From the First Moment

Yuvonne was well aware it was rude to stare; she had reprimanded Altani for such behaviour more than once since they had first been partnered together by Minfilia, and typically, she liked to think herself better of it. She was focused and well mannered, keeping to herself unless her skills or knowledge were required by someone. Even if the temptation to stare at someone came to her, she would quickly slap herself on the wrist, her eyes would dart away, and everyone would be none the wiser, her put upon stoicism veiling anything deeper within.

But she was only mortal, as weak to desire as anyone else, if not more so given her repressive nature. Her cobalt eyes were transfixed upon a lavender-clad figure, standing but a few meters away from where she was seated in The Rising Stones. Her tea grew stagnant and cold, she looked on, only occasionally averting her gaze towards the opened tome that laid upon the table. If she thought she saw the hood of her subject turn, even just an inch, she would have somewhere for her eyes to retreat anxiously. Still, that anxiety wasn’t enough to keep her eyes from wandering back, eager to continue her quiet study.

The whole experience had presented the elezen with a question, one she was unequipped to even guess the answer to. Or perhaps she already knew the answer, she was just worried about what it truly meant for her.

“Yuvie… Hey Yuvie! You in there?”

Lashes fluttering, she became aware the familiar and friendly figure standing at her back; her stalwart, if occasionally reckless, companion, Altani Naesuri, the Warrior of Light. Blinking in silence as she took back her grip on reality, she closed her eyes and turned away from the lilac haired au’ra, her lips pursed firmly.

“Back already? It feels like you left mere moments ago…”

Altani chuckled, as she placed her spear off to the side, resting it beside Yuvonne’s staff against the wall. 

“What are you talking about? I left hours ago!”

Yuvonne’s lips parted in surprise before firmly pressing back together as she shook her head. Taking a hold of her cup, she brought it to her lips, only to realise that it was completely cold and utterly undrinkable. Grimacing, she placed her cup back down and placed her head in her hand.

“Bloody hell…”

Muttering under her breath, her gaze started to drift again, slowly but surely, once gain to the purple figure who was currently discussing… something, with Minfilia. Minfilia seemed to be far too engaged in the conversation to notice Yuvonne’s staring, or at least, that was what she assumed. Meanwhile the elezen’s target was otherwise unaware of Yuvonne’s prolonged vigil.

As she continued to stare off into space, Altani looked her friend over, a frown of confusion curling to her lips, until she started to put the pieces together: the calm, almost wistful look upon Yuvonne face; her seemingly sudden inability to keep track of the time; obviously, the direction in which her gaze was so intimately locked too. As she drew ever closer towards the truth, her the cheeky smile upon her lips grew and grew, while her cheeks began to glow too. 

Meanwhile, Yuvonne continued to stare on, seemingly more engrossed before, not even taking the time to look away as a precaution. It was only as the path of her vision was blocked that she faltered. Altani had quickly shifted her seat onto the one directly within Yuvonne’s line of sight, and she was currently taunting her with a smug, cheeky grin and a knowing leer. Yuvonne flinched back and sternly glared back. For the Warrior of Light, Altani certainly had the impish streak to her. In any other occasion, Yuvonne would have been amused, but as a complicated tangle of emotions tugged at itself inside of her, she wasn’t so fond of it. Before she could even get a word in, however, the dragoon made her strike first. 

“Seen something, or someone, you like, eh~? And you’re usually the one telling me off for staring!”

Speechless for a moment, her lips flapped, but no words came, and she leaned back in her chair, turning away from her companion with her cheeks belying the truth. Scoffing, she did her very best to grab back some sort of advantage in this confrontation, but by this point there was little chance of that; Altani always seemed to have a knack for deciphering her feelings, no matter the occasion. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was… merely… uh… pondering. That’s all…”

Altani shook her head and leaned her head on her fist.

“Nuh uh, I know your pondering face. What I saw a moment ago, wasn’t anything close~! It was pretty cute, actually~”

Such a compliment only succeeded in making more of her pale skin to flare up. The auri dragoon had a knack for piercing her with such flattering words, even when she wasn’t in such a weakened state. Turning back to face her, her lips held shut, and her scowl persisted, before she let out a sigh and slid her circular glasses up her nose. 

“Well, it seems pointless hiding it, given your feverish curiosity. Better to tell you than have you make any dangerous assumptions…”

In reflex, Altani leaned in expectantly, eager to hear just what was going on. Had her curiosity been in regard to anything else, Yuvonne would have definitely found her conduct endearing, but for now it was mostly just embarrassing. Information like this, she knew entrusting it to anyone other than Altani, would be foolish, at least by her own logic. 

She wondered why the usual trepidation she felt when revealing secrets to others, seemed to fade when the Warrior of Light came into the mix. Perhaps it was that very title, her very nature as a hero, that allowed such candour. Without a conclusive answer to that though, she simply sighed and shook her head. Leaning in closer towards Altani, she spoke in a whisper, while her gaze drifted over her shoulder, towards the purple-clad figure she had been admiring, the snow-white, tail drifting calmly at her back.

“It’s our… most recent guest…”

Altani followed Yuvonne’s lead, peering back over her shoulder before turning back, nodding in approval and pointing a finger towards the tome sat upon the table.

“Yugiri, hm~? So I guess that’s why you have that book on Doman culture, huh?”

Grumbling, Yuvonne briskly snapped the tome shut, before pulling it onto her lap to hide it. 

“A coincidence… I assure you. Still…”

Her expression softened somewhat as she looked to the cover of the book, her gloved palm gently caressing the thick leatherbound volume. It had been of great use to her… but also no use at all, given the shinobi was still so clouded within mystique of Yuvonne’s own making.

“I suppose I did hope… that I would maybe learn a little something about her… or at least where she’s from.”

Altani cooed happily, before Yuvonne quickly cast a scowl towards her once more. Cocking her head, Altani quirked her brow.

“What do you like about her? Not that I don’t understand but… I wanna hear you say it~”

Rolling her eyes, Yuvonne sighed and turned her gaze back to Yugiri’s form, off in the near distance. It took a moment for her to gather the right words, since she herself hardly understood her own feelings at the best of times.

“Although my experience with her is… limited, the way she carries herself is admirable. She’s obviously very capable, she’s firm, but yet she speaks with such kindness… such selflessness.”

Her smile couldn’t help but twist up, the longer she spoke of the shinobi, her words slowly becoming much softer, much more affectionate than most people would have ever heard from her.

“She’s just… even though I know so little, even to the point that her true appearance is a mystery… I cannot help but be interested by her.”

Her smile faded and she let out a wistful sigh, her gaze casting down one more to her tome. Her eyes were pained somewhat, twinged with exhaustion as she struggled with her own emotions once again, with little reprieve.

“I must sound so foolish… truth of the matter is, my own feelings are basically a mystery to me as well.”

All the while, Altani’s cheeky smile faded somewhat, as she took in the extent of her friend’s trouble. She nodded along, listening intently as she tried to think of just how she could help her obviously lovesick friend.

“Well… why don’t you go and talk to her? Getting to know her for real is really the only way you’re gonna find out anything!”

Yuvonne quirked her brow and pressed her lips together in displeasure, at the mere suggestion.

“Don’t be absurd… t-there wouldn’t be any merit to that. She hasn’t come here to make friends or socialise… there are much more important things going on to even begin considering that.”

Leaning back, her arms folding over her chest, she let out a gentle sigh. Her gloved grip on her arm was tense, strained.

“I’m quite content with… observing. Wondering. She’s been on my mind since she arrived, but I’m sure it is just… a passing fancy. Right now, I can’t help but look at her… but it’s only a matter of time until that’s a thing of the past…”

Her gaze drifted again, before she quickly forced herself back to look at her cup of tea. After picking it up again and bringing it to her lips, again, she cursed herself upon realising it was still the same, stale tea she had attempted to drink moments ago. Altani could only watch her, a displeased frown weighing heavy upon her lips. Shaking her head, the xaela hopped up out of her seat. 

“Nope. Not gonna happen. I’ve got a better idea!”

Yuvonne quirked her brow, blinking in confusion, a somewhat fearful look in her eyes. Before she could even speak up though, Altani was marching across the foyer of the Rising Stones, towards where Yugiri and Minfilia were conversing. 

“T-Tani w-what are you…”

Yuvonne bolted up out of her seat, her pale cheeks permeating with pink as she quickly followed in her companion’s wake, without even thinking. Before long, she found herself in the company of Altani, Minfilia… and Yugiri. Altani had turned towards Yuvonne upon her approach, amethyst hues brightly, mischievously gleaming at her, before she turned towards the hooded Au’ra in their company.

“Oh, that’s right! Yugiri, you’ve not met Yuvonne in person yet have you~?”

“U-uh…”

Yuvonne blinked, as she turned to face Yugiri, gazing upon her masked visage with her lips parted, words unable to escape her throat. Luckily, silence did not fall upon the group, as Minfilia let out a soft giggle.

“Forgive me, I knew there was someone I hadn’t introduced you to yet. As Altani says, this is Yuvonne Noireaux, our resident thaumaturgy expert and a scholar the likes of which you’d expect to find in Sharlayan~!”

Yugiri simply nodded, or at least, that was about as much as you could tell, given the veil she wore. 

“Altani has mentioned you favourably, many a time since I first became acquainted with her. It is a pleasure to meet you, Yuvonne Noireaux.”

Yuvonne’s body, once tense, relaxed upon hearing that voice. It was kind, but there was a resolute nature to it, a directness. It helped her to calm down, but she could still feel her heart thumping wildly within her chest. Making a mental note to either scold or dote upon Altani later, she quickly responded, correcting her flustered mannerisms as swiftly as she could. She could just barely repress her smile, doing her best to maintain the mask of calmness that she was known for.

“A pleasure to meet you as well. Apologies if Altani has given you any trouble… she does have a penchant for stumbling into it, or sometimes rushing headfirst towards it, like a Chocobo to the freshest of greens.”

Altani crossed her arms and pouted, looking somewhat wounded by her partner’s words, before cheekily bumping her hip into Yuvonne.

“I mean, it’s true, but you didn’t have to go and say it like that~”

Swiftly, she let out a chuckle, dismissing any notion that she was actually offended. Yuvonne’s smile broke through for a moment before she shook her head. As she heard Yugiri gently chuckle in response, Yuvonne could hardly contain her joy, her heart singing amidst the anxious thumping, while her smile grew all the more noticeable.

“You are quite the duo. I perhaps see now why you are often coupled together, as Minfilia has mentioned.”

“A pair as capable as they come, although they certainly are no slouches on their own either. You have seen so already with Altani on a handful of occasions, but perhaps you’ll see Yuvonne’s skills in due time.”

“Although I do not yearn for confrontation, the prospect does interest me… thaumaturgy is not something you see too often in Doma.”

Yuvonne could hardly keep her gaze from glistening with an energetic fervor, the prospect of gushing about her arts bubbling up inside of her. She relented though, for now and simply nodded and began to twirl a strand of her long, black hair between gloved fingers.

“Well… I am not wont to show off. But should the opportunity present itself…”

Yugiri inhaled as if she were about to respond before another voice called out from elsewhere in the foyer. 

“Lady Yugiri, would you be able to help us for a moment?” 

Turning over her shoulder, Yuvonne saw one of the doman refugees peeking her head through the entrance to the Stones, a concerned look on her brow. Turning back to Yugiri, the au’ra simply nodded in the refugee’s direction before turning her attention back to Yuvonne, Minfilia and Altani.

“My apologies, my assistance is needed, it seems. If you have need of me, Minfilia, Altani… Yuvonne, then please, do not hesitate to call upon me.”

Darting away, Yugiri departed from the group and towards the door, leaving Yuvonne to watch her, even when she was out of sight, her eyes sticking on the door for a moment as a soft sigh escaped her throat. 

Swiftly followed by plentiful chuckles from both Minfilia and Altani behind her back.

Swiftly turning around, her brow furrowed and her lips downturned in frustration, she glared at her fellow scions, crimson quickly filling her cheeks, while they simply smiled back to her, almost beaming. It seemed Minfilia had sussed out what was going on too. The black mage couldn’t help but wonder to herself if it was really that obvious.

“And what, pray tell, are you two smiling about?”

“You know exactly what Yuvie~!” 

Altani wheeled around to Yuvonne’s side, smirking impishly at her, while Minfilia simply held her hand to her lips, amused by the whole affair.

“I’ve never seen such a side of you before Yuvonne. It’s really rather charming~”

Frowning, the elezen turned away, before she found herself smiling too, ever so gently.