A short Riza x Ava fic I wrote, along with an art piece to go with it.
The setting is inspired by @catboypinhead's WIP HASTE fic set post-game with all the characters trying to rebuild their lives after the collapse. I chose to focus on how Riza is getting on, trying to rebuild the Abbey, along with some help from a certain enemy-now-turned-ally-perhaps-something-more-👀
This isn't the thing I've been working on mainly, just a small test to see if I can still actually write properly lol
The art piece was also just meant to be a sketch but I got carried away which is why it's a bit rough lol
I have also included an audio version of the fic if that interests you, once again another test because I've been a bit too busy to properly do much voice over work recently lol
Riza stands in the center of a half finished room, her crystal tablet hanging loosely from one hand as she surveys the space. It’s a recreation of her old bedroom at the Abbey, yet it feels sterile and foreign. Maybe it’ll be more familiar when it’s complete? She doubts it. Every detail of the room is etched into her mind. She used to spend countless hours perched on the window sill or on her bed, reading tales of distant lands, wishing she was there with the characters she read about. Of course, she was able to fulfill a part of that dream when the Collapse arrived. All it cost was access to the place she had called home her entire life.
Her hand brushes over a space on one of the walls. Back at the real Abbey, there was a crack here where she had slipped and hit her head while attempting to master the art of flying. Over there, by the bed, there used to be a stain from a spilt drink she had smuggled up with her. Riza had been on latrine duty for weeks after that incident. All these memories floated around her as she navigated the small space, her mind struggling to find the correct markers to match them up to.
It’s strange. She never thought she’d miss the old Abbey as much as she does, but the ache in her chest only strengthens the more time she spends in this hollow recreation of her former home. She wonders why it bothers her so much. She should be happy! She’s able to finally explore the rest of the worlds, the vast majority of her Sisters are safe, she’s helping supervise the reconstruction of the Abbey, including a large part of its Archives, she has a great group of new friends, even a gorgeous girlfriend, so why-?
“Riza, you’re crying”
A familiar voice snaps Riza out of her daze. She finds herself face to face with Ava, curled up on the tiny – it was smaller back in the real Abbey but it’s still so, so small – bed tucked in the corner of the room. Ava, usually so stone faced, has the faintest hint of worry twisting her features as she stands staring at Riza. Though that could just be the tears in Riza’s eyes distorting things.
Ava, oh Ava, her beautiful, talented, oh so misunderstood girlfriend. Even just the word girlfriend makes her feel giddy. Riza doesn’t remember exactly how or when they made it official, but they’d been drawn to each other since their first encounter during the Collapse. They haven’t told any of the other Sisters, though there are certainly some who suspect something. In fact, Riza was too nervous to tell the rest of the Collapse Crew, as she had taken to calling them. They just need to talk to Ava first, then they’ll see she isn’t so bad, she was just doing what she thought was best-
Ava starts to look more concerned “Riza?”
Riza blinks and manages to focus her eyes on Ava’s face “Ava…” Normally seeing the orange clad woman would soothe her, yet another wave of sorrow forces Riza to break eye contact. Ava quietly sighs. She takes off her oversized jacket, wraps it around Riza’s shoulders, and then squeezes next to her on the bed.
“Talk to me.” Ava taps her knee against Riza’s.
“…it’s different,” Riza’s voice is barely a whisper. “I wish it wasn’t” She curls up tighter, wrapping her wings around her legs.
Ava watches her with a mix of sadness and surprise. She’d seen Riza cry before, sure, but this was a new level of vulnerability. It was…quiet. Gone were the usual fluffy words and constant rambling that persisted even through tears, replaced with…nothing. Even the crystalline shine on Riza’s hair and wings seemed dulled. Some small part of Ava, perhaps related to the part of her that made her enjoy her work with the Agency, almost preferred Riza this way. The (relatively) young woman had always had this ethereal quality to her. Maybe it was a combination of her unusual features, mysterious origins, and carefree attitude, but even after the two had become closer, Riza had always seemed somewhat detached from reality. The state she was in now, while heartwrenching, helped bridge that gap Ava had been struggling with.
And Ava hated herself for that.
“Of course it’s different,” she stretches out her legs and avoids looking at Riza “Did you think it would be exactly the same”
Riza’s voice is muffled from where she’s buried her face into her arms “Maybe”
Ava smiles “That’s ok. That’s how I thought things would go the first few resets…I don’t really think I ever stopped hoping that magically I’d get everything perfectly back to normal, even right near the end.”
Riza remains silent for a few minutes. Ava lets her sit there, scuffing her shoes on the newly constructed floor she can barely reach. Eventually, the silence is broken by Riza’s usually melodic voice.
“I think I would have preferred it if everything was worse. If the Abbey was just gone, if no one survived, if you weren’t here.” Her voice cracks on the last few words.
“...but that’s not how things happened, angel.”
“I know” Riza’s hand unwinds from the vice-like position it had around her knees and finds Ava’s “It’s just…”
Ava squeezes her hand “If being here upsets you that much, we could go and hang out with one of your friends for a bit. Who’s the one you’re constantly writing to, Gan?”
“They’d hate you” Riza mumbles “and I have work I need to do here. If you want to leave you can-”
“No.” Ava’s response is sharp. She hated being away from Riza, especially when either of them were in a bad spot emotionally. Her voice softens again “...you don’t have to stay here Riza. especially if it winds you up like this. Take a break”
“I shouldn’t need a break. I should be happy.”
“But you’re not.”
Riza finally lifts her head, taking a few deep breaths to compose herself. Said composure only lasts for a brief moment before tears start spilling again. “...fuck.”
Ava is stunned temporarily, then chuckles “I was not expecting that kind of language from you, especially in such a holy place~” She reaches over with her spare hand to turn Riza’s face towards her, twirling a lock of sparkly hair around her finger as she does so. “Take your time”
Riza leans into Ava’s hand with a strained smile on her face “Time is the one thing I think I’ve had enough of”
With her face in the light, the dark bags under her eyes stand out, the thin layer of makeup usually concealing them washed away by tears. At the same time, Ava notices that Riza seems thinner, her usually perfectly tailored clothing hanging a little loose. Her gut twists and that tiny part of her that she loathes makes itself known again, much to her internal disgust.
“Riza, when was the last time you ate? Or slept?”
“W-What does that have to do with anything-”
“Riza.”
“...”
Ava presses her forehead to Riza’s, a stray tear beading where their noses touch. This forces Riza to look Ava in the eyes. Ava brushes a strand of hair off of her companion’s face from where it got caught in her wet eyelashes. “I don’t want you disappearing on me, angel. You have to take care of yourself”
Riza sniffs “I just…I’ve been busy. I have a duty to the Abbey-”
“What about your duty to yourself?”
“How are you so good at this??” Riza manages to choke out between sobs and laughter
Ava smiles at her “When you have to manage something as large as the Agency for as long as I did, you pick up a few tips to stop yourself from spiralling too much” Her voice drops in volume “but you know what you can do now that I couldn’t do at the Agency?”
“...kiss my girlfriend?”
“Sometimes I really do wonder how your brain works. No,” Ava smirks “we did kiss back then, remember?”
Riza flinches. She’d been having slight problems with her memory since the new universe started, and often found herself forgetting large chunks of things she should have remembered perfectly.
Ava realises what she said “Sorry, that was…a poor choice of words. What you can do is leave.”
“I can’t, I have to-”
“You don’t have to do anything. You’re overworked, overwhelmed, and you obviously don’t want to be here. The rest of the Sisters will just have to pick up the slack.”
“Where would we go? How long for?”
“Anywhere you want, for as long as you need…forever if you want to. Like I said earlier, we could go and stay with some of your friends if we need to”
Riza seems unconvinced but her breathing has calmed down. Ava twists her head so her lips graze against Riza’s, a question. Riza answers with a light kiss, the taste of salt present where her tears dried. When the two part, she wipes her eyes “What about you? What if we go somewhere or do something that makes you upset?”
“As long as I have you, I’ll be fine”
Riza giggles at Ava’s corniness and relaxes “Y’know what? Sure! Let’s do it!” She moves to stand up but is overcome with a wave of exhaustion and falls back down flat onto the mattress.
Ava shuffles to lie next to her “How about you get some rest first”
“...I’ll do that” Riza replies, pulling Ava towards her with a smile.
They stay there for another few hours, intertwined in each other’s arms. The next morning, they’re found fast asleep in the same position. A few bets among the Sisters are resolved, but when someone goes to check up on the slumbering beauties, both have vanished.
