Naioki Yokota

As per tradition in the communities of the Viera he was taken away from the village at a young age. At that time, he was probably only about 12 or so. He never really connected with his family but on a basic level knowing from a very young age that he would leave. He was the oldest of four but the only boy. His sisters adored him while he was there though. They would hang off of him and tease him constantly. As normal siblings would. 

When the males of the community returned, he was shown off to all of them instantly. His mother showed him like he was a prize to be won. In the end he was taken in by a sweet older Viera. His name was Kalev as he told him, but he knew for certain it was a city name. It didn’t even come close to all of the forest names he grew to know. Kalev was a gentle soul; his caring brown eyes never grew harsh and especially not in his direction. Teaching him everything he needed to know with only the gentlest of hands. Despite his outward appearance. His tattered blonde hair fell in braids along his back. He was covered in battle scars and time had taken a toll on his body. His hands were covered in calluses and his left ear was torn at the tip. A deep scar moved from his shoulder down his peck too. That one always caught his eyes as he could only imagine what caused it. He never dared ask his age though, honestly, he never felt the need to know.

He didn’t waste any time in telling his ward to think of a city name either. Refusing to call him by his previous forest name. “The world needs to know who you are, son. Pick a name that you can say proudly and with all of your chest. It needs to be entirely you though. Don’t let anyone else stray you from it.” He loved that he was getting a chance to be completely himself. Not what he used to be in the village. Like he was given a completely new story to make all his own.

 It was obvious that Kalev had lived quite a while. His knowledge of the world was expansive, and he took every moment he had to teach him everything. Kalev lived under the idea that there was never a spare moment in this life. Even with their life span being longer than most others he knew that life wasn’t guaranteed to anyone. Teaching him to survive off the land. The forest gives them plenty to gather and hunt not to mention the ample opportunities for shelter.

Kalev was partial to a sword as his main weapon, fond of fencing foils in particular. He felt though there was less room for discrepancy when it came to the point of a sword. “If you point your sword at anyone you and they both know your full intentions. If you draw a weapon son, don’t you ever back down.” 

He worked hard to follow in his mentor's steps taking up a sword for himself and learning all of the motions. Listening to his mentor’s gentle but stern words. It didn’t feel right to him though. Something about it always worried him, being that up close and personal with the enemy. 

They had moved, times were changing, and they searched for new opportunities. On one of his excursions into Limsa, sent on errands by his mentor, he bumped into a Mi’quote dawning a robe going on about some statistics not being to her expectations. He fell backwards as he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings with all of the new sights to see. Turning around swiftly to help him back to his feet she smiled down at him holding tightly to a book in her hand. “Are you okay?”

He only nodded apologizing profusely. She would laugh and shake her head saying that it wasn’t necessary. There was no harm done. He grew fond of the Mi’quote and her ramblings. He would ensure to catch up with her every chance he got on his way into town. Slowly beginning to pick up magic along the way. He was always astounded by the archinists of the guild. He loved watching them and seeing that they could fight with less risk was appealing to him. 

It wasn’t long at all until one of them gifted him his own grimoire. It was slow going but he was learning. Again, though it was time to keep moving, it felt as though they never stopped moving. Kalev felt it was important to experience everything before his time was up. 

Keeping his new grimoire close he kept up with his mentor learning his ways. One day though while he was practicing the small amount of magic he had been taught Kalev found him. “Whatcha got there son?”

He could only imagine that he would be angry with him. That he had kept this secret from him for so long in fact it was quite the opposite. He was proud of him for taking the initiative to learn something on his own. Even going so far as asking him to see what he learned.

War had come to their doorsteps though; he was 17 now and remembers the day Kalev couldn’t help but offer to assist. He wasn’t a stranger to war, but it looked as though it hurt his soul to think about it again. Those gentle eyes grew sad at the thought of picking up his foil against another man again. Thankfully due to his reputation he wasn’t assigned to the front lines. He would leave for guarding duties throughout the day though protecting their new hometown of Bentbranch Meadows.

While his mentor was away, he would work hard in the stables. Helping to care for several of the chocobos there. He had grown fond of one of the racing chocobos. He wasn’t anything fancy, a standard color and temperament. But he could see the fire in his eyes. His name, Mimosa Rain, and he would sneak away to love on him every chance he got. Often sneaking him extra treats under the other hands of the stables. Or chancing a quick nap against his strong legs.

One day however something didn’t feel right. The weather wasn’t rough or anything of the sort. It was something that made every hair on his head stand on end. Rushing home from work he comes to find their house empty. Kalev was to be home already. Grabbing his foil he rushed to the door only catching a glimpse of his grimoire on the way out. Gritting his teeth he strapped it to his hip as well. He didn’t think twice about sprinting back to the stables and launching a saddle onto Mimosa’s back. The other stable hands called after him confused as he raced quickly towards the guard tower. He was now thankful for all the times he had snuck riding lessons from several of the jockeys. 

He would find it under siege from the imperials. His eyes went wide in panic as he jumped off. “Mim go!” He said sending the chocobo back to the stables. Launching quickly into action he rushed through the crowd meeting several clashes of swords. All of his mentors' training was paying off.

Kalev would see him through the crowd and shout at him. “Son! Get out of here, this is no place for you!”

“Like you think I would leave you alone to fight this on your own old man! I am here, I'm not leaving now. Besides, my ride is on its way back now.” He sighed watching the fight around him raging only to see one of the other guards at a disadvantage. “Fuck it!” Without another thought he sheathed his foil and quickly cast ruin out of his grimoire providing cover fire for the other warriors.

He backed up into his mentor helping everyone around them. “Old man we are outnumbered. We need to think of something.” He was casting every possible spell that he had learned and yet even with everyone else fighting they were quickly losing the battle. 

It wasn’t long before several of their allies had fallen and they were closing in. “Old man. We can’t fight them all.”

“Then we will go down in glory son.” He wasn’t backing down now. Kalev may have been a gentle soul, but a coward could never be used to describe him. He fought furiously but, in the end, it was a mage that took him down. The imperials swarmed them and captured him.

“No! Kalev! Get up…” He said as tears started to form in his eyes. “Get up damn it!” He could see the light fading in his mentor's eyes and he struggled hard in the arms of his captors. “Naioki! I am Naioki Yakota, Kalev…. Don’t you ever forget it!” He shouted as they all began to pull him away from the battlefield. He was kicking and struggling with all of his might hoping to escape the grasp of them. 

“Well fought Yakota. It was a pleasure serving with you Naioki.” Kalev struggled to get out his last words as his gentle soul faded to the abyss. His gentle smile plastered firmly to his features even in death.

Naioki was placed into custody of the Imperials and gave them hell constantly. Fighting anyone that came close every chance he got. He loathed the imperials for everything they did. Their breathing was enough to set a fire in his soul. 

With how much trouble he gave them constantly it wasn’t long before they sold him off. The coin purse full of gill was more valuable to them anymore than dealing with his fight. Finding himself in a brothel of all places was certainly not what he was expecting by any means. However, it did provide him an opportunity to get back to his freedom. 

When he first arrived, he was greeted by a rough looking Au’ra. Yes, by all definitions he was beautiful but in Naioki’s eyes he looked defeated. Beaten down in his own world. Roe would never outwardly show how defeated and tired he felt though. There was no fucking way and Naioki knew it. The thing that did confuse him though was his lack of fight, or even his desire for freedom. Even after he had bought back his own contract he remained in the employ of the brothel. “I don’t get it with you man. You bought back your own freedom and yet you choose to stay here? What’s the thinking?” He asked him gently over one of their sparse breaks. Leaning backwards in one of the available chairs.

“Let it go Naioki.” Roe rasped out exasperatedly. “We have had this conversation I don’t know how many times.” Roe was leaning gently against the wood beam in the brothel when he heard the loud clatter of the chair being pushed back out of the smaller man’s way. Naioki jabbed him roughly in the chest with a finger, his ears falling a bit in apparent frustration. He glared up to the taller man and just as he was about to pull his hand away he would be pulled forward and pressed roughly against the wall. Pinned in position with his arm bent behind him in a painful position. “You are still smaller than me Nai. Just stop.” He released the smaller viera as his tail swished in frustration. 

“Exactly my meaning man! You have all this fucking power, and you do nothing with it… “Their bout was cut short by a group of Imperials staggering in obviously drunk shoving their friend towards the two in the middle of the room. Naioki’s eyes grew dark the moment he laid eyes on them. He was shoved behind the larger male who even in his frustration with him was going to protect him. 

Naioki watched as Roe grew close to one of the Imperials but this one seemed different somehow. If that was even possible. He refused to believe it though he couldn’t help but think that there was something dangerous beneath that.

It was quite a while down the road that he heard the rumors of what happened to Roe. He had finally amassed enough gil to buy himself out of his contract as well and he didn’t waste a moment to escape. He could only feel it was about damn time.

He found himself back in Bentbranch Meadows where he went to settle his affairs there. He erected a small memorial for his late mentor and paid his due respects. He sold the house that he had found so fondly in his younger years but knew he needed to keep moving on. 

Also, happily to his surprise he had come to find out Mimosa Rain remained in the stables unpurchased. He knew he couldn’t miss his opportunity and purchased him out right with what he got from the house. One of the last things that remained from simpler times. 

It wasn’t long after that he found himself on a boat with now only one goal in mind. Returning to Limsa and fully enrolling in the guild for the arcanists. He didn’t have the skills necessary to save his late mentor, but he would be damned if it ever happened again.