seemstressed | Strap In For A Ride [OPEN]

Strap In For A Ride [OPEN]

Who: Tataru & YOU
When: During the memory share event and meteor shower.
Where: Various Locations
What: Memories and cometflies.
Warnings: Shady people doing shady things but nothing too terrible.

MEMORY DIRECTORY & COMETFLY PROMPT

An Arcanist’s Agony (Tataru attempts to be a Summoner but her Carbuncle runs away instead.)

Mining And Morbols (Tataru mines for ore and almost gets eaten by a tentacle monster.)

A Diamond In The Rough (Tataru has a shitty childhood and scams men out of money.)

Answers (Angry dragon Bahamut busts out of the moon and sets everything on fire.)

Heresy On High (Tataru is put to Trial for Heresy by Hot Catholic Elves...)

My Oh My...She Swallowed A Fly! (Tataru swallows a cometfly and chokes.)

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_{[In theory it shouldn’t have been this difficult. In theory she had done everything right. The math was there, the calculations were all in order, hells she’d even managed to summon the damn creature and yet no matter how many commands she yelled out Carbuncle was more than happy to outright ignore her or worse - run away.

The sight of Tataru turning heel and screaming through a field, being chased down by rats the size of her (if not larger) is as amusing as it is disturbing, her short legs aching as she does her best to escape the growing hoard of monsters that are ready to make a quick snack of the little Lalafell. It’s not a memory she wants to relive, let alone have to see unfold again, especially when her failure stings, but here she is doing just that. As the scene finishes playing out, the image of her running away fading out of existence, Tataru can’t help but flop down against the grass, pouting. The embarrassment, unfortunately, is still ever fresh, despite her dabbling in Arcane Arts having happened a while ago. It’s only when she notices she isn’t alone that she’s sitting up immediately, cheeks pink.]}

....Pray, tell me you saw nothing.

_{[Not the screaming or her failure or worse, overheard the memory of her admitting she was just that - a failure of a hero, suited far more to counting coin and sorting taxes.]}

Edited 2020-04-13 01:02 (UTC)

_{[If anyone doubted Tataru was a woman of many talents they would be proven wrong upon the next scene that unfolds. Dressed in mining gear and a pickaxe in hand, the Lalafell is singing away to herself, swinging the heavy tool against the side of a sheer, rocky hill. Chipper and spirits high, completely oblivious to the giant morbol looming behind her, she keeps at it, focused on her prize and not the danger closing in on her. The large plant monster, with its rows of jagged teeth dripping saliva and long tentacles, wastes no time closing in on its prey. Lalafell are, unfortunately, perfectly sized to fit within such a horrid mouth, and it wouldn’t be the first time one of her kind had met their end by becoming a meal to such creatures.

It’s a memory, of course, and that leaves Tataru herself who’s watching the event unfold panicking in place, arms flailing as she screams at herself to run away.]}

O-Oh! Oh run won’t you, you bloody fool! It’s going to eat you! Ahh! AHH!

_{[Situational awareness has never been one of Tataru’s striking traits, at least when she gets really into a task. Case in point - she hasn’t noticed she has company of her own, watching the embarrassing, if not concerning, event play out.]}

Edited 2020-04-13 01:10 (UTC)

_{[Another day, another hot morning, a sweltering afternoon and with luck - a cool night. Ul’dah had been especially unforgiving with its temperatures the past week, and despite being a native of the desert oasis city-state, a Tataru of barely ten and three name days finds the walk from her home toward the market almost unbearable. She’s smaller and more petite than her adult self, features even more rounded, eyes seeming even larger on such a youthful face. While some may mistake her as a child as she is currently, there’s no mistaking her young age in this memory. It’s been hours since the little Lalafell started her shift at the jewelers she’d been forced to apprentice at and already she finds herself growing tired of sitting on the small wooden stool at her workbench. It’s monotonous work, lacking the creativity of actually making the pieces. Instead her task today has been to appraise the gems in secondhand rings (diamonds, to be exact) that had been offered up to be bought as a means of covering a debt.

Still, she’s humming to herself as she works, a bit of a mischievous smile playing on her lips as she glances at a small pocket watch set to the side of her. A moment later and her head is lifting up to greet a Lalafellian man who sports a mustache and beard, clearly the jeweler she’s been put to work under. He doesn’t seem exactly happy with her humming nor the smirk on her face but it only seems to grow wider as he tells her to knock it off and focus on the task she’s been assigned to do.

It doesn’t take very long for the man to begin to sweat, as Tataru sweetly begins to tell him what she found out about the ring she’d resized for his fiancee. He’d clearly had the original diamond taken from the ring and replaced with a jewel that sparkled just as much but was worth little in comparison, in hope the woman he was to wed would be none the wiser. He would satisfy her demands for a large stone and sell the real diamond back to get his coin back. Knowing what sort of woman he was to marry the news wouldn’t exactly go over well with her.

After a few minutes of threats thrown her way and quite a few from the little Lalafell in return, she finds herself leaving her shift early, a grin on her face and a small satchel full of coins in exchange for keeping the man’s secret. Not only that but her hours of work would be compensated in a far more fair way. Was her employer happy with this arrangement? No, but it worked out in her favour. If she was to pay off the debt of her father she would make it worth her while, even if she had to coerce the man into seeing her side of things.

Excited to be freed for the rest of the day, Tataru makes her way down to the market lined with food stalls. Sure, with her “bonus” she could afford something especially tasty, but she decides to buy a cheap snack instead. What she’s given is a small bag filled with fried, crisped and spiced meal worms. To her it’s normal cuisine, as Ul’dah is known for its heavily spiced meat and insect driven diet. Fresh vegetables are luxuries that are imported, after all. Popping a few of the crispy bugs past her lips she passes by the Ruby Exchange, taking a moment to admire the scantily clad girls who dance and bewilder men. She’s only stopped walking for a moment or two before a Hyur man approaches her. Clearly they’re familiar with one another for Tataru’s rolling her eyes as the man, easily twice her age, begins to try and sweet talk her. He’s spotted her coming from a dance lesson or two the other night and would be quite eager to pay her for a “private” dance, so to speak. His skeeviness isn’t unique - many Hyur men were fond of Lalafellian ladies - but when Tataru sees an opportunity she takes it. With a polite curtsy she informs him that she’s well aware of how much money he spends on the dancers in the exchange, and that his wife would be quite unhappy with him if she were to know where all his coin had been going. Tataru’s got the receipts to prove it too and the man is practically reduced to begging on his knees before her for him not to tell, that she’d throw him out onto the street if she knew. By the end of their little exchange not only is the man sniffling but she’s found herself a patron to pay for her dance lessons.

What a productive day.

It’s a funny set of memories to revisit and Tataru can’t help but snicker to herself, leaning against a brick wall as she watches her various schemes and extortion attempts play out.]}

Those sorry sods...a part of me feels bad for them now.

_{[Maybe just a sliver of her...but that’s still a part, is it not.]}

Edited 2020-04-13 01:16 (UTC)

_{[With the moon Dalamud growing larger in the sky as the days passed, glowing redder and brighter as it drew near, a certain forlornness had gripped the citizens of the desert city-state. The usual hustle and bustle of commerce had grown far less frantic as more and more people stayed cooped up inside, fearing for the worst. It would be the end of days, some had said - an absolute Calamity - and they wouldn’t be wrong. That fear would be realized when the hour of truth came upon Eorzea and the gates of Ul’dah found themselves pushed open by hordes of monsters. The oasis found itself under siege, streets littered with the corpses of foe and citizens alike after hours upon hours of fighting.

To say Tataru felt hopeless, tucked away under a stall in the marketplace, would be an understatement. She’d watched as monsters tore away at whatever defenses had been lined up, morbol, goobbue, wolves, voidsent and imperial soldiers spilling blood left and right and now was left hiding, hoping against the odds that she’d be safe. She had only seen her sixteenth name day some months ago; if she were going to die, she didn’t want it to be like this.

Hiding in the market only lasts for so long. Soon enough it’s overrun and she’s left fleeing her hiding spot, short legs carrying her through the blood soaked streets. Some buildings were aflame, windows broken and cobblestone tore from the streets but none of the destruction those hoards had brought with them would compare to what was to happen next. The red, ominous sphere of Dalamud was close, mesmerizing as night fell, painting all of Ul’dah in an eerie, crimson glow. Only when Tataru stopped running in a bid to catch her breath did she realize just how close the celestial body had become.

Everything went still and silent, for a brief, split second, before a flash of blinding light radiated outward from the moon and projectiles of fire, in what she could only understand as meteors, began to fall and bombard the land around the outer city’s walls. She doesn’t know where to put herself, fear keeping her frozen in place and eyes fixated on the skies until there’s another flash and a roar so great and terrifying that all the Lalafell can do is keep pressed against the wall of the building she’s rested against, heart racing like a petrified rabbit, eyes glassy with tears.

It’s truly a cataclysmic event, the moon splitting and shattering into flaming shards that fall to the land, the unholy behemoth of a dragon Bahamut emerging from within. The scale and size of the Primal is beyond anything Tataru could’ve imagined and when the great dragon flies over Ul’dah, the beat of his wings like thunder, the fire from his breath scorching the desert beyond the city walls as meteors continue to fall...all she can think to do is watch in abject horror.

This is it. It’s the end of the world.

There’s no safe haven left, no area of the city left untouched. The only place she can think to go is one of the grand halls dedicated to Ul’dah’s patron deity. Despite the exhaustion, despite the ache her heart feels in her chest, as if it’s going to burst forth and free, all she can do now is pray. That’s what the other Scions had gone to do, after all, so she might as well do the same, even if her prayers would be worth little compared to theirs.

The pace Tataru takes to follow her younger, panic-stricken self is a languid one, her large, reflective eyes having taken on a hollowed darkness. After all she’s been here before. She’s lived this before...but she never wanted to experience the absolute horror and despair that had gripped her that day in Ul’dah ever again.

Coming to the hall of worship she spots her younger self, prostrated on the ground before a statue of Thal, desperate in prayer. Despite the chaos outside the hall is silent save for the frantic mumbling of those begging for deliverance. Not everyone is asking to be saved, but for the deity to bless them in the afterlife, to ensure their worth carries over into the next realm of existence. It’s a depressing sight to witness after so many years trying to forget.

There’s a soft sigh as Tataru brings herself to stand before the statue, head dipped low. This may be a strange dream, a reliving of a memory, but she still has respect for the god who she’d prayed to that harrowing day. If you’re watching her she’s oblivious to your presence, far too lost in her own thoughts to pay attention to much else.]}

...I suppose it’s been some time since I thanked you for delivering me from the Calamity, hasn’t it? You truly did let me keep what’s worth most to me, despite the odds.

_{[Which was, ultimately, her life. No amount of money or treasure trumped being alive. Looks like the god of the underworld had decided it wasn’t her time to go just yet.]}

I doubt I will ever come back to Ul’dah...but perhaps there’s a way I can give thanks here, in this new land I’ve come to be in.

_{[Maybe this nightmare was a pesky reminder to pay tribute? Who knows. Either way, she’d much rather be done with the whole experience.]}

Edited 2020-04-13 01:29 (UTC)

_{[When Tataru had been approached by a pair of gilded, Ishgardian knights after her shift at The Forgotten Knight tavern, the last thing she expected to hear fall from their lips was an accusation of heresy. Since when had she committed such a crime?! Protests begin to fall from her lips as she stands out in the snowy streets of Ishgard, the looming stone spires of the city’s architecture foreboding and as imposing as the Elezen men before her. What’s the little Lalafellian woman to say or do?

Soon enough she finds herself in a cell but her stay doesn’t last long as she’s shuffled out to meet Alphinaud, her fellow heretic and friend, the Elezen teen keeping close to her side as she hides behind his legs. The courtroom chilly and unwelcoming, as she stumbles over her words to mount her defense and name a champion to fight in her place. The trial, after all, is one of combat, but Tataru is no fighter. Luckily her warrior shows up to fight for her honour and freedom alongside Alphinaud while Tataru is left to watch the fight from her place behind bars.]}

Stuck up Ishgardian clergymen…

_{[It’s not the Tataru who’s locked behind bars that’s muttering away but a very much freed Tataru who’s casting her gaze between worrying self and the fight playing out before her. Much to Tataru’s relief the memory of the whole ordeal doesn’t last very long and instead shifts to a scene that’s far more celebratory in nature. It only made sense, at least to her, to drink in toast to her and Alphinaud’s freedom and the Warrior of Light’s courageous display in her honour. The Elezen teen seems a bit overwhelmed by the tavern’s atmosphere but is a good sport and downs the ale that’s set before him, watching curiously as an Elezen man approaches his company, the man’s cheeks flushed red. It becomes apparent soon enough that Tataru has a suitor, the man relieved that her innocence has been proven, praise Halone, and that it would be his pleasure if he could buy her a drink.

Who would Tataru be to say no? Read: she didn’t, much to Alphinaud’s embarrassment. A bit of flirting later and she’s not only secured the two of them drinks for the rest of the night but a hearty meal of stew and bread. Looks like Halone really was on their side that day.]}

Ahh...I miss The Forgotten Knight…

_{[Tataru’s speaking to herself, propped up on a chair at a table as she watches the scene play out before her, but that doesn’t mean she’s without company, whether she realizes it or not.]}

Their stew was incredible.

_{[The drinks too, sure, but that should be obvious by the hue of her cheeks in the memory. Someone’s a lush.]}

Edited 2020-04-13 01:28 (UTC)

_{[Honestly? She should've known better, to keep her mouth closed during a moment like this. Sure, the meteor shower is awe inspiring but did she really have to gasp, mouth agape? Apparently her pie hole had no sooner opened than it had become a fly hole.

It's not the first time Tataru's swallowed insects. She's done so willingly, the local cuisine of Ul'dah having quite a few dishes that involve creepy crawlies. That being said, she hadn't expected to swallow a fly (oh my!) and it seems to have gone down the wrong pipe.

Gasping she finds herself panicking, doing her best to try and cough up the offensive bug that's quite literally choking her, little hands over her mouth as she doubles over, unable to breathe. This couldn't be the end, could it? Taken out by a glowbug? Surely she was meant to experience more and live far longer than she had!

If you come across her small, choking, panic stricken form...perhaps you could lend a hand? Maybe a few words of encouragement or better yet, something to drink.]}

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