Strap In For A Ride [OPEN]

[seemstressed]

Who: Tataru & YOU
When: During the memory share event and meteor shower/doubling as a catch-all for the month.
Where: Various Locations
What: Memories and cometflies and whatever else.
Warnings: Shady people doing shady things, a dragon nuking Eorzea, hot catholic elves...but nothing too terrible.



MEMORY DIRECTORY & COMETFLY PROMPT

An Arcanist’s Agony (Tataru attempts to be a Summoner but her Carbuncle runs away instead.)

Mining And Morbols (Tataru mines for ore and almost gets eaten by a tentacle monster.)

A Diamond In The Rough (Tataru has a shitty childhood and scams men out of money.)

Answers (Angry dragon Bahamut busts out of the moon and sets everything on fire.)

Heresy On High (Tataru is put to Trial for Heresy by Hot Catholic Elves...)

My Oh My...She Swallowed A Fly! (Tataru swallows a cometfly and chokes.)

Comments

An Arcanist’s Agony

[seemstressed]

<sub>[In theory it shouldn’t have been this difficult. In theory she had done everything right. The math was there, the calculations were all in order, hells she’d even managed to summon the damn creature and yet no matter how many commands she yelled out Carbuncle was more than happy to outright ignore her or worse - run away.

The sight of Tataru turning heel and screaming through a field, being chased down by rats the size of her (if not larger) is as amusing as it is disturbing, her short legs aching as she does her best to escape the growing hoard of monsters that are ready to make a quick snack of the little Lalafell. It’s not a memory she wants to relive, let alone have to see unfold again, especially when her failure stings, but here she is doing just that. As the scene finishes playing out, the image of her running away fading out of existence, Tataru can’t help but flop down against the grass, pouting. The embarrassment, unfortunately, is still ever fresh, despite her dabbling in Arcane Arts having happened a while ago. It’s only when she notices she isn’t alone that she’s sitting up immediately, cheeks pink.]</sub>

....Pray, tell me you saw nothing.

_{[Not the screaming or her failure or worse, overheard the memory of her admitting she was just that - a failure of a hero, suited far more to counting coin and sorting taxes.]}

[arturiarex]

[ Alas, Saber has seen everything. one wing-tip (she has wings, now) flutters slightly in response as she watches. It's not a pleasant memory, obviously, and Saber herself takes little joy in seeing someone she has an acquaintanceship with flee from peril. But there is something to be said about being quick - especially when you're as short as Tataru. Saber shakes her head and walks over, to fall into a crouch next to the Lalafell. ]

To say I had not seen it would be a lie.

[ She manages a very slight smile, which is impressive for Saber, honestly. ]

But don't despair of it. There are worse things to have happen than a need to beat a hasty retreat. Although I understand it is a painful memory to share with the world...

[seemstressed]

_{[It's not like what Saber is saying isn't true. She shouldn't despair it, her awful failure that day...but reliving that moment isn't doing her any good either.]}

It's more embarrassing than anything else...

_{[Which is the truth. She'd been so convinced of herself and her ability to take what she'd learned and apply it out in the field that her misplaced confidence had been her downfall.]}

I know it isn't the end of the world but it's frustrating at times to always be the one being saved.

[dj_jiraiya]

[ It was her pointed ears that tipped Yosuke off that this girl wasn't a child. Well, okay, the way she looked altogether sort of did too. Being into fantasy stuff really did come in handy here, otherwise he probably would have thought she was just a kid getting in way over her head. Nope, she was a... dwarf? halfling? gnome? something like that that was in over her head.

Yosuke winced when he realized she caught him watching too. ]

Uhh... s-sorry. But c'mon, it's not that bad!

[ He sat down on the grass near her. ]

Pretty sure I've done way worse, you know. Besides, you summoned a... uh, whatever that blue guy was! That counts for something, right?

[seemstressed]

_{[Thank god for Final Fantasy video games and anime, huh Yosuke? If he seems a bit taken aback by her appearance she doesn't notice, shoulders slumping when he sits down to join her. Even if she doesn't exactly believe his words of encouragement they're appreciated.]}

It's called a Carbuncle. Summoners use them...but as you can see, mine wanted nothing to do with me! But, you're right, I did summon the bloody thing. So that counts.

_{[Kind of.]}

...Have you almost gotten yourself killed or eaten before?

[darkestbefore]

[ She's... not actually sure what she'd just seen, honestly, and Yona's eyes are wide as she takes in the little pouting girl in the grass - her memory, she assumes. She's not sure why the girl was so embarrassed and upset, but then again she's still a little distracted by the sight of the creatures she'd been fleeing from! ]

Those monsters were enormous! Are you alright? Were you hurt?

im so sorry this is so late

[seemstressed]

_{[That's fair, Yona. It's not like the scene itself isn't utterly chaotic. Tataru's not expecting the company from an unfamiliar face (and a pretty one at that) but she doesn't mind, looking up at the red head with her overly large, expressive eyes. There's a sad shake of her head coupled with a sigh.]}

I am quite alright, yes. I wasn't hurt thankfully. A friend of mine intervened and swooped into rescue me before I ended up dinner.

_{[There's a pause before she huffs, shoulders slack.]}

They were enormous, weren't they?! They've no right getting as big as they do.

Mining And Morbols

[seemstressed]

<sub>[If anyone doubted Tataru was a woman of many talents they would be proven wrong upon the next scene that unfolds. Dressed in mining gear and a pickaxe in hand, the Lalafell is singing away to herself, swinging the heavy tool against the side of a sheer, rocky hill. Chipper and spirits high, completely oblivious to the giant morbol looming behind her, she keeps at it, focused on her prize and not the danger closing in on her. The large plant monster, with its rows of jagged teeth dripping saliva and long tentacles, wastes no time closing in on its prey. Lalafell are, unfortunately, perfectly sized to fit within such a horrid mouth, and it wouldn’t be the first time one of her kind had met their end by becoming a meal to such creatures.

It’s a memory, of course, and that leaves Tataru herself who’s watching the event unfold panicking in place, arms flailing as she screams at herself to run away.]</sub>

O-Oh! Oh run won’t you, you bloody fool! It’s going to eat you! Ahh! AHH!

_{[Situational awareness has never been one of Tataru’s striking traits, at least when she gets really into a task. Case in point - she hasn’t noticed she has company of her own, watching the embarrassing, if not concerning, event play out.]}

[clickclickbang]

Uh, Tataru?

[Prompto just wandered over to Tataru's mirror, curious about what he could see on the edges and why it was so clear and shiny and...somehow found himself in it? Watching her yell at herself for not noticing a--]

Oh, shit, malboros?!

[seemstressed]

_{[Malboros morbols, potato popoto - different names for the same thing! Why Prompto's here right now doesn't matter. She's immediately putting herself close to one of his legs, tucking herself behind him while frantically pointing at the awful, horrid creature...and herself.]}

Look at this fool! She's not paying attention at all! Ohhh I was so stupid! Ahhhh!

arrives 10 days late with coffee...

[rightfoot]

[ Louis watches the scene unfold, and he knows what it's like to be prey. Though the fact that it was there for as long as it was before she ran was shocking. His chest is tight as he watches predator and prey. It's weird and dizzying and oh he hates it. It's too close. He's always so careful, so aware of what he is in order to not be in a position like this. It keeps him in a place where he's seen as strong, even by carnivores he's met.

So, instead he speaks up -- ]

How didn't you notice?

sticks leggie out

[seemstressed]

_{[It's not exactly helpful that Louis calls the panicked Lalafell out on her less than optimal spatial awareness, but it's not like he's wrong. How did she not notice? As she turns to face him she's still flailing a bit, ever so animated as most of her race is.]}

I-I was really into what I was doing, in my defense! And they're hard to hear approach for their size!

_{[Surprisingly so. Usually one can smell them coming though...]}

comes in 4000 years later with starbucks

[enkidoh]

[Oh no. This is about to go absolutely wrong.]

Ah! Tataru! [And then they notice the other one standing there, flailing at the one in her memory. There is only one thing they can do. They will flail with her.]

Run! [They clap their hands in order to get the unfortunate Tataru's attention.] We need to yell a little harder!

A Diamond In The Rough

[seemstressed]

<sub>[Another day, another hot morning, a sweltering afternoon and with luck - a cool night. Ul’dah had been especially unforgiving with its temperatures the past week, and despite being a native of the desert oasis city-state, a Tataru of barely ten and three name days finds the walk from her home toward the market almost unbearable. She’s smaller and more petite than her adult self, features even more rounded, eyes seeming even larger on such a youthful face. While some may mistake her as a child as she is currently, there’s no mistaking her young age in this memory. It’s been hours since the little Lalafell started her shift at the jewelers she’d been forced to apprentice at and already she finds herself growing tired of sitting on the small wooden stool at her workbench. It’s monotonous work, lacking the creativity of actually making the pieces. Instead her task today has been to appraise the gems in secondhand rings (diamonds, to be exact) that had been offered up to be bought as a means of covering a debt.

Still, she’s humming to herself as she works, a bit of a mischievous smile playing on her lips as she glances at a small pocket watch set to the side of her. A moment later and her head is lifting up to greet a Lalafellian man who sports a mustache and beard, clearly the jeweler she’s been put to work under. He doesn’t seem exactly happy with her humming nor the smirk on her face but it only seems to grow wider as he tells her to knock it off and focus on the task she’s been assigned to do.

It doesn’t take very long for the man to begin to sweat, as Tataru sweetly begins to tell him what she found out about the ring she’d resized for his fiancee. He’d clearly had the original diamond taken from the ring and replaced with a jewel that sparkled just as much but was worth little in comparison, in hope the woman he was to wed would be none the wiser. He would satisfy her demands for a large stone and sell the real diamond back to get his coin back. Knowing what sort of woman he was to marry the news wouldn’t exactly go over well with her.

After a few minutes of threats thrown her way and quite a few from the little Lalafell in return, she finds herself leaving her shift early, a grin on her face and a small satchel full of coins in exchange for keeping the man’s secret. Not only that but her hours of work would be compensated in a far more fair way. Was her employer happy with this arrangement? No, but it worked out in her favour. If she was to pay off the debt of her father she would make it worth her while, even if she had to coerce the man into seeing her side of things.

Excited to be freed for the rest of the day, Tataru makes her way down to the market lined with food stalls. Sure, with her “bonus” she could afford something especially tasty, but she decides to buy a cheap snack instead. What she’s given is a small bag filled with fried, crisped and spiced meal worms. To her it’s normal cuisine, as Ul’dah is known for its heavily spiced meat and insect driven diet. Fresh vegetables are luxuries that are imported, after all. Popping a few of the crispy bugs past her lips she passes by the Ruby Exchange, taking a moment to admire the scantily clad girls who dance and bewilder men. She’s only stopped walking for a moment or two before a Hyur man approaches her. Clearly they’re familiar with one another for Tataru’s rolling her eyes as the man, easily twice her age, begins to try and sweet talk her. He’s spotted her coming from a dance lesson or two the other night and would be quite eager to pay her for a “private” dance, so to speak. His skeeviness isn’t unique - many Hyur men were fond of Lalafellian ladies - but when Tataru sees an opportunity she takes it. With a polite curtsy she informs him that she’s well aware of how much money he spends on the dancers in the exchange, and that his wife would be quite unhappy with him if she were to know where all his coin had been going. Tataru’s got the receipts to prove it too and the man is practically reduced to begging on his knees before her for him not to tell, that she’d throw him out onto the street if she knew. By the end of their little exchange not only is the man sniffling but she’s found herself a patron to pay for her dance lessons.

What a productive day.

It’s a funny set of memories to revisit and Tataru can’t help but snicker to herself, leaning against a brick wall as she watches her various schemes and extortion attempts play out.]</sub>

Those sorry sods...a part of me feels bad for them now.

_{[Maybe just a sliver of her...but that’s still a part, is it not.]}

[stopfen]

[To Mikasa, in another time. This would have all been pretty funny. It was the type of thing that would have gotten a chuckle from her. Maybe a small noise at the cuteness.

But it doesn't.

Not today. If she'd had known this was Tataru's memory she would have stayed out, not wanting to give the Lalafell more. Not willing to risk offending her when she knew. It had gone fine with Mettaon, even if he'd acted a bit strangely. But she didn't have time to check Tataru's thoughts, before they were moving.

So she swallows, still looking a bit pale.]

Did this happen often?

[supersoldier]

[The heat is sweltering in this memory, the stone roads and buildings seeming only to reflect it tenfold. It radiates against Sephiroth’s skin, and though it isn’t enough to make him uncomfortable, it adds to the surreality of a city like this. Foreign architecture, strange foodstuffs. A familiar face at a distance, which draws him closer.

It’s undoubtedly Tataru — younger in the face, perhaps, but he would recognize her anywhere. More so, he would know that spark of flaring mischief and energy as he listens in on the conversations taking place with unsuspecting customers, or a random man who would proposition her only to regret it seconds later. Some might call it ingenious, others underhanded.

Either way, she comes away all the richer for it, and somehow that does not surprise Sephiroth in the least.

His long strides are suddenly halted when, seemingly out of nowhere, another Tataru speaks up. His look slides to her, stopping, green cat-like eyes shining in the sun.]

...Only a small part, I assume.

[poisontippedcure]

[It’s hard to tell whether Rose deliberately entered Tataru’s mirror, or just found herself here by chance. Still, it’s not hard to deduce who’s mirror it is; of all the people here from Eorzea, there’s only one that would reasonably have such ties to Ul’dah.]

[Rose doesn’t like the city; it’s hot and there’s too much sand on the outskirts. She tries to find Tataru as quickly as she can. Thankfully, it doesn’t take long. Even though she’s a lalafell, Tataru stands out.]

[Theres a bemused expression on her face as she watches the exchanges. She never had inquired much about Tataru’s past, but it was clear that her scheming ways had started long before the Scions. ...For the best, probably.]

There’s no need to. Each one of those men dug their own grave.

[wordsinthesoul]

[Not an unfamiliar sight, but one it seems Tataru's managed to turn very much to her advantage. Thancred hums, coming to stand beside her.]

No more than any of them could afford, I'm sure.

Answers

[seemstressed]

<sub>[With the moon Dalamud growing larger in the sky as the days passed, glowing redder and brighter as it drew near, a certain forlornness had gripped the citizens of the desert city-state. The usual hustle and bustle of commerce had grown far less frantic as more and more people stayed cooped up inside, fearing for the worst. It would be the end of days, some had said - an absolute Calamity - and they wouldn’t be wrong. That fear would be realized when the hour of truth came upon Eorzea and the gates of Ul’dah found themselves pushed open by hordes of monsters. The oasis found itself under siege, streets littered with the corpses of foe and citizens alike after hours upon hours of fighting.

To say Tataru felt hopeless, tucked away under a stall in the marketplace, would be an understatement. She’d watched as monsters tore away at whatever defenses had been lined up, morbol, goobbue, wolves, voidsent and imperial soldiers spilling blood left and right and now was left hiding, hoping against the odds that she’d be safe. She had only seen her sixteenth name day some months ago; if she were going to die, she didn’t want it to be like this.

Hiding in the market only lasts for so long. Soon enough it’s overrun and she’s left fleeing her hiding spot, short legs carrying her through the blood soaked streets. Some buildings were aflame, windows broken and cobblestone tore from the streets but none of the destruction those hoards had brought with them would compare to what was to happen next. The red, ominous sphere of Dalamud was close, mesmerizing as night fell, painting all of Ul’dah in an eerie, crimson glow. Only when Tataru stopped running in a bid to catch her breath did she realize just how close the celestial body had become.

Everything went still and silent, for a brief, split second, before a flash of blinding light radiated outward from the moon and projectiles of fire, in what she could only understand as meteors, began to fall and bombard the land around the outer city’s walls. She doesn’t know where to put herself, fear keeping her frozen in place and eyes fixated on the skies until there’s another flash and a roar so great and terrifying that all the Lalafell can do is keep pressed against the wall of the building she’s rested against, heart racing like a petrified rabbit, eyes glassy with tears.

It’s truly a cataclysmic event, the moon splitting and shattering into flaming shards that fall to the land, the unholy behemoth of a dragon Bahamut emerging from within. The scale and size of the Primal is beyond anything Tataru could’ve imagined and when the great dragon flies over Ul’dah, the beat of his wings like thunder, the fire from his breath scorching the desert beyond the city walls as meteors continue to fall...all she can think to do is watch in abject horror.

This is it. It’s the end of the world.

There’s no safe haven left, no area of the city left untouched. The only place she can think to go is one of the grand halls dedicated to Ul’dah’s patron deity. Despite the exhaustion, despite the ache her heart feels in her chest, as if it’s going to burst forth and free, all she can do now is pray. That’s what the other Scions had gone to do, after all, so she might as well do the same, even if her prayers would be worth little compared to theirs.

The pace Tataru takes to follow her younger, panic-stricken self is a languid one, her large, reflective eyes having taken on a hollowed darkness. After all she’s been here before. She’s lived this before...but she never wanted to experience the absolute horror and despair that had gripped her that day in Ul’dah ever again.

Coming to the hall of worship she spots her younger self, prostrated on the ground before a statue of Thal, desperate in prayer. Despite the chaos outside the hall is silent save for the frantic mumbling of those begging for deliverance. Not everyone is asking to be saved, but for the deity to bless them in the afterlife, to ensure their worth carries over into the next realm of existence. It’s a depressing sight to witness after so many years trying to forget.

There’s a soft sigh as Tataru brings herself to stand before the statue, head dipped low. This may be a strange dream, a reliving of a memory, but she still has respect for the god who she’d prayed to that harrowing day. If you’re watching her she’s oblivious to your presence, far too lost in her own thoughts to pay attention to much else.]</sub>

...I suppose it’s been some time since I thanked you for delivering me from the Calamity, hasn’t it? You truly did let me keep what’s worth most to me, despite the odds.

_{[Which was, ultimately, her life. No amount of money or treasure trumped being alive. Looks like the god of the underworld had decided it wasn’t her time to go just yet.]}

I doubt I will ever come back to Ul’dah...but perhaps there’s a way I can give thanks here, in this new land I’ve come to be in.

_{[Maybe this nightmare was a pesky reminder to pay tribute? Who knows. Either way, she’d much rather be done with the whole experience.]}

[unsundered]

[And so it was an Ardor, the seventh Rejoining. Their most recent, and perhaps final, success.

His steps are slow, meandering. It wouldn't be remiss to describe the Ascian's manner as detached, eyes taking stock of the chaos around him. The screaming, the fleeing, the fires and monsters. The sight of something like a meteor shower raining stone down from the heavens- and this is the only part that has his expression shift, softening for a few moments into something more desolate. Visions like that- it was impossible to not be reminded of the skies over Amaurot, during its fall.

But his sorrow is reserved solely for the past, and his apathy quickly resumes. Emet-Selch took no joy in the death around him, but he wasn't moved by it either. All of these people would've died soon enough regardless, even without his compatriots' intervention; at no point did their 'lives' take on any meaning.

Nor does he feel any particular empathy towards Tataru and her obvious terror during this Calamity. But he follows casually after her stricken self, from one hiding spot to another, a relentless if indifferent observer. And when she finally finds some measure of safety, he pauses, taking in the sight of these scattered worshipers pleading to a god who didn't exist. A fitting enough act, he supposed; futility from start to finish.]

Your god did naught to aid you.

[He calls out from the entrance to the hall, his form occasionally silhouetted by flashes of light and flame from the city behind him. A somewhat ominous sight, really, as Emet-Selch steps within, pace measured, attention drifting towards the younger Tataru before fixing back on her current self. He stops before the statue dedicated to Thal, sparing it a look that bordered on amused. The Ascian himself had a far closer connection to the underworld than anyone else here, false gods included.]

'Twas your own legs which carried you out of harm's way, luck performing the rest. Give yourself more credit.

[Gently chiding, his manner is still... disturbingly removed from the horrors taking place around them.]

Heresy On High

[seemstressed]

<sub>[When Tataru had been approached by a pair of gilded, Ishgardian knights after her shift at The Forgotten Knight tavern, the last thing she expected to hear fall from their lips was an accusation of heresy. Since when had she committed such a crime?! Protests begin to fall from her lips as she stands out in the snowy streets of Ishgard, the looming stone spires of the city’s architecture foreboding and as imposing as the Elezen men before her. What’s the little Lalafellian woman to say or do?

Soon enough she finds herself in a cell but her stay doesn’t last long as she’s shuffled out to meet Alphinaud, her fellow heretic and friend, the Elezen teen keeping close to her side as she hides behind his legs. The courtroom chilly and unwelcoming, as she stumbles over her words to mount her defense and name a champion to fight in her place. The trial, after all, is one of combat, but Tataru is no fighter. Luckily her warrior shows up to fight for her honour and freedom alongside Alphinaud while Tataru is left to watch the fight from her place behind bars.]</sub>

Stuck up Ishgardian clergymen…

<sub>[It’s not the Tataru who’s locked behind bars that’s muttering away but a very much freed Tataru who’s casting her gaze between worrying self and the fight playing out before her. Much to Tataru’s relief the memory of the whole ordeal doesn’t last very long and instead shifts to a scene that’s far more celebratory in nature. It only made sense, at least to her, to drink in toast to her and Alphinaud’s freedom and the Warrior of Light’s courageous display in her honour. The Elezen teen seems a bit overwhelmed by the tavern’s atmosphere but is a good sport and downs the ale that’s set before him, watching curiously as an Elezen man approaches his company, the man’s cheeks flushed red. It becomes apparent soon enough that Tataru has a suitor, the man relieved that her innocence has been proven, praise Halone, and that it would be his pleasure if he could buy her a drink.

Who would Tataru be to say no? Read: she didn’t, much to Alphinaud’s embarrassment. A bit of flirting later and she’s not only secured the two of them drinks for the rest of the night but a hearty meal of stew and bread. Looks like Halone really was on their side that day.]</sub>

Ahh...I miss The Forgotten Knight…

_{[Tataru’s speaking to herself, propped up on a chair at a table as she watches the scene play out before her, but that doesn’t mean she’s without company, whether she realizes it or not.]}

Their stew was incredible.

_{[The drinks too, sure, but that should be obvious by the hue of her cheeks in the memory. Someone’s a lush.]}

[finesseblade]

[ Felix is significantly less relaxed after the whirlwind of affairs that has been this evening—or dream, or memory, or whatever the hell he's witnessing.

He'd spent most of the trial clutching at bars, itching to take part in a fight he couldn't even interact with, and even now that it's over, he's tense and uneasy. His eyes keep darting around the smoky tavern interior, one that looks not so different from the kind he'd find back home in Faerghus, as though the damn zealots will show their faces and demand a rematch at any moment.]

After all of that, all you can think about is the stew? What is wrong with these people?

My Oh My...She Swallowed A Fly!

[seemstressed]

<sub>[Honestly? She should've known better, to keep her mouth closed during a moment like this. Sure, the meteor shower is awe inspiring but did she really have to gasp, mouth agape? Apparently her pie hole had no sooner opened than it had become a fly hole.

It's not the first time Tataru's swallowed insects. She's done so willingly, the local cuisine of Ul'dah having quite a few dishes that involve creepy crawlies. That being said, she hadn't expected to swallow a fly (oh my!) and it seems to have gone down the wrong pipe.

Gasping she finds herself panicking, doing her best to try and cough up the offensive bug that's quite literally choking her, little hands over her mouth as she doubles over, unable to breathe. This couldn't be the end, could it? Taken out by a glowbug? Surely she was meant to experience more and live far longer than she had!

If you come across her small, choking, panic stricken form...perhaps you could lend a hand? Maybe a few words of encouragement or better yet, something to drink.]</sub>

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ You'd think that someone so tiny would have trouble choking on something tinier than themselves. People said the cometflies made people glow if they landed on you, but apparently landing in your throat might not count. That or it could take a while. They were the only things flying around to catch someone off guard like that.

That, and after seeing this 'little lady' on the network, he figured it wouldn't be so embarrassing as choking on food that was brought along and swallowed whole. Actually, maybe it would. The idea of someone swallowing a bug was just more amusing.

Seeing that no one was immediately around to help out, the faun walked over with a bottle of alcohol in one hand, and the other...

Set to smack right on her back. That's supposed to help. Right? ]

[whomthebelltolls]

[There's a tree next to her, that seems to respond to the sudden choking and hacking, as it moves, and shrinks and - oh, no, that's not actually a tree at all, that's just a particularly tall woman.

Who seems to be looking at her curiously and wondering what in the world is going on.] ... Are you alright? Here...

[Whoever - or, whatever - this person is clearly isn't human, but Maria, for a moment, does mistake the Lalafell for a child. At least, until she starts to realize she recognizes her from... somewhere.

But first: Choking. The heimlich maneuver for a baby involves bracing them with one hand and smacking them on the back with the heel of your palm on the other. So uh.

Sorry, but that's how she's going to do it.]