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satorisa · 11 months

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Ozone and Petrichor

Rating: T

Summary: In which Throné and Hikari get caught in the rain after a late night at the tavern. Part of an art trade with @elementalsoup

Alternate Reading: AO3

*sighs wistfully*

鳴神の少し響みてさし曇り雨も降らぬか君を留めむ [A faint clap of thunder Clouded skies Perhaps rain comes If so, will you stay here with me?]

- Man'yōshū, Book 11, verse 2,513

…

The stench of petrichor seared the back of Throné’s throat before she could even hear the storm outside.

She covered her nose as she left the tavern, hoping the lingering scent of her perfume would mask the foul odor of New Delsta in the rain.

Unfortunately, the base notes had long faded away.

“What’s wrong, Throné?” Hikari asked.

When the door shut behind them, the downpour boomed in Throné’s ears, and nausea began to well up inside her. She mostly blamed the smell, mentally cursing her sensitive nose, to avoid the bubbles of memories that resurfaced with each stifled inhale she took.

“The smell…” she mumbled.

“Is it too strong for you?”

She nodded.

Hikari fished a pouch from his pocket and tossed it to her. Its fragrance cut through the fetor of the rain as it traveled through the air. And when it landed, softly, in her cupped palms, all she could smell was the mixture of herbs inside it.

And all she could feel were the remnants of his warmth cradled in her hands.

“I didn’t pin you as a potpourri kind of guy,” she said, bringing the pouch to her nose.

“I’m not,” he replied, “but Castti made it for me. To calm my nerves.”

“Hm…”

Sleet began to pelt the ground. Throné nearly smothered herself with the pouch while Hikari turned away from her to watch the deluge. In the meager lighting outside the tavern, she could see the awe in his usually stern profile, captivated by mere water falling from the sky.

“D’you like rain that much?”

“I suppose I do,” he answered. “It rarely rains in Ku and, when it does, it’s a light drizzle at most. So storms like this are always a sight to behold.”

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

Hikari chuckled. “You don’t seem to like rain all that much.”

“Rain’s fine. It’s just water at the end of the day.”

Throné met Hikari’s eyes. He could tell, despite her nonchalance, that there was something else there: another feeling stewing inside, curbed only by the fragrant herbs grounding her to that very moment.

She looked away from him, focusing on the hail bouncing at their feet. And when they finally came to a stop, they disappeared under the unrelenting torrent, leaving no trace of their existence.

Ah, how she wished that memories were just as transient.

She knew that, no matter how terribly she stumbled over her words were she to open up, Hikari would understand. Despite the difference in their upbringings, they could read the space between each other’s words with the same ease as walking. And, while, such a thought would assure most people, her closeness with Hikari specifically terrified her.

It was different from the intimacy she shared with Castti and infinitely more so than the kindred bond she shared with Temenos; she felt at home in her relationships with them. However, while she felt just as comfortable with Hikari, his earnestness effortlessly dredged up thoughts and feelings she would rather keep tucked away.

“Don’t force yourself to share if you’re not comfortable,” Hikari reassured with a smile. “But if you do want to tell me, take all the time you need. I don’t think the storm is letting up anytime soon.

The sleet stopped, and the sound of rain filled the silence between them. Hikari looked out beyond the awning. Throné looked inwards.

“It…kind of smells like blood, doesn’t it?”

Hikari sniffed the air before nodding. She had only mentioned her aversion to the smell briefly, yet Hikari sensed the weight of her feelings beyond that sentiment and knew that such a topic shouldn’t linger any longer in their conversation.

“It’s a good thing I had that pouch on me, then,” he said.

“Even when Castti’s not here, she’s still a godsend.”

Hikari laughed. Throné cracked a smile. And, in that moment, she forgot about the melancholy the rain had brought her. Before their mirth dissipated, thankfully, Hikari had recalled something.

“Were you there when Ochette said that the rain smells different from place to place?”

“Doesn’t ring a bell. What about it?”

“Osvald said that the smell of the rain depends on the environment you’re in. So the rain smells like that here because of all the development. Whatever he said after that was beyond me, though.”

Throné thought about the terrible squall on their way to Wellgrove and, only when Hikari mentioned it, did she realize how different the rain smelled there when its fresh scent returned to her. The cave they were stranded in that night had an earthy and musty bouquet, but it was so much more natural than the stench the herbs were warding off.

Compared to the verdant forest surrounding the cave, New Delsta had little greenery. The damned city was mostly cobblestone streets snaking through brick-and-mortar buildings so close together that it was suffocating; she would never return to this accursed place of her own accord. However, her journey had led her and her companions back here to investigate what laid beyond the locked door in the sewers. Her freedom was within her grasp, yet she continued to feel trapped by this artificial jungle forcibly imprinted onto her very being.

“Would you like a hug?”

She nearly dropped the pouch in her hands. Unable to string an appropriate response from the fractured thoughts in her mind, she automatically answered his question with a bewildered look.

Before traveling with the group, Throné was wary of physical contact. Every touch she shared with someone else, whether to seduce them for information or take their very life, was fueled by the intent to cause harm.

However, after all the time she spent traveling with her companions, she adapted to their physical idiosyncrasies: she linked elbows with Ochette, high-fived Agnea, drunkenly embraced Castti, received awkward side-hugs from Osvald, fist-bumped Partitio, and nudged Temenos. Each small gesture carried the trust they built up over the course of their adventure, showing how much these disparate lives had come to care about each other.

The only person in their group that still kept to himself was Hikari, but his amicable demeanor outside of meticulously maintaining his personal bubble made Throné think little of it. She chalked it up to him being royalty and filed it away as one of Hikari’s many quirks.

“Never thought you’d ever offer.”

“It’s just—it looks like you need one.”

Throné returned his scrutiny from earlier. Hikari met her gaze. His eyes were steadfast.

“Physical contact doesn’t come easy to me. Every time I touch someone, I’m scared that I’m going to hurt them. That I’m going to blink and, when I open my eyes again, someone I care about will be bleeding to death in front of me.” Hikari smiled. “And I have a feeling that, this time, words weren’t going to be enough to comfort you.”

“Like you said earlier, there’s no need to push yourself.”

“I know, but I won’t be able to move forward if I don’t try, right?”

Throné tucked the bag of herbs into the pouch hanging from her waist before pulling Hikari into an embrace. And he reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her surprisingly delicate frame.

This did not feel like the drunken hugs she shared with Castti: their similar heights and build made each hug feel just right. And every time Throné snuggled with the apothecary, she always smelled strongly of herbs that masked the faint, acrid smell of antiseptic that laced the threads of her clothes.

Hikari, on the other hand, was slightly taller with a lean frame that masked his muscular build, but his body melded with Throné’s perfectly. He smelled like the sun and sweat from their trek earlier, but he also smelled distinctly like Hikari, a scent reminiscent of the fresher notes of petrichor, that complimented the lingering aroma of the sachet of herbs.

He was right. This was more comforting than anything he could’ve told her.

Throné relished this moment, bracing herself for the moment Hikari would soon pull away.

He didn’t.

Hikari deepened the embrace, nuzzling his face into her hair. His unexpected boldness surprised her, and she stiffened in response.

“I guess, despite it all, I still am a man,” Hikari joked as his voice rumbled through Throné. “I know I should let go, but I can’t seem to want to.”

“It’s because you’re deprived.”

Hikari laughed. “I guess so, but—“ His hands traveled up to cradle her head, terrified and apologetic for something Throné couldn’t discern. “—it hurts seeing you like that. Somehow more so than anyone else. And, if I could, I wish I could take away all the pain you’re shouldering.”

“You’re only saying that because we’re friends.”

“Even if we weren’t, everyone deserves to be happy. Even you. Especially you.”

Tears began to pool at the edge of Throné’s eyes. The shockwave of his words alleviated the tension in her body as her arms tightened around Hikari, and she dug her face into his chest. When her tears finally escaped, Hikari’s robe soaked them up.

“…same to you.”

There was something extremely romantic about a prince and an assassin, after a moment of emotional intimacy, sharing a comforting embrace under the guise of the night. They stood in their dry haven, sheltered from the rain, as they continued to melt into each other.

But the romance of their moment ended when Throné began to yearn for something beyond a hug. It sometimes happened during jobs with marks she found aesthetically attractive, but such feelings were ephemeral. This was stronger, more dangerous than those transient spikes of adrenaline, and she didn’t know if she would’ve been able to restrain herself were they not in public.

They both pulled away, faces flushed despite the cool weather. Hikari cleared his throat while Throné grabbed the pouch of herbs, drowning herself in its scent to calm herself. This lapse of control had to be caused by the influence of alcohol, compounded by the fact that they were the last two from their party at the bar (again), laughing away and chatting into absurd hours of the night (yet again).

Throné could willingly admit to herself that she was falling for the prince. But this moment confirming that Hikari, to some degree, reciprocated her feelings made her instinctively reject them all the more.

A romance between a prince and an assassin? How could something so ridiculous ever come to be?

After they had both calmed down, and Throné shelved such an absurd thought, did they notice that the rain had let up.

Hikari stepped out from under the awning, enjoying the spray of water, before offering his hand to Throné.

“May I?”

This was a gesture of pure chivalry, spurred only by how late it was and how their conversation devolved. Nothing more, nothing less.

But, while still under the night’s domain, Throné would allow herself to indulge, sampling a taste of the freedom awaiting her by succumbing to her feelings.

“You may.”

She took his hand and, after intertwining their fingers, she stepped towards him. And so, huddled next to each other, they walked back to the inn, savoring their whims of fancy before they had to return to reality.

…

鳴神の少し響みて降らずとも吾は留まらむ妹し留めば [A faint clap of thunder Even if rain comes not I will stay here Together with you]

- Man'yōshū, Book 11, verse 2,514

#octopath #octopath traveler #octopath traveler 2 #octopath 2 #octopath travler ii #throne anguis #hikari ku #my writing #my fanfiction

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kyndaris · 1 month

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Way to Dawn

There is something to be said of old turn-based games with pixellated graphics. For many, they hark back to the good old days where things in the world actually made sense. In these halcyon days, things were simple. There was not as much grey in the world because everything was black and white. Unfortunately, as time has passed me by, games have become grittier with worlds as drab and bleak as the one we face in reality. Octopath Traveler, however, is a series that knows exactly how to tap into the nostalgia we have for our childhoods.

When the first game released in 2018, I was immediately hooked. In 2023, the second game came out. Due to the fact I was drowning in far too many lengthy games that released in the back-half of 2022, coupled with an overseas trip, and a host of other compelling titles, I simply could not find the necessary time to sink into Octopath Travler II. Enter January 2024.

After finishing off a few key games like Assassin's Creed: Mirage and Spider-Man 2 over December, I managed to eke out some time to give Octopath Traveler II my undivided attention. 90+ hours of it, in fact.

While I started with Alfyn in the original Octopath Traverl, this time I decided to go with my gut and pick my favourite class in almost every single role-playing game I've ever had the chance to dabble in: a thief. Unlike the happy-go-lucky apothecary, Alfyn, Throne finds herself trapped in an endless cycle of death. Her opening chapter sees her scurrying through the sewers of New Delsta with three other members of her gang, the Black Snakes. As the chapter progress, we see the internal struggle among the members of the gang before Throne is then confronted with a long-time friend as both are keen to escape the chains that bind them.

Despite the bleak nature of this first part, Throne's story is still one filled with optimism as she fights for freedom and to break free from the cycle that has kept her trapped for all her life.

From there, I slowly recruited the rest of the Travelers, starting off with Temenos and Osvald. From there, I jumped on a ship to Beastling Island, recruited Ochette and moved to the Eastern Continent - nabbing Castti, Hikari, Partitio and Agnea. The journey took me all across the world of Solistia.

Later, as the game progressed, I would hop to and fro from both continents as I chased after each dangling story thread for my odd band of characters.

And while I liked all of the stores, the two that stuck out to me belonged to Partitio and Agnea. Possibly because of how positive their outlooks were, and how undaunted they were of the cruelties inherent in the world. I know others on the internet may disagree but given the state of the world these days, I was in the mood for something light-hearted and fun.

Let's start with the Dancer shall we?

Agnea is a girl from the village of Cropdale. Her mother was a dancer and, like her, Agnea dreams of becoming a star. Her story, although simple, sees her travel all across the world to show off her dancing talent and bring a smile to people's faces.

Along the way, she meets a colourful cast of intrepid performers from Gil to Giselle's Travelling Troupe.

Of course, it wouldn't be a video game without a villain. And Dolcinaea serves as the perfect foil to Agnea's optimism. Hers is a tale of hardship growing up in the deserts of Sai, being inspired by Cuani (Agnea's mother) and working hard to become a star to take her away from her roots. But while she views her past with disdain and wishes to eradicate it, Agnea is there to remind her of the people her actions will affect, culminating in a dance battle at the Grand Gala in the Merry Hills region.

Plus, there's some fruity goodness along the way with a few key lines between Veronica and Dolcinaea.

Who doesn't like an uplifting journey, anyways?

As for Paritio...where to begin?

If all merchants were like him, I'd think the world would be a much better place. Growing up in a silver mine, Partitio has experienced both prosperity and the depths of poverty when the former land owner of the silver mine takes back the land and levies a huge tax on the silver that is mined in the area. Crushed underneath the weight of oppressive capitalism, Partitio and his gang of friends push back against the enforcers (including a man named Giff - which felt like it was ripping off Biff from the Back to the Future series).

From there, Partitio seeks to do away with the devil that is 'poverty' and seeks out a means to make money but also give back to the community at large. He does so by buying the rights to the steam engine. But not before securing himself a grand sum of 80 billion leaves!

And instead of running away with the money, makes good on his promise to make the world a better place.

While there are some forums that declare Partitio as a capitalist in the truest sense (where human greed does not enter the equation and people know how to share the wealth), I thought many of his ideas somewhat left-leaning. True, he is no communist but Partitio is a person who understands the plight of the common-man and knows how to utilise the talents of those around him to the greatest benefit. More than that, though, he is filled with empathy for those around him and isn't shy to splash his own money around to improve the lives of those around them by 1. giving them a living wage and 2. not push people down in order to get ahead.

Plus, when his theme starts playing and the saxophone kicks in...you know you've got a winner on your hands.

I also really liked Agnea's Song of Hope theme. But I'm also a sucker for any fiddle or string instrument. Which is also why I'm in love with Throne's and Osvald's themes. And that is something else I wanted to praise about Octopath Traveler II. The music! My goodness, the music!

Both Octopath Traveler games are scored by Yasunori Nishiki and he is a genius when it comes to composing such great music. There is something so magical about all the tracks in Octopath Traveler II that I loved.

And that's saying a lot because I very much enjoyed the tracks of the game. Heck, I even bought the CD for the first game and had my mother play it while we drove back up from Melbourne.

The music also proved great at selling the emotion of the song and kept the story aloft, proving to be very poignant at several points. It always kept me engaged during the boss battles. Such a shame it was overlooked at The Game Awards in 2023. I'm sure Flute Guy would have kicked it out of the park if Octopath Traveler II had been nominated for Game of the Year. He certainly was living his best life when Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was nominated and was grooving out to Tears of the Kingdom.

But back to the story of Octopath Travler II. Like the first game, the stories of the Travelers are connected to a central antagonist. But whereas Galdera was a hidden boss hidden behind several side quests, after finishing off each of the Traveler's stories and the Crossed Paths storylines, the Travelers come together and ACTUALLY interact with each other.

When the world plunges into darkness, the Travelers soon piece together that the Moonshade Order was behind it all. Together, they set about re-igniting the flames scattered around the world before confronting the big bad: Vide after Oboro sacrifices himself to the God.

And like many games of the past decade, Octopath Traveler II is a game that explores themes of despair and hope through the lens of nihilism. In fact, I was reminded very much of Danganronpa. True, we didn't have a crazy antagonist obsessed with despair, but we did encounter individuals who saw a cruel unforgiving world and gave into the darkness (or Shadow) within their hearts to quell the suffering.

It's a sentiment I can understand. Humans are cruel. Wars are started for petty reasons, be they for resources or simple pride.

Worse, we turn a blind eye to certain inconvenient truths. Especially if they would only serve to make us feel bad.

Sometimes it's easy to think: what would life be like if humans were all wiped out from existence?

Our Travelers, though, are made of sterner stuff. Despite witnessing atrocities, they continue to fight for the dawn. In their hearts lay a glimmer of light - of hope - for a better world. And in a video game, their actions do bring on positive change.

Together, they drive back Vide and look to the future. Thus bringing a happy end to it all.

But while the overarching story might feel quite simplistic, the themes explored in Octopath Traveler II, I felt were especially poignant. In each Traveler's story, we got to see elements of our current world - be it corrupt bureaucracy, the inherent greediness in humans or their lack of care for the natural world. Each time, though, the Travelers managed to triumph over their foes and bring new understanding.

It's a story I can get behind. And it's probably why I fell in love with Partitio and Agnea's story (but also, who wouldn't want to fight a steam train?)

Gameplay-wise, Octopath Traveler II doesn't stray too far from the first game. It does, however, have a few tweaks that make the game fun and exciting such as Latent Powers and character abilities. For example, Throne is able to increase the strength of all characters at the start of battle when it's night-time. Hikari, on the other hand, has access to learned skills which can be gained by challenging NPCs scattered around the world.

This brings a whole host of different ways to play the game and to optimise the party. Even as weigh in on when to use brave points to unleash on our foes and break past their shields or to hoard them for a devastating attack later on.

Combined in this way, Octopath Traveler II is a marvel of a game. True, there were moments where I felt the story was a little bogged down, but I certainly enjoyed my time with it. Better yet, it never felt like it was a grind. The 90+ hours I sunk into it flew by without me even realising it as my characters levelled up and grew stronger with each passing hour. Beyond these factors, it also added elements of fruitiness between NPCs but it never tried to shove it in the player's face.

Still, in my head-canon, Dolcinaea and Veronica are a couple. As are Temenos and Crick (before his untimely demise - but he was giving off mass death vibes in Chapter 3. Just saying), Pala and Mikka, and possibly Castti and Malaya (although Malaya, too, is dead).

Plus, I loved the dynamics between all the Travelers with Castti being the mum of the group, Osvald the dad, with the others being chaotic siblings.

#video games #octopath traveler 2 #agnea bristarni #partitio yellowil #throne anguis #temenos mistral #hikari ku #ochette #mikka x pala #dolcinaea x veronica #castti florenz

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