Ryanti had seen eyes like those before. The blank stare. He was no stranger to that emotion. He had lived in Ul’Dah after all. He had witnessed the dim, hopeless refugee. The financially broke merchant. The lowest slaves of the low cleaning after people’s messes with zero pay and zero hope for freedom. That look brought upon a feeling of defeat. An image of numbness in a desperate attempt to stop the pain. To treat the symptoms but not the cause. He didn’t want to believe that Sounsyy would be the kind of woman to be defeated like that. That there would be no resolve behind her eyes. He had barely seen her smile or laugh though. All he could see was those dead eyes now.
He knew how that was. To be unable to escape the numbness. But unlike Sounsyy’s expression, Ryanti’s eyes were full of life. The aquamarine umbrella of his iris shone brightly in the morning sun, and his window to the soul seemed to be infinite when one would glance into his pupils. They were full of youthful energy, vigor, and resolve. However, there are also something missing from his demeanor. A kind of hesitation. A lack of fulfillment, as if he was seeking to fill a void somewhere. As if he wanted something more out of life.
Ryanti’s feet returned to their slow, casual rocking pace as Sounsyy explained to him her experiences and feelings about the dreams she was having. His eyes hinted at empathy and his expression became that way. His ears tightened a little in the interest he had in her wording. He digested her insightful description and her questions as a calm wind bent his locks towards its direction. Sounsyy’s eyes may have followed her hand, but Ryanti’s eyes stayed fixed to her cheek.
It was only after she had completely undone her bandage that he shifted his glance down to her injured hand. He pursed his lips a little tighter at the sight of the ugly bruising, and cauterization marks instigated in order to save her. He could not imagine the pain she was in during that moment. Or what had immediately taken place after.
A moment or two passed. A sound of the waters splitting from the ship’s bow echoed off of his ears. “It’s very familiar.†He finally said, scooting a half-ilm closer to take up the spot that her hand had been in order to get a closer look at the extent of the injury. He spoke slowly, and very sincerely, pausing between each sentence. “I have those dreams too. As if I am someone else. Swimming in darkness one moment… and falling from the sky in the next. The lights you see – they are neither suns nor torches. But they are real. As real as the world you have seen in those dreams. There was a time where Hydealyn was such a world. Tall, unwavering structures so tall they would touch the heavens scattered the land as far as the eye could see. Lights that seemingly come from nothing, as you see from Garlemald – but in all colors, shapes and sizes, that illuminated the horizon. And the ships. Ships of luminous metal that could not only sail the waters, but the sky itself. Even those that could sail above the sky, to mimic the moon’s journey around our planet. I could not hope to convince anyone unless they saw it themselves. We are seeing it from their eyes. From their time. And I think when I am floating in that darkness, it is where I am to go. Where I must go in order to understand. To be able to understand them… and their story. That is what I think it means, at least.â€
He fell silent as he continued to examine her bruised and battered hand. “We all get those dreams. Me, my partners. Now you. But you’re not alone. I see the difference, y’know. I see the lack of rest in your eyes. I can tell these dreams trouble you so. Don’t let it. They are not malicious if you don’t let them be. I have not lost much sleep. Some, but not much. Actually the less you allow it to trouble you, the sharper the dreams become. If you do that, you’ll sleep well. Besides… there are no words to describe how breathtaking it can be to see it. To see that world.â€
He exhaled one long, slow breath through his nose. His right hand inched ever closer to that injured left hand. He said nothing, he just… didn’t want to do anything wrong. He rested his fingers incredibly lightly up against the palm of her hand from underneath, not wanting to hurt her. They were warm, despite still being a bit wet from his earlier duties and gripping the mainmast pole as he did. His thumb gently rested itself right behind the knuckle of her index finger. He very carefully manipulated the hand to tilt a bit, eyeing the bruising and the extent of the injury in her bone. He could feel the pulse emitting from that hand. It made him feel a kind of life coming from her that he could not see from the look in her eyes.
“It’s suffocating. It needs air. At least for a little while.†He quietly mentioned, his thumb subconsciously moving a little horizontally across her skin, a little more towards her thumb. He used his index finger that rested under her hand to softly tilt it a bit back to have a better view of her severed finger. “The bone – I would maybe see Forty-three. He mentioned pursuing a physician career. He could probably… help straighten it out. It would hurt, yes, but the bone would need to be straightened out to heal properly… or… “
His words lagged a little, as it was beginning to dawn on him that he was no longer looking at the hand, but at Sounsyy herself. If Ryanti had thoughts in a hypothetical situation, he was either running out of them or his thoughts were running away from him. “… something.â€
He knew how that was. To be unable to escape the numbness. But unlike Sounsyy’s expression, Ryanti’s eyes were full of life. The aquamarine umbrella of his iris shone brightly in the morning sun, and his window to the soul seemed to be infinite when one would glance into his pupils. They were full of youthful energy, vigor, and resolve. However, there are also something missing from his demeanor. A kind of hesitation. A lack of fulfillment, as if he was seeking to fill a void somewhere. As if he wanted something more out of life.
Ryanti’s feet returned to their slow, casual rocking pace as Sounsyy explained to him her experiences and feelings about the dreams she was having. His eyes hinted at empathy and his expression became that way. His ears tightened a little in the interest he had in her wording. He digested her insightful description and her questions as a calm wind bent his locks towards its direction. Sounsyy’s eyes may have followed her hand, but Ryanti’s eyes stayed fixed to her cheek.
It was only after she had completely undone her bandage that he shifted his glance down to her injured hand. He pursed his lips a little tighter at the sight of the ugly bruising, and cauterization marks instigated in order to save her. He could not imagine the pain she was in during that moment. Or what had immediately taken place after.
A moment or two passed. A sound of the waters splitting from the ship’s bow echoed off of his ears. “It’s very familiar.†He finally said, scooting a half-ilm closer to take up the spot that her hand had been in order to get a closer look at the extent of the injury. He spoke slowly, and very sincerely, pausing between each sentence. “I have those dreams too. As if I am someone else. Swimming in darkness one moment… and falling from the sky in the next. The lights you see – they are neither suns nor torches. But they are real. As real as the world you have seen in those dreams. There was a time where Hydealyn was such a world. Tall, unwavering structures so tall they would touch the heavens scattered the land as far as the eye could see. Lights that seemingly come from nothing, as you see from Garlemald – but in all colors, shapes and sizes, that illuminated the horizon. And the ships. Ships of luminous metal that could not only sail the waters, but the sky itself. Even those that could sail above the sky, to mimic the moon’s journey around our planet. I could not hope to convince anyone unless they saw it themselves. We are seeing it from their eyes. From their time. And I think when I am floating in that darkness, it is where I am to go. Where I must go in order to understand. To be able to understand them… and their story. That is what I think it means, at least.â€
He fell silent as he continued to examine her bruised and battered hand. “We all get those dreams. Me, my partners. Now you. But you’re not alone. I see the difference, y’know. I see the lack of rest in your eyes. I can tell these dreams trouble you so. Don’t let it. They are not malicious if you don’t let them be. I have not lost much sleep. Some, but not much. Actually the less you allow it to trouble you, the sharper the dreams become. If you do that, you’ll sleep well. Besides… there are no words to describe how breathtaking it can be to see it. To see that world.â€
He exhaled one long, slow breath through his nose. His right hand inched ever closer to that injured left hand. He said nothing, he just… didn’t want to do anything wrong. He rested his fingers incredibly lightly up against the palm of her hand from underneath, not wanting to hurt her. They were warm, despite still being a bit wet from his earlier duties and gripping the mainmast pole as he did. His thumb gently rested itself right behind the knuckle of her index finger. He very carefully manipulated the hand to tilt a bit, eyeing the bruising and the extent of the injury in her bone. He could feel the pulse emitting from that hand. It made him feel a kind of life coming from her that he could not see from the look in her eyes.
“It’s suffocating. It needs air. At least for a little while.†He quietly mentioned, his thumb subconsciously moving a little horizontally across her skin, a little more towards her thumb. He used his index finger that rested under her hand to softly tilt it a bit back to have a better view of her severed finger. “The bone – I would maybe see Forty-three. He mentioned pursuing a physician career. He could probably… help straighten it out. It would hurt, yes, but the bone would need to be straightened out to heal properly… or… “
His words lagged a little, as it was beginning to dawn on him that he was no longer looking at the hand, but at Sounsyy herself. If Ryanti had thoughts in a hypothetical situation, he was either running out of them or his thoughts were running away from him. “… something.â€