#verse: between

[broadswordandpistol]

It’s always sunny in Leronde.

(closed starter for @warmthofthehearthfire​)

The metaphorical raincloud hanging over Alvin pushed others around him to give him a wide berth. He stepped off the boat, and angled for the warm heart of the town, with footfalls that seemed to get heavier with each step. He had spent most of the trip trying not to think about planning this conversation, or the myriad of things that could go wrong before he even got to it. 

Alvin was at least spared running into Derrick, though he considered that seeing the other man would give him an excuse to procrastinate or even escape his own laid plan. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, and instead of steering right to the clinic, forced himself left to the lodge.

He took a deep breath before he touched the door handle, and let himself inside. The coolness of the inn was welcome but disorienting, and he squinted to adjust to the dimmer light.

[broadswordandpistol]

(closed starter for @honor-fire)

It was about three months after Rieze Maxia and Elympios had started formal peace proceedings that Alvin found himself wandering up the winding turns of the Hallowmont. He had no official reason to be there, although he’d stopped at the two small graves tucked in a clearing just past Milla’s shrine before he began his trek upwards. Just a vaguely unsettled feeling of unfinished business that nagged him skyward.

The afternoon breeze held the edge of a cooling Ragnome, and Alvin stopped at the peak to catch his breath and sweep a look at the horizon. So much of his life had changed on this single spot, and yet the view from here seemed perpetually unchanging.

He tucked his hands in his pockets, skirting the edge carefully, but making sure to give it the respect it deserved. He still had nightmares about that day ... 

And stalled at the sight of a pair of curled-toed boots poking out from behind a large boulder. They lay still and unmoving, and despite himself, Alvin’s heart kicked up a notch. He scrabbled around the rock, coming face to face with a slumped, scarred young man in red. 

The teen was unfamiliar to him, but clearly unconscious. This was no place for anyone to be left alone, especially with that kind of wakeup call. He slung the kid’s limp frame over his shoulder, and hauled him away from the edge.

[broadswordandpistol]

Memory Error: Abort, Reboot, Retry?

(closed starter for @sharilton-princess-premiere)

Alvin often stopped by the Sharilton manor these days. Aside from visiting Elize and Driselle, and being back and forth to Rieze Maxia on business, he’d been recruited as one of the few remaining experts to dismantle some of Exodus’ old equipment from their various installations around the country. It certainly had kept him busy and distracted, which was a relief in some ways.

Today had been one of those busy days, but after he’d made the usual round of hellos, he sobered slightly.

“I have a present for you, Princess, although I don’t know if you want it or not.” He reached into the breast pocket of his sportcoat and pulled out a slim black cylinder, offering it to her on an open palm. Roughly the size of his index finger, it sported a pair of connectors on each end, and a thin band of Exodus-yellow around the far side.

[broadswordandpistol]

(Closed starter for @leiathesleia)

Things had wound down. Gaius and Muzét had backed down, Milla had vanished to the spirit realm, taking her sister with her, and the rest of them had eventually had to go their separate ways. 

Jude had gone back to school, thanks to the grace of Rowen and Gaius combined, and Rowen had moved almost effortlessly back into the public life he’d had before. Driselle had been happy to take in Elize, and Leia had gone home, with a laugh and comment that maybe nursing wasn’t really for her that didn’t sound as honest to Alvin’s ears as she tried to pass it off.

Alvin was at loose ends; his purpose in life ended, and as much a stranger in Elympios now as he had been in Rieze Maxia for years. 

It would be a while before he knew what to do with the rest of his life again, but one thing was certain. He owed a ray of sunshine more of an apology than he’d given her.

That didn’t make it easy to get off the boat in Leronde, or walk up the street to the inn, despite knowing in the pit of his stomach that it was the right thing to do. He hesitated on the doorstep before pushing into the cool dimness of the lodge.

[broadswordandpistol]

(closed starter for @hopefulprimrose)

The last glimmer of light had faded from the sigil-strewn floor, and the silence that hung over the Temporal Crossroads was deafening. Alvin had stared at where Milla had been standing for a very long time, before he finally lowered his eyes.

“And just like that, she’s gone,” he unknowingly echoed Jude’s words about him in Nia Khera, Cut adrift from his family, and sure he was no longer welcome now that Gaius had been defeated, he nevertheless stayed rooted to the spot.

He had nowhere to go. Nothing left to accomplish. Somewhere beneath the surface he could feel the first bubbles of a fresh round of despair. Fighting that off seemed harder than facing His Majesty again.

He bit back a sigh and slowly put away his weapons, only to feel eyes on him. On him? Why? He lifted his head to lock gazes with Jude. Of course. He should have known.

[broadswordandpistol]

(Closed starter for @tetherwithme)

Despite knowing it was a fool’s errand, Alvin had spent three days at the base of the Hallowmont, looking for the shattered bodies that could have been there. He had precious little else to do at the moment, just enough work to keep himself alive while he tried to put the pieces back together.

If they had been found, it had been by monsters. He found no trace.

It was backbreaking labor to haul two slabs of stone from the top of the Hallowmont to the small clearing not far from Milla’s shrine. Backbreaking labor was good; it kept him from thinking too hard, and wore him out enough so that he could sleep at night, mostly without dreams.

He’d spent time figuring out how to place the stones where the sunlight would strike them until the trees finally overgrew this place, and more time to dig a rough trough to stand each of them up in. By the time their bases were buried, he was exhausted, and his hands ached under his gloves.

He slid down to a crouch, head lowered tiredly, but a flicker of movement caught his eye. Pale blue and fluttering — he lurched upright again, heart hammering in his chest.

[broadswordandpistol]

(closed starter for @holdmynormin)

That someone’s-watching prickly feeling had been sitting on the back of Alvin’s neck all afternoon. When he’d said he’d go out to Bermia Gorge to plant another one of those devices to take mana readings, he hadn’t been worried about the monsters. Maybe he should have been.

Whatever it was, it stayed persistently out of sight. He plunked down the device, pulled out the directions, and configured it the way he’d been instructed. Still no sign of the mystery observer.

He sighed and plopped himself down, securing his back against one of the large boulders that dotted the area. Supposedly this gizmo could get its readings in a few hours, so all he needed to do was wait.

[broadswordandpistol]

strawberrypandalaura:

Strawberry turned and smiled at the half dressed mercenary, a slight flush coloring her cheeks before she turned back to the omelets. “Morning Alvin, I thought you’d be hungry.”

“Most people usually are in the morning,” he quipped lightly. How had she gotten in? Dammit! He’d need to replace that lock.

The food did smell good though. His stomach decided to turn tell-tale and growl for him. “... I got time for a shower?”