The end of the winter is drawing near. The Doll Festival preparations came and went, and the day itself is almost gone now. Time generally passes slowly during the winters, but the feastdays go by fast. This year's Doll Festival we spent in Windurst, and it was certainly surprising, but not in a good way. I started thinking about the nature of the day. It is, after all a festival for girls, so I asked Kii Kalira if she wouldn't rather spend it with her sister. The answer I received was that her sister died some time before I arrived to Windurst last year. I have to admit to being more than a little surprised. She hadn't said a word to me of it before, and although she certainly doesn't need to, it still leaves me wondering. Why wouldn't she mention something like this? She must have been devastated by her loss when I so presumingly whisked her away from Windurst along with me. I wonder if this loss doesn't explain some of the differences I've noticed from how she was before.
I am not sure why, but she bought me a Windurst-made bonbori lantern some time after. I had been admiring them, but that doesn't mean she would have to buy one for me. I have to confess to being confused.
Earlier in the day I met a strange mithra. It isn't entirely polite to say so, but for some reason I seem to meet many of them. This one told me to fetch her a suitable stone for Rarab's Tail hostelry's famous pickles. It is strange though, she didn't appear to be working for the establishment herself. So why...? Windurst is certainly a laid-back place.
It has been quite some time since the old man Balasiel gave me the task of retrieving stalactite dew from Ordelle. When Kii Kalira received the exact same request from him on the day before Valentione's, my interest was peaked. I had looked into the matter previously and discovered that there are several restrictions on obtaining the dew, but had not discovered how to in fact do so, the matter had slipped my mind. However, with additional incentive I now managed to track down a person who knew how to do this feat. Such a simple matter, yet confounding to one who does not know to do so.
Armed with this information, we headed out to La Theine Plateau, beneath which Ordelle's Caves lie. I have briefly visited the caves before, while participating in a San d'Orian rescue mission drill, although I do not think I wrote about it. I had more important matters to think about at the moment. Nevertheless, I did not venture too far in that time. Now our task brought us deep into the belly of the caves, and it was more beautiful than I ever imagined. The stone in the caves is light in color and smooth to touch, and the water is unexpectedly clear. Due to the many bats in the caves we had to keep casting Sneak and Invisible so as not to gain the attention of too many for us to handle. As such, the journey down was largely uneventful, and left us with plenty of time to admire the natural beauty of the place.
Having reached the particular cave we were aiming at, we were dazzled by the sight before us. The water in the cave, for some reason I could not fathom, sparkled with light. It also seemed to be the habitat of a kind of crab, although they left us alone on our task. And well so, for that was the place where stalactite dew could be gathered safely. We took some and headed back out. I hope we will return some time. It is truly a miracle to behold.
Upon our return to San d'Oria and Balasiel, I was surprised to be awarded the rank of a squire. Who knew this frail-looking old man was actually a high-ranking official in the San d'Orian army? I do not think Kii Kalira liked this surprise too much. She kept snapping at me the whole day. It was strangely endearing.
It has been some time since I last wrote in this journal. Despite the clouding thoughts of the Shadow Lord's return, nothing out of the usual has happened as far as I know. It is unnerving, having to just wait. Altana give us strength in this ordeal.
It is now the morning after Valentione's Day. The day went well, all things considering, although I must once again wonder about Kii Kalira's recent small oddities. She has always given me my favorite dark chocolate before. This year, she gave me an assortment of store-bought chocolates. Perhaps she was too busy to make them herself? I certainly hope it is not an indication of anything else. Nevertheless, I am glad she remembered me on this day.
Quite as usual, the Mog House Management Union had come up with a plan to enliven the feast day, once again asking adventurers to help. We ended up matching and delivering chocolates all over San d'Oria. I suppose it was fun in its own way, although I very much doubt how useful such an exchange of chocolates is. Moogle magic is known to be somewhat quirky - and even if it wasn't, isn't it better to find a love without such tricks?
The Shadow Lord..could it really be? He's returning? I...let me start from the beginning.
Our mission in Bastok turned out to be of more dire importance than anyone could imagine. I and Kii Kalira, as representatives of Bastok's allies, both received orders to cooperate in investigating word of the Quadav of Palborough Mines planning something not very pleasant. When we arrived to the scene we found an ahriman and a dragon in a fight with the Mythril Musketeer Ayame. To our horror she got attacked by the dragon just as we arrived, and fell.
It was chaotic. I never imagined we would have to go against opponents of such strength on such a short notice. Although I do suppose that's how you always end up in these situations - suddenly, with hardly any time to prepare. This certainly caught us off-guard, but we managed to defeat them both. I still do not know quite how.
After the battle, a person appeared. Lion by name, a young Hume woman. It turns out both of us had met her before - I did not mention it, but she was at the San d'Orian consulate of Windurst when I completed my previous mission. She recognized the dragon as a beast from the sealed Northlands, which prompted the ahriman to tell us that the beastmen are working on bringing the Shadow Lord back. Having mocked us for being so blind as to not have seen it, it died. We rushed to lady Ayame, and were relieved to find her regaining consciousness shortly after.
The situation is grave. When setting out, I certainly did not expect to be involved in something like this. Maybe I hoped for grand adventures, but certainly nothing of this magnitude. Preparing a way for the Shadow Lord to return..! We reported back to our consulates in Bastok. I will shortly leave for San d'Oria to bring back my report, and Kii Kalira will go to Windurst for the same reason.
Even with all this, I am uneasy leaving her side, and not only for her safety on the journey back. I would wish to have her by my side in this. I know we will see each other soon again, but even so.
First day of the new year. May it be as event-filled as the last one.
Although I am not entirely certain I should be hoping for that. I...I am confused. While Kii Kalira did seem to be cheered up by our visit to Jeuno, I certainly did not expect her to kiss me. Ah, there you have it. I can barely write it down, my head becomes so filled with thoughts of her I simply cannot coordinate my hands enough. I'm afraid I'm taking it too far. While she is sweet, and Endahren especially has mistaken the situation - quite permanently it seems - in reality I cannot recall any instance where she would hint about something more. It was just a new year's kiss, that is all.
I must take my mind off this matter.
We will be going to Bastok soon again. With the festival season over, we must retain our duties. The both of us have been ordered to make a visit to the capital as a continuation to a display of mutual willingness to help other nations. It is quite convenient that we would both receive such orders at the same time, although I suppose convenience should have nothing to do with it. It is a matter of political importance to keep good relations with your neighbors, and our missions are just small examples of that.
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