Burning Bright | Lasting Change
It’s been a few moons since I last considered putting anything to paper. It’s been a busy time. Ever since Oxomoco and I got back home to Tural, it feels like we’ve thrown ourselves into the work of helping our neighbors rebuild. The devastation left in Zoraal Ja’s wake across all the face of Tural has left many villages in disrepair. One such place is the township of Nightcross, which my friends and I have somewhat adopted as our town to help revitalize and renovate.
There’s so much to consider with such an undertaking! From prioritizing which projects take precedence to what crops we’re best able to farm, there are decisions being made here that are so much bigger than just throwing buildings back together. They’re going to have lasting and long-term impact on how prosperous this town becomes and what will become of the people there as a result. It feels like a mountain of responsibility at times, but it makes me glad that I’m in this together with all of my friends.
Garret and Briar have been spearheading the farming initiative, using their knowledge of modern farming, magitek, and technology to enhance the farmland to produce the best yields while keeping the workload manageable for the Townsfolk to deal with. So far, they’ve researched what viable crops there are with the Botanist’s Guild in Gridania, striking a deal with Fufucha to trade new cultivars from Yak T’el for those viable seeds and seedlings that they determine will best produce in the unique environment that the region represents.
The two of them together get so excitable, but their heads end up in the clouds so it’s oftentimes my responsibility to ground them and keep them focused on-task. Still, it’s endearing to watch how much they throw themselves into the work with enthusiasm and zeal. For them, it isn’t drudgery, it’s literally building the future of the town from the ground up and I think they find no small satisfaction in that. After all, how often does such an opportunity to create real and lasting change for an entire town come along?
One of the first friends I ever made in Eorzea, one Kosuke Kiritsugi, has even gotten on-board with what we’re doing out in Nightcross. He’s been applying his considerable mercantile expertise into negotiating various trade deals and trade routes for the town. He’s also been managing all the logistics for the supplies and materials we’ve been gathering from the world over, making sure that everything we bring in is allocated appropriately. It’s honestly a lot of numbers and minutiae that I don’t envy him in the least for.
Even little Yumari Takeyari has thrown in her lot, taking on any and all jobs, big or small, even when it’s been difficult manual labor. Despite her own troubles, she still sees the beleaguered people of Nightcross and does her best for them. There’s something to be admired in her tenacity. While I might still consider her emotionally immature — or perhaps emotionally cloistered given her upbringing — she has still grown as a person compared to the wayward waif I first encountered in Limsa Lominsa. I think her tutelage beneath Miya Renhala has really helped her to blossom, so I’m grateful to Garret to arranging their introduction.
Another surprise has been the infrequent but notable involvement of Zerey. The Doman samurai isn’t particularly close to any of us, but he’s still shown up on occasion wanting to help, so of course we let him. The man seems to want for something to do, something to expend a restless sort of energy on. I feel like he’s involved in something where he feels helpless or powerless to enact real change, so the opportunities in Nightcross give him an outlet that allows him to do so. It seems to help him, so that’s all to the good if both the town and the man benefit from the exchange.
Let’s see… What else has there been? Ah, yes… things with Exulansis Kuebiko seem to be going well. Every time I see her, there’s been more progress made on her search for her past. While I wish I could do more to help her, she and her paramour seem to have things well in-hand. I simply try to welcome her and provide her with an evening’s distraction whenever she comes up for air from her delving.
Aside from that, it’s been the usual unremarkable encounters in the Quicksand and elsewhere; nameless and equally meaningless faces that I’m destined to never see more than once. At least until they prove otherwise. After all, most of the people I’ve written about here were all once people I met in the Quicksand and all of them I care about as my friends. They’ve made lasting change in my life, as I hope I have done in theirs. I can hear Oxomoco snorting derisively in the background, because nothing and no one changes Oxomoco but Oxomoco. I know that isn’t true, there’s been at least one person who has made lasting change in my sister, but it’s never fair to mention Birta. That’s one scar that will forever sting, so it’s unkind to rub salt in the wound.
Vidraal’s Fangs, this got more long-winded than I thought it would, so I should likely end this here. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do this with more regularity than every few moons. It’s kind of nice to take a moment to untangle the ball of multi-colored yarn that is my thoughts.
Until paper and pen meet again…
