While having some final moments of an evening with Aikirees at the HQ’s Gazebo that is very much not a notorious monster, the tiredness of everything finally caught up to me. I nodded off and rested my weary head onto Aikirees’ shoulder, which is something I thought I’d never do.
Her fuzzy, warm shoulder was such a comfort, and from the subtle sounds she was emitting upon sleeping, could tell she didn’t mind me resting there. It was a feeling I hadn’t felt in such a long time.
Summers prior, in the early days of HQ when we were crafting like no tomorrow, Aikirees would fall asleep on my shoulder just so. It must’ve reminded her of those days and the comfort it gave her. I’m not sure I’ll ever personally get used to her being so tall now, but she’ll always be that little Miqo’te that I’ve care for before her journey and always now thereafter as well.
There she was, just sitting atop the Dawn Throne, on a clear starry night. Stargazing off into the distance with not a care in the world. Well, rather that’s what she would like any onlookers to think, but I knew better. Aikirees does have a softer side through her unrelenting optimism.
I watched over her that night, while she just gazed it away. I think she needed it, as a lot has happened and none of which even I’m sure of yet. She hasn’t stated what happened on her journey just yet, only the fact she was spared the loss of another life. Assuming that is the case, that doesn’t make me feel better as to what transpired.
I suppose only time will tell when she wants to talk about it. I just know that this moment of her doing this in Azim Steppe is important to her. She loves watching the stars, and I knew of a time before all of this, even before our journey onto the First, she did this very thing in this very spot, and looked outwards into the cosmos.
Once the dawn broke over the Steppe, I approached her not saying a word. Her ear flinched in the direction of my boots, but she didn’t look away from the rising morning light. Still not saying a word, I just hugged her, and continued to.
“It’s alright, Little One. you’re alright and you’ll continue to be. I’ll still watch over you and continue to protect you as much as I can.”
Aikirees was in the workshop attending to the U.S.S. Voyager when Sirena popped in to check on things, only to see not only that Aikirees was ecstatic to see her, but that our little airship had been making strides while we were all away adventuring.
Sirena met up with us early on in our Tural journeys, and she inquired with Aikirees on if she remembered the Manderville Mambo even after her journey.
The way her face lit up and they began to Mambo was certainly one to remember.
Thus the two of them Manderville Mambo’d the day away, much to my chagrin.
(I was cracking up while watching the two of them do this)
…she sits. Apparently she still is able to ride inside her dwarven tank, even after her journey. We were both a little bit surprised by this revolution, and it would seem the look on Aikirees’ face reflects this.
We’ve Dawned the Trail, journeyed across Tural, seen so many beautiful sights, and made so many wonderful friends along the way. However after all of that, it’s really good to finally rest our weary selves back at our beloved home once again.
Was hoping to do this in two parts, but after writing this one up, it’ll go into a finale third part too. This is the continuation from Part 1 and the second part of the main scenario story plus the later zones! Major Spoilers for MSQ 7.0 upon clicking ‘Continue Reading!’
Over the past weekend, we finished the Dawntrail story line. Overall it was a really wonderful and fun journey seeing the sights and cultures throughout Tural with all our friends new and old coming along as well.
Without going into spoiler territory, I’d say this was a pretty fun filled expansion with an astounding amount of gorgeous scenery in each and every area one visits. They really put a lot of thought and detail into each zone with all the little places to stumble upon and find throughout.
I’m going to break this into two parts since I don’t want to make a gigantic wordy post about my whole experience, so with that, onto the spoiler related items past the break! Major Spoilers for MSQ 7.0 upon clicking ‘Continue Reading!’
Aikirees and I have reached it, the final zone and story portion for Dawntrail. It’s been a wonderful journey through it all, for in which it has made landing in Tural feel like a lifetime ago. However, now it’s time to see it through to the end. Here. We. Go!
While I was (more than likely) battling something, Aikirees got a moment to relax, even if said moment was a bit rainy. However, it doesn’t seem like she minded it all that much.
I can assure everyone that Lizicus and Laureine are fairing just as well during their adventures through Tural too.
We’re coming up on what I believe is roughly the halfway mark in Dawntrail’s story and, prior to setting off to Tural, Aikirees’ has concluded her journey which has left her looking & feeling vastly different. She’s certainly stronger and has honed her talking skills a bit more as well, but still with her usual ‘zee’s’ and ‘sies’ that she has been saying all this time.
She seems to be not even be remotely phased by the fact that she’s nearly doubled in height so suddenly and quickly though. Albeit I’m fairly certain she’s aware of the changes but has just adapted to them far quicker than I’d have figured.
On the other hand, I suppose, Aikirees has always been an interesting quantum paradox and this is all just simply par for the course. I think she has grown quickly fond of her new self though and I believe that is all that matters.
Now to just make sure I have enough fish in HQ to adjust for her much larger appetite, and check to keep her tail from bonking anything remotely fragile. That thing is a weapon on its own now!
“We’ve come a long way, ‘Little’ One. Journeyed near and very far, across time, space, and the known existence itself. We’ve been through so much, and now here we are you and I in the New World, and yet there’s still so much more to discover!”
Final Day, Day 1 – The fact we got to do the entirety of the Endwalker expansion together. From arriving in Old Sharlyean, all the way to the ends of reality. We are very much looking forward to doing the same thing for Dawntrail and beyond.
… I will certainly miss her being ‘The Little One,’ but she’ll always be that to me.
Day 2 – The most memorable day of the entirety of Endwalker: Sirena and I’s Bonding Ceremony. ♥
Having everyone there and then everyone coming to the after party with a lot of surprise pop-ins from friends across the entire North America and even European Data Centers, this was just the absolute most perfect day.
Day 3 – Never in a million years upon founding Eorzea Cartographers would I ever have been an actual Free Company director. I mostly created the Free Company to coincide with all of the map making projects that I was taking on during that tenure of my adventures, but then these two cats came along and melted themselves into my heart.
Sirena and Juli made EOCA from just a house to a home, and then shortly thereafter Ellany came along as well to make it even more of one. Even if I tend to be running around with Aikirees a bit of the time, hearing what they’re up to is rather heartwarming; then there’s the times where even we’re able to partake too and it’s a really fun time.
I’m really grateful they wanted to be here, and once we all get established in Tural, we’ll be able to get back to our adventures together again.
Day 4 goes to the evening we all got together and took Sirena through the NieR raids together for her first time doing them! I sat this one out and chatted with the folks who either didn’t want to partake or came a bit later and were wanting to show their support. Aikirees went instead and both the friends who went in and us who sat out had a really gosh darn good, fun, and memorable evening together!
Day 5 – The entirety of the Frendedex. Initially I was going to put these all separate, but I would have had to start at 30 days instead of 20 to do so. The sheer amount of folks, friends, and memories I made across the entirety of the group we ended up calling the Frendedex is just astronomically heartwarming. Just about everyone we all met was through Mastodon itself as well, and all the things that we did and I know still continue to happen, is just so wonderful.
Camp Bronzelake Evening – one of the earliest and technically pre-Dex event.
Generally early on, they were small social gatherings just to shoot the breeze and see how everyone was doing, but not long they began to include running content and helping folks out do certain objectives. Treasure Maps being one that has been done quite a few times before and after my absence.
As we kept having these events, social or content-based, the number of folks kept getting bigger and bigger as word started to spread about the Frendedex’s existence across the Fediverse and beyond. The ones I mostly assembled were on the social-side to just gather and relax/chat about anything really. Sometimes it’s just nice to sit with a bunch of friends after a long week and just talk about things, and the subject matter widely ranged far beyond the scope of Final Fantasy XIV! It was really neat to hear what someone was doing outside the world we all have come to partake in together.
After a while, we even expanded to include the European Data Centers, and we spent the day over there having a very wonderful time with all of our friends that primarily played over there. There are countless memories and moments from all of these times we gathered that are so very cherished. What we accomplished throughout 2023 was nothing less that phenomenal.
The Frendedex has to be one of the biggest highlights of Endwalker and just Final Fantasy XIV in general in terms of all the things we did and friends we made a long the way. All the other events that spun-off from the initial ones was just as heartwarming to see and hear about as well.
So many friends, memories, and moments made during it all. I really do miss everyone, and I’m hoping once all the Dawntrail dust settles, we’ll be able to see everyone once again shortly thereafter.
Even if it’s just around a small firepit to catch up and watch the stars.
