Touch

[enya]

TOUCH MEME

From birth, human beings are wired to touch and to be touched. Whether it's a warm embrace or a reassuring hand on the shoulder, touch is an integral part of human interaction and creating bonds. Not all forms of touch are created equal however. Some are gentle and uplifting while others can be discouraging or even harmful, so one should always be mindful of the unspoken messages they intend to convey to those around them.

how to play

• Comment with your character and preferences.
• Others reply with one or multiple prompts.
• Profit!

prompts

01. With love.
02. With hatred.
03. With relief.
04. With uncertainty.
05. With happiness.
06. With a promise.
07. With an apology.
08. For comfort.
09. For good luck.
10. For encouragement.
11. On a scar.
12. On a falling tear.
13. On a bruise or injury.
14. After a tough day.
15. After a nightmare.
16. After an argument.
17. Because they are dying.
18. In a moment of worry.
19. In a moment of anger.
20. In a moment of sadness.
21. Out of annoyance.
22. Out of possessiveness.
23. To say good morning or good night.
24. To protect.
25. To keep warm.
26. To say hello or goodbye.
27. Wildcard option.

source

Comments

[bloodwhetting]

[ If he'd been told, sometime while he'd been tending chocobo with his mother in the desert, or sitting at the tables in the Gold Saucer, that one day he would be on the front lines battling the End of Days with the Champion of Eorzea Freki would have laughed in the face of the storyteller. While he'd been no stranger to battle, and certainly tagged along on some adventurer's quests, that sort of thing was made of fable. In fact, before he'd laid eyes on her Freki was half certain the whole Champion of Eorzea thing was probably a myth. How could any one person be so touched by the gods? Given what he's seen of the world, he'd have thought it wasn't even possible.

But now he has seen people transform into monsters, touched by a darkness so black that even the voidsent don't hold a candle to them. His senses are greater than other miq'ote on some arenas, and never has a thing screamed inhuman! at him louder than these beasts.

Freki drops the head of his axe to the ground with a resounding thud, his chest heaving under chainmail. He's exhausted. Putting himself between the enemy and others is nothing less than a reflex these days, but that doesn't mean he comes away unscathed every time. And the burst of adrenaline he'd experienced deflecting the blow meant for the Warrior of Light carried him far, but it's running out. He thinks, by looking around, that things are tentatively stable for the time being. The wounded are being tended to, they've saved who they can. The next wave will happen eventually; there's no end to this. Not while whatever is causing it remains.

He pulls off his gloves and wipes his sweaty hair from his face, smearing dried blood across the scales dipping onto his forehead. Part of him really wants to sit down but he's afraid he won't get back up. When he spots the Champion coming toward him, both of his ears prick forward; he's still catching his breath so he lifts one claw-tipped hand in greeting as she approaches. ]

[concussionprotocol]

[ He looks a mess, but Val doesn't suppose that she looks much better. It's been constant for so long now that she's barely had a chance to breathe, much less worry about rents in her coat or blood and sweat on her brow.

Perhaps she should take this time to clean up a little herself. People were looking to her, after all, and they needed a larger than life Champion right now. She needed to be put together, confident, flawless.

No pressure.

She takes a grounding breath, and tries to smile in return of Freki's greeting, but it's a tremulous thing that drops quickly. She extends one of the mugs to him. ] Nidhana said it helps.

[bloodwhetting]

[ Freki has never been all that interested in glory, not the kind that people tout over the most well known adventurers, or how they talk about Val. What he has wanted is the gil to get what he wants and to do as he likes, the understated sway and respect that comes with someone recognizing you have honed your craft. It's a very Ul'Dahn way of thinking, but setting up his mother comfortably and being able to dangle his influence over the people that would shun him for what he is has always been the dream.

He just hadn't realized that path, and his drive, would lead him to being in a party with the Warrior of Light and by extension, the Scions. He doesn't know all that they get up to, but he has been on the fringes of their battles enough times to know how this works. To understand that the way her smile wobbles is as much exhaustion as it is the incredible pressure that comes with being the one who everyone believes will save the world. ]

Thank you.

[ The fringes of an Ala Mhigan accent hang off his vowels as he takes the mug from her and cradles it in both palms to inhale the spice before taking a sip. It does help, the robustness of flavors and who knows what else the Alchemists put in it. He can't quite quell the grunt of relief that comes with it, and despite the freshness downs half the mug in one go. ]

[concussionprotocol]

[ After he took his mug, Val wrapped both of her hands around hers and sipped at the chai. It's bold and warm, and somehow refreshing for it. Invigorating, even, and Val takes a deep breath as the warmth settles through her chest.

If nothing else, this drink was almost worth the trip.

(It wasn't, though. It really, really wasn't, and the red skies overhead reinforce that every second.)

Behind Freki, there's a porch and Val nods toward it. As she settles herself on the step, elbows on knees and mug held in both hands, she says: ] Come sit with me?

[ (Unlike Freki, there's no discernable accent in her words. They are carefully neutral, with no way to tell exactly where she might be from. Though, as Xaela, it's painfully obvious anyway.) ]

[bloodwhetting]

[ For all the mayhem, a lot of the housing is remarkably intact. Despite the fact Freki had literally need put down a creature a handful of yalms from the porch, it doesn't look like it's suffered any damage at all. At a glance, it would seem perfectly normal. To join her, he picks up his axe and relocates it to leaning against the porch within arm's reach. There's plenty of room there that they could sit apart, but Freki instead takes a seat directly next to her with a grunt.

His cup stays cradled between both hands, warming his skin, but his attention is on the woman at his side. There's something piercing about his gaze as he studies her. ]

You seen a healer yet?

[concussionprotocol]

[ There's a part of her that wonders how anything is still left standing. The thought occurs to her that perhaps it's intentional, to prolong the suffering. That a quick destruction of life and property would be too quick for whatever power is behind this.

(She also knows that she's being cynical and that she needs to rein it in.)

The smile that she gives Freki this time is genuine and warm, if still small. ] I'm all right. I will track down Alphinaud later if I start hurting.

[ It's hard for Val to offer and receive affection. Usually, it's limited to small touches among close friends: a hand on a shoulder, a light touch upon someone's back. Freki has likely noticed that she keeps herself a bit aloof, and especially so when she's the Warrior of Light in public. She's prim and proper and always collected.

Even her closer friends don't see the woman who is willing to nudge a shoulder or toss a teasing remark their way when she's in public.

So when she sighs and leans against Freki's broad shoulder, it's likely a bit of a surprise. Her head on his shoulder, her arm against his - she simply leans in. He has kept her from losing her head in battle more than once. She can trust him with this, too. ]

[bloodwhetting]

[ Perhaps it's a silly thing to be worried about someone who can exceed the limits of the known stamina of a warrior of any kind; Freki has heard the tales of what Val has done, and while he struggles to believe a good portion of it, after having travelled with her a bell and seeing what she can do - some of his skepticism has been waived. And the Scions each are strong. Even those twins, probably the youngest of the bunch, outstrip many a Scholar and Red Mage Freki has encountered.

But regardless of the divinity she is clearly touched with, she is still mortal.

What does surprise him is the way she sags against his shoulder, and having witnessed the front she keeps up almost all the time, he thinks this is the most telling. Freki is an accomplished warrior and this fight has left him exhausted; he can't imagine the trials she has been going through without his witnessing. He leans his weight into her's in counterpoint, and though he doesn't tip his cheek against her head, his tail swishes to curl around her, the tuft at the end touching her opposite thigh.

He takes another drink of his tea and feels like he can finally take a breath for the first time in hours. ]

[concussionprotocol]

[ This stillness is what Val needed. She doesn't need concern. She doesn't need to keep moving forward, to find the next fight. She needs a moment of peace, a friend who lets her have it, and the reminder that they're doing all of this for a reason.

This is the reason. This goodness in this place.

She realizes at some point that this is as much for him as it is for her and she is chagrined at her selfishness. ]

Can I do anything for you, Freki?

[bloodwhetting]

[ Although she asks, she doesn't really need to; the nearness, the chance to sit down and breathe, is more than enough. The weight of her slighter frame against his side does probably more than even he could realize. Instead of pointing out that she's already brought him the tea and asked him to join her to sit, he nudges her with his shoulder just enough to jostle her. ]

You could try to stop worrying for once.

[ He smirks at her sidelong, glancing at her more out of the corner of his eye than really looking at her, instead taking another long drink of his chai. ]

[concussionprotocol]

[ She puts up no protest to the jostling and meets his sidelong gaze with a raised brow. ]

I am not sure that is possible.

[ Worrying is what she does best, after all. She settles back against his shoulder. ] I have asked perhaps too much of you, but I am grateful that you have come with me this far.

[bloodwhetting]

[ Freki hums, settling again as she eases her weight against his side again. The tip of his tail flicks, a single up and down movement that dusts some dirt from her clothing by accident. ]

You're forgettin I could've told you "No" long ago.

[ And Freki is not a man who has trouble telling someone to piss off. Maybe some of that is simply due to his hybrid nature; discrimination has followed him all over. Perhaps something Val is familiar with herself. ]

'Sides, it'd be damn hard to do any gambling if the world ended. Then where would I be?

[concussionprotocol]

I suppose. [ But how many people have ever told the Warrior of Light "no"? She's always afraid that her reputation keeps people from being honest with her, and especially so when it's the people who deign to fight by her side. ]

I'm sure you'd find something. [ It's light teasing, the sort that lifts one side of her mouth into a small half-smile. ] You are fairly resourceful, after all.