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As always, a cool drink up in the clouds was always one to clear Leofard’s thoughts.
He sat on the edge of the Parrock, legs dangling down to the sky and an empty glass in hand. Far out on the cloud-lined horizon was the occasional flash of light from below, the tell-tale signs of a storm rumbling beneath. An apt description of the state of affairs down below, if he were quite honest.
A little chuckle passed through his lips, chastising himself for even letting the thought cross his mind. Affairs below the clouds didn’t concern him. Getting caught up in wars and getting tied up in Eorzean problems left a bitter taste in his mouth, though he always got some kind of story from his trips to Ishgard. Which nations were fighting between themselves. What the empire was up to this month. And the little tales of the Warrior of Light, who traveled the land just solving every little issue in the world.
At least, he used to hear about the Warrior of Light.
“If you fall off the edge, I won’t help you, you know.”
Leofard turned his head, spotting Stacia standing not far behind him, her arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed. The Redbill captain could only chuckle, reaching to a bottle at his side - already half empty - and pouring himself another drink.
“An’ what would ya possibly do without me?” Leofard looked down to his newly filled glass. A sly grin crossed his lips, and he held it out to her.
Stacia frowned, shaking her head and walking over to his side, “Wouldn’t need to drag another drunken man to his chambers, that’s for sure.”
“Never gonna let me live that down, eh?” Leofard took a sip of his drink, letting out a deep breath. “Jus’ one time. Promise I’ll stumble myself back to bed, alright?”
“Noted, but…” Stacia took in a deep breath, reaching down to pick up the bottle. “You’ve been doing this a lot more than you have before. This is because you visited Ishgard, right? Got new information?”
Leofard’s grin fell, and he looked out towards the clouds, a streak of lightning crossing between. He took a long sip of his drink, letting that question linger in the air. And once the clap of thunder washed over the Parrock, he sighed.
“Maybe.”
“It’s because of her, isn’t it?”
“Really, which her are ya referrin’ to?” Leofard had to stifle a laugh, gesturing towards the land below. “Awful lot of ladies down there.”
“You know who I mean.” Stacia stared down at him, her expression turning from serious to one of genuine sympathy, concern, and a touch of pity. “A’vedis.”
Leofard didn’t look at Stacia, content to finish off his glass and let the name fester beneath his skin. Once the glass emptied and all Leofard had was silence...his expression fell. Slowly, he reached up to pull his goggles down and let them hang at his neck. And unfiltered grey eyes watched the storm on the horizon, not once leaving the sight.
“The Warrior of Light, you mean.”
“Don’t be like that,” Stacia spoke, “Weren’t you the one who insisted we call her by her name? What happened?”
“She’s content to be a Warrior of Light. That’s all there is to it.”
“Leofard…”
There was an edge in her voice, one Leofard was all-too familiar with after many years of knowing her. It was obvious that she wouldn’t let this go. But...that was all there was to it.
Months ago, A’vedis came to his chambers with the most fearful expression on her face, desperate to forget a duty that terrified her very core. Leofard had heard of the empire waging war against the alliance again, and also of the tales of the Warrior of Light being used as the queen in their twisted game of chess. He could tell that the duties holding her were wrapped around her neck, chains of necessity trapping her into deadly situations again and again. It was obvious the alliance wouldn’t let her go free. They needed her for another war. And it was clear it was killing her.
And Leofard offered to free her from those chains. To take her far away to live a life of freedom with the Redbills. And she wanted it. She told him as she laid beneath him, scarred and bruised from too many battles to count - all fought under another’s banner. Leofard could still remember her face. Remember her soft skin against his, curled up and content.
Yet...when he awoke the next morning, she was gone, like she was never there to begin with. It was a sting that he felt ever since, only irritated further by the next bit of news he heard in the Forgotten Knight.
The Warrior of Light had collapsed in the midst of battle. And then, a deafening silence.
It was like she had passed on from the typical rumor mill in favor of other news. Before, the Warrior of Light’s deeds and appearances would always pop up while he was in Ishgard. Even if there was a lull in news, she would always come in its absence, ready to forget about the world for a while. But now there was nothing. No news. No visits. Just Leofard, a cold bed he had no urge to fill, and whatever adventure he could forget himself in.
It was like A’vedis had never been in his life at all. And the absence plagued his every thought.
Stacia sighed, “Please...you miss her, don’t you?”
“I don’t. Hand me the bottle.”
“Leofard…”
“Whatever I think doesn’t matter,” Leofard looked up at Stacia, his eyebrows furrowed, “Warrior of Light won’t come ‘round here. If she doesn’t think of us, then I won’t think of her.”
“Listen...I’m not sure whether you’ve broken things off or not...but you can’t lie to yourself like this,” Stacia spoke, “I’ll...try and see where she is. Maybe I’ll actually get some answers from her, unlike you.”
Leofard snorted, “Good luck on that front.” If he couldn’t get any information down below, then where would Stacia even start? Where would she find such an important and prominent figure?
Part of him wanted Stacia to beat the odds. To find A’vedis and get answers. Where was she? Was she still alive? Was she trapped somewhere?
Leofard frowned. He needed more liquor to drown out those thoughts. It was obvious tipsy wasn’t cutting it.
Suddenly, there was a slamming noise. A door being swiftly opened, a pair of frantic footsteps running across the grass. Leofard raised an eyebrow, looking back to see the Redbill engineer, Utata, rushing right towards them.
“C-Captain!” Utata called out, sliding to a halt in front of him, “You gotta come quick! Cait Sith...he caught something!”
“Oh? Didn’t know Puss had it in him,” Leofard chuckled, “Catch a rat? Those are rare finds up in the sky.”
“No...it’s something weirder!” Utata took a step back, frantically gesturing for them to follow, “Come quick!”
Stacia and Leofard both exchanged looks - part confused and part concerned. Leofard stood up, leaving his empty glass right in his spot and swiping the bottle from Stacia’s hands. Then, he placed the bottle right beside the glass.
“Expect that ta still be there when I’m back,” Leofard cocked a grin at Stacia, and began following in pursuit of the lalafell. Stacia only sighed, taking one look at the bottle before giving up and following as well.
The two followed Utata to the stairwell between the main landing and the airship docks. Echoing off the walls was a struggle between Cait Sith and a higher pitched, heavily accented voice. Leofard cocked an eyebrow and descended the stairwell, spotting what looked to be Cait Sith trying to hold a very small, humanoid creature with vibrant red wings.
“Unhand me, you foul beast!” the creature called out, finally squirming out of Cait Sith’s paws and flying off to a safe distance away, “Such disrespect...if you were not a friend of my precious sapling, you would already be a warted toad...or even a pile of leaves! Maybe a beaver, if I were generous.”
Stacia, Leofard, and Utata stared at the creature with wide eyes, taking a few moments to take in what exactly floated in their stairway. If Leofard could make any comparison, it was like if someone crossed a sylph with an elezen...and shrank that abomination until it could sit perfectly in the palm of his hand.
“Gotta say, Puss…” Leofard couldn’t help but let out another laugh, “Mighty weird rat you found there.”
“You! Even more disrespect!” The creature looked practically insulted, crossing its arms and furrowing its eyebrows. “I am nothing like a rat, you ungrateful excuse of an elvaan...or are you a hume? I shan’t be bothered to tell.”
“Yea, sure,” Leofard looked down at Cait Sith, “Any idea what this is? This another voidsent?”
“I honestly have no clue,” Cait Sith shrugged, looking up at the creature suspiciously, “I’ve never seen anything like it before. I only saw this...creature sneaking around the airships.”
“Creature?” It gasped in complete horror. “I’ll have you know I am king of the pixies. If you knew of us, you would tremble at the name Feo Ul, and I expect you to call me that. Though, I’m not sure how I would feel for my name to fall from such undeserving and distasteful lips.”
Leofard looked at Cait Sith, who only shrugged. “Right. Well, state your business here. Doesn’t look right to have anyone pokin’ ‘round at our base. Fea Lool, was it?”
“Feo Ul!” the pixie exclaimed, crossing their arms, “I am here to deliver precious cargo from my dear, sweet sapling. Since she entrusted this task to me and only me...perhaps I will still follow through despite this disrespect.”
Honestly, at this point, Leofard was expecting a tree branch. With all this sapling talk, Leofard was beginning to wonder if they had gathered attention from a weird, cursed tree.
However, when the pixie snapped their fingers and the package appeared right in their arms...Leofard’s entire world stopped.
Right there, in the pixie’s arms, was a Redbill scarf. Not just any scarf. Her scarf. The scarf he teasingly gifted her such a long time ago. It was easy to tell, just from a glance. During one of her visits, her scarf was torn from battle. Stacia helped mend it right back to working condition...leaving a small but noticeable stitch across the center.
But, seeing it here, in the pixie's arms, there were new additions. A streak of dried blood. A couple dots of white that seemed to catch every light that shined on them.
In an instant, Leofard’s expression dropped, his voice deepening to a lower timbre, “Why do you have that?”
That creature had her scarf. The scarf of a woman who had all but disappeared from his life. A woman he sometimes feared dead and sometimes feared worse. And this creature...this thing had it.
“Why, my sapling gave it to me to deliver to you.”
“And who is this sapling?” Leofard’s hands were anxiously pulling behind him, drunken hands tracing the metal of his gun.
“Why, who in the world does not know about my precious sapling?” Feo Ul looked a bit annoyed. “Do you not know A’vedis Tade?”
His hand fell from his gun, and he looked at the pixie with wide eyes. A’vedis sent this for him?
Stacia looked over at Leofard with genuine concern, then looked at the pixie, “Did she...tell you why she was delivering this? Why didn’t she deliver this on her own?”
Feo Ul frowned, looking down at the scarf, “My precious, pure sapling...she can’t, to be honest.”
Leofard let out a self-deprecating chuckle, “Because she doesn’t want to see me again, eh?”
“Leofard!” Stacia looked at him.
“Plain as day, ain’t it?”
“No...I do assure you that she…wanted to. But my dear sapling...she can’t.”
“Then why not?” Leofard felt a bit of rage pool up in his stomach, furrowing his eyebrows and taking a step forward, “Why can’t she? She trapped somewhere? Where is she? I’ll find her myself.” If she wanted to see him but couldn’t, that was the only explanation. She was so afraid when he last saw her, was this why? Was she held captive by this creature?
“I mean she can’t. And no matter how much you look. You cannot find her in this world. If you did...unfortunately, you would be in danger. But I assure you my precious sapling wanted to return, she really did.”
“Redbills dive into whatever danger we can,” Leofard crossed his arms, “I’ll go anywhere, no matter the danger.”
Feo Ul took in a deep breath, “While my precious sapling would wish that, you can’t-” Their words stopped, and soon their expression changed. Before Leofard could think to pull the gun on the beast and rid himself of this, the pixie began to smile, floating around to-and-fro in the space above them. Soon, a strange little laugh escaped from them, and they darted over to float right in front of Leofard’s face.
“You really would do anything, my dear?” Feo Ul asked.
Leofard took a step back restraining the urge to swat at the creature, “Did I stutter?”
“Well then, favorite of my sapling…” Feo Ul grinned, offering A’vedis’ scarf to him, “Have you ever been one for dreaming?”
--
When Leofard opened his eyes, he was floating on an island above the clouds, barren and filled with nothing but wildflowers and strange, translucent doors cropped up high on the hillside. The edge of his vision was foggy and difficult to make out, like it was clouded over by something. He looked down, seeing A’vedis’ scarf bunched up in one of his hands. At first he felt confused...though it took him only a few moments to realize just what he was doing here.
He was dreaming, probably the most lucidly he had in his life.
Maybe he was right to follow the pixie’s instructions after all.
They had been simple. To fall asleep at a certain time with the Redbill scarf tucked right beneath his pillow.
Leofard only hoped that the pixie followed through on the rest.
Slowly, Leofard stood up and looked out at the cloudy horizon, taking in a deep breath.
“Leo…”
It was a voice that took his breath away, that made his world stop. In a haze, Leofard turned around to see the very woman he had missed for so long. A small miqo’te with short blue hair and a long, fluffy tail. Two beautiful eyes - one grey and one green - that looked him up and down, genuine surprise painted on her expression.
“A’vedis…” Leofard took a step forward. She was here. She was alive.
He took another step, and her expression turned to fear.
“S-Stay back!” A’vedis took a few frantic steps back, wrapping her arms around herself, “It’s dangerous…!”
“W...What do ya mean?” Leofard couldn’t believe this. “Am I really that much of a danger? Am I that bad in bed?” He cracked a little laugh borne from disbelief. This had to be a joke, right? She never reacted like that around him. She would always crack jokes when he teased her, but she never looked so afraid of him.
“N-No...this is for your own safety…” A’vedis trembled, pulling her clothes tighter around her, like she was trying to contain something.
Then it clicked in his mind. It wasn’t that she was afraid of him. She was afraid of herself.
But why?
“Whatever yer worried ‘bout, I’m sure I can handle it, kitten.”
Leofard took another step forward, and A’vedis took another step back.
“You don’t understand, Leo. This is...so much beyond what you know.”
“Then what should I know?” Leofard took another step forward. “All I know is that you’re tryin’ ta get away from me.”
“All you need to know is that I’m dangerous, and that I got way in over my head!”
“No surprise, kitten, yer always way in over your head.” Another step.
“Stop doing that!”
“Then tell me!” Leofard gritted his teeth, looking at her with a pained expression. “Or am I just gonna have to watch a lady I fancy run away for no reason?”
A’vedis stopped, looking at him with wide eyes and the most heartbroken expression he’d ever seen her wear. Leofard cursed himself for saying too much. She didn’t need to hear that. He didn’t need to admit that. But with the dream-like fog and months of yearning behind his back, his lips were becoming loose.
He was a shameful excuse for a pirate, wasn’t he?
A’vedis took in a shaky deep breath, slowly reaching down to the hem of her shirt. Leofard watched intently as the fabric slowly began to pull up, revealing her stomach to him.
And what Leofard saw was horrifying.
It was like marble was surfacing from beneath her skin. Pure white streaks tore through pale skin, like her skin was peeling away and falling to give way to cold stone. Like she was becoming a living, breathing statue.
“I’m becoming a monster,” A’vedis took in a choked breath, her eyes beginning to water up, “I...can’t go back home, Leofard. If I go back...I might turn completely. It’s only a matter of time. And if I do...then I’ll kill everyone. I can’t...I can’t stop it…”
Leofard looked at the marble, and then up at her face as several tears began to fall from her eyes. Out of everything she could have wrapped herself up in, he would have never imagined this. He didn’t understand it. But he saw the markings on her skin and the tears down her face, and that was all he needed to know. She was plagued by something...and she couldn’t cure it.
A’vedis let out a choked breath, and her hands curled up tighter around the fabric of her shirt, “I...I-I should have gone with you.”
She sniffed, trying to compose herself. Leofard remained silent.
“I wanted to...I really did,” A’vedis confessed, “But...I couldn’t just abandon everyone. And what I’ve been doing is so important and would have saved so many lives...but everything was for nothing. I failed...and I’m going to die because of it. Die...or worse.”
“I wish I stayed with you. I wanted to see that beautiful blue sky with you...and see the world with you. I wanted to be by your side, even if you’re an ass sometimes. And...maybe I would have also said…” Her words trailed off, fading. She frowned, and looked away as more tears fell from her eyes.
Leofard frowned, watching her for a few moments more. Then, he took in a deep breath.
“Never took ya for a quitter, A’vedis.”
In seconds, Leofard sped to her side, pulling her in and holding her close.
“L-Leo, don’t! It’s -”
“Redbills don’t shy away from a little danger,” Leofard chuckled, “You really forget our first adventure together so quickly?”
“This is different!”
“I’ve always flirted with danger before. You’re just makin’ it tangible, kitten.”
“This isn’t the time for flirting, you ass!”
“Listen.” Leofard looked down at her and put a hand to her chin, angling it up so she would look at him. “Am I supposed ta not flirt with a beautiful lady in front of me? Am I not supposed ta kiss her?”
A flush of color crossed A’vedis’ cheeks. And she didn’t look away. She didn’t move as Leofard lowered his head to hers. And she didn’t turn away as his lips met hers.
Their kiss was desperate. Wanting. Passionate. Of two souls that so desperately wanted to be together after so long. Whether this was some twisted dream the pixie conjured or a real, dream-like A’vedis standing right before him, Leofard didn’t care. He needed to kiss her. He needed to love her. And he would do anything he could to keep her safe in his arms.
“Listen, A’vedis…” Leofard whispered between kisses, pulling her even closer to him, “You’ll survive. You’ll come back and fly right back ta me like nothin’ ever happened. And I’ll love ya so much ya won’t be able to walk fer a week. An’ you’ll get to tell me all ya want or nothing at all. But you’ll be with me at the end of this, you understand? You’ll be right there, alright?”
“But…”
“Shh…” Leofard kissed her again, “Talkin’ won’t do much, kitten.”
He kissed her again and again, pouring every ounce of himself into them. Pouring every bit of emotion he felt for the woman in front of him into each motion. Until the dream began to cloud and her warmth began to fade from his skin, he would make her forget about this. To give her some hope. To give her the courage to beat this and return right to his arms.
If this was all Leofard could do, he would give every bit of himself to her, all for that one night in the clouds.