[Lucatiel]

There is a light knocking on Gair's apartment door as the small hand of Lucatiel rap away. After knocking a few times to be certain, she returns her hand to the vase she held, filled with multi-colored Hydrangeas. She was quite pleased with what she had found and arranged, a wide smile across her face. She waited patiently for the man to answer, rolling on her heels slightly as she did with a gentle hum to herself.

[Gair]

Gair had made good on nursing his pride, he was laid up on his couch with considerably sized bandages across his chest binding up freshly-healed wounds. The coffee table was pulled up right next to it and he had a large basket of fried goods, the smell of batter and salt was heavy in the air. To top it all off, he had a large brown bottle of some sort of alcohol to join it: he was convalescing in a way you might expect him to.

As the knock rings through the modest apartment, he can only groan as social obligations rear their head. “Fuuuuuuck…” Is all he can muster to complain as he rolls to one side and off of the couch. Making his way sluggishly over to the door, a twist of the knob and he tugs it open. His eyes adjust to the diminutive Hyur woman at the door, confusion in his voice as he sees the flowery adornment. “Oh, hey, Lucca. How fares?”

[Lucatiel]

“Hello Gair! I, umm, brought these!” she says, holding the flowers up higher. “I thought they might help you feel better! Besides, I was worried about you after seeing those horrible wounds from the Grindstone! Not that I can heal people, or ummm… do much. But!” she cuts herself off, wiggling the flowers once again.

[Gair]

Gair extends a hand out to Palm the bottom of the vase that holds the myriad of flowers. A small smirk on his lip at the present, “Ahh, tulips, I think.” He doesn't know his flowers at all. “My thanks, Miyuki'll find them pretty as well.” He takes a step back to invite her in. “Kick your feet up if you like, I was just laying about.”

[Lucatiel]

“Oh! Umm, no, they're Hydrangeas! I found them in Thanalan!” she said, ignoring how nigh impossible it would be locate fresh Hydrangeas in a desert. She follows the man inside as he plucks the offering from her, looking around as she enters. “WWWOOOOOOWW! This is like…. an apartment! It's so much nicer than mine!” she exclaims, considerably excited. Taking the man's invitation and figuratively and literally running, she takes a place on one of the couches, allowing the cushion to swallow her up just a little bit.

[Gair]

“Fresh flowers, in a desert…” Gair notes, trailing off with a shake of his head. He parts to the small partitioned kitchen off to his right and sets the potted arrangement next to another couple pots with various types: all variations of blue and adjacent hues. Her girlish wonder rouses an amused snort from him, the sarcasm in his tone would come across as rather obvious to most, “It is indeed an apartment, you want tea.. liquor, beer? I might have all three at once.”

[Lucatiel]

Lucatiel wriggles to free herself from the clutches of the comfortable cushion as Gair busies himself, finally managing to as he speaks. “Umm, tea! I've never had alcohol. So! Why do you have such a nice home? I mean, you should! But how come? You don't look like one of those…. ummm, monetarists? Those rich people in Ul' Dah!” she says unsurely.

[Gair]

Gair plucks some fire shards up out of a small cup on the counter and tosses them into a small receptacle on his stove, getting the heat ready for the pot of water he sets over it. “Tea it is,” he announces, knowing better than to liquor up this poor girl, it takes little imagination to clearly picture the disappointed faces of several women he knows. “I'm not as wealthy as one of them, but I've done fairly for myself. Done my share of soldiering and prize fighting,” he snorts, finding his tea leaves in a hutch next to the stove. “And no, most don't look like me. Unless you count Commander Aldynn, he even had a seat on the Syndicate. You've certainly heard his moniker, The Bull of Ala Mhigo. I'd grown up on stories of his valor.”

[Lucatiel]

The girl watches Gair, listening intently. Her eyes light up as he mentions his past work. “You were a soldier? Wow! Oh! That must be how you know that lady from Ishgard, ummm, Luna! She's a soldier too! Well, a knight. But that's just like… a cold soldier!” she gushes with an excited smile. “Umm, I've definitely heard about this Bull guy! Things like, umm, he's really scary! And uhh, someone was asking their friend if they thought he was 'Hung like a bull too'! I don't know what he meant, people die when they get hanged usually!” she says innocently.

[Gair]

“Still am, Azeyma only knows for how long,” Gair tells Lucatiel, almost immediately chiming in on her musings about Luna with his own terrible dad joke, “*Cold-ier*.” Though he hadn't any moment to laugh at his own joke, the sight of this otherwise normal woman mentioning the former general being hung dragged his humors out in droves. A roaring laugh fills the apartment, “Hung like a- PFF- HAH! I suppose only Rhalgr knows!”

[Lucatiel]

Lucatiel looks at the man, blinking as he laughs. “Y-yea! I bet only Rhalgr knows! Because I certainly don't!” She giggles at the joke about a *Cold*ier. “I was thinking that too! A *Coldier*!” She laughs and falls backwards in the sofa a bit. “Your place is so much better than mine!”

[Gair]

Gair was inwardly thankful he didn't have to explain what being hung like a bull actually meant. The whistling of the pot immediately distracted him from his mirthful display, he plucks up a pair of teacups and the pot before he ushers it over to the table. “How so? Mine's fairly simple, I just keep it clean. Not that I've much of a choice to anymore.”

[Lucatiel]

The girl thinks for a moment as she wriggles free of the cushions once more. “Umm, well, I don't have a lot. I have, umm… A bed! A table! And some chairs! Oh, and some lamps! But yours has like… proper furniture! And walls and doors! Mine's all open and stuff!” she says, painting a bleak picture of her own apartment.

[Gair]

Gair cocks a rare highlander brow at the mental image Lucatiel's own explanation rouses, querying, “It does have a front door, and a lock, right?” He just stares at her and awaits an answer, pouring a pair of steaming cups for the both of them. He looks to his closet and then back to Lucatiel, offering, “If not, you can borrow a door..”

[Lucatiel]

“Of course it does! It has those! And some toys for my Carbuncle and a food and water dish! But, inside it's a bit barren. One day I'll fill it up with other stuff though! Stuff I make like.. like beds! And figurines! And ummm, maybe ummm a husband! But not in that apartment, it's too small!” she insists, clearly not having many ideas.

[Gair]

“Thank the Twelve,” Gair blurts out, admitting in the next breath, “That'd have been a massive pain in my arse to move my closet door, and cause my roomate no small confusion on her return.” At her odd list of things to fill her apartment with, of course the husband comment piqued his attention. Much like an adolescent, he rolls his eyes and asks her teasingly, “A husband? I take it you've someone in mind then?”

[Lucatiel]

“Move a closet door? How would that even work, it's in the wall silly!” she insists, listening further. She looks excited at his question. “Ummm, no one in specific! I don't know enough men. BUT! It's always been a dream of mine! For some handsome knight to come riding in on his dashing steed and sweep me off my feet, and we ride into the sunset!” she says, clapping her hands together and drifting into her own idealistic dream.

[Gair]

Gair stares deeper into his apartment at the door, very much used to being questioned and mocked without heed by the airheaded, much like his own nieces. He just utters, “Aye, how.. silly of me. How would I get it out of the wall?” His eyes are virtually rolling out of his head, enjoying the opportunity to be heedlessly facetious. “A knight, huh? Well there ain't no shortage of free paladins in the Sultansworn. Such a surprisingly *normal* taste in men, a knight on a chocobo.”

[Lucatiel]

Lucatiel giggles before nodding at the man. “Mmhmm! Maybe it's just because of the stories my parents would tell, but there were a lot of tales of brave dashing noble knights saving the damsel in distress! And, umm… Well, my mom always told me I would be a damsel in distress so….! Ummm, Ul' Dah has knights!?” she asks, her eyes widening excitedly. “WOOOOOOW! I didn't know knights could be so… sandy. I haven't met many knights, just Luna. And she's… umm…. not the kind of knight I'm looking for.”

[Gair]

“Maybe you could be a little less distressed and more damsel, then?”, Gair queries with a lifted finger, his other hand plucking up a rather large mug of tea he'd furtively dropped a shot of his whiskey in prior. He listens and takes heed to Lucatiel's wonder and excitement at the idea of knights so close to home, but he hadn't the heard to tell her she was much closer than she knew. “She too is searching for her knight in shining armor, if you can believe it,” he informs her with a wry grin and continues, “Only a few, there were even free paladins when Ala Mhigo stood free, my own pa was one such.”

[Lucatiel]

Lucatiel blinks at Gair. “Less distressed, more… damsel? I'm not sure what you mean!” she says, remaining cheerful despite her bewilderment. “She is? Wow! But, umm, she's so strong looking! I bet men line up to be her knight!” she enthuses, imagining it in her head. She perks back up as Gair speaks further, “Your dad was a knight? Erm, a paladin? Wow, that's so cool! Does that mean you're a knight too?” she asks in awe.

[Gair]

“Yeah, like.. being less distressed and helpless and more just a regular woman? And I'd say she sees her fair share of suitors, to her disdain.” Gair explains in an odd questioning manner, somewhat confused by his own words from before. At the query to his parentage, he sits a little straighter and nods affirmingly at Lucatiel. “A knight and a Fist of Rhalgr, everything I'd heard about the man, he was a force of nature. And..” He shakes his head, “That's not how it works, while he would have been a lesser lord by right of his station. There is no grand inheritance to be had from a poor knight from a nation that was conquered for twenty years.”

[Lucatiel]

The girl looks at Gair, dumbfounded. “But I am a regular woman.” she says blankly. “She does? Oh, she never mentioned it to me.” she adds, a bit surprised. She listens eagerly as the man explains about his father, though she deflates a bit when he explains how that does not make himself a knight as well. “He sounds like he was really strong! Umm, so that probably means you are too! It's a shame you're not a knight as well, you seem like you'd do a good job! Saving people in Ul' Dah and protecting that adorable sultana! Besides, who knows, ummm, maybe he left you some stuff somewhere and you just don't know!”

[Gair]

“Huh,” The thought that his old man might have left him something, *anything* intrigued him to say the least. “I'd never thought of that, I figured the Garleans might have just sacked everything worth taking way back when,” he muses aloud, a pleasant look of surprise on his features at the girl's insight. “I'll make a trip sometime and petition someone from within the republic for a hearing, could be worth it if there's anything left.”

[Lucatiel]

Lucatiel looks considerably pleased with herself having given Aard something to think about, especially something positive. “Mmhmm! Maybe they, ummm!” she stammers for a moment, getting ahead of herself. “Maybe they didn't see it! And it's like, a huge legendary sword!” she says, falling back a bit and extending her arms out as far as she can excitedly. “Like a *great* greatsword! Bigger than… me!” she exclaims, though she quickly realized that a sword being larger than her is maybe not so far-fetched. “Uhhh, bigger than you! And it's like… really cool and strong!” she says, her mind going wild at the thought of some esoteric sword.

[Gair]

“I think I'll take a regular sword if there is one at all,” Gair tells Lucatiel and flashes a patient smile, leaning back in his chair. The injuries from the prior tournament and the energy of the woman before him was certainly not rubbing off on him. “After all, no sense getting my hopes up. I'm not liable to get anything out of it, let alone usable steel.”

[Lucatiel]

“A normal sword would be cool too *I guess*!” she says, maintaining her cheer though clearly letting slip that it's just not quite as cool. “Well, I guess you're right. But… But I'm imagining a giant decorative sword in your house and it's a really cool centerpiece! People will come in and ask you about it, and… and…” she pauses, mimicking the man's lean back and squinty nature for a moment, as well as putting on her best gravelly voice but failing, “Yes, this is my Father's sword! Yes, it's *really* big! Oh, you want to see me swing it? Hahaha, okay!” She drops the voice and mannerism as she looks at Gair. “So, ummm, if this sword *was* real, how heavy would it be?”

[Gair]

As ||Volkswagen|| Lucca puts on her own gravelly voice, Gair does his best to go gravelly and laugh along with her, “Hahaha!” There is honestly little difference between his gravelly imitation and his actual voice when he switches back. “If it's a bearing sword.. it could be as heavy as eight ponze if the decoration is made of heavier metals. You'd be surprised just how light blades are, most conjurer's canes are heavier and worse balanced than a proper two handed sword.”

[Lucatiel]

The girl seems to dwell on this fact for a few moments. “Eight ponze… I don't think my clothes and my Arcanima book together even weigh that much! I think even my saw isn't that heavy! Maybe….” she thinks further, trying to find something of equal weight. “Maybe all my makeups and… uhh… and my Carbuncle together weigh that much! If one of those fancy sticks healers carry around is heavier…. Oh! They must be super muscley!” she says, conjuring up the image of a ripped man toting a cane in one hand and gauze in the other.

[Gair]

“Your dress, book and any other shite you carry are probably about 4 ponze, heavier than that if you're in Ishgard and dressed proper,” Gair explains to Lucca, the idea of a muscle bound conjurer makes his mirth rumble out in another laugh. “Mayhap I should take up conjury, then, my cane can just be a warhammer!”

[Lucatiel]

Lucatiel smiles, following the upbeat mood readily. “Hey! Those bags can be really heavy sometimes!” she jokes back with a false mocking tone. “Ooh! It'd be really cool to bring a big stick to the Grindstone! You could give people such a walloping, and then pretend you're just a naive conjurer!” she adds, mimicking the motion of whacking someone with a cane.

[Gair]

Gair cants his head back and forth, as if to tumble the thought around in his head akin to a physical object. “If only, it'd be a better effect if I were a pretty little lady though. Or never competed in the Grindstone,” he thinks aloud to Lucatiel. “So, what of yourself of late, lassy? Adjusting to the scorching south?”

[Lucatiel]

The girl stills herself as she looks to Gair, thinking on his question. “Uhm…. Not really. It's just really different and I can't say I'm a big fan. I miss the ocean and the ship! But, thanks to making new friends like you and Luna, it's a bit easier to tolerate.” she explains, thinking a bit further. “Even though I don't really like it here much, I find myself happier out in the town. I don't like going home to my apartment sometimes…” she finishes, sounding a bit deflated.

[Gair]

He gives her the Gair bear stare, somewhat surprised that Lucca would outwardly voice malcontent with her situation. “For a little while, home was just a place where I paid too much gil to have a room to sleep in. I get that somewhat,” he admits, and exhales a long breath, continuing, “Just remember, if it ever becomes too unbearable, remember that you could be living in Ishgard!” His expression betrays a faint grin and facetiously expresses disgust at the thought, “Eugh!”

[Lucatiel]

“You too, huh?” she asks, looking at the man. “It's so much! It should be much cheaper!” she adds in protest. She makes an odd face as the man suggests living up North. “NO PLEASE! It's so cold!” she says, her arms latching onto her sides as if suddenly frostbitten. “I couldn't feel my toes by the time Luna brought me into that place! OH! But she bought me nice warm clothes so maybe it wouldn't be so bad!” she says, her demeanor pivoting quickly.

[Gair]

“Aye, but it's all about perspective. For me, what made it a little better wasn't to just look at it as a place to sleep,” Gair grins wryly over at the woman terrified at the prospect of living up north. His chin jabbing all around to indicate all of the other places it is clearly lived-in, sets of blankets and extra pillows laid on the large chair in particular. “My little nieces love makin' a pillow fort right about here, and draping a sheet over the top.”

[Lucatiel]

“Aww! That sounds adorable!” she gushes, putting her hands together in front of her. “I bet they're cute as kittens! You're so lucky to have family like that!” she says, looking a bit forlorn herself though she quickly hides it. “I don't have any family like that, I wonder what it's like…”

[Gair]

Gair smiles contentedly at Lucatiel gushes over nearly literal kittens. “You've no idea, it's a hellish time cleaning up, hair is everywhere when they leave.. but it's a good way to spend a weekend. Almost get to be a kid again atimes.”Actually bein' a parent is the real work, I get to skip out on most of the hard shit as an uncle!“

[Lucatiel]

“I bet it's a lot of work! But it sounds worth it! Their mother must be really sweet!” she says, not knowing of A'tera at all. “I can only imagine! You get to go home! I suppose that'll be me one day, taking care of kids and falling asleep on the couch afterwards.” she muses, thinking about her far-flung future.

[Gair]

“Hah, sweet,” Gair guffaws at the notion, an almost nostalgic look is reflected in those narrow Mhigan eyes. He was awash with no small number of fond memories, “She is, even if she don't act it.” He stretches, himself feeling his own fatigue set in once more. “Mmh, well.. you're not obliged to motherhood, just make sure you pick the right man, eh?”

[Lucatiel]

Lucatiel laughs at the man's assertion, “Hah, yea! Well, that's pretty easy when I haven't even seen my knight yet! Oh!” she jolts up, seeing Gair showing signs of fatigue. She had almost forgotten that the man was resting after being torn open. “Oh, I didn't mean to talk for so long! I should let you recover! I'm sorry!” she apologies, quickly getting up off the couch and heading towards the door.

[Gair]

Gair slowly pushes himself to a stand, he lets out a groan when he stretches up to his toes languidly. He steps over to the door to give the knob a twist, “It was thoughtful of ya, and the flowers were right sweet, Luca.” His lips crack into a rather tired smile and swings the door open slowly, bidding her with a nod. “Warden's Warmth, and don't be a stranger, now.”

[Lucatiel]

The girl offers a big wave to the man despite their virus-spreading distance. “Goodnight Gair!” she says, stepping through the door and out of the man's hair for the day.

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