Yeah… oof. How to start this one?
Okay, so I was looking for solutions to my dodo eating a hole in pants and attempting to eat my soul stones, as dodos do. Wandering around Limsa Lominsa, I noticed an Au Ra man fishing. I’d never gone fishing before, as it never interested me but I thought ‘it could be the answer to my dodo problem’. So I very nervously approached him and asked if fishing was difficult and how one would get started.
This man smiles and chuckles, hands me a well-loved fishing rod with a little fake fish hook thing and a bottle of ale. “That’s all you need” he said.
I started to panic. I’ve never had alcohol before. I told him “oh no I don’t drink”.
Without missing a damn beat, this Au Ra looks me in the eye and says “if you ain’t drunk, then are you really fishing?” I didn’t want to be a bother so, yeah I popped the top and starting drinking.
I didn’t stop until the bottle was empty and the taste was somewhere between birch bark and liquid fire. My throat was burning, my face was warm and almost immediately I was dizzy and light-headed. I don’t remember much after that, save for the fact that I hugged a lalafell which is weird because I’m not an affectionate person or good with people for that matter.
Woke up on the coast by Costa Del Sol with a basket full of fish on my left, a cloth wrapped package on my right, and my pants on the rock over yonder. I smelled like I just bathed in a bucket of fish and my face was sore.
Embarrassed I quickly gathered my belongings and decided to open the package. Inside was a change of clothes and a note.
It read:
‘You were a party animal. Ocean fishing with you was a blast, and who knew you had such a way with words, even if those words got you slapped. You did great fishing, but next time maybe drink less. Like ALOT less.
Anyway in this package are some spare clothes I bought for you after the fish barrel incident. Get washed up, get dressed and go meet the Masked Rose at the gold saucer to present yourself.
Maybe I’ll see you around, maybe I won’t. Who knows. Either way, it was fun.
-your friendly fishing buddy’.
I smiled because it was nice that he left me some clothes but now I had questions: what is ocean fishing? Who slapped me? And what is the fish barrel incident?
This man left me a new brown hat, a black jerkin, some black shoes and a yellow skirt. A skirt! I had no choice and asked one of the staff if they could wash my fishy clothes and that I’d be back later to pick them up. I put on the clothes and let me make it perfectly clear:
To all women and men who are clearly more brave, proud and comfortable with themselves than I am: how? The slightest breeze had me panicking and lack of pant legs made me feel very exposed and uncomfortable. Kudos to you all, I will stick to pants and shorts.
Now back to the story, I traveled to the gold saucer via aetheryte and it was quiet. Then again I was there very early in the morning. Surprisingly the staff were willing to help me even if my outfit was an odd choice. The pointed me in the direction of the Wonder Square.
There he was, mask and all. The masked Rose. He looks in my direction and said ‘if you’re here for an evaluation step up so I can better judge your sense of fashon.’ And regretting my life choices I step into the light to be judged ready for ridicule.
The Masked Rose looks over every single piece of clothing I was wearing judging each one. I was embarrassed and felt like I was going to die, but what he said next just solidified that feeling.
“Beautiful. Simply beautiful.”
“Huh?”
“Oh I didn’t stutter. Your fashion sense shows just how beautiful you are on the inside as well.”
“Okay, but I’m a guy.”
“Beauty has no limits on gender, age or any type of orientation.”
No one has ever said that type of stuff to me so to say I was quite the shade of red would be an understatement. He then gave me a rather large sum of coins for use at the gold saucer and I fled back to Costa Del Sol with my face just as warm as when I was drinking. I felt like I was just paid to dress up and be looked at like a doll on display.
I could never be a dancer that’s for sure.
What was the point of this? Well now I’m back in my own clothes with much more respect for those who wear skirts, regardless of who they are. And even though I never caught that Au Ra’s name, I owe them a drink for what I can definitely say was a wild time. Even if I don’t remember it.
The journey of a thousand yalms begins with a single quest.
