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mintdrop · 3 years

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[solstice] | [1,669 words] | [peppermint]

To some people, Starlight was the best time of the year. Magicked snow falling on most city states was something to look forward to for those who lived outside of Ishgard. For those who did live in the icy nation, seeing snow outside of Coerthas was comforting; a taste of home away from home. This was especially true for a certain warrior of light, one who spent most of her time helping those in need -- and today was no exception.

Year after year, Mint would visit Gridania with the sole purpose of helping Amh get ready for the holiday. Seeing the children smile and laugh brought back memories of her younger years, and brought her the same seasonal joy that they were experiencing. More often than not, Mint would give the children of Gridania sparklers and toys -- somehow, she’d been accumulating them in mass quantities during her adventures. Their faces would light up, and she couldn’t help but laugh and play along with them.

Though this year’s preparations had been a bit different, having to fix someone else’s decoration skills rather than utilize her own, the feeling was the same as every year before. After all had been said and done, Mint was given a stack of letters - each addressed to her. Confusion bubbled on her face, and she quietly took a seat in the back corner of the amphitheatre.

With each letter, her expression softened, a gentle smile permanently plastering itself to her face. She hadn’t expected letters of thanks and wishes of merriment. Delicately placing the letters in the inside breast pocket of her Santa-themed tunic, she jumped when a sudden voice pierced her quiet thought bubble.

“Miss adventurer! Did the person you’re spending Starlight with send you a letter?” Mint turned her head to see Isainne, a broad smile on her face. Expression softening, she shook her head, attempting to dodge the question.

“Weren’t you going to head home and see your family, Isainne? I’m sure your dad is going to be excited to see you!” Mint hopped off the bench she was sitting on, regretting it almost instantly as she realized she now had to look up to see Isainne’s face.

“Well, I was! But I saw you smiling at the letters, miss adventurer, and you looked so happy! I was curious.” Isainne gave a toothy grin, kicking some of the magicked snow that had accumulated around the amphitheatre. “But you’re right, I should go home; I can’t wait to see my parents. Merry Starlight!” She gave a quick wave before turning on her heel, dashing off towards her home. Mint waved her off, her smile turning to something a little more melancholy.

She stood there for a minute or two, stewing in her own thoughts before making her way out of the theatre. With nothing else to do in Gridania, it was probably best to head home herself. She passed the aetheryte, opting to take the long way home via airship than teleport. Wishing Miounne a merry Starlight, she took the rounded stairs down to the airship landing.

Despite being the “long way home,” the trip itself took around 30 minutes at most. She stood at Ishgard’s airship landing, taking in the crisp air and cold temperature before making her way towards the Jeweled Crozier - given the day, she figured she could treat herself just this once. Stopping at the local bakery, she bought herself a few buttery moogle-shaped biscuits and a Starlight cake -- her plans for tonight included drowning out any sorrows she had with enough booze to knock out a pirate.

By time she left the shop, the sky had gone dark; no doubt thanks to it being the shortest day of the year. Mint didn’t mind, though - the lights of Ishgard, paired with the Starlight decorations and the fluttering snow was high on her list of things she loved. A small smile on her face, she began her trek towards the little cottage she called home.

The district was eerily silent tonight, though she shook it off, assuming that parents had called their children in early due to the early darkness. Digging her hand into her bag while she walked, she pulled out a single biscuit, the flaky, buttery goodness instantly washing over her tongue with the first bite. When she reached her house, she let the biscuit hang from her mouth as she reached up to push open the door.

“Surprise!”

Like a deer in headlights, Mint stood motionless at her door as the lights turned on, people jumping out from behind her table, from the doorway to the bottom floor, and the wall that separated the kitchen from the entryway. The biscuit dropped from her mouth as tears threatened to well up in her eyes, and the only motion she could manage was to feebly point at herself as if questioning if this was truly for her. As if in response, two of the guests jogged over to her, one taking the bag from her hand while the other led her inside.

“We were starting to think we’d planned this all for nothing!” Lunya gave Mint a grin, linking their arms as she pulled her inside.

On her right, Illya gave a gentle smile before returning to the center of the kitchen to place her bag on one of the counters. “I-I think we were lucky that she didn’t come home earlier, or the cake wouldn’t have been done in time..” As Illya spoke, Mint’s head swiveled towards the table, just now noticing the large cake that Laurelis was touching up with candles. As Lunya let go of her arm, a small Miqo’te came dashing up to Mint, a wrapped gift in his hands.

“Here you go, miss Mint! Me and mommy picked this out for you!” His eyes shining, Fae’a gave Mint a huge smile as he handed over the box. Mint took it from him, giving him a smile just as big in return; though not so big that it would give the waterworks threatening to show their face a time to shine.

“Thank you Fae’a! I like your outfit a lot, too!” At her compliment, Fae’a grinned and put his hands on his hips, posing proudly.

“Mommy said I could be like Santa today since I was giving you a present!” In the corner of the room, Meeps chuckled before giving Mint a wink. As Mint turned to thank Meeps, Kirishimi gestured to her from near the stairs.

“We’ve all got gifts for ya, but someone is holding them for us. Hang on just a minute, yeah?” With a toothy grin, Kirishimi stuck her head into the stairwell, out of view from the others. “Hey, string bean! It’s your turn!” She turns back to the group, giving a thumbs up before making her way around the table to help Laurelis with the rest of the candles. Mint stares at the doorway, unsure of who could have been waiting downstairs; her head was still reeling from the sudden surprise that awaited her, and she hadn’t realized the name Kiri had used (much to the delight of the others who sighed a breath of relief).

Though their face was obscured by the stack of presents they carried, Mint knew who it was the moment they entered from the stairway. She stared wide eyed, Fae’a’s gift placed upon one of the seats surrounding the kitchen table as the mystery guest lowered the stack of gifts on another. While she’d done her best to keep herself from crying, it was impossible to hang on any longer as Estinien crouched before her. She leapt into his arms without a second thought, nearly soaking his shoulder in an instant. “I thought you were sent out with the temple knights! You said you wouldn’t be home for a week!” She lifted her head to look him in the eyes, her own wobbling as she sniffled. As his thumb lifted to wipe her cheek, Lunya spoke from behind them, her smile present in her voice.

“We went to Aymeric and told him what today was -- the fact that neither you or Estinien had beforehand was silly!” Mint turned herself to look at Lunya, who huffed as she put her hands on her hips, though her face softened soon after. “Estinien himself even apologized to Aymeric and said he would rather be home with you.”

When she turned back to Estinien, he held out a small black box, wrapped with a single white ribbon. “Happy nameday, Totomi.”

Mint took the box, fingers shaking as she unwrapped the ribbon from it. Lifting the lid, she gasped as she registered what was inside. A small blue jewel sat nestled in a sterling silver loop, the edges decorated with small diamonds. Speechless, Mint looked up at Estinien, whose face sported a rare, gentle smile. Taking the box from her, he lifted the necklace from the cushioned base of the box, unclipping the back so that he could put it on her. When the necklace sat nestled against her chest, her fingers ran over it once before wrapping her arms around Estinien, pulling him into a firm hug. “Thank you, Estinien.”

The guests watched on with smiles on their faces, until a small, whispered voice broke the silence.

“Mommy, when will we get to have the cake?”

Though Meeps hurriedly tried to shush Fae’a, Mint couldn’t help but laugh before breaking the hug. “How about now?” She turned to the others, a big grin on her face. “Unless there’s another surprise that will leave me a red-eyed mess - in which case, let’s wait until after so I don’t cry into the frosting.” With a hearty laugh, the home began to bustle as everyone moved in towards the center of the room, chairs being claimed as the cake was ready to be cut.

What she thought would be the loneliest nameday of her years would turn out to be the one she would remember until her final days.

#ffxiv #;; peppermint #;; spearmint #featuring illya/lunya/laurelis/kiri/meeps/fae'a #the only idea i had for this fic was the gift she got at the end. the rest was all improvised #i wanted to do something for her nameday..........

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