The Black Shroud – Tam-Tara Deepcroft

It should have been difficult… Why wasn’t it difficult?

Was, she just this skilled… Were the people under her just that bad?

Shouldn’t she feel, something? Why… Why does everything, feel so, pointless…

Standing over the body of a Soulflayer, a creature of cruel respite who caused countless horrors on the local region, Circa remained silent as her slanted, cat-like eyes observed the eldritch creature sputtering as the last of the life left in its tentacle riddled head faded before it collapsed completely to the ground, unmoving. She had won…

Keeping her eyes on its lifeless body for only a moment more, the white mage looked over her shoulder as she saw the rest of the part, she was leading all on their knees as they panted from pain and fatigue. She had kept them alive…

Raising her knotted root-like staff in their direction, magic flowed through her before a bright white light shined out, cascading the group of Hyur and Elezen in her powerful spell. “Cure…” As her weapon fell back to her side, the Miqo’te looked away as she partially saw the people near her beginning to rise again. She had healed them all…

Why… why did she feel, nothing? She ended up being the one to kill the creature they had come to clear out. It was a challenge… but, it didn’t feel like one. The people by her side… She had ventured with them before… but they were no friends of hers. They were just blank faces who repeated the same things over and over…

“That was amazing, Circa! You countered everything he threw at us!” One Hyur lancer announced as he stepped up to the body of their downed foe.

“Yeah! I can’t believe there was a creature like that in here. It was so creepy!” Another Elezen archer muttered under her breath.

Looking back at the remaining Hyur as he helped the highlander they had met up before coming down here, Circa turned her back to the group, before walking through the corridor they had come out of prior. Her job was done here… and now she just wanted to go home…

“Hey, Circa? Where are you going? Don’t you want to collect on the bounty for this guy? Hey! It even has some magical items on it! You can have first dibs!”

Waving her hand back and forth, not even turning back to acknowledge them, the dusky blonde sighed under her breath as she trudged out of the hole in the ground they had crawled into willingly. “Keep it… Keep everything. I’m going home. I’ll clear out anything I find on my way out. Don’t stay too long…”

Looking too their party member confused, the remaining group of adventures soon shrugged, guessing it was just Circa, being Circa. The Miqo’te was notorious for being an emotionless brick. While off-putting to many, there was no dispute about her capabilities as a healer. 47 quests, and 47 turn-ins with zero casualties. If you had her with you, then there was no fear at all. What made this feat even more impressive was her age.

She was only a teenager while many of them were young adults! To have so much power at your fingertips, and the control to know when to use it was unbelievable to many. But it only made the rest of them sad, that the cat folk wouldn’t open up more. Many wanted to go off questing with her… but she always declined if it wasn’t something you needed a group for. She was a loner, and it seemed that life suited her, given how closed off she was…

Hearing some more words about her under the breaths of her companions as she continued on her way, Circa made no comments in retort. Praise… Admiration… Pity… What a waste of emotions…

Sighing under her breath, the Miqo’te trudged on, making sure the path she cleared was visible, as she cast lights along the wall so the remaining people would have an easy way out. Her job was done here… and now more than anything… she just wanted to go home…

What was the point of her going on these missions anymore? Another white mage could do what she did…

And the way people spoke about her now… made her feel like there was something wrong with her… considering she didn’t find any of this hard at all…

If anything, she felt… bored… And now more than anything… she just wanted to feel, like she used to, back when she had Naoh’a to support her…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Old Gridania

“So, should I assume there will be no celebratory party in your honor, oh grand white mage of our fair city?”

Swishing her tail back and forth as her anger started to spike, Circa stepped past an all too familiar Elezen, as the older woman matched her pace with a silent smirk. “Were you waiting at the front gates for a reason, Erenia? Your timing is obnoxious as always. I’m not in the mood right now…” The cat folk mumbled under her breath as her temper continued to grow.

Tsking loudly as she waved her finger like a teacher would to her student, the pale-haired Astrologian, hummed quietly as she lifted a card with a crude drawing of a pouting cat on it. “Call it fate~*. I was simply in the right place at the right time, to catch my friend returning triumphantly. Though I do see a lack of people following along behind you… You didn’t feed them to whatever it was you went to clear out, now did you?”

Feeling her eye beginning to twitch a little, the Miqo’te gave her mentor a weak glare before scoffing under her breath. “They’ll come back sooner or later. I just wanted to go home.” She hadn’t lost anyone yet. And Erenia knew that... When it came to the White mages she represented, she was only a step under the grand teacher in their guild.

It would be overkill if they sent her out to clean up trivial matters. And that was kind of how Circa felt now. While it might sound a little conceded… there was no dispute that those she went out with didn’t compare to her level of proficiency… and it was beginning to irk her. The praise was nice at first, but after a while, everyone just began to rely on her for everything! It was easy to be stupid and reckless when you had the best White Mage in the city watching over you. Sometimes she felt like her party members were just jumping to their deaths to test her patience!

Seeing the foul state Circa was in, Erenia soon sighed before grabbing the blonde’s hand before pulling her along beside her much to the teenager’s dismay. “Hey, hey! Where are you taking me? I just want to go home!” “Nope! We’re going out to get drinks! They’re on me, don’t worry~. Come, sit, and lament your problems to your emotional support buddy!” The Elezen giggled.

Groaning in annoyance as she was practically lifted off the ground by the pace the older woman was walking, Circa knew she wasn’t going to get out of this. “Fine… ONE, drink… Then I’m going home! H-Hey, did you even hear what I said?! Q-QUIT HUMMING LOUDER TO TUNE ME OUT! I’M NOT STAYING ANY LONGER THAN THAT! ERENIA!!!!!”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Pouting at a small table now occupied with about four different drinks on her side of it, Circa sipped in silence as she brooded across the table from Erenia, the Elezen simply smiling in return as she slowly stirred her single cup of tea she had ordered.

“What…? You said you only wanted one drink. You didn’t specify that it wasn’t one of each drink they have here.” The older woman chirped sweetly before taking a sip of her own. Wanting to bang her head against the wooden table, the Miqo’te sighed in defeat as she continued to gingerly nurse her drink.

She wasn’t about to admit this, but it tasted quite refreshing. The place they were at used buffalo milk in most of their beverages and her friend knew it was a weakness she could exploit. ‘Damned elf!’ She was always like this, even when she was just a kid!

Thinking back a bit to when they first met, Circa’s mind inevitably moved on to her brother and how he used to be before the cat folk fell somber. Noticing the change in demeanor instantaneously, Erenia set her teacup down before resting her chin atop her palm.

“I know that look… You’re thinking about Naoh’a again, aren’t you? Is that what has you in such a foul mood? Or at least a fouler one then what you’re normally in? Hmm, that tea was a bit bitter. Pass me some sugar?” Hearing an agitated hiss before a sugar packet was chucked at her face, the Elezen smirked, knowing she had just confirmed her statement.

Swishing her tail back and forth rapidly, the younger teen pouted as she stared at her reflection against the cream-colored beverage she had been drinking. As much as she hated to say it, the Astrologian was right. She hit the nail right on the damn head this time…

Folding her ears back as she grew disheartened, Circa looked back at Erenia’s calming face before the catgirl set her drink back down. “I… I guess… I don’t honestly know what’s wrong with me right now. I just feel so… bored.” The younger girl shrugged, unsure of what to say right now. Confronting her emotions was never her strong suit…

Stirring in the sugar packet that had been *passed* to her, Erenia hummed thoughtfully before her crimson eyes traveled back to Circa’s pink ones. “Perhaps, you simply find little enjoyment in your life, now that Naoh’a isn’t around anymore. It might do you some good to search for some… It seems that you might have fallen into a rut.”

Opening her mouth to tell her that’s not true, Circa’s voice died out as her mind caught up with her words. That… sounded possible. Well, at least the part about her being in a rut. Naoh’a was most certainly still around. If only Erenia knew…

Taking another sip from her drink as she thought about her friend’s words, the younger girl looked back to the Elezen as she watched her smiling contently. She always seemed so happy, no matter what she was doing. And if she was being honest, the cat folk felt a little jealous, that she was always so carefree about everything…

Observing her face on the surface of her drink, Circa silently moved her hand up towards her cheek, before touching the tribal markings on it. They didn’t mean much, now that she was here. No one knew their significance… Only her and Naoh’a… But he was gone… so only she remained to tell their story…

Seeing the disheartened look, her friend was giving her reflection, Erenia grew weary, before moving her hand over to her hip pouch. “Since your discontent with your life… Perhaps, it might be beneficial if you found a new one, Circa… Nobody is forced to live a certain way if they don’t wish too. For someone as talented as you, there are plenty of options out there.”

Looking back at her mentor confused, the Miqo’te’s eyes fell on the table as she saw a card presented to her. It was a familiar one. ‘Judgement…’ Feeling an inkling of memory come back to her about a familiar conversation they had about six months back, the younger girl’s eyes widened briefly, before she lowered her eyes.

“Its… it's not that simple Erenia… You make it sound like I could just pack my things and leave without anything stopping me…”

“Well… what is?”

Staring back at her friend in shock, Circa was at a loss for words now. Did… Did she just tell her, to leave…? Moving her hand back to her teacup, Erenia’s expression was now serious, and much less cheery then it had been before. In all honesty, barring sadness or bad news… the teenager had never seen the Elezen adorn a look such as this before…

Taking a silent sip before hovering her cup over the small wooden coaster it had been resting on top of, Erenia’s eyes shifted to the blondes, as they locked gazed for a long moment. “As deeply as it would pain me to see you leave… It hurts me more to watch you live in your current state. There’s nothing left for you here, Circa… You became a white mage for Naoh’a… and… and now, he’s gone. The only time you leave your home is when I drag you out kicking and screaming… or when you have to take on a quest to make money for food and board… You’re existing… not, living…”

Hearing an audible click as the cup was set down, Circa’s eyes were wide from the tone Erenia had spoken to her in. The older woman was always happy... or smug… But that… that was almost, dire…

Wanting to respond but not finding the proper words, to say in return, Circa’s mouth opened and closed briefly, before she fell silent. Eying her friend as she waited for her to say something, the pale-haired woman sighed before pushing her chair back and standing up.

“I think, I’ll be going now, Circa. Think about what I’ve said. And I mean that more than anything I’ve ever meant before. We may not like the hand that fate has dealt us, but you can be sure that we are allowed to discard it away too. If you wish to uproot your life and go off on your own to see the world… then do it. You’re still so very young… Don’t think that you need to settle for anything less than what you desire deep within your heart. All it takes is what you choose to give in return. I hope you find the answer you seek… whatever they may be. Let’s have tea again... whenever that may be. I’ll see you later~*”

And with a familiar smile, the Elezen left… leaving the frozen Miqo’te in a state of silent shock. Feeling a foreign emotion settle in the pit of her stomach, Circa stared back down at her unfinished drinks, before smiling in sadness. She had left it on the table for her, knowing the teenager would have to take it.

Reaching down and picking up the discarded tarot card, Erenia had deliberately left out for her, the younger girl sighed before shaking her head. ‘Such a pain…’ Why did she have to be like that…? Five years later and she was still teaching her things…

Scooting her chair away, the cat folk sighed before leaving briskly. She was bothered now… and only one thing would help fix that. She needed to have a quick play session with her *little* brother.

And if that didn’t work… then she didn’t know what to do…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Hgghh! Ahh! N-Naoh’a…”

Mewing quietly on top of her bedsheets, Circa panted softly as she felt half of her brother's body sticking out of her anus, his top half currently licking and massaging her the outer hole as it crushed him in a tight vice. Writhing on the bed as the frantic movements of her tiny sibling edged her closer to orgasm, the teenager bit her bottom lip as her fingers massaged her lower ones.

She had been at this for almost an hour now. Each squeeze she gave her anal muscles issued a light cry from her *little* brother, urging the younger girl on. He was completely helpless to her ass, and could do nothing but obey her when she ordered him to worship it. Such humiliation…

Feeling less than what she used to through her carnal actions, Circa pushed aside the troublesome thoughts she had as she forced her fingers into her quim harder. ‘S-Stop thinking… just, enjoy it, damn it!’ This used to feel better… Something had left her over time… and she wasn’t quite sure what.

Scraping her juices out of her crotch and down onto Naoh’a, the sound of him sputtering from her small flood gave her the faintest hints of enjoyment… but they ended there. Punishing her perverse sibling for his mistakes didn’t seem to satisfy her… So, what else could she do, to change things up?

Naoh’a had been on or in every part of her but her pussy… However, she refused to do that. Her hands were always enough… and even with the curse they now shared, she wouldn’t do that. There was still… some type of line she wouldn’t cross. And as far as she was concerned, it was that depraved one.

Humiliating him instead with her feet, armpits, and ass were plenty for her. Well… they used to be at least. Reaching down past her drooling lower lips before pinching the tiny man’s head between her thumb and index finger, Circa felt his hands gripping onto her digits as he tried to breathe.

‘So, utterly pathetic…’ How could have this… thing, ever been her brother? Naoh’a was amazing… He was the pride and joy of their household back in their country. He was the peak of excellence in their new city. And now, he was a glorified butt plug for her to use. His life was wallowed away in her shit, while she took his place as the one everyone looked up to. He had been completely forgotten… Forgotten… by everyone, but her…

Releasing her pinch on the tiny man as the drumming on her fingers began to fade, Circa allowed Naoh’a to finally breathe as her boredom came back all over again. ‘Shit…’ Touching her quim as she felt the dwindling ecstasy abating her, the Miqo’te cursed under her breath before jamming her finger into her ass violently, forcing her brother to enter it fully.

Hissing from the force she had used, the dirty blonde waited… but, nothing happened. The faint movement she felt of Naoh’a was fulfilling and pleasant… but it lacked whatever it used to have… leaving her feeling emptier than she had been when he was outside of it…

Withdrawing her fingers, Circa laid on her back wordlessly as she lifted her glistening digits above her head. They had a thick sheen to them… It made her feel, gross… Scowling at the thought before wiping away her slick, glossy fingers on top of her bedsheets, the younger girl curled up silently as her ears folded back.

‘Why do I feel so… empty?’ Something was missing from her life, but… she didn’t know what. Why couldn’t Naoh’a be here now? He used to know what to tell her whenever she felt down. Well… he still was, but not in any way that would help her now. She was completely on her own…

Staring out of the window beside her in silence, the former purrs the cat folk had been emitting ebbed away slowly leaving her in a state of silence now. The moon was high up in the sky. Full, and beautiful… just like her goddess. ‘Do you even know what I need?’

Hoping to hear a reply, as if a divine intervention was what she needed right about now, Circa hung her head… before a voice did come into her mind. But it wasn’t her goddess. No, it was a much familiar one then that… ‘Don’t think that you need to settle for anything less than what you desire deep within your heart.’

Hearing her friend’s words echo out in her mind, the Miqo’te gazed off in thought before she closed her eyes. ‘Would they miss me?’ Erenia would… But she didn’t care about anyone else. Her former conjurers were still in training school. Her mentor? She stopped caring about her after she graduated. Those that adventured out with her? She barely cared if they came back alive or not…

It was an easy choice in the end… Far easier than she thought it would be.

Moving her hand back to her rear, Circa relaxed before forcing her index finger up her ass, shoving Noah’a further in. He would need to be firmly in place. They might be on foot for a while, and the last thing the white mage wanted was for her brother to slip out… He was her family after all… and she couldn’t lose him too.

Crawling off her bed weakly, a strange sensation fell over Circa as she began to grab the clothes she had set out for tomorrow before putting them on now. She felt nervous… and her anxiety was running rampant. But, the cat folk knew, that if she stopped now… regardless of her friend’s words of encouragement, she wouldn’t be able to go through with it…

No… Erenia was right… She often was. Packing light with just a couple of changes of clothes, and her trail rations that she brought with her when she went out on missions, the young adventurer finished her preparations by grabbing her gnarled wooden staff and moving towards her front door, her eyes focused in front of her and not behind.

Every fiber of her being was telling her to stop. Stop moving, stop trying to leave her home, stop opening the front door… stop, walking down the path leading to town… As the younger girl’s movements finally caught up with her, Circa paused before looking over her shoulder. Resting at the top of the hill, her home now stood tall, with all the lights out.

‘A-Am I really doing this…?’ Feeling goosebumps travel down the length of her spine and her arms and legs, the dirty blonde gulped before turning away briskly as she continued walking down the path leading to town. She knew where to go… But first, there was a stop she had to make. There was something that needed to be returned first…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“One… one please…”

Blinking groggily, an older Hyur yawned sleepily before looking across her desk at Circa as her brow rose. Did someone want to take an airship this late? It was the middle of the night! Flipping over the book in front of her, the blonde woman looked at the departure times before gazing back at the cat folk.

“I’m sorry mam, but the next boats haven’t arrived yet. The earliest vessel isn’t due for another couple of hours. Where were you trying to travel to?” Standing in silence for a moment as she thought about it, Circa gazed back at the dockworker before shaking her head. “Anywhere’s fine. I’ll take a ticket for whichever airships coming in next…”

Furrowing her brow, the Hyur hummed before flipping the pages of her log over before stamping a voucher for the cat girl. “S-Sure… Is, everything alright, mam?” Nodding absently, the younger girl dropped some coins on the counter before extending her hand to take the ticket.

With a look of puzzlement on her features, the dockworker finally shrugged before handing Circa her ticket. She wasn’t sure what this was about or why the younger-looking mage was traveling in the middle of the night for… but, it wasn’t her place to ask either. She must have a reason for leaving so soon. Though it was kind of disconcerting that she didn’t care where she was headed.

“Alright miss… your ticket for Limsa Lominsa is ready. Feel free to sit in our lounge until the airship arrives. It shouldn’t be too long now.” Nodding quietly, Circa grabbed her boarding pass before moving to a secluded section of the air harbor before sitting down peacefully. There weren’t many people here. And the ones that were she didn’t recognize. They were probably just passing through. That was good…

The last thing the Miqo’te wanted was for someone to see her here. She didn’t like goodbyes or long, drawn-out conversations. This was simply her way of leaving without making a fuss. Leaning into the armrest of her chair, the cat folks’ eyes grew clouded as she watched the horizon for her ship. It would be here shortly… and her last chance to back out was leaving her…

Too bad… she wouldn’t take it.

She was committed… After all, she had already left her goodbye message to Erenia. She would know what it meant…

Hopefully, the younger girl was making the right choice. This would be, a leap of faith… But, if the blonde was being truthful… this feeling, was one she hadn’t felt in a long time. Excitement…

Something was about to happen… and for better of worse… she would get to experience it first hand, and see just what her future had planned for her…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Waking to the sounds of birds chirping melodically outside of her windowsill, Erenia groggily began to stir, before leaning up and starting her morning off with a waning yawn. How odd… She didn’t usually rouse so early. Wiping her eyes, a bit as she crawled out of her bed, the Elezen hummed thoughtfully as she began to make her way towards her window to close it.

As the pale woman reached for the panels of glass, however, her eyes were drawn, to a rectangular shape resting on the small ledge hanging outside of it. It was one she knew well. What type of Astrologian would she be if she didn’t?

Reaching out and lifting the weighted paper towards herself, Erenia was befuddled only for a moment before a small smile fell over her features. ‘I guess you took my advice…’ Good for her… It would be quiet around here without the cat folk to give her company. Hopefully, she would stop by again in the future. Preferably, when the elf was waking this time…

Shutting her window, the Elezen set her gifted Tarot card down on her bed before making her way towards the bathroom.

She couldn’t wait to see Circa again. To see, what she would become. Her card’s never lied… and this journey would be one the young woman needed, to mature fully into who she truly was. The woman, Erenia knew her to be, even if she couldn’t see it herself…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Limsa Lominsa

Taking her first step out of the airship since she had departed Old Gridania, Circa felt her nose bristle from the salty smell in the air. This city was different than her own. In many ways actually. The climate was damper, and the air felt heavier than where she had been previously. The sounds around her as well were resonating from every direction.

This was no hidden gem in the lush forests she had trained in. It was a bustling city, full of lively beings. Some of which she had never even seen before… Raising her brow as she saw a feline looking man with more fur then skin carrying a hefty crate on his shoulder easily, the Miqo’te applied a brisker step to her pace as she tried to leave the air docks.

Admiring the breathtaking view as she walked, the cat folk was at a loss for words. This city was remarkable! It looked like every structure here had been constructed atop high rocky mountains, each with connecting bridges giving them more structural integrity than any one presented to itself alone.

This was the work of generations upon generations of hard work, labor, and blood to craft such remarkable and imposing structures. But, even so… walking so high up was slightly unnerving, to say the least. ‘I-Is it natural to feel like I could fall through loose stones at any moment…?’

Shuddering from the fear-inducing thought, Circa shook her head and made her way (unconsciously) towards the center of the city rather than the outskirts. She wasn’t even sure why she was here yet… but, if she wanted to find… whatever it was she was searching for, it would make more sense to travel to a place everyone else did… right?

Traversing the lively city, the Miqo’te felt like a fish out of water here… People were walking and moving at paces that surpassed her own, and more than once the younger girl had bumped into a few aggressive looking people. This place was kind of rugged…

“Hey, miss! Would you look like you’re capable of using mana! Want to come and join Arcanist Guild?”

Turning her head to a voice that had shouted directly into her ear, Circa swiveled on her feet before jumping back in shock as she saw a tiny creature only inches away from her face. What the hell was it?! It was short, maybe only a foot tall in all. Though its body was only about half of that size…

It was a humanoid female with pointed ears. It almost reminded the cat folk of an Elezen, but there were a few key differences that told her otherwise. First and foremost being the two large butterfly-like wings that made up the bulk of the creature’s size. The second of course was its height. It was larger than Naoh’a, but not by much…

‘W-What the hell are you…?’ As the two different species stared at one another, the smaller of the pair blinked first before raising a large piece of paper, bigger than its own body. “Hey, can you hear me? Hellooooo? You’re not dumb are you…?”

Blinking slowly before it dawned on her that she hadn’t said anything yet, Circa soon scowled before taking a step back from the tiny woman. “Aww, come on, don’t be like that! Come join the Arcanist Guild! I bet even you could do something… if only it means cleaning up messes when you’re too stupid to tal- OWWWW!!!”

Gawking silently, Circa looked on in confusion as she watched a verdant robed woman smack the smaller creature nearly launching it into the ground hadn’t it been for her wings to slow her downfall. What the hell was going on?!

“Ka’llee! What have I told you about pestering others! If she doesn’t want to join, then don’t try and force her to! And for god’s sake, don’t insult people either! Honestly, what is wrong with you?” The exasperated Hyur sighed as she adjusted a wide-brimmed pair of glasses before looking back at Circa weakly.

“I’m terribly sorry, I do hope my companion hasn’t given you too much trouble. Please forgive her…” The older woman bowed. Licking her lips as she tried to find her voice, the teenager blushed a bit from the embarrassment of being addressed so formally before shaking her head.

“There's no need to bow… It’s… fine. Umm… What, is that thing?” The Miqo’te murmured as she stared down at the fae like creature slowly beginning to rise once more with the fluttering flap of her prismatic wings.

Humming thoughtfully for a moment, the older woman studied Circa quietly before moving her fingers up to her glasses to adjust them. “Oh, you’re not from around here, are you? Judging by your attire, I take it you’re a white mage?”

Nodding in surprise as the stranger immediately picked up on her profession, the intuitive Hyur smiled warmly before nodding back. “Well miss, this little insect-esque creature is a Fairy. They’re helpers that Scholars such as myself employ to assist us. We’re healers, similar to yourself.” “DID YOU JUST CALL ME A LOWELY BUG?!?”

Wincing the shrieking creature next to her head, the older woman smiled awkwardly before raising her hands defensively. “No, no, of course not Ka’llee~. Bug’s fly in front of people’s faces, occasionally have transparent wings, are generally all-around annoying, and pester people without any consideration from others~. You wouldn’t happen to share any of those characteristics with them, now would you?” The dark-haired woman deadpanned as she leveled a menacing glare the Fairy’s way, causing her to freeze up in place midair… A fact that was rather impressive considering she had been fluttering prior…

Craning her neck away from the larger being, the little Fairy puffed out her cheeks before huffing angrily, but she made no retort back to the Scholar. It seemed like this must be some kind of common occurrence between the pair. Though with how the woman had slapped her down into the ground beforehand, it made sense in a sort of awkward way…

Lightly scratching the tribal tattoo on her cheek, Circa forced a tiny smile unsure of what to say in a situation such as this. She had just been accosted by something a fifth of her size, and now she was speaking with someone who used authority when she spoke. It was like she was back in her academy days all over again…

However, it seemed the older woman had picked up on this from the Miqo’te’s body tone instantly. “My apologies… We must have both put you on the spot, now haven’t we? My name is Arianna Gildameer. And this little one is Ka’llee, my Fairy. As I’ve said, I’m a Scholar who teaches in the Arcanist Guild here in Limsa Lominsa. I’m surprised to see a White Mage in our capitol. Usually, your kind stays around the Gridania region. Might I ask why you’ve traveled here? Provided I’m not prying that is.” The older woman smiled sheepishly as she fidgeted with her glasses once more.

Seeing the nervous twitch of sorts, not once, but twice now, the former opinion the cat folk held now seemed to vanish. ‘I guess she’s not as authoritative as I thought…’ It put her at ease is in a way. Smiling back a little more naturally now, Circa shook her head to show she was fine which seemed to alleviate the worry the Hyur held.

“It’s fine. You’re right actually. I am from Gridania. I came on an airship today actually… and If I’m being perfectly honest with you… I don’t have a reason why I’m here of all places. I was just… sort of trying to get away. I have some stuff I need to figure out…” The teenager muttered, feeling like she had said everything and nothing at the same time. To her it made sense, but to anyone else, it seemed like she had simply come to this random city for no other reason than because she could.

But it didn’t seem like her indecisiveness bothered the older Scholar as she smiled back at Circa warmly. “Well, it sounds like you’re on a spiritual journey to me then. I wish you luck, miss…” “Circa… just, Circa.” Nodding happily, the Hyur reached up to her side before plucking the paper her pouting Fairy was still clutching before handing it over to the cat girl.

“Well, Circa, if you have no destination in mind and you know of one not, then how about you come to the Arcanist Guild for a few days? You can be my formal guest! It’s not every day we have healers from other countries drop by. It might be good for the adapts to meet you, and quite possibly you to meet them. That is if you’re interested of course. The lodging isn’t as luxurious as some of the hotels here in Limsa, but we’ll still keep them staffed well enough to accommodate you while you’re there. The choice is yours though.”

Taking ahold of the flier and peering down at it, the cat folk’s eyes scanned the contents inquisitively. It was an advertisement of sorts, but not in the traditional sense. It seemed like the guild wanted people to push themselves rather than join to bolster their ranks. It was similar to the Conjurers guild back in her hometown but different enough to pique her interests.

‘Perhaps, this could be a good place to start…’ She had felt pretty empty with her profession now. There was no guarantee that she would feel any happier taking on a new job though. And it could be a lot of work for little to no reward for her efforts… Such tricky decisions to make…

Blinking momentarily before looking back up at the patient Hyur standing in front of her with a smile, Circa’s face instantly lit up red as she realized that she had been just standing there for over two minutes without giving her an answer-back.

“U-Umm, sure… I guess. I don’t know what I can do to help out at your guild though. I don’t know much about what Arcanists do.” The Miqo’te admitted honestly. She didn’t want to mooch off of random people she had just met. It was awkward enough just being around them…

Waving her hand dismissively as she gave the feline teenager a warm smile in return, Arianna moved to take the paper back before nodding in return. “We wouldn’t make you do any chores or hall tasks like our adapts do if that’s what you’re worried about. However, I think it would be good for aspiring healers to learn from someone other than just our instructors. I can only teach them so much on my own and sharing knowledge from other regions will benefit both our trainees and veterans immensely. At most, I’d ask that you give a few lectures on what you do and just talk about what you’ve encountered if that’s all right with you.”

Humming thoughtfully, the younger girl thought about the offer once more before giving the Scholar one final nod. “I guess that doesn’t sound that bad. Sure, I think I’ll take you up on your offer. Do… I need to sign anything…?” Circa asked unsure of how to proceed with their unusual arrangement of sorts.

Letting out a surprised chortle, the bespectacled brunette shook her head before turning to her side. “You aren’t under any obligation to stay if you don’t want to Circa. If you feel the urge to leave after a day or two, by all means, feel free. But I don’t think you will. I can tell you have the potential for great things. And if even a fraction of that can rub off on my adapts, I’ll be quite happy with our agreement.” Arianna smiled warmly.

Raising her brow at the mention of, her, students, Circa craned her neck slightly. ‘She’s an instructor?’ She looked like an adventurer… Perhaps this guild was different in more ways than one with her own. Or they might be more active than the Mages of in guild had been. It was surprising to see a trainer out recruiting people to join their guild though. At least in Gridania that was a minor task for young Conjurer adapts to attend to.

Blinking in surprise as she caught herself zoning out again, Circa’s tail shot up rigid as she saw Arianna walking away as she chatted with her fairy companion. She hadn’t even realized the older woman had been taking her somewhere!

Jogging to catch up with the Hyur subtly, the Miqo’te’s cheeks darkened. She really wasn’t good with people…

Maybe, this would be for the best. The thought of talking to a crowd of people didn’t sound all that appealing… But, free room and board and the potential opportunity to learn about new careers to pursue wasn’t such a bad offer…

Only time would tell though if this was the right path, she was here to take…

It was times like this… she wished that Erenia were here, to offer her guidance. She relied too much on the Elezen though as it were. It was time for her to make her own decisions… For better or for worse…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Arcanist Guild

One week later…

Flopping down onto her mattress exhaustedly, Circa yawned loudly as her tail coiled around her thigh weakly. She was freaking beat! After accompanying Arianna, the teenager had been led to an imposing school of sorts that seemed far larger than her guild hall back in Gridania.

There were set rules and policies here, regular and recurring schedules, and dozen upon dozens of people pestering her for attention… It was the exact opposite of what she had grown accustomed to in her guild… Souring at the thought of answering any more questions that the many masses of young Arcanists had been asking her for the last seven or so days, the dirty blonde buried her face into her woolen pillow before groaning.

‘Why am I still here…?’ After the initial introductions on the first day, she had been assigned to sit in classes for students of the guild to listen and offer insight when asked by varying teachers. It had been embarrassing at first, but it was all basic knowledge she knew so nothing came up that she didn’t already know. But, even so, being put on the spot like that did put her at wit's end some days…

She was like an aetheryte crystal that only held a limited supply of mana. Once it was used up, she had met her required limit and needed time to recharge. And as each day passed by, it became more and more apparent that she wasn’t really happy here…

It was new at first, but once all the glamour wore off, she saw this place for what it was. An academy. It was just like the Conjurers guild all over again. And she didn’t particularly like what she saw. Arcanists were slightly different, but not by much… They used their magic practically, but with reserve not unlike her own.

Becoming a Scholar could be, unique… but, she didn’t particularly care about taking on a fairy familiar. Arianna was one of the few instructors here who were able to have one. The process of summoning one was challenging, and a lot of adapts never met the requirements to do it, which lead to multiple dropouts for the guild.

‘Pathetic…’ It irked her that people would go through so much, only to give up when things became too difficult at the end of their journey. She wasn’t wired like that, and couldn’t fathom why anyone else would be. There was nothing but a loss on their part and nothing gained either…

Truly, pathetic…

Rolling onto her side as the flow of her thoughts ebbed, the Miqo’te reached around her back before resting a hand on her pert rear. Naoh’a hadn’t moved much since she arrived in Limsa Lominsa… Perhaps it was time she took him out again…

But then there was the issue of privacy. Every day, whenever she tried to steal some alone time to use her brother, there was something that came up that either cut her unsatisfying session short or completely shut it down before she could try to do anything with him…

‘I need to get out of this place…’ She wasn’t going to get anything here. If Erenia’s fortune-telling was right, then she had to keep looking. She’d discover… something…

*Knock, knock… knock…*

Bristling from the interruption, Circa groaned audibly before slinking off her bed. She just wanted a couple of hours to herself that didn’t involve sleeping! Moving towards her door and pulling it open, the teenager expected to see one of the countless adapts to be standing there ready to ask her lecture questions or give another demonstration with her powers… but it wasn’t one.

“A-Arianna…? What is it?” Circa asked with a slight hint of agitation in her tone. Standing with a look of trouble on her face, the cat folk began to worry now. “Is, something the matter…?” Giving their guest a weak smile, the Hyur Scholar waved her hand ushering Circa to join her for a walk. It seemed the instructor wanted her for something but didn’t want to come out and say it… great…

Sighing, the younger girl nodded already set to leave after having just arrived. ‘I didn’t even get to take my boots off…’ Shutting her door and trailing along behind the sullen woman, the blonde soon began to worry. She looked visibly uncomfortable about something. Why didn’t she want to just tell her? ‘Are they kicking me out of this place? What the heck did I do? I thought I was helping… I guess it doesn’t matter since I was already planning to leave… But still, where did I mess up?’

Wracking her mind for an answer, Circa was soon brought out of her brooding thoughts as she almost collided with Arianna, the older brunette having stopped right in front of a pair of double oaken doors. “I’m sorry to bother you after you helped us with our earlier classes… but, I need to ask you for a favor Circa. It’s very important to me… But I fear it goes past what would be considered apt given our agreement when you first came here… Can, we talk in here?” The older woman murmured as she opened the door for the cat girl.

“Oh… I-I’m not in trouble?” “For what?” Looking away quickly as she blushed, Circa walked into the office silently, trying to hide her chagrin for presuming wrongly. Why did her mind always do that?! Here she was already making plans for where to go when she hadn’t even been asked to leave…

As she entered the room, the teenager looked around the spacious office as she saw a large intricate magic circle in the center of the room and several spaces around it for seating. This looked like a summoning lay line. Certain classes were capable of reaching out to draw assistance from different denizens of other planes. Scholars were one such class. This place probably acted as the alter where Arcanists became them.

Looking to Arianna as she stepped past her, the older woman sat down on one of the seat cushions before gesturing to the one next to her, but not across? Raising her brow, the Miqo’te decided not to ask as she moved next to the Scholar.

Sitting down quietly, the cat girl’s eyes shifted around the room before noticing something that was off. “Arianna, where’s your fairy?” The little Fae was never far from the older woman. Waving her hand dismissively, the brunette smiled as she looked to the two sets of doors.

“I sent Ka’llee to fetch someone. We won’t have long to talk, but… the favor I need to ask you… umm…” Sensing a lot of uncertainty and hesitation from the usually stoic and composed teacher was a bit unnerving to the Miqo’te. What the hell did she want her to do!?

Taking a deep breath, the Hyur finally sighed before shaking her head. “I’m sorry to ask you think after you’ve been such a help to our adapts… but… Would you mind, helping out one of my trainees? She’s… a special case. I guess, I should start from the beginning…” Arianna mumbled, her face looking a bit haggard as she tried to talk about whoever it was, she was mentioning.

“The person I want you to help is an Arcanist, who is about to partake in the ritual used to become a Scholar. To put things bluntly… I don’t think she’ll be able to do what’s necessary to become one… And the thought of her failing, is weighing on me heavily…” The older woman whispered; sadness evident in her tone.

Craning her neck, Circa thought about what her… companion…? Had said before scowling. “Wait, are you asking me to help one of your trainees to cheat or something?” Sputtering before shaking her head profusely, Arianna hung her head before groaning.

“No, no, nothing like that! Momori, is… just, different. I have no doubts in my mind that she has the potential to become an amazing Scholar. But I don’t know if she can complete what’s required of the ritual on her own. That’s all I’m saying. What I’d like you to do, is simply accompany her when I send her out on her test. You don’t need to assist her in any way… Just, keep an eye on her. Maybe give her encouraging words… That’s all.”

Giving the older woman a deadpanned expression, the Hyur smiled pleadingly before the doors to the study opened up, ending whatever conversation they were trying to have prior. “In here bouncy! Arianna, why did you have me get this one again? She won’t stop asking me questions I don’t know!”

Looking to the door as the Scholar’s fairy familiar flew into the room, the Hyur hung her head once more giving the cat girl the impression that this was someone very loud and brash. ‘Great, a chatterbox…’ Just her type, Circa thought sardonically.

As the person in question entered the room, however, all mirth left the Miqo’te’s face as she saw who, err… what, she was? Standing shorter than either of the doorknobs on the oaken entryway, was… a child? Blinking momentarily as she tried to see this right, the teenager wasn’t sure if what she was seeing was real or not. ‘This is the Arcanist Arianna mentioned?!’

Standing perhaps a little under 3 feet tall, was a plumper looking, little girl. Her facial features were extremely cherub-like and almost seemed impossible for kids her age to have. Her skin as well was pale with a small sheen to it, almost like a glow. Adding on the pointed ears topped with a pair of small hooped metal bands, and she definitely put off an air of angelic.

What caught Circa’s attention, however, were the clashing features. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were a brilliant hue of magenta, with the final oddity being her bright orange blonde hair, pulled up into a messy pair of short twin tails.

Add in the white and red robes she was sporting, and you got a mess of tinctures that would confuse even the colorblind. As the pair stared at each other for what seemed like an awkward amount of time, the child was the first to break the silence, as a massive smile fell over her features as she looked across at the teenager.

“Kitty teacher!!!!!”

…

“H-Huh…?”

Feeling her tail go rigid, Circa’s eyes widened before she let out a low eep due to the bubbly little girl now standing in front of her! Did she just teleport?! She had only blinked before she was on her! Jumping up and down in near hysterics, the child began to run around her body, causing the older girl to lose sight of her multiple times as she heard different oh’s and ah’s coming from the younger girl.

“YOU LOOK SO PRETTY UP CLOSE! I CAN’T BELIEVE I GET TO SEE YOU NOW!! IS YOUR TAIL REAL?!!! DO YOU HAVE FUR IN OTHER PLACES?!!!! DO YOU WANNA BE MY FRIEND?!!!!! CAN I PET YOUR HEAD?!?!?! CAN I-“

Cutting off the short girl forcefully, Arianna hid her emotions behind a stoic face as she put the child in a headlock, as she cupped her hand over her mouth to forcibly silence her. Was… this a common method for shutting her up?!

Blinking in disbelief, Circa looked between the child and the instructor as she saw a pained expression on the Hyur’s face. “T-This… is Momori… She’s the one I wanted you to… a-assist…” As the room went completely silent, minus the continuous sound of chattering escaping the cracks in the older woman’s fingers, Circa soon smiled at the Hyur before trying to stifle a laugh of her own.

“N-No, I mean… just, NO!” The Miqo’te coughed out derisively. Was this a joke?! The Scholar expected her to babysit… THAT?! She was out of a damn mind! However, as she saw the crestfallen look spreading across the Hyur’s face, it became apparent… that she had been serious all along…

Casting a glance down at Momori, Arianna frowned in silence before picking the girl up and plopping her down on her lap, the child’s words suddenly vanishing as she grew wide-eyed. Pulling her hand off of the cherub girl’s mouth, the older woman nodded as a look of pure, and utter fulfillment fell over the shorter girl as she let out a sigh happily before leaning into the brunette's embrace much to her embarrassment.

“Momori… What have I told you about going off on people like that! There’s a reason why the other adapts don’t like being around you… Honestly…” Arianna muttered before shaking her head. But it didn’t look like the younger girl even heard her as she continued to bask in happiness atop the older woman’s lap. What the hell was going on with her…? It was like she was a completely different… thing… now.

Looking back at Circa as her tail waved back and forth, something the Hyur knew meant she was either uneasy or agitated, Arianna adjusted her glasses before clearing her throat. “I, apologize for my student’s prior outburst. She’s… working on it… But, still. I ask you to please reconsider your answer! Believe it or not, Momori is a skilled Arcanist! She just has a few… hang-ups…”

Staring back at the pudgy girl as she let out a whispering sighing sound, the teenager was at a loss for words. “So you’re telling me, this kid, the same one who just accosted me and called me, k-kitty, is your next adapt in line to be a Scholar?! Like you?!” Circa sputtered out, unable to put all her feelings into words. This was too ridiculous! She looked like she was no older than 5!

The cat folk herself hadn’t found her talents in mana until she had been 10 years old. Seeing a weak smile pass over the older woman’s face, however, the catgirl wasn’t so sure now. “Momori, isn’t a kid… She’s actually your age, Circa. And as you know, having talents that young is quite remarkable. The reason she looks as she does is simply because of her species. She’s a Lalafell. They’re a short race, and often look similar to how she does now.” Arianna explained, pointing to the shorter girl’s pointed ears.

Furrowing her brow at the explanation, the teenager narrowed her eyes as she zoned in on as many key features as she could on the smaller… teen…? Her face was incredibly childlike. Her body and stature too were identical. Though, it did seem like she had more proportions on her. Nothing of note in the chest region. She was flatter than a piece of parchment paper. But her rear did seem more prominent. Was Arianna telling the truth? Or was she just trying to get her to agree to accompany this walking playground?

“So… She’s, a la-la-fell?” Circa mouthed incredulously. She had never seen this race in Gridania. Shouldn’t there be more of them? Nodding back, the older woman lightly petted the smaller girl’s hair as an even happier smile spread across her features for some reason. She was still being silent now. It was such a weird change in demeanor…

“She is. I’m not surprised you don’t know of them. Where you come from, not a lot of Lalafell train. They make their homes and villages primarily in the region of Ul’dah. It’s a trade city which attracts many of their species. You see, Lalafell are naturally gifted craftsmen and barterers. Many prefer the region due to the financial gain and prosperity they can bring to their families. Momori was originally from there. How she ended up here, is… honestly something I don’t even know…” Arianna muttered as she looked down at the complacent girl leaning deeper into her embrace.

“Why is she acting like that? She was just screaming when she came in here a few minutes ago?” Circa wondered aloud. It was like she had two distinct personalities. A brash and boisterous one… and now this silent and complacent one. This was too weird, even for her…

Frowning now, the Scholar moved her hands over the Lalafell’s face, before cupping the shorter girl’s cheeks, Momori’s face lighting up red as she blushed happily and cooed. “I honestly don’t have a reason I can give you. She just enjoys it when people touch or hold her. Sort of like a baby. As you can imagine, it puts a lot of people off when the only way to silence her is to fondle her.” The brunette smiled weakly.

Biting her tongue in an attempt to not say what was on her mind (It was quite snide…), Circa leaned forward before poking the smaller girl’s plump cheek. It was warm and really squishy. And… if the cat folk was being perfectly honest… kind of cute. As her finger pressed down, a light ‘Ahh’ escaped the childlike girl’s lips.

‘She’s… so, weird…’ But… if everything Arianna said was true, then… she was powerful. Everything the Scholar said, sounded made up to her. An Arcanist was extremely powerful. There were a few teachers here who only specialized in the lower tier, and still rivaled some of their higher casters. Was Momori as powerful as the brunette made her out to be?

From Circa’s experience, if you could climb the class ladder at a young age, you were truly gifted. She knew this first hand after all. No other white mage was within a decade of her years. But still… she had to know for sure before she answered. Her last one had been reactionary…

“Arianna… Are you telling me the truth? Does this girl have to potential to be a Scholar? I can’t see someone as hyper as her running around trying to heal others. She might get people killed…” Circa warned seriously. She had seen bad ones… It wasn’t pretty.

Some of the supposed white mages who had graduated in Gridania had immediately made mistakes that cost them the lives of their party members. If she said yes to whatever it was the Hyur wanted to do, and Momori got somebody killed… it would probably weigh heavily on the cat folk. And the last thing she needed was guilt to hold her back. She was overburden enough as is…

Clenching her ass instinctively, the Miqo’te softly purred as she felt the faintest of movements from within her bowels. She had a lot on her plate… And she still needed to figure stuff out. This all sounded like a chore for her…

However, instead of the older woman responding to her statements, her familiar fluttered down instead with folded arms. “She’s not lying. Believe it or not, this runt is super strong! We Fae aren’t drawn to weak people and even I feel the power she’s packing. If she were to summon one of my kind, it would be strong. Almost as strong as one that you would summon if you were a Scholar. But… she’s still a weirdo.” “Ka’llee!” “What?! It’s the truth!” The fairy barked back, earning a glare in return from her summoner.

Looking back at the small white fae, Circa furrowed her brow again. This conversation was both informative and confusing at the same time. “Wait… why would the power of someone influence the power of a fairy summoned by a Scholar?” Wasn’t it just random?

Shaking her head before mockingly wagging her finger, Ka’llee giggled before flying uncomfortably close to the cat girl’s face before putting her hands on her hips with a smirk plastered across her features.

“Of course, it does! We Fairies love mana! We live off of aether itself! If we’re to exist in your realm, we need a constant supply of it to supplement the cost of living here. So, when one of your kind calls out to us from one plane to the next, a few conditions must be met! First and foremost, you have to have lots of mana! Mana is power, and vise versa. If you have plenty, then it’s not a risk for us to stay around you. We won’t get depleted and can stay longer in one place at a time. The next is a personality! We’re drawn to specific ones. All fae have a preference, good or bad. If you summoned a random fairy companion who wanted to murder others for no other reason than to do it, there would be no way you could work together!” Ka’llee laughed before fluttering back over to Arianna and sitting down on her shoulder happily.

“My summoner is reserved, calm, but a bit anxious when it comes to talking to others she holds in similar standing to her own. She’s a nice person though, and that’s why I came to her when she called out to me. And I couldn’t be happier.” The pale creature giggled before rubbing her cheek against the blushing Hyur’s much larger one.

Letting the explanation sink in, Circa was somewhat speechless now. ‘T-There’s so much I didn’t know…’ It kind of made sense now why sometimes the people who trained to be Scholars didn’t pass their final test and acquired a fairy companion. She had seen it happen the fourth day she had been here. The man had been really angry, cursing as he walked off. She hadn’t seen him since.

If he was an aggressive individual in general, then that meant whatever he reached out to call, didn’t want anything to do with him. Remarkable… Looking back down at the Lalafell now, however, a frown soon fell across Circa’s face. Something had clicked into place now…

“Are you worried, that Momori won’t be able to summon a fairy because of her personality? Is that why you wanted me to accompany her?” Remaining silent but moving her hands over the complacent creatures’ ears, Arianna cupped them, cautiously. While content and oblivious to the world in the state she was in now, the older woman didn’t want to take the risk of having her hone in on what she said next…

“In all honesty, Circa… I don’t believe that she can do what’s needed to become one…” Arianna muttered crestfallenly. Seeing the serious look that had been followed by one of pity, the Miqo’te frowned now. “But, didn’t you just praise her and tell me she would make a great Scholar a few minutes ago?”

Nodding weakly, the Hyur looked back down at the Lalafell seated atop her lap before giving her head a gentle pat. “She’s dependent on others, Circa. Not many know her true reason for wanting to undertake the trial to become one of us. I, however, do. If you want to know it, then you can ask her yourself. Unfortunately, due to the very reason she wants to become a Scholar, I fear she won’t be able to become one… It’s the reason I wish for you to travel with her when she undertakes her quest. She had power, knowledge, and experience… but, none of it matters in the end if she can’t get past her hang-ups. So, I ask you again… Will, you please join her on her task? She leaves tomorrow. You’ll have until then to give me an answer so I can make preparations.” Arianna whispered before moving her hands away from Momori’s head.

Watching silently as focus began to come back to the childlike girl, Circa was stoic and unsure of what to say now. The shorter girl had returned to normal once the older woman stopped hugging her. Weird…

Remaining seated as both Arianna and Momori talked briefly, time soon came for the Arcanist to leave, giving both White Mage and Scholar privacy once more. But neither said anything. It seemed everything that needed to be aired out had been.

Standing up once the awkwardness became too much for her to bear, Circa moved to leave but was stopped as she felt her hand grabbed suddenly. But it wasn’t by Arianna. “Hey… if you do plan to help out the shorty… We fairies thank you. Not a lot of people on this plain are as vibrant as she is. Whoever she summons will be very happy to have her as a partner.” Ka’llee smiled before fluttered past the surprised cat folk and opening the door for her.

Biting the tip of her tongue, the teenager continued to walk, leaving both women behind as she headed back to her bedroom.

She had… some stuff she had to think about…

But it probably wouldn’t change her initial answer… Probably…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Lying atop her bed as her mind wandered in every direction at once, Circe frowned as she gazed up at the ceiling of her room with an exasperated look. She was naked, atop her bed… and Naoh’a was busy tending to her ass, as per usual… But, why couldn’t she focus on the pleasure he was providing?

Moving her hand down before making contact with the back of her tiny sibling’s head, the Miqo’te pushed against him as his face was forced against her sensitive anus. Or at least it should have been sensitive… It seemed like the pleasure had run out…

She could feel his tongue tickling her privates, and it had always felt so euphoric… But right now, she was too strained to simply lie back and enjoy his praise. Was the situation with that Lalafell still weighing on her mind this much? She already made up her mind to decline. It wasn’t like she was responsible for her after all. She didn’t even know her for crying out loud!

Pressing a bit harder on her brother’s head as irritation began to pester her, Circa growled under her breath. ‘She’s just another dungeoneer I’d have to take care of!’ It was always the same! People kept relying on her for protection and leadership only to take advantage of her and make the white mage do all the heavy lifting!

What Arianna was asking her to do was the same as all the mages in her guild had her do! Only this time she had to babysit a child rather than adults pretending to be them. This was beginning to piss her off! She didn’t owe anything to anyone here! Hadn’t she done enough already to help them? Why did they still want her to go above and beyond what you’d ask your people to do!

Feeling the movements cease all together against her rear, Circa put a pin in her rage-inducing thoughts before looking down between her legs. Slumped against her pale cheeks was Naoh’a… her finger still hanging behind where his head had been…

Growing wide-eyed at what she had just done, the cat folk quickly picked up her brother before looking down at him. “N-Naoh’a!?” Did she just suffocate him without even realizing it!? Giving his cheek a few light taps, the larger teen began to calm as she saw his eyes scrunching as he began to come back to consciousness.

‘J-Jeez… This is just great…’ With him passing out, he probably didn’t have enough energy left to get her off. DAMN IT! As her thoughts changed from anger at the academy, she was into anger at her brother… the younger girl’s eyes slowly began to soften as it occurred to her what she had just done.

Staring down at Naoh’a as the older boy panted in her hand fatigued, Circa sighed before standing up. ‘What’s wrong with me…?’ This wasn’t his fault… it was hers. Shaking her head as she tried to control her emotions, the younger girl made her way towards her bathroom before turning the sink on and lowering her tiny brother into its waters.

Giving her sibling a gentle cleaning as she scrubbed away the shit stains and other assorted gunk he had accumulated inside of her anal canal, the Miqo’te’s eyes were lost to her as she worked on auto-pilot to clean him off. She was full of so much anger… But, why?

She had been angry before. Plenty of times in her past. But right now, it seemed trivial when she thought about it. If she had made up her mind not to help the Lalafell like her… friend… acquaintance, asked her to… then why was she still troubled by it?

Rubbing her finger against the bar of soap on top of the sink, Circa smiled softly as she lathered her brother’s wild main. It had grown out some since this had all began. “Heh… It’s funny that I’m still taking care of you… I guess a little thing like you can’t look out for yourself, huh?” Receiving no response as per usual, the teenager’s stomach sank as she looked on at her broken older brother.

‘Will you ever come back to me Naoh’a?’

This had been pleasurable at first… but now, it seemed like the situation just depressed her. She missed having talks with her brother when she needed guidance. And without Erenia around, she severely lacked the words of wisdom that came with her.

“N-Naoh’a… I don’t know what I’m doing anymore… I don’t know what, I’m doing here… C-Can you help me figure it out…?” Folding her ears back as her tail hung weakly down by her ankles, Circa sighed softly before shaking her head. ‘He’s too damaged to help anyone, not even himself.’ There was a reason he still needed her. Needed to stay like this…

Blinking as something began to click in her mind, Circa scowled as her mind shifted to what Arianna had told her about Momori when they spoke earlier. ‘She has the potential to be one of the greatest Scholar’s the schools ever trained, but she’s dependent on others for support…’

Staring down at her brother as her mind traveled a mile a minute, Circa began to clench her teeth now. ‘No way… No freaking way! I am not, babysitting her!’ She wasn’t anything like her brother! THESE SITUATIONS WERE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT!

Letting out aggravated breaths before sighing repeatedly to calm herself, the cat folk looked up for the first time before growing wide-eyed as she saw her reflection in the mirror. She looked, so angry… So full of rage… Why, was she always like this…?

Feeling something touch her fingers, Circa’s head shot back down in an instant as she stared at Naoh’a. His face… it… hadn’t changed… But he was holding onto the tip of her finger? Blinking repeatedly to make sure she wasn’t imagining the odd action, the Miqo’te shut off the water before cradling her tiny brother in her hands.

“N-Naoh’a…? Can, you hear me?” Of course, he could… but, that wasn’t what she meant to ask. However, as odd as the action had been, it seemed like, the shrunken man hadn’t changed. He was still, unmoving with an utterly defeated expression on his features.

Staring down at him as minutes danced by, Circa let out a final sigh for the night before grabbing the towel next to her to dry her *little* brother off with. “Why don’t… Why don’t, you sleep next to me tonight, instead of where you usually do… Does, that sound alright?”

‘Yes, I would like that…’ She wished he would say that. Wished, he would talk at all. She missed her brother. Moving back into her bedroom, Circa crawled under her sheets silently before cradling her siblings against her chest.

‘What do… What do, I do…?’

She felt, so lost… So, very, lost….

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

*Knock, Knock………… Knock*

Rising from her bed in a daze, Arianna Blinked slowly before reaching over to the stand beside her bed for her glasses. What time was it? The sun wasn’t even out yet. Hearing no further responses from the odd knock in the night, the Hyur was about to go back to bed, before Ka’llee fluttered up yawning tiredly herself.

“There are two people outside… Don’t they know it’s the middle of the night?” The Fae muttered groggily before her wings stopped altogether letting her fall back into the comforter before she dozed off once more. Giving the little fairy a deadpanned look, the brunette sighed before crawling out of her warm bed to tend to whomever it was that needed her.

It was like this sometimes when you taught in an academy. Hopefully, it was nothing serious. She was looking forward to going back to sleep. She needed it… As the brunette opened the door, however, the older woman paused as she saw Circa standing there with a bothered expression on her face.

“Circa? Is, something wrong?” She looked like she was perturbed by something. Staring down at the ground weakly, the Miqo’te shifted her eyes to the disheveled instructor before shaking her head. “It’s nothing. I just wanted to let you know I’ll be accompanying Momori tomorrow. I figured you’d want to know…”

Turning to leave after she had said her piece, Arianna was surprised as she watched the teenager walking away. Had she come just to say that? Furrowing her brow momentarily, the older woman soon smiled before closing her bedroom door.

‘Well, that was unexpected…’ To be honest, the Scholar expected the younger woman to outright refuse. She had gotten that vibe from her during their entire meeting yesterday. But something seemed to have changed her mind. She’d make preparations immediately… once it was morning. She still needed her sleep…

Making her way back to her bed, the overworked staff member soon paused before something odd occurred to her. ‘Wait… Didn’t Ka’llee say there were two people outside her bedroom…?’

Pursing her lips as she tried to figure out the odd statement, the brunette decided to ask about it later…

The Fae probably overworked herself to…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

La Noscea, Outer Region.

3 day’s later…

‘Uggghhhh… Why did I agree to do this again?’

Walking at a slow pace as she observed the surroundings around her with interest, Circa’s attention kept getting drawn down to the tiny form of Momori as she ran around her in circles, with what seemed to be a nearly endless amount of energy. Was she really her own age?! She had been acting like a giddy child ever since they departed Limsa Lominsa!

Shifting her eyes left and right, back and forth, the Miqo’te tried not to count how many circles the Lalafell had already run, but this was starting to get ridiculous… She lost count somewhere after a hundred or so…

“Momori! Knock it off! We’re on a quest! YOUR QUEST! Take this more seriously!” The cat folk hissed in annoyance. Her patience had been tested time and time again, but this was becoming too much for even her!

Stopping mid-step before hopping a few paces in an attempt to not fall flat on her face, the orange-haired Lalafell blinked before turning her head to look up at Circa. “Huh? But I am… I’m looking in every direction for enemies! They like to sneak up on you and stab you with their big knives!”

Ignoring the meaningless ramblings from the shorter girl, Circa shifted her eyes to the ruins that were becoming more and more prevalent as they traveled. ‘There hasn’t been a single person in sight for over a day now…’ What a lazy excuse…

She was just hyper… Sighing with a shake of her head, the older girl stared back at Momori hard as her tail flicked around in agitation. “Look! I’m just here to make sure you return alive. Leave the protection to me! So, s-stop running around me like that and focus on your quest! You need to find that stone Arianna told you about. Got it?”

The Scholar’s assignment for the young girl was to recover an ancient relic from an old civilization known as the Nym. Apparently, it was what gave Arcanists the ability to summon fairies and further their studies under them. Though the cat folk had mixed feelings about such a test.

What would happen if no more stones were around anymore? Did that mean Scholars would just cease to exist like they had in the past? It was all such a troubling quest full of failure around every turn. And she wanted to make sure Momori understood that. She wasn’t trying to be harsh… but it was better to fail and try to do something else you’re good at then keep trying to do what isn’t possible…

But, whenever the teenager snapped at the Lalafell, she simply continued to smile and give her a simple nod in return. She was seriously having doubts that what Arianna had told her was true. The older girl had yet to see what this Arcanist could do. It was hard to when LITERALLY NOTHING, happened around them.

‘I’m starting to feel like a glorified babysitter at this point…’ Trying to not let her annoyance fester like it had been doing for the longest time, Circa simply shook her head and continued to walk. Thankfully this time though, Momori walked beside her, seemingly calmed down from her words. She listened to whatever she said… sort of like a little kid…

“So, any idea how close we are to this city? There are old structures all around here. Couldn’t one of those stones be located in any of them?” Circa muttered dryly. She was essentially being led by Momori. She had been handed a map of the region by Arianna, but she only pointed to the area they would probably find what they came there for. Emphasis on probably…

Looking up at the Miqo’te with what seemed like a face she always wore, Momori tapped her chin thoughtfully before shaking her head. “I don’t think so. I’ve read about the ruins of Nym. None of these are them. No… We need to go further. We’ll get there soon I think.”

Feeling her eye twitching, Circa ignored the doubtful words as she continued on.

Hopefully, this journey would come to an end soon. The White Mage didn’t know just how much for of this she could take before the Lalafell did something else to agitate her… It was becoming a habit…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Sitting in silence (after making it mandatory due to the incessant questioning by Momori) Circa watched the fire in front of her thoughtfully as she gazed over the landscape the pair had camped out on for the night. They had found a pretty good ruin that still made shelter possible and figured it was better than camping in an open field.

“Hehehe~ Ha!”

Glowering, Circa glanced sideways as she watched Momori Reading a book roughly half the size of her torso. Each page she flipped, the Lalafell giggled and watched with evident glee. “What are you reading about? You seem bubblier than usual…” The cat girl muttered dryly before poking the fires a bit out of boredom. It was still too early to sleep…

Blinking as she snapped out of whatever euphoric trance she had been in, Momori looked back at Circa before a brimming smile spread across her face. “Take a look! My instructor gave it to me!” Raising her brow, the cat folk reached across before looking at the open pages the tome was on.

‘Huh?’ It had pictures… There were fairies on it. Looking at the book thoughtfully, Circa eyed the fae creatures in it as she skimmed the small texts on the bottom of the page. It was a book about the Scholars of Nym. How peculiar. These fairies didn’t look like Ka’llee at all. They resembled the ones on Erenia’s tarot cards more than anything…

“Aren’t they pretty?!” Jumping as she looked back at Momori in surprise, Circa almost dropped the book out of shock as the Lalafell stood over her shoulder. She moved so freaking fast sometimes! Snapping the book shut, the older girl shrugged before handing it back to the shorter teen.

“I guess. They don’t look like your instructor's Fae though. They’re probably what people assumed fairies looked like back then.” Circa muttered without really thinking about it. “I know that… But still, they look so pretty! Aren’t fairies so cute! I can’t wait till I have one of my own!” Momori wailed happily as she plopped herself down uncomfortably close to the unnerved white mage.

Forcing a strained smile, the catgirl nodded before subtly scooting a little further away from the giggling girl. “I guess it's probably, nice, for you,” Circa muttered, unsure of what to say back. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like the shorter girl picked up on the older teen's uneasy tone.

“It is! Once I have my Fairy, I’ll finally be happy…” Nodding absently, the Miqo’te paused before looking back at the Lalafell confused. ‘Finally?’ The girl was only ever happy. She hadn’t seen the shorter girl show her any other emotion but that…

“Happier, you mean?” Hearing the crackle of the fire as an awkward silence settled over the pair, Circa stared back at Momori as she smiled eerily down at the book in her hands. “Momori?” Blinking immediately, the jubilant girl looking back at her before tilting her head slightly. “What’s up?”

Staring at her perturbed, Circa said nothing at first, before shifting her gaze back to the fire. “N-Nothing… Never mind…” That was weird… even for her. And just like that, the Lalafell went back to looking at her book and giggling as she touched the pictures in it…

Stealing glances at the odd teen, the Miqo’te felt even more uncomfortable now than she had before. Something was nagging her, and it was going to drive her insane if she didn’t ask. But that would open up the conversation again and possibly lead to even worse outcomes than this state of silence already was.

Debating whether or not to ask her, the cat girl’s curiosity finally got the better of her in the end, as she shifted her eyes back to the animated girl. “Hey… Why do you want to become a Scholar?” Pausing in place, Momori looked back at Circa before tilting her head once more. It seemed, almost repeated the same way she had done it before…

“Me…?”

Blinking, Circa gave the shorter girl a deadpanned look before nodding. “Obviously… Who else is out here with me?” Seemingly unaware of the sarcasm in the cat girl's voice, Momori’s plastered smile remained as she grew quiet. Did, she have to think that hard about it?

Feeling the awkwardness return, Circa shifted her eyes back to the fire before playing with it as she had done prior. “L-Look, if you don’t want to tell me, it’s fine. I just thought I’d ask- “You don’t like me that much, right?”

Stiffening, the older girl's gaze traveled back to the Lalafell as she continued to smile back at her. “I-I… I’m, sorry, what…?” Closing the book and resting it on her lap, Momori looked away from Circa as she too stared at the fire across from her.

“You don’t like me… No one does… I’m used to it…” Feeling a shiver run down her spine from the emotionless tone from the usually bubbly girl, Circa was mute. She hadn’t a clue what to even say back to a statement like that… But it seemed the younger girl wasn’t finished.

 “Everybody likes to leave me… So, that’s why I want to become a Scholar…. If I have a fairy, then I won’t be lonely anymore…” Gazing down at Momori, Circa was utterly speechless. ‘Everybody leaves her…?’ What… kind of a response was that…?

Opening and closing her mouth as she tried to find the words to say, Circa scowled before forcing her gaze forward and away from the shorter teen. “I-I never said I didn’t like you Momori. I-“ “You didn’t need to. I can tell. It's fine… But can you call me Momo instead?”

Furrowing her brow, the catgirl didn’t want to look, but, she knew she couldn’t avoid this conversation at this point. “M-Momo? Why?” Moving her feet back and forth in front of the flames, the Lalafell watched them dancing with a strained smile stretched across her features.

“No one ever calls me that when I ask them too… Not Arianna… not my instructors… none of the other Arcanists. I kind of like it more… You don’t have to if you don’t want to…” Pursing her lips, Circa frowned but said nothing else. What was there to say? She had just been called out for not liking her company. She had pretty much hit the nail on the head…

“Why are you out here?” Feeling her ears fold back, Circa was somber all of a sudden by the comment. What type of question was that? “Arianna asked me to accompany you… She didn’t want anything to happen to you, just so you know…”

Hearing a thoughtful hum from Momori, the Lalafell shook her head. “I don’t think so… That sounds like something she would say… but you could have said no. So why didn’t you? You don’t like being around me, right? You’ve been angry at me ever since we met and ignored me even before that…” The orange-haired teen muttered, her usual smile still present across her features.

First her ears, now her tail. It hung limply behind her… Why was she feeling cornered all of a sudden?! Clenching her fists from the interrogation, Circa looked back at Momori before sighing. “L-Look… It’s not that I don’t like you Momor… Momo… I just don’t get along with others… It’s nothing personal, so don’t take it like that. As for why I’m out here with you right now… Well, I don’t honestly know… I guess… I just sort of wanted to help you. Sorry if I don’t have a better answer than that. Call it pity if you want or genuine care… In the end, it doesn’t matter much, right?” She made it sound like she already made up her mind about something regarding the cat folk, whether she stated it or not…

Staring at the fire silently for what felt like minutes, Momo eventually shifted her gaze back to Circa before her plastered smile widened slightly. “Thank you…” Looking back at the Lalafell surprised as she stood up, Circa watched silently as she began to make her way to the small cot she had set out earlier, before crawling in it and rolling over to sleep.

Had, she done something right? It was hard to tell when she felt like she messed up every answer to what the younger girl had asked her. Staring at the resting girl as she began to fall asleep, the Miqo’te was disturbed by their conversation now.

It seemed like, Momo wasn’t the gleeful carefree girl she had thought she was prior…

She was starting to understand now why Arianna asked her to accompany her. She most certainly did have hang-ups that might impede her.

But still, that didn’t mean that she could do anything to help her if she didn’t ask her too…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

‘What… Is this?!’

Feeling her mouth grow dry as her jaw hung agape, Circa was at a loss for words as she looked up in awe at the sight before her. When Arianna mentioned that she would know what she was looking for when she saw it… she hadn’t been lying. Was this, even possible!?

Floating in the clouds, beyond what should be visible, were ruins… This… was the ruins of Nym?! WHY WERE THEY IN THE SKY!? Catching sight of Momo as the Lalafell slipped past her line of sight, the Miqo’te forced her awestruck gaze away from the imposing structures in the air as she looked back at the bouncing Arcanist. Did she know these were here all along…?

“Err… M-Momo… How, are we supposed to get to these ruins…? I think someone forgot to tell me they would be floating in midair!” The cat folk snapped unsure of what else to even say. But it didn’t look like the shorter girl had even paid her any mind as she made her way towards some stones that were hovering off the ground.

There were thousands of them. They almost looked like a bridge that had been rendered asunder… What did she plan to do? Jump from rock to rock to get there?! That was… absurd…

Growing wide-eyed as she watched the smaller teen cast something on herself, Circa was unsure of what she did… before she leaped high into the air! She cleared ten feet easily! ‘What the hell kind of magic was that?! She just jumped onto one of the stones hovering in midair… and she looked like she was about to do it again!

“H-H-HEY! MOMO! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!” Pausing from what she presumed was about to be another jump, the Lalafell turned to look back down at Circa before giggling. “Climbing! How else are we getting up to the ruins?” She made it sound like it was common knowledge!

Looking at the stone that was hovering in front of her, Circa’s tail hung between her legs as her stomach churned. She couldn’t be serious… could she?! Staring back at the Lalafall perplexed, the teenager’s eyes widened as she saw her three jumps higher already! She was leaving her behind!

Gritting her teeth, the Miqo’te went over her spells trying to determine if she had one, she could use to assist her, but it was rather lacking. She had no idea there were any made to assist with jumping around! What the hell was she supposed to do without one!?

Watching Momo carefully, Circa’s eyes slowly began to widen as it dawned on her what she was doing. ‘Oh jeez… Is she serious?!’ Right before the Lalafell jumped, the moment her feet met air, she cast Downburst which instead of knocking something back, propelled her up! She had never seen an offensive spell used as a utility one before!

Watching in awe as the shorter girl began to get higher and higher, Circa folded her ears back before gulping. ‘I can’t believe I’m going to do this…’ This went above and beyond what was expected of her… But, she felt curious herself… and she knew that never ended well…

Taking a deep breath as she wondered if it would be as easy for her as it was for Momo, Circa crouched down before jumping into the air. ‘Aero!’ Feeling the spell shove the ground beneath her, the teenager's lack of footing assisted it in propelling her upward. Growing wide-eyed as she launched herself as Momo had, the cat folk landed agilely before panting softly as her heart beat rapidly within her chest.

‘I-It worked… W-Wow…’ That felt… kind of amazing. Being airborne was both terrifying, and exhilarating. Grinning in a way that would cause anybody who knows her to question it, Circa crouched down once more before mimicking the same action as before. It was easier the second time…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Ruins of Nym

Landing… a little less graceful than before, Circa panted tiredly as she looked around her in silence. That climb had taken a lot of her. It had been easy at first, but about halfway up she understood what that had done to her mana consumption. She hadn’t needed to break much but she wasn’t able to ascend as Momo had. She had kept sight of her off and on, and the Lalafell hadn’t stopped jumping even once!

Speaking of…

Peering around, the Miqo’te scowled. Where was that damn shorty? She had a few curt words she wanted to say to her! Sighing as she stood back up, the teenager crawled up the ledge she stood on before walking up what was thankfully a broken set of steps that lead into what remained of part of the ruins.

This was a sight to behold for sure. Not even in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined a floating city. Yet, here she was, walking around in one. To say the thought of it falling out from under her was a deep-seated fear she didn’t want to acknowledge would be an understatement…

Catching sight of who she wanted, Circa scowled as she made her way towards an open entryway with a shattered arch. Sifting through the rubble littering the grounds was Momo, and it looked like she didn’t even know she was there…

“Momo! Why did you just leave me back there?! You could have told me what you were doing! We shouldn’t separate like that!” The cat folk snapped. But it didn’t seem like the Lalafell noticed as she continued searching on her own. But, after about a minute, the redheaded teen stood up before craning her head back to the taller girl.

“What’s wrong? You made it up here… If I could figure it out, then you could too. You’re smarter than I am.” The Lalafell muttered, the usual happiness in her voice, seemingly absent. Her carefree tone was gone… She seemed, very stoic now. It was unnerving, to say the least… especially hearing it coming from her…

Clenching her firsts in irritation, Circa took a deep breath before sighing. There was no point picking a fight over this. It wasn’t like she had to tell her anyway. They technically weren’t supposed to assist each other considering it was the Arcanist’s test after all. But, even so… it left a bad taste in her mouth.

Sitting down on a fallen pillar, the White Mage crossed her legs under her before breathing calmly as she tried to recover her expended mana. She needed to rest either way. Keeping an eye on Momo was all she needed to do from here on out. But she doubted the Lalafell needed her help anyway. The determined look on Momo’s face told her it all…

She was going to find one of those stones Arianna had told her about no matter what. She wouldn’t leave until she did. So… the catgirl had better get comfortable, considering how long they might end up spending here…

Hopefully, this wouldn’t be a week-long endeavor. The rations she brought wouldn’t last that long, and it already took them three days to get here…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Lying on her back out of boredom, Circa tossed a small rock up and down as she counted in her head how many times she caught it before starting over every time she didn’t. This was so, tedious! They had been up here for 6 hours already!

Craning her neck to the side, the cat folk observed Momo halfheartedly, but, she was still tossing around stones and digging through different piles of rocks. She had been searching the areas that looked un-disturbed by other Scholars of the past who had ventured up here. There had to be an easier way to do this… right?

Sighing as the stone slipped past her fingers again, the Miqo’te rolled onto her side before feeling around for another to toy with. This was going to be a very long trip. She was regretting every decision she had made up to this point right about now. Maybe if she were sneaky enough, she could slip away from Momo without her noticing… She hadn’t had the opportunity to bring Naoh’a out lately. She had been pretty silent withing her, but she still-

Growing wide-eyed, Circa froze up instinctively as her eyes met with the face of… something…? Standing right next to her, no more than three feet away… was a tiny green creature. It didn’t have any facial features other than a pair of yellow beady eyes…

Blinking slowly as her breath started to come out again, the cat folk was utterly speechless by what she was staring at. Was this… a person…? Lifting a small lantern as it looked at her just as surprised, Circa smiled awkwardly as she tried to figure out what she was looking at…

‘T-There’s something up here…?’ She thought that she and Momo would be completely alone in the middle of the freaking sky! Licking her lips before forcing an awkward smile, Circe was about to speak before her eyes caught sight of something that caused her heart to stop. Under its long brown robe sleeve… something shined…

“H-Huh- “In an instant, the cat girl’s eyes shot open as she watched a large carving knife suddenly coming towards her! ‘They like to sneak up on you and stab you with their big knives…’ Hearing Momo’s words echo in her mind, the White Mage had no time to react whatsoever… but, she didn’t have to thankfully, as a powerful gust of wind shot past her sending the strange, knife-wielding creature away from her instantly.

“Stay back! It’s a Tonberry!” Looking over her shoulder as Momo stood up defensively with a wand pointed towards the odd being, Circa quickly stabilized before jumping back from the spot she had been on before brandishing her staff. “W-What the hell’s a Tonberry?! What’s it doing in the ruins up here!?”

Attempting to speak, anything the Lalafell could have said was suddenly drowned out by a loud screech from the green reptilian-like being. Feeling her ears fold backward from the horrible sound, the Miqo’te’s eyes widened as light began to shine all around from inside the ruins… before more of these green beings began to appear…

There were so many of them! Taking a step back as she looked around in worry, the teenager breathed deeply before composing herself. She might have been caught off guard… but, that didn’t matter. She was still the best White Mage in her guild for a reason!

Taking in a breath as she stood in front of Momo defensively, Circa raised her staff before a radiant white light started to collect at the tip of it. She wasn’t supposed to intervene, but, considering the assistance the Arcanist had just given her, she had to return the favor. “Assize!”

In an instant, all the light she had collected shot outward casting a nova that hit all the gathering Tonberry simultaneously. Lowering her staff back down, the Miqo’te smiled as she watched only a handful of these things beginning to rise back up. They were weak… She had confidence Momo would have this under control from here on out.

Turning back to the Lalafell, the cat folk stiffened immediately as she saw the shorter girl cupping her face in awe. “That was so… PRETTY!!!!! Do it again! Do it again!” The shorter girl laughed excitedly as she began to bounce up and down.

Giving the smaller girl a deadpanned look, the White Mage put her staff back before walking away. “Not a chance. This is your test, not mine. Show me what you got. I’ll step in if I need to.” Circa mumbled as she looked back to the approaching Tonberry still making their way over towards them.

Turning back and forth passively, Momo frowned but nodded none the less as she raised her wand back up. Soon, a magic circle began to form much to the cat girl’s surprise. ‘No incantation?’ That was pretty advanced… Just how strong was the tiny teen? This wasn’t the first instance she had seen the Lalafell use a spell without casting it first.

As the magic formed completely into a complex symbol, energy started to radiate from it before a wide blast of wind shot out down the path it was aimed at tearing through the remaining Tonberry. Those that hadn’t been tossed aside by it were shredded instead… This was advanced aero magic!

Looking at Momo with interest, the Lalafell tucked her wand back into her robe sleeve similar to the Tonberry did with its knife before she looked back up at her happily. “How was that kitty teacher?” Feeling the awe fall away completely at the bizarre nickname she called her off and on, Circa scoffed before moving to another fallen pillar to sit down on.

“It was fine… Make sure you handle yourself from now on. I won't step in again if those things show up, got it?” Nodding happily, the Arcanist turned before immediately going back to what she had been doing before the surprise attack from the strange new creatures they had encountered.

Leaving Momo to her own devices, Circa looked back at the swath of destruction the tiny mage had just caused before shaking her head. There were gashes ripped out of the beaten ground. What strong magic she had…

‘I’m starting to believe you, Arianna…’ Momori was powerful… If a bit quirky…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Ruin!”

*Crash! *

“Miasma!”

*Swoosh*

“OUTBURST! *

*BOOM! *

Panting slowly as she stood over a small mound of bodies that was beginning to form, Momo looked around with a sporadic expression on her face as she tried to see if anymore Tonberry were around. It seemed like the more she fought them off, the more of their numbers appeared to help their fallen brethren. This was starting to wear on her…

Feeling a wave of calming air pass over her, however, the Lalafell sighed in relief before looking back at Circa happily as a white light lingered atop her staff. “Thanks, kitty teacher!” She knew that the Miqo’te didn’t like that name… but, it was kind of fun to see her get angry whenever she called her that!

Sitting down across from Momori as the shorter girl began picking through the small green creature’s belongings, Circa took the time to rest as she caught her breath. She knew she was here to not interfere but this was ridiculous! There were so many of these damn things around that this didn’t seem possible for just one caster to deal with. Even her brother when he was a Dragoon might have been pushed into a corner… And he had been a far better fighter than either of them…

“Any luck Momo? Do you think one of these things has the stone you’re trying to find?” Hearing no reply from the cherub girl as a few miscellaneous objects were tossed behind her, Circa softly chuckled as she watched the comical display. ‘Was that a cleaver?’ These things were weird…

Honestly, this entire trial had been weird… The trip out here… The climb up to the floating ruins… These weird reptilian-like bean people… This whole region was so different from her own. Even after staying in it for so long, there was a foreign sense she just couldn’t shake. But… Even after all of these things… It made her truly smile. This was a bizarre experience for her… One she kind of liked…

“CIRCA!!!!!”

Jumping to her feet reflexively, the Miqo’te grew ridged as her staff came out in offense, but… it soon lowered, along with the cat girl’s jaw… Standing atop one of the corpses of the creatures she had slain, Momo stood with her hands outstretched, and trembling…

Resting in her palms, was a small, white stone with a ruin carved into it. Lowering her staff as she stared at the teenager in surprise, Circa’s lips curled into a grin. That was it… there was no doubt. She could feel mana coming out of that rock… It was the Scholar stone Momo had been searching for!

Shivering as she stared down at it in just as much awe, Momo whimpered as she began to run her fingers over the surface of the smooth stone. She found it… She found it! Her hunch had been right about the Tonberry having one… She finally had what she came out here for…

Clutching the relic of Nym against her chest as she hugged it, Momo sniffled weakly as she tried to control herself. She wanted to summon her now… Summon her fairy. She wanted her to come out now… To be with her… She wanted-. “MOMO LOOK OUT!”

Blinking as she heard Circa’s words before processing them, the Arcanist was suddenly tackled as something fell onto her chest. Straddling her, was a Tonberry. It was brandishing a large knife as all the other ones had, and it was aiming for her face…

‘The stone…’ She didn’t feel it, in her hand… Where, had it gone…? Coming back to the present as the knife started its descent towards her face, Momo’s eyes widened as she tried to react, but there was no time…

“Aero!” Feeling the wind knocked out of her as both she and the Tonberry were shot away from each other, Momo gasped before curling in the air and rolling as she landed. Crawling to her feet immediately after hitting the ground, the Lalafell looked around as she tried to find the stone, her mind not even registering if the Tonberry was still alive or not. She needed it… She needed to find it!

Feeling her stomach drop as she saw the white scholar's stone near the edge of one of the ruin’s ledges, Momo scampered to her feet running towards it in a sprint. It was sliding down the rocks towards the edge of the ruins!

“MOMO! WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”

Circa, what was she saying… She needed the stone! She needed it! SHE NEEDED IT! SHE NEEDED IT! SHE NEEDED IT! NEEDED, NEEDED, NEEDED, NEEDED, NEEDED, NEEDED, NEEDED, NEEDED, NEED-

“RESCUE!”

Watching as the stone fell off the cliff before she was suddenly pulled away from it as it began to fall back down to earth, Momo’s eyes widened as she was pulled back to the ground after having slipped off the ledge of the cliff. Colliding with Circa as she was tugged into the catgirl's arms, the Miqo'te leaned back restraining the Lalafell as she pulled her to safety.

Falling back onto the ground as she held onto Momo in shock, Circa panted slowly as her heart beat rapidly from what had just happened. ‘S-She jumped… I can’t… I can’t believe, she jumped…’ She almost got herself killed over that damn rock!

Feeling her arms shaking as the shorter teen tried to get out of her grip, Circa stared down at Momo in horror as the Lalafell reached out towards the edge of the cliff. “T-The s-stone… I… I need it… I need it… L-Let me go… I need, it… I-I need it…”

Spinning the smaller girl around so she was facing her instead, the cat folk hissed loudly before digging her fingers into the redhead’s shoulders. “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING YOU, IDIOT! YOU ALMOST KILLED YOURSELF!” Circa screamed angrily. But her face slowly began to soften, before despair set in…

Sobbing with a hysterical look on her features, Momo continued to try and escape the larger girl's grip, but… she looked, absolutely defeated… Gritting her teeth already knowing her words wouldn’t get through to the Lalafell when she was like this, the older girl pulled her into a tight embrace as she hugged her close, Momo’s cries vibrating against her stomach as she continued reaching out towards the ledge of the cliff…

‘Momo…’

Sitting down and cradling the crying Lalafell, Circa rested her chin on the shorter girl's shoulder as she let her vent her anguish to her through her tears. She would wait until she calmed down before they talked about what happened…

It seemed, her coming here had proven Arianna’s worst fears true…

If she hadn’t been present, the Arcanist would have gotten herself killed…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Sitting in front of a small fire she had made, Circa stared at it kindling softly as the soundless night accompanied it. There were no bugs up here. No birds. No bats… Even the Tonberry from earlier didn’t seem to be active. It was utterly calm and quiet… Which made it all the worse for the cat girl, as her sensitive ears picked up Momo’s soft whimpers as she kept her face pressed into her chest.

She had been like this for hours…

She wanted to be angry with her. Wanted to slap her a few times and tell her that she was being an idiot when she tried to jump off a cliff to grab something. She wanted to scream at her! To shout and yell and vent her frustrations! But… She couldn’t seem to find the gumption to do it, as she comforted Momo.

She had never seen such a hopeless face like the one she wore now. Petting the redhead’s orange locks in a similar way Arianna had done prior, Circa frowned as it seemed to not affect the once bubbly and jubilant girl. She was even more broken up than she had been before…

“Momo… It’ll be alright. We’ll find you another stone… P-Please, stop crying…” She didn’t have any experience in comforting others! That was always Naoh’a’s job. Even when she had been like this, the older boy had calmed her down. She didn’t know what to say… Could she even say anything?

Pulling Momo’s face out from her chest, the Miqo’te looked at her with dismay. Her cheeks were puffy and red. Her eyes swollen from her tears too. She looked like a little kid who had lost everything… Frowning, Circa felt awkward that she knew what that felt like… She sometimes forgot what had happened to her and her brother. Life was so different now…

“I…I-It’s… gone…”

Feeling her ears twitch as she picked up Momo’s voice, Circa glanced back down at her as she saw the teen's lips moving, but it didn’t seem like words were coming out. At least no other ones she could pick up. Petting her head again hoping it would work to calm her, the catgirl nodded somberly.

“Yeah… The stone's gone. But we’ll just have to find another one! Got it?” Hoping she could cheer the Lalafell up with her encouragement, Circa soon scowled as she saw no change in response. “Momo, come on… You need to pull yourself together! You leaped to your death for that damn rock! Your life’s precious! Don’t just throw it away because something doesn’t go right! Life rarely does…” Circa muttered.

She knew how painful things could get sometimes, but this was just a setback! She could move on and still finish what she set out to do up here! It didn’t make any sense why she had done what she did! Feeling her ears twitch again, Circa’s eyes widened before she looked back down at Momo in shock.

“W-What, did you just say…?” Staring blankly at the cat folk in front of her, Momo breathed slowly as she felt the pit in her stomach still sinking. It didn’t stop… It never did, but now it was sinking faster… She felt, like she was going to fall in, and never get back out…

“E-Everybody keeps… leaving me… I-I… I don’t… want, to be alone…” Momo whispered, her voice almost too soft to be heard over the crackling fire in front of them. Moving her hands onto the Lalafell’s shoulders, Circa stared back at her perplexed.

“What are you even talking about? What does that have to do with the stone you tried to leap off a cliff for?!” The older girl snapped angrily. Sniffling, the shorter girl stared down before feeling her chin sharply grabbed and forced back up. “MOMO!”

She looked angry… Everyone got like that with her sooner or later…

“E-Everybody leave me… My parents left me… The orphans left me… The other people I-I wanted to befriend… M-My guild members… My t-t-teachers… A-A-And now… N-Now, my fairy… I, keep… getting abandoned… Every… everyone… EVERYONE… KEEPS, LEAVING ME!” Momo screamed before her cries renewed.

Feeling her hands lose strength on the Lalafell’s shoulders, Circa’s eyes were wide in disbelief. ‘You’re, an orphan too…?’ Staring back at the sobbing girl as she failed to control her tears coming out, the Miqo’te felt… a bit different now. Moving her hands back up, before pressing one on the shorter girl's back, and the other behind her head, the cat folk pulled her into a hug as she tightly held the Arcanist into her chest.

“Yeah… Everybody left me to… That’s why I had to make new friends. It’s hard… especially for someone like me. I’m… kind of cold to others… I’m working on that. But, I’m still trying to get better. And so are you. I’m here after all…” Circa muttered softly.

Feeling the cries beginning to slow down, Momo’s face eventually pulled itself away from the White Mage as she stared up at Circa weakly. “Y-You… But, y-you hate me too… e-everybody, hates me…” The shorter girl sobbed.

Scoffing, the Miqo’te moved her hand off of the smaller girl’s head before giving her a flick between her eyes. “Momo, you’re the exact type of person I don’t like being around… You’re loud… brash… lively… You always look on the bright side… You get easily excited over EVERYTHING! And… you still made me enjoy being trapped in the middle of nowhere with you… So, no… I don’t hate you.” Circa smiled before patting the silent girl on her head affectionately.

“I think I told you already… I don’t get along with others. But, you’re a little better than most…” Seeing a new wave of tears forming in the Lalafell’s eyes, Circa winced hoping she hadn’t been too harsh. She had tried to tone it down… She didn’t want to outright say what she was thinking... It would have messed with the point she was trying to make-. Stiffening, the cat girl’s tail shot up in surprise as Momo clung to her chest hugging her tightly. To tightly! Dear Goddess, why was her grip so strong!?

Shuddering as she clung to Circa, Momo softly sobbed as she hugged the older girl. She, didn’t mind her? Was that true? She didn’t want to be alone… She hated being alone… Lalafells weren’t meant to be alone… But she had been for so long… Looking up at Circa’s face (turning on odd shade blue), Momo sniffled weakly.

“Y-You don’t, hate me…? Do you mean it…? A-Are we, friends…?” She had never had a friend… The other orphans wanted stuff from her growing up… and her fellow Arcanists wanted her to do their magic studies for them… But, Circa hadn’t asked her for anything… She was just here… helping her…

Was that what a friend did…?

Tapping the shorter girl’s arm repeatedly as she tried to get her to let go, the Miqo’te gasped in relief once Momo released her to wipe her tears off. “P-Please… Never do that again…” Circa groaned before twisting her back to crack it. She was starting to understand now how the tiny girl had taken down dozens of Tonberry without breaking a sweat…

Seeing the calmer state Momo was in now, Circa smiled before putting her hand on top of the short teen's head. It looked like, she was back to normal, as a complacent smile suddenly crossed the Lalafells face as she whimpered happily from her touch.

“There, there… you little weirdo…” Hopefully, they could find another Scholar stone up here. The first one took a while, so another was going to be rough. Then again… massacring the Tonberry worked the first time…

But, the older teen was willing to stay as long as she needed. She knew Momo needed her for this… And she didn’t feel like leaving her like others seemed to do. It was a bit concerning to find out more about her…

The cat folk knew exactly what she was feeling… and if Erenia hadn’t been there for her, she might have fallen in despair as Momo had been in… It felt weird, to see her mask slip. Hopefully, it would shatter, and she would finally be as happy as she pretended to be…

‘I guess it’s my turn now, to be there for someone else…’

And the first thing to do was help Momo finish her quest. What happened after… Well… She’d play it by ear. Who knows what the future would bring? She wasn’t an Astrologian after all…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

One Month Later…

Sitting at her desk as she wrote up various documents, Arianna appeared sullen as she filed the submission of the missing reports for both her younger guild member and the White Mage she sent out with her. There had been no news about either of them… And the Hyur was worried sick…

“Ka’llee… Take these to the market square. Post it up and have it sent to all guilds as soon as you can.” She needed someone to go out and look for the pair. She could only pray they were both alive still. She knew how strong they both were, but still…

Fluttering down looking just as glum, the little Fae nodded feeling all the emotions her partner was. Arianna was grief-stricken and troubled that she couldn’t go out herself to search for the pair of girls. “It’ll be fine… That Lalafell’s something else you know… I could feel the power coming off her. And so is Circa as well…”

Hearing the words of encouragement from her fairy companion, the brunette nodded as she pulled a new paper out that needed filling. She just hoped that someone would accept her quest. She put an entire pay period on it… Hopefully, it was enough incentive…

Pouting, Ka’llee moved to the open door before flying out. But, after a few minutes, the little fay fluttered back into the room in a panic. “Huh? What is it Ka’llee? Weren’t you going to the market?” sputtering as she landed on the desk, the white-haired Fae grinned eagerly before pointing to the doors. “THEY’RE BACK!!!”

Growing wide-eyed at what she had said, Arianna stood up in an instant before running out the doors of her office leaving her screaming Fae behind as she rushed to the entrance of her guild. Standing over the banister as she peered down, the older woman felt her breath hitch as she saw a pair of girls walking in. It was them…

Jumping over it, disregarding the stairs entirely, a gust of wind softened the Scholars landing as she ran over to both Circa and Momori. They were back! They were really… back…? Blinking in surprise, Arianna gasped seeing the state they were in.

The light grey robes the Lalafell wore and the once pristine white ones Circa had on were splattered in mud, blood, and many other assorted colors. Tears and gashes were ripped across their clothes… and the Miqo’tes staff was broken at the top… What on earth happened to them?!

“Circa! Momori! What’s going on?! Where have you bee-.” Feeling her words cut off as the Lalafell screamed her name before jumping up and down in front of her ecstatically, Arianna was taken aback as she held her hands raised with a glimmering white stone in them…

“I GOT ONE! I GOT ONE! LOOK, LOOK, TEACHER!” Momo screamed excitedly as she waved around the Scholar stone, she had been sent out to find. Staring back at it in surprise, the older woman smiled calmly before looking back at Circa.

Smirking herself, the catgirl waved her hand back and forth dismissively before moving towards the stairs that lead to her room. She needed a bath really bad…

Watching the younger woman making her way back to her temporary room, the older woman smiled softly before addressing Momori once more. She looked about ready to explode with the amount of excitement rolling off her.

She’d get a briefing from Circa once they both had time to decompress. It seems they were both worse for wear. But at least they were still alive. It set the brunette's heart at ease…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Standing off to the corner of Arianna’s office silently, Circa observed quietly as she watched Momo kneeling over a magic circle on the ground. The preparations had been set up upon their return, and it was time for the Lalafell to complete her ritual. She had everything she needed now… And in the end, it took more than just the Scholar stone…

Watching as the older Hyur guided her, the Miqo’te looked back at Arianna and Ka’llee as the fairy vibrated with light as did the circle etched into the ground. This would probably be a rare sight. Especially for one such as herself who wasn’t associated with the Arcanists in any way. She felt lucky that the opportunity arose for her to see this with her own eyes.

Setting down the stone she had been tasked with finding, Momo smiled weakly as she ran her fingers over the runes on it before pressing her hands on the circle, she sat in. As she spoke from memory, the ritual being one she practiced by herself many times for when the time came, she would become a Scholar, everything began to happen all at once.

Light rose up around her, and the shorter teen could hear a voice… It was talking, but… she couldn’t understand it. Not at first… But, as it continued to speak, it became clearer… and it was directed at her. Muttering under her breath as she spoke to it, the light shined brighter, before a single sphere of it formed in front of the Lalafell.

Peering over at it as it began to take shape, Circa’s eyes widened as she watched the materialization of a fairy, right before her eyes. Its lithe body shaped outward, before a pair of transparent glowing wings, flashed into life. As the light faded from blinding to radiant, all that was left, was a small, little Fae. The process… was beautiful…

Being broken out of her trance as loud crying could be heard, Circa looked back at Momo before feeling her heartache as she watched the Lalafell weeping as she stared back at the fairy before her. It looked like both Arianna and the newly formed Fae were both taken aback by the actions of the younger girl… but, to the White Mage, it was clear those were tears of joy.

Flying in front of her new partner's face, the fairy pouted before attempting to wipe away Momo’s tears, but more continued to fall. It was, kind of cute. Looking back to Arianna in silence, Circa nodded toward’s the door, letting the older woman know they should let Momo and her new fairy companion be alone for a bit.

As the Miqo’te stepped outside the office followed along by the Hyur a few moments later, both were mute at first before Arianna broke the silence. “I can’t thank you enough Circa… You’ve done so much for us here in our guild.  You’ve really proven how loyal you are by helping Momori as much as you have.”

Blushing, the catgirl looked away sheepishly unsure of how to process the praise. She was used to getting it back at her old guild… But, she liked this more… Deciding to handle it how she used to, the cat folk nodded silently before her hand slipped into the pocket of her robe.

“It’s fine… I want to do whatever I can here. Also… I’ve made up my mind, about what I wanted from coming out here…” Circa murmured, her voice still unsure if she was speaking truthfully or not. She had wanted to say this for a bit, even before she went out with Momo on her quest… But, there was always a lingering feeling of doubt in her mind. Something, holding her back…

But after seeing the ritual Momo took part in… Seeing the Fairy she so desperately wanted to befriend. Seeing, how happy she was, and how much strife she had to go through to get to that point… It all just cemented in the older teen's mind what she wanted to do, now that she was starting over.

Pulling her hand back out before showing what she had to Arianna, the brunette’s eyes widened in shock, as she saw a small pale stone resting in it, with a glowing green rune on it. “Let me train here… I want to become a Scholar too. That fairy Momo summoned… It called out to her before she had even done the ritual. And this one called out to me…”

Staring in disbelief at the Scholar stone the catgirl was holding, the older woman soon began to smile before nodded back to her. “It seems like you’ll be here with us a bit longer then. I’m glad, Circa. I’ll make the arrangements to have your room to be more permanent.”

Nodding thankfully, Circa turned to leave as she slipped the stone she held back in her pocket. “Let’s talk more tomorrow. I have something I need to do, now that I’m back…” Giving the younger woman a nod, Arianna watched as her newest Arcanist take her leave as she made her way back to her bedroom.

‘Circa… You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?’ If she really had heard a spirit of Nym calling out to her as she claimed… then it meant she had the potential to become one of the greatest among their ranks. And that thought filled the older woman with hope for her guild.

Although… the paperwork that she was going to have to do now, didn’t…

Smiling wearily, the brunette adjusted her glasses before making her way back to the room Momori was still in. She still had to attend to her student before she got underway processing her newest pupil.

One thing was for certain though. Things were going to get more interesting around here. And she was eager to see what stories would unfold, with both Momori, and Circa.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Standing under a steady stream of water as its warmth washed over her aching body, Circa sighed softly as she felt the refreshing feeling setting her at ease. She had taken one when she had arrived back, but this was more for pleasure than cleanliness. But she was going to clean something… Someone…

Grimacing that she had done it again, the Miqo’te frowned as she squatted down with her hand waiting under her ass. She was used to referring to him as it… It just sort of happened, over time… And the younger girl was beginning to realize that more and more now. Something, changed when she came to this place… And it was causing the teen to question a lot of her actions up to this point…

‘Come on out Naoh’a… We… should talk…’ Flexing her anal muscles as her brother’s small body was moved slowly outward, Circa hissed softly as a foreign pleasure invaded her. She hadn’t felt that in a while… Something really had changed. And possibly, for the better…

Feeling a breach in her anus, the cat folk moaned softly as she began to feel the smaller man’s body exiting her before her shrunken brother landed on her hand limply. Standing back up panting, the younger blonde blushed as she stared down at her brother. His eyes were closed, and filth coated him from head to toe…

This was normal though… On long trips, he napped. He slept a lot… There wasn’t much to do beyond pleasuring her and sleeping. Running a finger over her older brothers’ body, Circa smiled weakly as she felt his chest rise and fall under her touch.

‘I haven’t had a lot of time to talk with you recently, have I? I’m sorry… I’m so, very, sorry…’ Massaging the smaller man as she cleaned the filth off of him, Circa was gentle as she scrubbed away the caked-on substances that chipped and slipped away under the running water.

It also seemed like he liked it, as the older boy awoke at some point during his cleaning, staring up at her weakly. “Morning sleepy head… I hope you got enough rest. We can play for a little bit today. I figured though… you’d like to talk again. It seemed like you liked to last time we did…” Circa muttered softly, before leaning against the tiled walls of her shower.

“A lot happened since we last spoke… I helped that Lalafell I told you about becoming a Scholar. It’s, different then what I am. But… I think I’m going to become one. I might as well… I was able to get one of those stones she was sent out for… It might be kind of fun…” Circa smiled, her fingers running in small circles across the tiny man’s body as she continued to fondle him affectionately.

“I… Also made a new friend… Heh, I know… Cold, loner, Circa… calling someone her friend… But, it’s true. I can’t say we always get along… And she really gets under my skin more than I’d like to admit, but… I love being around her. She makes me feel like Erenia though… Goddess, I hope I didn’t annoy her as Momo does me…” Circa chuckled. She hadn’t laughed like that for quite some time.

Feeling something touch her hand, the Miqo’te stared down again before smiling softly as she saw Naoh’a gripping her finger. ‘I knew it…’ She didn’t fully understand what caused him to become despondent… but, he was still there… Somewhere…

But, as much as she wanted to pursue this… She also had some needs that needed to be met. The cycle had started a few days back… And being alone in the wilderness with Momo hadn’t helped her cope with its effects on her body. She needed to touch herself badly! And Naoh’a looked ready to help her, now that he was responsive again…

“Let’s play a little before bed, big brother…” Blushing faintly as she trailed her fingers over her shrunken sibling's body, the younger girl shivered as she lowered her hand down past her waist. Position Naoh’a back where he came from, Circa mewed softly as he began to press the Miqo’te’s head against her anus. She had always been sensitive there… But, after months of pleasuring herself with it… nothing changed. She was still just as excited now as she was the first time, she discovered this.

Purring quietly as the warm water of the shower trailed down her naked frame, Circa stretched her sore limbs as she bent her body. Craning her neck down so she could see better, the cat girl’s slitted eyes zeroed in on her brother as she watched his tiny head enter her asshole. The sight was truly something else…

Moaning in pleasure as she watched the lewd display, the younger girl began to move her other hand down as well, before petting her lower lips. Fingering herself slowly as to not get off too soon, Circa whimpered quietly as she tried to stifle her sounds.

These walls were probably thin… Even in the shower, she didn’t trust total discretion. Not when there were others her age all around her who were probably just as pent up and horny as she had been. She really needed this… It was just dawning on her how long it had truly been since she got to play like this…

Gripping Naoh’a’s leg as she started to ease him in and out of her ass from torso to neck, the larger girl panted softly as her breath mixed with the steam in the air. ‘N-Naoh’a!’ She had forgotten how good this felt! Maybe it was just the heat she felt burning between her legs… but, it just felt so good…

Leaning back into the wall to support herself under her squatting form, Circa continued to mew and moan as touches became quicker in pace. Using her middle and ring finger to achieve what she wanted, the dirty blonde quivered from her combined touches with her brother.

The pinpricks of her own fingers and the jolts of sharp pleasure each time Naoh’a’s head was shoved deeper into her ass, were a perfect combination for an inevitable climax. And unfortunately, even with her attempting to prolong it… it was just no use…

Biting her tongue as she let out a hampered scream through her teeth, Circa fell on her ass as her orgasm came out quicker than she had anticipated. But, the Miqo’te squealed even louder when she landed as she felt Naoh’a enter body suddenly shoved all the way in!

Quivering in the bottom of her tub as she spasmed from the pleasurable climax, as well as the thrashing she now felt within her ass, Circa was left stationary as she tried to regain her breath. ‘D-Damn… that… w-was loud…’ It just slipped out…

Panting quietly as she tried to calm down… well, calm down as best she could with her brother moving around inside her rear, Circa waited in silence for time to pass… But a knock never came to her door. At least, not one she could hear. She could only hope no one heard her loud outburst. It wouldn’t take much to determine what she had been doing in her bathroom for the last half hour…

Feeling the water beginning to take a turn as it went from hot to tepid, the younger girl crawled to her feet slowly before turning the faucet. “W-We’re… not, done…” She wasn’t nearly satisfied enough… But, they could continue this on her bed. At least there she could silence herself easier with her pillows…

Making her way out of her bathroom after a few minutes of trying, Circa fell into her bed, still wet from the water on her before her hand moved down into her folds. Fingering herself carelessly, the younger teen mewed quietly as the pleasure began to course through her all over again. The condition really was a bitch… Even if it felt good…

Laying down on her back as moved her ass upward, the white mage purred softly as she began gripping her ass cheeks. “Naoh’a… if you can hear me… Go, deeper! I want to feel you crawling around inside me!” The Miqo’te growled aggressively.

Smiling in bliss as her order had been heard, the younger girl moaned happily as she felt the pinching pleasant sensations of tiny hands gripping her anal walls. Her brother was digging… He was listening to her command, and crawling through her waste like an obedient little pet!

Panting happily as she imagined her tiny sibling scooping her shit aside as he did his best to please her, Circa continued where she left off with her fingers as she thrust them into her quim aggressively. Screw prolonging it! SHE WANTED TO CUM AGAIN!

Biting down on her knuckle as her fangs dug into her skin, the catgirl ignored the minor pain she felt as the immense pleasure outweighed it by an absurd margin. She knew how loud she could be… And now that she didn’t live alone anymore, she needed to do what she could to suppress her noise…

Clenching her ass hard as she tried to thrash her older brother around inside of her, Circa grinned ferally as her pleasure started to peak again. ‘Y-Yes! C-Crawl… Crawl, deeper! Get lost in my filthy ass! Make me your only reason for living!’ She loved her brother… but, the feeling of control… she just loved more…

She could only hope it was the heat talking…

Bucking her hips into her hand vigorously, the blonde snarled softly before biting down harder as she felt her climax about to hit. Digging her thumb into her clit as she felt the pleasure at its apex, the younger girl let out a shrill squeal as tears streamed down her cheeks before she slumped into her bed, panting through her parted lips again.

As seconds ticked by once her pleasure left her and the fatigue set back in again, Circa’s eyes softened before she withdrew her hand out of her mouth. Tasting blood on her tongue, the younger girl looked at her bleeding hand before sighing softly.

‘I think I need to buy a mouth gag or something…’ She kept doing that. If she didn’t use her hand though it was often her pillow or blanket which she ended up tearing open with her teeth. Licking her skin as she cleaned herself up, the younger girl mewed quietly as she felt Naoh’a still tunneling his way deeper into her depths.

‘D-Damn it… Why do you always have to make me feel like this, Naoh’a…?’ She wanted to treat her brother better… But every time he put her in a state like this… She just wanted to dominate him further!

Baring her fangs as she felt the heat rising in her once again, Circa sighed before moving her knuckles back up to her mouth. Time for another round…

Hopefully, Naoh’a would get deep enough she couldn’t feel him… or else, they’d be at it all night like last month…

Hopefully, the staff could excuse the wetness and blood she was leaving on her bedsheets…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3 Month’s later…

‘She did it… What an odd turn of events, that led us here. Heh… I’m so happy…’

Standing across from Circa as the Miqo’te performed the summoning ritual all Scholars had to do to graduate classes, Arianna smiled brightly as she watched the younger girl channeling the aether around the circle etched into the ground.

In a matter of weeks, the teenager had jumped from a new acolyte to a first-degree Arcanist. In a little over a month, she had mastered all the base spells required and had summoned her first familiars. And now, just a few months in, she was graduating to the next level in their training. As a teacher, pride wasn’t even enough to express how satisfied it was to see a student under her taking the initiative to become a Scholar.

Their class was rare and often overlooked by many. So, to have a prodigy in her own right give up her prior training to take on a new one left the Hyur in an insurmountable amount of joy. She even had the foresight, to take the artifact she needed to graduate when the time came. And if her story was true, then having it call to her at all when she wasn’t even a student of theirs said enough about her character.

Watching the runes glow to life before floating in the air around her, a link was established almost instantly as all the light began to form into a being. As it sparked away and illuminated Circa, a lone fae now remained where the markings in their air had once been.

And, immediately it flew over before hugging the startled girl much to Arianna’s delight. She knew without a doubt that this new partner of hers would be a treasure to the cat folk for the rest of her life. Nodding to the embarrassed teen as she tried to calm her newly conjured companion down, the older woman ushered her out of her office as she went to begin cleaning up on her own.

Circa could enjoy her time with her new Fae… as well as tell her friend how it went. Letting out a quiet chortle at her thoughts, the brunette smiled as she thought about Momori and Circa. It made her laugh that before the Lalafell’s assignment, the younger blonde hadn’t wanted anything to do with her. But now though… Now, she hardly ever saw the pair apart from one another.

‘I’m glad you found another friend, Circa.’ This world was hard enough without the need to bear its burdens alone. Hearing her name called loudly, Arianna was soon brought out of her thoughts as Ka’llee flew in to tell her the news that had happened that morning. As well as what she just heard from Momori.

Smirking, the older Scholar moved out of her office and down to the main hall. This was an eventful day indeed…

‘Doma… Now there’s a place I’ve only heard rumors about…’

It seemed the young Lalafell wanted to go there with Circa. And now that her training was complete… she had agreed. Taking on a mission like that with no notice at all… She had certainly grown, over her time here…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Epilogue

Old Gridania

The sun had been muddled today… What an odd sign here in their neck of the woods. It wasn’t like the weather to change so suddenly. But the cards didn’t show her any bad omens. It seemed they were leaning towards new horizons.

Tapping her chin in thought, Erenia pondered what would happen. Things had been fairly normal over the last couple months. Not much had transpired after a large raid in the outer forests. When word got around that a massive group of bandits had been taken out, the lesser ones in the area all seemed to dissipate or disband all together.

While this was good news of course… it left the quests in the area rather lack luster. There was only so many times she could go out collecting materials others needed before her melancholy kicked in. She was praying her cards were telling the truth right now. She’d take just about anything to alleviate her boredom…

‘I wonder if Circa is having fun at least. Knowing her, she would be content to stay inside all day and not go out at all.’ Smirking at the thought of her friend, the older Elezen sighed softly. She did miss her…

Telling the cat folk to leave was the right thing to do. But, not seeing her friend or for that matter knowing where she had gone to visit her had been truly disheartening. Hopefully wherever she was, she had found some enjoyment in her life where none was to be found here…

Reaching into her tarot pouch before drawing from the stack of cards, the elven woman hummed thoughtfully as she made her predictions. More often then not, fate would tell you things freely, if only you would be patient with it and listen. For other classes, this was usually not possible. But Astrologians weren’t other classes~.

Furrowing her brow in thought, Erenia hummed softly before quickening her pace. ‘Wheel of fortune? Could it be…?’ Feeling an invisible tugging in her chest, the Elezen smiled before breaking into a sprint as she made her way home. Her excitement was brimming now!

As the older woman stepped past her gate eagerly expecting to see a certain someone waiting for her there, her excitement faded before a saddened demeanor fell over her. Circa wasn’t here. Pouting that her prediction had been wrong, the elven woman hmphed quietly before making her way to her front door.

‘I guess… you can’t always tell the future… Shame though…’ She had been hoping this one had been true. Perhaps she interpreted it wrong? No… not likely. Sometimes fate was just fickle. And occasionally playful and mischievous. It was probably just riling her up to stir excitement in her life. Unfortunately, it worked…

Reaching for her doorknob, Erenia was about to put her desires out of her mind, before something caught her attention. If there was anything the Astrologian was, it was meticulous. If something was off in her abode, she would notice it immediately. And only a handful of people knew that…

Gulping as her excitement rose again, the older blonde leaned down to the windowsill beside her front door, as a piece of paper stuck out of it. It was a letter… Plucking it daintily, Erenia moved to the small set of chairs she had on her balcony before sitting down and giving it a read.

This was unexpected indeed. Maybe this was the meaning of her prediction. Tearing open the front of it and pulling the letter out of its envelope, the Elezen's eyes lit up upon seeing the handwriting on it. She recognized it easily.

‘Hey Erenia… I guess I missed you. Sorry I couldn’t stay longer and wait for you to get back from your quest. I have an engagement I need to meet with, a friend, of mine. We’re headed to Doma. It’s a country that’s been pretty closed off from what I’ve heard, but they’re asking for aid, so we thought we’d head there.

I just wanted to give you a heads up. The last time I left, it was… quick. I don’t know why I did it so suddenly or what made me do it, so… I’m sorry if I made you worried. Either way… I heard from our old guild what’s been going on while I was away. It seems like things have settled down… That’s good.

Either way, I’ll probably be over in Doma for a bit, so, if you want to catch up, and the news reaches you over here… you know where to find me.

Thank you for everything, Erenia… A lots changed since I left… And I feel really good about it.

Circa.’

Humming softly as she read over the short letter, Erenia softly chuckled before shaking her head. ‘Really? No gossip or news on what you’ve done? That’s certainly like you, isn’t it?’ She was always such a no-nonsense kitty~.

Folding up the letter and tucking it into her hip pouch, the Elezen sat there for a bit and pondered the younger girl’s words. She had made a friend… That alone was more startling then the older woman thought it would be. But it was to be expected. No one was meant to go throughout life without them.

Watching the weather starting to change as the light came back out again, Erenia smiled as she wondered how to proceed with this news. “What say you, fate? Do I take her up on that offer?” Reaching into her hip pouch before drawing a tarot card, the elven woman's eyes shined brightly at the responce to her question.

Laughing happily as she looked back at the card of a man dancing atop a cliff, Erenia gently shook her head. “The Fool? Really? Well… I guess I have nothing better to do here~.”

Sticking the card back where it belonged, the older woman entered her home as she began to pack. She would see Circa sooner then the Miqo’te thought she would no doubt. And she couldn’t wait~.

Doma awaited them both, and whatever fate had planned for them both there…

To be continued.