My Dear Botanist [ Ser Aymeric x Reader ] (FFXIV)

I. Children of the Land

That.. escalated quickly. Maybe that's not the best thing to be thinking about.. considering where we are. You thought, worried of the idea if anyone was able to read your outrageous imaginings.

You often thought of random non-existent scenarios. Your extreme pessimism and quiet lifestyle nurtured these thoughts and it was something hard to be rid of — you've always been this way. Your past has made you timid and nervous but also gentle and kind. Since the first time you could remember, you were alone and yet here you are, titled as a Botanist among this family of sorts. Your recruitment to Botany was something you never imagined doing and you had to overcome many hardships both mentally and physically to get to where you are now. This family only became a family the day that Fufucha offered you her encouraging hand, whisking you away to a better life. Often revered you tried your best at your job, but that wasn't good enough for the majority of the other members. Your disquieted nature made you unable to gain companionship from anyone else other than the benign Fufucha. That is to say.. until a certain resilience came along.

"If I hadn't known any better, I'd say you look awfully cold and lonely over here," The Hyuran man made sure to loom over you with his shoulder, weighing himself on your head. His thick, long ebony hair grazed over your eyesight. Yet you knew he had the biggest grin on his face, but his playfulness wasn't something you weren't use to. As his bulky form never ceased to pull away from yours, you sighed in content at the growing warmth he brought. You blew the strands of his hair from your face when it had tickled your nose.

"Renji! I didn't even see you get on," You said, trying to use all your might to keep him from crushing you. "But this is no time to act silly.. I'm freezing over here!"

Renji pulled his weight from you and took a seat at your hip. He took a deep breath and leaned only his head awkwardly on top of yours. "Sorry, sorry. I'm just ecstatic to be away from that supply chocobo. Whose bright idea was it to feed him copious amounts of gysahl greens before we started this thing? Damn ol' thing reeks of rotten lettuce.. and mud." He clicked his tongue in disgust.

You laughed at the way he emphasized mud and imagined his solo ride atop the planet's smelliest chocobo.

"And I would have been here to keep you warm sooner, but unfortunately, Fufucha has it out for me, you know?" Renji cozied up next to you, your side becoming gradually warmer by the minute. You hadn't been near him this entire trip because of the duties Fufucha bestowed upon him, but he was near you now, even if it was just for a moment. And it brought immense comfort to your lonely thoughts.

"Heh. I know, I know. She always gives you an earful! Remember the time she had you pick up all those nopales from that Ul'dahn merchant by yourself?" You teased him, taking a quick glance at Fufucha who just about finished chastising the gossiping trio and proudly headed back towards the front.

"Ugh! Don't remind me!" Renji exasperated, releasing his weight back on you playfully.

"Renji, please! You're h-heavy, you big lug!" You tried your best to sustain his weight again, becoming gradually more embarrassed as the rest of the members began to take notice of Renji's boisterous nature.

"Heavy? C'mon, you know this is all muscle and—" Renji joked but was cut off from a guild member shouting up ahead the caravan.

"The Gates!" The woman atop a chocobo halted and pointed making the rest of the members look up. Words of rejoicing began among many as the mist cleared a path revealing the Arc of Ishgard.

"Well, shite. It's bout' time!" Renji removed himself from your side and stood up to get a better view.

You looked onward towards the front of the caravan to see the coachman usher the chocobos in an audible rein break as they approached several greeting knights. The knight's guarding the gate were quiet and seemed all too wary of your presence. You thought this to be odd in that the few good knights at the Gates of Judgement, before the bridge, let you pass with ease. Perhaps those outside the walls were akin to travelers and the ones stationed within it.. not so much.