Zef - Sharlayan Dropout

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Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Jun 8

I miss them so, so much 😭❤️ Some shots from 'Reunion', which I will one day eventually remaster with added fluids and upload here. One day🙏 #zefraha #zefspice

In a lamplit room in Radz-at-Han we find Zefiris and G'raha on the night of their reunion after her return from the Thirteenth - weeks had passed for her, but months for him. Already naked, they pull one another into a passionate, desperate kiss - Zefiris sits on the edge of the bed, G'raha standing before her, moving to straddle her. His tail wraps her arm tightly as the pulls him towards her; his thumb traces her cheek, fingers finding the sensitive tip of her ear; his straining erection resting between her breasts as they lose themselves in one another at last.

Zefiris sprawls on her side, G'raha tight at her back, thrusting slowly from behind while reaching around to stroke her gently. His other arm wraps her shoulders, pulling her close, teasing her breasts. His face is buried in the curve of her neck, renewing the marks there left too long unattended. She gasps in ragged ecstasy, overwhelmed.

The pair sit up, facing one another, peppering butterfly kisses and murmured adoration against one another lips. Pale dawn light streams through the window, but they are far from done: Zefiris takes his cock in hand, stroking it against her stomach, teasing the tip with her thumb, and G'raha moans in surrender against her cheek.

Later still, Zefiris sits insistently astride G'raha, who sits upright, propped up by his tail, but quite at the limits of his stamina. Mind willing but flesh weak, he holds her close, and buries his face between her breasts, blowing raspberries against her skin in an exhausted plea for mercy. She laughs, conceding he has more than earned a rest.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Jun 4

part of it to survive the journey - otherwise why not take along some Ironworks folk to help? The dialogue after the Twinning (in English anyway, i'd be curious about the JP translation!) seemed to back that up imo, and even though EEIII seemed to have changed things up I've kept this as my hc.

Twinning post-quest dialogue:

<bzzzt> ...has come to carry out our plan. This will be my last recording. With the tower activated and the temporal displacement apparatus online, all that remains is to throw the switch. And pray.

I'm sorry, I truly am. I wish there was another way.

But you are our best chance of success. Our only hope. Your gift will allow you to become one with the tower and survive the journey through time and space. Were our technology as advanced as that of the Allagans, perhaps we could've gone with you.

Alas, it was not to be. But when you are finally reunited, all of the hardship, all of the sacrifice will've been worth it, I'm sure.

Just promise me you'll spare a thought for those you leave behind. And we'll be thinking of you, too, for as long as this world lasts, though I fear it will not be for much longer.

This is Biggs, third of his name, eighteenth president of Garlond Ironworks, signing off. May the Twelve be at your side, G'raha Tia. <bzzzt>

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· May 3

#ReshareYourWriting 1: From the Beginning 'Triptych' was the first fic I posted to ao3 - three linked tales from the perspective of some familiar Crystarium denizens, following their Exarch's return. Gen, 8.3k 🔗 archiveofourown.org/works/46222519 #zeffic #wolgraha #ffxivwriters #ffxivfanfic

A title card, showing a long shot of the Crystarium under a night sky.

'Triptych'
I. Homecoming
2. Veracity
3. Break a Leg
Three tales from the Crystarium, on the Scion's return from the Tempest.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Apr 10

CW dental stuff and I mean it, please don't read if you have any anxiety about this stuff at all 🙏 Also bsky give me some relevant labels ffs.

It did not go super smoothly. I have no complaints about the dentist - he was very professional and though it was my first time seeing him I know other people he's looked after really well. But the poor guy was pulling and hauling and twisting and yanking for about twenty minutes trying to get this tooth out, and obviously beginning to lose his cool a bit as time went on because he'd loosened it, but couldn't see any reason at all why it wouldn't just pop out.

My brain had two options and luckily it chose 'anxiety brain goes calm in actual crisis' rather than 'hyperventilate and shit yourself', so I was just lying there in observation mode thinking 'Wow this is violent, sucks to be you in that chair' which I think was the best case scenario. It was genuinely like the worst nightmare cartoon version of a tooth removal you can picture.

Eventually we got there and found the reason. There was a little spur near the very root of the tooth that hadn't shown up on the xrays because of the rotation, and the best (and most body horror appropriate) way I can describe it is: If you can imagine that this tooth had a tiny little hand growing out of it very near the tip of the root, and that little hand was latched on to my jawbone with the grip of the gods screaming 'no fuck off I'm not going anywhere,' that's pretty close.

Anyway it's done now, I feel like I've had my head kicked in (fair tbh) and my life now revolves around NOT DISTURBING THE CLOT but that's fine. I go back in three months for a scan then we see about an implant, so I'll do my best to heal and embrace Toothless Crone Summer in the meantime!

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Mar 19

Losing him almost destroys her. She has a complete breakdown, and spends most of SB trying to get herself killed - she would take care of it, but what little self remains to her regards that as a betrayal of the Scions that she can't accept. So she neglects herself, throws herself into danger...

Zefiris and Haurchefant at the Vault; they run up the cathedral stairs together, side by side. Sunset light streams through the tall windows, illuminating everything in gold. He looks to her as they run, and she him - smiling despite the circumstances, as though there is nothing they cannot do together. Alphinaud and Rivienne, a comrade of Zef's from her Flames squadron, bring up the rear.

Years later, Zefiris sits in front of Haurchefant's grave, under a clear night sky. She looks down; her guilt-riddled expression framed by the gaping hole in the shield before her.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Mar 19

confronted with a contradiction that short-circuits her perceptions. 'He says he thinks me beautiful. He does not lie. So it can’t be a lie, or a trick, or a joke at my expense - it must be true somehow.' If her inexperience catches him off guard, he doesn’t let it show for a beat. When he...

Zefiris and Haurchefant, mostly undressed, sit close together in front of the fire in the inn room of the Seventh Heaven, a blanket strewn behind them.

Limned by firelight, Zefiris looks at Haurchefant with a fragile, beautiful smile.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Mar 19

Why she’s telling him things about herself she’s never told anyone. Why she’s leaning in when he reaches out to her, ready to catch her if she breaks and falls. Zef had spent her whole life so convinced of her own undesirability that she barely afforded it a conscious thought anymore - none of that

Moments later, in the Manor hallway, the two stand locked in an embrace, passions barely leashed. Zefiris gazes up at Haurchefant, fascinated, and reaches up to stroke his cheek, burying her fingers in his hair - she has never been this close to anyone before. He looks down at her, holding her close - but waiting for her to move first.

Throwing her arms around his neck, she kisses him, a little awkward - but with that permission given he leans in and leads her. He lifts her to perch on a table; she wraps a leg around him, pulling him close.

Holding her tight against him, Haurche buries his face against her neck; Zefiris, her eyes closed in abandon, clings to him in complete surrender.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Mar 19

Huddled in a chair by the fire at Fortemps Manor, drinking wine she doesn't like, she’s lost & nursing misery, when Haurchefant comes to keep her company - this man who's easier to talk to than anyone she's ever met. And soon she's not sure why she's smiling, when all her thoughts were melancholy.

The greatroom of Fortemps Manor is dimly lit - Zefiris sits on the couch by the fire, a wine glass on the floor at her feet. Haurchefant kneels before her, taking his hands in her own.

He looks up at her, his expression gentle and open, as one bearing their heart.

Zefiris looks back at him searchingly, with the expression of one who can't quite believe what she hears - or desperately wants to, but fears some trick or trap - but the furrow of disbelief across her brow trembles on the edge of breaking.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Mar 19

Tataru was also instrumental in helping G’raha craft the scythe he gifted to Zef on her return from the Thirteenth - as much of her love went into it as his.

Excerpt from the VN 'Weapon'.

Pearl Lane in Ul'dah. it is night, and G'raha crouches with Tataru behind piled crates, just out of line of sight pf a dimly lit doorway where a single guard stands watch.

Tataru: 'All right, G'raha, this is the place.'

G'raha Tia: 'What now, then?'

Excerpt from the VN 'Weapon'

Tataru, hand on hip, smiles as she challenges G'raha.

Tataru:'Now you get to show me some of the vaunted rhetorical skills of the Crystal Exarch, a hundred years in the making!'

G'raha Tia: 'Ah...did...did no-one speak to you of the last time I attempted a similar task, Tataru?'

Excerpt from the VN 'Weapon'

G'raha Tia: 'The materials came from the Tower, as with my own staff, and the necklace you wear. We went among the guilds for their aid and expertise...'

Another flashback - this time, G'raha and Tataru stand in the blacksmith's guild in Limsa, consulting with Brithael. Tataru is dressed for the forge, her arms wide for emphasis as she explains their requirements; Brithael is poised, chin resting on hand as he listens attentively.

Planting her hands on her hips, Tataru looks up at the guildmaster questioningly.

Tataru: 'I've worked crystal before, but not to this scale, and it's very, very important that we get this right...what do you say?'

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Mar 19

Tataru shows her love through countless acts of service that often leave Zef shamed by her inability to repay them - and gives her a sense of home that she never knew before.

Excerpt from the VN 'Abjuration - Return'

Panel 1:

In teh hallway of the Rising Stones, Tataru smiles joyously at the new arrival, arms outstretched in welcome.

Tataru: 'Welcome home!'

Panel 2:
It is, of course, Zefiris - still carrying her pack, she walks to meet Tataru with a smile, arms outstretched.

Tataru: 'Ohhh, we've missed you - you've been gone for ages!'

Excerpt from the VN 'Abjuration - Return'

Panel 3

Zefiris' smile is wide and genuine - for a moment her relief at being back - at seeing Tataru, who has been her anchor for longer than any of the others - outweighs any hesitancy she might have, even if the suggestion that she belongs there is still something she needs to remind herself of.

Zefiris: 'I've missed you, too. It's good to be back—to be home.'

Panel 4

Zefiris kneels to embrace Tataru, who takes the opportunity of a slightly more level playing field with the elezen to chastise her.

Tataru: 'Now listen here - the next time you decide to take yourself off for so long, you leave your linkpearl on, understood?'

Zefiris smiles warmly down at Tataru, happy to take the criticism - warmed by it, even.

Zefiris: 'I...I will. I didn't mean to worry you...didn't think you would be.'

Tataru: 'Of course you didn't. You never learn!'

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Mar 19

Tataru was the first person among the Scions Zef came to fully trust, and remains her closest friend, and advisor on all things social - and especially sartorial! For Tataru’s s part, what started as fulfilling a promise to Minfilia - to be the friend to Zef that she felt she couldn't - grew...

Zefiris and Tataru, back in the Rising Stones after the events of Shadowbringers. Zef sports the loose side-braid we are most familiar with, and appears at ease, smiling at someone off-camera. Tataru, watching, regards her fondly.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Mar 19

And though she doesn’t hang it, she doesn’t hide it away in a closet either - it sits out of the way, propped against a wall, mostly-but-not-quite out of sight. The first step on a long journey that she couldn’t have made without Alphinaud’s help.

Zefiris turns back to Alphinaud. Over his shoulder, we see her settle herself, firm her posture, and turn her eyes up to an imaginary horizon as she imagines one should for a heroic portrait. Her cheeks are still red, but burning a little less brightly now, as she finds her resolve.

Zefiris: 'Go on then, Alphie, have at it - though I'm sure I'll shrivel your canvas.'

Zefiris holds her pose - a little stiff, a little awkward, but looking ahead steadily. Zefiris: 'I trust you.'

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Mar 19

deep-rooted insecurities, and ask if she’ll consider sitting for a portrait. Ordinarily she would have found the idea abhorrent and assumed she was being mocked - but in a huge step for her, she allows Alphie to paint her, putting her trust in him at her most vulnerable.

A condensed version of 'Burning', a VN from 2024.

Panel 1:

The scene shows the large private room of Zefiris and G'raha's home in Ishgard - tall windows, dark wood floors, towering bookcases and piles of books all around. Zefiris, looking unhappy, sits facing G’raha, and the thus-far silent artist perched on a stool at a canvas - Alphinaud, of course.

G’raha: [‘Come, my dear, you’re doing wonderfully…'] ‘...and you have my eternal gratitude for humouring me in this.’

Panel 2:

G’raha:...as do you, Alphinaud - your peerless talents aside, I know I could not fave convinced her to sit for anyone but you.’

The two regard Zefiris encouragingly. The stock of her scythe, held in front of her, seems just a little defensive.

Panel 3:
Zefiris, in close up, remains red-faced and unimpressed, tight-lipped and staring forward blankly - anxious, for all she tries to conceal it, with a deadpan ‘I’m not sure I am convinced.’

Panel 4:

From behind the canvas, Alphinaud offers encouragement. Alphinaud: ‘I promise you, my friend, I will be truthful as my eyes allow.’

Panel 5:

Sincere and confident, his eyes kind, Alphinaud goes on: ‘You need fear no false flattery. And none need ever see the finished work, if that is your wish. It is for you and you alone.’

[G'raha offers further encouragement, telling her: '‘Please, Zefiris. You have come this far. Trust us. Whatever truth it is you find in a mirror - let us show you ours.’ Though her cheeks still burn, she manages a small smile for him, and what he’s trying to do.]

Panel 6:
Looking up with a smile small but determined, Zefiris says quietly: '...all right.' It's becoming something of a new mantra for her.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Mar 18

Every morning, when his people let him out, he comes directly to our back door and yowls until he gets in to lounge on our couch for three hours, until he goes back home for lunch (his people know and are completely fine with this, dw 😅) Not our cat but he still runs our lives! 😂

The crustiest photo ever taken of the same cat curled up on what is now his blanket on our couch.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Mar 18

Waaah happy birthday Bina! 🥳❤️ I hope you're having an awesome day! This is Hamcat. He is a crusty old gentleman of 19 who is deaf and completely done with everyone's shit. Hamcat is also not our cat 😅 He lives two doors down, and to his actual family he's called Gizmo.

A very old and wizened black and white cat.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Mar 18

...as Zefiris ferries letters across the rift between Lyna and G’raha - the first of which was instrumental to G’raha’s recovery in 5.3, and in all truth probably saved his life. And at journey’s end, it’s Lyna to whom Zef entrusts her legacy, before she exits the stage at last.

Excerpt from the VN 'Coda'.

Panel 1: A much older Zefiris, white-haired and dressed in her Traveller's robes, gazes off into the middle distance, framed by the Tower doors. Her expression is prophetic, with the barest hint of a smile. Zefiris: I believe that henceforth, the Traveller shall ever find their way to the Crystal Tower.

Panel 2: Her eyes are fixed and certain. Zefiris: From whatever land in Source or Shard they hail, in whatever time they come, they shall be drawn here.

Panel 3: Zefiris looks down with a smile at a shining crystal in her hand. Zefiris: So I bid the people of the Crystarium ward this crystal, until the next Traveller returns to claim it.

Panel 4: The constellation crystal, vivid orange as a solar flare, rests in her outstretched palm. Zefiris: They will not know themselves, nor why they have come - but you will recognise them, I think.

Panel 5: Lyna snaps into the Crystarium salute as she makes her vow. Lyna: Their deeds shall be their proof. Yes, my friend; we will know them, when they come.

Panel 6: Lyna watches Zefiris go, smiling gently, the colours of the Crystarium vivid about her.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Mar 17

Krile and Zef are very close. In my hc, Krile can't 'hear' Zef with her Echo at all - Zef's own ability cancels it out. Like Minfilia before her, Zef's 'quietness' is what opened the way to their being friends in the first place - and for Zef's part, she finds Krile a calming presence...

Outside the Rising Stones, Krile reaches out to Zefiris, who kneels on the stairs to embrace her friend as Kokapetl, her chocobo, looks on.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Mar 13

Behold an absolutely adorable bundle of zefraha from @aguichart.bsky.social! They just make me melt 🥹 Thank you so much Agui! ❤️ #zefraha #zefirisart

Zef and G'raha by @aguichart.bsky.social. Zef is seated with a reclining G'raha's head in her lap; she looks down at him fondly, stroking his hair as he smiles in drowsy contentment.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Feb 26

I would love to do this as a little brain/writing warmup over the weekend if anyone would like to leave an ask! I miss talking about her 🥹 #zeflore

'Give me an NPC and I'll tell you their relation to my OC'

A portrait image of Zefiris on an evening in Ul'dah, back where she started; she looks off-camera, thoughtful.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Feb 11

The blush is so integral it even gets a ref sheet jumpscare 😅

A reference shot of Zef facing forward, blushing, alarmed and embarrassed.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Feb 11

*opens wallet, a million blushing Zefs fall out* #zeflore

A scene in Ul'dah. G'raha kneels with instant camera in hand. Overlaid are three snapshots he takes of Zefiris: in the first, she opens her eyes just a little, catching sight of him; in the second, she starts upright, dismayed, her eyes wide and a dark blush spreading across her cheeks as she protests; in the third, she raises one hand to block the camera, the other to cover her face - but she smiles at him despite her instinctive shyness.

Zef, unusually dressed in full plate, blushes and yelps in surprise as G'raha grabs her by the hand and drags her off to get her out of it, post haste.

Zefiris and G'raha, skinnydipping in Longmirror lake, their first 'date' away from the Crystarium. G'raha, surprised at her behaviour, flirts: 'So bold. Have you been possessed by some siren of the Fuath, perhaps?' Flushed at the sight of him, she replies: 'The only thing I've been possessed by is you.'

Zefiris and G'raha taking a moment's indulgence in the greenhouse on the Island. Flushed, she perches on the edge of a raised bed, looking down at G'raha; he kneels on the ground before her, nestled between her thighs with her leg slung over his shoulder. He looks up at her as though awaiting permission.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Feb 1

When making things I jump around on the timeline, but for organisation purposes everything is sorted for msq chronology, and some extras for AU's, etc. Big projects or current WiPs get their own folders to be sorted later. I take a lot of shots and cherrypick, but I never delete anything, so, eh...😅

A screenshot showing several folders organised primarily chronologically from ARR onwards, and some additional folders for AU's, References, etc.

A screenshot showing the frankly absurd size of my gpose folder.

Size: 129 GB
Contains: 29,130 Files 1,314 folders

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Jan 27

I've written a thread about this before from the contraceptive perspective before that I'll link below - but std's aren't something Zef ever really comes up against, being profoundly demi and only having had two partners. Howeverrr she's not without some experience of the downsides... #zeflore 🧵⬇️

A snippet from the long-neglected heatfic:

Among the supplies Y'shtola has given her are several vials of concentrated winterberry tinctures; she drinks one down, and then a second for good measure, praying that they might be sufficient to stave off the bridesblight she knows she is courting. Her first experience with it had been born of ignorance, and it is not one she wishes to repeat - Chessamile's admonishments still vivid in her mind, leaving her cringing inwardly whenever she thinks of them.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Jan 24

Am I too late is it still smooch your catboy day Of course it is #zefraha

Zefiris and G'raha share their first kiss in the Pendants.

Zef and G'raha in the greenhouse on their Island; it is a bright summer day, and both are dressed is tanktops and workwear befitting their task among the verdant flowers - a task currently going ignored as they embrace, G'raha leaning in to kiss her. Unresisting, she traces her thumb across the plush softness of his lower lip, whispering low provocations. She gently pulls down with her thumb, exposing his teeth as she leans in with slow relish to claim her prize.

Zefiris has just returned from her first foray back to the Source, and unceremoniously materialised midair in the place with which she has become most familiar - G'raha's chambers in the Tower. The two of them sit on the floor, surrounded by piles of books that served to cushion her landing. G'raha is settled on his knees, caged between her legs she sits up, leaning back on her free hand. He leans in and kisses her passionately, tail whipping at his side as he cradles her head. Zefiris' hand slips down his back, bunching in the sashes of his robes.

Zefiris and G'raha on a plant-foraging expedition on the Island. As she kneels amongst the foliage talking at length about thw various properties of the plants before them, he is entranced by her enthusiasm for her subject, and as soon as she pauses he tilts her head up to capture her in a kiss.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Jan 24

Eventually mollified, Feo Ul conjured them a pair of fae bands to mark their bond. For G’raha, small flowers of blue and pale grey on a living band of storm-silvered green; For Zef, tiny clusters of red petals shot through with black, blue petals chased with gold.

An image showing a representation of the fae bands - tiny flowered bracelets. G'raha wears his on his right wrist, blue and silver and grey; Zefiris wears hers on the right - red and black, blue and gold.

Hands linked, they look toward the horizon together.

From a later fic:

Now he reached out his hand to hers, running his thumb gently across the vinewoven fae bracelet around her left wrist - a match for his own, and a mark of their promise, its tiny flowers vibrant and fresh as the day Feo Ul conjured them. She shivered under the slow caress - and then she smiled, a small thing at first, shy and fragile and impossibly dear as she turned her hand in his to mirror his gesture, fingertips tracing the tiny delicate blossoms of silver and blue and grey that decorated his own band.

‘Unbreakable as adamant, immaculate in the face o' time or duress - never to fade, so long as yer hearts sing together, all aligned. A wee pinch of your very souls I've woven in those bands, my saplings, so mind and look to them for truth should you find yer path uncertain.'

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Jan 24

'Sguir dheth! Unhand my sapling! The absolute flaming cheek of it! Where's yer offering, eh? Eh? Ye dare ask my precious sapling tae pledge her heairt tae you and you alone, and bring her nothing? Not so much as a token? Did ye leave all yer brains in yer body o' crystal?'

G'raha would never forget the way she looked back at him in that moment - as if, for all her teasing, she'd taken all of this for a dream until that confirmation; the realisation only coming as her heart swelled at his words, the tears spilled down her cheeks, and her conscious mind caught up with her body. Her free hand habitually rose to cover her mouth, hiding the bright, artless smile that she hated so for its crookedness, and that he loved to see more than anything else in all the world - but she caught the gesture, and chose in this moment not to hide, settling for biting her lip with awkward delight as she leaned in close to him and began: 'Then I acc-'

Like a stray firework, orange fire bloomed suddenly between them, a shriek of rage tearing itself out of noting before bursting fully into existence.

'Sguir! Unhand my sapling, ruadh bloody eejit!'

They jerked back and away from each other, reaching instinctively for weapons neither carried; in so doing, G’raha slipped off the stack of crates and skidded down against them, landing hard on his backside with an indignant yelp. He had no time to recover his dignity before being assailed by a face full of enraged pixie.

‘Feo Ul! How-wicked white, ow- what are you - ow!’

Characteristically uninterested in explaining themselves, Feo Ul - in a slightly more diminutive form than either of them were accustomed to seeing on the First - was intent only on batting at his head with their claws, pulling his hair, behaving like the very worst of their brethren.

Zefiris, despite herself, burst out laughing.

Illustration - Mere seconds after his declaration, before Zefiris has a chance to respond, Feo Ul tears themselves into existence like a firework in the dark between them, setting upon G'raha furiously.

Illustration - G'raha shrinks back in alarm as Feo Ul chastises him for his audacity and shoddy performance, daring to ask such a thing of their Sapling without permission, or even so much as a token or gift to pledge himself by.

G'raha slips off the crates, falling flat on his arse on the ground, but Feo Ul grants no respire, seizing his ear and pulling furiously. In the background, Zefiris is doubled over laughing.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Jan 24

'G'raha Tia. Are you proposing to me?' 'Well, ah...I mean...we needn't...what I mean to say is...I don't believe either of us to be invested in any specific tradition or other, but in the sense of...in the spirit of the thing, then...then yes, that is precisely what I'm doing.'

‘I promise…oh, gods...’ All unbidden, cold fire rushed up his spine; G'raha wavered, ever-traitorous ears fluttering in sharp distress as the weight of his intended words struck him dizzy. You must do this now, you must...but wicked white, what if - what if she...

Then there it was: the faintest pressure of her hand on his, warm and steadying - understanding. Her touch recalled him to the moment, as it had so many times before; in the dark, with the weight of a century's fears clawing at his back. With a long, slow breath, G'raha mastered himself. Pressing on, the words came ever easier, ever bolder; inevitable, right.

‘I promise to share in your burdens, just as I said I would, however grand or insignificant. I promise that wheresoever you may be or what might stand between us, I will come to you when you call; and if ever you are lost, I will find you. I promise to love you, always, and keep faith with you for the rest of my days, wherever our paths lead us. I promise you…if you’ll allow it.’

There was no fear in the silence that followed; only gentleness, and hope, and love, holding them poised until she broke the spell with the invocation of his name.

(Continued in next image)

‘G’raha Tia.’ Her argent eyes were huge, tear-bright as they met his; but her voice was low and mirthful. ‘Are you proposing to me?’

(An illustration showing Zefiris looking at G'raha as she speaks, blushing.)

Having carried him despite himself through his declaration, G'raha's words failed him in the face of her blunt inquiry, and he flushed darkly, unsure of how to meet her teasing - or even if it were so.

‘Well, ah...I mean...we needn’t...what I mean to say is...well, I don’t believe either of us to be particularly invested in any specific tradition or other, but...’ Fidgeting furiously with his bracers, he stumbled onwards, all sonorous grace fled. ‘But in the sense of, ah...in the spirit of the thing, then...oh...’

(An illustration showing G'raha withdrawing his hands from Zefiris', and fidgeting awkwardly, rubbing at his wrists, shy and agitated.)

Half growling, exasperated at his own clumsiness, he stopped silent, paused, and gusted a heavy breath before nodding firmly.

‘Then yes, that is precisely what I’m doing.’ From behind the russet curtain of his hair, he looked up at her with eyes near defiant, sanguine and shy.

(An illustration showing G'raha as he finds his courage and looks up at Zefiris almost defiantly as he makes his proposal.)

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Jan 24

G'raha first proposed to Zef the night before the Scions parted after EW; a promise to bind them as his path took him back to Sharlayan, where she couldn't bring herself to follow. A thread with snips and poses from a very old (and rough 😅) fic that I *will* redraft and finish someday! #zeflore 🧵⬇️

Breathing deeply, resolved, Zefiris looked up to meet his gaze. 'So yes, I think you should go and rebuild the Students of Baldesion with Krile. Go and do something that only G'raha Tia can do.'

Guilt stabbed at him, and gratitude. What in seven hells am I doing, to even contemplate leaving her side? 'You might come with us,' he offered softly; a faint, futile plea. 'You have the Echo, after all, one of the very reasons the organisation was founded. None would gainsay you if you wished to...'

Even as he started, she was shaking her head. ‘Do I, though? Have the Echo anymore, or any of it? I don’t know. But that’s not the point, really. I’d only draw attention, and be a distraction besides. And…' She hesitated, squaring up to a foe she couldn't yet defeat, eventually sighing its name. 'I’ll come to you whenever I can, but I can’t live in Sharlayan, Raha. I just can’t.’

There it was, then. They too would go their separate ways, for a while at least. For a long moment, they say quietly side by side, letting their worlds realign around this new circumstance, the low chill of the fear of change subsiding into acceptance.

It was G’raha who eventually broke the silence.‘Very well. If we are to be parted, then all the more reason for me to say what I brought you here to say.’ Closing his eyes, he tried to summon some of the courage that had fired in him as he watched her on the dancefloor, moments or lifetimes before; that weighted sense of inevitability which had spurred him on. You must do this now, and not miss your chance.

(Continued on next screen)

‘I know that I have asked much and more of you, over and over, since I summoned you to the First . I know that every promise I have extracted from you has come at a great cost to you, regardless of the outcome; and yet even now you put my selfish wants before your own. I know that I have caused you a deal of worry time and again, in situations when I was well aware you were already struggling. And…I’d like to make amends, if I can.' He reached for her hand, gently clasping her curled fingers with his own. 'That is...if you’ll permit me, I would like to make a promise to you, for a change. A very important one.’

Zefiris watched him: eyes gentle, whole body tensed. Waiting.

The illustration shows G'raha sitting beside Zefiris, her hands in his; with his eyes closed and his cheeks flushed, he speaks earnestly to her.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Jan 20

Zef and G'raha split their time between three residences - the Annexe, their small home in Ishgard, and the Island when time allows. The house is their bolt-hole, somewhere to escape their other commitments and just be. An older thread with some more details linked below! #zeflore 🧵

Zef and G'raha's home in Empyreum - an unassuming residence near the public baths, surrounded by wisteria and elf trees.

Zef - Sharlayan Dropout@sharlayandropout· Jan 18

I'm not quite sure what it is but I feel like my picrews are starting to look my age 😅