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Lyse was barely past her fifteenth nameday when she confided in Yda that she had no interest in men. Yda, half asleep and sprawled out over her unfinished post-mission field report, had only responded in a long blink before replying, “Oooooh. Is that why you’ve been following that girl around?”
“ No!” Her blush betrayed her protest, however. Lyse collapsed into a seat just across the table from her older sister, fidgeting anxiously with her hands. “I mean… It’s, okay, right?”
Yda seemed to snap out of a dazed stare at her paperwork back to Lyse. “Huh-- Oh, of course, Lyse! It’s perfectly alright.” She reached over and gently placed her hand over Lyse’s. The younger woman met her eyes then, relief washing over her features. Yda squeezed her hand, her voice stern, “We’re gonna take back Ala Mhigo. I’ll find you a nice wife and a house and then--.”
Lyse pulled her hand away, rolling her eyes, “Yda, please.”
Yda just smiled at her, “...but first I must needs finish this report and hand it to Papalymo.”
~♦~
Lyse had seen twenty summers now and she thinks she's a fair bit more experienced with managing herself and all the teasing Yda occasionally throws at her. She’s held hands with a few girls, even kissed one once! But with all the moving they do across Eorzea, it certainly made it quite difficult to maintain a proper relationship with someone. Mayhap when things settled down...
She had just entered the new Circle of Knowing headquarters with the intention of helping Yda with moving and getting some training in afterwards when she saw her. Soft white hair, ears tilted back, with an equally white dalmatica over dark blue chausses while her tail swung idly. The Miqo’te woman seemed not to have noticed her, her expression serious as she quickly scanned through a large pile of books and organized them into stacks that would then be pl--
“Lyse!”
Lyse jumped, reflexively raising her fists at the growl of her name by none other but her dear sister. Yda had only about 2 ilms over her but when she was frustrated and bearing the load of several crates, she damn near felt like a gigas towering over her.
“Must you take up the entire doorway?”
“Ah! Sorry!”
She could just feel Yda’s glare through the leather visor of her mask. Lyse awkwardly tried to take the crates from her sister to alleviate the situation. Instead, Yda ignored her gesture, turning find what had Lyse oh so transfixed just a moment ago.
Oh no.
Yda slowly turned back to face her, and Lyse was sure that Yda’s judgement of her just amplified by an order of a few magnitudes.
Finally, she opened her mouth, “Really?”
“Yda…” Lyse groaned, this time yanking the crates from her sister and taking it to the side room in an attempt to bury the interaction so far underground that even the Gelmorrans would have had trouble finding it.
However, when she returned to the main room, Yda had the studious Miqo’te woman beside her. Both of them looked at Lyse expectantly. Yda’s arms were crossed, as if to say, ‘No, Lyse, you shan’t escape this one’. Curse her meddling sister.
“Uhh... Hello.”
The woman tilted her head slightly, “Ah, so you are Yda’s illustrious sister? T’is a pleasure to meet you. I am Y’shtola Rhul.”
“She’s an esteemed Archon, newly joining us in our cause.” Yda added, “She focuses on aetherical studies, of which I’m sure will aid us greatly with the primal threat that’s emerged.” Yda nodded at Lyse before she took her leave, resuming her task of moving crates into the building from the carriages outside.
Y’shtola studied Lyse for a long moment until Lyse remembered she was to introduce herself. “Oh-- I am! Lyse Hext, yes. I. I punch things.” She winced inwardly at how bad that sounded. “Did you… require any assistance?” Lyse managed to squeak out.
“Not particularly.” Y’shtola shrugged, “Unless you want to spend your bells cataloging our library.”
Lyse chuckled awkwardly at that, “That is certainly not my strong suit. I fear I may prove to be more of a hindrance. If there is anything I can do for you, however, please do not hesitate to ask!”
The corners of Y’shtola’s lips twitched, seemly amused although she tried well to hide it. “Of course, Lyse.”
Lyse knew at that moment this would definitely be a problem. Her name sounded far too nice on the other woman’s lips. Y’shtola turned back to her work but before Lyse could get too lost in her thoughts, Y’shtola paused to look at Lyse over her shoulder.
“Lyse?”
“Yes?”
“Mayhap you would care to explain your stare from earlier?”
“I’m gay.”
Oh gods, why did she blurt that of all things!
Y’shtola laughed for a good while at that, despite trying to mask it behind her hand. Lyse was far too flustered to recover, her neck, face, and ears burned. All she could do is laugh nervously along with her.
“I see.” Y’shtola managed, returning her focus to the books.
Lyse took that as her cue to escape, although she only got as far as the front door, where Yda dropped more crates in her arms. Yda did not attempt to hide a snicker at Lyse’s expense. She tried, she really did, to glare at her older sister with a fury to rival Halone. It only made Yda laugh louder and Lyse resorted to roughly bumping her with her shoulder while she took the crates away. She worked as efficiently as she could, hoping to overcome her overwhelming desire to go outside and jump into the sea. She’d sooner retire to a life on the ocean floor before she wanted to talk to Y’shtola or Yda ever again.
Soon enough, they moved to prying the crates open, while Papalymo directed them as to where what went. Every time she opened a box of more tomes, she sheepishly lugged them over to where Y’shtola was working, the Miqo’te now accompanied by a scholarly fellow named Urianger. Each time, the conjurer offered Lyse a smile in return. Each time, Lyse found it hard to breathe.
It’s bells before the work is over, but she was rather happy to have seen all of Yda’s friends and colleagues. She tried especially hard not to sneak glances at Y’shtola the entire day, honest! A man named Thancred conveniently appeared after everything was already unpacked, but at least he brought them all beverages in a box full of ice shards. They began to settle down at a large round table to have supper. He winked at Lyse as he handed her a glass. His mouth barely opened before Yda punched him in the arm.
“Don’t you dare! She’s my baby sister!”
Thancred rubbed his injury with a pout, “I had absolutely no ill intention!”
Yda, much more experienced at death glares than Lyse, gave him a scathing look that may have served to frighten even Rhalgr. Thancred backed away in response. Lyse had some things to say about still being called a “baby sister” but her ramping anxiety took precedent, for all but one member had taken their seat at the table-- leaving the spot beside Lyse vacant. She tensed when her mind caught up to exactly who would take that seat, as the woman was now setting a tome down beside her. Y’shtola sat down gracefully and bookmarked the tome with a thin slip of paper. While Lyse tried very hard to act casual despite being stiff as a board, the conjurer simply took a sip of her beverage. She was sure that Yda and Thancred had continued on some banter but she couldn’t hear a word of it.
Y’shtola smiled at her, “Thank you for your assistance today.”
“I- T’is not a problem! Full glad am I to be of assis-t..ance?” Y’shtola’s lips gently brushed her cheek and utterly destroyed whatever attempt Lyse made at a proper sentence. She was between dying and screaming all at once. Yda snickered at her while she ate a biscuit.
Thancred pouted at them again, “Oh! So Y’shtola can flirt with her?”
Honestly, Y'shtola could do whatever she wanted to Lyse, but at least she managed to keep herself from blurting that out.