Note: You can find pictures of my WOL Brynne Lagaao here and here.

The first thing that Brynne noticed about the Crystal Exarch was his voice.

Not really surprising, considering his first interaction with her was as a disembodied voice, but what struck her was the haunting sense of nostalgia that came with the voice. She knew it from somewhere, but where? In all of the memories of people who had come in and out of her life, where did this particular voice factor in?

On seeing him for the first time in the Rift, that sense of nostalgia only got stronger. Something about the features she could see – the shape of his jaw, the line of his nose, the curve of his mouth… It tickled that same unidentified memory.

There wasn’t a great deal of time to sit and try to categorically identify the man, considering her status as Warrior of Light. And there was the… was it crystal?… on his body and creeping up his cheek. Brynne was certain she would remember such a distinct characteristic. But the feeling bothered her enough that it was on her mind still by the time she had traveled across the Rift. It was there in the back of her thoughts as she was directed to the “shiny tower”, and recognized it with something that felt like a physical jolt through her body.

The Crystal Tower.

G’raha Tia.

The notion – an impossible notion; the Crystal Tower was still present on her world, with G’raha asleep inside of it – was percolating through her brain when she came across the Viera Captain who blocked her way.

And the man himself came running in soon after.

There was nothing nostalgic about his gait, or the way he carried himself. His attire was foreign too, and yes, that was definitely crystal that encased his arm and neck. When he spoke, the calm and assured manner of a leader did not exactly overlap with her memory of a brash young scholar. But the tone and timbre of his voice still tugged at something nostalgic, his lower face evoking familiarity – and connecting it to G’raha felt right somehow, impossibilities aside.

How? It had been two years since Brynne had watched with a sinking heart as G’raha had strode confidently forward with the great doors of the Crystal Tower closing behind him. Two years that felt both fleeting and like an eternity at the same time. But was it really enough to transform him so? To transport him to another world and place him in such an unquestionable position of authority?

Then he smiled at her, and something in her heart sang in response: G’raha Tia.

An impossibility, but every iota of her seemed primed to believe it regardless.

What’s with this cloak and shadow business, then? If it was G’raha – and that was still an ‘if’, feelings aside – then why hide behind a heavy robe and a fancy title? There was no need to conceal himself from her, surely.

All of this was on her mind when she finally found an opening to ask. “The tower stands open? Then… G’raha Tia…?”

The Exarch tipped his head at her in a puzzled manner, nothing in the half of his expression that she could see betraying anything beyond simple confusion. “I am not familiar with that name. Is there something I should know?”

He denies it, then. Brynne frowned, considering. If he was G’raha, he had some reason for keeping that from her. Which stung maybe a bit more than it should have. But… if she recalled their first meeting, well… she had to admit it wasn’t entirely out of character.

But whether he was or he wasn’t, outside of trying to force the hood from his head, her only feasible option was to play along. Brynne drew herself up. “On the Source, we investigated the Crystal Tower together. He found that he had allagan blood running in his veins, and in the end chose to seal the Tower with himself inside to provide guidance for future generations who would be capable of opening the doors without royal blood.” There. To the point and without any of her personal business tied in.

If he wasn’t G’raha Tia, she wasn’t about to outline their relationship to a stranger.

The Exarch’s face remained impassive through her explanation. “An extraordinary tale,” he remarked after a short pause. “But I’m afraid I found no such individual residing in the tower when it passed to my care. Mayhap we can revisit the mystery at another time. For now, I think it best that we focus on the present.” A clear dismissal.

Brynne watched his back as he turned to move away from her, but there was no sign in his posture or gait that he might be nervous or hesitant about his lie. 

If it was a lie.

She sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose, and considered her next course of action. The Exarch had suggested that she seek out some of the prominent members of the city to ask for information, and there was no stopping her from collecting what information she could on him while she was at it.

All right, then – let’s do it.

“The Exarch, eh?” Her first target, a Hrothgar – Ronso, she reminded herself – with light brown hair by the name of Bragi, tugged thoughtfully at his mane. “He’s a mysterious one, all right. My father – and his father – knew him for years, and never once got a word of personal information from him.” He offered her a toothy grin. “What we do know is he’s protected and guided our fine city from its inception, and we’d be in far worse shape without him.”

“From its inception?” Brynne repeated, raising both eyebrows. The Crystarium had seemed fairly well-established to her. “How old is the city, then?”

“A good nine decades and then some, I’d recon.” He shrugged in response. “That’s a better question for Moren at the Cabinet, if you’re keen to learn our history.”

“Thank you.” She nodded in response, mind whirling at the new information. Nearly a century, and the Exarch had been there all along! No Miqo’te – Mystel – could live that long, much less remain as sharp as he seemed.

This couldn’t be G’raha Tia. It couldn’t. She’d watched him enter the tower no more than two years past, and he’d been only twenty and four at the time. There was no possible way that the two had any overlap.

Then again, the Exarch had mentioned something about time distortion between the worlds, hadn’t he? Brynne frowned to herself as she walked. Could a century really pass on this world with only two years on the Source? But then how was the Crystal Tower here and on the Source at the same time? The Exarch claimed to have plucked it from some other age, but if he was telling the truth, that made him a native of this world. Unless he had sent himself across the Rift first and then summoned the tower afterward? But how would G’raha know how to traverse the Rift, and why would he do it?

It was a puzzle, for sure – and she couldn’t be certain that some of the pieces weren’t fake.

“A fine question.” Moren, the hume who seemed in charge of the library they called the Cabinet of Curiosity, beamed at her. “In fact, the Crystarium was built approximately 96 years ago – at least, that was the point that the settlement around the Tower began to call itself the Crystarium.”

“I see.” If two separate citizens confirmed it, they likely had the right of it. “And the Exarch was already there when it was built?”

“Oh my, yes.” Moren nodded emphatically. “The Exarch informed many of the design choices, in fact.” He smiled with clear fondness. “Of course, he refused a position of power, but our Settlement council has always taken his guidance without question.”

That was interesting. “And was he already covering his face at that point?”

“Ah… on that, I cannot truly say.” Moren gave her an apologetic look. “There’s little written record from that time, and none living who recall it. The citizens do engage in a bit of speculation from time to time, of course, but…” He spread his hands.

“Hm.” Unfortunate. Brynne resisted the urge to sigh. It wasn’t Moren’s fault, after all. “Thank you for the information.”

“Of course.” At once, he was all smiles again. “Feel free to browse the Cabinet’s collection at any time – or come to me with questions, should you have them.”

“I will, thank you.” She waved at him in a brief farewell and started down the stairs again.

Regardless of the Exarch’s identity, the citizens of the Crystarium obviously revered him. Even if he had truly ‘refused a position of power’, it seemed as though such a position had been thrust upon him. The council leading the Crystarium’s day to day business clearly deferred to him, and everyone referred to him as ‘my Lord’. Having met with various leaders of man in recent years, Brynne had begun to recognize the manner that came with good leadership – the way they carried the weight and the responsibility, and the steadfast determination that came through in every movement, every word.

And, if the fond way folks spoke of him was any indication, he was a kindly leader as well.

Mayhap she had been overthinking things. His similarity to G’raha could be pure coincidence, regardless of what her heart seemed to be telling her. It was possible that any small commonality in voice or appearance could trigger her own wishful thinking and force a connection in her mind. In fact, that was likely what happened. There was no logical way that she could reason for the Exarch to be G’raha Tia.

Either way, she was starting to like the man, despite everything. He seemed utterly devoted to his people and they to him, and his motives by all appearances were altruistic.

That was good enough. Brynne shook her head a little to clear it. No more baseless speculation. She squared her shoulders and continued on along the path to her next destination.

---

“Is this seat taken?”

G’raha Tia started, looking up at her with surprise writ plain in his eyes. He blinked, and then seemed to collect himself, glancing at the space on the log beside him and then back up at her. “Not presently, no.”

“Good.” Brynne offered him a smile, moving to sit while being careful not to spill the tea from her mug. “Because it is now.”

He returned her smile, looking just a tad bemused. The light from the campfire made shadows dance on his face and light shimmer in his mismatched eyes. It stirred an altogether familiar sensation in her belly, the little tug of ‘want’ that she had been cultivating since he’d jumped from the platform in overly dramatic fashion and boldly declared himself the expert on Allagan history. He was handsome, G’raha Tia. And smart. And a wee bit on the socially awkward side, despite his easy charm.

She liked him. Both as a colleague and a… potential tryst.

Brynne was no stranger to trysts. She’d tumbled her first shortly past her twentieth year, and she was now five years past that, with more than a few under her belt. Casual things, those. Some shared pleasure, release of tension, and then they parted ways. This expedition wouldn’t last forever, and if G’raha were interested in a bit of fun, well… they had time for a few rolls in the sheets whilst everyone investigated the labyrinth and searched for a way through those tower doors. Days spent in study and evenings spent in bliss sounded perfect.

As for whether he might be interested…

G’raha cleared his throat. “I cannot help but wonder if you’ve a thirst for Allagan knowledge yourself, my friend,” he said lightly. “You seem to have a habit of seeking me out in our spare time. You’ll have me reciting my thesis at you if you’re not careful.”

“That sounds fascinating, actually,” Brynne responded, with complete sincerity. An Archon’s thesis! It had her itching with curiosity. “But is it really so hard to believe that I might seek you out purely for the pleasure of your company?”

He blinked at her, momentarily taken aback, and in that fleeting moment she saw a hint of longing in his unguarded expression. It was quickly schooled back into a cheeky grin. “Not at all. The pleasure is all mine, though. Especially if you plan to favor me with another tale from your adventures?”

The expectant look in his eyes had her grinning back, torn between amusement and fondness. “I think I can manage. If you’ll follow through with your threat and tell me about your thesis afterwards. Deal?”

G’raha’s tail lashed behind him with undisguised pleasure. “Of course, of course. Deal.”

“Excellent.” Brynne tilted her head, trolling through her memory for something that would make an interesting tale. “Did I tell you about the time I had to seek out the Company of Heroes in order to gather intel on Titan?”

“You did not, in fact, tell me anything about this.” G’raha’s ears flicked forward eagerly.

She launched into the tale, throwing her own thoughts and dialogue into the mix as she went along, relishing in her audience’s rapt attention and honest reactions. It was fun to feel like a simple adventurer again, trading words with a friend by the light of a campfire. When she finished her story, with just a bit of a flourish, she was pleased to see G’raha burst out laughing at the ridiculous ending.

“Oh my.” He stopped to wipe away tears, still grinning madly. “‘Tidus’ – really?”

“Cross my heart.” Brynne made the motion solemnly. On impulse, she reached out to lay a casual hand on his wrist. “He was quite the character.”

G’raha’ started at the touch; his eyes fell to where her fingers lay on his hand before flicking up to meet her own. With the light of the fire, his pupils had shrunk, but she could see them widening as he gazed at her. His tail thrashed behind him yet again, betraying his nerves, and he licked his lips as if by habit, a barely-noticeable flush rising on his cheeks.

Oh yes, he was interested. Brynne felt her heartbeat accelerate, that little something in her belly stirring to life and spreading its heat to every inch of her body. Really, this was the perfect moment to do something about it. Let the touch linger, then drag her fingers free slowly, drawing out the moment. Get up, stretch, throw him a smirk over her shoulder and invite him to her tent. He’d take the hint and go with full enthusiasm, she was sure. He simply lacked the courage to make the first move.

She was certain – more than certain – that G’raha would make an excellent lover, whether he had any experience or not. He was passionate, quick to learn, and he threw all of himself into his endeavors. And that body… that mouth… Brynne was eager to see what he could do with those plush lips, and doubly eager to wrap her arms – and her legs – around his lithe form, swallowing his gasps and moans as he – well. Obviously.

Right, she could make a move – scratch that itch that very night, and have done with it.

But for some unexplained reason, something held her back. “Anyways.” Brynne let her hand fall from his wrist, swallowing her own lust and instead offering a friendly grin. “You owe me a summary of your thesis, G’raha.”

He stared at her for just a moment, then seemed to gather himself, shaking his head slightly as if to clear it. “Right… Yes, of course.” He cleared his throat, and opened his mouth again.

And the world faded to white.

---

Brynne stirred, cracking her eyes open briefly before blinking several times. The sight of the ceiling in her personal quarters at the Crystarium came into focus, replacing the surprisingly vivid memory of the past. She stared up at it for a moment longer, before sighing irritably and rolling over.

Him again. G’raha Tia. He just kept emerging from the back of her mind, didn’t he?

She still wasn’t entirely sure if it was the lack of opportunity or her own regret for letting that opportunity pass her by that had kept her bed cold since G’raha had abruptly come into her life and then left it again just as abruptly. She was getting far too well known as the Warrior of Light, and the idea of tumbling someone who only wanted some sort of bragging rights left her feeling ill. Certainly she’d had a chance to dally with Aymeric, but he was too taken with her and the last thing she’d wanted to do was get wrapped in a love affair.

Not that she was averse to falling in love. Not really. She just… wasn’t ready for it. Not yet.

Maybe not for a long time, if things didn’t settle down. There was, after all, a world to save and a calamity to prevent. No time for trysts, and definitely no time to spend brooding over a brilliant scholar she’d never given herself the chance to bed.

Brynne let out another frustrated breath, combed her fingers through her hair, and then heaved herself up off the bed, looking around the room warily.

No sign of any lingering ghosts. Good.

I’d better not keep Alisae waiting any longer. With that in mind, she set herself to getting ready for the day, banishing G’raha Tia to the back of her thoughts yet again.

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