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Thancred had always deemed himself a rather astute sort, seeing things others might overlook or pass by without a second glance. But it seemed that only extended only to the things he could see. Intangible things, feelings and what have you, seemed to lie beyond his purview. Even what lied in his own heart seemed impossible to parse, what with the events that transpired in recent days. He had all but recently bequeathed unto the young Oracle of Light a name of her very own, signifying for her the start of her new life not as a “Minfilia” but as Ryne. In a way, it also served as a means of closure for himself. The woman who once resided within her; the Minfilia he knew ever since he was a boy, was no longer. In turn, his own grief and his own regrets could be put to rest (though the task was certainly easier said than done).
“I love you, Thancred.”
Prior to their plunge into Malikah’s Well, Suna had taken him aside and blurted out those four words. Perhaps she felt the need to say it in case something had happened to him in the fight against Storge but really, it mattered little as to why she chose that moment. The only thing Thancred could do in response was press his lips to Suna’s forehead briefly before joining the Warrior of Darkness by the Well’s entrance. He said nothing else but not necessarily because he didn’t feel the same way. He simply knew naught else he could say at that point. After all, the pink-haired Scion had known him for nigh on a decade now. She’s seen him at his best and at his worst. Yet Suna’s faith in him never seemed to waver and he often found himself wondering how she could believe in him so stoutly despite all of his flaws and failures.
As the Warrior of Darkness and the Scions emerged from the underwater tunnels, the sight before them rendered them speechless. Studied individuals as they were, even the sight of the glittering city was unlike anything they had ever seen or even read about before. Its buildings seemed impossibly tall, twisting and towering above them. Thancred scanned the streets out of sheer force of habit, seeking out places where one might see all yet remain hidden from view. But his eyes kept falling upon the Raen Au ra woman beside him. Suna, like the others, was marveling at the view and seemed unaware of the white-haired Scion’s gaze. The city’s lights reflected in her blue eyes, creating glittering seas within themselves.
This was hardly the first time he had looked at her, considering the fact that they had been travelling the length and breadth of Norvrandt together for the past five years. But Thancred couldn’t help but wonder: had she always been this stunning? But his question seemed to answer itself even before he could finish, as though it had been obvious this entire time. That yes, she always had been that beautiful. And no, this was not the first time he had thought that about Suna, though this was the first time he had elected to put the feeling into words. A twinge of longing gripped his heart. For as long as he could remember, he had been willing to throw his life away if it meant ensuring victory for the Scions’ cause. But right this moment, all Thancred wanted more than anything was to survive. Hells, he didn’t just want to survive. He wanted to live. He wanted to live, to traverse the world and bear witness to what the world had to offer to him. Be it for better or for worse, he yearned to experience all there was to experience… so long as Suna would remain by his side throughout the journey.
Their brutal struggle against Emet-Selch, or rather, Hades, had left their entire group bloodied and battered. Thancred himself sustained some mild injuries, though they were hardly worth mentioning when the Warrior of Darkness was the one who had done the majority of the work. He and his other Scions were only there towards the end, his own part being to swing in with white auracite so that Teruko could blast the Ascian with light-aspected aether.
It was honestly miraculous that things had panned out the way it had, what with Hades defeated, the tainted light aether in the Warrior of Darkness dispelled, and the Crystal Exarch injured but in one piece. Spagyrics seemed full to bursting with activity as the Crystarium’s chirurgeons tended to both the city’s keeper as well as its champion. Not wanting to be in anyone’s way, Thancred elected to take his reprieve high up in the walkways above the markets. An exhausted sigh left his lips. For the first time in what felt like a long time, he felt somewhat at ease. The night blanketed the sky in comforting shadow above him while the commotion below, while still audible, reminded him that he was in good company. Speaking of good company, Thancred couldn’t help but think of Suna. Knowing the pink-haired Scion, she was probably helping the other Scions down in Spagyrics or looking after Ryne. A familiar voice rang out a few malms away.
“Thancred, what are you doing way up here?”
“Shouldn’t you be with the others?”
“I could ask you the same thing” Suna said, a soft smile on her face.
The pink-haired Scion settled down beside him, the various salves clinking softly from within her bag.
“I didn’t want to get in the way of the others. Besides, my injuries aren’t that bad. I’ll take care of them myself.”
“I’ll do it for you,” Suna said, rummaging through her things. “Like you said, they aren’t that bad but better safe than sorry, right?”
Thancred opened his mouth to protest but thought against it. She certainly wasn’t wrong. Not to mention, he couldn’t easily shrug off the feeling that swelled in his chest earlier so easily; the feeling that he wanted to spend more time with her, be it for better or for worse.
“Is everything alright? Are you hurt elsewhere?”
“No, nothing like that.”
There was a long moment of silence between them as she rolled the bandage around the wound and fastened it closed.
“Suna, I—”
Thancred looked at her to speak but when his eyes met hers for a moment, his heart felt as though it leapt from his chest to his throat.
“Thancred?” Suna asked cautiously, a concerned look in her eyes.
“I was going to say that I… I also do. Love you, I mean” he said, silently cursing his lack of poise.
“You don’t have to say it if you don’t feel that way, Thancred.”
With his uninjured arm, he took Suna’s hand in his before looking at the pink-haired Scion with a serious expression on his face.
“I wouldn’t say something like that if I didn’t feel that way, Suna.”
Her blue eyes flitted to her hand in his, then back up to his face. A flurry of emotions seemed to pass through her in all but a moment.
“Oh.”
“I admit, it… took me a long time to figure out how I felt and I’m sorry for not answering you earlier. But I mean it when I say that I feel the same way.”
“I know,” she said, tentatively reaching up to rest her other hand against his cheek. “I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re being earnest.”
“So…”
“Yes?”
“Did you want to get something to eat when we get back? We could always head to the cafe above Rowena’s for lunch or something like that. I know a nice place or two in Limsa too.”
Suna laughed, both of them leaning forward until the two pressed their foreheads together.
“I’d love that.”
“Then it’s a date.”