Letti took a breath, leaning back on her feet, running a gloved hand across her brow. Taking out a bunch of enemies at once wasn’t really something the young guildee was good at alone, but she had ways around it. Took a hell of a lot longer and expended a ton more energy, but she did it.
But, before she did that.
“Time for a meal!”
Heliord was quite a nice place, after all! And it was close by. A few extra gald spent on purchasing another little snack to quench her grumbling stomach wouldn’t be too much of a problem, right? Her pa shouldn’t complain ... much. Chuckling a small laugh to herself, Letti began her way back with a cheery whistle, only to find herself stopping at the low-sounding growl of a monster.
Crossbow out in a second, Leticia spun on her feet, hooking a finger on an--
She ... was out of arrows.
“...Well fuck.”
The monster loomed closer and Letti took an awkward step back, slowly hooking her crossbow away and rubbing her glove.
“Don’t suppose yer here t’sight see?” She attempted to casually throw the gibe out with a grin. That ... apparently wasn’t very funny for the beast as it barreled at her.
@bravingpathstogether || because let’s fuck ‘em up
She had always been an incredible shot. Karol had always lamented playful jealousy that she excelled in the subject he had always vied for. Uncle Raven had complimented her finesse- she was a natural. It was odd, growing up with such a gift and having absolutely no desire to utilize it. Archery was fun, but Aria was not a fighter.
Or hadn’t been. So much has changed...
At present, she knocked another arrow, her eyes narrowing as she fought to get the shot she needed. Infuse the arrow with mana, make a concentrated burst- just like Karol had told her Uncle had used to do ( back when they’d had aer, what a weird concept ). And she timed it in line with Don’s swing- his bastard sword, her arrow in sync. If that didn’t rend it--
“Aria!”
Meg’s voice? She was in trouble-! Aria’s heart froze in her chest, and her chestnut eyes flew toward her sister’s voice. The girl was so small- she couldn’t fight! Oh, she had warned her to stay back-! She almost melted when she saw Meg was safe- the urgency in her sister’s eyes, though, was enough warning. It wasn’t Meg who was in danger-
She was.
Aria heard the growl before her agility could save her. Fire sank into her side. The canine was much stealthier than she had anticipated, smarter, having snuck around the combat and gotten the drop on her. And now, it was taking a healthy bite from her side. The eldest Capel was not geared for close quarters, crying out in agony as she beat the top of the monster’s head with her fist.
“No, Aria-!”
“Stay back, Meg!” She screamed, turning her eyes away from the monster to insure compliance. The adolescent froze, horror-stricken ( no, that wasn’t a look Meg should have- the ambivilance that drove her mad was a comfort now, and with it’s absence came the full weight of the gravity in this situation ). Aria- focus, focus on what could get you free-!
The initial beast, thankfully, was felled, Don tremendously pleased with himself for only a moment before catching sight of his sister’s plight. Help was on the way, and it looked livid.
The Weasand of Cados, in every essence of the term, was a place full of danger. A cave filled with vicious monsters, complete with deadly twists and turns, it was a place no one in their right minds would visit, as there were less risky modes of transport one could use to get to the other side of the desert. The rumors of the place playing host to a giganto monsters did not help its reputation any, and as such, the townsfolk of Nordopolica did not make a habit out of visiting the place.
But for a certain Jade Curtiss, it was, quite literally, a sanctuary. Precisely for the reasons that people avoided the place, in fact. Being an unknown who cleared the nastiest of challenges in the Nordopolica Coliseum in record time, it was a feat that earned him both the admiration and ire of the townsfolk.
Of course, it was all thanks to his unique way of casting, and as far as Jade unfortunately knew, he was the only one capable of doing so in this world. The fundamentals present in the world were simply no match of Jade’s more inexhaustible resource—the fruits of his careful research into the matter of energy and spell-casting.
Still, powerful as Jade was, there was one thing all the riches in the world could not afford him, and that was a good night’s sleep. Being a light sleeper to begin with, his nightmares about what happened a few months ago did not aid his quest for sleep at all, much more some misguided fool’s attempt to murder him in his sleep for all the loot he acquired as a coliseum victor.
Jade would have shaken off such an attack as a one-time matter, but then it happened the next night. And the next. And then the following day again.
While no bodies were made as a result of those mishaps, having to fend off attackers in the middle of the night was a matter that Jade found tiresome, and for that reason alone, it was enough for him to look for alternatives to an inn, with the main criteria being a place where he wouldn’t be bothered while he was resting.
And so, upon learning of the existence of the Weasand of Cados, he decided to turn the place into a makeshift base of sorts, banking on the chance that even vicious monsters had more sense than humans not to bother an individual who was clearly way more powerful than them. Primal instincts were a lot more predictable than human emotions, after all.
It was on the third such day of his living arrangement that he found a lady sprawled by the mouth of the cave he dared to call a home. Tempting as it was to ignore the person, doing so would leave her to a fate involving monster feed and he could not, in good conscience, let someone die a miserable death when there was something he could do about it.
After all, there was enough blood on his hands already.
Doing a quick check of the person’s vitals to ensure that he was in fact about to take care of a living being and not a corpse, he managed to carry her into the corner of the cave that he made into a small room of sorts. Propping her against the wall, he applied some medicine to the deep stab wound on her left arm and replaced the bandages that came undone. This person was lucky indeed, considering how he kept a healthy stock of healing items on him, as well as him encountering her when he did. If he didn’t find her at that particular time, the monsters would have made short work of her as they are wont to do.
Tossing his lone blanket over her, Jade proceeded to light a small lantern with a fire arte and placed it between the two of them, sitting down next to her and resigning himself to keep watch for the rest of the night, as the monsters might think of his new companion as ripe for the picking if he weren’t awake to keep an eye on them.
It wasn’t like he was eager to rush back to the realm of nightmares anyway.
In which Gilbert, though feverish and not quite within his own head, finally admits his guilt to Ren.
this was really off the cuff start so it’s not really formatted or anything haha
Ren:
Ren just really sad and, "i wouldn't keep being friends with you if you were. your heart's in the right place. Humans are allowed to make mistakes."
Gilbert:
"Intention doesn't dismiss culpability... or... the fact that maybe I wasn't in the right place then.... this doesn't feel like a mistake, Ren, it was..." His eyes are hidden and he's kind of just trying to avoid actually looking at her. "... I hurt everyone. I did what I was trying to prevent. I'm..." Sorry...
Ren:
"We were never really angry to begin with." Casually checking his temperature. "We were just focusing on bringing you back. We wanted you back." she's trying to tuck him into bed. "I think you need forgiveness from yourself the most, but it's not easy. We'll be here, though, so at least keep that in mind."
Gilbert:
He's leaning away from her hand- he'll be okay, he needs to talk about this. "I don't know how you did it. I did such terrible things, to you too. I just..." A mirthless smirk, and he shakes his head a bit. "You should've just handed me back... it'd make sense." Justice... right...? He didn't need forgiveness from anyone, he hadn't earned it. He just... wanted to know...
"Hey... you asked me once... so now, I'm.. I'm asking you. Do you... do you hate me, for what I did to you guys....?" All the things he's put into motion, all the things he'd caused, purposefully or not.
Ren:
Ren sighs as he leans away. She's not really a healer like Caleb or Aria,
but she at least knows how to treat a sick person. but this sick person is being very stubborn. So she leans on her chair instead. Gilbert feels he has to have this conversation? Alright, she'll let him.
But she frowns at what he says. "Give you back? After the hell we went through to do the opposite? C'mon, Gil. Do you really think...?"
Nevermind, he's not really thinking straight right now.
She freezes slightly at his question. It's familiar, although now they're in each other's shoes. The answers given are the same, though. She doesn't hesitate."I don't hate you."
Gilbert:
This sick person is very stubborn; always has been. It just took a long time for this side him to be allowed free reign... a long time and maybe some fever-haze. It's the only way he can say these things, if he's not actually registering what he's saying.
And of course. It was a fitting end to a fitting idiot, to be consumed and lost to his own ignorant sense of justice. A child. He was just a stupid, naive child to trust in such lofty ideals.. how had his father not been lost to them...? The hell they went through... that was just why they should have...
Gilbert starts a bit at her answer, eyes widening where they're focused on his lap. Ren could always say things with such conviction. It was... He brings his hand to his face, pressing the heel of it to his eye as if it can stop the spring welling within his eyes. He presses his lips into a flat line. No way... no way is he going to cry, not when... if she's being honest... "H-how...?"
Ren:
Ren's just watching him now, calmly. At least that's what it looks like, but in reality there's a storm within her, wanting to break free from her chest that almost makes her want to clutch on it. This pain. It's hers, but also not at the same time. It's pain she feels for this person. The boy in front of her, who's covering his face as if he's hiding something. But no, that act reveals so much, and she wants to cry.
But she smiles instead. "How? We're friends, dummy. 'How' is irrelevant."
Gilbert:
It does tell so much; everyone knows Gilbert well enough to know when he's hiding, and he hates that. He's trying to keep this from you, Ren. He just wants her to be okay, and here he is, again... He's done so much damage, everywhere he turns he does something else and...
Because we're friends. It's not that simple, Ren. He loves you, and you're his friend, but that doesn't absolve him from everything... it can't. "... I'm just... I'm so tired, Ren." His other arm winds around his torso, like he's curling up; but it's more than that. "I'm sick of hurting the people I'm supposed to be helping, and I..." He lets out a soft breath of a laugh. "I'm doing it now, huh? I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't... be saying all this..."
Ren:
But that's how she feels. He asked her how she couldn't hate him, and that was the answer she found. The answer she always knew. Ren wasn't trying to absolve him from anything, just... she was just being honest with herself.
This pain she feels for him, she doesn't mind having it. It just means she cares about him and that makes her happy. She's hurting because he's hurting, and more than the happy days when she was just a knight and Gilbert was just someone nearby, she wanted to hope this pain she was feeling connected her to him somehow. She doesn't mind pain, nor scars. It's a sign that she's fought with all she has and survived.
"Gil, when you make friends, one way or another you're going to end up hurting them. Even if you didn't mean to. But that's the thing: because we're friends, we learn to accept it and move on. Maybe it's always going to be there, but true friends... those bonds don't easily get cut. You can't get rid of us. And you most certainly can't get rid of me even if you tried."
Ren rises from her chair and seats herself next to him on the bed. She cups his chin, feeling for his tears if they managed to fall.
"Please don't apologize for something like that. You're allowed to be hurt. But let me in. I want to help. Alright?"
Gilbert:
What was said about the road to hell? That was it, wasn't it? That's what this is- his good intentions have taken them all on a downward spiral, and he's still taking them with him. That's what he gets when he tries to help- he just makes things worse. With the Court, with his friends, even with Mirany--
He's only thought he was feeling the pain of his sins for this time, but be it the discussion or the fever or what, he's definitely feeling it now. Like molten lead in his chest, the fire of guilt, of fear, of grief is burning, pooling over his eyes. Yes, Ren, those tears are falling for sure, no matter how he attempts to stanch them.
And she... as she sits beside him, insisting they're friends, he can't wrap his head around it. Of course he views them all as such, but... how can a bond be that strong? How would he feel if they did something like this to him? He wasn't sure. Was it like... like Presley? The thought fills him with a new horror. No, no they wouldn't-- they wouldn't... He trusts them, even still, even with every fibre of him saying it's not safe after all he's put them through. And Ren's words only stoke this assuredness.
'Those bonds don't easily get cut.'
Her hand is rough, calloused on his cheek, and damn it he wishes he wasn't crying. It's embarrassing, stupid. What is he supposed to do if he can't apologize, Ren? What if... "I- how...? I don't know what I'm doing anymore-!" The Court is gone, at least his is, his home is something he can't face right now, and he's afraid of his own friends. He's just sort of going on instinct at this point, following and hoping that it works out. "What am I supposed to be doing...?"
Ren:
And her right arm curls around him. He's hot to the touch, probably from the fever, and honestly she wishes she could use both arms if it meant offering double the comfort, but she can't even do a simple thing like that. Her left arm is numb to the frustration they both feel right now. What was he supposed to do? What was she supposed to do? Gilbert was the expert on emotions, she was not, but she tried. She tried really really hard, hoping her actions would be enough.
"You don't have to do anything right now." She presses her cheek against his temple, and her own tears begin to fall. "I'm sorry. Sorry, Gil, I--"
And now she's apologizing after explicitly telling him not to. She's normally calmer than this. Has she caught his fever now? No, idiots never caught fevers. She's just really really sad, the guilt she's been trying so hard to deny seeping through the cracks in her edges. If she had only paid more attention, if only she tried to understand him better. Maybe she could have told him the things he needed to hear, and she's so very sorry.
"I don't know what to do, either. I just don't want you to be sad... But I can't possibly ask you to do that. I know." Damn it, left arm! Move!
"You... Your heart is just too kind... for a bastard world like this, and your cuts run deep. I wish I could tell you that the pain was only around the surface, that it would heal in no time, but all I can do is offer to stay with you until it does."
Gilbert:
Despite wanting to pull away, Gilbert let's her wrap her good arm around him, leaning his head into her shoulder. Her skin is cool- he should get her a blanket or something...-, and while he's not sure he deserves to be coddled for this, he appreciates the comforting gesture no less. But he's putting things on her that he shouldn't- she didn't betray her friends, her father, for childish and faulty ideals. She didn't use her hurt as a weapon and justification for whatever she felt like. She wasn't him. And her apologies now somehow are cutting deeper than her earlier acceptance. Ren, your kindness is a blade- be careful how you wield it.
He gave a breath of a laugh at her insistence to not be sad, shaking his head softly where it was on her shoulder. No, that's not something she can ask for. There's no mystery switch to turn off emotions, not anymore. Whatever box he had stuffed all of his softness into previously was open now, and those emotions were back with vengeance.
But she would still stay. Despite how he seemed magnetic to disaster and misfortune, she wants to help him... they all do, don't they? Ridiculous... They should cut their loses and be rid of him, and were he a stronger individual, he could do it for them. Presley is his business, after all. But he's scared, he's weak, he...
Wrapping his arms around her, Gilbert takes care not to jostle her arm, but pulls her as close as he can. "You... can't be sorry if I can't... you did nothing wrong." Nothing he hadn't orchestrated- she couldn't have helped him, steeped in his own piety as he had been. He hadn't wanted her help, he'd meant to keep them all out of this. So none of this was on her. "Your heart is the kind one... and... I'm so grateful..." Undeserving, but grateful. He closes his eyes against her, trying not to let himself give to that distant tug of exhaustion that the comfort he's feeling is stoking...
Ren:
How could she bring herself to hate him? Whenever she would so much as glance at Gilbert, all she saw was the kid who only loved too deeply and got hurt too deeply, so disappointed by life and how it treated the people he loved. When did their luck ran out--or was it destiny? That fateful day, where it all started. She loved Gilbert like a brother, wanted nothing more than to see him happy--and he was about to! He was about to, until...
All she knows how to do is fight. Caleb's the one who comforts. Alex is the one who provides the warmth. She's nothing more than a blade to be wielded, a shield to protect. She's nothing more than that, in comparison to her amazing friends.
And Gilbert, oh, Gilbert. He couldn't see it--how special he was, how kind he was. He couldn't accept anything good about himself, so Ren wanted to accept those for him. He would see all the bad in himself while she would see the good. She knew it was there.
"You're an idiot," she hiccups. "A really, really big idiot." She's stroking his hair now, and that perhaps calms her more than it does him. "I love you. Caleb, Alex--we all love you. Even if you think you don't deserve it, love is unconditional. You can't force someone to love you and you can't force them to hate you, too. That's just how things go. At least, with us.
"Don't leave us again," she says. "At least, not with the feelings you had in the past. You don't know this, but we need you."
Gilbert:
Emotions were something Gilbert had always had in spades. If he was upset, it was with his every fibre, no matter how he bit it back. If he was happy, he was gleeful. His emotions were reasonable in their arrival, but they took hold of him so strongly, so completely when he did experience them. It had always been all or nothing. And the first time he had felt that seeth, the sharp sting of alcohol to an open cut that was his fury and grief, somehow it felt like it had never left him. He had never known how to let go. Until then, he hadn't needed to. Life had been the same, day to day to day, unchanging, unprovoking. And then everything had changed. How did you come back from that? How did you cope with something without stewing in it, using it to push you forward...?
He wasn't the incredible one. It was Ren. She was a shield and sword with no wielder, a tornado in human form that rent down anything in its path by conviction and power. And despite her ferocity, she held as much love in her as power, and used it in the same way she did her sword. Perhaps it was not the most conventional, or the most well received method, but it was a method Gilbert was familiar with and drew comfort from. He had always said Ren was a diamon in human form- sharp, cool, unbreakable. Even with her arm as it was, she was still such a foe. Caleb and Alex, too, had their redeeming qualities and admirable traits, but this was about Ren and Gilbert. And he...
Surely he had them. He knew he must. But when would they actually crop up and make themselves apparent? His hands were soiled, ruining everything he touched, and despite this he still clung to Ren as she pet his hair. He shouldn't. He loved her, too- an only child, alone while Father was gone, he'd never had anyone other than she and Alex and Caleb, and they couldn't be more important to him; so then why was he continuing to put her through this...? Unconditional aside, he should be acting--
'Don't leave us again.'
He stiffened for a moment, then relaxed again into her grip. His grip was weaking a bit around her, his chest aching, but breathing slowing a bit. Don't leave them again... they... need him...? That didn't seem right. They had functioned all that time without him, hadn't had to put up with all of the devastation of the Court's renegades until his join. Without him, Presley and Matthias would... never have touched Caleb... never have hurt Ren.. never have driven Alexius to the breaking point... never have drawn the Capels from their home to search for him... they all had been hurt by his failings, and he....He was grateful to each of them. So much. How he had not seen before....
"I... I won'..." he breathed into her shoulder. "Not... like that... if I do... if I leave again... it's for you guys... you know that, right...?" Soothing... her presence, her embrace... this was okay, right? Hadn't she just said... to let her in...? So this... this wasn't a burden...?
Ren:
But did he realize, how much she came to rely on him just as much as she relied on herself? How often his presence behind her was reassuring whenever she fought. He was like a lifeline--all of her friends were, and she was forced to just accept the fact that he left, when all she really wanted was to stay together. That would have been enough. The path to knighthood was harder knowing she was the only one on it, but even then, Gilbert was there. She needed him, and she probably should have admitted it sooner.
The little gestures he did, leaning backwards to support her head when she hid from her superiors, how he allowed himself to be crushed under her weight when she leapt from a tree, his mile-long patience as she continued with her antics... the way he never locked the window to his room so she could enter... She wanted those moments back, and it took her such a long time before fully adjusting to his absence.
"Yeah," she nodded. Finally... he was finally back. And he wouldn't leave, right? Not without warning. Not without trust.Letting her in would never be a burden on her. She'd wanted him to do that ever since Mirany died. It's like something clicked back then, like a lock. A door that closed on her and couldn't open again. But now, it's safe to say it has... right?
"Stop trying to do so much and get some rest. You've been at it for so long. Slow down, why don't you?" she laughs, cheeks damped with tears as she pulls her head back to look at him. They both must look so silly right now. "Hahaha, gross."
Gilbert:
It was safe to assume he'd had no idea. He always had figured her strength was intrinsic, as natural to her as... well, seemingly everything else about Ren. She was effortless, it seemed. Having him to shout weaknesses and defense tactics wasn't necessary to anyone, and now he was doing less of than then just throwing himself into whatever combat they landed in. He wasn't just the weak little kid who hid anymore, and it... felt pretty damn good actually to be able to show that. See guys, he had improved too. And by his own hand he had gotten strong, so strong, and in that strength he had somehow fostered in himself an even greater weakness than any amount of demureness or trepidation that had held him back previously. It was ridiculous how that worked... from one end of the inhibited spectrum right to the other...
But now he could fight. He could protect. And Gilbert would do so with everything he had. For people like Ren- the one who would sneak away from supervisors to catch time with him, to leaping ( idiot ) from a tree because she wanted to surprise him and spend time together, the girl who always climbed in his window instead of using the front door because he assumed something had possessed her to think heights were fun. She was always doing things for him, even... even supporting him after Mirany... after she'd-... Ren was always there, always giving him a reason to smile, a warmth in his life he didn't normally have. She was his best friend. He'd do anything...
And anything included remaining by her as long as she needed. For anything she needed. And with her arm in the state it was in, Gilbert would just have to work that much harder for her. The thought filled him with distant determination, a resolve to help. He had caused it, but he could at least aid the damage he had done, lessen it somehow. He could be her arm. It would help her, and hopefully put the others' minds at ease, too.
She pulled away, and he gave a little start, only having half heard what she was saying. He blinked slowly, adjusting. He may have dozed a touch. A small, half smile was on his lips as he pulled his sleeve over the palm of his hand, reaching out to wipe the tears off her cheeks. "No crying..." he pleaded softly. He used his free hand to steady himself upright, then continued, "And I only do what I feel I must. I'll slow down... when that's accomplished..." Even though he had just proclaimed he didn't know what he was doing. It just meant he would be at it for a good, long time. He looked to her with half-lidded eyes, then sighed. "You really... are amazing. You know....
".... Alex'll be lucky to have you." Exhausted and almost delirious with fever, he still couldn't resist the jab...
Ren:
"What the hell, you started it." A chuckle, but his touch was welcome. Ren never had someone wipe her tears before, since she always cried alone, but had she known it felt so warm--well, perhaps their friends would witness this kind of sight more often. Maybe from now on.
She nodded to his words, a small smile on her lips. "Fair enough."
She felt his hold on her slowly slipping along with his consciousness, and this dummy, barely keeping his eyes open, still delivered the jab with such finesse. The little bastard.
"Alex doesn't... He..." She sighed. "Never mind." Ren gently pushed his shoulder so he would lay on the bed, then the same hand slipped under his neck so he'd flop onto the pillows gently.
"Get some rest, little man."
Gilbert:
He wanted to say he wasn’t little man, but he didn’t have the strength for that joke. As she pushed him down ( only to catch him- make up your mind, Ren ), Gilbert just huffed a small laugh. She knew he was right, either way. And before he could even give her an affirmative, he unconsciously rolled onto his side, half curling into a more comfortable sleeping position...
