Traveler

She kept her composure, controlling the shakes and took long, slow breaths. Azlyn hoped it wouldn’t be a permanent change—maybe it was a temporary one? She felt her tail, now a furry appendage flick behind her side to side. The small space of the dark under the bed helped calm her further, giving her a chance to think about a few things. 

Her eyes were trained on the door, waiting for someone to come down to either wake her or to check in on her. If it was Ozwin, he’d be looking for her to train—if it was Kida, that would probably be for breakfast. 

Azlyn would just have to wait. She closed her eyes, nestling her head on her front legs as she laid on the ground. There was no point to freaking out. 

“We got breakfast!” A door swung open which caused Azlyn to jolt—her head jumped off her legs. She wasn’t sure for how long she slept, but she felt the need to stretch. Slowly she reached her front legs forward one by one, and then she stretched out her back legs, butt, and tail. “Azlyn! Where’d you go? Huh?” She could see a pair of legs, the familiar Xaela with boots walk into the room, stopping by the bed. 

“Why are her clothes here? Azlyn? Azlyn!” 

The feline slowly peered out from bottom of the bed, seeing how tall she was leaning over the bed. Then her eyes, the pink irises trained upon hers. They widened a fraction, before she dropped the clothes. 

“Meow?” Azlyn quirked her head to the side, before Kida knelt down. 

Kida tentative brought her hand out, and Azlyn brought her head into the cusp of it and rubbed. 

“Oh... oh my meow.” Kida blinked. And scooped her right into her arms. Azlyn stiffened, as she laid on her back with her belly exposed. She curled her paws in and her tail flicked back and forth in the air. Her ears went alert as she felt herself get pulled out of the room and they were running up the stairs. “Guys! Guys! We have a problem!” 

“What? Azlyn doesn’t want to wake up or she disappeared?” Ozwin bit into an apple by the counter. “I could just go down there and bang some pots. She’ll wake up if she’s down there.” 

Kida thrust Azlyn the cat into his face and all she could do was stare at the Hyuran’s wide green eyes. As the Xaela had been holding her by the junction of her back and front legs, all she could do was meow in his face. “Ozzie, meet Azlyn the cat!”

“What the actual fuck.” He lowered his apple, forgetting it as he accepted the cat being handed to him. 

N’thuzu Tia crossed his arms as he stared down to the white and black furred cat in their presence. “Is that really Azlyn? It could be just a stray cat.” 

Ozwin shook his head, pointing to her eyes. “You don’t recognize the purple and red limbal ring? That’s an Auri thing.” 

“She’s soooo cute! Look how soft her toe beans are!” Kida played with the bottom paw, as Azlyn meowed in discomfort. 

“Meowwwww.” 

A loud noise by the workshop doors made Azlyn jump in fright, as the clattering of tools and materials dropped to the floor. Standing in the room was her cousin, staring with wide golden hazel eyes. 

Kida went to scratch her furry ears to comfort her. Ozwin just shuffled her in his arms, before running a hand under her chin. 

She didn’t want to, but she purred. 

“Oh, that feels good?” Ozwin chuckled. “Morning Roll—I believe that potion from last night worked.” 

Roll walked over, staring at the cat in pure fascination and a mix of horror. “We’re going to find that merchant. Now.” She turned to the door, forgetting everything that she had dropped by the workshop. 

Kida beckoned her hands, wanting to carry the small white cat. “Gimme, gimme—my turn now!” 

Ozwin passed her over before shaking his head. “You two did this—so you two fix this. Thuzu and I will hold the fort down—and clean up.” He directed the attention back to the tools the Au Ra with white hair dropped. 

Azlyn didn’t want to be on her back anymore, complaining with meows before crawling onto Kida’s shoulder to wrap around the back of her neck. 

“Wait up Roll!” Kida walked after the girl who stormed out the front door. Azlyn could see the morning sun rising from the east, and the growing expanse of the buildings as they went past the residential areas into the bustling avenues of Ul’dah. 

Everything was bigger—and more intimidating now that she was smaller. Azlyn clung to Kida’s shoulder as they weaved in the busy crowds of residents and adventurers, merchants and Immortal Flames all fulfilling their morning routines. 

“I can’t believe she turned into a cat.” Roll fumed, walking down the sapphire avenue. She moved passed a group of individuals looking to a jeweler’s shop in front of them. “That wasn’t a Fantasia potion—it was a cat transformation potion. When we find him, we’re going to wrangle him of his gold and throw him to the Immortal Flame hounds.” 

Kida chuckled, “Well if we know what changed her, we can make a potion to turn her back. Right?” 

Roll groaned. “Yes, but I won’t be able to sleep with that bastard out conning people.” 

“Touché! Let’s beat the shit outta him!” Kida lifted a hand to rub under Azlyn’s chin. She purred at the contact, and hated every moment of it. 

It wasn’t long before Azlyn heard her cousin cursing aloud, the shop they tried to find had not been where it had been. Needing to stretch, Azlyn hopped off Kida to stretch her body out on the ground. She moved close to the wall, as Kida and Roll talked. 

“What do we do now?” Roll crossed her arms. “The guy’s not even here.” 

“Could be he ditched town.” Kida pondered aloud. “We’ll have to ask around—see if anyone saw or heard where he might go next.” 

“Damnit.” 

Azlyn walked over to her cousin, rubbing her head to her leg to ease her anger. “Meow.” 

Roll looked down to her. “Don’t worry, we’ll change you back Azlyn. I swear it upon my honor as an alchemist.” 

Kida knelt, admiring her soft fur. “But Roll, you can’t deny she looks super adorable as a cat. Her fur is s soft!” 

“Are you saying you want a cat after this?” Her cousin turned her gaze to the merchants in the nearby area. “But if I know Azlyn, she’ll want to be returned to normal. I’m going to ask around, keep Azlyn company—and don’t lose her!” 

“We should put a collar and bell on her! Oooo!” Kida picked Azlyn up in her arms. “While you snoop around, we’ll find Azlyn an adorable ribbon and bell!” 

“Meoooooow!” Azlyn complained at the thought of having a bell. 

“See, even she likes it!” 

“Meoooooow!” 

“I don’t think that’s the sound of agreement.” Roll chuckled, and left to get information. 

Kida dragged her to several stands, where she picked up small collar and compared them to her. Azlyn sat on the edge of the table, looking to the crowd and disinterested. She could see several kids running through the people, holding up wooden sword and shields. They were laughing, playing around and disappearing. 

“What a pretty cat.” Azlyn turned her attention to a Lalafellin merchant who eyed her curiously. “Whose your owner?” 

Azlyn went to look for Kida next to her—only to see that she disappeared. “Meow?” Her ears pulled back. “Meooow!” 

A pair of hands grabbed her, and she struggled out of his grasp. She skittered away, her heart pounding as she ran out from the Sapphire Avenue into Pearl Lane. She wasn’t sure where Kida went or why a strange man was trying to catch her—but she needed to get away. 

She sprinted until she found herself near the paved walkway by the Immortal Flames—and she ran to the desks, weaving and dodging the feet that loomed overhead. By the time she took any comfort, she tucked herself in a corner by the planters and an officer. She curled into a small ball, shaking. 

“Where’s the report for the operation?” A barking voice boomed from the door. Azlyn looked over to see an officer salute at the approach of the Immortal Flame General. He turned to the Lalafellin captain beside him. “Pipin, that report needs to be in my hands no later than this evening. The rest of you, dismissed.” 

“Sir!” They saluted, before running off. 

Azlyn could trust Raubahn—the man was definitely big, but he didn’t seem the type to capture a cat. She slowly emerged from her hiding spot, before stopping three feet away. An officer stepped back in shock. 

“Meow!” She called up to the man. She cried a few times before she felt the grizzled general look down to her. 

“Soldier, is this your cat?” Raubahn stared down with a curious tilt of his head. 

“N-no sir! It just appeared!” 

The general dropped to a knee, reaching out a hand and rubbing his index and middle fingers together. He made a few clicking noises to attract her attention. 

Azlyn walked over to him, rubbing his hands. 

“Friendly cat. Well groomed.” He observed, and picked her up. 

“Meow.” 

“No collar or marking.” Raubahn stared to the white feline, before he turned to the officer. “Any reports of missing cats?” 

“Not of her kind sir.” 

“Hmmm...” 

Azlyn was pretty small, easily fitting into the palms of his hands. She hoped with this, Kida or Roll would make a report of her missing and she’d be back with her friends. Safe and sound away from sleazy merchants. She happily snuggled in his hands, happy to see a familiar face. 

“Do you think Her Highness will like her?” 

Azlyn froze. 

---

Since she was already in the General’s grasp, she wasn’t able to escape as she was whisked away from the Immortal Flame’s counter to within the royal quarters of Ul’dah itself. Azlyn had been placed upon the small round table in front of the royal princess of Ul’dah herself. 

Raubahn widened his smirk to the Lalafellin Ul royal as he explained. 

“She does not have an owner, Your Grace, and if she pleases you—you can keep her.”

Azlyn snapped her head to him, her ears flicked at his words. “Meow!?”

“Raubahn, she is beautiful! Are you sure she doesn’t have an owner, not many stray felines are this groomed?” She reached out a hand and rubbed against her cheeks, and Azlyn nuzzled her hand with a wish to get out of this in one piece.

“I looked for any missing reports in the past three months, and none of the missing felines match her descriptions, Your Grace.”

She held a curious glance, giving her a long look. “I feel like I’ve seen her before.” She focused on the eyes, as Azlyn turned her head away. If she ever returned to normal, she would make sure to black out these memories. “No matter, I thank you Raubahn for your generosity. Let’s give her a name—it is a her, correct?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

She nodded in approval, examining her. Azlyn flicked her tail up and down before getting comfortable on the table. She lounged on her side and stretched out all four of her legs. For the moment she was safe, so there was no reason to worry.

“Let’s name her Snowball, as her fur is white with a few black patches.” She giggled at the name, and jumped down from her chair. “I shall fetch for her one of my many ribbons. A red or purple one will suffice.” She happily hummed, walking over to a boudoir with a mirror. She pulled out a few boxes of jewels and perused the items. “Hmm, this might… but it’s not… hmmm.”

Raubahn chuckled, moving to the room’s exit. “It is an excellent name. And I’m glad to see your spirits are up once more, Your Grace. I shall take my leave, and please enjoy the rest of your evening.” Raubahn bowed to her and left the room.

When the door closed shut, she audibly sighed. “How does he know I’ve been down of late.” She shook her head. “Tis no wonder. Ul’dah is constantly under pressure from the Royalists and the Monetarists. Even now I find it hard to maintain the delicate balance.” Another sigh escaped her lips

Azlyn stretched her neck out, peering to her back. “Meeeoow?”

“Are you worried too Snowball?” Nanamo chuckled into her hand, turning her green peridot eyes toward her. “I do believe I’ve found just the ribbon!” She hopped away from her jewelry boxes, and back to her. Azlyn laid still as the princess tied a simple red ribbon on her neck and made a red bow. It wasn’t too tight, and Azlyn let her foot paws play with the ends of the ribbon. She swat the ribbon and continued to do so, eliciting her highness to laughter.

There was a knocking on the door that caused her to stop. She cleared her throat as she regained composure. “Come in.”

Azlyn stopped batting the ribbon as a servant bowed and called for her to leave. Apparently, the Monetarists and the Royalists were arguing in the audience chamber about the recent uprisings. She followed the servant, but not before rubbing her ears affectionately.

Now she was alone once more. If she stayed here, there was a possibility someone would figure it out. Or maybe Raubahn would hear word if her friends were freaking out enough. Someone would find her eventually.

She yawned, spying around the room to find a comfortable spot to lay down. There was the poster bed, gigantic and full of many pillows. That’d do nicely. She hopped down, running over and jumping up the few steps on the side to the comforter. She stretched out at the end, rolling back and forth before she found it comfortable.

The door opened, the creaking alerted her as two Lalafellin servants nervously came inside the room. One of them had a bottle of unopened drink and the other had a specific goblet.

“Are you sure? If we get caught, it’ll be our heads!”

“Shhh! She’s distracted and away, and Raubahn is busy currently dealing with the others. When she drinks this poison, we’ll be able to grant our master the control over Ul’dah.”

“But is the gold worth it?” The one holding the goblet nervously stammered.

“Shut up and put the glass down! We don’t have much time!”

Azlyn pulled herself up, glaring to the two as they continued to do whatever devious things they were doing. She glanced to the beverage they were pouring, and then hissed. The pair looked over to her, seeing her white fur bristle upward. Her tail shot up as she vocalized her anger.

“It’s just a stupid cat!”

“Let’s get out of here!”

She jumped off the bed, running up to the table. The nervous one bolted back to the door while the other continued to pour the drink. He shooed her with a hand. “Shoo, shoo. Stupid cat!”

She lunged, her claws at the ready and biting his face. She growled and hissed, before she was grabbed by the back of the neck and tossed. She flew a few feet, as her feet landed on the ground, her claws dug into the carpet. She lowered her stance, growling.

He had blood streaming down the left side of his face, her bite and claw attacks were super effective. He returned an anger glare, before plucking out his knife. “That’s it, I’m gonna murder this stupid feline.”

“Teruro Toreto, if you kill it in here—she’ll know something is wrong!”

Azlyn sidestepped, closer to the table. She eyed the man with the knife warily, but she wanted to get rid of the drink that could potentially hurt the princess. She looked to the table where the poisoned drink remained, and she bolted. He lunged to her; his knife impacted the ground that she had just leapt from. Azlyn reached her destination and proceeded to knock over everything in her way to make sure no poison remained. She gave a satisfactory meow when the goblet and wine bottle shattered on the ground. 

“MEOW!?” A hand clamped down on her back, as she struggled to get out. The lalafellin seemed ready to stab her, only for the guards to rush in.

“Arrest these men!”

Four men were already on the nervous one who tried to sprint away. They other had Azlyn pinned to the table with his hand and the knife held up in the other.

“Shit!” The man with the knife found himself tackled down next by three of the sultansworn men—the gladiators who protected the Ul family for many, many generations. She found herself in the middle of the hostility and struggled to get away.

Once freed and clearly shaken, Azlyn bolted out from the room—racing down the long-carpeted halls. She was glad she prevented a potential assassination, but she underestimated the place as safe.  She continued to run, her little tiny feet carried her all the way through to the air docks—and somehow jumped into an open storage crate. She harbored her breathing, as she scurried to the corner and curled up. She was trying to calm her nerves after almost being stabbed.

She thought to rest there a few moments and jump back out—only to find the crate had been shut. Darkness crept around her and the crate had been picked up shortly after. Azlyn dug her claws into the wood, and felt the crate get tossed onto something, before the whirring of an engine caught her ears.

She grimaced, now knowing where she had been thrown onto. She wound up on an airship and where it would go was beyond her knowledge. Azlyn jumped up, attempting to bump the top of the crate but nothing budged it from opening.

Exhausted and tired, Azlyn laid on her side and had to wait until they reached their destination—wherever that was.

---

When she opened her eyes later, she felt the engines let off—as the ship seemed to finally reach whatever destination. She determined that she was either in Gridania or Limsa Lominsa—as those were the only two locations an airship could travel with goods outside of Ul’dah. If the workers opened her crate, she’d be able to pick up the smell right away if it was the ocean or the woods.

She patiently waited, and as if the fates were helping her, a worker had plucked the top off to peer inside. The Elezen male blinked several times as she meowed with a tilt of her head. The smell of the woods caught her nose, and she gracefully hopped out of the crate.

This must be Gridania.

“Why’s there a cat?” One of the workers inquired, and the others soon gathered around her. She flicked her tail left and right, before deciding to head down to Mother Miounne. She was nice, she’d take care of her until someone came to get her.

“Oi! Wait a moment!”

She heard behind her, and she bolted down the spiraling steps to the counter. She could smell tea and cookies, and happily she hopped up onto the desk. The workers seemed to chase after her, skidding to a halt as they saw her lay out on Miounne’s desk.

“Oh my!” Miounne walked over from the back to see her. “Is she any of yours?”

The workers shook their heads, while another rubbed behind his neck. “I opened a crate and she was inside. She must have been scared from all the activity.”

Miounne smiled, reaching out her hand to gently rub her exposed side. “She has a cute ribbon on—maybe she belongs to someone? Where did you say she was found?”

“A crate delivered from Ul’dah.”

“Ahhh, I’ll give Momodi a call to see if anyone is missing such a sweet thing.”

Azlyn purred under her attention, finally glad someone was calling her in as missing. Maybe it would clue Roll and Kida into where she was. The workers dispersed back downstairs while she rested with the proprietress from Gridania. Some adventurers came by to speak with Miounne about the recent hunt they did—and which levequests they helped the grand company with—fresh adventurers excited to explore the realm.

A bowl of milk had been placed in front of her, and she lapped it quietly as Miounne worked.

“Welcome to Carline Canopy, how can I help you?” Miounne smiled to a new guest who stared at Azlyn.

“I heard you found a missing cat from Ul’dah? I’ve come to pick her up.”

Azlyn hunched back, looking to the Hyuran merchant. She didn’t recognize him, and when he leered to her, she could tell he was looking at the expensive ribbon on her neck. If Nanamo announced that her new feline had run away and offered a reward to whomever found it, it would undoubtedly lead to several shifty bastards trying to con her of more money. She hissed when he tried to grab her.

“I don’t think she likes you very much.” Miounne tapped her chin in thought.

“She’s been through such a hard time—she even has a name, it’s Snowball.”

Azlyn’s ear twitched. That was the name the Sultana gave her—so she did announce her disappearance.

Even more reason not to go with someone with bad intentions.

“Meoooooow.” She growled, her hair bristling.

“I don’t think so sir. Obviously, Snowball is not inclined to go with you. Please leave my establishment at once.” Miounne coldly glared. “If you do not, I’ll gladly call the Serpents over to escort you from the grounds.”

The man clicked his tongue, angrily walking away.

Azlyn had a bad feeling about that man. When he was gone and out of sight, she relaxed and meowed her gratitude to Miounne.

“I’ll need to give Momodi another call.” She sighed heavily, tapping her linkpearl. She walked away, talking out of her zone of hearing. Azlyn turned her attention to the door, and saw a sea of injured adventurers swarm in. Some of them were banged up, some even bleeding as they corralled around the tables.

“Some guy on a horse. There were so many casualties.”

“Weather turned real bad.”

“The air felt like electricity!”

“I swore some people turned to stone.”

Azlyn could hear the buzz, nervous jitters, and excitement from everyone in the space. Miounne returned, only to call over help. Many Serpents arrived with the hearers and conjurer. They healed their wounds and took in the report. 

Whatever happened in the Twelveswood sounded like bad news, but Azlyn couldn’t do anything about it—given that she was a cat. She hopped over the counter, milling through the injured—and helping in her own way. Many of them were happy to give her pets and pleased by her general sweet disposition.

Azlyn sat by the entrance, her tail swishing back and forth. Everything seemed to work out—and then she found herself caught in a dark bag. She screeched and hissed, clawing at the strange parcel that covered her.

“Run!” She heard her captor shout.

“HEY STOP!” Another voice yelled toward them but they were already sprinting. The bag continued to bump and wriggle as it hopped when her captor ran. 

---

She was tossed and turned in the satchel, as she felt herself getting carried away. And she recognized the distinct pop of a teleport. That didn’t stop her from trying to escape her newfound cage. She thrashed with all her might, hissing and screeching as loud as she possibly could.

Her whole world continued to shake as she lost footing in there.

“Bagged the cat!” The man announced.

“Did anyone see you?”

“Tch, the Gridanians aren’t gonna track us. We’ve teleported to Vylbrand.” He shook the bag as she meowed in complaint. 

“What about the cat?”

“What about it? It can stay in the bag until we get our reward money.”

“Won’t it die from lack of air?”

Azlyn started to thrash in the bag. If they were in Vylbrand, that’d mean they were somewhere in La Noscea. Or Limsa Lominsa. If she could get out, she could escape to her room in the inn, or over to the Arcanist’s guild. Maybe she could hop on a boat heading to Vesper Bay. She had some options, but it all required her to escape. 

“Shit. Okay, let’s get a room at the Mizzenmast and lock it in.”

She felt them moving, the smell of the ocean seemed to grow weaker as they went inside a building. She assumed it must have been the Bulwark by the plaza. She could tell they were getting a room, she recognized the Roegabyn Innkeeper’s voice as they handed them to the keys to their room. 

She recognized the walk up the spiraling staircase, following up the Mizzenmast tower to the designated rooms. It was after they were in the room, and the door was firmly shut when they flipped the bag upside and let her out. 

She darted away, skittering under the bed and out of sight. Her heart had been hammering in her furry little chest, but she didn’t want to stick around. Azlyn remained under the bed—no amount of coaxing from the two men could get her to come out. They left a plate of food and a bowl of milk out in the middle of the room—before heading down to the bar to drink. 

If she knew Baderon, they’d probably be drunk and singing songs by the time they come back. That’d be when she would run out. Until then, she perched herself by the door—keeping an ear open for staggering footsteps and the jangling of keys. 

Her patience paid off, as she tucked into the curved easement of the door. The click of the lock, the door swinging open finally rewarded her to the chance to escape—and she heard the exclaim of shock from the drunkard merchants as she bolted out. 

She leapt down the steps six to eight at a time. She scurried out into the Drowned Wench, seeing pirates, adventurers, officers of the Malestorm—she ignored everyone as she ran through the Aftcastle to the winding towers that had the pathways down into Hawker’s Alley. 

“Catch that cat!” 

“Shit!” 

Azlyn darted between the bustling crowds, as a few stopped to stare at her sprinting. She skidded to a halt by the Arcanist’s Guild—she thought of going in there—and then decided against it as she ran toward the pier. 

She’d hop onto a boat—anything was better than being captured. She jumped over to a few crates and barrels, sliding into the shadows as she shook. She could hear some of the ferrymen talking. 

“Costa Del Sol’s departure left—all that’s left is to deliver some goods to Vesper Bay.” 

“A ship’s leaving in two minutes.” 

“These barrels an’ crates are gonna be shipped, eh?” 

“Aye.” 

Azlyn tucked herself further into the shadows of the pier, waiting to see which boat they were start to pack. There was a boat on the far right, one where the workers continued to add merchandise to. That probably was the ship. 

She skulked over, moving through the workers and keeping low until she hopped abroad—and hid in a small space. This would be the last time she trusted anyone. Although she was worried now that the afternoon had started to turn into dusk—and her friends still had not found her. 

Although it also could have been due to her traveling all over Eorzea in such a short time. 

---

The trip had been a rocky one—the swells of the ocean made Azlyn a bit sick, as her stomach attempted to flip flop. She could see another large boat had been docked at Vesper Bay, and a few individuals were looking around. A woman fully dressed in purple, with men and women weary from their own travels. 

Azlyn staggered off the boat, her destination was to the small storeroom in the corner of the community. She knew the Scions moved, but Urianger would be available. Maybe he’d keep her safe until they figured out how to turn her back. 

That was until the woman in purple spoke out to the crowd that gathered in Vesper Bay. “Far across the sea, from the land of Doma, have we traveled. We seek audience with the ruler of these lands. Who here speaks for you?” 

She stopped, staring to the speaker. She said she came from Doma—the accent—it was something she hadn’t heard in a long time. It was something that her mother and aunt held onto, but Azlyn herself picked up the common Eorzean accent as she grew up. 

The crowd’s grew in quiet disarray, looking between one another. 

Azlyn decided to help. She ran over to her, meowing loudly. The cloaked woman in purple looked down to her. Azlyn turned, meowing and hoped to guide her to the storeroom. If anyone could help, it’d be the bookkeeper. 

“I am not one to shun fate. Come, let us follow.” The woman’s voice beckoned her two attendants by her side. Azlyn led them up the stairs, past the fence, and found the doors to the Waking Sands propped open. Urianger had been standing at the door, his hand already up to his linkpearl. 

“Ere thou goest—another matter requireth thine attention. A young maiden, full eager to—”

Azlyn stopped at the threshold, before meowing confidently over to the Doman. Behind her, she could hear Urianger slightly scoff. 

“Wherefore inquirest thou of her fairness!? Very well. Be she damsel or devil, I shall direct her steps to Revenant’s Toll. Save thine insinuations for one given to such impropriety. Thou shall not find me amenable.” He hung up the line, before staring to the white furred cat in the doorway. He stared for a spell, before lifting a hand back to his linkpearl. “And another matter requireth thine attention. Pray, come to Waking Sands. Our quandary has just arrived at our doorstep.” 

Azlyn walked to his side, rubbing his ankles and the straps of his sandals. 

“Are you someone whom can provide assistance? We seek an audience with the leaders of this nation.” 

Urianger knelt, lifting the white cat into his arms and turned to the Doman that followed her. “Take thine steps to Ul’dah—there thine can request audience with the Sultana.” The Elezen ran his hand over Azlyn’s head, running down her back. She relaxed, dropping her head into the crook of his robes. 

“Ul’dah? How should I get there?” 

Urianger walked into the storeroom, and over to the wall to present to them a map of Eorzea. “Thou art here in Vesper Bay, to reach Ul’dah thou must travel the dusty roads from here to Horizon, and further west to the Gates of Ul’dah. If thou art pressed for time, thy can wait for our Scions to pick up this one. Thoust may travel together with them.” He gestured to Azlyn, whose ears perked up. 

Urianger knew who she was. She purred in happiness. 

The Doman studied the map with keen attention, before looking to the cat in his arms. “Thank you for your guidance. We shall wait for this envoy.” She bowed, an eastern and formal one. Azlyn recognized it as something her own mother would perform to guests. 

“URIANGER YOU FOUND AZLYN!?” A blue haired Xaela, familiar pink eyes burst through the open door. She didn’t register the three guests before her eyes set upon the long white haired cat in his arms. “BLESS THE FUCKIN’ TWELVE!” 

Roll stepped in from behind her, shaking a vial of a strange concoction in her hand. “And with a potion to reverse the effects.” The Auri paused, looking to the woman from Doman. “Ah—Thancred mentioned something about an incident or commotion.” 

And another individual popped his head in. The blue and white robes, his white hair tied back in a high ponytail, his blue eyes alit with curiosity as he took in the sight within the Waking Sands upper landing. 

“I dared not to believe this to be real, but seeing her in the flesh... fur, is quite fascinating.” Alphinaud chuckled into his hand. He turned to the Domans who arrived. “Greetings, my name is Alphinaud Leveilleur. Behind me is Kida Vescura, Roll, and her cousin Azlyn.” He gestured to the cat last, which caused some understandable confusion. 

“...Au Ra...?” The woman muttered to herself, but shook her head. She turned to Kida who hovered over to Urianger.

“She’s a person!” Kida grabbed Azlyn from Urianger’s arms, hugging her tight as she squeezed her into her chest. “You disappeared in Sapphire Avenue! Where’d you go!” 

“Meooow.” Azlyn complained, pushing her paws into her. She tried to put some distance between them. 

“We helped Thancred and Y’shtola with their stolen crystals investigation, only to find out the Brass Blades have a traitor in their midst—and then we caught word from Urianger that you were here.” Roll swished the contents. “Let’s have you drink this.”  

The woman cloaked in purple crossed her arms. “I wish to speak with this nation’s leader regarding an important matter. We have come a far way—and require resources to survive. We have depleted almost all of our stores just on this journey alone.” 

Alphinaud nodded, “That is understandable—pray give me a few moments to make some calls.” He walked out to the courtyard of Vesper Bay, his hand upon his linkpearl already jumping into the heart of it. 

Urianger directed the three Auri to head downstairs. “If thou wishest to attend thine matters private, pray attend thyselves down below.” 

Roll made her way down, followed by Kida with Azlyn in her arms. “We’ll be back!” 

“Meoooow.” 

With this, Azlyn hoped this episode of being a cat would end with her cousin’s made concoction.