The spires of Limsa Lominsa rose before T’mi. She had almost forgotten the Lominsan sun--she had been away from Eorzea for so long. The first thing the Miqo’te did was check her mail. “What was the last letter that you received for me?”

The Moogle went through his bag. After an eternity, he twirled in the air. “Last letter was from Elistipha Mar, 2043 days ago. Kupo!”

The shock registered on T’mi’s face. “Two thousand days? Wait, I’d like to send a letter to Elistipha,” T’mi announced.

“Sorry, kupo!” the moogle replied. “You may only send letters to people on your friends list! You have no friends.”

T’mi’s face fell, her purple bangs covering her eyes. “I have no friends?”

*

The first thing that T’mi did was take up the pickaxe. Though her retainer Purim encouraged T’mi to reconnect with the rest of the Scions, Alena, having managed the finances for the past five years, encouraged T’mi to make some gil. After a mining trip, she was setting up her spinning wheel when someone addressed her. “Excuse me, traveller.”

She was exquisite. She had narrow horns framing her dark face and wore a long green dress of an Eastern style that suggested that she was some kind of dancer. “Hello, adventurer. Are you new to Limsa Lominsa? I found a tame sparrow and I’m looking for a kind person who might take care of it.”

In this adventurer’s hands, she held a bird cage. T’mi’s first feeling was alarm. Who was this person? What did she want from her? But she had a soft smile on her face. T’mi extended her arm and the adventurer opened the bird’s cage. The sparrow obediently hopped out, took flight for a moment, but, on cue, landed on T’mi’s arm and then hopped over to her shoulder. “It’s so cute,” she murmured.

“It likes you,” the adventurer said. “How are you enjoying Limsa Lominsa?”

“I, it’s going well,” T’mi lied. She wasn’t quite sure whether she should mention that she had spent a lot of time there five or so years ago.

“That’s wonderful,” she gushed. “It’s always great to see new faces around here. I’m Rhy’atria,” she added.

T’mi and Rhy’atria talked. T’mi told her the story of her namesake--a legendary Miqo’te of the T clan who spent his last days combing his luxurious tail. Rhy’atria told T’mi about fishing.

“Are you looking for a Free Company, T’mi?” Rhy’atria asked.

T’mi hesitated. In her short time back, she had been hounded by people asking her to join their Free Companies. The road sparrow chirped happily. T’mi stuttered. “What kind of Free Company is it?”

“We’re a small group. We do a little bit of everything.”

T’mi looked down. “I’m... looking for some old friends. I could join, but I might leave at any moment to look for them."

“Don’t worry,” Rhy’atria said. “Even if you leave, you’ll always be welcomed back with open arms.”

That sealed it for T’mi. “I’ll do it. Thank you.”


(Gaelicap)