[Keeping busy meant he didn't need to continue thinking about it. But, experiencing all that he did when returning home along with coming back to Ellipsa and be reminded of how death was but a facsimile here... it was eventually got too much.
He tried to hide it from E'kayan. After all, just before Erenville had set off after resigning as a gleaner, he had been well. He was glad to continue his mother's legacy. He thought he had been able to move on, move forward, he thought he had properly mourned and Wuk Lamat and Koana had helped him as they understood better than anyone what losing a parent was like.
But...it was perhaps still too soon, the pain still too near and Ellipsa reminded Erenville of it all too much. He withdrew. He focused on his work, which felt all too similar to gleaning and wasn't that what he decided he wasn't going to do?
Eventually, that grew to be too much. Erenville made the trip from Amberfall to Blossomcrown, using the travel time to simply be and reflect. He had a destination in mind and it reminded him all too well of his mother, the source of his heavy heart.
Cahciua's fussy bunbun sat amongst the colorful flora that resembled the closest to those found in the Unlost World's gardens. He wasn't sure why he chose these in particular, perhaps because it was his last memory of her. But, he parked himself down betwixt the flowers (mindful just where he sat, of course) and wrapped his arms around his knees. He pressed his forehead against them and silently wept.]
[Erenville is not the only one with a few things to sort out in his head but what he had experienced in Tural had undoubtedly made E'kayan stronger in himself, more sure of his place in the world and amongst his friends, and although they were yet again facing another terrible threat... as things stood, he couldn't be happier.
But that, of course, did not mean he was ignorant to the feelings of others. The loss that Wuk Lamat and Koana had felt for their father and brother. The gentle, emotional words spoken to him by G'raha Tia on the gondola. Krile finally meeting her parents, only to have them immediately taken away. They would all come to terms with their experiences in their own ways, but there was one person that E'kayan found himself concerned about.
None other than his quiet, taciturn partner.
They didn't really talk about it. He asked Erenville if he was all right. He gently, teasingly called him by his given name. The Viera seemed to be fine. He seemed to be... but as the days wore on, E'kayan could see that something was weighing on him.
Finding him in the botanical gardens is an easy guess. Even if Erenville did not realise it, E'kayan could see the resemblance to where they last saw Cahciua and tracking the man down to that place comes as no surprise.
He heads there and looks around, easily finding the dark-skinned, dark-haired Viera in the flowers. The Miqo'te feels his heart clench, a deep ache for someone who is both a friend and someone he has come to care about as so much more than that, and he picks his way across to where Erenville is to sit down beside him silently. He doesn't put an arm around him, but he gently leans and bumps their shoulders together.
[Erenville stiffened slightly when he felt the presence beside him, but E'kayan's scent was easy enough to identify and he relaxed. He didn't lift his head, a bit ashamed at having been seen like this already. But the Miqo'te did not speak, he simply sat. So, Erenville remained as he was for a time.
Eventually, he shifted and he leaned his weight slightly against E'kayan as well. He lifted his head just enough to turn away and swipe his sleeve across his eyes and nose. He was a mess, but he doubted E'kayan would tease. He sniffled and eventually dug around his jacket pocket for a handkerchief, pulling it out, he murmured.]
Trust an adventurer to find me so easily.
[His accent was noticeably similar to his mother's right now, not quite in the right mindset to keep up the inflection. Not that it mattered. Erenville had only kept it up prior because he had grown used to the accent that the Eorzean Viera spoke over the years. But now was not the time to blend in... but to allow himself to be himself, for a change.
He sighed softly and laid his cheek on his arm, still not looking in E'kayan's direction just yet.]
[That is the length of any teasing as he gently nudges himself against the Viera and then sighs, lifting his head up to look around the spot the other man had chosen to sit. Flowers everywhere. E'kayan knows so many of them by name now, but his thoughts are hardly in that frame as he remains all too aware of the distress of the person beside him.
Now he's been acknowledged, though, he does shift to put his arm around Erenville and idly scratches against the back of his shoulder, just sitting with him for a few minutes more before he speaks at all.]
... She would have liked it here.
[It's not that Erenville makes himself easy to read (though he does, in all honesty) and more that... E'kayan has just grown used to him.]
[There's a scoff there, soft and not at all mean-spirited at the use of his true name. When he told Gulool Ja Ja that he had grown used to his new name, he had meant it. But, even after seeing his mother (in that robotic form), he never could tell her to call him Erenville. Everyone else, yes, but not her.
Never her. And, he supposed, not E'kayan, either. Although thus far, the man had refrained from saying it out loud in public (this secluded area of the Botanical Gardens notwithstanding).]
..yes, she would have. Flowers were always her favorite.
[Going to the place that reminded him the most of her seemed a bit counterintuitive to his hurting heart, but the floral scents brought him a calmness of mind that he had not felt since... well, likely since the dome appeared. Even after all had been said and done, Erenville still had not the chance to truly... be. To feel and accept. The Gardens were the right choice, even if it embarrassed him a little.]
[He hadn't really given too much thought to it, what with the discrepancies between the calendars, but he might have known that Erenville would remember.
E'kayan wakes up to the smell of something familiar and delicious, and shuffles his way into the kitchen some minutes later with mussed hair and one hand rubbing his face, yawning and still somewhat half asleep.]
Elene'shpya? [He says his partner's name around a yawn, hiding it with the back of his hand.] What are you making?
[At least Kayan's birthday was easy to remember. The date actually existed on the calendar, unlike Erenville's January 32nd.
Erenville had a cast iron skillet on the stove, sizzling with two eggs cooking next to a pair of bacon and sausage. He couldn't really decide which one to cook, why not both? While the food sizzled and popped, hashbrowns were browning nicely in the other skillet in the stove, already seasoned with salt and pepper.
On a plate next to the stove was an already fried, thick piece of bread. Breakfast was almost done so Kayan was just in time. Erenville turned to gesture to the barstool at the counter and placed tea where Kayan would sit.]
[He stands in the kitchen doorway looking a little baffled for a few moments while he pieces together what he's seeing and why everything does smell so familiar.]
Oh.
[The exclamation is a soft one, fond, and before he sits down he shuffles over to the Shetona and wraps both arms around his middle from behind, pressing his cheek into the space between Erenville's shoulderblades.]
Thank you. [And he won't say he didn't have to because he's sure it would only earn him a scolding, so he just lets go, scoots around so he can go up on his toes and give the other man a kiss on the cheek, then finally moves to sit.] I hope you're making enough for you as well.
[Erenville can't help the small smile when he feels the arms around his stomach. He also leans down just enough to meet Kayan for the kiss to his cheek. He flips the bacon one last time to check how cooked they are, along with the sausage and once Kayan is sitting, he is plating the meat and eggs. Half of the hashbrowns follow soon after. The other half went onto another empty plate.]
This meal is for you, I'll be making something else for myself in minute.
[Honestly, he underestimated the plate size a little but once he was certain nothing would fall out, he picked it up to set on front of the Miqo'te. A fork, knife, and a napkin followed after.]
Enjoy. Happy birthday, Kayan.
[He didn't linger much, Kayan would let him know if the breakfast was cooked to his likely and he grabbed two more eggs to crack into the skillet. The juices from the meat were enough to cook the eggs on and after adding some seasonings, he let them cook while cutting another slice of bread, buttering both sides and setting it into the skillet that the hashbrowns had been in. Faster to simply toast it this way rather than waiting on the toaster.]
[A little unsure, but realising that the other man would probably prefer something a touch lighter than the kinds of hearty meals common in Limsa Lominsa, he sits down without any further comment or complaint and waits with his tail flicking eagerly back and forth behind him.
He doesn't immediately dig in, though he doesn't exactly wait either. There are a few mouthfuls gone by the time Erenville joins him.]
When did you learn to cook like this? [E'kayan asks playfully, finally making a proper start on his meal.] I wouldn't have thought you'd have that much reason to be around La Noscea.
[E'kayan does not tend to wake up first, but this morning he is at least awake enough to snag the Shetona by the wrist as he tries to slide out of bed and sleepily pull him back in under the covers with a little grunt.]
You're not getting up yet, Elene'shpya. [He hums, clearly pleased with himself as he wraps his small self around his partner.]
[Ever the morning person, Erenville wasn't expecting to not only pulled in, but also clung to like a starfish clinging to rocks. He sighed, still a little sleepy himself and patted E'kayan's hand.]
Cariño... [Well, that came out more like a whine, but oh well ] My birthday does not mean I must stay in bed.
[The endearment sends a pleased little shiver over the Miqo'te's body, then a protesting whine in return that the other man would dare attack him in such a way so early in the morning.]
You can for ten minutes.
[They both tend to like to get up and about, so he wouldn't keep him there all day. He lifts his arm up so he can rub two fingers slowly behind one of the man's long ears.]
[You can't accuse him of attacking so early in the morning if you're going to do the same thing, Kayan!
Erenville's ear tilts and falls back from the ear scritches. A soft huff leaving the Shetona as he doesn't make another move to leave the bed. Fine, he can wait ten minutes for coffee and the bathroom.]
Ayayai... It's much too early for you to be so incorrigible.
[Satisfied for the moment, he curls in closer and pushes his nose against Erenville's neck.]
But you like it when I'm incorrigible. [He hums there, mumbling the words into his partner's skin with no doubt in his mind that Erenville will feel the smile that comes along with them.] Even this early in the morning.
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timeasmymeasure
text; un: e'kayan
Date: 2023-03-27 08:01 pm (UTC)How set are you on the idea of living by yourself?
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Date: 2023-03-27 08:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-03-28 12:50 pm (UTC)I really hate living by myself.
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Date: 2023-03-28 01:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-03-28 07:41 pm (UTC)We didn't really get to know each other that well. Just kind of quiet around here now.
I can come over whenever you're around.
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From:for E'Kayan - Post-Dawntrail things
Date: 2024-07-01 07:53 pm (UTC)He tried to hide it from E'kayan. After all, just before Erenville had set off after resigning as a gleaner, he had been well. He was glad to continue his mother's legacy. He thought he had been able to move on, move forward, he thought he had properly mourned and Wuk Lamat and Koana had helped him as they understood better than anyone what losing a parent was like.
But...it was perhaps still too soon, the pain still too near and Ellipsa reminded Erenville of it all too much. He withdrew. He focused on his work, which felt all too similar to gleaning and wasn't that what he decided he wasn't going to do?
Eventually, that grew to be too much. Erenville made the trip from Amberfall to Blossomcrown, using the travel time to simply be and reflect. He had a destination in mind and it reminded him all too well of his mother, the source of his heavy heart.
Cahciua's fussy bunbun sat amongst the colorful flora that resembled the closest to those found in the Unlost World's gardens. He wasn't sure why he chose these in particular, perhaps because it was his last memory of her. But, he parked himself down betwixt the flowers (mindful just where he sat, of course) and wrapped his arms around his knees. He pressed his forehead against them and silently wept.]
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Date: 2024-07-01 08:05 pm (UTC)But that, of course, did not mean he was ignorant to the feelings of others. The loss that Wuk Lamat and Koana had felt for their father and brother. The gentle, emotional words spoken to him by G'raha Tia on the gondola. Krile finally meeting her parents, only to have them immediately taken away. They would all come to terms with their experiences in their own ways, but there was one person that E'kayan found himself concerned about.
None other than his quiet, taciturn partner.
They didn't really talk about it. He asked Erenville if he was all right. He gently, teasingly called him by his given name. The Viera seemed to be fine. He seemed to be... but as the days wore on, E'kayan could see that something was weighing on him.
Finding him in the botanical gardens is an easy guess. Even if Erenville did not realise it, E'kayan could see the resemblance to where they last saw Cahciua and tracking the man down to that place comes as no surprise.
He heads there and looks around, easily finding the dark-skinned, dark-haired Viera in the flowers. The Miqo'te feels his heart clench, a deep ache for someone who is both a friend and someone he has come to care about as so much more than that, and he picks his way across to where Erenville is to sit down beside him silently. He doesn't put an arm around him, but he gently leans and bumps their shoulders together.
They don't need to talk yet. They can just be.]
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Date: 2024-07-01 08:28 pm (UTC)Eventually, he shifted and he leaned his weight slightly against E'kayan as well. He lifted his head just enough to turn away and swipe his sleeve across his eyes and nose. He was a mess, but he doubted E'kayan would tease. He sniffled and eventually dug around his jacket pocket for a handkerchief, pulling it out, he murmured.]
Trust an adventurer to find me so easily.
[His accent was noticeably similar to his mother's right now, not quite in the right mindset to keep up the inflection. Not that it mattered. Erenville had only kept it up prior because he had grown used to the accent that the Eorzean Viera spoke over the years. But now was not the time to blend in... but to allow himself to be himself, for a change.
He sighed softly and laid his cheek on his arm, still not looking in E'kayan's direction just yet.]
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Date: 2024-07-01 08:41 pm (UTC)[That is the length of any teasing as he gently nudges himself against the Viera and then sighs, lifting his head up to look around the spot the other man had chosen to sit. Flowers everywhere. E'kayan knows so many of them by name now, but his thoughts are hardly in that frame as he remains all too aware of the distress of the person beside him.
Now he's been acknowledged, though, he does shift to put his arm around Erenville and idly scratches against the back of his shoulder, just sitting with him for a few minutes more before he speaks at all.]
... She would have liked it here.
[It's not that Erenville makes himself easy to read (though he does, in all honesty) and more that... E'kayan has just grown used to him.]
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Date: 2024-07-01 08:53 pm (UTC)Never her. And, he supposed, not E'kayan, either. Although thus far, the man had refrained from saying it out loud in public (this secluded area of the Botanical Gardens notwithstanding).]
..yes, she would have. Flowers were always her favorite.
[Going to the place that reminded him the most of her seemed a bit counterintuitive to his hurting heart, but the floral scents brought him a calmness of mind that he had not felt since... well, likely since the dome appeared. Even after all had been said and done, Erenville still had not the chance to truly... be. To feel and accept. The Gardens were the right choice, even if it embarrassed him a little.]
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From:text; un: e'kayan
Date: 2024-07-19 12:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-07-19 02:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-07-21 11:59 pm (UTC)That isn't why I was asking!
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Date: 2024-07-22 01:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-07-23 11:56 am (UTC)I was just wondering...
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From:14th Nov - smol ornj birthday
Date: 2025-11-17 10:24 pm (UTC)E'kayan wakes up to the smell of something familiar and delicious, and shuffles his way into the kitchen some minutes later with mussed hair and one hand rubbing his face, yawning and still somewhat half asleep.]
Elene'shpya? [He says his partner's name around a yawn, hiding it with the back of his hand.] What are you making?
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Date: 2025-11-18 12:25 am (UTC)[At least Kayan's birthday was easy to remember. The date actually existed on the calendar, unlike Erenville's January 32nd.
Erenville had a cast iron skillet on the stove, sizzling with two eggs cooking next to a pair of bacon and sausage. He couldn't really decide which one to cook, why not both? While the food sizzled and popped, hashbrowns were browning nicely in the other skillet in the stove, already seasoned with salt and pepper.
On a plate next to the stove was an already fried, thick piece of bread. Breakfast was almost done so Kayan was just in time. Erenville turned to gesture to the barstool at the counter and placed tea where Kayan would sit.]
Sit. 'Tis almost finished.
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Date: 2025-11-19 01:32 pm (UTC)Oh.
[The exclamation is a soft one, fond, and before he sits down he shuffles over to the Shetona and wraps both arms around his middle from behind, pressing his cheek into the space between Erenville's shoulderblades.]
Thank you. [And he won't say he didn't have to because he's sure it would only earn him a scolding, so he just lets go, scoots around so he can go up on his toes and give the other man a kiss on the cheek, then finally moves to sit.] I hope you're making enough for you as well.
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Date: 2025-11-20 06:42 pm (UTC)This meal is for you, I'll be making something else for myself in minute.
[Honestly, he underestimated the plate size a little but once he was certain nothing would fall out, he picked it up to set on front of the Miqo'te. A fork, knife, and a napkin followed after.]
Enjoy. Happy birthday, Kayan.
[He didn't linger much, Kayan would let him know if the breakfast was cooked to his likely and he grabbed two more eggs to crack into the skillet. The juices from the meat were enough to cook the eggs on and after adding some seasonings, he let them cook while cutting another slice of bread, buttering both sides and setting it into the skillet that the hashbrowns had been in. Faster to simply toast it this way rather than waiting on the toaster.]
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Date: 2025-11-22 11:11 pm (UTC)Oh, all right.
[A little unsure, but realising that the other man would probably prefer something a touch lighter than the kinds of hearty meals common in Limsa Lominsa, he sits down without any further comment or complaint and waits with his tail flicking eagerly back and forth behind him.
He doesn't immediately dig in, though he doesn't exactly wait either. There are a few mouthfuls gone by the time Erenville joins him.]
When did you learn to cook like this? [E'kayan asks playfully, finally making a proper start on his meal.] I wouldn't have thought you'd have that much reason to be around La Noscea.
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From:tol bnuuy birthday
Date: 2026-02-09 01:40 am (UTC)You're not getting up yet, Elene'shpya. [He hums, clearly pleased with himself as he wraps his small self around his partner.]
'S your birthday.
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Date: 2026-02-12 03:11 pm (UTC)Cariño... [Well, that came out more like a whine, but oh well ] My birthday does not mean I must stay in bed.
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Date: 2026-02-12 03:17 pm (UTC)You can for ten minutes.
[They both tend to like to get up and about, so he wouldn't keep him there all day. He lifts his arm up so he can rub two fingers slowly behind one of the man's long ears.]
Then I'll make coffee.
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Date: 2026-02-12 03:35 pm (UTC)Erenville's ear tilts and falls back from the ear scritches. A soft huff leaving the Shetona as he doesn't make another move to leave the bed. Fine, he can wait ten minutes for coffee and the bathroom.]
Ayayai... It's much too early for you to be so incorrigible.
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Date: 2026-02-12 04:19 pm (UTC)[Satisfied for the moment, he curls in closer and pushes his nose against Erenville's neck.]
But you like it when I'm incorrigible. [He hums there, mumbling the words into his partner's skin with no doubt in his mind that Erenville will feel the smile that comes along with them.] Even this early in the morning.