#… the lifeforms that meander down there just for a quick visit | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ainyan · 1 year

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❛ excuse me, i think i’m lost. ❜

For the First Meeting Sentence Starters?

She'd never realized that Akadaemia Anyder was so big. It had seemed much smaller when she'd come on visits with her parents - but then, she supposed, she'd been restricted to only the Words of Loghrif, where her mother worked as one of the Seat's primary researchers of primate lifeforms. Her father had never taken her to see his work - but then, Pandaemonium was no place for a child.

Now it was her turn to be an assistant, and she had free reign of most of the facility. Even as eager as she was to see her new work area and meet her new boss, she couldn't help but take the long - the loooooong - way towards where the Words of Azem had their workspaces. She meandered through the Words of Mitron, and the Words of Halmarut, and she peeked briefly into the Words of Loghrif, but her mother was busy and had only time for an absent embrace before returning to the exacting duty of refining a concept for some kind of tiny egg-laying mammal.

She didn't understand how anyone could spend all day worrying about one tiny little concept when there was a whole world out there to explore and piece together to work seamlessly!

Eventually she realized that she was probably late and started trying to backtrack to familiar territory. Surrounded by plants and animals with plant-like attributes, she searched for the path that had brought her to this place. On and on she paced, growing more and more frustrated - and suspecting that the plants themselves were shifting to foil her exit, because there was absolutely no way she could have forgotten the way.

Her memory was absolute - distressingly so at times.

Gritting her teeth, she turned a corner and nearly barreled face first into another person. They stumbled backwards, nearly dropping their armful of papers, and it was only her quick grab that kept them upright and the papers in their grasp. "Excuse me! I'm sorry," she exclaimed.

"No, no." The voice was soft, a light tenor that instantly appealed to her. Behind the ubiquitous white mask all Amaurotines wore, she could see the glitter of lavender-pink eyes. "I was pre-occupied."

"Same," she replied, and helped the other steady themselves before stepping back. "I - uh..." As they waited patiently, she reached into her hood, tucking back a strand of hair behind her ear. "Uhm. I think I'm lost."

Those eyes behind the mask warmed. "It's easy to do here. Some of the Words of Halmarut have some very interesting ideas when it comes to plant-life, and I've found that the concepts in this wing are more... playful... than others. Where are you headed?"

She blinked at them, fascinated by his voice, and nearly lost the question for the listening. "Oh. Ah - the Words of Azem."

Their lips curved in a smile and she was drawn to the dimple that flirted at the edge of their mouth. "Excellent! I'm actually on my way there; my boss approved Azem's latest concept and I was coming to drop off the contract. Come along. I'll show you how to deal with the plants."

She fell into step beside them, her hands tucked up her sleeves, skimming along her arms as she walked at their side. "Oh. Manners. Right. I'm Mnemosyne. I just started working for Azem today, and I think I'm a little late."

They glanced down at her. "I'm Hythlodaeus," they introduced themselves cheerfully. "I work for the Bureau of the Architect, if you hadn't gathered that," and they jiggled the papers in their hand. "I wouldn't worry about being late; Azem is rarely on time herself."

"Oh, do you know her?" Mnemosyne asked as they strolled along. Whatever he saw - or did - he quickly led her from the plant-infested halls into more familiar territory.

They smiled; then again, they had yet to stop smiling. "Not personally, no, but one hears a lot of the holder of the Fourteenth Seat when one works in the government. Just as I imagine I'll hear plenty about you in the future."

The blush that flooded her cheeks took her by surprise, and she stopped to stare at their back as they continued. They stopped too, and turned, tilting their head to the side curiously. A curl of pink hair peeked out along the edge of their hood. "W- why would you hear about me?" she stammered.

Those pink eyes warmed. "Why, because Azem very rarely takes on an assistant, and they always seem to make some kind of mark on the world - sometimes even a good one," and she thought maybe they were teasing. "I look forward to seeing what kind of mark you make."

She met their eyes. "I'm going to make this star a better place for everyone," she said firmly.

They smiled. "Of that, I have no doubt. Come. Let's go meet your new boss."

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#asked and answered #ffxiv #azem: mnemosyne #hythlodaeus #first meetings

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