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Chapter Text

Rakavi thinks it's time to write her will. And her autobiography. Maybe then she can explain why she will shortly be disappearing into the woods, never to be seen again. Some may ask why, and to which she would explain, it was for a very stupid plan that would surely be the death of her physically if not her reputation. 

Oh but what could possibly defeat the famed Warrior of Light?

Good question, oh beloved imaginary audience!  

The answer was quite simple actually, and it all started with a light flutter in her chest at the sight of a certain redhead, and the letter from her parents currently being held in her hand with a death grip.

Rakavi swallows slowly, the letter crinkles slightly as she tightens her grip. She stands in the marble hallway, the tall door standing ominously before her as her free hand is frozen, poised to knock. 

She shuts her eyes and moves to knock, only to freeze up, gasp, and back up. This has been repeating on a loop for more than a few minutes now. 

"Rakavi?"

Her eyes fly open upon hearing the familiar voice. Slowly, she looks to her left, abject horror plastered on her face. 

There stands part of the reason for her current dilemma. His cherry red hair casting a shadow onto his face from the current lighting, and his striking red eyes almost glow in the dark as they gleam at her in both delight and curiosity. He smiles, "What a surprise! Tis good to see you again!" 

As he lifts a hand in a casual wave, Rakavi barely manages to nod and gulp, desperately trying to swallow the nervous lump in her throat. G'raha's hand lowers slowly, and concern finally takes over his features fully now. His brows furrowed as he tips his head as he asks, "Is… aught amiss?" 

Finally, Rakavi finds her voice. "Um. Well. I wanted to ask for a favor?" 

She cringes at the way her voice cracks, but G'raha doesn't seem to pay any mind as he nods with a serious glint in his eye, and he leads the way into his room. He unlocks the door before holding it open for her. Rakavi swallows again and steps inside the room. The room isn't too different from her own room here at the inn in Sharlyan, albeit with a bit more books and bookcases, which is an impressive feat considering how the entire city's population seemed to be unable to survive even a morning walk without a full bookcase somewhere in sight. 

They walk to the back of the room where G'raha moves to clear off a chair for her to sit in, and Rakavi decides that there was no time like the present. She might as well just spit it out. 

"I need you to pretend to be my lover in front of my parents!!" 

The red head freezes mid movement, and turns his head to her. He stares at her, his mouth slightly agape. Finally after a few awkward beats of silence Rakavi pulls out a drawstring bag she had been lugging along this whole time. She lets some of the contents spill as she drops it on the table. 

"I'll pay you of course!"

Inside the bag were hundreds of rare, recently discovered allagan tombstones, all of which the house of splendors would absolutely kill to get their hands on. G'raha's eyes widen considerably as he watches them spill from the bag. He remains in dumbfounded silence, clearly taking a painfully long time to find his voice as he looks from her to the tombstones, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. 

Finally, he croaks, "...Forgive me, but why??" 

Rakavi shifts a bit from where she stands before slowly handing him the letter. He gingerly takes it from her before turning it over to read it. 

'Our dearest Rakavi,

We are both gladdened to hear that you have found a significant other after so long! While we are certain that Malicah will be sorely disappointed at not getting a chance to be with the loveliest of ladies in all of Thanalan, we are overjoyed to hear that you have successfully found love during your retirement! We look forward to seeing them soon when you come visit! 

With much love, 

     Mom and Dad

P.s. Don't worry about accommodations, we have already begun preparing your old room for the two of you!' 

The letter is short and sweet, but is straight to the point. As G'raha's gaze reaches the end of the page with a raised brow, Rakavi bursts into an explanation.

"So my parents apparently got it in their head that I needed to find someone to date after the scions disbanded because I apparently made it sound like I was so unbelievably lonely, so they decided to set me up for a date for one of the other folks there that was around my age and well I didn't want that and I really didn't want to shoot them down entirely so I just said something along the lines of 'Oh thats nice but im interested in someone else' and well one thing lead to another andsonowthey thinkIhavealover-!!"

 Rakavi gasps, taking a deep breath before finishing her explanation, her eyes shut. "-And I just don't have the heart to break it to them, especially when they have already made preparations for the both of us!!" 

Silence. Its quiet for a long time. Long enough that Rakavi slowly opens one eye to peak at G'raha. 

The man stares at her, completely dumbfounded. Slowly, he looks from the her, to the tombstones, and then back down at the letter. He rubs the back of his neck as he thinks for a long long time. 

Finally, he answers. "Ok. I'll do it."

He holds the letter out to her, and now its Rakavi's turn to stare at him completely dumbfounded. 

"What??"

The movement of his hand on his neck turns to something more sheepish. "Well… Krile had been nagging me about taking some time off soon… And who am I not to help a friend in need? Plus I'd be lying if I said the tombstones didn't intrigue me."

Rakavi can only stare for a good long while before clearing her throat. "R-right. Of course. U-um I'll meet you at the Aetheryte plaza next week then? We will be gone for about a week, maybe two…"

She fiddles with one of the tombstones, unable to meet his gaze as her ears burn. G'raha clears his throat and mutters some kind of acknowledgement. Silence fills the space between them, and the redhead leans forward to pick up one of the tombstones. 

"So… any boundaries you'd like to set? We need to come up with a convincing story as well."

Rakavi nods. "Right. I was thinking about that, and I think we can just stick to a story of you joining the scions… Minus all the complicated stuff with the other world and the danger…"

"I see. I suppose this makes sense, you do not wish to worry your parents, or perhaps confuse them?"

"Yeah. Something like that… as for boundaries… I dunno. I can't think of any at the moment."

G'raha crosses his arms and tips his head. "Well… as lovers, we would be expected to do more than just hug and hold hands. We would have to do things like share a bed, or ah… kiss." 

Ah… Right. She had completely forgotten about that detail. Slowly her face heats up as she glances at G'raha. She gulps. "R-right… Lovers would do that kind of thing, huh?" 

Out of the corner of her eye she sees G'raha nod as well before glancing away shyly. "I… may be a bit rusty in some areas, but I am confident in my skill."

"Skill in what?? Making out??" 

"N-not just that! I mean romance in general!"

Gods they were a mess already… They continue to discuss and lay out the plan, but Rakavi can't help but wonder if this will really be enough to fool her parents… and if her heart would be able to take it… because there was one teeny tiny problem with all this…

And that was her stupidly big crush on the scholar before her. 

Yep.

She was really gonna regret this. But surely there was no going back now… right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thancred runs a hand down his face. "Right. Let me get this straight. You accidently told your parents you were seeing someone, and so you panicked, and asked G'raha to pretend to be your lover? "

Rakavi nods. 

Thancred sighs, "Alright, putting aside how stupid a plan that is. You couldn't ask anyone other than the one you have a crush on because…?"

"Well. To start , you and Urianger are already dating, so asking one of you just feels wrong. Estinien is a horrible actor, and Y'shtola?" She pauses to shiver. "Forget about how she would react. I dont think id even be able to look her in the eye after asking for something like that

… And-"

Thancred interrupts her, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Right. Alright. I get your point."

They sit in silence for a while longer before Rakavi spots the way Thancred's shoulders begin to shake softly. She hears him trying hard to hold his breath, only to snort loudly. Rakavi glares. 

She leans forward and hisses. " Hey! You promised you wouldn't laugh!" 

Thancred doesn't bother to conceal his laughter anymore. "I'm sorry- I just don't know what's more hilarious! The fact that you came up with a plan like this- or the fact that he agreed! " 

She grits her teeth and growls, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. "Keep going. I dare you."

This gets him to at least quiet his laughs down to a few wheezes. Soon he wipes tears from his eyes and looks at her with a Thancred typical smile. "Forgive me, my friend. Now, what is it I can do to help you?" 

Rakavi sits back in her seat and crosses her arms. "I dunno. I was kinda hoping you would know the answer to that…" 

"I fear there is no advice I can offer. None that you would like at least."

Rakavi peaks open an eye. "Try me."

"You could try telling your parents the truth and calling off this plan?" 

She snorts, shutting her eyes and throwing her head back over the back of the chair, re-crossing her arms over her chest. "You're right. I don't like that advice…" 

Thancred sighs and shakes his head. "Rakavi, please. I know you are smarter than this… you know this whole plan is going to affect you in a way that'll be irreversible, and it will damage your friendship with G'raha. Im asking- no, telling you to stop before you get yourself hurt. "

Rakavi can't come up with a good answer to that. She chews her lip. What had she been hoping for anyway? Support for a plan she already knows deep down is really stupid? Even when everything Thancred just said was true, word for word? Logically speaking, she should follow his advice.

But sadly, her rational side was not in charge of her mind right now, oh no, no. 

The part of her in charge right now was her stubborn side. The side everyone in her life compared to a mule before realizing it was somehow even worse than anything they could possibly compare it to. 

So because of this she huffs and stands up, the chair scraping against the wood floor at the last stand. "Thank you for the advice, Thancred."

"You aren't going to listen to a word I said, are you?" He asks, quirking a brow at her.

"Oh I listened , and I'll certainly remember it. I'm just not gunna follow it, and I'll regret it later. So you can rub in my face then, alright?" 

Thancred shakes his head and rubs his temple. " Fine. Just don't say I didn't warn you." 

"Yes, will do. Be safe ok?"

Thancred manages a smile. "Always do."

Rakavi smiles and waves goodbye before turning tail to head up the path to where she was staying for the evening. 

Thancred was right. She was absolutely going to regret this. But he was also right in the fact that there was no going back now. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Rakavi had explained the plan, G'raha was certain the bag of Allagan tomestones was for once not what had stunned him into silence. In all the years he had lived this was by far something he would have never imagined to come out of his warrior's mouth. Or out of anyone if he was being completely honest. 

The redhead buries his face in his hands from where he sits at his desk. He sighs loudly. As he drags his hands down his face, his current guest decides to speak up again. She pulls a chair up and hauls herself onto it, tossing her legs over the edge. 

"Honestly G'raha. Its not too late to call it off." Krile says. When he doesn't answer she adds, "I mean it. You don't want to get yourself hurt, right?" 

"Krile. Must I say it again? It is far too late for that…" G'raha groans.

Krile huffs, "And again I say that you would not have been letting her down for declining! You could have helped guide her through it! Showed her how she could be honest with her parents! Been there for her that way! Not agreeing to this idiotic plan when you kno -"

G'raha's head thumps against the desk as it slips from his palms. He doesn't move though. He keeps his eyes shut as he rests his face against the desk. "Krile… please… I appreciate the advice but… I want your support right now…"

"No. You want reassurance. You want me to tell you that this all will blow over soon, and everything is going to be alright. But it won't, and you know that." 

He moves his head so that his nose is no longer painfully crushed against the desk. One can only admire the quality of the wood for so long in that position. He rests his cheek against the finely crafted student desk. His ears flatten against his head as he ponders his friend's words. 

"...this is true. But if nothing else she is paying me… and it is a hard to come by research item, might I add. I struggled to find those tombstones even within the tower." He mumbles.

Krile pinches the bridge of her nose. "Is destroying yourself truly worth it for a bag of tomes?" When he opens his mouth to respond she adds, " Don't answer that…" 

They are both quiet for a moment. Softly she asks, "There's nothing I can do to convince you otherwise, is there?"

Something in G'raha's gaze seems to answer her question, because she sighs for what must have been the umpteenth time that night and hoists herself off the stool. "Fine. Have it your way. Just be sure to keep me updated, alright?"

G'raha nods, and listens to her walk to the other end of the room. The heavy door groans, and then creaks shut. He listens as her small little heels clack across the marble floor outside the room and disappear down the hall. 

The clock ticks loudly in his ears. A few minutes pass by, but for him it feels like an agonizing couple of hours before he finally pushes himself up. He spins around in his seat before bracing himself against the desk with on arm on the back of his chair as he stands up. His tail brushes against the seat cushion as he puts one foot in front of the other. He doesn't realize he has made it to the table in the center of the room until his fingers are brushing against one of the fallen tombstones on the table. 

Slowly he lifts it up to his gaze, and brushes his thumb over the surface. His brow furrows, mind wandering to thoughts far from accessing the information in his palm. Instead they linger over thoughts of a certain blonde. Slowly, blue eyes, bright red lip tint and warpaint, fluffy blonde tufts all consume his waking mind and he runs calloused fingers through his hair. Slowly he removes the black bobby pins in his hair and rubs the roots of the red strands. 

While he massages his head, he feels anxiety swell in his chest. He places both palms down on the table and leans against it. He squeezes his eyes shut. 

He prays that this'll all go alright. But deep down he knows that Krile is right. This was going to hurt like hell. But that sweet temptation of possibly grasping the real thing, even if fake, was too good to resist. Gods, she has turned him- one of the most accomplished scholars to ever live- into an utter fool. And only hell knows he can't ever get enough of it. 

Right. He breaths out a heavy breath and nods. Time to plan, pack, and plan some more.

He had a long, long, week to plan for.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thancred! Thancred! Please! A moment, please!"

Krile runs as fast as her little legs can carry her. She skids to a halt on the stone path to avoid crashing into the gunbreaker before her. Said man stops and looks at her, raising a brow. 

"Krile? Is everything alright?" 

The lalafel leans down to rest her palms on her knees, taking a brief moment to catch her breath before springing up to look at the man who towers over her. 

She gasps, "I don't have much time to explain but, you have to convince Rakavi to back down from this asinine plan of her's!"

Thancred is quiet for a moment before his eyes droop in a mix of mild annoyance and understanding. "Let me guess. Not much luck convincing G'raha?"

She blinks. "Wait, you already know?" 

Thancred nods with a sigh. "Oh yes. Rakavi invited me for a drink at the last stand to vent her woes. And I did not have much luck in changing her mind…"

Krile groans and drags a hand down her face. "Honestly those two… they are so… so-!"

"-so smart, yet so unbelievably stupid?" Thancred suggests.

"Yes! Honestly they are going to make my hair go gray at such a young age!" 

Thancred chuckles, "Well, let us hope that this instead is the final push they need, rather than the disaster we fear it'll be." 

Krile nods. "Yes, lets…" She sighs, and after a beat of silence she adds, "Are you up for another drink…? I could use some tea…"

Thancred smiles and nods, "Lead the way Miss Krile."

"Oh please. Don't you start with those formalities." She rolls her eyes, and joins him at his side as they head to the last stand. 

Hopefully, this wouldn't end in disaster as they feared it would. 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 'Dear Mom & Dad.

      I'm bringing him as promised. I apologize for having not mentioned him before, but we just never had the time to really inform anyone of it. I think you'll like him though. His name is G'raha Tia, and he is- well, was one of my fellow scions, yknow, before they disbanded. His story is a bit complicated, but he had my back through some of my hardest moments. He is a talented scholar, and well rounded in many forms of combat, including that of a bow. Despite all this, I hope that you will go easy on him when questioning him. He is a shy one after all.

If the letter wasn't obvious enough, I am looking forward to the festival, and seeing you both again, and introducing my lover to you both. 

Love,

     Your little Adventurer, Rakavi. 

P.s. please, i'm begging you. Don't eat him alive.

P.s.s. Mom, please don't ask him embarrassing questions.

P.s.s.s. also please don't tell the whole town about us. And don't scare the hell out of him with a bow n arrow. Or anything else really.'

Chapter Text

G'raha shuffles nervously under the light of the Aetheryte, briefly glancing up at the sun that had yet to full reach its peak at the center of the sky. It was busy. Scholars rushed to get lunch, gleamers push past to rush to and fro from the docks. All of them going about their day, barely paying attention to him as he once again readjusts his bracers. His ears perk upon catching the sound of warbled aether sucking in space and time, before the soft ring of someone apparating in the plaza. He turns upon hearing the sound of footsteps, and glances up to see Rakavi rushing towards him, lead in hand as her beloved chocobo trails behind her. 

"Hey! Sorry about the wait! I had to make a stop by my place for a few things, and for Halo. I figured we could use him since its a pretty long walk from the nearest aetheryte to the town." As she speaks, she checks the straps on Halo's saddle, as well as the pack she had loaded onto his back.

"I would have been here earlier had this menace not decided he wanted to be very difficult about what pack goes where." She continues to speak as she relieves G'raha of his own pack and adds it to Halo's burden, to which the chocobo gives an indignant squawk. 

"Honestly, you'd think he didnt come from a line of chocobos specifically bred for caravans and carrying heavy stuff. Because I assure you, I have been doing this long enough to know where to put stuff and how to distribute the weight, and I know Halo can handle the weight just fine and it's not just from experience. I know because the moment I held up a treat he was suddenly perfectly fine-"

G'raha can't help it. He chuckles a little in amusement at her rant. This makes her head whip around and stare as indignantly as the bird beside her. "What?"

He waves a hand. "Oh, tis nothing. I merely thought that it was amusing is all. The story I mean." 

He watches as Rakavi's ears flick for a moment as she nods, clearing her throat. She busied herself with Halo's saddle once more, making sure their things were secure on the sky blue chocobo's back. As she does so, he speaks up to fill the silence. "Remind me the story of how your steed obtained this hue? Tis' rather unusual." 

Rakavi perks up at that before huffing at the memory. "Oh that. Little bugger ate something from the community garden. Back before I had a house, I sometimes stayed with a friend's free company. I swore I nearly had a heart attack when he started turning blue. Took em to the doctor only to find out he was completely fine and that this just happens sometimes when they eat certain fruits."

G'raha frowns as they touch the Aetheryte, their bodies warping till they reach their destination. He blinks, his eyes adjusting to the Thanalan sun before he asks, "Free company? You were in a free company?"

When Rakavi is quiet, he turns to glance at her. He finds her frowning, yet more so in a thoughtful way. 

"Yeah. I was. I wanted some extra training with a few like minded adventurers, as well as a place to stay other than the dusty old inn rooms. I met someone from Gridania and they directed me to the free company. But once the rising stones was established and the scions got so busy… It was easier to stay on the site."

She turns to him as he hums. She shrugs, "I kinda lost contact with them after what happened at the banquet though. I have only managed to reconnect with a few of them."

G'raha can only hum in response. How does one even respond to something like that? He knows fairly well what it was like to fall out of contact with those of his past. But it was not as if he had any special words of wisdom. It didn't even look to bother her too much. But as G'raha's gaze drifts to the dry Thanalan sands outside of the Aetheryte plaza, he can't help but find himself wanting to ask, to probe more regarding the topic.

There was only so much the books regarding her said. The most descriptive one had to have been Heavensward. Having been a first hand account from one of the people that took her in during her time in Ishgard. Every other text was either long since destroyed or describing her from a distance in both a metaphorical sense and literal. It was why he sought it out, even when the building nearly collapsed over his head. Risked his life over it. It was the most detailed book he could find of her. It described her perfectly down to her eyes, the way she spoke, and every deed she had done till the end of the dragonsong war.

And yet, despite it all, he knew nothing . This was the reality had to face when he summoned her to the first. The Rakavi he thought he knew, was nothing compared to the real thing. 

Go figure, as Rakavi would probably say. 

Of course that small sliver of her would not hold a candle to the bonfire that was her light. What he knew of her was but a small piece torn off a much grander painting. And as he gazes upon her now, he once again is reminded how little he knows her. 

And he was about to meet her parents.

G'raha stops in his tracks. His stomach drops and his ears go back. His eyes widen slowly in horror as the realization finally dawns on him.

He barely knows anything about her. And he was about to meet her parents.

He reaches up and runs a hand down his face. 

Oh gods, what has he done?

"G'raha?" 

Rakavi had stopped a few steps ahead, gazing at him in concern.

G'raha forces a chuckle and catches up to her. "Aha, would you happen to be up for a game of 20 questions along the way?"

Rakavi only tilts her head in curiosity before nodding. G'raha gives a wide smile before jumping into the first question.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nothing. 

The little game of getting to know each other yielded nothing.

G'raha was a composed man. A skill he has drilled into himself was the ability to stay calm under pressure. But for whatever reason the Twelve have decided that this ability was nonexistent in this moment, and for whatever goddamn reason he feels like a young boy in all the worse ways.

Every single question he asked Rakavi, everything her parents could possibly quiz him on, he already knew. Ordinarily this would comfort him, but for whatever reason, as they set up camp under the lantern light, G'raha feels unprepared. Only when the sparks light from within the fire starter does he relax ever so slightly, the growing flame providing a welcome distraction. He sits back on the dirt, watching embers dance and consume the humble offering. 

His ear flicks as Rakavi settles beside him. She sits with her knees pulled to her chest, tail tucked neatly over her ankles. Her gaze never leaves the flame, while her ears occasionally flit in his direction. 

After a moment of silence, she turns her head to him. Amber reflects across her glasses and in her eyes. Eyes that have turned abyssal blue in the dark of the night. But no color could mask the curiosity that sparks in them. 

“So. What was all that about? The 20 questions?”

Right. Nothing could get past her, even if he tried. He sighs and gives in. “I worry I know nothing about you. I am about to pose as your partner and I feel as though I do not know as much about you as I should.”

Rakavi stares for a moment. Once again G'raha is pulled into her gaze. But before he can make silent musings over what he finds there, Rakavi speaks up. 

“We could try again? Ask different questions perhaps?” 

His ears twitch at the suggestion. “That would be nice… however, I am out of ideas of what I could possibly ask.” 

Rakavi’s tail flicks out and she frowns. After a moment of thought, that bright gaze returns to him. “Well… I could always just start talking?”

That was… admittedly far more productive. G'raha chuckles. “I suppose you could. By all means, go ahead.”

The blonde miqo'te hums and her eyes wander to a space behind him. After a long moment, she speaks. “Im from a trading bazar. Not the Golden bazar, this ones a bit different. Bigger, busier. Trade caravans go through there almost every week. Apparently my birth parents were a part of one when the Amalj'aa attacked. Apparently, I was the only survivor alongside a few other children. The town did what they could for the children, but luckily for me, my blood parents were acquainted with this Hyur couple, who decided to take me in. Something about not having any family of mine that they could contact.”

G'raha frowns, but nods. He had known the majority of this. But he lets her continue.

“Anyway, those Hyurs are the ones I consider my parents. They did their best to raise me, but theres only so much you can do to raise a completely different kind of human, and one with inhumane strength. I left to pursue adventure, as well as a means to control my own strength.” As she finished speaking, Rakavi glances at him. “Anyway, that's the gist of it. What about you?” 

G'raha chews his cheek for a moment. “I believe I have told you much of how I became a scholar.”

“Yeah. Sure. But I want to hear more. What were you like?” 

G'raha smiles softly and meets her gaze. “Not much different than when we first met. In fact, I was worse. Even among scholars my ambition and hunger for knowledge was almost insatiable. I was a handful for everyone involved. Krile nearly bit my head off once!” 

Rakavi chuckles and nods, but before she can open her mouth, they are both interrupted by the growl of their stomachs. They laugh to themselves and begin to prep a meal over the campfire. The two of them share details of their past, their childhood, and G'raha feels the unease begin to fade. As the food settles in their bellies they settle into a comfortable silence. A silence that would have continued had Rakavi not piped up with a topic he is certain the both of them have been avoiding. 

Rakavi starts slowly and carefully, avoiding his gaze as she speaks. “So… We probably won't be able to convince my parents by just holding hands alone… we should probably… uh, brainstorm some ideas?” 

Ah, yes. G'raha had been tactfully avoiding that train of thought. His eyes widen and he slowly nods his head before clearing his throat. “Yes… I had a few ideas but I took the time to consult a specialist on various cultures across Eorzea. There are a few universal displays of affection for miqo'te.”

Rakavi blinks. “Really?”

He nods again. “Yes. Miqo'te, much like the Mithra, have ah…scent glands in their cheeks. Most miqo'te will… rub their cheeks together and the action seems to… make their brain release endorphins…” He trails off, glancing at Rakavi, nervously gauging her reaction.

She reacts exactly as he expected. Her eyes widen before suddenly her brows furrow. She clears her throat. She seems to be attempting to keep a calm demeanor despite the nervous tick in her movements.  

She smiles and asks carefully, “G'raha… are you… are you sure that researcher didn't just tell you what cats do?”

He clears his throat, glancing away. “The researcher was a miqo'te themself. And I have seen both mystel and miqo'te do this.”

He hears her let out a strained breath before letting out a small “Ok.”

He shifts awkwardly from where he sits as his heart drops in his chest. She seemed so uncomfortable by the mere mention of such an intimate action, and understandably so. But something about her reactions forces ice cold reality to wash over him. He takes a deep breath. “Forgive me, that suggestion might have been a little much. I am certain we can find some alt-”

“No! No. Its ok.” Rakavi interrupts. Her hands are waving and her eyes are wide. “I just… well its kind of complicated and… you know what? Nevermind! Lets try it! Practice will be good!”

G'raha barely has any time to clock her avoidant behavior before he freezes. “...Right now?”

She nods. “Right now right now.”

He swallows and turns to face her. “I-if you insist.”

Neither of them move. They sit in front of each other, staring nervously at the other. 

This was beginning to get ridiculous…  

Taking a gulp of air, G'raha leans forward first. Gingerly he reaches forward to grasp her shoulders, feeling how she stiffens under his touch. He can almost feel through the fabric of her shirt how every muscle tenses. He frowns as he leans forward, tilting his chin up to reach her face. Guilt lances through him when she flinches the moment his cheek brushes against her own. 

He almost moves to pull back if not for the way she gradually relaxes into the touch, pressing her cheek against his own. He feels the way his ear brushes against her head, and the way her skin feels on his own and the way her glasses dig into him a bit. After a moment, he pulls away from her, immediately searching for any kind of discomfort or unease. However, to his surprise, she just stares at him. Her mouth opens and closes a few times before her brows furrow. 

He furrows his own brow and probes her. “Well…? How did that feel?” 

It takes a moment longer before Rakavi scrunches her nose a little, her voice a bit unsure and laced with confusion. “It felt… weird. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Are you sure its something miqo'te do? I have never seen anyone do stuff like this.”

He frowns. “Yes. It is.”

Rakavi hums and her gaze drifts to the side, and if G'raha looks closely, there is a small spark of vulnerability. Alarm bells go off in his head. “I-I apologize. I did not mean to make you uncomf-”

“No! No, trust me! Im not uncomfortable. It just felt…” She pauses. He can see the way she chews on her cheek as she attempts to find the words. “It's just new is all .”

G'raha stares at her for a long moment. But after finding no lie, he forces himself to relax and release her shoulders. “Alright… if you insist.”

Rakavi's gaze follows his hands as they return to his lap before her eyes flick back up to meet his own. She opens her mouth, and then pauses. She gulps and tries again. “We should… also practice…” She trails off, and her cheeks go red. “Uh… nevermind. We should brainstorm some terms of endearment.” 

G'raha tips his head, curious at what she had originally been trying to say, but he does not probe further. “Yes, I think that would be a good idea… well. I suppose it would not be unusual for you to drop the honorifics of my name.”

The blonde miqo'te blinks, and tips her head. “Raha?” 

She wets her lip. She says his name as if it were a question, as if she were trying it out. It should not make giddiness bubble up in G'raha's chest the way it did. 

Rakavi nods, as if satisfied. “Honestly that should suffice. I'm not very good at coming up with that stuff.” Rakavi pauses and then adds, “Come to think of it, my parents don't really use a whole lot of terms of endearment towards each other.”

“Is that so? Have you any idea why that may be?” 

She shrugs. “I dunno. But its not like they are any different from couples that do. Its a personal preference I think. They are rather practical people. They don't do things other couples do, it's because it doesn't benefit either of them or their relationship.”

G'raha nods. “I see. They sound like very honest people.”

Rakavi nods as well. “Yeah… what about you? Come up with any terms of endearment for me?”

He frowns and his brows furrow. What hasn't he come up with? He doubts he has the time to lay out every single term he collected over the years for her alone. But now as he sits next to her, one immediately comes to mind.

“My beloved.”  

Rakavi blinks.

G'raha stares back.

“That's… I don't think that's a pet name?” Rakavi tips her head. 

G'raha's shoulders slump. “Yes, of course. I suppose that would be more of a term of endearment…”

“Well hold on! Its still pretty romantic! I just wasn't-” Rakavi cuts herself off with a sigh. “Honestly, I think it still works… but on that note, we should be good for now.” 

They sit in awkward silence for a long moment. Rakavi twiddles her thumbs and G'raha fidgets with his hair pins. Finally Rakavi clears her throat and stands.

“Well. I'm going to bed.” 

He watches her stride over to her bedroll, watching her ears flick nervously. He stands as well, moving before he can think, he gently touches his finger to her shoulder. She jolts and whirls around to stare at him expectantly. 

“Do not worry yourself, my friend. I think we will put up a rather convincing performance for your home, and most importantly, your parents.” He tips his head, allowing his lips to spread into a reassuring smile. “For now, you needn't worry about anything other than resting for the ‘morrow.” 

Rakavi meets his gaze, her eyes reflecting the amber campfire light. Her lips stretch into a smile. “Thanks. Goodnight, G'raha.” 

His smile grows into something more genuine and he nods, biding her goodnight as well, watching as she settles into her bedroll. After a moment, he turns to retreat to his own bedding for the night. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They rise early in the morning, much to Rakavi's dismay. The blonde had groaned and moaned as she peeled herself from the inner confines of her bedroll. 

The morning light turns the desert sand into a brilliant gold as they pack up camp and make their way to Rakavi's hometown, barely any words spoken in the gentle silence of dawn, only broken by the occasional kweh from Halo. 

The silence stretched on as the sun climbed swiftly in the sky, soon reaching its peak as they reached their destination. 

It was odd. Rakavi described the town as quaint, yet as they approach G'raha can hear the boisterous atmosphere of the town having come to life. The town itself is of typical Thanalan architecture. A few domed bazaars and a few flat roofed homes. The main street is bustling with people, and said street is accompanied with a sign at the front of the town to welcome traders and tourists. But what intrigues him was the crowd gathered in front, blocking their entry. As they come into view, the crowd begins to whistle and whoop and cheer.

Rakavi, instead of picking up her pace, sighs loudly. She begins to drag her feet, steadily beginning to fall behind G'raha.

“I told them not to tell anyone!” she whines beneath her breath.

G'raha raises a brow and falls back to match her pace. “Is aught amiss?” 

She purses her lips, her ears pin to her hair as she tosses her head back to squeeze her eyes shut against the sunlight. After letting out a soft whimper, Rakavi's head drops and her tail flicks. 

She comes to a full stop, and G'raha glances at her. Her eyes are wide and watery. From the way her face twists and contorts, he would think she was in physical pain, if not from the way her cheeks are dusted pink from her embarrassment. He turns to face her fully. 

“Do you need a moment?” He asks, tipping his head.

Rakavi shakes her head and sighs, resigning to her fate. She drags her feet forward before pausing. Her ears perk and her breath hitches. 

G'raha can sense her demeanor change to something warmer as they get closer. Her pace picks up as she seems to recognize a few beloved faces. G'raha smiles and gently takes Halo's lead from her hand, sensing her sudden jump in energy. The moment the lead is free from her grip she bolts forward, calling out,

“Mom!! Dad!!” 

She laughs in glee, and the crowd parts for her. G'raha can't help the smile that forms on his face as he has to jog to catch up. As he reaches the edge of the crowd, the people close around her as she all but leaps at her parent's open arms. G'raha's vision is obscured as the crowd all but, well, crowds the family. He catches a glimpse of the blonde miqo'te lifting two hyur into the air before someone steps in front of them. He swears he can hear their backs popping from here.

“R-Rakavi! Too tight!!” One of them gasps.

G'raha sighs and pushes past the crowd, who are gradually acknowledging his presence, and beginning to make room for him and Halo. He mutters a few apologies before he finally catches sight of Rakavi sheepishly apologizing to one of the Hyurs before she is pulled into their embrace once more. 

G'raha smiles as he watches Rakavi’s eyes slide shut and she leans into the embrace. After a moment, she reluctantly pulls away. Her blue eyes scan her surroundings before they land on him. G’raha's breath catches as a warm smile spreads across her lips and her eyes light up upon meeting his.

“ Raha! ”

Something warm blossoms in his heart, and something giddy makes his throat bob. His ears flick upon hearing his name, spoken with such love it makes him freeze. His lip trembles, and he forces himself to walk forward and ignore the way his tail and hands tremble. 

He comes to a stop as Rakavi steps forward to rest a hand on his arm. He takes in the two people before him as Rakavi introduces them.

“Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet G'raha Tia-” As she gestures to him, he hastily bows his head in respect. “-and Raha? These are my parents .”

When G'raha raises his head, he is met with a calloused hand outstretched to him. He smiles and meets the gaze of Rakavi's adopted father. 

“Stephon Alkenvalch. Pleasure to meet ya!”

The man is a heavy set hyur with rusty red hair, his mutton chop beard has chunks that have gone silver from age. There are heavy smile lines by his eyes, and he grins warmly as he gives G'raha's hand a hearty shake. The grip and force of which he shakes his hand almost is enough to make G'raha dizzy. His eyes are blue, and while they are of a different hue and seem to be of a duller saturation, they shine with the same spark of passion he so frequently sees in Rakavi's eyes.

G'raha gulps and nods upon his now arguably injured hand being released. He turns to the woman standing beside the man, who offers her hand forward, albeit with more grace, though no less excited.

“And, I am Marvinne Alkenvalch. It's my pleasure to meet you.” 

Her hand is perhaps more dainty, but is just as worn as her husband's hand. Her skin is tanned, and her hair is kept in a fluffy black bob cut, streaked with silver. Her eyes are a welcoming shade of brown, reminiscent of the gentle kindness he sees in his warrior's smile in moments of heroism. There are a few moles on her face, and there are smile lines around her eyes as well. 

He swallows again. He nods once more. He clears his throat and speaks, “It's an honor to meet you both, Rakavi has spoken much of you both.” 

Marvinne puts her hands on her hips and gestures behind her with a jerk of her head. “Well! Let's not stand around here! We can talk once we get home!” 

They push through the crowd, all of whom try to speak with Rakavi all at once before one by one, they disperse onto the street. Rakavi seems to walk with confidence, obviously having walked this path a thousand times over, and G'raha can only follow quickly behind. 

He is lead to a two story home almost nestled against a ruddy red stone cliff face. The face is rather typical aside from a few colorful tiles decorating the outside exterior of the building, forming purposeful rings of color on each level of the house. There is a few tarps tethered from the house to a post, where Stephon takes the lead from his hand and guides Halo to what looks to be a small clearing behind the house, protected by the natural stone wall. G'raha attempts to follow to see more of what is past the house, but Marvinne ushers him and Rakavi inside. 

Inside is a rather beautifully decorated space, with mosaic tiles forming a strip of color down the wall at elbow height. There is a painting on the wall of a landscape, the brushwork is familiar, as he recognizes Rakavi's artwork. He is not given time to admire it as Rakavi’s mother continues to herd them into the house. They are lead up a flight of cold stairs, down a small hallway. They are lead to a door at the far end, and then ushered inside.

G'raha blinks as he enters the space. There are a few bookcases that line one wall, with an armoire nestled on the end next to a worn wardrobe. On the other side of the wall is an equally worn desk, perhaps a bit too small for the needs of an adult, but too large for a child. He walks over to the desk, running his hands over the wood, his fingertips brushing over small doodles etched into the corners. He glances up and smiles upon finding the drawers next to the desk, placed in a strategic manner to hide what looks to be more etchings of childish attempts to make an artful addition to the wall decor.

As the door clicks shut with a promise to bring their belongings up, G'raha hears Rakavi's breath hitch. Confused, he glances up to see what she was gazing upon. He only sees the-

…ah.

Warmth spreads to his face as he finally registers what was placed at the center of the room. It was a bed. It was large enough to fit them both but that was not the cause of his blush.

It was only one bed.

While the bed was larger than a single size, with how small the room was, it obviously had to be smaller than a typical two person bed. And thus, was not large enough to accommodate any kind of distance between the two. They would have to pack in like sardines.

Of course, this wouldn't be an issue had the two actually been lovers. Alas, G'raha can only turn the idea of such close proximity over in his head for a few minutes before Rakavi clears her throat.

“I guess… we shouldn't be too surprised…” She mumbles. 

G'raha can only nod dumbly. He gulps and tears his eyes away from the neatly made bedsheets. 

The bed has a small bedside drawer on each side, pressed against the wall, each with a small aether based lamp that were crafted in such a way that they can pick one up to carry with them during the night. G'raha glances up. On the wall is a small window. It was an odd place to have a bedroom, as the only view was of the stone cliff behind the house. As he gazes at it, Rakavi speaks.

“My room used to be a storage room before I was adopted. While they had wanted kids, they hadn't anticipated one so soon. So they opened up what space they had.” She says before walking over to glance out the window.  

G'raha nods slowly. Walking over to stand on the other side of the bed to glance down. He sees a small stable, the clearing is big enough for a child to run around and play in, but not big enough for a chocobo to do much else than pace. There are bits of hay and grass around the edge of the clearing, but the center has been walked over so much it has become a dirt clearing. At the opposite end of the clearing sits a old shed. At the entrance closest to the house there are a few fences, eaten away by time, nothing that would actually keep an untrained chocobo from escaping. 

His ears flick at the sound of knocking on the door. Stephon steps inside to drop off their things as the afternoon light begins to darken ever so slightly. Marvinne pushes past her husband to summon G'raha, preparing to give him the grand tour of the house.

G'raha smiles and nods, and follows after the woman with Rakavi following close on his tail. He is shown a bathroom next to the room they would be staying in. A different, small, windowless room that appears to be a crammed storage room of sorts. And lastly, a large bedroom next to the stairs. this room has a large bed with a nice view of the street out in front of the house. The room is decorated with hanging silks and mosaic tiles. He is not given much time to admire the flowers carved into the hefty wardrobe before he is ushered downstairs. 

He is shown another storage room, a smaller bathroom with only a toilet and sink, and then he is ushered into the main living space. It is decorated with more hanging silks, finely crafted wooden furniture with floral engravings, and the strip of mosaic tiles shift to swirl and form a beautiful mural on the wall to his left. On his right is a doorway leading to what looks to be a workshop, with many incomplete woven tapestries hanging off of various surfaces, as well as wood shavings covering the floor. 

He nods, Rakavi had once said her parents were a carpenter and a weaver. Rakavi had once said it was how they knew her blood parents. Her father had taken up a Gridanian style of carpentry, having joined the carpenters guild in Gridania. It was how he befriended Rakavi's blood father briefly before returning to practice his craft in Thanalan. G'raha can see hints of Gridanian style embellishments in the furniture, as well as the hefty table at the center of the room. 

He turns to glance at his immediate left to find the kitchen. It is separated from the living space by a half wall, and there is a window letting in light at the far end of the kitchen. The kitchen is quaint and homely, with more than just a few cabinets and various herbs hanging above the window. G'raha glances back to his right to look at the various portraits on the wall. There were a few of Rakavi's parents, some even bearing her own signature. But there were some that were of her sitting with her parents. It was old and withered, but well maintained. The other portrait is of an older Rakavi, not yet an adventurer, at this point in time she still had her long golden hair. 

He cannot stare for long as Rakavi's parents usher them both to sit at the table, claiming they must be hungry, and it was time for a late lunch. As Marvinne works in the kitchen to prepare something that makes G'raha's mouth water, Stephon sits him down with a steely gaze that one would find alarming for such a jovial man to have. G'raha breaths deeply, and meets his gaze with resolve, sensing what was to come.

“Rakavi? Could you please go wait upstairs?” Rakavi makes a sound of protest, but Stephon smiles and shoos her away. “Oh don't worry, I'm not going to eat him alive! And no. Eavesdropping. ”

Rakavi huffs but stands up anyway. She pats G'raha's shoulder and smiles. “Hang in there! Like he said, he won't bite!”

G'raha chuckles, and reaches up to squeeze her hand. Jokingly he says, “I assure you, I am certain he is fiercer than a two headed behemoth.”

Rakavi snorts in amusement and pulls her hand away. She disappears down the hall, and G'raha returns his gaze to the man in front of him, who leans forward with a friendly smile. They wait in silence until G'raha hears a door upstairs click shut.

Stephon clears his throat and clasps his hands. “I imagine you know what this conversation will be about, and I want to assure you, I am not out to get you.”

G'raha nods. But before he can speak, the expression on Stephon’s face fades into something more stern.

“What are your intentions with my daughter?”

G'raha pauses, a bit confused. Intentions? He blinks a few times before it dawns on him. Rakavi was the Warrior of Light. Manipulation was a plenty, and news would have spread everywhere in regards to the betrayal at the bloody banquet.

G'raha allows the cool composure of a diplomat to wash over him as he shakes his head. “Ah, forgive me, your question puzzled me for a moment. I assure you that I have no treacherous intent, I… I love her… and now that there seems to be a lull in the world’s struggles I decided it was time to make my feelings towards her known.”

Stephon raises a brow. “Oh? So you two have gotten together recently?”

G'raha chuckles, idly turning over the story he and Rakavi had concocted in his head. “Well, perhaps not recently. It's ah… well its a bit complicated. I think that we both knew our feelings for one another, and sometimes sought out the other. But due to the stress of everything we did not make things official until after the conflict had settled.”

Stephon sits back. “I see. Rakavi says it was complicated and confusing, but that makes sense to me. Care to explain why she might think that?”  

“Ah, yes. That would be how we met. We met early on in her adventuring, we adventured together but soon after I…” G'raha pauses, trying to figure out how to best phrase this lie. “I was… put into a coma… and when I awoke, she was at my side. We spoke for a long time, and I admitted I wished to join the scions. But they were ahh… indisposed at the time, and so we had to work together to bring them back to full health. Soon after I was able to join them in their efforts…”

It is at this time that Marvinne has begun setting food out on the table. She levels him with a look.

“Alright, enough of that. Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself sweetheart?” She says, patting his shoulder before returning to the kitchen.

G'raha relaxes a bit at the question. “Ah! Yes, I was- am, a Sharlyan scholar, and an archon at that! I study ancient Allag. I am originally from an island that was occupied by Garleans, but after being rescued and taken in, I spent the rest of my life in that city.”

Minus the time spent on the first.

“Sharlyan eh? I remember visiting once. Me and my wife went to visit Rakavi while she was recovering from that whole world ending ordeal. Seems she is around a lot of people like that… tell us a bit about your studies!”

G'raha smiles, all too happy to tell. As he speaks happily about his findings, he feels relief. This seemed to be going rather well…

… better than he expected.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When their meal was fully set out, Rakavi was called down to join them once more. The dinner was delightful, and together the two of them are asked the usual questions, of which they are able to answer comfortably. There are a few embarrassing questions tossed in, such as if they intended to have children. Rakavi's mother leans in to whisper to Rakavi if they had made love yet. Sadly G'raha's sensitive hearing picked up on that private question. Both he and Rakavi spat out their food and Rakavi sputters to her mother on why she couldn't ask such things.

Alas, her mother held no such shame. The embarrassing questions continue throughout the meal.

Finally, after spending a quiet afternoon, and having a rather lovely dinner, Rakavi and G'raha ultimately decide to turn in for the night. They climb the stairs, and while her parents remain downstairs, they take turns in the bathroom to begin their nightly routine. They dress down for the evening. Rakavi returns after him, dressed in long plaid trousers and a simple tank top. Her face is rubbed free of her lip tint and warpaint, leaving G'raha to admire the way her miqo'te stripes frame her face.

As darkness overtakes the room, Rakavi's eyes begin to glint in what little light there was. Turning them into two full moons that flash when they turn to him

“So… what did you guys talk about?” She asks, sitting on the opposite side of the bed.

G'raha chuckles. “They were worried of my intent with you. Other than that it was only questions about how we met or about me.”

Its silent for a moment. “I don't think they believe us. Mom keeps looking at us like… well… I don't know…”

G'raha frowned. “Perhaps that is so… I suppose we will have to try harder then.”

Rakavi yawns, sliding into bed. “Yeah. But now we gotta convince the whole town… I asked Mom. She accidently let it slip so… yeah.”

G'raha blinks. That shouldn't be too hard, right? He lays down beneath the covers, and he feels his shin bump against Rakavi’s leg. The both of them tense. G'raha gulps, and continues to slide beneath the covers. Their arms brush together, making G'raha tense once again. He can hear the way both of their breaths hitch, and they lay staring up at the ceiling, trying to ignore the warmth of the other. 

Well…

This was going to be a rather long night…