Writing Prompts Archive/4/Rowland Mason

*Rowland awoke, the glare of the sun through the window blinding him at first, he'd cover his eyes though they soon adjusted. His vision became clearer as the memories of the night before came flooding back. He sat up and dangled from the edge of the top bunk of the bed as he scanned the small thin room.*

*"I passed out in Mina's office but...huh someone must've brought me up to one of the bedrooms." Rowland muttered to himself, thinking out loud. Lately it felt like verbalizing his feelings was safer than keeping them locked up in his mind, it wasn't exactly private anymore. To his surprise, his weapons were propped up against the wall by the door, though he still felt too tired to even react, he merely re-equipped them and immediately dragged himself out the building, preparing to teleport to Limsa Lominsa.*

*The streets were as loud as ever, it didn't matter that it was early morning. He'd first stop by the market where he approached an independent culinarian, who was clearing his stores of any wasted, unsold food. Rowland tossed him a few gil "I'll take the stale bread. No need to waste it.". The merchant wouldn't turn down such an offer, Rowland even overpaid, probably accidentally. Beginning to chow down on his breakfast, the exhausted adventurer didn't waste any time in getting home, making his way for the dock immediately.*

*"So gross..." the door to his apartment slammed shut behind him "Don't believe me? Here, have some", his lazy demand was to seemingly no one the room was empty, yet he'd tear a piece off from his roll and chuck it at his bedside drawer. Rowland hopped onto his bed leaning his back against its wooden frame, letting the bread roll out from his hand the crumbs covering the messy unkempt sheets. Rowland rubbed his face his exhausted groans barely describing what he was currently feeling; he’d partially strip out of his heavily blood stained clothes, removing his boots and fleece and casting them across the room.*

*The pale, baggy eyed swordsman lay in his bed nearly completely indolent, even his eyes unblinking. A blank stare. Yet his fingertips actively fiddled with the locket around his neck. Rowlands head flopped back, facing up to the ceiling, he’d slowly rest his forearm over his eyes; he’d drop the necklace back onto his chest while his hand smoothly flowed to the drawer beside him opening it up and removing a square black box from within, pressing his thumb just above its hinges he’d pop the box open revealing a Ninja soul crystal and an amber which contained a ring of flowers.*

*Despite Rowland rather careless and hasty approach to the rest of his morning he would handle this box with care; where his room was a mess, clothes flung around, empty bottles lying about and cheap chests and containers bursting with swords galore, this drawer, this box, these gems were kept clean and tidy.*

*After taking a deep breath in, his exhale somehow filled the silent room with a sense of despair. Sitting up Rowland would stare at the stones and started to fiddle with his new locket once again.*

*“So…what can I say? You guys must be real disappointed with me huh?” he’d whisper, taking a bite out of his drab breakfast before hovering the bread out in front of him, just shy of touching the box. “You really don’t want some? It’s awful, tastes just like the good ol’ days. No? …Who am I kidding of course you don’t, dead people don’t eat dumbass.”*

*“Seriously, what would you guys do with me? What would WE do? I’m such a trouble maker creating most of my problems then barely managing to fix them. Sometimes my actions don’t even scratch that, I just can never seem to make amends.”*

*His jaw clenched down onto the stale roll, the grip of his maw tightening, his eyes red and stinging.*

*“Arimitsu, Julia, seriously, help me out here, I need it! I can’t talk to anyone else, let alone these monsters in my own head. You asked me to be your brother, your hero, yet despite that, all of my choices always made things worse for us. I keep trying to reassure myself, “I”t wasn’t your fault Rowland”, but it was, it always is. First you guys…mum, dad, little sis… And now here I am again, the blood of more innocents on my hands, just ‘cause I couldn’t keep my cocky mouth shut.”*

*His eyes turned blue, his rage and frustration breaking through, though through his monstrous gaze his eyes welled with tears. Rowland practically clawed at his face “No crying you bastard you don’t deserve it, you’re going to be a smiling symbol that’s what you promised. That was the choice you made now stick to it.”*

*His shaking hands scooped up the box so he could stare intently into his own reflection within the stones. “I’m responsible for all this blood, I couldn’t even save one innocent girl. Now even those decisions beget more ruin…am I really going to ruin their lives too? The warriors of light, Mina’tos? Is this path I take the right one?”*

*His draconic pupils narrowed as Rowlands focus returned to the stones “I should have listened to you then, but I didn’t. Because of that I can’t listen to you now…yet I beg you, what would the Rowland you envisioned do? I’m listening now.”*