Hello! Hope you enjoy :)
Disclaimer: Ain't affiliated with Bandai Namco at all. I just like their games ^^
They knew.
He didn't know what exactly they knew, but how else could he explain the suspicious glares and the occasional mumbled RESPECTFUL greetings as he walked by people in the streets of Dahngrest.
People he's known for years now, suddenly treating him like a stranger, or worse, as if they were no longer equals.
As he walked up to the nearest food vendor, he felt eyes following his every move. Creepy. "Hey, what's got everyone so uptight?" he asked, brows furrowing.
The vendor jumped. "S-sorry, I'm closing up sh-shop now." he muttered, quickly stuffing his wares in a bag and moving to leave.
He stepped in front of the vendor, cutting off his retreat."Hey, hold yer horses, I'm just asking for information. "
"I-I'm really sorry, I gotta get home immediately." he said, pushing his way through the blockade before all but sprinting away.
What was going on?
Repeatedly, he tried asking people as he passed, and repeatedly he was rebuked with muttered excuses and stuttered explanations for why they absolutely couldn't spare one moment to tell him WHY people were being so weird.
Excuses like:
"I'm getting ready for a guild request"(Honestly plausible)
"I got a shipment yesterday and I gotta unload my wares"(You already did that. They're sitting right there.)
And "My grandpa is sick and i have to take care of him"(Your grandpa died YEARS ago! I'd know, we got drunk together over it! )
After several failed attempts and nothing coming of it, he gave a great sigh, shoulders slumping.
It was unsettling, to say the least, but at the moment he had to grab something harry needed immediately. He had already spent too much time on this as it was.
Entering the doors of The Sagittarius, the usual rowdiness and chatter of a well used bar greeted him.
But it was soon replaced by silence.
Looking up, he saw half-stares and guilty glances directed in his direction.
And an alienation which felt so wrong because he was in Dahngrest, the only thing he had akin to a home these past ten years. The place where he was able to act without being stifled with the expectation of anything greater than getting the job done. The place where he made relationships with comrades and families of comrades(though he will be the first to admit that he never let any of them too close).
It felt wrong, and he was very much so tempted to get to the bottom of this, but unfortunately he had stuff to finish before all else.
Turning away, he ignored the stares and started towards The Don's Office.
"Traitor."
Well. While accurate(and he wouldn't ever forget it) he certainly wouldn't expect someone of Dahngrest to say it.
Turning back around, he was greeted with the burly form of someone stumbling out of their seat.
Joseph?
A raised eyebrow."Whatcha mean, Joe?"
"Ya know entirely wha' I mean..." he said, an accusatory finger wavering in the air.
Man, he was slammed.
"I think ya might have had one too many, Joe." he said, walking over to sling his friend's arm over his shoulder(which felt kind of awkward, with the height discrepancies and all ). "Come on, let's getcha home. You know the missus doesn't like it when ya drink."
"Get offa me!" he yelled, flailing and essentially flinging himself off his support and sending himself sprawling to the floor.
"Come o- Joe, seriously?" he grumbled, bending down to grab him once more.
"Get away!"he yelled, flinging out an arm to fend off his friends hands. "I don't need yer help, ya traitor!" Clamoring to his feet, he sloppily raised his hands into loose fists.
"What are you-"
"Empire scum!"
He could have dodged. He could have dodged such a sloppy punch even bound and blindfolded. But in that moment he just couldn't because-
They KNEW.
CRACK
His head snapped backwards, rattling his skull and sending him reeling and nearly falling over nearby bar stool. The sound of wood scraping wood filled the temporary silence as would-be allies jumped to their feet. But they did nothing.
"You lied to us all, for years!" thundered Joe. "You spied on us, endangered our families, lied to our faces!"
Raven caught himself, barely in time to fling himself out of the way of another punch. Nobody was looking at him now.
Nobody could look at him.
"How could you do that to us?"
Another swing, this time wide and nearly setting him on top of some nearby customers. He quickly whirled around, wrath setting his eyes alight, before preparing to launch himself once more.
"To The Don?"
And with that, Raven froze.
Breath whooshed out of him as the tackle flung them clear across the room.
His head clunked on the wooden floor, sending a spike of pain through his head and a strangled groan through the air.
Joe shifted then blearily pushed himself up. The rage was gone, leaving only hurt on his face.
Yet he continued.
"You..."
He began raising his fist once more.
"You don't belong here anymore..."
Raising, raising, evermore.
"But first..."
The fist was wound all the way back now, ready to hammer at any second.
"You gotta pay!"
Let it come.
It snapped down with a promise of pain.
Raven watched it approach with a dead stare.
Out of the corner of his eye, something flashed, and then-
It stopped.
"That's enough."
Standing over them both was the bartender, a man they had both known for years, holding Joe's promise.
Surrounding them were their fellow guild members, drinks forgotten and conflicted glances flickering from person to the pair to person.
Two of the group walked towards them and pulled off their drunken companion, leaving Raven free and laying on the floor.
Slowly, he sat up, muttering a flat "Thanks."
He sighed, then gathered his bearings and thoughts before noticing some residual pain in his chest. Which was strange, considering he hadn't been hit there. He sighed once more then stood up and started walking towards the bartender.
"Don't."he cut off as Raven opened his mouth to speak. "Just...Leave."
If he hadn't noticed the pain before, he would have noticed now.
It shot through him, leaving an agonising streak that nearly sent him staggering before settling down to a dull throb.
"A-alright. Just...get him home safely, wouldja?"he said, voice cracking almost turned away, face hidden in the shadows, and left the tavern for the cold night air. But, he said one last thing, in a voice quiet enough to be a whisper.
"I'm sorry."
Authors note:
So! This is a rather short piece, but I do intend on continuing this. I probably will come back to this eventually and touch up on it, but I just wanted to get it out for now.
Reviews and anything of the sort are totally welcome :)
I hope you enjoyed this and perhaps you will stick around for more, yeah?
Anyway, thank you!