bloody tears || ❝ our fate so darkly romantic, i will never leave your side. ❞

[shepherdtostars]

bloody tears

AU PLOTLINE

The land is wrought with terror
He roams the countryside...
A journey far from doner
Racing the setting sun this battle must be won CODE BY TESSISAMESS

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cont.

[thewayforpeace]

[ From here ]

[ If Aymeric were capable of it, he would offer a great many apologies to his friend and the closest thing he has to a brother for troubling him once more. Estinien also left with him, having also received the same orders that he had, and so he was present when Aymeric found himself contending with the unfortunate consequences of drinking the blood of a sick animal.

If he had not already consumed the blood given to him by Lantaa and stored inside a flask, he would not have resorted to hunting and eating a rat, but he found himself faced with going hungry or finding an animal from which to feed. Unfortunately for him, the animal he located was not a healthy one. Of course, he did not notice anything being amiss until several hours later when a cascade of symptoms seemingly crashed upon him so quickly that it might as well have been all at once.

Perhaps some kind of fortune was on his side after all, as this happened the night before they were due to return to Ishgard, their training maneuvers complete for the time being. Of course, Aymeric does not feel fortunate at all, as the symptoms of infection set in. And by morning, it is quite clear that he is in no condition to be walking anywhere, which is where Estinien comes in. The dragoon sighs and gives off a show of annoyance, but it is mostly for show and not how he truly feels.

The contingent of knights eventually returns to Ishgard, and Estinien makes his way to Borel Manor. Along the way, he has alternated between pulling Aymeric along with one arm draped over his shoulder and carrying him for as long as he can manage. Now that the manor is just steps away, he has returned to the former, silently complaining to himself about this whole affair. Of course, he does not blame Aymeric for his present state; he is, however, just a bit disgruntled about having to drag his friend along like a sack of bricks, even though he is still showing more consideration than that.

Soon enough, he'll be able to deposit him into the care of others, if luck is with him. If the person who has caught Aymeric's eye is about, Estinien has no doubt that she will help, even if he still casts a doubting eye in her direction. Still, the alternative is not one he cares to entertain, as he does not have very many friends, and he does not wish to lose the one he has. If he had the ability to practice any sort of medicine at all, he would just as soon tend to Aymeric himself, but he is not skilled in that capacity beyond basic first aid. That is where the so-called witch comes in.

And when his steps lead him to the manor, he eyes the door, wondering if he should knock and wait to be let in or simply open the door and deposit Aymeric into Lantaa's care. He would just as soon do that, but he supposes niceties need to be observed, and so he raps on the door twice and waits for a response. ]

[shepherdtostars]

[ The nights in Ishgard have grown colder as winter begins to set in.

It is a thought that settles on Lantaa as she lays in the bed her pair has shared with her. She lays on his side, curled uo with her back to the door. More than a few weeks have passed since he was called away. Letters had been exchanged per his request, but she has still felt a particular hollowing emptiness inside. Meteion and the staff have done their best to fill it, but she knows only her pair can truly fill that gap.

Time has passed to the point where his spot no longer has his indent and warmth. Yet, alongside sleeping in his shirts, it is the closest she can be to him until he returns home.

Lantaa only stirs from her thoughts of loneliness that night with a knocking of the door. She turns to see the head maid opening the door and urging her from bed for an emergency. She responds as bid, grabbing her night robe and following closely behind the older Elezen.

They cross the doorframe to the sitting room and she stops dead in her tracks.

Estinien has deposited Aymeric on the large couch and hovers nearby with his arms crossed. The maid frets and the steward attempts to ask questions of Estinein on her behalf. However, her gaze is purely on her other half. Hes come home, as he promised, but...

Lantaa suddenly finds herself at his side and not entirely sure when she moved. She falls to her knees beside him. Hands raise to his face to gently rest on his cheeks. She nudges him gently before lowering her lips to his ear so only he might hear her. ]

Aymeric, [ The familiar alluring tone is there despite her shaking voice. There is no magic or spell. Merely a statement to lure him to look at her. ] Aymeric... l-look at me. Please.

[thewayforpeace]

[ Aymeric remained aware of bits and pieces of the journey from the training grounds to Ishgard and to the manor, but his moments of being lucid were short, and more often than not, he was in a state of lethargy and confusion.

Even when Estinien deposited him upon the couch in the sitting area, he wanted to do nothing more but lie there and hide his face from the sudden light from the room. Said light was hardly bright at all, but it still managed to leak through his closed eyes and caused him to recoil.

It isn't until he registers the feel of Lantaa's hands on either side of his face that he halts his efforts to hide from the light by attempting to burrow into the couch. His eyes slit open just a fraction and he tries to focus on her face as much as he can. All he wanted to do was come home to her, so at least he has managed that much with Estinien's help.

He wants to reach for her, to hold her hand or touch her hair, but his arms do not seem to be interested in cooperating with him. Moving only seems to cause more discomfort, and he wishes he could simply lie still, but in this moment, reaching out to her is of greater importance.

This is not at all how he imagined his homecoming, once more needing assistance and care from others. After this, he would not blame any of them for dismissing him as too much trouble for them to deal with. ]