So, this is just a little oneshot of Brodik's thought on his growing friendship with Raguna and his mission in general. It takes place before he meets you in the Green Ruins with the Golem. Anyways, enjoy and of couse let me know what you think. Thanks!
Disclamer. Of course. I don't own anything. Apparently not even myself, which is really quite worrying.
It was the 17 of Spring, an average day, and the temperature not too cold or too warm, as usual in the town of Trampoli. It was also Brodik's birthday. And it was the day that Brodik sat at his kitchen table staring at an apple pie, questioning everything.
He hadn't wanted the job to begin with; he would have preferred something much more exciting. Rather than defy his superiors, though, he took it. The job wasn't even supposed to take that long. He had expected to be done and home by the end of autumn. Yet, here he was, in spring. The task itself was simple enough; he half wondered if this was all his superiors thought he could handle. Of course, as it turned out, it wasn't nearly as simple as it should have been. Look for a man with blue eyes and brown hair; he should act distant and depressed. So a man with blue eyes and brown hair he had found but it was there that the similarities had ended. Weber did not act at all depressed or distant. He seemed to be loved by everyone in the village, talking to them every single day in between farm work and going into dungeons. Weber even came to talk to him daily as well, giving him gifts as he did with the rest of the village. This, and everything else about Weber, unsettled him. His kindness, his generosity, and his innocence, something he shouldn't even posses. Even with all the things he had done to him, trying to get him to go back, the man had not complained once, trusting him blindly. It had come to no surprise that Weber had changed his name. Raguna…What kind of name was that anyway? It didn't matter; everyone saw Raguna as the perfect, loyal, and kind friend. Even Brodik himself was beginning to. Which led him to where he was now.
He had slowly succumbed to the daily chats, the kind demeanor and the gifts. Before he would outright try to chase him out of the town. Small things at first, which then escalated with their failure. Rocks in his shipping bin, messing with his field, and being out right rude.
"I hear that you're blabbering to the villagers about not having any memory of the past. Hahaha. You can't lie your way into getting more sympathy!"
"Why are the villagers so nice to outsiders like you and me? You better not be taking advantage of them! It's better for every one if you just left before you become attached to them. But that's only if you can still act friendly to people! Hahaha!"
It didn't make any sense to him. How could Weber act like nothing had happened, like he hadn't been in the war? Either way Weber was still kind to him. What had once been rude wasn't anymore. He couldn't keep his facade up when all Weber had been was friendly to him.
"Get out of the village already… If you don't, I'll…"
"Why are you always talking to me… What are you?"
He scoffed at his own pathetic attempts to keep to his mission. How could he though, when every unkind word, every mean action, caused unwanted feelings of guilt to well up inside him. The straw that broke the camel's back was his birthday. He didn't know why he had even told Weber when his birthday was. He tried to rationalize it by his homesickness. He wasn't any closer to going home, so he would have no one to acknowledge his birthday, he figured he deserved to have someone know even if that person happened to be Weber. It wasn't like he had been kind about it either, he just wanted him to know.
"I'm sure you're tired of playing the good guy. Why don't you act like who you really are? Just don't do anything on the '17th of spring'. You'll completely ruin my awesome birthday."
He didn't know why he hadn't expected Weber to bring him something for his birthday. He was a soldier expecting the unexpected was what he did; he should have been prepared! But when the seventeenth rolled around and Weber came up to him, freshly made apple pie in his hands, he felt his stomach drop. It was almost like someone had punched him. He barely managed to get his words out.
"I didn't think you would bring me this on my birthday. Now I really feel like going home."
And that was the truth. He wanted to go home so badly it hurt. It didn't matter whether or not he had friends in the town, ones besides Weber, which he did. The fact was that he'd rather be home, with his family, with his friends, in the place he loved and he wasn't. The apple pie was so familiar to him, reminding him of home. He didn't even care about Weber anymore; he wanted to be out of there. But Weber was a prime example of what happened when you defied the Zzyzx Empire, they sent someone to find you. So he stayed. He cursed Weber for putting him in such a position, for taking him away from his home. Brodik was suffering and it was because of him. Yet, he knew if he tried to explain to Weber, Weber would try to find a way to help him. That's what friends did. And as much as he didn't want to admit, Weber… No, Raguna, was a friend.