Perspective: Haruna Fuyo
"Ah, imouto, you really are blessed to have been able to travel so much..."
I chuckled, walking slowly along the stone pathway of what was aptly named "Hawker's Alley". Some of the wares I recognized, being the same goods sold at Radz-at-Han. The rest were from the painstakingly catalogued records of my youngest sister Fuyuki. A few, however, seemed to be recent debuts, and I found myself not blaming my sister.
Speaking of, I did ask her to meet me in this city. Of course, I gave her neither time nor location. But she doesn't need those. She knows me, my habits, how I would navigate, and what I would be wearing, in this case, our working uniform of the Four Seasons.
Amidst the sound of merchants advertising their goods, conversations scattered through the stalls, and feet shuffling urgently to and fro, there was the faint jingle of metal plating, echoing in a step-like rhythm. I had only heard the sound once before, yet they were easily recognizable, albiet mostly due to the gait. But I didn't need to turn around to confirm it, as the voice I was expecting called out to me first.
"...Ane-ue."
Another chuckle escaped my lips as I turned around. As expected, my little sister had found me, though the ensemble she had was a little different than what I had seen when I brought her home at Radz-at-Han. Instead of the red bandanna covering up much of her snow-white hair was an equally white flower, a lily of sorts if I had to guess.
However, making up for the lack of red were two additions; a red rose wrapped around the her left wrist, and her shikigami lying atop her head. It was the first time I had seen her shikigami (well...apparently is isn't a shikigami per se, but she explained it as such for brevity), and between the dark red hues and the melancholic expression, I could see why she was named 'Higanbana.'
"Fuyu-chan. Good to see you again," I replied with a smile. I gestured to my sister for her follow. In my short time I had amidst this city, I figured a few good routes where we could walk and chat with minimal interference. Fuyuki caught up to me quickly, and walked at my side. She always wore a slight frown, but this time, it was more intense than usual.
"Mn, I'm always happy to see ane-ue but..." Fuyuki trailed off with a sigh. "I had hoped that if you came to Eorzea, it wouldn't be for business."
"I know, Fuyu. And I know you wouldn't have agreed to meet me here if you didn't understand how...critical this is."
From the folds of my work robe I pulled out a large plain envelope. It was stuffed, threatening to burst at the lightest provocation. With a nod, I offered it to Fuyuki.
"Critical...?" my sister replied, taking the envelope and stuffing it into her grimiore. I had scene it before when she had visited a month ago, but now that I could get a closer look, I could see the butterfly motifs. "You could have met me in Kugane, wouldn't that have been easier?"
I nodded at first, but then grinned. "Well, if it was only to meet you, yes. I was given two other objectives. One is..." I paused and flourished, though at this point we were down by the docks and not the market stalls. "...is to scout out the market here, see if we can learn anything."
"Beyond what I have already sent? And besides, Ul'Dah is better for that."
Fuyuki's retort was swift, and my horns picked up on the gritting of teeth from my little sister. It was clear she was confused and upset, and though she was taller than myself, I still put a hand on her shoulder.
"True. But the last time you were home, we skipped over what our current stock was," I explained. Not finding any way to argue, Fuyuki seemed to deflate slightly, but still listened to the rest of my explanation. "The other is to contact father's Eorzean counterpart exchange information."
"Shall I assume Ane-ue has been given details?" Fuyuki asked. There was a raised eyebrow of amusement.
"Never assume anything, imouto-chan," I laughed, reaching up to ruffle my sister's hair. "But yes I know where to go. And that you've been there too. Brushing up on your ninjutsu again?"
Fuyuki sheepishly replied with "...yes."
I smiled back and let go of her hair, saying, "Good girl." To be quite frank, I was surprised that even after all that's happened, my sister didn't outright reject ninjutsu in favor of her magicks. She was reluctant to use them as early as a month ago.
A moment of silence passed, Fuyuki broke the monotony of our footsteps, asking, "...does Ane-ue have a tight schedule?"
"Ufufu..." I chuckled, knowing what she was really asking. "I can always make time for you. Come, I know you have stories to tell. Let's start with this. Flowers in your hair do not become you, Fuyu."
I pointed to the white flower in her hair, and immediately, Fuyuki blushed and fidgeted. "I-it's...a long story, ane-ue. But...a good one..." she said.
"Well, imouto-chan. I have all the time in the world. So tell me."
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