[Here's that little snippet about Leo that I promised. And look! Here's Lin and Nimbus, too! Hope you enjoy ^u^]
No warnings for this one besides maybe some brief mention of scars, I guess.
“Hey, Leo, I was curious about something.”
Leo made a questioning noise as he looked up from cleaning and sharpening his sword, looking up to see Nimbus fidgeting with the hem of his tunic and Lin standing at attention beside him, blank-faced as usual.
“Well, you have my attention now. Feel free to ask your question,” Leo smiled gently, moving his task to the side and watching the two heroes as they collected themselves.
“Oh, well, um….” Nimbus trailed off, radiating nervousness as he desperately looked to Lin for help.
“We were both curious about why you always seem to keep your armor on. Even when we set up camp, you rarely remove your bracers or boots, let alone roll up your sleeves to help with dishes or laundry.”
Leo felt his smile drop like a stone, quickly trying to ease the two’s nerves by putting a convincing smile back on his face. The three of them had been together for a while now, long enough at least for them to somewhat lower their guard around him. He knew that Nimbus still felt inadequate compared to him no matter how much Leo tried to change his mind and that Lin still felt that he had to be formal and like a proper soldier around him even if Leo tried to show that he wasn’t a commanding officer. He slowly got to his feet, observing their reactions.
“To put it simply, I suppose, I don’t want to burden you or any of the others with the mistakes I’ve made in the past. While I don’t regret what I’ve done, I don’t enjoy the reminders of my failings.”
Lin nodded stiffly, seeming satisfied despite his impassive expression. Nimbus, however, looked unconvinced.
“Was there anything else you two needed from me?”
“Nothing. Thank you for indulging our curiosity.” Lin spoke, then turned on his heel and returned to where they had set up camp.
Once Lin had left, Nimbus shook his head and stared at Leo.
“You mentioned failings, but how can that be? You’re hailed as a hero where I’m from, as the one who originally ended the Demon King’s reign.”
Leo chuckled, though it sounded hollow to his ears. He shook his head, walked toward Nimbus, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Everyone makes mistakes, Nim. It’s just a fact of life. Even though you say I’m hailed as a hero, I can promise you that all history passed down through time rarely tells the whole story.”
“If that’s so, then will you ever tell us the whole story?”
“Maybe someday.”
Nimbus nodded, though the hero still looked displeased. Leo watched as he returned to where he had been sitting, picking up the small sculpture he had been carving out of wood. Leo sighed, sitting back down to finish his work until the sun finally set. He could feel his wrists and ankles burn with the phantom pain of shackles, but he ignored them as much as he could. Just like he did every day.
