Disclaimer: Tales of Berseria or its content, characters, or plot are not my own. I do not own them nor do I claim to own them.
Tomorrow, the world would change. Either the Lord of Calamity would be dead and the Abbey would continue on unimpeded or The Great Shepherd Artorious would be dead and, regardless of Velvet's fate, the world would start anew. Velvet sincerely hoped for the option where she could watch the life leave Artorious' cold dead eyes to pay him back for making her watch her dear brother's life blink out of his eyes. She didn't really care if she lived or died as long as she could watch Artorious' glorious end. She honestly couldn't imagine living past that moment but that was a problem for a later date, if it'd ever be one at all.
Velvet looked in the foggy mirror hanging in the room of the Meirchio inn where she and the rest of her motley crew were staying. She sighed a long sigh. She had one more night, this final night. Tomorrow, it would all be over. She wondered vaguely if anyone else in her group was as anxious to see this all end as she was. Sure, they didn't share in her ultimate goal but they did tag along all this way and might feel some sort of stake in this battle. Much to Velvet's surprise, it seemed as if they would all join her in battle tomorrow, despite all the risk.
It was just a few hours ago that Velvet, fresh from the bath, told Laphicet that she was going to kill him, by killing Innominat. She would likely kill Medissa and Kamoana, too. All the creatures intricately sewn into Innominat's life force would logically be affected by his death. Then there was her odd little pirate crew - Rokurou, Magilou, Eizen, and Eleanor - who would likely die by the hand of Artorious or Innominat in battle, supporting Velvet to the bitter end. Velvet would even kill her little brother, even if it was just his shell, to take Innominat down, so it's no surprise she was willing to sacrifice so many lives for her vengeance.
She hoped, for a small brief moment, that her friends would make it out alive but she knew that, even with the four Empyreons weakening Innominat's power, their opponents were unbelievably powerful. She sighed again, deciding that this current train of thought was just too damn depressing to keep going down. Velvet opted instead for going for a walk through the snowy, sleepy town that was her most recent home.
When she stepped out of the inn, her boots made a loud crunch in the icy snow. The air smelt crisp and she imagined it felt bitterly cold but she couldn't know for sure. She looked around to see if any of Eizen's men or the other Therions were about but it looked as if everyone had already buckled down for the night. The night was quite and still.
The glowing green lights in the sky, "the auroras" Laphicet called them, lit her way and hummed ever so softly in the background. She was sure the humans wouldn't be able to hear them, but Velvet has heard their song every night since they got here. A perk of being a demon, I guess. Or a curse. Though the lights hummed melodically, like wind chimes in a gentle breeze, they could be down right deafening if you listened to them long enough. Velvet walked to the snowy edge of the sea, leaning on the railing that was there to protect the weak humans from falling in. They would certainly die of hypothermia in those icy waters, while Velvet could take a night swim if she wanted without ever being affected by the cold. Another perk of demonhood, I guess. Sometimes, Velvet felt like humans, daemons, and Malakhim were so different that they could never really coexist.
"God, they're always so damn loud!", spoke a familiar voice from behind Velvet. Rokurou came to rest on the railing, right beside Velvet. He was holding a jug of sake that Velvet was sure he would down within the night. "You hear them too?" Velvet asked curiously, realizing that Rokurou was looking up at the lights in disdain. "Yeah, 'course I do", he replied matter of factly. "You know, the humans don't hear them. Neither do the Malakhim. It's just you and me, it seems.", Velvet said, feeling so utterly different from her companions that she reveled at the fact that they could travel together at all.
"Just you and me, huh?", replied Rokurou. "I can live with that.", he said with a mischievous grin that made Velvet realize suddenly that they weren't talking about the lights in the sky anymore. "What are you getting at?", Velvet asked. Rokurou took a swig of sake and turned around, tilting his head towards hers to maintain eye contact.
"Velvet, have you ever considered how much we have in common?", Rokurou started. "We both lost a body part to malevolence, we both watched our brothers die, we both live for accomplishing our singular goals, and we both can hear the lights that dance above our head." "Except you watched your brother die after killing him by your own hand. I loved my brother and swore vengeance for his death.", Velvet corrected. He just waved off this giant inaccuracy before continuing. "We're both young, attractive, physical beings. And we both could use to be a little more drunk." He offered his jug of sake, no glass, to Velvet to solve her apparent problem of soberness. She waved it off.
"C'mon! You could die tomorrow, and you still won't have a taste? Just to see how it feels?", Rokurou pressured the underage Velvet. "I died three years ago. I was 16. My brother was stabbed by Artorious and thrown into a pit. I raced to try to save him, and caught him just before he was lost down the hole. I held onto the edge of the pit with all my power, when Artorious came over, called me pitiful and weak for being too sentimental, and chopped my arm off. I fell into that pit with my bloodied kid brother, and died.", Velvet somberly recalled.
"Damn! Is that what happened? I never really got the whole story. Thats some tragic life you have there. Sounds all the more like you could use a drink!", Rokurou exclaimed. He seemed way too nonchalant about this conversation considering she was sharing her origin story, so Velvet assumed he must be drunk. But he didn't seem too drunk - his eyes were clear and his words weren't slurred - so maybe his lightheartedness was not a result of the alcohol. "What's this? This I-let-everything-roll-right-off-of-me attitude? You're normally carefree but you're taking it to a whole new level." Velvet said with crossed arms and a scowl on her face.
"This is our last night together. By this time tomorrow, one or both of us could be dead. Even if we all live, we'll likely part ways. So for this one night, I can't do the doom and gloom. For this one night, I want something new, exciting, and positive to happen. Can't you just take yourself out of the context for a second? When was the last time you let something positive or fun happen without mulling over the consequences?", Rokurou explained. He was no longer leaning casually on the railing and staring upward. He was now facing her, piercing her with his gaze, the jug of booze hanging limply from his hand under his crossed arms.
He was right. She wouldn't tell him so, though. She left the inn to try to brake free of her negativity - from all this context weighing her down. She should take his advice and try something new. "Ok. Give me the jug", Velvet conceded, reaching for the jug in his hand. Drinking would be a new and maybe even fun experience.
Rokurou dropped the clay jug into the snow and with that same hand, he grabbed Velvet's extended hand. In a flash, his other arm was curled around her curvy waist and his lips were pressed against hers. Velvet froze for a moment, considering all the ways she should react to this. Then she melted and chose the reaction that she didn't expect. She kissed Rokurou back, deeper, harder. His tongue paced against her soft lips, hoping to gain entry. She gladly let him in. His tongue danced across hers, his teeth nipped her lip. Velvet couldn't contain the moan that came next. Rokurou laughed a gruff laugh without ever breaking their kiss. He couldn't believe he just made the Lord of Calamity moan in pleasure.
As they parted for some much needed air, Velvet began to ask what was happening. "What is this? Why all of a sudden-", was all she got out before Rokurou began kissing her again, stroking the curves of her face gently while his mouth was anything but gentle. Velvet thought it odd that she could only ever taste blood but somehow, Rokurou tasted sweeter, like how she remembered baked apples tasted. She found this fact to make Rokurou even more appealing, as he was the first thing she could really taste since daemonhood.
As the two daemons parted again for air, Rokurou began speaking before Velvet could start questioning things again. "Don't ask why or how. That's the beauty of new experiences- the unknown. Not knowing makes everything scarier and the fear makes everything more exciting. So don't worry about the semantics. Just enjoy this, cause I sure will." Rokurou's voice was a low growl in her ear that made her shiver from his very tone.
Don't ask? Is that because this means something? Or does it mean nothing and he doesn't want to kill the mood by admitting that? Suddenly, Velvet realized he was right. This could be whatever Velvet wanted - even if she didn't know what it is she wanted this to be. And that meant that she could put all worry aside and let herself truly enjoy something for once.
Velvet pushed Rokurou down into the snow and climbed on top of him, with her legs wrapped around his hips. She had become emboldened by this thought-free experience. She could just do what she wanted to and she could ask for whatever she wanted. She bent over and began kissing his neck. She felt him shiver beneath her. Her teeth raked lightly against his skin and a deeper shiver followed. She pulled his kimono open, exposing his chest and shoulders, and began showering his chest and collarbone with kisses of all kinds. A flutter of her soft lips across his collarbone; a lick of her tongue up his impressive abs.
Rokurou didn't know what suddenly changed in Velvet but he loved it. She was doing everything right for a girl who had never done anything like this before. He felt that she had truly broken free of time to live in the moment and he couldn't believe he was lucky enough to be sharing that moment with her. He let her play with him for a while, enjoying it thoroughly, but he couldn't let her go without her own pleasure. He slid his hands onto her hips, down her butt, across her thighs before turning back up to focus on her top. His rough hands covered every inch of bare skin. He flipped her over to rest in the crunchy snow as he took his turn lavishing her with kisses.
All night, there was a power struggle between the two formidable daemons. Neither daemon was satisfied rolling over and let the other one win the satisfaction of being better or more resilient. They ravaged each other all night in their attempts to one up the other one. It was just before sunset that they conceded for the sake of sleep.
Velvet was the first to fall asleep. Rokurou resisted the exhaustion long enough to cover her in his kimono and carry her back into her room in the inn. He laid her down and kissed her sweetly on the forehead. She probably thought that he had goaded her into that experience for selfish reasons. It wasn't true, though. He wanted to be honest with his feelings for one night - one final night. He would never again get the chance. He sighed, a happy yet woeful sigh, and left the dark room.
He went to his own room down the hall and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted but happy. The moment was finished now but for a little while, Velvet had lived in the moment with him and only him. He could die fufilled tomorrow. Or he could live fufilled, even if she didn't. Rokurou opened his eyes and turned them towards the window. The sun was rising and the auroras were fading but he could still hear them, humming softer and softer as day took over. Before, he found the humming lights obnoxious but now he found that they had a beauty to their song. He fell asleep listening to the lullaby of the lights, comforted by the fact that Velvet could hear them too.
The next morning, Velvet woke up to the warm sun streaming into her room. She yawned and stretched. It was then she noticed the purple and orange fabric wrapped around her bare form. Last night came rushing back to her. "What next?", she whispered aloud to herself.