He could see a few faint stars out on the distant horizon from where he sat at the small, cramped writing desk; the thing had seen better days, battered from ill-use by students and drunkards for summers on end, and it wobbled a bit when Howl tried to write, but it was enough for this. He'd spent all afternoon in travel on the airship, and his back ached, his shoulders ached; but no matter how exhaustion gnawed at the backs of his eyes, he couldn't sleep until he had written this letter: a letter for Warren on his wedding day.
Howl had given him his wedding present already:Â Howl's own absence from the festivities.
Slowly, he dipped his pen in the inkwell, and began to write; he self-imposed a restriction not to scratch anything out.
Morning Warren,
If all's well, this'll get to you a good few bells before you need to head out to the Sanctum of the Twelve for your bonding. I doubt I'm the first to congratulate you, but I wanted to make sure you had something from me today. First off, many congratulations to you and to Snow. I wish you years upon years of happiness together, though you don't need my wishes to make that true.
Remember when we first met? Today ain't about me, of course, but she was there with us that day in a way. You were crying, and I ain't seen you cry but once or twice since, even with all the shit we've been through. I knew you had to be crying over a woman. It's always over someone we love, when we cry like that. A man's got a pain tolerance, you know. When I saw her for the first time, I thought, "Hey, she's pretty. I can see why he's crazy about her." Then as stuff happened, events kinda got away from both of us, and sometimes it felt like the whole world revolved around someone who wasn't there.
I ain't writing any of this to make you feel guilty, you know. That ain't what this is about. It's to say that even then, she was there with us, and I got to know her through you.
She's a pretty scary girl, your bride, but when I chased her to Coerthas, I was willing to die for her if need me. I always called her "your girl," which pissed you off something good, but you told me you'd be in the hells forever without her. And I promised I'd bring you out somehow. Ha, we were pretty big dumbasses at the time, weren't we? I learned you can't sacrifice yourself to try and bring someone you care about happiness. And I think you've learned that there's many ways out of the hells. But for you, yeah, I think she was always a part of not being in them. A future without her, for you, was the hells.
That's why today was kind of meant to be, you know? The more I got to know both of you, the more I saw that even when you were apart, even when you were as far apart as people could be and still be in Eorzea together, you were bound together by more than just past times. I always had a feeling fate or whatever would bring you back together.
I guess this was all a really roundabout way of saying: I'm so damn happy for you, Warren. Today is special. Enjoy it. Savor each and every moment. We did it. We made it out together.
Yours affectionately,
Howl
He paused, staring down at the letter, then added a quick postscript:
PS:
Used to, I thought on this day, I'd move out and my wedding present to you would be to kick out the freeloading Seeker who's squatted on your property the past year or so hence, but sorry, you're going to have to deal with me crashing the newlywad pad! Someone's gotta keep that place stocked in booze, because the gods know she drinks near as much as you do.
He dashed sand quickly over the ink, sealed it, and hurried outside to drop it in the postbox before he could think too hard on a single word. The south tugged at him, murmuring that his loved ones were there, but he tried to block out that faint urging. It was time to be alone for a while. Warren deserved it.
Howl had given him his wedding present already:Â Howl's own absence from the festivities.
Slowly, he dipped his pen in the inkwell, and began to write; he self-imposed a restriction not to scratch anything out.
Morning Warren,
If all's well, this'll get to you a good few bells before you need to head out to the Sanctum of the Twelve for your bonding. I doubt I'm the first to congratulate you, but I wanted to make sure you had something from me today. First off, many congratulations to you and to Snow. I wish you years upon years of happiness together, though you don't need my wishes to make that true.
Remember when we first met? Today ain't about me, of course, but she was there with us that day in a way. You were crying, and I ain't seen you cry but once or twice since, even with all the shit we've been through. I knew you had to be crying over a woman. It's always over someone we love, when we cry like that. A man's got a pain tolerance, you know. When I saw her for the first time, I thought, "Hey, she's pretty. I can see why he's crazy about her." Then as stuff happened, events kinda got away from both of us, and sometimes it felt like the whole world revolved around someone who wasn't there.
I ain't writing any of this to make you feel guilty, you know. That ain't what this is about. It's to say that even then, she was there with us, and I got to know her through you.
She's a pretty scary girl, your bride, but when I chased her to Coerthas, I was willing to die for her if need me. I always called her "your girl," which pissed you off something good, but you told me you'd be in the hells forever without her. And I promised I'd bring you out somehow. Ha, we were pretty big dumbasses at the time, weren't we? I learned you can't sacrifice yourself to try and bring someone you care about happiness. And I think you've learned that there's many ways out of the hells. But for you, yeah, I think she was always a part of not being in them. A future without her, for you, was the hells.
That's why today was kind of meant to be, you know? The more I got to know both of you, the more I saw that even when you were apart, even when you were as far apart as people could be and still be in Eorzea together, you were bound together by more than just past times. I always had a feeling fate or whatever would bring you back together.
I guess this was all a really roundabout way of saying: I'm so damn happy for you, Warren. Today is special. Enjoy it. Savor each and every moment. We did it. We made it out together.
Yours affectionately,
Howl
He paused, staring down at the letter, then added a quick postscript:
PS:
Used to, I thought on this day, I'd move out and my wedding present to you would be to kick out the freeloading Seeker who's squatted on your property the past year or so hence, but sorry, you're going to have to deal with me crashing the newlywad pad! Someone's gotta keep that place stocked in booze, because the gods know she drinks near as much as you do.
He dashed sand quickly over the ink, sealed it, and hurried outside to drop it in the postbox before he could think too hard on a single word. The south tugged at him, murmuring that his loved ones were there, but he tried to block out that faint urging. It was time to be alone for a while. Warren deserved it.
People have forgotten this truth. But you mustn't forget it. You become responsible forever for what you have tamed.
Howl's Wiki
Howl's Wiki
