up. good morning, little hades!! ]

You certainly do not feel very tired.. in fact, I daresay you are positively vigorous.

[He sure as heck did.

Though committed to his efforts to be difficult, he can't help but let out a soft groan as that sweetly familiar touch teasingly finds its way downwards to where his own body betrays him, his breath hitching softly.]

Vigorous may be something of an understatement.

[Perhaps at the moment, but certainly not for long, given that his cock had already been at half-mast and is quite clearly responding to his partner's continued attention. After so many long and miserably lonely years apart, one might think that he would set aside this game of lazily playing hard-to-get, but instead, it stands as a testament to just how at ease he feels here, Hythlodaeus sprawled on top of him and affectionately coaxing.

Amaurot is long gone, but this, these moments, still feel like home.]

If you're going to be so very insufferable about it, I suppose I might have no choice...

[He lets out a soft hmm of his own as he claims another kiss before he steadily begins to trail them towards his jaw, nudging Hythlodaeus' remaining hand aside as he works his way back towards his ear with measured deliberation.]

Edited (i forgot a word!!) 2022-01-03 05:28 (UTC)

[It speaks, perhaps, to how very tired he is— there is little left in him to argue, and he would have easily spent what little energy remained working through the night or until he fell asleep atop his own desk, had he been left interrupted.]

I assure you, I can walk.

[He won't, of course. For all that has gone wrong with creation magic among their people, he still has a host of his own abilities available to him, waning though some may be. He can still teleport— for the both of them, if need be.

He pushes his chair from his desk, rising to his feet.]

Shall we, then? Since you insist.

I'm grateful for that, as well. If you hadn't convinced him to lend some of his own, I don't know that I would have managed to learn much of anything in this place.

[She still hasn't found the answers she needs, but it feels distinctly less overwhelming with the help she's been given so far. Hythlodaeus has already agreed to continue offering his, and Venat is as bent on uncovering what mystery lies at the heart of Elpis, as well. She can only hope that Emet-Selch himself will change his mind, that his love for his people will allow him to make a concession.]

Without you, coming to Elpis may have been entirely futile.

[ Hythlodaeus just chuckles and shakes his head. ]

I'm not doubting your ingenuity that far. Although it was exceedingly brave of you, to step into the unknown as you did. Not knowing what you would find here - if anything. [ He falls silent again before glancing over at her, reaching out to lightly tuck a stray lock of hair back away from her face.

His tone turns serious. Determined. ] We will help you find something. If it is here to be found... I do not doubt your resolve. And I wish to see it fulfilled.

So glad you've seen things my way.

[ Grinning cheerfully at that, as if he'd left Emet-Selch with any other options. ]

I'll meet you at home, then? [ He could manage that much, at least. But he leans forward and drops a quick peck of a kiss on Emet-Selch's cheek before wiggling his fingers at him in a playful little wave and vanishing, summoning his magics to carefully teleport himself to their home. ]

[ hades' constant game of emotional and physical cat and mouse is simply a part of their dynamic, it feels comfortable and familiar, and so hythlodaeus can hardly complain. when it matters, they spill what is in their hearts, and that is all that counts, really. the rest of the time they can play, and flirt, and tease, as is their wont. ]

Of course I am going to be insufferable about it.

[ hades will feel the smile that curves his mouth, even as he's turning his head to grant further access to his long neck. hythlodaeus is, of course, insufferable at every available opportunity, but hades is hardly any better, but he shall not complain when his lover's kisses trail so sweetly along his jaw.

already the heat is beginning to build, despite their rather intense session the night before - he never really could get enough of hades, and after thousands of years that certainly has not changed. hythlodaeus' slim fingers tease around the shape of hades' cock, dragging slowly from base to tip, smugly satisfied by the way he reacts so easily, played like a fiddle, though hythlodaeus is hardly unaffected. a smooth roll of his hips against hades' thigh earns a wave of heat and a soft, shuddering sigh. after so long, this still feels completely natural. ]

So, I think, you have little enough choice but to please me.

It was what needed to be done.

[She does manage a faint smile, but the praise feels misplaced— with the stakes being what they were, how could she have made any other choice?

Instead, the fact that he reaches out to tuck her hair away from her face takes her by surprised; while she doesn't quite duck away from him, it had obviously been unexpected, if her quietly startled gaze is anything to measure by.]

... that means a great deal to me. 'Thank you' doesn't feel like enough. I wish that it was within my power to change what's to come for your people, as well.

[ The afterlife is, of course, something that Emet-Selch would consider himself a pretty notable expert on, even if his focus had shifted away from his stewardship as so very much time had passed, and his mission had changed. Even so, there are still many mysteries about it, even to him, about that last journey, about that final step. His is one that should have happened very, very long ago, and his soul is weary in ways that he could not name. And yet, as he drifts to the Aetherial Sea, he persists, until his feet find purchase on something solid.

Color and light begin to coalesce, half-formed like memories as a path unfurls before him. For a moment, he is alone - it is quiet, so quiet, but the solace is an old familiar friend by now.

However, whether it be fate or dynamis or something else, things do not remain that way for long, because no sooner has he taken his first step towards his final destination, than does another figure come into being at his side, like she has been there all along, and he simply hadn't noticed, despite the color of her soul being very familiar to him.

Venat. Not as Hydaelyn, but as herself, the woman he remembered from before The Final Days. Not someone he had expected to encounter here, and ye smeone which he has so much to say, and nothing all at once. He has long suspected the universe had a cruel sense of humor, but this is something else completely.

Or perhaps it is simply the notion that they have unfinished business, that there are things they must say to one another.

Though it takes a great deal of willpower to do so, he schools an unaffected expression upon his features, one hand on his hip as he sighs. ]

Well, I suppose it may as well happen this way.

I'm sure you understand this already, but all of this is a little unusual, from the gleaners' side. We usually work alone.

[The road from Yanxia to the Azim Steppe is longer than the map made it seem, and the terrain is altogether unfamiliar to Erenville. It isn't his first trip this far east, but it is the first chance he's had to venture to the plains and deserts of the Xaela.]

Then again, without a trustworthy guide, I'd probably not be here at all.

[He lifts his arms in a shrug, then his shoulders, adjusting his pack to settle more comfortably. This assignment might fill him with anticipation, but it is an assignment. Forgetting to treat it like one would be silly.]

So tell me, what should I expect once we reach the Steppe proper?

[He's never been very big on allowing options, something Emet-Selch has long made note of but not quite resigned himself to. Really, it would save him a great deal of grief if he did, but resignation has never been in his nature.]

Yes, yes— I'll see you there.

[Despite his ornery concession, a faint smile does tug at the corner of his tired mouth at that brief display of affection. Had he the energy, he might have protested about such things being inappropriate, given the setting, but it was much more effort than it was worth, especially when it served as a reminder as to exactly why he always ought to trust that Hythlodaeus had his best interests at heart.

Though there is no one present to make a show of it for, he raises a single hand and gives a sharp snap, and without further ado, vanishes from his own office to return home— though he had, for a brief moment, entertained the idea of simply sitting down at his desk once more.

This was likely the wiser choice for his nerves, in the long run.]

[He scoffs, even as he catches an earlobe between his teeth and gives it a tug, his grip on Hythlodaeus' ass tightening so that his fingers dig at him, a sharp contrast to his partner's own soft and teasing ministrations, though experience tells him he'll be met with the same in turn before long.]

Always demanding, always impatient.

[Childish, really, but that doesn't stop him from beginning to roughly kiss his way along the curve of his partner's neck, teeth sharply grazing against skin midway only for him to drag his tongue over that same spot before continuing downwards. It's getting much more difficult not to respond more bodily to Hythlodaeus' touch; his own hips roll upwards and he groans against the crook of his neck as his fingers teasingly drag against the tip, and the press of his partner's own hardening length against his thigh is full of promise.]

And what if I'm the one who wishes to be pleased?

[His words bear a sharp edge to them, murmured hotly against flushed skin, followed by a soft grunt and another open-mouthed kiss as he works his way towards Hythlodaeus' throat.]

( from here )

[She watches him intently for those moments, searching his own face in turn, looking for any trace of uncertainty and instead finding herself admiring the gentle, smiling curve of his mouth, the delicate slope of his nose and cheeks, his fine brows and bright eyes, his full lips that she now knows the feel and taste of. Some of it, perhaps, is what the remains of who she once was remembers— but the draw feels too strong, too real, too present for it to be only that.

As she'd said, she's not the Azem that he knew— which, she decides, means her curiosities and desires are entirely her own, whatever faint memories may reside within her. She gives him a faint, lopsided smile as she watches him patiently.]

What are you looking for—

[She cuts herself off as he leans down to meet her, to claim her lips, and without a second thought, she is kissing him back just as fervidly. The experimental hesitance that their first kiss had held is now gone, replaced instead with a decisive reassurance of want.

If they both want this, then perhaps they owe it to themselves.

She gently pushes a hand against his shoulder as they kiss, her lips parting eagerly against his, tongue curious even as she nudges him to roll onto his back, easing one leg over his hip with intent as her fingers skim downwards along the curve of his neck and move to trace along his collarbone, shifting herself to straddle his hips.]

[ hades' efforts earn a sharp intake of breath, an exhaled shuddered sigh - his throat has ever been sensitive, and hades has certainly not forgotten. the teasing touches of his fingers at last solidify into something more satisfying as they at last wrap around the heat of his cock, pulling in deep strokes from base to tip. ]

Then please you I shall..

[ for pleasing hades is, of course, always at the forefront of hythlodaeus' mind, however much he might endeavor to torment him. nothing could ever be more important than making him happy, most especially upon request.

and so hythlodaeus regrettably breaks from the attention to his throat, only to pull himself back more fully until he is sitting astride hades' lap, his hips rocking downward in a slow, measured roll. ever the peacock, hythlodaeus maintains eye contact while he arches his back, his hands now gliding open-palm over the strong ridges of hades' abdomen as he shakes his lilac hair freely over his shoulders. a smile, smug and knowing, curves his mouth, before he's opening one hand to drag his tongue flat against his palm, before dropping it to continue his work, stroking hades' cock to fullness. ]

What would the illustrious Emet-Selch have of me this beautiful morning?

[ all at once she is pushing at him, and hythlodaeus is, as ever, always amenable to her wants - it is only a matter of seconds before he is on his back with amri astride him and hells, his want for her is all but immediately noticeable through the very thin fabric of their very silly pants.

beholding her, his breath leaves him. ]

You're beautiful..

[ for as lovely as it had been to kiss her, it is equally lovely to better see her face. without thought his hands begin to smooth slowly over the fullness of her thighs, long fingers splayed, feeling the heat of her skin beneath fabric that feels so thin and yet thick enough to be entirely in the way.

slowly, cautiously, he rocks his hips upward into hers, his lips parting in a shivering exhale. ]

[ He casts her a rueful smile for a moment before shaking his head. ]

But you can't, can you? Not really. It's already the past. It's already written in stone and even were we to find a way to change our fate... it would do nothing to change yours, would it? [ His lips press together in a thin line for the moment, because such complicated theories are hardly his domain, as fascinating as they might be to speculate over. He'd prefer they just have remained theoretical, in fact. ]

So you came here to find out the connection to Elpis, and to better understand what became of us. Do you truly think you can find the answers here? [ It seemed a strange notion, to him. Especially here, so far distant from Aumarot which was, at its core, the heart of all of them. ] I don't suppose your 'Hydaelyn' gave you any other useful clues on where to look? Or have you found any leads in your search so far, since I'm afraid I missed the latter half of your day after Emet-Selch's temper tantrum.

[ Much wiser, although when he arrives in their home, he's greeted by a brief clapping from the other man.

Hythlodaeus chuckles as he casts him a bemused glance. ]

I half expected you to just wait for me to leave before going back to your work. I'm impressed.

[She could say the very same for him, though finds herself feeling surprisingly embarrassed by the prospect— yet not by the obvious presence of his arousal beneath her; it presses against the inside of her thigh and makes her face flush for a different reason entirely, desire flaring sharply. He rocks his hips upwards, and she lets out a muted, half-swallowed moan of approval as she shifts forward to claim those parted lips in another kiss, denying herself the opportunity to spout any number of sentimental things that might only end up sounding foolish and spoiling the moment.

The roaming of his hands only encourages that intense surge of wanting, and she lays a hand against his wrist to guide him, following his own movement down the length of her thigh before she steers him upwards to lay his hand over her breast— over her tunic for the time being, but likely not for long, at least not if she has her way.]

Touch me?

[It's not entirely a request, though there's a breathless lilt to her voice as she says so.]

[She shakes her head as he assesses the situation— unfortunately, he's exactly right.]

Nothing done here will change the future. That much, Elidibus was quite certain of.

[As much as any of them were certain of any of this. As for the rest:]

To understand what is to befall my own people, I have to understand the source of the Final Days. Hydaelyn was not able to say much— but Venat and I did talk, after your departure.

[She frowns faintly, the image of Emet-Selch storming out still crystal clear, the sharp edge to his voice as he declared her story preposterous. Truly, who could blame him?]

Though I don't believe it to be intentional, I do think Hermes is at the center of all this. Somehow, he is the key.

I would think it would be a nice change of pace, having some company.

[It's been too long since Amri's last visit to the Steppe, though she'd had occasion to reunite with a number of its denizens not so long ago. The nature of this particular venture had been too appealing not to invite herself along on— and, given that Sharlayan was starting to become something like home, it seemed only right that she do something to contribute to the city's continued well-being, now that the Scions of the Seventh Dawn had 'disbanded.'

She offers him a bright smile as they continue along the road, the entrance to the Steppe steadily growing closer.]

Well, expect that no two tribes will be the same— they each have their own customs, but come together at the town that serves as their marketplace. Most are friendly regarding visitors at this point, and usually curious, but there are some who may be...

[Hmm.]

They like things done a certain way.

The thought did cross my mind.

[The response is immediate and incredibly flat, though now that he's here, some of the tension he's been carrying eases from his back and shoulders— a subconscious reaction brought about simply by being home.

For all his resistance, it's entirely possible that rest is the best thing for him in this moment, and yet he does not know if he can.

There is nothing that can draw his thoughts away from what tomorrow holds.]

I assumed if I had stayed behind, you would have come back and made a scene. Hardly the time or place, is it?

[Even as he says so, the barest hint of a smile flickers at the corner of his mouth. He is not entirely lost to his duty just yet— only almost.]

[ as ever he is at her mercy, especially tonight, when his heart aches and he wants nothing more than to please her, to give her anything and everything she wants. so when she lifts his hand to her breast he is happy to oblige. the fabric of her tunic is so thin that he can feel the shape of her full breast so easily, the heat of her skin, the pressure of her body bearing down against his.

it's warm and wonderful and perfect. ]

Anything you want..

[ he murmurs against her mouth, while his free hand dips carefully beneath the hem of her tunic, his fingertips brushing the skin of her belly, slowly and gently, as if seeking permission. ]

Is this..?

[ .. alright? ]

final fantasy xiv open post

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starlight continuation!

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