Writing Prompts Archive/6/Thane Starstrider

*The sound of tankards and chatter filled dimly lit Forgotten Knight, as Thane received a tankard of his own. “Much appreciated,” he would thank the wench who was helping out at the tavern.*

*“You know, you never told me where you actually hail from.”*

*A stern voice forced him to look away from the woman’s curvy body. Right, he was sharing a table with Sidurgu. Thane wanted to spend an evening in the tavern and came across the other Au Ra, along with his companion, Rielle. However, the girl was nowhere to be found. After Sidurgu invited Thane for a drink, Rielle excused herself, before disappearing. The pale Au Ra didn’t seem too concerned with the girl’s sudden decision and shrugged it off.*

*Sidurgu’s question took the Au Ra by surprise, though. The past that went behind his arrival in Gridania was not a topic he talked about every day. Thane didn’t consider it a taboo topic, but rather something he felt like was not usually necessary for others to know. The Au Ra took a swig from his tankard in brief thought.*

*“I guess I haven’t,” Thane mused to himself, as he placed his tankard upon the table. The white haired Au Ra remained silent, awaiting an answer, as he narrowed his eyes at Thane in anticipation.*

*“There’s not much to tell, if I had to honest,” the samurai glanced over to his blade, propped against the railing at the edge of the tavern’s floor. “You aren’t from any of the clans that made it to Dravania, so you must belong to the clans that are still in the Steppes,” Sidurgu leaned forward.*

*“So which clan is it?”*

*It was a fair question, especially from a fellow Xaela. “Oronir,” Thane would reply with little to no emotion in his voice. “As far as I know, the Oronir are too proud to leave the warmth of the Dawn Throne,” Sidurgu argued and he wasn’t wrong.*

*“Why would an Oronir leave for Eorzea?”*

*The pale Au Ra’s voice was just above a whisper, but Thane heard the question loud and clear. Once again, it was a fair question. For anybody who knew a thing or two about the Steppe people, at least.*

*“I just didn’t see myself as a good fit for the… culture.”*

*Sidurgu raised an eyebrow at Thane’s reply, a hint for him to go on.*

*“The whole worship of strength and the Dawn Father felt… rather excessive. I wanted to be more than just a walking pile of entitled pride.”*

*The Oronir Au Ra confided in the other, making him snort. “Is that all?” Sidurgu asked and took a swig from his tankard as he leaned back in his chair. It was rather obvious that he expected a proper tale, fit for the dim atmosphere of the tavern.*

*“I would say that’s it. I travelled through Doma for a while, but I had to be careful. I eventually made it to Eorzea, after learning about it. It took a long time, though.”*

*Thane would share an extremely short version of his story, as his gaze was fixed upon the liquid in his tankard. Sidurgu remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.*

*“How did Eorzeans take your arrival?”*

*The question made Thane look up at the dark knight, whose eyes were locked onto him. At first he didn’t know why would have the pale Au Ra cared for that particular detail, but he soon remembered. Sidurgu must have been reminded of his own tribe and how they arrived to Eorzea. It was a tale most painful.*

*“People avoided me for a good while, as much as they could. Even after I made it to Gridania. I wanted to help out and join others for their journeys, but I couldn’t. Both because of what I am and because of the language barrier.”*

*The problems Thane faced were similar to those Sidurgu’s tribe had faced, but at the same time not nearly even comparable in their scale. It must have been either luck or fate that Thane did not find himself upon Dravania’s soil, first.*

*“So you’ve been on your own, for most of the time.”*

*The dark knight’s gaze was piercing, as he stated. Thane knew that Sidurgu used to have a mentor of sorts, though the details eluded him. It almost made him wish that he had a guiding hand of his own, back when he first arrived.*

*The darker-skinned Au Ra nodded in response. “I was. Save for my blade,” he said as he glanced over to it, making sure it was still there. “Though it seemed like it spoke louder, for quite a while,” Thane would lightly chuckle.*

*It almost felt like perfect irony, that Thane had to resort to proving his strength, despite him thinking he had escaped.*

*“I believe there is a saying that an action is worth a thousand words.”*

*Sidurgu would speak up solemnly, as he held up his tankard.*

*“Let us toast to those who did not turn a blind eye to us.”*

*Thane would hold up his own tankard and the Auri clinked their tankards together.*

*“Let us toast to those who have not turned us away.”*