ashes of our past

An RP blog featuring Rean Schwarzer of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel. WARNING: WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR TRAILS OF COLD STEEL II ASK BOX STATUS: Open (not anon) var fhs = document.createElement('script');var fhs_id = "5269947"; var ref = (''+document.referrer+'');var pn = window.location;var w_h = window.screen.width + " x " + window.screen.height; fhs.src = "//s1.freehostedscripts.net/ocounter.php?site="+fhs_id+"&e1=wandering swordsman&e2=wandering swordsmen&r="+ref+"&wh="+w_h+"&a=1&pn="+pn+""; document.head.appendChild(fhs);document.write("");

[graue-ritter]

fish out of water (ffxiv au)

Rean slowly led his chocobo Badeaux down the wooden steps, taking careful steps down so as not to startle him. Even though he had full faith in Skylift’s architecture, Rean had found that the creaking wood and seemingly endless stairs were too much for Badeaux, making him freeze in place out of sheer terror. As a result, whenever Rean found himself passing by Skylift, he always had to dismount and carefully lead Badeaux down the stairs, making sure to not startle him in any way.

Luckily, Rean never found himself in Limsa Lominsa quite a lot. Even though he admired its pristine blue waters and their endless varieties of fish, the Scions had always found ways of keeping him busy – not that Rean minded, of course. So when Jusis invited him over to fish, Rean was delighted at the invitation. Fishing with Jusis was always a welcome distraction from the Scions, plus he always found it oddly cute how Jusis, without fail, would forget to bring his bait.

Once Rean successfully climbed down to the docks, he spotted Jusis’ familiar figure hunched over and clearly embroiled in whatever he was fishing. His ears were perked up and attentive, his tail calmly swishing side to side. When Rean knew for sure that Badeaux had finished climbing down the stairs, he raised up his arm and cried out, “Jusis! Hey, Jusis!” With Badeaux behind him, Rean ran up to Jusis, plopping himself down next to him.

“What are you trying to catch, Jusis?” Rean asked, trying to resist the urge not to bat at his wavering tail.

[crystal-saber]

“A Gigantshark,” Jusis replied, and as he noticed Rean’s fingers reaching towards his tail from the corner of his eye he flicked it to the opposite side of the dock. No use in Rean getting so easily distracted by it when he had just arrived. His tail was the subject of enough teasing back home already, and there were more important matters to attend to. “It’s known as the king of the silver sharks and the lord of the waters here at Summerford. I’ve been trying for ages to catch this so called big fish ever since acquiring a rod sufficient enough to do so, but it’s been eluding me – and, yes, before you say anything, I did bring the proper bait this time.”

Jusis glanced up, frowning at the clouds that have plagued the skies since he glanced out their apartment window early this morning while preparing two sets of Ishgardian tea and muffins for their breakfast. “Perhaps it’s not the right weather, but there isn’t anything that can be done about that. At least I can make some shark oil with the droves of silver sharks I’m catching instead,” Jusis grumbled, leaning over to rest himself comfortingly against Rean’s side, but rather than his head landing gracefully on Rean’s shoulder, it thumped a little awkwardly against Rean’s elbow instead. Maybe the height difference between them was a little inconvenient sometimes, but at least neither of them was a Lalafell. “I pray you’ll have better luck than I am.”

[graue-ritter]

Rean wrapped his arms around Jusis, pulling him close against his chest. “Gigantsharks? I never heard of those,” Rean said sheepishly. Even though Rean considered himself a good fisherman, it embarrassed him how many fish left that he still have yet to see. It seemed that every time he went out to fish, he simply ended up with a surplus of fish that he had seen before, with only one or two species new to him.

Rean beckoned Badeaux over, who gladly shuffled his way over to him. Rean let Jusis gently slide off of his grasp, allowing him to get up and walk over to the many bags that lined Badeaux. It surprised him how much time it took for him to find a simple fishing rod -- it seemed that everything was filled to the brim with random materials he had uncovered from wandering monsters: meats, plants, scales, assorted body parts...

“Found it!” Rean exclaimed. He pulled out a long, blue rod from one of the pockets, his eyes twinkling with triumph. In comparison to Jusis’ rod, however, Rean couldn’t help but notice that his Halcyon Rod was free of any scratches or dents. He knew that Jusis had a love for crafting and gathering, but he didn’t think that Jusis would be that dedicated. After all, the first time they went out fishing, Jusis would drop his rod after a few catches and switch to weaving instead. Nevertheless, it warmed Rean’s heart to know that Jusis now had a newfound love for fishing.

“Uh...Jusis?” Rean began, “W-What kind of bait am I supposed to use anyway...?” In a shocking twist of fate, Rean found that he only had a few crayballs with him. Oh, the sweet irony, Rean thought to himself. “Er, think you can spare some bait too...?” He added with a chuckle.

[graue-ritter]

fish out of water (ffxiv au)

Rean slowly led his chocobo Badeaux down the wooden steps, taking careful steps down so as not to startle him. Even though he had full faith in Skylift’s architecture, Rean had found that the creaking wood and seemingly endless stairs were too much for Badeaux, making him freeze in place out of sheer terror. As a result, whenever Rean found himself passing by Skylift, he always had to dismount and carefully lead Badeaux down the stairs, making sure to not startle him in any way.

Luckily, Rean never found himself in Limsa Lominsa quite a lot. Even though he admired its pristine blue waters and their endless varieties of fish, the Scions had always found ways of keeping him busy -- not that Rean minded, of course. So when Jusis invited him over to fish, Rean was delighted at the invitation. Fishing with Jusis was always a welcome distraction from the Scions, plus he always found it oddly cute how Jusis, without fail, would forget to bring his bait.

Once Rean successfully climbed down to the docks, he spotted Jusis’ familiar figure hunched over and clearly embroiled in whatever he was fishing. His ears were perked up and attentive, his tail calmly swishing side to side. When Rean knew for sure that Badeaux had finished climbing down the stairs, he raised up his arm and cried out, “Jusis! Hey, Jusis!” With Badeaux behind him, Rean ran up to Jusis, plopping himself down next to him.

“What are you trying to catch, Jusis?” Rean asked, trying to resist the urge not to bat at his wavering tail.

[graue-ritter]

@crystal-saber (spoilers for ToSC II)

[graue-ritter]

The Adamas Shield gave little resistance to Rean – although it certainly helped deflect a few bullets off of him it only served to increase Rean’s recklessness. He raised his tachi to his side, his eyes focused on the men who still dared to shoot at him. Without so much as a warning, Rean began to disappear and reappear, slashing a soldier before seemingly disappearing into the air and reappearing beside another ill-placed man.

“Get out of here, Jusis!” Rean cried out, the bright yellow barrier around him beginning to flicker and fade, “You’re not safe here!”

Rean didn’t wait for Jusis to answer back. The moment the Adamas Shield faded away completely Rean had already transformed back into that monstrous other side of his – those familiar crimson eyes, the white hair that would sometimes have tiny bloodstains caught between strands…

Rean then gripped onto his tachi, eyes closed and knees bent. The moment Rean heard the soldiers scream out his name in bloody murder his eyes immediately snapped open. He unsheathed his tachi, sending out one long wave of pure dark energy against the incoming reinforcements. Without even stopping to breathe, Rean disappeared into the air once more, getting closer and closer to the gunmen who were shooting at him mere moments before.

Once again, those familiar, bloodcurdling screams of horror filled Rean’s ears and left him unable to concentrate on anything else but swinging his tachi. He wanted the screams to stop, he wanted to stop hurting these hapless villagers, but he couldn’t. Their screams bore so deep into Rean’s skull that his only response was to continue to attack them with his tachi, attacking and attacking until those screams could finally stop.

[crystal-saber]

Jusis knew that the frontlines of the battlefield were no place for him since he neglected to bring his knight sword with him to Crossbell. He didn’t need Rean to tell him that he wasn’t safe here. He had no way to defend himself from any possible hostility right now, so even though he did want to keep providing support to Rean who was still outnumbered, Jusis continued to back away towards the windmill. Chances were that Rean would be fine without his backup, especially since he just tapped into the fearsome power that he’d somehow learned to control so quickly just last December, so Jusis complied with Rean’s instructions and retreated.

It was nostalgic in a strange way, taking orders from Rean the same way he did back when Rean was still the leader of Class VII - back when Class VII was still a concept that had a meaning and importance. Even though Jusis was reluctant to befriend his classmates in the beginning, he had hoped that even after the end of the civil war his friends in Class VII would continue to remain as close as a second family, but he knew that everyone was starting to drift apart along the different paths they’d taken after graduation. He knew it, and it hurt, but now that he had finally reunited with Rean after all this time he wasn’t going to let Rean slip away too into whatever demons were troubling him. Jusis was determined to find out what exactly stole away the Rean he’d grown so close to last year and left him suffering so much, but that would have to come after this fight was over. For now, he just had to get to safety.

When Jusis stepped back into the windmill’s doorway his ears were met with the sudden crack of gunfire, and the moment that it registered in his mind that the sound didn’t come from any of the assailants that Rean was dealing with was the same second that a splitting pain erupted in his thigh. Jusis didn’t even realize he’d been shot by a gunman hiding in the windmill until he was already laying on the ground struggling to catch his breath amidst the searing heat coursing through his wounded leg that left his mind going blank. How could he be so stupid and unobservant as to let himself get shot? Rean had enough to worry about already without Jusis burdening him like this, but Jusis knew there was nothing he could do himself about the footsteps approaching him from the inside of the windmill. “Rean,” Jusis croaked out weakly, eyelids fluttering at the sight of all the blood spilling from his gunshot wound. “Rean…”

[graue-ritter]

Rean barely heard the faint whispering of his name amidst all the gunshots and dying screams, but as more and more soldiers began to bleed to their death or run away in fright, Rean’s mind finally registered the fact that someone was calling out to him. At that same time, something else also registered in his head -- Jusis was still here. When Rean finally realized his fatal mistake, he managed to hold onto his power long enough to teleport over to Jusis’ side, killing Jusis’ assailant with one slash of his fiery tachi.

“Jusis!” Rean cried out. A sharp pain ran up across his back when he finally began to revert back to his normal self. Lately, the demonic power that he had long mastered had began to hurt Rean more than usual, leaving him more vulnerable than ever. He knew that the sudden pain was caused by his overuse of the fearsome power, but he couldn’t help it -- he had to use his powers. Even if it meant seriously wounding him. But as of right now, Rean could only hope that this was the end of that ambush; he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to even lift his tachi anymore after that.

But Rean mustered his remaining strength to flip open his orbment and cast a single Teara on Jusis’ leg. “It’s okay now, Jusis...” Rean said softly, unable to raise his voice any higher due to the pain he was in. “Y-You’re safe...I killed all of...them...” It pained Rean to realize how much of a vulnerable state he was in right now. What if surprise reinforcements came? What if Jusis somehow bled to death? Simply staying in Armorica would be an unwise choice -- enemies were all around them and Rean wasn’t sure how Rufus would react when he eventually figures out that his little brother had been wounded in one of Rean’s missions.

“I’ll...I’ll get you back to the city,” Rean panted, flipping his orbment shut. Even standing up caused him a bit of trouble, causing him to lean against the windmill’s walls for a second. “We’re not safe here.” With a grunt, Rean hoisted Jusis up onto his arms, beginning to slowly walk him over back to the orbal bike. Rean was especially careful not to hurt Jusis’ leg, not wanting to cause him anymore pain than needed.

Once they had reached Rean’s orbal bike, he began gingerly placing Jusis onto the bike, once again keeping in mind his still-wounded leg. Once Rean hopped onto the bike and started revving the engine, he finally turned to look at Jusis with a forced smile. “All of this happened...because of me,” He said ruefully, “I...I owe you an explanation, Jusis. You shouldn’t have gotten hurt.” He glanced down at Jusis’ leg briefly. “I should have been the one who got hurt.” Rean added.

But Rean left no room for Jusis to argue against him. As soon as he finished that sentence, he had already began speeding away from Armorica.

[graue-ritter]

@crystal-saber (spoilers for ToSC II)

[graue-ritter]

The location was a small windmill located on the far right of the village, isolated from the rest of the residents but still an integral part of its lifestyle. Though innocuous on the outside, the files had called the windmill an integral part of the resistance movement. Apparently, children orphaned by the ongoing civil war had been stowed away within the windmill until they could relocate their parents, or until they were deemed useful enough to serve in the militia. Perhaps that was why Rean felt so nervous this time; he had to kill not just their caretakers, but orphans.

He stopped in front of the windmill, long enough for Jusis to catch up to him. Rean had forgotten that Jusis was even there, too lost in his own thoughts to worry about his tailing companion. When Rean did finally stop thinking about his mission, he finally acknowledged Jusis’ presence with another dismissive glance. “If you want to help me, then stay here,” He growled. Rean unsheathed his tachi from its saya, and began to walk towards the seemingly empty windmill.

Rean waited for a few moments, lingering near the door and trying to discern noises. Seemingly without thought, Rean flung the door open, rushing in with his tachi guiding his feet. At the same time, he heard the sound of a gun being fired from within the windmill, followed by the sound of a bullet whizzing by. With a grit of his teeth, Rean raised his tachi to block the shot, his eyes flaring up in alarm. He could hear the sound of more guns being fired outside, the faint outline of armed men coming into view. “Get out, Jusis!” Rean roared, rushing back outside with his tachi in tow.

[crystal-saber]

Jusis realized what was happening when the sound of nearby gunfire was accompanied by Rean’s panicked screaming for him to watch out, and as he spun around to face their enemies he was amazed that he managed to evade their shots as they quickly approached the windmill. Why were they being attacked right now? And what was happening inside that windmill that made Rean have to travel all the way here to take care of it with his tachi? Jusis still had no idea what was going on – at this rate it seemed like he might never know – but at least he knew a fight when he saw one despite the confusing circumstances leading up to it

Once Jusis yanked his ARCUS out of his pocket, he continued backing away from the gunmen advancing towards them, flipping it open to run his thumb along a few of the quartz inset along its first line. He casted a quick Frost Edge art that only seemed to delay the men more than cause any worthwhile damage, but he didn’t want to waste his strength until he actually needed it. Who knew how many enemies might have been lying in wait to ambush them later on? After all, one of the many things he learned from their field studies was to always keep in mind to prepare for the unexpected. “Rean,” Jusis called out again as Rean caught up to him outside the windmill. “I apologize that I don’t have my sword, but I’ll cover your ba-”

He didn’t even have a chance to finish his sentence before Rean ran off to try to take care of matters on his own. There he went again, thinking that he could do everything by himself. Jusis shifted his priorities, casting an Adamas Shield art on Rean to protect him from any initial gunfire as he kept withdrawing towards the windmill, ready to continue his support if needed or to hide for a moment if any danger presented itself from outside.

[graue-ritter]

The Adamas Shield gave little resistance to Rean -- although it certainly helped deflect a few bullets off of him it only served to increase Rean’s recklessness. He raised his tachi to his side, his eyes focused on the men who still dared to shoot at him. Without so much as a warning, Rean began to disappear and reappear, slashing a soldier before seemingly disappearing into the air and reappearing beside another ill-placed man.

“Get out of here, Jusis!” Rean cried out, the bright yellow barrier around him beginning to flicker and fade, “You’re not safe here!”

Rean didn’t wait for Jusis to answer back. The moment the Adamas Shield faded away completely Rean had already transformed back into that monstrous other side of his -- those familiar crimson eyes, the white hair that would sometimes have tiny bloodstains caught between strands...

Rean then gripped onto his tachi, eyes closed and knees bent. The moment Rean heard the soldiers scream out his name in bloody murder his eyes immediately snapped open. He unsheathed his tachi, sending out one long wave of pure dark energy against the incoming reinforcements. Without even stopping to breathe, Rean disappeared into the air once more, getting closer and closer to the gunmen who were shooting at him mere moments before.

Once again, those familiar, bloodcurdling screams of horror filled Rean’s ears and left him unable to concentrate on anything else but swinging his tachi. He wanted the screams to stop, he wanted to stop hurting these hapless villagers, but he couldn’t. Their screams bore so deep into Rean’s skull that his only response was to continue to attack them with his tachi, attacking and attacking until those screams could finally stop.

[crystal-saber]

a game of cat and dog

[graue-ritter]

Rean listened intently to each and every word Jusis said, soon breaking into a series of whimpers when he finally realized why Jusis was so sleepless. It was that dream. Again. During the peak of Jusis’ nightmares, Rean would wake up to find him tossing and turning, mumbling seemingly incoherent words. Rean would almost always catch Jusis in the act, and he would almost always wake him up and comfort him for awhile. But for him to somehow sleep through Jusis’ nightmares…for him to actually have a peaceful slumber while Jusis likely suffered throughout the night…it weighed so heavily on Rean’s conscience.

“But I am worried!” Rean blurted out, “I really, really, really think that it is bothering you, Jusis! And then here I am, having just woken up from having a real good night’s sleep…” Rean started to become fretful; at the peak of his shame, Rean buried himself again into the crook of Jusis’ neck, too ashamed to look Jusis dead in the eye. “I’m so sorry, Jusis, I’m so sorry!” Rean cried out in a muffled voice, “I should have woken you up…I should have stayed up all night with you, too…damn it, I’m so, so sorry…!”

[crystal-saber]

“Don’t feel sorry, Rean. It’s nothing to feel guilty about,” Jusis began, rubbing his hand comfortingly against Rean’s back to try to calm him down again. He knew he shouldn’t have said anything because Rean would make a bigger deal out of it than necessary, but even though Rean was still blowing his worries out of proportion that didn’t mean that the dream didn’t truly bother Jusis a little bit. Rather, more than a little bit. Okay, yes, perhaps the dream bothered Jusis a lot, but that was his own problem, not Rean’s.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Jusis asserted, smiling faintly as he watched Rean’s tail wag back and forth. Sometimes when Jusis spaced out he could get caught up in watching it swish about in accordance with Rean’s mood, but he restrained himself from batting his hand at it this time. “I don’t expect you to coddle me so much. I’m not here to be a liability to you, so I’m glad that I didn’t keep you awake all night, too. I do wonder what prompted the dream, but I don’t suspect it’ll happen again…”

[graue-ritter]

Rean smiled as he felt Jusis’ hand rubbing comforting circles around his back. But it wasn’t like he was going to forget that Jusis just had a nightmare. No matter how hard Jusis tried to assert how no, it didn’t bother me at all, Rean knew Jusis well enough to know that whenever Jusis said how something doesn’t bother him, it usually did bother him. With that in mind, Rean poked an eye out from his hiding spot on Jusis’ neck. “But it’s still bothering you,” He whimpered, “You’re not being a liability at all to me. We’re boyfriends, right? Aren’t you supposed to tell me what’s wrong?”

Rean climbed off of Jusis, instead preferring to wrap Jusis in his own embrace, dragging the cat close by his side. “Are you sure you’re fine, Jusis?” Rean asked again. Even though the day was still clearly young, Rean was starting to feel pretty tired himself. He wasn’t sure if it was from cooking breakfast (which didn’t even take that long) or if it was because he got up a little too early, but Rean certainly did feel tired. He let out a little yawn, causing him to rub his eyes in response. “You sure you’re okay, Jusis?” Rean asked once more, “I’m sorry I was a little loud...do you really want to sleep still...? I-I can leave you alone, if you want...” In truth, Rean wanted to stay - he wanted to curl up against Jusis and just sleep the rest of the day away with him...

[crystal-saber]

a game of cat and dog

[graue-ritter]

The kiss totally caught Rean off guard, but the feeling of Jusis’ lips against his made his initial shock wear away. Rean relaxed into the kiss, his tail wagging back and forth at the sheer happiness he was experiencing from this one kiss. He was feeling pretty sleepy too, no thanks to his partner’s infectious demeanor, but then Rean realized that something felt…wrong. Something about Jusis’ kisses felt off. Coupled with his desperate need to sleep, Rean easily concluded that something was wrong.

“Y’okay, Jusis?” Rean asked. He broke away from the kiss, focusing his concerned eyes on Jusis’ sleepy ones. “It looks like you have something in your mind…” Since Rean knew that Jusis was going to just going to dodge the issue entirely, he resolved to using his…secret weapon. Immediately Rean flattened his ears and curled his lips into a small pout. He widened his eyes too, giving them a totally innocent aura. Rean started whining softly, giving small, loving licks on Jusis’ cheeks. “You know you can tell me anything, right, Jusis?” Rean whined, “Will you tell me what’s wrong? …Please?”

[crystal-saber]

Jusis was miffed at the feeling of Rean breaking out of the kiss so soon because after such a long, sleepless night he just wanted to be soothed by some sort of affection, but his disappointment quickly turned into dread as Rean continued to press the issue that he wanted to let die. He really didn’t want to discuss how he couldn’t get any sort of sleep last night because the recurring nightmare he thought had been put to rest had resurfaced for the first time in a year, but like usual Rean knew just how to get to him. When Jusis saw Rean giving him that face, his tail stiffened as he tried to calm the fluttering in his chest. Why did Rean have to be so irresistibly adorable? It did a real number on Jusis’s resolve, and when Rean began to lick his cheeks that were heating up in embarrassment over his thoughts about how goddamned cute Rean was, he gave in with a sigh.

“I had that dream again last night,” Jusis began, feeling Rean actually start to settle down on top of him as he started to speak rather than continue to squirm around. Even though Rean had way too much energy for his liking, Jusis was glad that he still knew when to calm down. “The one about before we met, back when I was still a stray after my mother’s death. I was alone for so long that I’ll never truly be able to forget the feeling, and some nights I can’t help but to… remember. And then the dream happens.”

Jusis turned his head to the side to avert his eyes from Rean’s concerned gaze. “That’s it,” he concluded, curling his fingers more tightly into Rean’s hair, and their soft strands brushing against his fingertips served as a happy reminder that this was definitely real. “Don’t worry about me, Rean. It doesn’t bother me. It’s just a dream.”

[graue-ritter]

Rean listened intently to each and every word Jusis said, soon breaking into a series of whimpers when he finally realized why Jusis was so sleepless. It was that dream. Again. During the peak of Jusis’ nightmares, Rean would wake up to find him tossing and turning, mumbling seemingly incoherent words. Rean would almost always catch Jusis in the act, and he would almost always wake him up and comfort him for awhile. But for him to somehow sleep through Jusis’ nightmares...for him to actually have a peaceful slumber while Jusis likely suffered throughout the night...it weighed so heavily on Rean’s conscience.

“But I am worried!” Rean blurted out, “I really, really, really think that it is bothering you, Jusis! And then here I am, having just woken up from having a real good night’s sleep...” Rean started to become fretful; at the peak of his shame, Rean buried himself again into the crook of Jusis’ neck, too ashamed to look Jusis dead in the eye. “I’m so sorry, Jusis, I’m so sorry!” Rean cried out in a muffled voice, “I should have woken you up...I should have stayed up all night with you, too...damn it, I’m so, so sorry...!”

[crystal-saber]

a game of cat and dog

[graue-ritter]

Rean yelped in surprise when he was somehow pulled even closer to Jusis. Although hugs and kisses were quite commonplace in their relationship, Rean always felt so surprised when he found himself on the receiving end of a hug or kiss. After all, it was usually him who had to nudge Jusis into showing a little affection. And yet, Rean was still quite surprised at how warm Jusis felt. For someone who was so stoic, Jusis was just so warm. It made Rean feel…cozy.

Rean’s tail continued to swish in happiness, but his ears flattened in satisfaction at the soft kiss. It always felt so nice when Jusis kissed his ears, even made him happier than normal. But this time, something about Jusis’ demeanor troubled Rean. “You okay, Jusis?” He asked, looking up at Jusis’ eyes, “What happened? Did I roll around a lot? Did I hit you in accident?” Rean’s cheeks suddenly turned into a bright hue of red when he realized just what his error might be. “Wait, don’t tell me…I knocked you out of bed, didn’t I!?” He yelped in horror. “I’m so sorry, Jusis, I didn’t mean to!” Rean buried his face into the crook of Jusis’ neck, muttering apologies over and over again.

[crystal-saber]

“Nothing like that, Rean,” Jusis murmured, kind of wanting Rean to just stop talking so that he could get some more rest, but this was Rean after all. It wouldn’t be Rean without profuse apologies as he suspected, actually more like feared, that he had done something wrong to offend even when he did nothing of the sort. “You were a perfectly peaceful, well behaved sleeper last night. You’re not the reason why I had a hard time sleeping…”

Jusis slowly stroked the top of Rean’s head, running his fingers across the soft fur of his ears to coax him into coming out of his anxious position, face hidden against Jusis’s neck. Once Rean’s head popped back into visible sight Jusis inched forward, catching Rean’s lips with his own to hopefully get him to stop talking and forget about everything – not only that breakfast was still waiting outside, but also the notion that anything was troubling Jusis to begin with. Maybe Rean would just concede and take a nap here on top of him if Jusis tempted him enough to forget about everything and stay right here, but even he could feel his own faint hesitance behind his gentle kisses.

[graue-ritter]

The kiss totally caught Rean off guard, but the feeling of Jusis’ lips against his made his initial shock wear away. Rean relaxed into the kiss, his tail wagging back and forth at the sheer happiness he was experiencing from this one kiss. He was feeling pretty sleepy too, no thanks to his partner’s infectious demeanor, but then Rean realized that something felt...wrong. Something about Jusis’ kisses felt off. Coupled with his desperate need to sleep, Rean easily concluded that something was wrong.

“Y’okay, Jusis?” Rean asked. He broke away from the kiss, focusing his concerned eyes on Jusis’ sleepy ones. “It looks like you have something in your mind...” Since Rean knew that Jusis was going to just going to dodge the issue entirely, he resolved to using his...secret weapon. Immediately Rean flattened his ears and curled his lips into a small pout. He widened his eyes too, giving them a totally innocent aura. Rean started whining softly, giving small, loving licks on Jusis’ cheeks. “You know you can tell me anything, right, Jusis?” Rean whined, “Will you tell me what’s wrong? ...Please?”

[crystal-saber]

a game of cat and dog

continued from here

graue-ritter:

The sight of Jusis’ twitching ear was enough of a sign for Rean - yes, Jusis was ‘awake’. At least, in Rean’s terms he was. Quietly closing the door behind him, Rean slowly walked over to Jusis’ side, his tail thumping happily against the floor. He pawed at the still-twitching ear, rather amused by how it moved and why it moved. “Juuuusissss,” Rean said again, his gaze affixed on Jusis’ ear, “Wake uuuuup!”

Without thinking, Rean climbed onto the bed in a rather shoddy attempt to wake up Jusis. The bed heaved and creaked under Rean’s weight as he began to paw at Jusis himself, trying to nudge him away from the blanket. When Jusis still wouldn’t yield to his wishes, Rean resorted to nuzzling against him. It was supposed to be a sign of affection, as Jusis had explained to him before, but Rean couldn’t help but feel a little awkward at the thought of being so close to Jusis. But if it was warmth that Jusis desired, then Rean would give him twice the warmth he wanted and more. “Please wake up, Jusis…” Rean whimpered, his voice soft and innocent.

As Jusis felt Rean playing with his ear he tried his best to ignore it, but his efforts were to no avail. Rean always did this, whether Jusis was trying to read a few pages out of his latest novel or relax with some freshly brewed tea or just get some more much-needed sleep because he still felt so tired. Jusis wondered what in the world could have possessed him to leave him some kind of hopeless nutcase falling for a crazy dog with boundless energy who always wanted to play and run laps around him, but deep inside he knew that Rean was just what he needed to fill the space in his grumpy, lonely heart.

When Rean nuzzled against his back, Jusis could feel his tail acting against his wishes to remain still, and as it swished back and forth contentedly against the sheets at the comforting warmth Rean brought that was better than any measly blanket he sighed. Rean definitely knew he was awake, and after Jusis opened his eyes he turned his head slowly to peer over his shoulder. “Fine… I’m awake,” he mumbled, rolling over to face Rean, and as his back flopped down onto the bed he swung his arms up to catch Rean in an embrace and pull him in close despite his surprised yelps. “Doesn’t mean I want to get out of bed yet.” Jusis tangled his fingers into soft, navy hair, holding Rean’s head against the crook of his neck as he brushed his lips at the tip of Rean’s ear in a feather-light kiss and let out a weary breath. “Five more minutes, Rean… I didn’t get much sleep last night…”

[graue-ritter]

Rean yelped in surprise when he was somehow pulled even closer to Jusis. Although hugs and kisses were quite commonplace in their relationship, Rean always felt so surprised when he found himself on the receiving end of a hug or kiss. After all, it was usually him who had to nudge Jusis into showing a little affection. And yet, Rean was still quite surprised at how warm Jusis felt. For someone who was so stoic, Jusis was just so warm. It made Rean feel...cozy.

Rean’s tail continued to swish in happiness, but his ears flattened in satisfaction at the soft kiss. It always felt so nice when Jusis kissed his ears, even made him happier than normal. But this time, something about Jusis’ demeanor troubled Rean. “You okay, Jusis?” He asked, looking up at Jusis’ eyes, “What happened? Did I roll around a lot? Did I hit you in accident?” Rean’s cheeks suddenly turned into a bright hue of red when he realized just what his error might be. “Wait, don’t tell me...I knocked you out of bed, didn’t I!?” He yelped in horror. “I’m so sorry, Jusis, I didn’t mean to!” Rean buried his face into the crook of Jusis’ neck, muttering apologies over and over again.

[crystal-saber]

chicken soup for the soul

[graue-ritter]

Rean was getting the cutting board for the chicken when he heard Jusis sniffling. He immediately gasped and dropped the board onto the counter top, rushing over to Jusis as fast as he could. “Jusis, are you okay!?” Rean cried out. He was holding Jusis by the shoulder, not noticing that he was gripping a little too tightly onto Jusis. It wasn’t like Jusis was dying or anything - he was just sniffling a little bit, and…crying?

“Ju-Jusis…you’re crying, aren’t you?” Rean asked bluntly. “I-Is this making you sad!? Do…Do you need to lie down, Jusis? Maybe take a nap?” He released his hold on Jusis to snatch the onion away from his crying friend. At least he chopped the onion somewhat, Rean thought to himself. He was about to send Jusis back to hid bedroom when Rean suddenly realized why Jusis was crying in the first place. Deep inside, Rean was erupting with laughter at the revelation.

He gingerly held the half-cut onion closer to Jusis, his fuchsia eyes glittering with curiosity. “…Is it from this onion, Jusis?” He asked, trying to hide his wide grin from Jusis. Knowing the guy, Jusis could only erupt in even more shame and self-loathing if he showed even a little amusement at Jusis’ predicament. Despite the situation being hilarious, Rean held his grin back not just because he wanted to be a good friend, but also for the sake of Jusis’  already wounded pride.

[crystal-saber]

“Yes,” Jusis affirmed as he continued to rub the tears away with the back of his hand. He could barely even see Rean through his watery eyes because of that foul, offensive, god-forsaken onion, but from the sound of Rean’s voice it was clear he was holding back some laughter. Well. At least he was courteous enough to try to restrain himself after his concern morphed so quickly into an embarrassing amusement at Jusis’s expense.

“This shouldn’t… be a surprising r–r–reaction, R–R–Rean,” Jusis stammered out. “I’m not sad about anything. Onions are known to… to make people c–cry. What’s strange is that you’re not crying because of that damned vegetable, but perhaps this means you should take care of it instead…” Jusis paused to sniffle a little louder than he would have liked – both because of the onion and whatever sickness he went and caught while out in the rain with Rean. “Please,” he added uncomfortably with a mumbling whisper. “Anyways… While you do that is there, erm, s–something else I should take care of…?”

[graue-ritter]

“Well...maybe I’m just...used to it?” Rean answered sheepishly, “Cutting onions, I mean! I help my mom out a lot with cooking, and well, I’m not really the best cook around, so I usually hang back and chop a lot of stuff...” As he said this, Rean drew the onion away from Jusis and began cutting it into neat circles himself. Maybe it was a little coldhearted on his part to be taunting Jusis like this. After all, Jusis was already sick - there was no need to add anything more to Jusis’ troubles.

“Why don’t you cut the chicken?” Rean asked. He pulled a large butcher’s knife from Sharon’s wall of hanging knives, holding it out for Jusis to take. “I don’t think it’ll make you cry or anything. Just chop it up and separate the meat from the bones, then we’ll be fine.” Jusis can’t possibly cry over poultry, Rean thought to himself. Besides, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to properly cut up the chicken anyway. For all Rean knew, the soup might end up with a few bones in it and Jusis or him could choke on them, the exact opposite of what Rean was trying to do.

[graue-ritter]

magic anon! you now have puppy ears and a tail for the duration of one rp where both participants are cute pets c:

Rean was used to waking up early. He would wake up when his little dog ears first detected signs of sunlight, rolling away from Jusis’ embrace and cleaning himself up before rousing Jusis awake. Of course, Rean would fail at that, and he would simply just give up and make breakfast for the both of them, him waiting patiently in the kitchen for Jusis to come strolling in. Almost always Jusis would wake up with his cat ears drooped low and wearing a stature that clearly said, I didn’t get enough sleep don’t bother me please. And yet, Rean would always greet him with his cheeriest smile, and Jusis, ever vulnerable to his charms, would give up his act and smile back at Rean too.

But today was a little different.

Rean noticed that the sun was already high up in the sky, and yet Jusis still wasn’t out of bed. How could Jusis seriously be still sleeping? Rean thought to himself. When would Jusis wake up? An hour later? A week later? A month later? Rean knew Jusis’ sleeping schedule by heart; Jusis would always, without fail, wake up before the sun was high in the sky.

Growing a little curious, Rean left the kitchen to go to their bedroom to check on Jusis. He opened the door just a little bit, his head poking through the crack to check up on Jusis. “Juuuuusis,” Rean sang out, “Are you awaaaake?”

[crystal-saber]

Jusis’s ears perked up at the sound of Rean’s voice, and as the tempting smell of Rean’s carefully crafted breakfast wafted through the open door his nose twitched. He was only half awake right now, but Jusis’s mind was still cognizant enough to process two things: first, his stomach was starting to grumble in hunger at the scent of toast slathered in strawberry jam, but more importantly, the glass of milk beside it, and second, the air outside was much colder than the cozy warmth beneath his blanket wrapped snugly around him.

As such, no. He was certainly “not awake.” Jusis remained as stationary and silent as possible in hopes that Rean would believe he was, in fact, still asleep, but for some reason, the fur at the tip of his ear was inexplicably itchy at the worst possible time since he drifted back to reality from his happy dreams about lazying around napping. He tried his best to ignore it, but since he couldn’t scratch it, the uncomfortable sensation plaguing his ear just wouldn’t disappear, leaving it twitching there against the cool air.

[graue-ritter]

The sight of Jusis’ twitching ear was enough of a sign for Rean - yes, Jusis was ‘awake’. At least, in Rean’s terms he was. Quietly closing the door behind him, Rean slowly walked over to Jusis’ side, his tail thumping happily against the floor. He pawed at the still-twitching ear, rather amused by how it moved and why it moved. “Juuuusissss,” Rean said again, his gaze affixed on Jusis’ ear, “Wake uuuuup!” 

Without thinking, Rean climbed onto the bed in a rather shoddy attempt to wake up Jusis. The bed heaved and creaked under Rean’s weight as he began to paw at Jusis himself, trying to nudge him away from the blanket. When Jusis still wouldn’t yield to his wishes, Rean resorted to nuzzling against him. It was supposed to be a sign of affection, as Jusis had explained to him before, but Rean couldn’t help but feel a little awkward at the thought of being so close to Jusis. But if it was warmth that Jusis desired, then Rean would give him twice the warmth he wanted and more. “Please wake up, Jusis...” Rean whimpered, his voice soft and innocent.

[crystal-saber]

chicken soup for the soul

[graue-ritter]

Rean’s eyes brightened up when he saw Jusis pull out a large bag of dried basil, expressing relief that he didn’t have to pull herbs out of Sharon’s stash, mixing and matching them to create some weird taste in an attempt to create a soup suitable for Jusis’ palette. If Rean had to be honest with himself, soup really wasn’t his forte. He remembered bits and pieces of his mom’s recipe, but Rean simply couldn’t trust himself in successfully replicating his mom’s good, old-fashioned chicken noodle soup.

“You sure about that, Jusis?” Rean asked, “But…But you’re sick!” At this point, he had found a carrot, some celery stalks, and one whole onion. Rean moved the vegetables over to the sink, where he began giving them a good rinse with the warm water. As he busied himself with cleaning the vegetables, Rean couldn’t help but to sometimes lift his sleeve up to his nose, wiping his nose clean of any trailing snot. He let out a sigh, swiftly followed by another cough that he tried to cover up.

Seeing his snot-covered sleeve made Rean sigh in exasperation. He couldn’t cook like this, he’d just get Jusis even sicker than usual. Rean turned off the sink for a moment, taking off his blazer and setting it on one of the chairs set along the dining table. “You sure you really want to help?” Rean asked from across the kitchen, “I can, um, handle it fine from here…”

[crystal-saber]

“Doesn’t look like you’re handling it just fine to me,” Jusis countered, walking over to take over with rinsing off the vegetables at the sink. Rean was almost done with them, so it was mostly a matter of dicing them up now. “You say that I’m sick, but you’re even sicker than I am. Efficiency is key. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can eat the soup, so while I’m chopping the vegetables you take care of the broth and the chicken.”

After Jusis peeled the onion he took it to the cutting board and cut it into half for easier handling, but before he was even a third through dicing it he could feel its pungent smell wafting into his nose and bringing tears to the corners of his eyes. Oh no. He hadn’t chopped up an onion in so long that he had forgotten just how much the irritating enzymes in its cells could burn once cut up and allowed to react together, and after his shaky hand clumsily set the knife down onto the counter top with a clang he gritted his teeth and rubbed at his teary eyes with his sleeve.

How ridiculously embarrassing, not to mention completely unsightly, to be standing in the kitchen weeping like this. His father would always scold him for crying when he was younger, but he just couldn’t help it right now. What utter shame he was bringing to the Albarea name, being reduced to a sniveling wreck by a half-diced onion. “R–Rean, can you…” Jusis stammered through his sniffles made exponentially worse by this goddamn onion as he continued struggling to rid his eyes of these blinding tears. “Can you, a–ah, can you help me with this– this onion…”

[graue-ritter]

Rean was getting the cutting board for the chicken when he heard Jusis sniffling. He immediately gasped and dropped the board onto the counter top, rushing over to Jusis as fast as he could. “Jusis, are you okay!?” Rean cried out. He was holding Jusis by the shoulder, not noticing that he was gripping a little too tightly onto Jusis. It wasn’t like Jusis was dying or anything - he was just sniffling a little bit, and...crying?

“Ju-Jusis...you’re crying, aren’t you?” Rean asked bluntly. “I-Is this making you sad!? Do...Do you need to lie down, Jusis? Maybe take a nap?” He released his hold on Jusis to snatch the onion away from his crying friend. At least he chopped the onion somewhat, Rean thought to himself. He was about to send Jusis back to hid bedroom when Rean suddenly realized why Jusis was crying in the first place. Deep inside, Rean was erupting with laughter at the revelation.

He gingerly held the half-cut onion closer to Jusis, his fuchsia eyes glittering with curiosity. “...Is it from this onion, Jusis?” He asked, trying to hide his wide grin from Jusis. Knowing the guy, Jusis could only erupt in even more shame and self-loathing if he showed even a little amusement at Jusis’ predicament. Despite the situation being hilarious, Rean held his grin back not just because he wanted to be a good friend, but also for the sake of Jusis’  already wounded pride.

[graue-ritter]

magic anon! you now have puppy ears and a tail for the duration of one rp where both participants are cute pets c:

Rean was used to waking up early. He would wake up when his little dog ears first detected signs of sunlight, rolling away from Jusis’ embrace and cleaning himself up before rousing Jusis awake. Of course, Rean would fail at that, and he would simply just give up and make breakfast for the both of them, him waiting patiently in the kitchen for Jusis to come strolling in. Almost always Jusis would wake up with his cat ears drooped low and wearing a stature that clearly said, I didn’t get enough sleep don’t bother me please. And yet, Rean would always greet him with his cheeriest smile, and Jusis, ever vulnerable to his charms, would give up his act and smile back at Rean too.

But today was a little different.

Rean noticed that the sun was already high up in the sky, and yet Jusis still wasn’t out of bed. How could Jusis seriously be still sleeping? Rean thought to himself. When would Jusis wake up? An hour later? A week later? A month later? Rean knew Jusis’ sleeping schedule by heart; Jusis would always, without fail, wake up before the sun was high in the sky.

Growing a little curious, Rean left the kitchen to go to their bedroom to check on Jusis. He opened the door just a little bit, his head poking through the crack to check up on Jusis. “Juuuuusis,” Rean sang out, “Are you awaaaake?”

[graue-ritter]

@crystal-saber (spoilers for ToSC II)

[graue-ritter]

Rean didn’t respond. He merely turned the handle, sending the bike off to a start. He zoomed past the eerily quiet waterfront, the residential streets that were only just beginning to wake up. The sun was only beginning to rise, still too early for any ‘rowdy activity,’ as resistance movement would often be called among his superiors. All that Rean could hear was the sound of his engine roaring along, his wheels skidding on the concrete streets. The path to Armorica wasn’t be too long. Even with Jusis’ unwelcome intervention, Rean would have still reached the village before anyone would be awake. Not that he cared – Rufus had long granted Rean permission to do whatever he felt like in the village, after, of course, he threatened the mayor’s life in his own snakelike way. As he drove past towering mountains and fields of flowers, Rean couldn’t stop turning over the mission in his head. How was he supposed to kill them as bloodlessly as possible? Wouldn’t that just stir up more trouble? He asked himself endless questions, barely paying attention to the road. The highway path to Armorica was usually empty anyway – even if Rean did maneuver off the road a couple of times, there wouldn’t have been much harm done anyway.

The bike finally skidded to a halt when Rean made out the faint outlines of wooden houses. He was here. As the engine died down, Rean hopped off his bike, clutching onto his tachi the same way he did before. No matter how used he was to killing innocent people, there was just something about this mission that unnerved Rean, that made his legs stiffen, his body tremble and quake with fear…but fear of what?

Rean whipped his head back to Jusis, who was getting off the bike himself. “Don’t follow me,” Rean said simply, “Or if you do, get out of my way.” He didn’t wait for Jusis’ response. As soon as he was sure the engine was turned off, Rean began to make his way over to the village, all the while he tried to steady his shaking fists.

[crystal-saber]

As they pulled into some countryside village that under any other circumstances might have offered a notion of peaceful relaxation, Jusis was still reeling from the wild motorcycle ride he was just subjected to when Rean climbed off and started to leave. This was bad. Not only should he keep Rean in his sight because who knew what he was heading off to do, but Jusis would surely get lost in this new location without any guidance. Rean wouldn’t have bothered giving him a second option like or if you do, get out of my way if something inside of him wasn’t secretly hoping for this course of action to take place, and as Rean ran off Jusis chased after him. If this job of his necessitated carrying his tachi along it must have entailed some sort of confrontation. Jusis didn’t bring his knight sword with him to Crossbell – he never thought he would need it for what Rufus insinuated quite deceptively in his letter would be a leisurely vacation – but even though the only tool lending to combat that Jusis had with him was his ARCUS, he was still ready use it if the situation arose.

“Rean!” Jusis yelled, tailing Rean on his way through the village, hoping that maybe one of these times that he called out to Rean would finally be the one that got through to him, but Rean never looked back again. “Rean, I just want to help you…”

[graue-ritter]

The location was a small windmill located on the far right of the village, isolated from the rest of the residents but still an integral part of its lifestyle. Though innocuous on the outside, the files had called the windmill an integral part of the resistance movement. Apparently, children orphaned by the ongoing civil war had been stowed away within the windmill until they could relocate their parents, or until they were deemed useful enough to serve in the militia. Perhaps that was why Rean felt so nervous this time; he had to kill not just their caretakers, but orphans.

He stopped in front of the windmill, long enough for Jusis to catch up to him. Rean had forgotten that Jusis was even there, too lost in his own thoughts to worry about his tailing companion. When Rean did finally stop thinking about his mission, he finally acknowledged Jusis’ presence with another dismissive glance. “If you want to help me, then stay here,” He growled. Rean unsheathed his tachi from its saya, and began to walk towards the seemingly empty windmill.

Rean waited for a few moments, lingering near the door and trying to discern noises. Seemingly without thought, Rean flung the door open, rushing in with his tachi guiding his feet. At the same time, he heard the sound of a gun being fired from within the windmill, followed by the sound of a bullet whizzing by. With a grit of his teeth, Rean raised his tachi to block the shot, his eyes flaring up in alarm. He could hear the sound of more guns being fired outside, the faint outline of armed men coming into view. “Get out, Jusis!” Rean roared, rushing back outside with his tachi in tow.

[graue-ritter]

@crystal-saber (spoilers for ToSC II)

[graue-ritter]

“Okay.” That was all Rean could say in reply to Jusis. He wasn’t going to pry Jusis off of him soon, but no matter how strong his grip was, Rean wasn’t going to let Jusis get in the way of his job. Explanations would have to come later; he had a job, Rean knew. If he let himself delay any further, he didn’t want to know how Rufus would react, or what kind of promotion he’d receive this time after his heroic deeds.

With Jusis still holding onto his sleeve, Rean made his way out of the tower, filled with a renewed sense of duty. No words passed between them. Rean didn’t think he could say anything that could alleviate the situation. Anything he could have said would be met with a counter from Jusis, and anything Jusis could have asked would have no answer. With the uncomfortable silence still hanging in the air, Rean hopped onto his orbal bike, firing up the engine and letting it roar to life.

Aomorica was a quiet village known for the honey it produced, as well as its picturesque sights. It also happened to be a perfect site for rebellion. Just thinking about the targets made Rean try to gulp down whatever fear he had. Not killing them simply wasn’t an option. Instead, Rean tried to convince himself that maybe, just maybe, he was these victims a blessing. They wouldn’t have lived long anyway, not in their age, he thought to himself.

Rean threw a  sideways glance at Jusis, who was still standing next to the bike. “Are you going to get on?” He asked, his voice full of uncharacteristic impatience. Rean didn’t even notice how much his current attitude sharply contrasted with how downtrodden he had been just a few moments ago.

[crystal-saber]

Jusis said nothing again as he climbed onto Rean’s motorcycle behind him. He’d just done the same thing yesterday as Rean drove him from Crossbell Station to Orchis Tower, but this time it would surely be much different. Instead of worrying the most about his own safety during what was sure to be a reckless ride, he was more concerned about Rean – not only whatever was happening inside his head that he continued to hide but about his alarming shift in attitude as well. The irritable one between the two of them was supposed to be him, not Rean, but there was no use in calling Rean out for his strange crankiness.

After Jusis got as comfortable on the seat as possible considering their current situation he leaned forward, awkwardly grabbing onto the sides of Rean’s jacket because sliding his arms around Rean’s waist seemed like a bad idea. He held in any comments about watching out for the speed limit because he was sure Rean didn’t want to hear any of that. “…I apologize for any discomfort,” he muttered, and even though he wanted to scoot closer and maybe hold Rean tight to enjoy more of that familiar comfort he had only a slight chance to enjoy last night, he restrained himself.

[graue-ritter]

Rean didn’t respond. He merely turned the handle, sending the bike off to a start. He zoomed past the eerily quiet waterfront, the residential streets that were only just beginning to wake up. The sun was only beginning to rise, still too early for any ‘rowdy activity,’ as resistance movement would often be called among his superiors. All that Rean could hear was the sound of his engine roaring along, his wheels skidding on the concrete streets.

The path to Armorica wasn’t be too long. Even with Jusis’ unwelcome intervention, Rean would have still reached the village before anyone would be awake. Not that he cared -- Rufus had long granted Rean permission to do whatever he felt like in the village, after, of course, he threatened the mayor’s life in his own snakelike way. As he drove past towering mountains and fields of flowers, Rean couldn’t stop turning over the mission in his head. How was he supposed to kill them as bloodlessly as possible? Wouldn’t that just stir up more trouble? He asked himself endless questions, barely paying attention to the road. The highway path to Armorica was usually empty anyway -- even if Rean did maneuver off the road a couple of times, there wouldn’t have been much harm done anyway.

The bike finally skidded to a halt when Rean made out the faint outlines of wooden houses. He was here. As the engine died down, Rean hopped off his bike, clutching onto his tachi the same way he did before. No matter how used he was to killing innocent people, there was just something about this mission that unnerved Rean, that made his legs stiffen, his body tremble and quake with fear...but fear of what?

Rean whipped his head back to Jusis, who was getting off the bike himself. “Don’t follow me,” Rean said simply, “Or if you do, get out of my way.” He didn’t wait for Jusis’ response. As soon as he was sure the engine was turned off, Rean began to make his way over to the village, all the while he tried to steady his shaking fists.

[graue-ritter]

@crystal-saber (spoilers for ToSC II)

[graue-ritter]

Rean inhaled sharply, taken aback by how hard Jusis had gripped onto his wrist. He didn’t know if his strength was failing or if Jusis had just grown stronger, but feeling Jusis’ hand tighten and grip onto his wrist caused an unwanted, unexpected amount of pain for Rean. He let out a soft, strangled cry when Jusis pulled his wrist up, showing him how white his knuckles had became from gripping on his tachi. The sight made Rean want to turn his head away, to avert his gaze from the obvious truth; he was hurting, and he didn’t want anyone to know.

Though he had grown accustomed to Jusis’ hard, matter-of-fact way of speaking, something about his tone made Rean tremble in fear. He immediately looked away, his gaze falling onto the marbled floor. Rean could practically feel himself trembling, even after Jusis had long released his grip on him. Rean didn’t want to admit it, but he actually felt scared. But why? Jusis was his friend. Jusis wouldn’t do anything to hurt him.

And yet Rean couldn’t stop himself from thinking back to his monthly debriefings with Osborne and Lechter, how Osborne spoke in that same tone Jusis had just used moments before. Those were the times where Rean felt at his most vulnerable, where he feared whatever harsh words those two had for him. Just the very thought made Rean’s breath quicken, made his heart thump against his chest.

But Rean still tried to hide his fear from Jusis. He kept his gaze on the floor, not wanting Jusis to see the tears forming in his eyes. “N-Nothing…” Rean muttered, his voice barely audible even in the quiet lodge, “It’s nothing to worry about…can you…just please let me do my job? There’s nothing wrong at all…”

[crystal-saber]

Jusis hated how Rean continued to deny that anything was wrong and, furthermore, deny to let him help when he so desperately just wanted to see Rean relieved of the uncharacteristic pain all too apparent on his face. He wished that instead of that worrisome sorrow, Rean’s eyes were lit up and his lips curled into that typical smile that always left him unable to keep from smiling himself, but any hints of the cheerful Rean who helped Jusis through his own rough moments were hidden beneath whatever terrible things happened in Crossbell that Rufus was still continuing to hide from him. Not only Rufus – Rean still insisted on keeping them a secret too no matter how much Jusis insisted, but even if Rean didn’t feel comfortable sharing yet, he could still tolerate being left in the dark until Rean was ready. Jusis could put up with not knowing for a little while longer, but he wasn’t about to just let Rean leave.

“No,” he insisted resolutely, reaching out to grab onto the edge of Rean’s sleeve, and he wasn’t planning to let go anytime soon. “I’m not going anywhere. There’s clearly something wrong to worry about, and I will worry about it no matter how much you tell me not to. You can go do your job now, but I’m coming with. I won’t have any arguments.”

[graue-ritter]

“Okay.” That was all Rean could say in reply to Jusis. He wasn’t going to pry Jusis off of him soon, but no matter how strong his grip was, Rean wasn’t going to let Jusis get in the way of his job. Explanations would have to come later; he had a job, Rean knew. If he let himself delay any further, he didn’t want to know how Rufus would react, or what kind of promotion he’d receive this time after his heroic deeds.

With Jusis still holding onto his sleeve, Rean made his way out of the tower, filled with a renewed sense of duty. No words passed between them. Rean didn’t think he could say anything that could alleviate the situation. Anything he could have said would be met with a counter from Jusis, and anything Jusis could have asked would have no answer. With the uncomfortable silence still hanging in the air, Rean hopped onto his orbal bike, firing up the engine and letting it roar to life.

Aomorica was a quiet village known for the honey it produced, as well as its picturesque sights. It also happened to be a perfect site for rebellion. Just thinking about the targets made Rean try to gulp down whatever fear he had. Not killing them simply wasn’t an option. Instead, Rean tried to convince himself that maybe, just maybe, he was these victims a blessing. They wouldn’t have lived long anyway, not in their age, he thought to himself.

Rean threw a  sideways glance at Jusis, who was still standing next to the bike. “Are you going to get on?” He asked, his voice full of uncharacteristic impatience. Rean didn’t even notice how much his current attitude sharply contrasted with how downtrodden he had been just a few moments ago.

[crystal-saber]

hot chocolate in ymir

[graue-ritter]

“…I’m sorry I dragged you into this mess. I know I was the one who wanted to reunite Class VII and all, but…I think I just messed up your life even further, huh?  What with the Noble Faction and all that…”

“I’m really sorry, Jusis. This wouldn’t have happened if I was so…selfish…”

[crystal-saber]

“It’s not your fault, Rean. I chose to come along with you and everyone else in Class VII of my own accord, remember? Even though I claimed to have staked everything on the outcome of our duel, I was planning to come along whether I won or lost and had that letter for Father already prepared regardless.”

“It’s fine that I can’t return home for a while. There’s… nothing really there for me right now anyways. I’m glad to be here in Ymir with everyone that I’ve missed for the past month. Truthfully, being with you all feels more like home to me than my actual home.”

[graue-ritter]

“Wait...I feel like home to you...?”

“...Should have said something earlier then. I’m glad you’re happy, Jusis, especially after what happened to you back there. But, if I really do feel like home to you, then let me just say...”

“...Welcome home, Jusis.”

[graue-ritter]

@crystal-saber (spoilers for ToSC II)

[graue-ritter]

Rean’s steps were hurried, distressed. If he should get out of Orchis Tower before Jusis did, then maybe, maybe, there was a slight chance where he would get back to the tower before Jusis launched a state-wide search for him. Then, it would be easier on Rean to explain to Jusis just what exactly was going on, using the same sly, snake-like grammar that Lechter had taught him to use on the day he first accepted his place among the Ironbloods.

When Rean first heard his name called across the lobby, he kept moving. The sliding doors were only a few more inches away. As soon as he hopped onto his bike and sped off, then Jusis wouldn’t give chase to him and all Rean had to do was suffer an earful from Jusis when he got home from his assignment. But Jusis’ voice grew lesser and lesser in distance, and that was how Rean knew that he simply couldn’t stop running away anymore. He couldn’t believe it, but he would have to lie to Jusis to get out of this one.

Rean turned around, a pained smile on his face. He hoped that Jusis would be too tired to notice the ever-present eye bags weighing down his eyes, the reddish tint of his cheeks signaling that the remnants of his fever were still alive and well. But this was Jusis – how could he let such minutiae detail escape him? “Morning, Jusis,” Rean said in a chipper voice, “I was just heading out for fresh air, no worries. I like being alone during mornings; it’s kind of a habit of mine.” He added in a small chuckle. It pained Rean that the lie came so naturally, so effortlessly. And he was lying to Jusis, no less.

In truth, the loneliness suffocated him. Even if he was to go out right now, all Rean would see and hear was an ocean of livid faces cursing his name. Peace and quiet simply wasn’t a thing in Crossbell State – they just relics of a past Rean wished he could go back to, nothing more than simple nuisances getting in the way of his duty as the Ashen Knight. At least, that was the philosophy Osborne trained him into accepting.

[crystal-saber]

Jusis was relieved when Rean actually stopped and allowed him to catch up. He could have continued out of Orchis Tower without so much as glancing back with those sorrowful eyes of his that had been burned into Jusis’s memory since the first moment they met up once more in Crossbell State, but no. Rean waited. That meant that somewhere, deep inside of him he didn’t want to leave – that even the smallest piece of him didn’t want to continue pushing Jusis away like this, and just knowing that was enough. Jusis was going to get through to him somehow, no matter how long it took.

“Just heading out for fresh air?” he echoed, continuing to close the gap between them as quickly as he could out of fear that if he faltered Rean would go back on his promising inclination to stay and take the chance to bolt off once more. “That’s nonsense. Why would you be bringing your tachi along with you for a short, relaxing stroll outside? Not to mention this.” Jusis paused both in speech and step when he reached Rean, stretching his hand out to curl his fingers around Rean’s wrist in a sturdy grasp – just enough to hold him firmly but not enough to squeeze him too tight or cause undesirable discomfort. He pulled Rean’s hand up between them, exhibiting in plain sight how Rean’s own fingers clenched desperately at his tachi’s saya with such a tense grip that his knuckles were turning a worrisome white, like he might so much as die the moment he let it go.

“Your actions betray your words, Rean,” Jusis declared resolutely, and even though he could feel Rean trembling amidst his accusatory, possibly even intimidating, speech, a roundabout approach would do neither of them any good. “You’re squeezing your saya so hard that I’m surprised its metal isn’t warping, you’re shaking and still obviously not feeling well judging by the fatigue and flushed tinge lingering on your face, and you’re giving me that same broken smile you always use in attempt to lighten up situations when something is wrong but you don’t want to disclose exactly what is eating at you for fear of being a burden. But I see through it. I always do, and I’m not leaving you alone this time.”

As Jusis’s grip on Rean’s wrist slackened, he allowed his stern yet concerned frown to fade away as well. “I saw the papers on your desk,” he admitted – there was no point in hiding it, after all. “There’s no use in continuing to lie to me, Rean. I’ll ask you one more time: what are you doing?”

[graue-ritter]

Rean inhaled sharply, taken aback by how hard Jusis had gripped onto his wrist. He didn’t know if his strength was failing or if Jusis had just grown stronger, but feeling Jusis’ hand tighten and grip onto his wrist caused an unwanted, unexpected amount of pain for Rean. He let out a soft, strangled cry when Jusis pulled his wrist up, showing him how white his knuckles had became from gripping on his tachi. The sight made Rean want to turn his head away, to avert his gaze from the obvious truth; he was hurting, and he didn’t want anyone to know.

Though he had grown accustomed to Jusis’ hard, matter-of-fact way of speaking, something about his tone made Rean tremble in fear. He immediately looked away, his gaze falling onto the marbled floor. Rean could practically feel himself trembling, even after Jusis had long released his grip on him. Rean didn’t want to admit it, but he actually felt scared. But why? Jusis was his friend. Jusis wouldn’t do anything to hurt him.

And yet Rean couldn’t stop himself from thinking back to his monthly debriefings with Osborne and Lechter, how Osborne spoke in that same tone Jusis had just used moments before. Those were the times where Rean felt at his most vulnerable, where he feared whatever harsh words those two had for him. Just the very thought made Rean’s breath quicken, made his heart thump against his chest.

But Rean still tried to hide his fear from Jusis. He kept his gaze on the floor, not wanting Jusis to see the tears forming in his eyes. “N-Nothing...” Rean muttered, his voice barely audible even in the quiet lodge, “It’s nothing to worry about...can you...just please let me do my job? There’s nothing wrong at all...”